Chapter 661: Chapter 266 My Mother-in-law is a Loyal Servant (Part 10)
Endure! Must endure!
Absolutely cannot expose any weaknesses, absolutely cannot let Yanting’s origin be revealed!
Mrs. Zhang clenched her own palm tightly, incessantly reminding herself in her heart.
So, when she heard Yanting’s childish wails from the carriage, though her heart ached unbearably, she still forcibly endured, not looking and not interceding.
Nanny Zhao dared not say anything either, fearful that a careless word might ruin their master’s grand plan.
Neither of this mistress and servant pair stepped forward to stop or scold; Feng Zhongliang was indeed simple-minded, and He Tiantian’s words had effectively silenced him.
Moreover, it has always been the case that men manage external affairs while women take charge of the home.
The rearing of the children was primarily the responsibility of the mother.
Feng Zhongliang, honest by nature, also knew that he was uneducated and didn’t understand those principles.
And "Gu Xiuniang," a scholar’s daughter, was educated and sensible and knowledgeable about raising children.
Handing over Feng Yanting to "Gu Xiuniang" should not pose any problems.
Most importantly, He Tiantian hadn’t mistreated Feng Yanting; she was simply teaching him about hierarchy and propriety and having him do some manageable tasks.
Their family wasn’t particularly rich or noble to begin with; during peaceful times at the Marquis Mansion, Feng Zhongliang could still play "Uncle Feng."
But now, with the Marquis Mansion facing accusations and the Feng Family’s backbone falling, Feng Zhongliang knew that hoping for past affluence and glory was unrealistic.
Not to mention that, to help with arrangements, Feng Zhongliang had listened to his own mother’s instructions and sold off all of his Southwest operations from recent years.
Along the journey, a third of the family’s wealth, tens of thousands of taels, had already been spent.
However, the several thousand taels of silver remaining could not be squandered recklessly; after all, there was still more than half of the journey to Capital City ahead.
Captain Qian was the sort who was only happy when he saw money; without stuffing his pockets full of silver, Mrs. Zhang and the others would suffer.
Moreover, there was something even more crucial: did everything become perfect upon arriving at Capital City?
Wrong!
Nanny Zhao had already warned Feng Zhongliang; after arriving at Capital City, should Marquis Pingnan’s crimes be confirmed, the Marquis Mansion might be stripped of its title and its property confiscated.
The family members would face exile, sale into servitude.
But no matter the situation, silver was of paramount importance.
The Dazhou Dynasty allowed for the buying of one’s way out; as long as one was not sentenced to death or hard labor or prison, money could be used to reduce penalties.
Nanny Zhao had told Feng Zhongliang, "Grand Madam, Second Madam, and Third Madam all have their natal families. They dare not intervene now, mainly fearing their own entanglements."
"Once the Marquis Mansion’s crimes are confirmed, if the sentence is not beheading, then those relatives might actually come forward to help."
"They may not care for other people from the Marquis Mansion, but surely they must look after their own daughters, grandsons, granddaughters!"
If they did not care, putting aside blood relations, public opinion alone could drown them in spit!
The only troublesome one was probably Mrs. Zhang.
Mrs. Zhang had her own natal family, but the Zhang Family was too deeply involved with the Marquis Mansion.
One of Mrs. Zhang’s brothers held an office within the Southwest Army.
Once the Marquis Mansion was implicated, the entire Zhang Family would likely face trouble.
By that time, the Zhang Family, struggling with their own issues, where would they find the means to rescue Mrs. Zhang?!
So, in the end, the person who might redeem Mrs. Zhang and her daughter, apart from Feng Zhongliang, this loyal servant’s son, probably no one else!
"These silvers, can’t afford to be spent frivolously, the real expenses start in Capital City!"
Nanny Zhao knew her son was blunt, but he was obedient; she didn’t hide a thing, laying out all that might happen afterwards, and made corresponding arrangements.
Feng Zhongliang needed only to act according to his own mother’s plan.
However, Nanny Zhao had overlooked one point: Feng Zhongliang, honest as he was, wasn’t a complete fool.
After a few years in business, Feng Zhongliang had also learned some basic arithmetic.
"Alas, once we reach Capital City and redeem the Madam, Mom, and the others, there won’t be much money left in our hands," Feng Zhongliang lamented secretly to He Tiantian.
Moreover, in Capital City, they still needed to buy property and find a way to make a living; otherwise, where would this large family live? What would they eat? What would they drink?!
All the way, Feng Zhongliang was not just driving the carriage and taking care of everything front and back; he may never have spoken of it, but in his mind, he was constantly calculating.
Calculating all along the way, and also worrying all along.
Ah, the money keeps decreasing, yet there are still so many places to spend it in the future.
What would become of all these people?
Feng Zhongliang worried about the future; he wasn’t sure what difficulties they would have to face upon reaching Capital City.
But one thing was certain for Feng Zhongliang: it seemed unlikely that his family would regain their past wealth and glory.