She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 117 - 116: Thank You, Young Man

Chapter 117: Chapter 116: Thank You, Young Man

To avoid any mistakes, Mother Yang asked one more question, "Eldest Lady, what should the young miss do if she encounters Sixth Master Rong? Should she also avoid him?"

Lady Liu pondered for a moment and said, "When facing Sixth Master Rong, remember to maintain the etiquette of a maiden from a sheltered background, and make sure Sixth Master Rong knows that our eldest miss is a modest and virtuous lady who abides by the proper etiquette. Hmm, after the greetings, she should excuse herself, which will make her look like a well-mannered lady from a respectable family."

With this, Mother Yang was one hundred percent certain that the family indeed had plans to marry the eldest miss to Sixth Master Rong. She now had a direction for her future actions, at least not fearing making mistakes. As for whether Sixth Master Rong had a family, and whether the eldest miss would be his wife, it was for the Old Master and the Eldest Lady to consider. Being a servant, she naturally had no right to think too much, let alone to speak out of turn.

Lady Liu continued with her instructions, "As for Wanwan, don’t say too much for now. When there’s a spare moment, I will explain it to her slowly."

Mother Yang promptly acknowledged.

Luckily, Ye Xinyan was unaware of what the Liang family and servants were thinking. If she knew, she would probably laugh her head off.

The fact that Jinrong was the emperor’s son, a prince by official decree, meant that even if he were to take a concubine into the prince’s mansion, it would be different from an ordinary family. Prince Yu’s concubines would have ranks and needed approval from the royal family. How could they afford to be choosy?

What the Liang family did not know was that while they were naively contemplating getting attached to Sixth Master Rong, Lady Liu and Mother Yang had some doubts about Sixth Master Rong’s identity. Meanwhile, Prefect of Yuyuan Prefecture Zhou Bingyi, who was in on the true situation, was very seriously considering the idea of making family connections with His Highness Prince Yu. And Prefecture Governor Zhou was very clear about his daughter’s position, as long as she could enter the prince’s mansion, he wouldn’t dare negotiate with His Highness Prince Yu over his daughter’s status.

Before long, Liang Wanqiu would have a strong competitor appear, contending for this highly sought-after position. However, this was somewhat biased because for the prince’s mansion, having a few more or fewer concubines was not a big deal.

......

What the Liang family planned for Jinrong was naturally unknown to Ye Xinyan, and even if she knew, it would not be related to her or affect her schedule.

The next morning, like usual, everyone from the second branch of the Qi family rode the village bullock cart to work.

The three of them dismantled the store’s window panels and doors and began their daily work, with Qi Jiaer also happily following behind Nanny Jin, helping to hand over things and run errands.

As the Chen Hour just arrived, Qi family’s snack shop had not yet opened for business, and the surrounding stores were also just starting to set up. Hongzhi arrived at their doorstep.

It wasn’t just Hongzhi who came by himself, but there was also a middle-aged steward following him.

At this moment, Nanny Jin was busy in the shop. Seeing Hongzhi bringing someone over and considering yesterday’s considerable support from young master Hongzhi, coupled with their family’s future reliance on Prince Yu, they naturally couldn’t neglect His Highness Prince Yu’s personal attendant. Therefore, Nanny Jin welcomed the two with unprecedented enthusiasm into the small shop. She called out for Qi Younian to come over to accompany the guests, while she would take care of the tea and refreshments.

Hongzhi, seeing that Ye Xinyan was not present in the shop, hurriedly stopped Nanny Jin, saying, "Nanny, no need to trouble yourself, we’ve had breakfast before coming. We have been tasked by Sixth Master with a matter, and we are here to discuss it with Lady Qi. Could you please announce to her on our behalf?"

Qi Younian, with a smile and a bow, said, "Young master, you’re too polite. We are just ordinary farmers; how could we dare speak of making an announcement. I shall call Ye Zi over right now." He then turned to Nanny Jin and said, "Nanny, please prepare tea for the two guests."

Ye Xinyan, who had been busy making ice cream in the back courtyard, came out and could not help but frown upon seeing the attire of the middle-aged man alongside Hongzhi. Hadn’t she told Jinrong that if he wanted to use her as a steward, he should just send an accountant to oversee the accounts? Why had he still sent a steward?

Seeing Ye Xinyan frown, Hongzhi quickly stepped forward and, with a bow, explained, "Lady Qi, this is Steward Liu, sent by our Sixth Master to discuss the cattle farm documents with you. Once the documents are settled, we can then use the silver and send an accountant over."

Oh, Ye Xinyan then nodded, "Sixth Master is indeed considerate. You both are going through the trouble early in the morning."

Hongzhi introduced the middle-aged steward first, "This is Lady Qi. Six Master and Lord Jiang are planning to entrust the cattle farm to Lady Qi for management."

He then said to Ye Xinyan, "This is Liu Qing, Steward Liu, who has been transferred here by Sixth Master specifically to discuss the documentation with Lady Qi."

Liu Qing bowed to Ye Xinyan with his hands clasped together, "I am Liu Qing, at your service. If Sixth Master entrusts the cattle farm to Lady Qi, I believe Lady Qi must be someone capable."

Liu Qing, who had always worked for Prince Yu’s Mansion, had never seen the original Ye Xinyan and thus didn’t know her true identity. And those young servants who attended Jinrong closely, although they had seen the young miss of Duke An’s Mansion in the capital, naturally wouldn’t mention Ye Xinyan’s former identity to the unaware without Jinrong’s permission.

Consequently, Liu Qing found his master’s actions rather puzzling this time. Although Prince Yu had whims and caprices from time to time that were inconsequential, he had never been whimsical when it came to serious matters.

When Liu Qing heard that Prince Yu was planning to set up a cattle farm and moreover, entrust it to a rural woman, he felt a deeper sense of casualness in the way his master conducted affairs.

Seeing the woman now, who turned out to be a young lady, not only young in age but also somewhat delicate in appearance, he wondered. Could such a young woman manage affairs properly, let alone a cattle farm? Raising livestock is no trivial matter; was this something a woman like her could undertake?

With these thoughts in mind, Liu Qing stepped forward to pay his respects. Ye Xinyan quickly stepped aside and returned the courtesy, "Steward Liu is too polite. The cattle farm is a business that does not earn silver easily. It is as if your Sixth Master is forcing a duck onto a perch, and I simply had to take up the task. Please, take a seat."

At that moment, Nanny Jin served the tea.

Liu Qing did not sit down following Ye Xinyan’s gesture, but said instead, "I have been charged with a duty by Sixth Master, who is still waiting. Let’s settle the documentation quickly so I can report back to Sixth Master as soon as possible."

While saying this, Liu Qing looked at the dining tables of the small yet-to-be-opened eatery and felt uneasy. Wouldn’t guests start coming to this store within a Shichen Chinese Time? When that time comes, and the eatery is bustling with customers, how could one concentrate on drafting documents?

Furthermore, it was not appropriate to broadcast such affairs in a public and busy setting.

If one claimed that the documentation could be finalized within a Shichen, that would be highly doubtful.

Since Liu Qing had accepted a task from His Highness Prince Yu and was dealing with an unreliable young woman, he naturally wished to complete the duty promptly.

"Lady Qi, how about we find a quieter place to talk?" Liu Qing suggested.

Ye Xinyan had already sketched out the preparations for the cattle farm the day before, and had a good grasp of it in her mind, naturally knowing the documentation could be completed quickly.

She shook her head, "Let’s just stay here. Aren’t you in a hurry, Steward Liu? Shifting places would only waste more time."

Qi Jiaer had been practicing writing these days, and had been keeping accounts on a regular basis, so the eatery was already equipped with pens, ink, paper, and inkstone. Ye Xinyan took paper and a pen, pushed them casually towards Liu Qing and said, "Though I can write a few characters, the handwriting I produce is truly not for display. I must trouble Steward Liu to take up the pen."

Then she handed the inkstone and ink stick to Hongzhi, "I’ll have to ask for your assistance, young man."