She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 143 - 142, Did Duke An’s Mansion Know?

Chapter 143: Chapter 142, Did Duke An’s Mansion Know?

Having heard Jinrong’s overt question, Fan Zhengyuan secretly wiped sweat from his brow. Sixth Master Rong said Lady Qi would not get up early for nothing, but now it seemed that Sixth Master Rong was the type who wouldn’t release his hawk until he saw the rabbit.

Fan Zhengyuan bowed and said, "Lady Qi says that the light cream from cow’s milk is already a top-tier ingredient, suitable for all kinds of desserts and capable of greatly enhancing the taste of food. If the remaining milk dregs can also be properly handled, she can assure you that the Dairy Products Industry could absolutely become a top-tier industry. As long as you can find the relevant skilled workers, she said, you may set the conditions for establishing this business."

Jinrong sized up Fan Zhengyuan, but his thoughts were not on him.

Ye Xinyan, who had left Duke An’s Mansion, was not the same naïve young lady she had been before. After several dealings, Jinrong absolutely did not believe that Ye Xinyan would willingly give away a top-notch business opportunity to someone else.

He had been to the Northern Barbarians and had seen that foods made from cattle and sheep milk were ubiquitous. He knew that processing cow’s milk was not a difficult task; it just required dedication, time, and finding one or two experienced people in making dairy products wouldn’t be hard.

Undoubtedly, Ye Xinyan had her own reasons for this course of action.

Looking again at Fan Zhengyuan, who seemed quite astute, Jinrong thought that Ye Xinyan, who was so cunning? She would probably not share her true intentions with Fan Zhengyuan.

"Hmm, I understand what you’re saying. You may leave now and tell Lady Qi that I will consider this proposition," Jinrong finally spoke.

Fan Zhengyuan couldn’t wait to leave and bowed hastily: "I shall take my leave immediately and will surely convey Sixth Master’s words to Lady Qi." Facing Sixth Master Rong, who appeared amiable and easygoing, he felt extremely strained. Even Steward Wan, who had led him in, seemed affable, but there was an indescribable sharpness in his eyes, and his every move exerted a pressure that overwhelmed him.

Wan Yan bid farewell to Fan Zhengyuan outside the study room, instructed a servant to escort Fan Zhengyuan out of the mansion, and then ordered another servant to leave the premises before turning back to Jinrong’s study room.

Jinrong was examining the appetizing pastries on the desk when Wan Yan entered, and said, "These treats really do look quite good; they’re not just visually appealing, but the fragrance is also uniquely sweet. Ye Xinyan is quite the innovator. The cows at the dairy farm were only purchased a few days ago, and yet she’s managed to create something like this."

Wan Yan stepped forward, pushed the cake to the side, and addressed Hong Wu nearby, "Take it down for now, let the kitchen manager have a look." Given the multiple hands it had passed through, Wan Yan truly dared not let Jinrong eat it rashly.

Jinrong didn’t seem to mind Wan Yan’s caution, perceiving such a procedure as routine.

He continued with a smile, "It seems one should not be too wilful and capricious; experiencing some loss sometimes isn’t a bad thing. Take Miss Ye of Duke An’s Mansion, for example; spoilt and unmanageable for nearly twenty years since birth, and now she has come to her senses. She actually knows to send her family’s new dessert over. Though she was a day late, at least she has sent it now."

She dares to speak so lightly, is what happened to Miss Ye really just a minor setback? Poor Wan Yan, despite disagreeing with Jinrong’s casual commentary on last year’s sensational scandal at Duke An’s Mansion, dared only to question the Sixth Prince’s words slightly in his heart.

Wan Yan, facing Jinrong, said, "The children said yesterday that when the Great Crane House introduced the cream cake, they mentioned that the light cream used was the oil extracted from cow’s milk, suggesting it’s an excellent ingredient. Yesterday, Great Crane House only distributed three portions and it astonished many people, said to surpass even ice cream as a treat."

The rarer thing is, there were only those three portions yesterday, none of them large, tantalizing people with a taste and then not having any to sell afterwards. Shopkeeper He from Great Crane House is really daring to do such a thing, isn’t he? If he encounters a tough customer, wouldn’t they turn his tavern upside down?"

Jinrong couldn’t help but shake his head with a laugh as he said, "Shopkeeper He has been working at Great Crane House for many years, so he must have chosen people he knows well. What’s unexpected is Ye Xinyan’s dealings, it’s really puzzling for her to willingly give away a big business opportunity that was within her grasp. Have the lads keep a close eye on her, see if anything’s happening within the Ye Family lately."

Wan Yan replied, "We’ve been paying attention to the Qi family all along. Just yesterday, Miss Ye escorted Qi Jia to the Qi family’s main branch, where Lady Han said a few unpleasant words, and then Miss Ye took Qi Jia back with her. Later in the evening, Qi Younian took Qi Jia to sit at the main branch for more than half a Shichen, not sure exactly what they talked about, but both families have remained quiet.

Oh, right, after Miss Ye took Qi Jia back, she sent someone to the snack shop and had Nanny Jin send Qi Ershun from the Qi family’s main branch back right away. It looked like she dismissed that child."

"Eh." Jinrong chuckled, "That does seem more like Miss Ye’s style, not putting up with it for a moment longer and sending a rebuttal right away."

After finishing, Jinrong went on thoughtfully, "Dismissing a rural woman is no big deal for Ye Xinyan, it’s a minor matter. But her intention to find someone skilled at producing dairy products, that I can’t say. Uncle Wan, arrange for people to keep watch, let’s see what unfolds. The current Ye Xinyan is shrewd, and the Qi family has a simple structure, even if Ye Xinyan does have any plans, they won’t be easy to uncover."

Wan Yan acknowledged with a response.

After Jinrong spoke, he picked up the letters on the desk and then asked Wan Yan, "Is Duke An’s Mansion already aware that Ye Xinyan is in Qingyuan County?"

Wan Yan’s expression turned serious as he answered firmly, "The same day the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince learned that Sixth Master was setting up a dairy farm in Qingyuan County, someone sent a message to Duke An’s Mansion. However, there hasn’t been much reaction from there; it’s probably because they fear that the wife of the heir apparent will find out about Miss Ye’s situation and cause unrest that is difficult to settle."

Wan Yan paused before continuing, "Considering that draft cattle are closely related to farming, it’s likely that the Crown Prince and the Seventh Prince’s advisors have developed different thoughts and suspicions about the Sixth Master."

Jinrong looked up at Wan Yan, who continued, "If that’s the case, Sixth Master collaborating with Miss Ye on dairy products is actually not a bad idea. If it yields considerable profits, all the better. At the very least, it proves that Sixth Master is after silver, which could prevent people from involving the Sixth Master in excessive entanglements."

Jinrong’s eyes flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, he stood up and said, "Uncle Wan has a point, I will discuss this with Hu Jing. Still, keep a close eye on the Qi family, and keep an eye on their snack shop too. We don’t want to drag them into our mess and cause them undeserved trouble." Now without the protection of Duke An’s Mansion, Ye Xinyan would get submerged without even a chance to emerge if faced with power from the royal family.

Wan Yan bowed in acknowledgment, then asked, "Just now, I had a servant from the mansion go to the snack shop to request another portion of cream pastry from Nanny Jin. If it’s acquired, should it be sent to the front courtyard?"

Jinrong waved his hand dismissively, "No need, let’s wait until I come back to address that."

Hu Jing was a teacher Jinrong had followed since he was young, and he was essentially Jinrong’s primary advisor, always accompanying him.

Jinrong went to the front courtyard to find his teacher and advisor Hu Jing, and the two discussed serious matters. They also chatted casually, not leaving until they had lunch and ambled back to the smaller courtyard where Jinrong resided.