She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 145 - 144: Sending Someone to Ye Xinyan’s Side

Chapter 145: Chapter 144: Sending Someone to Ye Xinyan’s Side

Jiang Yifan felt agitated and simply put down his chopsticks, asking in a deep voice, "Why is Sixth Master talking to me about this?"

Jinrong’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to eat and said, "You know, people like me, wherever I go, are followed by many watchful eyes. Previously, these were just minor disturbances, and nobody cared. But now that it involves oxen and agriculture, it can’t be taken lightly anymore. The Qi family’s backgrounds and actions have probably been thoroughly investigated. It would be impossible not to know who Lady Qi is."

Such a troublemaker, who also meets with the Sixth Prince from time to time, might have been ignored if she simply ran a small shop to make a living. But now, she has taken direct control of the dairy farm under the Sixth Prince’s name, and it’s no wonder she has attracted attention.

Jiang Yifan fell silent for a moment before asking, "What does Sixth Master plan to do?"

Jinrong said, "This is the reason I sought you out. My brothers are only concerned with whether someone poses a threat to the position they seek and are not interested in Lady Qi’s true identity. I think the reason why the Seventh Prince informed Duke An’s Mansion about Ye Xinyan’s situation was probably just to test the waters; he does not intend to act against Xinyan."

After another glance at Jiang Yifan, Jinrong added, "The troublesome part is Duke An’s Mansion."

Jiang Yifan frowned. Didn’t he already know this? They were talking about Duke An’s Mansion now; having declared Ye Xinyan dead, all Duke An’s Mansion needed to do was to substantiate this death. As a First-Rank Duke of the Great Xia Dynasty, they had enough power to make a village woman from a small county disappear without a trace.

Jinrong continued, "I hadn’t anticipated such a situation before, now I just have to play it by ear. Today, the manager of the dairy farm brought me this cream cake; he said the cream is extracted from cow’s milk." Jiang Yifan looked up at Jinrong. Wasn’t this change of topic a bit abrupt?

"Ye Xinyan had Fan Zhengyuan convey a message, saying that in addition to this cream, there are also skimmings—the remaining solids after cream extraction—that if properly processed, can also be made into top-tier ingredients. She said they could turn dairy products into a top-tier industry and asked me to find someone skilled in handling cow and sheep milk, or who has stayed in the Northern Barbarians’ nomadic regions, to help with the processing of the cow’s milk. I could name my terms."

Jiang Yifan and Jinrong had the same reaction, "Finding someone who has stayed in the Northern Barbarians isn’t too hard, but how did she end up coming to you? And with you naming your conditions. You know, the terms Sixth Master can offer are not ordinary; with the talk of a top-tier industry, she’d have to give up part, or even most of the business. Ye Xinyan is not being foolish now!"

Jinrong didn’t hide his thoughts from Jiang Yifan, saying, "I’ve been thinking the same. The Xinyan of now is certainly not like before; she’s quite cunning. I fear what she really wants is for this prince to take shares, and then smoothly develop this top-tier industry so she can earn a secure silver from a top-tier business."

Jiang Yifan looked at Jinrong. Indeed, this guy was a prince with a title. Understanding to get close to a prince at this time, Xinyan was very different from the past.

"Are you thinking of using cooperation with Xinyan as a way to dissuade Duke An’s Mansion from their thoughts on her? Will that work?" Jiang Yifan once again spoke earnestly to Jinrong, frowning, "This method seems to benefit Sixth Master more, doesn’t it? Processing cow’s milk could hide the real purpose behind Sixth Master’s dairy farm operations. The dairy farm could serve as Sixth Master’s industry for profiting from cow’s milk, thus making the capital’s powers relax their vigilance against Sixth Master."

"Don’t put it that way, the dairy farm isn’t entirely mine, you own half of it, don’t you?" Jinrong, feeling slightly embarrassed when Jiang Yifan bluntly spoke of his intentions, said, "Honestly, what you just said is true. Taking shares in the dairy industry only benefits me, indeed, it cannot prevent Duke An’s Mansion from acting against Xinyan."

Jiang Yifan gave Jinrong a sidelong glance and fell silent. This person, who had survived since childhood in the vicious struggles of the royal family, could come up with three hundred and sixty plans in a single moment, and he admitted he could not compare.

Feeling it difficult to continue, Jinrong said, "About that, the cake wasn’t directly handed over, right? Uncle Wan did not initially plan for us to eat this; he sent a servant to fetch a different cake from a snack shop. The servant just happened to encounter Nanny Jin, who was looking for a mediator from a middleman, saying she wanted to buy a maid for Ye Xinyan."

Jiang Yifan’s eyebrows lifted. Wasn’t that normal? It was quite common for a slightly better-off family to buy a servant. But why did it seem that His Highness Prince Yu was so nervous when mentioning this?

"Could you not make that face, please?" Jinrong said somewhat helplessly, "I was just thinking of helping Miss Ye fend off some disaster."

This time, it was Jiang Yifan’s turn to express his helplessness. He spread his hands and said, "I haven’t said anything, and the key is that you haven’t said anything either. What are you feeling guilty about?"

Well, yes, he had done all that for the sake of his ex-wife, Ye Xinyan. What did he have to feel guilty about?

Jinrong blinked. Yes, he was acting openly and honorably, and there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I was thinking, since the Qi family plans to buy servants, and we are going to join shares with Ye Xinyan to do business, also facing threats from the capital. I thought... if the Qi family could always have a few people with deep backgrounds around, Duke An’s Mansion wouldn’t dare to act rashly... If a few old woman servants and maids from my mansion were sent to the Qi family... wouldn’t that make sense?" Jinrong turned it over in his mind again and again, finally finishing what he wanted to say.

Even though Jinrong racked his brains to find excuses for sending people to the Qi family, Jiang Yifan still frowned upon hearing it.

Jiang Yifan placed his chopsticks on the table, and while putting down chopsticks wasn’t a big deal, the way he did it was somewhat forceful.

"First of all," Jiang Yifan started, "It is Sixth Master who is going into business with Ye Xinyan, and it was Sixth Master whom Ye Xinyan sought out, which has nothing to do with me. Moreover, Sixth Master has been thinking about winning Ye Xinyan over, and this time he has certainly seized the opportunity."

Jiang Yifan narrowed his eyes slightly, asking Jinrong, "Now Sixth Master has a perfect reason to send people to Ye Xinyan’s side with confidence, right?"

"No, no, Miss Ye is your ex-wife, and I also felt it was not quite appropriate, so I discussed it with you beforehand, didn’t I?"

Jinrong hastened to explain, "If Duke An’s Mansion chose to ignore Ye Xinyan, that would be one thing, but now it involves both you and me, especially since I am already under the surveillance of the capital’s informants. Ye Xinyan’s affairs can’t be kept secret at all. To protect Duke’s Mansion’s reputation, Ye Xinyan’s life may be in danger.

We can’t just ignore her either, so we have no choice but to use the pretext of doing business to send our people to the Qi family. With people from the Prince’s Mansion watching over, even if Duke An comes, he wouldn’t have the chance, and even if he did, he would have to weigh his actions carefully. If you’re not at ease, you could also take a share in the business."

"When did I say I wanted to take a share? Is that what we were talking about?" Jiang Yifan’s expression was very unpleasant.

What do you mean ’we?’ Those are your Prince Yu’s Mansion’s people, aren’t they? And taking a share in the business too? Princes engaging in trade can’t be criticized; after all, the entire world belongs to the royal family, and it’s only natural for princes to make money from business.

What does it mean for me, a man pursuing a career in the bureaucracy, to engage in business?

Why am I so unlucky? I ended up with such a foolish and ruthless wife, and now this person is no longer foolish or ruthless, but she is not my wife anymore either. Yet, she’s just as much of a worry, look at this mess she’s causing.

As a man who has divorced, I have to worry about this woman’s safety, and what’s more infuriating, I don’t even have the capability to do so!

Jinrong understood Jiang Yifan’s feelings but had no solution, only trying to console him: "You shouldn’t be too troubled. Look, where is there a Miss from Duke An’s Mansion now? That person is already dead, isn’t she? In this world, there are many people who look alike. The woman in Clear Water Village is now Lady Qi, wouldn’t you say?"