She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 164 - 163: The Roots of Instability

Chapter 164: Chapter 163: The Roots of Instability

Ye Xinyan, seeing that the purpose of her visit had been achieved and fearing that Jinrong might ruminate over it and ask about grandfather’s construction business, found a lull in the conversation and rose to take her leave, "I imagine the Sixth Master is also very busy with matters, so I shall not disturb you further."

Jinrong, noticing that it was getting late, also stood up and said, "Since the matter has been settled, we should promptly arrange the follow-up. In the next day or two, I will have someone draft the contract and send Liu Qing to deliver it to Lady Qi. The operating charter of the Dairy Products Store and the necessary human and material resources required should also be written in two copies by Lady Qi, so that I may make arrangements here as well."

He thought about the future cooperation between the two sides and suggested to Ye Xinyan, "It might be best for the cattle farm and the Dairy Products Store to each keep a carriage. Always hitching a ride like this, if there is an emergency, we may be too late. If there is not enough silver for this, plan it out and see how much additional silver is needed. I will advance a portion of the expenses for the Dairy Products Store."

"I shall follow the Sixth Master’s instructions. There is indeed enough silver for two carriages, I shall go back and arrange this at once." There was enough silver to buy horses and carriages, and maintaining them was not difficult; Ye Xinyan simply disliked the idea of having to hire coachmen. It was only because there had been no urgent business that she had not made the arrangements until now.

Upon hearing this, Jinrong laughed, "Lady Qi is truly capable. The east owner only invested six hundred taels of silver, and yet Lady Qi managed to operate a sizeable cattle farm successfully. It seems my judgment as the Sixth Master is indeed formidable, having Lady Qi handle affairs is extremely cost-effective."

"The Sixth Master overpraises me." Ye Xinyan responded quite casually to the free compliment.

She bent her knees slightly, allowing Jinrong to leave first. It was time to go; now that the main issue had been discussed, anything more would just be idle chatter and pleasantries.

Just as Ye Xinyan had shown her impatience with idle conversation, and as Jinrong was about to step out, she suddenly remembered something else.

"Sixth Master..." Ye Xinyan abruptly addressed Jinrong’s retreating figure.

Jinrong turned back in surprise, "Is there something else, Lady Qi?"

Ye Xinyan hesitated for a moment, then still asked, "Since the Sixth Master has already been paying attention to the movements in the capital, I wonder if there is any news of my mother, how is she faring lately?"

Jinrong raised an eyebrow; it had been well over half a year, almost a full year. It seemed that Miss Ye, who appeared so calm and content, had only now thought to ask about her biological mother’s condition.

Jinrong’s expression was too obvious, and Ye Xinyan caught his meaning at a glance, feeling somewhat embarrassed, "...If the Sixth Master hasn’t received any news in this regard, then it’s all right. I suppose with my maternal grandfather and several uncles looking after her, my mother’s situation won’t be too bad."

She didn’t want to take so long to inquire about the wife of the heir apparent’s news; whether their values aligned or not, she was still the original person’s mother, and it was proper for her to be concerned.

The problem was, even if she had wanted to ask previously, she needed a channel through which to inquire. Keep in mind she had always pretended to have no connection with the capital, and for various reasons, Jinrong and Jiang Yifan had not exposed her... From what standpoint could she inquire about the wife of the heir of Duke An’s situation?

Moreover, to her embarrassment, as someone who had transmigrated and taken another’s place, she did not have deep feelings for the wife of the heir apparent and the original person, sometimes genuinely failing to remember them.

Alas, the original person was the wife of the heir apparent’s only child; what kind of pain must the mother and daughter be going through due to their separation? If she could bring the wife of the heir apparent some accurate news, that would be good, wouldn’t it?

Ye Xinyan once again bent her knee to Jinrong and said, "Could I trouble Sixth Master to discreetly convey a message of peace to my mother?"

Jinrong turned away with a snort of laughter and said, "What if your mother, in her overwhelming joy, comes looking for you? Do you think you can still carefreely stay amongst the common folk, making a living in the limelight? You’ll have to obediently be escorted back to the capital and return to the leisurely life of a noble lady in the inner courtyard of the capital."

Jinrong could see that, compared to being Miss Ye of a first-class noble family in the capital, Ye Xinyan preferred her current life. And the wife of the heir apparent, when it came to her daughter, was capable of anything and was very likely to stir up trouble by looking for her.

Jinrong did not wish for such an event to occur. Once Ye Xinyan’s identity was revealed by her mother, as the legitimate granddaughter of Duke An, for the sake of the Duke’s Mansion’s reputation, she certainly could not serve as a steward, even if that household belonged to a prince who had been given a royal title.

If Ye Xinyan was forced to return to Duke An’s Mansion, all the effort he had invested would be for naught. Where else could he find such an outstanding steward who would consistently come up with new ideas to help him make a fortune in silver?

Miss Ye, if returned to the capital and confined within Duke An’s Mansion, would be stripped of her current luster that dazzled onlookers. Such an outcome would not only be his loss—the world of commerce would also lose some of its novel charm.

Jinrong’s words made Ye Xinyan pause. Indeed, the wife of the princely heir might very well do such reckless things for the sake of what she thought was good for her daughter.

"How about...telling my mother that, for safety reasons, it’s not advisable to reveal my whereabouts? If mother doesn’t know my exact location, she naturally can’t find her way here," Ye Xinyan suggested tentatively. "I suppose, even if mother isn’t content with it, she wouldn’t dare to entangle herself with Sixth Master’s Mansion."

Jinrong appeared very reluctant, and he didn’t hide his feelings at all. Moreover...he looked disdainfully at Ye Xinyan and said, "I thought Lady Qi was clever, but to think such words could come from her. Everyone in the capital who cares to know, knows where I, Sixth Master, currently reside. The moment they hear this message, they will immediately think of Qingyuan County."

Uh... Ye Xinyan’s head was filled with frustration; she had blundered again.

"Let’s talk about it later," Jinrong said impatiently, waving his hand dismissively before turning around sharply, "Men should not meddle in the affairs of the inner courtyards. As for your mother, she’s certainly fine without anything untoward happening. Without you, your mother has been very calm."

Ye Xinyan was left open-mouthed and stunned as Jinrong finished his utterly irresponsible words and watched him walk out of the private room. It took her a long while to snap out of it.

Damn it, Jinrong’s words implied that she was the root of all instability, right? The original owner might have been very flawed and not so great, but when it came to the root cause, the original owner was also a victim, right? Plus, the current Ye Xinyan had made a clean break with the past, starting anew, right?

Damn it all! Ye Xinyan strode out of the door indignantly. In the corridor of the second floor, Jinrong had already vanished without a trace. By the time she stepped out of the Great Crane House, she could only see a few wisp of dust rising as Jinrong and his entourage rode away.

Ye Xinyan fiercely glared at the lingering dust before turning around sullenly and heading to the snack shop.

By this time, the snack shop already had patrons. Ye Xinyan greeted Qi Ercheng and walked straight through the back hall to the backyard.

Nanny Jin was in the back kitchen arranging the ingredients needed for the day. Seeing Ye Xinyan entering with an indifferent and expressionless face, she thought that the negotiation with Jinrong had gone poorly and asked, "Ye Zi, what’s with this look? Was it difficult to speak with Sixth Master and things didn’t go well?"