She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 166 - 165: Miss Zhou is Very Enthusiastic

Chapter 166: Chapter 165: Miss Zhou is Very Enthusiastic

The maid approaching Ye Xinyan and her entourage was dressed simply and had a sweet appearance, adorned with a silver plum blossom hairpin and a pair of charming silver earring pendants.

From a distance, the maid smiled at Nanny Liu, and as she took a few steps closer, she curtsied and said, "May this servant dare to ask Nanny, is that Lady Qi ahead, the owner of the small eatery?"

Nanny Liu looked the maid up and down with a questioning gaze, then glanced behind her at the street corner, where a carriage was parked. The shape of the carriage suggested it was meant for female passengers.

Nanny Liu asked, "What does the young lady require?"

The maid replied with a smile, "The title of ’young lady’ afforded by Nanny is not something I dare to accept. Just call me Qian Yue. May I trouble Nanny to convey a message to your Lady Qi from my mistress, who is the Second Miss of the Zhou family from Yuyuan Prefecture? If Lady Qi is available, my mistress would like to invite her to Great Crane House for a cup of tea and a chat."

The Zhou family from Yuyuan Prefecture, Nanny Liu thought to herself. The one referred to as the Zhou family from Yuyuan Prefecture could only be the household of the Prefect of Yuyuan Prefecture, Zhou Bingyi. His Second Miss has come to Qingyuan County?

Nanny Liu also responded with a smile, "My Lady Qi lives in seclusion in Qingyuan County and is not very familiar with the prestigious clans of the capital. It seems your principal house must be quite extraordinary. Young lady, please wait for a moment. Allow me to relay your request to my Lady Qi before I reply, is that alright?"

Qian Yue curtsied toward Nanny Liu, "Thank you for your trouble, Nanny, I express my gratitude on behalf of my mistress."

Ye Xinyan, standing a few steps away, listened to their conversation and felt a ridiculous notion emerging. The upper echelons of this ancient society indeed manifested their noble status through such bothersome and time-consuming methods.

Nanny Liu turned back and signaled for Ye Xinyan to walk a few more steps toward the eatery, then whispered, "That girl said her mistress is the Second Miss of the Zhou family from Yuyuan Prefecture, and she wishes to invite you to Great Crane House for tea and conversation. If it’s the Zhou family from Yuyuan Prefecture, then it must be the household of Prefect Zhou Bingyi."

Ye Xinyan asked, "Since Nanny is so well aware of this Second Miss Zhou, what does Nanny suggest?"

According to her own preference, of course, she did not wish to waste time fawning over an idle, and likely haughty, young lady from the inner court. However, she was also curious, what could this Second Miss want with her? They weren’t acquainted, were they?

Nanny Liu said smilingly, "As per your original status, of course, you need not act according to others’ whims. Considering your identity as Steward favored by Sixth Master, even Lord Zhou would offer courtesy to Lady Qi."

Ye Xinyan laughed, "Then why did Nanny bother to come back? Just decline the invitation outright."

Nanny Jin by Ye Xinyan’s side nearly wanted to sigh in frustration, her young mistress was going to deal with many people in the future; how to handle such impertinent tendencies that occasionally surfaced?

Nanny Liu was a bit embarrassed, as expected, Lady Qi didn’t play by the usual rules.

"What I mean is, the young lady will need to deal with all sorts of people in the future. It’s just a young lady from behind closed doors. It’s okay for you to socialize with her and take the opportunity to find out why she has taken notice of your whereabouts."

Ye Xinyan managed not to roll her eyes at Nanny Liu, replying, "Let Nanny deliver this message to her. Tell her I am otherwise occupied, and while I may sit for a short while, I’m afraid I don’t have much time for a lengthy chat."

Nanny Liu answered, "Yes, I’ll relay your message to the Zhou family’s maid at once."

Qian Yue smiled in response to Nanny Liu’s message and swiftly walked back to the carriage parked not far behind her.

Ye Xinyan watched with interest as the maid stood by the carriage, speaking to its occupant, waiting for a reaction from inside.

By rights, she is the daughter of the Prefect of Yuyuan Prefecture, a bona fide second-generation official. In terms of status, she is nothing more than a member of the ordinary salaried class. Being able to have tea with such a distinguished person, that’s an opportunity.

However, she’s now assuming the identity of the young mistress of the Duke’s Mansion. If we speak of prestige... hehe, Ye Xinyan’s expression becomes even more playful.

To Nanny Liu, that playful expression was the superior confidence of a legitimate granddaughter of a First-Rank Duke’s Mansion in the Great Xia Dynasty.

Luckily, the Second Miss of the Zhou family knew her place. Before Qian Yue could move away from the side of the carriage, the carriage’s curtain was already lifted. A young woman leaned out, glanced in the direction of the small eatery where Ye Xinyan was, and then reached out to hold Qian Yue’s arm, stepping down the carriage with the help of a footstool.

Ye Xinyan watched as a slender and splendidly dressed young woman descended from the carriage and couldn’t help but feel curious.

According to the situation before her, her own identity was but that of an ordinary peasant woman. The daughter of the Prefect wouldn’t need to condescend to a peasant woman who didn’t even have a husband’s family, would she?

As the saying goes, anything out of the ordinary is suspect. The Second Miss Zhou’s actions at the moment could be said to be out of the ordinary, so where was the catch?

Ye Xinyan watched as the young lady approached her step by step, and couldn’t help but squint her eyes slightly.

Nanny Liu was originally watching Second Miss Zhou, but of course, she couldn’t neglect her own mistress. When she glanced over, she saw Ye Xinyan squinting her eyes, slightly tilting her head to give a sidelong glance at Second Miss Zhou, her expression unfathomable.

Nanny Liu cleared her throat and said in a low voice, "Young Lady, it’s not good to look at people like that. You are a lady of high status. You mustn’t have such an expression."

Ye Xinyan was startled and gave Nanny Liu a glance, quickly straightening her posture and demeanor.

Alright, she is from the Duke’s Mansion, she indeed has status, although it’s the status that the original owner had always enjoyed, leaving not a bit of the opportunity for her to enjoy.

Zhou Biyao gracefully approached with an amiable smile on her face. Stopping three or four steps away from Ye Xinyan, she curtsied and said with a smile, "This sister must be Lady Qi, right? My respects to you, sister."

Ye Xinyan, who was originally wary of the second-generation official, was startled. This was the first time she had been treated with such high regard by a person of high status in this world.

It was really unusual, so much so that it made one feel uneasy inside.

Ye Xinyan remembered her identity as a peasant woman and quickly put on a smile to return the courtesy, saying, "Miss is too polite. I am merely a coarse peasant woman, truly not deserving of your honor."

"Sister mustn’t be so distant," Zhou Biyao immediately stepped forward, reaching out to hold Ye Xinyan’s arm.

Ye Xinyan hastily showed her respects again, evading Zhou Biyao’s outstretched hand, "Miss flatters me too much, I am extremely anxious."

Zhou Biyao persisted and finally took hold of Ye Xinyan’s hand, laughing affectionately, "I remember when I first came to Qingyuan County some days ago and dined at the restaurant for the first time, I tasted the cream cakes and two other desserts from sister’s family. It was only later that I heard sister runs a small eatery and that there are many more delicacies like the cream cake, all made by sister’s hand for the first time. I truly admire you."

Holding Ye Xinyan’s hand, Zhou Biyao took a step back, sizing her up with a smile, "Every time I’ve passed this street since then, I’ve thought to myself how wonderful it would be to meet sister. And as fate would have it, I met you today. Sister, you did not disappoint me. Not only are you beautiful, but you are also clever and capable."