She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 175 - 174 Patrol

Chapter 175: Chapter 174 Patrol

Hongzhi was momentarily taken aback. "Miss, your heart really is big."

"That is," confronted with Ye Xinyan like this, Hongzhi felt compelled to speak more plainly, "Look, Lady Qi, although it is the Lizheng’s duty to host Lord Jiang, my Sixth Master’s status is awkward, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to push himself forward, would it?"

Then what? Ye Xinyan looked at Hongzhi, waiting for him to finish what he was saying.

"Moreover, considering your relationship with Lord Jiang, my Sixth Master would surely need to avoid any suspicion. Wouldn’t it look better if Sixth Master, as an old acquaintance of the Qi family, were to stop by the Qi family’s estate and have lunch with Lord Jiang there?"

"My home has no place!" Ye Xinyan immediately jumped to her feet. Jiang Yifan was coming to her house for a meal, where she would have to cater to him and also bear his sour face. Was this some kind of joke?

Furthermore, her home really had no place for these two gods.

Ye Xinyan’s voice, after her moment of panic, was a bit too loud. The old woman servant Nanny Liu and Bi Ning, who were seemingly busy with chores but actually watching the scene in the courtyard, immediately looked over. The eldest Miss of the Ye Family was indeed living up to her notorious reputation of arrogance and rudeness.

Ye Xinyan also felt she had lost her composure a bit and grudgingly toned down her flushed face of urgent frustration, saying more calmly, "You know the situation in my home, Hongzhi. The place isn’t big to begin with, and now we have even more people with Nanny Liu and the rest. We really have no place to host your Sixth Master."

Hongzhi looked around, then pointed to a tent under the western wall and said, "This tent seems pretty good, how about having lunch and resting here?"

Ye Xinyan gave Hongzhi a disdainful scowl, "Young man, no offense, but you really need to think before you speak. Do you think your Sixth Master and Lord Jiang will be alone? Won’t they bring a bunch of attendants with them? They might squeeze into the tent, which, at best, provides them a place to settle, but what about their attendants? Where am I supposed to accommodate them?"

Hongzhi couldn’t help but feel a mixture of amusement and frustration at Ye Xinyan’s dislike. Was providing for the attendants really necessary? The duty of attendants was to protect their master, not to follow them around for food and rest, right?

"Ye Zi, how can you talk to the young man like that?" Upon hearing about the situation, Qi Younian came over, scolding Ye Xinyan as he approached.

Ye Xinyan pursed her lips, "I’ll go and bring the young man a cup of tea." Leaving Hongzhi with Qi Younian, Ye Xinyan headed to the kitchen in the courtyard.

When Hongzhi handled matters at Qi Younian’s place, he was bound to be successful; otherwise, how could he live up to the identity of being His Highness Prince Yu’s personal servant?

The two sat in the Qi Family Courtyard bathed in the autumn morning light, and after just a few exchanges, Hongzhi and Qi Younian confirmed that the lunch for Sixth Master Rong and Lord Jiang would be arranged at the main house of the Qi family’s main branch.

The meal would be prepared by Nanny Liu and others, with Qi Younian and Qi Yougui providing company, while Ye Xinyan stood by at the ready.

Ye Xinyan sat in the kitchen, listening to the entire conversation without missing a word, and her inner turmoil was beyond words.

She was a woman, for heaven’s sake. As a woman, watching her ex-husband being gloriously flattered by others while she could only stand to the side was quite hurtful, wasn’t it? Her grandfather was indeed not her real grandfather.

Okay, perhaps saying it was hurtful was a bit much, but wouldn’t she at least be very unhappy?

Before leaving, Hongzhi made a point of standing not far off and observing the Qi Family’s new house under construction, asking about the construction period and other details before setting off.

Qi Younian noticed the gloom in Ye Xinyan’s eyes. After sending off Hongzhi, he vaguely said, "If Lord Jiang’s opinion of you could improve, that wouldn’t be so bad," and then took Nanny Liu and two old woman servants along with two maidens to the Qi family’s old residence to settle some affairs.

Ye Xinyan was left blinking, puzzling over the matter for a long time, unable to understand what good it would do for Jiang Yifan to change his opinion of her.

Thinking it over, she realized that the ancient way of thinking was clearly different from hers. Perhaps her grandfather worried that Jiang Yifan, during his tenure, would create obstacles or set traps for her family; an all too human reaction. Appropriate compromise was necessary.

After inspecting the cattle farm, Ye Xinyan learned that the news of Lord Jiang’s inspection of Clear Water Village’s agricultural affairs had already spread rapidly to every corner of the village.

Ye Xinyan arranged for Fan Zhengyuan and Cui Chengxi, before lunch with Sixth Master Rong and Lord Jiang, to inspect the cattle farm and made sure they were ready to receive the guests.

Both Fan Zhengyuan and Cui Chengxi knew that Sixth Master Rong and Lord Jiang were the owners of the cattle farm. Fan Zhengyuan had even met Jinrong and was chilled to the bone by Jinrong’s amiable gaze.

Hearing that Sixth Master Rong was coming to inspect, Fan Zhengyuan immediately became extremely cautious, afraid he might fail to live up to the standards of the owners and attract Sixth Master Rong’s scrutinizing gaze, which would make his life difficult.

At the late Si hour, Jinrong and Jiang Yifan, accompanied by the Lizheng, slowly made their way to the cattle farm.

The Lizheng, the village head He Quantai, and Landlord Liu—some of the most influential people—had only symbolically congratulated the cattle farm at its inception.

During the grand and enthusiastic reception, Ye Xinyan tactfully explained to them that with so many large animals gathered in the cattle farm, there was a high risk of disease spreading, and so it was not a place for casual visitors.

Having seen for themselves the impressive and meticulous layout of the cattle farm under Sixth Master Rong’s name and being intimidated by his reputation from the county town, they never visited the cattle farm again after hearing Ye Xinyan’s unwelcoming words.

Now accompanying Sixth Master Rong and Lord Jiang, they had the opportunity to step into the cattle farm again and behold the vast, orderly area that they found quite majestic.

For Jinrong and Jiang Yifan, this was their first time inspecting their property. They had only heard about it from Liu Qing and others but had never directly experienced it. Now, accompanied by the Lizheng and others, they walked toward the northern part of the village, where from a distance, they could see extensive wasteland to the north where rows of brick-and-wood structures formed cattle pens and fences extending northwards, covering a wide area.

The two rows of fences appeared to be independent but were encircled by a larger outer fence, not only integrating the two rows into one unit but also creating an outer corridor. Several neatly dressed workers carried manure and hay out of the cattle pens through this corridor toward the far north.

Each pen within the fences was semi-open, allowing a view of the few cattle penned inside. The cows in the separate pens either grazed quietly or lay basking in the sun, appearing quite at ease.

The cattle farm lacked the dirtiness and stench of animals many expected, strikingly clean and orderly instead. Not only were there no loiterers, but even the few working hands spoke little and worked in silence, heads bowed.

Jiang Yifan cast a glance at Jinrong; this must be why Jinrong was so keen on winning Ye Xinyan over. To manage an animal husbandry operation to this standard indeed displayed vision and talent beyond the average housekeeper or steward.

Nominally, Jinrong was accompanying Jiang Yifan. He lacked his usual casual demeanor, looking solemn as he surveyed the surroundings without revealing any personal attitude.

Hongzhi, who had come ahead to arrange things, followed Jinrong, blending in with the entourage and was completely inconspicuous.