She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 192 - 191: Sent to the Capital City

Chapter 192: Chapter 191: Sent to the Capital City

Ye Xinyan gave an indifferent bend of the knee and spoke with politeness yet detachment, "Mr. Hu is too kind. As a mere woman from the countryside, I dare not accept such respects from Mr. Hu."

Hu Jing was not concerned about Ye Xinyan’s aloofness and chuckled, pointing at the large sheet of paper on the table, "I did not expect Lady Qi, a sheltered young lady, to have such deep research into the construction industry, which I greatly admire."

As he spoke, he once again gave a gesture of respect towards Ye Xinyan.

Ye Xinyan bent her knee again, continuing perfunctorily, "I am ashamed. With many family matters at hand, I am merely trying to learn on the fly and deal with urgent matters, only looking at superficial things, and I definitely do not dare claim to have deep research."

Nanny Liu and Hongzhi, seeing Ye Xinyan had no intention of being a hospitable hostess, were anxious.

Nanny Liu hurriedly interjected through the gap, "Young Lady, why don’t we invite Mr. Hu inside to sit first?"

Ye Xinyan cast a cold glance at Nanny Liu and said coolly, "Yesterday Nanny Liu, together with Nanny Jin, droned on and on tirelessly throughout the entire evening, all about maintaining distance between men and women, and the regulations for ladies. Does Nanny think Mr. Hu is not a man?"

Hu Jing immediately looked towards Nanny Liu, whose face went through a succession of emotions—surprise, wistfulness, astonishment, hesitation—before finally settling on a resigned and helpless smile, her expression extremely colorful.

"Young Lady..." Faced with such a mistress, Nanny Liu could only feel helpless.

She had indeed used Nanny Jin’s words to advise Miss Ye, but they talked the whole night and Miss Ye agreed with everything, yet none of it entered her ears. Everything remained the same as before, not a single word had taken root in her heart.

The women of the Ye Family, truly play by their own rules.

Hu Jing suppressed a smile and made peace, "Sixth Master instructed me to come and discuss matters with the Head of the Qi Family. We should wait for the father-in-law of the Qi family to return, so we can talk together."

Ye Xinyan huffed dismissively, ignoring Hu Jing and continued to bury herself in the work at the table, comparing against the Construction Regulations and marking the drawings with a charcoal stick.

Hu Jing stepped back, watching Ye Xinyan concentrate on her work.

From the moment he entered, Miss Ye’s feminine etiquette and propriety were not to be mentioned, as the famously unconventional Miss Ye of the Capital’s noble families had never abided by such conventions, undeserving of her reputation for nothing.

Aside from the propriety expected of women in the inner court, Ye Xinyan’s conduct and spirit were not lacking. She was indeed worthy of being from a top-tier noble and prestigious family of the Capital. Even her impolite actions were carried out with ease and confidence, as if she was still the only legitimate child of Duke An’s Mansion in the Capital.

And Miss Ye, fully engrossed in her work, showed none of the recklessness and arrogance that legends spoke of, nor the capriciousness that she displayed while quarreling with Nanny Liu moments earlier.

In less than ten months since leaving the Capital, Miss Ye’s accomplishments were enough to garner newfound respect. Take the construction industry, for instance—how could a woman just learn this by saying she would? Yet, Miss Ye learned, and indeed, it seems she truly learned quite a bit.

Even a man, stepping out of his home, might not be able to achieve this extent.

Hu Jing sighed inwardly; indeed, Duke An no longer had anyone to follow in his steps. The Princely Heir was of muddled nature, and his two illegitimate sons were also of average aptitude. Regrettably, Ye Xinyan was not born a male.

If Ye Xinyan had been a man, with his outstanding intelligence and skill, coupled with the illustrious background of Duke An’s Mansion, even if he were ten times more unruly, he would still be a rare and admirable descendant, one that could bring glory to the family name.

...

Qi Younian was not at the new house construction site; Wong Qiao found the master at the proposed location of the dairy product workshop.

As Wong Qiao walked, he explained to Qi Younian that a guest had arrived at home, claiming to be a scholar from Sixth Master Rong’s Mansion.

Upon hearing that a scholar from Jinrong Residence had come, Qi Younian immediately thought of the Brain Trust of the prince’s mansion. Whoever dared to call himself a scholar from the prince’s mansion was certainly no ordinary minor character there to handle trivial matters.

Qi Younian hurried home, and what he saw was Ye Xinyan leaving the leader of the Duke’s Mansion Brain Trust hanging aside in their dilapidated courtyard, without even offering a stool, and simply focusing on her own work.

There were two familiar figures standing awkwardly behind the guest, Hongzhi and another attendant whom Qi Younian didn’t recognize. As soon as he entered, Hongzhi eagerly looked at him, signaling him to come to his rescue.

The old man sighed in his heart, stepped forward, and bowed in greeting, "This humble old man Qi Younian greets you, sir. I was unaware of your visit, and I have neglected you. I hope you will pardon my offense."

Hu Jing returned the gesture, "Old master, you are too kind. My name is Hu Jing, and it was presumptuous of me to come without prior notice, causing you inconvenience."

"Not at all, not at all, please, Mr. Hu, come inside," Qi Younian gestured for Hu Jing to enter the house.

After glancing at Ye Xinyan, Hu Jing said, "I am here by the Sixth Master’s command to discuss a matter with you, old master, and Lady Qi."

"Ye Zi," Qi Younian reprimanded with a frown.

Ye Xinyan had stood up when Qi Younian walked in, but she hadn’t put down the charcoal stick and booklet she was holding, thinking that her grandfather could handle the people from the Duke’s Mansion, and she could continue working.

Hearing Qi Younian speak, she reluctantly put down her work and followed Qi Younian into the house with great reluctance.

In the cramped outer room of the Qi family home, Qi Younian apologized to Hu Jing, "This humble old home is quite small, and I’m afraid it has caused you to laugh, sir. Please, have a seat on the kang bed."

Hu Jing quickly expressed his thanks with a bow but did not sit on the kang. Instead, he asked, "Where will Lady Qi be seated?"

"Us country folk don’t have many formalities. Please, sir, make yourself comfortable, Ye Zi can sit to the side," said Qi Younian, and then he turned to Bi Ning, "Bring a stool over for Ye Zi."

Bi Ning quickly fetched a tall stool and placed it beside the wall cabinet.

After exchanging pleasantries and seating themselves,

Nanny Liu led Bi Ning in bringing tea and refreshments, then retreated to stand by the door and wait quietly. Knowing his place, Hongzhi also stood quietly on the other side of the door, waiting for Hu Jing to speak.

After taking a sip of tea and glancing at the assortment of pastries on the table, Hu Jing laughed and said to Qi Younian, "The Qi family needn’t say anything else, for these pastries are indeed uniquely exquisite and delicious."

Qi Younian chuckled, "It’s this humble old man’s good fortune. Ye Zi is intelligent and endearing, excelling in everything she does. Even these little treats reach the ultimate level of perfection."

"The Sixth Master has asked me to come discuss a matter with the old master and Lady Qi," Hu Jing continued, putting down his teacup, "The Sixth Master would like to take some Cheese Powder from you to send to the capital."

After Hu Jing finished, he looked towards Ye Xinyan.

Send Cheese Powder to the capital? It must be for the palace, right? She didn’t know what it was for. Ye Xinyan first raised her eyebrows, then let them relax, her expression becoming grave.

Hu Jing nodded to himself, indeed she was sharp-witted and knew what mattered.

"Nanny Liu, please have someone go out to keep watch; we have important matters to discuss here," Hu Jing instructed.

Nanny Liu glanced at Ye Xinyan, saw that she showed no objection, and hurriedly agreed before leaving. Hu Jing’s attendant followed suit, presumably to keep watch as well.

Ye Xinyan’s gaze moved between Hu Jing and Hongzhi several times, quietly waiting for Hu Jing to reveal the important matter. Meanwhile, Qi Younian’s expression grew increasingly solemn, with a hint of worry showing through.