She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 220 - 219 Scenery and Risk

Chapter 220: Chapter 219 Scenery and Risk

After returning from the construction site, both Jiang Yifan and Jinrong were somewhat silent. They rested briefly in the gridded wooden hut, drank a few cups of tea, and the Shichen was already late. At this point, there was definitely no time to go anywhere else, so the two of them, along with their followers, set off directly back to the county town.

After watching them disappear from view, Cheung Wusi started tugging at Qi Younian, walking towards the open fields outside, speaking in a serious and low voice as they walked, "Big brother, I’ve been holding this in all day. Give me a straight answer—what’s really going on with our Ye Zi? How did Duke An’s Mansion, all the way in the capital, come to know about a girl in Clear Water Village who looks strikingly similar to their granddaughter?"

Seeing that Qi Younian didn’t immediately respond, he pressed further, "Big brother, you can’t think of fooling me. And that Sixth Master Rong, he’s no ordinary person, right? What kind of identity does he have? Why do the Prefectural Magistrate’s sons tremble upon seeing him, and the stewards of Duke An’s Mansion act as if they’ve long known him?"

With so many things happening today, Qi Younian couldn’t keep hiding the truth. He sighed and said, "It’s not that I intentionally hid it from you. In truth, Sixth Master Rong’s status is too high, and it’s better for fewer people to know about it when he prefers not to disclose his identity."

"Too high? What status is that?" Cheung Wusi found two rocks and pulled Qi Younian to sit down.

Qi Younian sat down and looked at Cheung Wusi, "The son of the Emperor, is that status high enough?"

"Emperor’s, Emperor’s, Emperor’s son?" Although Cheung Wusi had mentally prepared himself for Qi Younian’s revelation, he still almost bit his tongue when he spoke.

Qi Younian nodded, "Yes, the Sixth Prince, Prince Yu."

Cheung Wusi stared with wide eyes, struggling to recover for quite a while. Qi Younian didn’t rush him, just sitting by his side, sorting through the many events of the day.

It was a good while before Cheung Wusi managed to speak with a raspy voice, "Big brother said before, Ye Zi and Sixth Master Rong, Lord Jiang, are old acquaintances. If she can be acquaintances with a prince, Ye Zi must also be from a prestigious clan in the capital, right? There are two women who look alike in the capital? And both from prestigious clans?"

Such an obvious truth left Qi Younian with no other excuses to explain clearly. He said helplessly, "Given the current circumstances, even if I made up countless stories, you probably wouldn’t believe them. It doesn’t matter what Ye Zi’s identity was before or what it will be in the future. Right now, she is our granddaughter."

For Cheung Wusi, who had struggled at the bottom his whole life, this information was explosive. The old man frowned, pondered for a long time, and then asked, "If Ye Zi is doing well, why would Duke An’s Mansion say their granddaughter is already deceased?"

"Previously, except for not telling you about Ye Zi’s origins, everything else I said was true. Ye Zi committed a major mistake and divorced her husband. In reality, divorcing under those circumstances meant being discarded by the husband’s family. Being born into a prestigious clan isn’t always a good thing; such a scandal, if it occurred among our rural folks, would just result in gossip for a couple of years and then pass, with life carrying on as normal.

But it’s different for a big family; it’s a disgrace to the family. If Ye Zi had stayed at home, she would’ve been confined for life in the ancestral temple. That’s why she escaped, and then, failing to seek refuge with relatives, she met me," Qi Younian finished with a chuckle.

He gathered his thoughts and continued, "A daughter of a well-known family running away and becoming untraceable is an even bigger scandal. So they simply declared her deceased to put an end to the matter."

Cheung Wusi joined in the conversation, "Big brother, that’s really a stroke of fortune. We common folk don’t even get to see a few proper officials or large clan members in our lifetimes, but in just under a year, you’ve met the most venerable people in the world. And Ye Zi is such an outstanding child."

Qi Younian lost his smile, telling Cheung Wusi, "When I asked you to come before, I hadn’t anticipated so many complicated issues at home. Being wealthy, distinguished, and getting a glimpse of high-ranking individuals might seem glorious, but it comes with risks.

The reason Ye Zi has people like Nanny Liu around her is because we heard that the Duke’s Mansion knew of a girl like Ye Zi here in Clear Water Village and once considered secretly disposing of her. This disposal might have involved the lives of everyone in the second branch of the Qi family.

Now things are becoming clearer, but who knows what will happen in the future. Wusi, think it over. If you seek a peaceful life later, you still have time to pull out now."

Cheung Wusi shook his head decisively, "What are you saying, big brother? If I’m not safe, are you safe? Six of us brothers were sent to the army for ten years, and only two of us came back. These lives are like found money. What safety do I have to fear? I’ve been safe my whole life; I’d rather risk these few years before I’m buried in the ground to earn some glorious wealth for the family."

"What about Ah Qiao, then? He’s still young," Qi Younian inquired.

"Alright, we’ll find time to ask him. You’re also his elder; there’s no need to be formal with him."