She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 227 - 226: Turnaround

Chapter 227: Chapter 226: Turnaround

In an awkward silence, Jinrong spoke again, his tone somewhat gloomy, "The eldest miss truly lives up to being Elder Master Ye’s granddaughter. Once she left the capital, she broke free from shackles and understood everything instantly. Nothing is difficult for the miss. Your words just now seem to have a deeper meaning, but I did not quite understand them. Would you mind clarifying?"

"Ye Zi, you...," Jiang Yifan began, intending to remind Ye Xinyan that the man across from her was, after all, a royal prince.

Jinrong’s face darkened as he interrupted, "Don’t you speak."

Ye Xinyan looked at them expressionlessly and replied dryly, "Sixth Master worries too much, what this humble woman said was nothing beyond the literal meaning. In my view, changing transportation methods on a large scale is a delicate matter, which, based on Sixth Master’s usual manner of conduct, should be avoided."

To speak plainly? Was this a matter that could be spoken of so openly? There could be only two outcomes after speaking plainly, to be either a grasshopper tied to a string or to be silenced. Did she look foolish?

Jinrong was annoyed by her retort but didn’t know what to do with her. After staring at her for a good while, he could only soften his tone as he explained,

"Many things can’t just be done because they should. To do them well, one needs ample preparation. Of course, I could get someone to draft a proposal for rail transport, but I was thinking that your perspectives and methods of handling things are always quicker and more unique. Even if you drafted a proposal for the installation and use of the railway, I didn’t plan to use it unchanged. I just wanted to compare it with what others have written, learn from their strengths, and make it as comprehensive as possible."

Ye Xinyan remained stubbornly silent. Jinrong’s words did not explain his fervor for rail transportation. If Jinrong truly coveted that supreme position, her attitude was not just about her own interests. She did not wish to lead the Qi family into danger due to her misjudgment.

When Jinrong didn’t get a response from Ye Xinyan, he frowned slightly and turned his gaze towards the narrow strip of the sky framed by the window.

He had thought his estimation of Ye Xinyan’s shrewdness was high but had evidently miscalculated. Clearly, the woman had become wary of his actions and might have hit the mark in guessing that he was not an idle prince.

But what now? Could he tell her that, after so many years of preparation, he was very confident in his endeavours and that she should rest assured to follow him for a future filled with wealth and honor? Judging from Ye Xinyan’s current actions, she was not a woman who placed great importance on wealth and honor.

Given her intelligence, if she had valued vanity, she could have managed her role as the legitimate granddaughter in Duke An’s Mansion well, marrying into a prestigious imperial clan or even a prince with no trouble. So why would she act rebelliously in the capital city?

Jiang Yifan sighed, stood up, and picked up the copper kettle from the little stove to refill the tea cups for the three of them.

"Ye Zi, have some tea," Jiang Yifan urged as he pushed a tea cup towards Ye Xinyan, saying, "In this world, many things that seem unrelated are, in fact, intricately entwined without us realizing it."

Jiang Yifan intended to tell the whole truth. Confronting such an extremely sensitive and intelligent woman with all kinds of denials in this situation felt dishonorable and futile.

"You are a smart woman. Think carefully about everything that has happened since you left the capital. Many things could be said to be dictated by fate. You fled from Duke’s Mansion and encountered Sixth Master in the capital, then after a long journey, you came to Qingyuan County, only to meet Sixth Master again.

"From the moment you folded a Paper Bird for Qi Jiaer, you were destined not to live a quiet life. With such an identity, how could you possibly remain unnoticed? Since you started planning a cattle farm, you were inexorably linked to Sixth Master."

By the time Jiang Yifan reached the last two sentences, his tone was full of helplessness. She was a woman who naturally did not want to get involved in the struggle for the Crown Prince—the state of affairs being so, there was no turning back.

Ye Xinyan glared at Jiang Yifan, furious. Was he implying that, even if her entire family were beheaded, it was all her own fault?

Jiang Yifan said helplessly, "There are many things that are beyond one’s control. Have you ever considered, even without the many things that followed, from the moment you married, your fate was already sealed."

"..." In other words, from the moment the original host insisted on marrying him, the Imperial Top Scholar, she had already taken sides in the struggle for the Crown Prince. It was all her own doing. Ye Xinyan abruptly stood up, ready to leave.

Jiang Yifan almost simultaneously rose to his feet, stretching out his hand as if he wanted to hold her back. This was clearly not a matter that could be simply walked away from.

Fortunately, Ye Xinyan only took two steps before she suddenly remembered Jinrong and stopped, turning around to ask him, "If things are really as I suspect, if I walk out this door, will I immediately be silenced?"

Jiang Yifan held his forehead, this question... Sharp as it was, but... So it turns out Ye Zi could also have her less bright moments.

Jinrong was at once amused and exasperated by the question and counter asked, "How do you want me to answer you?"

Ye Xinyan looked at Jinrong, hesitating whether to go or stay, weighing the various pros and cons in her mind, but couldn’t come to any conclusion for a long time.

It’s still the extension of the same question, her background limited her thinking, not the background of this life, but that of her previous life. In terms of specific actions, she had some advantage, but when it came to struggles for power, her experience was far from sufficient.

"Actually, I didn’t learn anything, and Sixth Master, you didn’t really say anything, did you?" Ye Xinyan ventured.

Jinrong suddenly felt the gloom in his heart dissipate, leaving only a pleasant mood, and he burst into laughter: "You’ve always been the one talking, I didn’t say anything. Yuanfan only tried to persuade you, what did he say?"

Ye Xinyan’s gaze swept back and forth between Jinrong and Jiang Yifan, Jiang Yifan’s words just now had already made it clear, her guess was correct.

What she couldn’t gauge now was Jinrong’s tolerance for her being privy to inside information, yet refusing to take sides.

If she didn’t leave through this door today, only she herself guessed Jinrong’s ambition. Once she left and returned to the Qi family, whether or not she divulged the matter to Qi Younian, the Qi family could be suspected of being in the know.

This door, she really couldn’t just step out so easily, and Ye Xinyan frowned in indecision.

Jinrong pointed to her seat and said, "Better sit down first, listen to what I have to say, then making a decision won’t be too late."

He very much wanted to tell her, even if she didn’t join his camp, he wouldn’t do anything to her. But he couldn’t say it; those who had followed him since his youth, those subordinates and officials who had plotted their way up with him, could not be forsaken due to his personal emotions, nor could they suffer a catastrophic downfall.

Seeing her hesitation, Jinrong tried another approach, "Leaving aside the cattle farm, let’s just talk about the Qi Family Construction Business. If you go back today and tell Old Master Qi to back off, to stop the construction business, do you think Old Master Qi would listen to you?"

Ye Xinyan’s gaze flickered, and she turned to sit back down in her original spot.