She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 278 - 277: The Movements of Madam Yin

Chapter 278: Chapter 277: The Movements of Madam Yin

Madam Yin envisioned herself engaged in the same business as her daughter, such harmony, such affinity, which, of course, brought nothing but comfort.

"Aiyo, wife of the heir apparent," Nanny Huang exaggerated her laughter, "here in the capital, you can’t open the same type of business as the young miss. You must open something bigger, better, and more prosperous."

Madam Yin sat up straight, wiped her cheeks and the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and said, "Indeed, I should open a large Pastry House. When Ah Yan comes back, I’ll hand over the business to her. Our Ah Yan is so clever, she will certainly make the business well-known throughout the capital."

No sooner had she spoken than she changed her mind, "No, with so many shopkeepers and assistants in our household, I should open a Pastry House in both the east and west of the city to match Ah Yan’s great ideas."

Nanny Huang smiled in agreement, "Absolutely. You need to manage the business well, then the young miss will be happy."

With a clear goal in mind, Madam Yin, shaking off her prolonged dejection, briskly ordered, "Nanny, go arrange the carriage and horses. Tomorrow at dawn, we shall go to the temple to offer the first incense, and give a generous donation. Then command the shopkeepers and stewards from the nearby estates to come to the Duke’s Mansion in the morning."

.......

Maternal Aunt Liu, who managed the affairs of the Inner Residence of Duke An’s Mansion, naturally knew that Lian Gui had returned. She also kept a continuous watch over the Duchess’s courtyard, although she couldn’t show up openly like Madam Yin and had to inquire in secret.

It was only after Lian Gui brought back letters and Duke An released the news about Qi Ye that she found out about the bastard Ye Xinyan still being well and alive, attracting attention from all sides.

Being astute, she understood that since Duke An had released this news, it showed that according to Lian Gui’s investigation, Ye Xinyan’s conduct after leaving the capital had met Duke’s expectations.

Sitting in her room with dignity and grace, Maternal Aunt Liu clenched her handkerchief viciously. Resentfully she thought that this meant the foolish Madam Yin might still have hope, might revive, which caused her position as the manager of the Inner Residence to be threatened.

Her son was once in a steady position to inherit the title of Duke An, but for some reason, Duke An changed his mind and decided to adopt someone from a side branch, forsaking his own bloodline. This had already caused her immense distress, and now with this new development, it was as if they were after her life. If things continued to go this way, what would be the point of all the years she had spent working?

Since the child from a side branch would definitely be registered under Madam Yin, the main wife, it would never be adopted by her as a concubine. Thus, the Duke’s Mansion would still belong to Madam Yin, and she would remain just a concubine, with her son still born of a concubine. As long as Madam Yin was alive, she would always be subordinate to her, forever unable to step onto the stage as a concubine.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to harm Madam Yin, but rather, there was no opportunity.

When Madam Yin was diagnosed as infertile, Duke An, furious, immediately placed the Duke An’s mansion under strict surveillance, thoroughly investigating the matter. Even Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion got involved, scrutinizing Madam Yin’s courtyard, cleaning it out from top to bottom.

Luckily, her plan was meticulous, and with the Crown Prince causing trouble in the middle, they ultimately found nothing. The incident almost caused friction between Duke An’s Mansion and Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion.

Even though the cause was never found, that incident had alarmed everyone at Duke An’s Mansion for a long time. The matter hadn’t been cleared up, but those involved had been punished, more or less severely, with the suspicious ones being fiercely beaten with a board and left with barely half their lives before being driven out of the Duke’s Mansion.

Duke An had declared at the time that this matter would be left as is, but should any clues emerge at any time, it would be brought up again for thorough investigation. He also warned those involved to think clearly; the Princely Heir might be protected by his parents and thus escape severe consequences, whereas servants must bear the brunt of their mistakes with their livelihoods, or even their lives. If such an incident were to occur again, regardless of who committed the act, if there was evidence, they would be executed immediately, and all related individuals would be sold into hard labor.

Since then, not only had Madam Yin’s courtyard been tightly sealed off, eliminating any opportunity for foul play, but even if one considered bribing someone else to act, it was likely no one would dare respond, and she dared not take the risk herself.

Originally, with her effort, there were only her three children in the Duke’s Mansion; even if Duke An was dissatisfied, he had no choice but to accept his fate, given his son’s foolish love.

And now, Ye Xinyan, the only legitimate grandchild of Duke An’s Mansion, had appeared, and her daughter had lost her unique advantage, forcing her to start over from scratch, constantly seen as the concubine-born daughter.

All of this made Maternal Aunt Liu’s teeth itch with hatred. Then her servant girl Chun Xiu reported back that after Steward Lian left the Comfort Heart Courtyard, he went directly to the wife of the heir apparent’s quarters.

Maternal Aunt Liu’s gentle gaze flashed with a moment of sharpness, Lian Gui’s direct visit to Madam Yin’s courtyard after leaving Duke An meant that Lian Gui had Duke An’s permission to go to the Morning Moon Courtyard, and of course, it was to report back; Ye Xinyan had completely won Duke An’s approval.

The people like Lian Gui heading to Yuyuan Prefecture were Duke An’s own staff; not only did they strictly adhere to rules and keep tight-lipped, but she also dared not reach out to Duke An for information. Even if she was anxious to know the current situation of Ye Xinyan or what message or items Lian Gui brought back to Madam Yin, she couldn’t inquire them.

Maternal Aunt Liu instructed Nanny Zhang beside her, "Arrange for someone to closely monitor the wife of the heir apparent’s actions during this period. Whatever she and the people around her say or do, let nothing slip; report everything back to me."

The staffing at the Morning Moon Courtyard was arranged so no information could leak, but her network of informants almost covered the entire Inner Residence, allowing her to infer many things from Madam Yin’s daily activities and expenses.

That very night, in Maternal Aunt Liu’s bedroom, she handed Ye Hongyang the tea and leaned against him, saying rather endearingly, "Today Lian Gui returned. I wanted to ask him about his trip to Yuyuan Prefecture, but he stayed in the wife of the heir apparent’s quarters for a very long time. By the time he came out, the sun was almost setting, and I had no chance to ask. I’m worried the young lady might have sent a message or something to the wife of the heir apparent through Lian Gui. The wife of the heir apparent would lose all sense of proportion at the slightest connection with the young lady, and I’m concerned that if Madam Yin received a letter or item from the young lady, it might cause another scandal in our mansion."

Ye Hongyang stroked Maternal Aunt Liu’s delicate shoulder, nonchalantly saying, "I’ve asked my mother about it, there’s nothing much, just two recipe books. That calamity didn’t even send a message to Madam Yin; it seems she’s quite heartless. Don’t concern yourself with her. Without that calamity here, Madam Yin can’t cause much trouble."

Maternal Aunt Liu leaned forward, tilting her head to look at Ye Hongyang’s side profile, her expression extremely focused. She curiously asked, "Why would the young lady send a recipe book to the wife of the heir apparent after Lian Gui had gone to all the trouble of traveling so far, instead of bringing some personally made clothes or local items?"

Ye Hongyang, seeing Maternal Aunt Liu’s girlish demeanor, felt warmth in his heart and dismissively replied, "Perhaps she wants Madam Yin to try making some tasty pastries. You know her; she never thinks things through. We should not meddle in Madam Yin’s trifles; more serious matters deserve our attention."

Maternal Aunt Liu coyly twisted her body, but spoke, "You should ask more about it, my lord. If that recipe book is something urgent, it ultimately won’t do for someone as rash as the wife of the heir apparent to have it in her possession."