She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 298 - 297 Many Oddities

Chapter 298: Chapter 297 Many Oddities

Jiang Yifan watched Ye Xinyan intently as he spoke, while Ye Xinyan just sat quietly, never responding.

It wasn’t that Ye Xinyan didn’t want to speak, but Jiang Yifan’s words were too shocking for her to digest. Since Jiang Yifan hadn’t specifically pointed anything out, any hasty affirmation or denial on her part might be seen as trying to cover something up.

Furthermore, Ye Xinyan still harbored a glimmer of hope that Jiang Yifan was merely speaking off the cuff and didn’t actually have any concrete thoughts or intentions of uncovering any truths.

Jiang Yifan wasn’t in a hurry, and continued slowly, "Now, Nanny Jin is the one closest to you. Nanny Jin has raised you from a child, and naturally regards you with nothing but kindness. Even if something were amiss, she would go out of her way to find excuses to vindicate you. But others won’t necessarily do the same.

Rather than waiting until someone plants their own people by your side, you’d be better off preparing enough staff early on and training them yourself. That way, even if someone wanted to probe for information, they would find it much more difficult and less likely to succeed."

Ye Xinyan sat rigidly, her nerves almost jumping, compelling her to leap up and leave the room at once. She didn’t know when Jiang Yifan began to suspect her identity; she had barely interacted with him and had not shown any flaws, or so she thought.

The only reason she could continue to sit calmly was that Jiang Yifan seemed to have no ill intent, and even if he intervened in how she employed her maids and old woman servants, he was urging her to buy her own, rather than using people he would send.

"Looking at the current situation, you might have to return to the capital any day now. Duke An is not Lian Gui, and Maternal Aunt Liu does not come from Anshun’s Household. My senior brother merely observed for a few days and was able to spot the inconsistencies in you. If it were someone with malicious intent, they could naturally find even more abnormalities that defy common sense."

"Faced with such a perilous environment, yet you remain so careless, only caring about your own convenience and ease. When the time comes that your surroundings are filled with prying eyes and you have no one to rely on, it will be too late for regrets."

Ye Xinyan kept weighing in her heart whether Jiang Yifan was certain there was something wrong with her identity as the young lady of Duke’s Mansion, or if he was just probing her with his words. Although either situation was difficult for her to handle, a probe was easier to deal with. By not responding to his remarks now, she could always find more room for sophistry later.

Jiang Yifan chuckled to himself and asked, "I’ve said so much, yet you haven’t uttered a single word in response. Do you think I’m just trying to bluff you?"

Ye Xinyan shifted her gaze back to Jiang Yifan and said, "Lord Jiang’s words are too generic, and it’s hard for a simple woman like me to grasp the meaning behind them. Lord Jiang may speak plainly about what he wishes to say; if you expect me to guess, I must admit that I’m a straightforward person and won’t be able to give you the answer you desire."

She suddenly understood that even if Jiang Yifan wanted to coax information out of her, he at least had to reveal what he knew, and then she could see if there was any possibility of denial. If she were to divulge her earth-shattering secret based on his vague words, then she would truly be foolish.

Jiang Yifan and Ye Xinyan looked at each other for a long while before he laughed and said, "I’ve tried, using your transportation rail proposal to arrange scenarios, and concluded that it’s impossible for someone who has sat inside a mansion for over a decade, only to have run away for just over half a year, to accomplish this. It’s not just about skills in construction—it’s the baffling ingenuity behind it.

When Mr. Hu and I saw the railcar at your home, we only thought of simple routes, but what you’ve created is a complex network of tracks. I believe there’s nothing in this world that comes without effort, especially something akin to a sky-high transportation network like that."

"You often pass off your strange jargon and many innovative concepts as something you’ve heard from somewhere. But from where? Like the four types of people in the world, the method to make ice cream, and the garden of Prince Yu’s Other Mansion."

"I’ve compared the construction documents for His Highness’ courtyard with the transportation rail proposal, as well as the earlier drafts for the cattle farm construction, and I’ve noticed that there is a very mature format at play. The latter two documents are just more complex due to their involvement in the engineering construction."

"As long as you have the concept, following this format will enable you to create a clear and concise construction document. Not only are you skilled at using this format, but you also have mature concepts. Where do all these come from?"

"Especially this courtyard, the scenery drawn from the construction plans you submitted is far from a mere flight of fancy. The entire ambiance of the courtyard reflects a natural, serene, and timeless aesthetic, which is starkly different from Miss Ye’s character at Duke An’s Mansion—such a concept could not have simply been conceived by someone like her on a whim."

Ye Xinyan keenly noticed that Jiang Yifan had changed the pronoun from ’you’ to ’her,’ indicating someone else. Did this mean that Jiang Yifan had already determined she was not the original person?

Jiang Yifan stopped speaking and looked at Ye Xinyan intently, asking, "Where do you come from?"

Ye Xinyan’s face turned pale, and after composing herself for a while, she replied dryly, "People who have undergone great misfortunes always change somewhat. It’s just that my changes have been a bit more substantial. There might be many things in this world that Lord Jiang does not understand, but that doesn’t mean those things don’t exist."

Jiang Yifan, with an indifferent gaze, watched her and smiled, "Of course they exist, otherwise how would you be sitting in front of me?"

Ye Xinyan furrowed her brows. Nowadays, she possessed nothing more than the knowledge and experiences from a thousand years later and a mature way of handling things. In terms of intelligence, she was no match for Jiang Yifan.

Jiang Yifan had long harbored suspicions about her, of that there was no doubt. He had even collated and compared several documents to confirm his suspicions. Facing Jiang Yifan, who was already smarter than her and came prepared, she felt overwhelmed.

Ye Xinyan asked, "Does Lord Jiang think that this humble woman is someone else, an impostor posing as the Miss of the Duke’s Mansion?" This outcome was preferable, better than being treated as a demon or ghost.

Jiang Yifan shook his head. "Nanny Jin has always been with you. Even if there happened to be someone who looked exactly like the Miss, it would be difficult for them to find an opportunity to impersonate her. And since you know all about Miss Ye’s past affairs, that makes it even harder to accomplish."

Ye Xinyan also smiled. As she stood up, she said, "In that case, Lord Jiang should stop engaging in such groundless suspicions. This humble woman still needs to prepare the documents and materials Grandfather must take with him, so I shall not accompany Lord Jiang any longer. As for the matter of the servants, this humble woman will give your kind advice serious consideration."

It was best for her to avoid the situation for now and think of a strategy. If she stayed any longer, she truly might be exposed completely.

Jiang Yifan also slowly stood up and brushed off his clothes, saying, "That’s good to hear. I came here precisely for this purpose. If you take it seriously, then my trip won’t have been in vain."

Uh, is this risky topic really over just like that? Ye Xinyan was stunned.

Seeing that Ye Xinyan had not immediately left, Jiang Yifan added, "If we genuinely compare, you and Miss Ye’s personality and way of handling things bear no resemblance at all. When you were on your way to Yuyuan Prefecture and threw that bowl of wild vegetable soup on the ground, it was somewhat flamboyant and somewhat in line with Miss Ye’s character. However, the words you spoke were not in accordance with her at all."

"What is ’compensation for youth lost’?" Jiang Yifan finally had the opportunity to ask about the term that had puzzled him for a long time.

Ye Xinyan narrowed her eyes and answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "It’s not anything particular, just a saying. It means to use silver to compensate for the lost youthful years."