She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 306 - 305: Putting on a Peaceful Facade

Chapter 306: Chapter 305: Putting on a Peaceful Facade

Qiao Laiyun, while secretly hoping that Duke and the Duchess would quickly send someone over, bowed and said, "Crown Prince, your servant has hastened over upon receiving the Princely Heir’s message. The capable servant you asked for, I’ve already sent someone to look for them, but I’m afraid it will still take a while before they can arrive."

Ye Hongyang’s anger toward Madam Yin hadn’t subsided, and he was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the executioner to beat the old woman servant who personally attended to Madam Yin until her skin split and flesh burst, disgracing Madam Yin. It had already been half a day, and he still had to wait; it was truly irritating. However, Qiao Laiyun was not just any other servant—Ye Hongyang couldn’t scold him at will.

Ye Hongyang, with an unamused expression, complained, "These servants, all they do every day is shirk their duties. It’s been days since we’ve had to punish anyone, and now when we need them, they’re nowhere to be seen."

Qiao Laiyun’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Weren’t things better when the punishment room went unused, signaling peace within the Duke’s Mansion? If the women of the punishment room were busy all day long, it would mean endless troubles within the Mansion.

Madam Yin, holding Ye Hongyang’s remarks in contempt for their stupidity, was also impatient to waste time with them and asked, "Uncle Qiao, I have many matters to attend to here and cannot afford to wait much longer. I’ll be straightforward with you—no matter how many people you can summon, unless you plan to kill everyone in my courtyard, I will stake everything to take everyone here back to my family home, and no one will dare to touch a person in my courtyard.

"Give me a straight answer, Uncle Qiao. If you truly intend to beat someone, then I’ll wait and let’s see who wins, so as not to disappoint the Crown Prince. But if you are just stalling for time, looking for a way out, then I will not keep you any longer, and you can leave as you please."

Qiao Laiyun’s face showed his awkwardness. Couldn’t the wife of the heir apparent leave some dignity for everyone? How could she speak without regarding the consequences? He was stalling, but that was for the stability of the Duke’s Mansion, not wanting things to get out of hand.

Yet, he couldn’t respond. If he admitted to stalling as the wife of the heir apparent had said, where would that leave the Crown Prince’s dignity?

Sure enough, while he was worrying about how to respond to Madam Yin, Ye Hongyang became impatient and demanded, "Uncle Qiao, tell me the truth, where is your executioner? I’m telling you, if you dare to deceive me, you’ll have me to answer to!"

He had been left hanging by Madam Yin for a long time, waiting to deal with Nanny Huang in front of her and everyone from Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, to show them that this is the Ye Family, and he is the powerful Princely Heir of the Ye Family.

What if, after all this waiting, it led to nothing? Wouldn’t his reputation be ruined?

He looked at Madam Yin with renewed resentment. Her taking everyone back to her family home? How dare she suggest such a thing? Even if she was foolish enough to risk the disgrace, did she think all the people of Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion would be willing to share in her humiliation? If Marquis Zhongyong was that decisive, Madam Yin should have been sent back to her family home when it was discovered that her health was damaged and she could no longer bear children.

Qiao Laiyun inwardly lamented his predicament. Currently, the Princely Heir showed him some favor, taking into consideration Duke An’s position, and since the Princely Heir was to inherit the title, offending him could be disastrous for Qiao’s entire family. Yet, he couldn’t let the Crown Prince act recklessly—he knew the past incidents well. If servants from Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion were punished, Marquis Zhongyong would truly become hostile, and Duke An would have a difficult situation on his hands.

Ye Hongyang ordered sharply, "Go and hurry them up. I still have matters to attend to, and there isn’t this much time to waste on these troublesome servants."

Qiao Laiyun, as if granted a pardon, hastily complied, "Yes, this old servant will hurry them along now." He hurried towards Duke An—why hadn’t someone come yet?

He had just turned around when an outside servant girl reported in, "Nanny Qian from the Duchess’ side has arrived."

"Please let her in." Madam Yin glanced at Qiao Laiyun, knowing that things would never be so straightforward; there always had to be several twists and turns involved.

Immediately following, the cotton curtain was lifted, and Nanny Qian came in with a beaming smile. After greeting Ye Hongyang and Madam Yin, she said with a laugh, "The Duchess heard that the Princely Heir came to Morning Moon Courtyard to visit the wife of the heir apparent and felt extremely comforted. She sent this servant to invite the Princely Heir and his wife over to have a good chat with her."

Ye Hongyang scrutinized Nanny Qian up and down several times, uncertain about the truthfulness of her words, but he felt the same disgust for such pleasantries. He glared fiercely at Qiao Laiyun—perhaps it was this wily old creature who had informed the lord, prompting his parents to send someone over.

No matter how Ye Hongyang looked at him, with Nanny Qian’s presence, Qiao Laiyun could get away without having to find a punishment room attendant. Had he truly followed the Crown Prince’s wishes and had people come to administer a beating, Morning Moon Courtyard would now be in utter chaos.

The presence of the wife of the heir apparent within Duke An’s Mansion now was not like before; after the young lady’s escape, her only significance was to pray for blessings for the young lady who was left adrift outside, while the relations with the Duke’s Mansion itself were clearly like water from separate wells. If the Crown Prince, this branch of the river, insisted on stirring the well water, the wife of the heir apparent might turn hostile, bringing even bigger troubles in the aftermath.

Madam Yin certainly didn’t believe that the Duchess really thought their marriage had suddenly become harmonious. The most likely scenario was that they were summoned to smooth things over and gloss over the deadlock with some empty talk.

A mother-in-law’s summon couldn’t simply be outright rejected by a daughter-in-law, even if reluctantly so, and she immediately responded, "I will change my clothes now. Nanny Qian, please go back first and tell my mother-in-law that I will follow shortly."

Ye Hongyang immediately turned to leave first, but was caught up by Qiao Laiyun, who reminded him, "Perhaps the Princely Heir should wait for the wife of the heir apparent. Since the Duchess mentioned being heartened by your visit to Morning Moon Courtyard, you should consider the Duchess’ feelings."

Although Ye Hongyang was reluctant, he stopped in his tracks, and both men stood shivering in the cold winter night, waiting for Madam Yin to come out with them.

In the Duchess’ quarters at Yangyi Court, Duke An and the Duchess sat at the head of the room with warm smiles, watching their son and daughter-in-law enter as if they were truly delighted by their recent harmony.

Madam Yin followed behind Ye Hongyang, meticulously performing her greetings and asking after her in-laws, then sat down on the round stool indicated by the Duchess, waiting for her in-laws to speak.

But the Duchess’ inquiry wasn’t extensive; instead, she prattled on and on about the benefits of marital harmony for the family and children. She encouraged them to continue fostering the nascent cordial relationship they seemed to have started, even seemingly prepared to let them go back after such a lecture.

Duke An was sipping his tea discreetly at the side, nodding continuously to show agreement with his wife’s words. He didn’t want to gloss over things either, but he had no choice. Even in terms of teaching his son, it had to be done away from Madam Yin, to save some face for his son.

After the rambling, the Duchess said, "There’s nothing else, I’m just getting on in years and am happy to see you both in harmony. So I wanted to have a chat with you. It’s getting late, you should go back to rest. Remember to stay close like this in the future, so that our Mansion can forever enjoy peace and Shun Yi."