She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 308 - 307: Could it be a Stolen Recipe?

Chapter 308: Chapter 307: Could it be a Stolen Recipe?

Ye Hongyang’s temper flared, and with a flick of his sleeve, he turned and sat back down in his chair with a resolute look, saying, "Father is too biased. He believes any nonsense that wicked woman spouts without inquiry. Father never questions Madam Yin’s words and behavior; he only blames his son for all sorts of wrongdoings."

Duke An didn’t care what his son said, only furrowing his brow and intermittently sipping his tea, wondering to himself how he and his wife, being no fools, could have a son so witless, completely beguiled by a concubine unworthy of the public eye.

The Duchess couldn’t bear to see her son embarrassed and interjected, "You still have so many excuses; the bottom line is you’ve done wrong. Madam Yin is your main wife. You hardly ever visit her quarters, and when you do, it’s only to plot how to divide her family’s business. Anyone would give you a cold shoulder under these circumstances."

Ye Hongyang stubbornly argued, "I had just entered, and hadn’t even started talking about getting involved in business deals. She still sat on the couch ignoring me, giving me a cold look. Mother, I’m the heir of Duke An, her husband. I visit her chambers, yet not only does she not welcome me, but she also ridicules and shames me. Is she right in doing so?"

The Duchess frowned upon hearing this. After all, her son was Madam Yin’s husband, and such disrespect towards him indeed seemed unacceptable, "When you visited her room, did she truly not show a hint of joy?"

Ye Hongyang, suddenly energized, sat upright in his chair and said, "Joy? There was none. I went in, she just sat on the couch unmoving and spoke with a sneer. I lost my temper and scolded her for disrespecting her husband and lacking the virtues of a wife. She even said I’m not her husband but Maternal Aunt Liu’s husband, and went on to say Aunt Liu and I are a perfect match, as if made by heaven!"

"This..."

The Duchess slammed the table in anger and exclaimed, "She dares to speak ill of my son? I’ll confront her about this! Nanny Qian, you go ask her why she spoke of the Princely Heir in such a manner. Isn’t she a daughter-in-law of the Ye Family?"

By this time, the You Hour had passed, and Nanny Qian hesitated but was about to leave when Duke An called out and made her stop.

"Enough," Duke An said irritably, "Isn’t this enough chaos?"

The Duchess was furious and retorted, "Did you not hear what Hongyang said, my lord? What does this mean, ’suited for Aunt Liu’—is it acceptable to mock her own husband like this? When has it been her place to scorn a son of Duke An?"

Duke An also felt uncomfortable hearing Ye Hongyang’s words, but how could he when his son’s behavior indeed showed such harmony with a concubine?

"Madam Yin has been part of this family for over twenty years now. Isn’t your son constantly in Maternal Aunt Liu’s company? How can you blame others for speaking out?" Duke An stated.

Ye Hongyang retorted, "She is capable of voluntarily returning to Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion. If Aunt Liu becomes the main wife, at least I would no longer carry this shameful title."

Upon hearing this, the Duchess fell silent. Her son truly lacked sense when it came to matters of women. Madam Yin was the eldest daughter of Marquis Zhongyong. If it came to it that, because of her son, Aunt Liu rose to the main wife’s position, causing Madam Yin to leave the family, the reputation of Duke An’s Mansion would be ruined, and the relationship with Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion that had lasted so many years would come to an end.

Duke An, hearing Ye Hongyang speak so, nearly smashed the teacup in his hand on his son’s head. His life-and-death friendship with Marquis Zhongyong could have been shattered because of his good-for-nothing son’s doings. And now this fool was uttering such rebellious words.

Duke An glared at Ye Hongyang furiously, and just then a maidservant reported that Maternal Aunt Liu had arrived.

After dinner, Maternal Aunt Liu, who had been instructed by Ye Hongyang to visit Madam Yin’s quarters, anxiously waited in her room for the outcome. She didn’t expect Ye Hongyang not to return but instead received a message from a maid from the Duchess’s quarters requesting her immediate presence.

With a sinking feeling in her heart, and upon learning that both the Duke’s Heir and Madam Yin were with the Duchess, Maternal Aunt Liu grew even more uneasy, certain that Ye Hongyang had botched things up.

The Prefect of the Imperial Academy and the Academician In Charge at the Hanlin Academy were close friends. The recipe for the Marquis Ji Mansion’s cheese pastry was obtained by Madam Zhou of Ji Mansion from the Academician’s wife. This recipe was copied by several households in the capital, but Ye Xinyi was confident that these did not include Duke An’s Mansion or Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, which was why Maternal Aunt Liu was so eager to deliver the recipe to Madam Yin’s hands.

Maternal Aunt Liu and her daughter shared the same thought: while the cheese pastry recipe had not yet become widespread, they would present it to Madam Yin. Madam Yin had recently started a pastry house and would certainly value it, especially since cheese pastries were a delicacy enjoyed at the palace. Even if they couldn’t secure forty percent of the shares, negotiating for twenty to thirty percent was surely manageable. As long as she had a stake in the pastry shop, everything else would fall into place; with the ability to reach out, and given her capabilities, she would be able to grasp even more.

Who knew how the Princely Heir would handle things, yet he ended up at Yangyi Court.

Maternal Aunt Liu walked while praying to all the immortals for protection, desperately hoping that no conflict would arise from Madam Yin’s business dealings involving her.

The Duchess looked at Maternal Aunt Liu with a complex expression as she performed her curtsy, not allowing her to rise. Though Maternal Aunt Liu’s status was not high and she employed schemes in her rivalry with Madam Yin, which was a source of discord in the household, the children she raised were exceptional. The old master disapproved of his grandsons for lacking masculinity, but to her, their modesty and elegance were virtues, embodying the grace of true gentlemen, definitely much better than the daughter Madam Yin raised.

However, Maternal Aunt Liu was indeed far too troublesome. Which other concubine received such treatment? All the children in the house were hers, and the man, disregarding his main wife’s courtyard, doted only on her. She single-handedly managed the affairs of Duke An’s Mansion’s inner courtyard. Despite all that, she was still restless and insatiable.

Maternal Aunt Liu had paid her respects to Duke An and his wife, but without hearing the invitation to rise, she could do nothing but maintain her kneeling position. Ye Hongyang watched her with pity and kept imploring the Duchess with his eyes, but the Duchess pretended not to see.

Eventually, Duke An spoke indifferently, "Stop kneeling, stand up. The matter is laid out here, kneeling or standing makes no difference."

The Duchess let out a cold snort, and Maternal Aunt Liu quickly gave thanks, stood up straight, and retreated to the side to stand by attentively.

Duke An then formally inquired, "Hongyang, today in the capital, several prestigious households are competing over a few pastry recipes. Making pastries is a matter of the kitchen and the inner courtyard, and pastry recipes are usually shared and passed around within the inner courtyard. Where did your pastry recipes come from?"

"" Ye Hongyang was at a loss for words, while Maternal Aunt Liu was extremely alarmed but tried hard to maintain her composure.

Duke An continued, "You are Madam Yin’s husband. Normally, if a man acquires pastry recipes, he would simply hand them over to his wife who runs a pastry business. It’s not customary for him to be involved in the shared stock with his wife. By doing so, you are not acting like a man."

Ye Hongyang’s face turned unsightly, and he opened his mouth but failed to speak a word in rebuttal.

"Come, bring me your pastry recipes to have a look," Duke An extended his hand.

Reluctantly, Ye Hongyang drew the recipes from his sleeve and handed them to Duke An.

Duke An unfolded the papers and, after a few glances, suddenly laughed. He then passed the recipes to the Duchess, "Look at this, your son has only taken a few pastry recipes, and he wants to share in the pastry business with his wife."

Taking the papers, the Duchess looked over a few lines earnestly, skipped the detailed content, and moved on to the next recipe and then the next. After sighing, she placed the recipes on the table.

Maternal Aunt Liu had already sensed something amiss, but Ye Hongyang hadn’t thought that much, fixated on the two pieces of paper lying on the table with an expression of deep reluctance, almost reaching out to take them back.

Duke An asked, "Are you aware of the industry managed by Qi Ye for Prince Yu?"

"Ah? Qi Ye?" Ye Hongyang was momentarily stunned, then remembered that Qi Ye was his damned daughter. But weren’t they discussing pastry recipes and Madam Yin’s affair? Why ask about this?

Glancing at Maternal Aunt Liu, Duke An said, "So, Lian Gui has been back for such a long time and you, as her father, have never once inquired about Qingyuan County or Qi Ye’s affairs?"

"I..." Ye Hongyang was very reluctant. Why should he ask about that daughter who was a laughingstock for the capital’s noble ladies? Wasn’t he disgraced enough?

Maternal Aunt Liu’s mind raced as she recalled hearing that His Highness Prince Yu managed a dairy farm and a dairy products store in Yuyuan Prefecture. But Xinyan was just a foolish simpleton; even if she suffered and improved outside, she wouldn’t have the capability to manage industries.

Could it be that she obtained the cheese pastry recipes from Prince Yu and, along with her cookbook, handed them over to Madam Yin?