She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 329 - 328 No longer in the mood

Chapter 329: Chapter 328 No longer in the mood

"I remember," replied Ye Xinyan to Zhao Gang’s question. The original owner of her memories had found the experience deeply etched in their mind; after all, that beating had left the original owner lying face-down in bed for over half a month, unable to even lie on their side. Thus, within Ye Xinyan’s memories was the existence of such an incident, but it was not something she had personally experienced, which is why she felt so detached when recalling it.

As Zhao Gang spoke of the past, he was filled with emotion. Miss Cousin was indeed very hard to discipline, "Being a girl and so young at the time, I didn’t witness it myself, but I heard that the ten firm strokes you received tore your flesh open. You lay on the bed, unable to get up for half a month. Yet, not only did you not beg for mercy while being beaten, you didn’t seem to restrain yourself afterward either."

"Well, it’s not like they could actually beat you to death, right?" Speaking of this matter, whether it was the Marquis, General, or Duke An, they probably all felt utterly helpless.

Ye Xinyan looked at Zhao Gang with an innocent expression, unsure how to display a remorseful face. This incident really had nothing to do with her. Although Zhao Gang spoke with deep emotion, she genuinely felt nothing.

Without realizing it, Zhao Gang’s fingers tapped on the small table as he sighed, "You see, even now, you show no sign of awareness that you did anything wrong."

Ye Xinyan quickly put away her look of innocence, shifting her gaze to the side before deciding it wasn’t quite right and hurriedly shrinking her neck and lowering her head.

Having acting skills was a matter of capability. But if one refused even to show the necessary gestures, it became an attitude problem. While improving capability was challenging, showing an attitude was much simpler; hence, her attitude was always good.

Zhao Gang felt like he might have exhausted all the helplessness from his past and future lives on Miss Cousin, "These past few days, I’ve been working with Old Master Cheung. The old master once said that you listen to Nanny Jin the most, but you agree with your mouth very quickly and never correct yourself afterward. It seems, indeed, that was no lie."

"...Grandfather Cheung really did me dirty, talking behind my back like that, I’ll have to confront him," Ye Xinyan looked up in surprise.

Seeing Ye Xinyan’s true nature reveal itself once again, Zhao Gang chuckled and said, "Old Master Cheung wasn’t speaking ill of you; even when saying you never changed your ways, he did so laughing and was very fond of you," then he slightly constrained his smile, "That’s not important, what I want to tell you is that either Duke An or your mother spoiled you without restraint, and while that wasn’t right, they never intended to harm you. When Duke An realized you could almost lose half your life yet continue as you always did, he probably felt even more heartache for you, not as a granddaughter."

Having no descendants might be sad, but for a household like Duke An’s Mansion, which had survived at the Imperial Court for generations through military exploits, watching two generations fall short and knowing their glory might not continue must have added deep bitterness to Duke An’s heart, though he never expressed it.

Ye Xinyan pouted her lips, "If our own child is not disciplined, even if there is heartache, whom can we blame?"

Zhao Gang couldn’t help but laugh as he explained, "You also know about your two illegitimate brothers; Duke An truly never paid much attention to them. At most, he hired a couple of martial arts instructors, but when they couldn’t learn, he just let it be. Duke An did put a lot of effort into your father, but alas, your father was the opposite of you. You are stubborn, rigidly refusing to admit wrongs or make corrections. Your father’s backbone was soft, ready to beg for forgiveness and incapable of handling any distress, let alone fight or train; even a little pain would have him bedridden for days."

"There has been frequent correspondence between the Duke’s Mansion and the servants here about your affairs. Duke An, anguished by the lack of a distinguished descendant, if he knew you could manage duties better than a man, would likely be unwilling to let you remain out here and might call you back. A capable legitimate granddaughter is still better than illegitimate grandsons who amount to nothing. All along, Duke An has disliked your two pretentious illegitimate brothers."

"But, that, I, how can that be?" Ye Xinyan was somewhat at a loss for words, even more perplexed, "Didn’t I die?"

Zhao Gang’s expression was indifferent, "What does Duke An want to do? Isn’t it up to him? Moreover, this is his family affair at Duke An’s Mansion, naturally whatever he says goes."

At his age, with such a high status, could anything Duke An declared be easily taken back? Ye Xinyan’s mouth corners persistently drew downwards.

"Although I haven’t seen a servant woman from Anshun’s Household, the fact that she obeyed your orders to accompany Nanny Jin to Yuyuan Prefecture to handle affairs, and that the servant women who remained here at the Duke’s Mansion treat you with utmost respect, suggests that Duke An must have given them instructions. So, you should be prepared to return to the capital."

Zhao Gang continued to comfort her, "You don’t need to worry too much. With your mother and the Marquis’s support, and Duke An’s protection, as well as being the steward for His Highness Prince Yu, life in the capital won’t be difficult."

Steward for His Highness Prince Yu? By then, whether she could still be a steward was uncertain.

Ye Xinyan looked at Zhao Gang, "Uncle Zhao, aren’t you just using excuses because my mother is missing me, wanting to coax me into returning just for a reunion with her?" Seeing Zhao Gang’s reproachful look, she immediately retracted her words and apologized with a smile, "Forget it, as if I never said anything, haha."

Zhao Gang felt a twinge of annoyance as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Miss Cousin was... still actually hard to handle; it seemed her resolve was firmer. That innate stubbornness showed itself in roundabout ways, making it even harder to deal with.

......

Zhao Gang’s words sapped Ye Xinyan of any mood to work.

After sending Zhao Gang off from the parlor, she wrapped herself in a thick cotton cloak, leaned on the windowsill, and gazed absently through the slightly opened window at Qi Sanshun and Qi Jia practicing martial arts under the direction of Guan He in the yard, surrounded by a bunch of kids who observed and laughed.

Maternal Aunt Liu was indeed a woman of humble origins and limited experience. At most, she understood the petty cunning of female rivalries, futile in creating a favorable situation without considering what kind of person Duke An was, his preferences, or how he raised his sons. Damn it, it directly led to her current predicament.

A cold sneer crept onto Ye Xinyan’s lips. Perhaps Maternal Aunt Liu thought that those influential imperial court chancellors and elder statesmen of the capital, elegant scholars of fine bearing, were more impressive. Compared to people like Duke An, Marquis Zhongyong, and General Zhenyuan, those rough men couldn’t hold a candle to the refined gentlemen. Therefore, her sons ought to be the wise and cultured type, not the vulgar brutes like Duke An’s kind, who knew nothing but to gamble their lives for honor and fame.

She shifted her gaze to Qi Sanshun and Qi Jia.

Having been tormented by Guan He these past days, Qi Sanshun and Qi Jia showed no signs of discouragement. Although Qi Jia would complain of aches all over at night, he continued to keep up with Qi Sanshun’s perseverance. Qi Sanshun, on the other hand, maintained a high enthusiasm for training, not only without complaint but seemingly taking pleasure in it.

If Ye Hongyang’s two illegitimate sons had half the hard work and determination of Qi Sanshun and Qi Jia, then perhaps Duke An would not ignore them.

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report