She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 397 - 396 Advice

Chapter 397: Chapter 396 Advice

Jiang Yifan looked at Guan He with an innocent expression and explained, "Talking about escaping again was just to comfort Ah Yan’s heart. Originally, Ah Yan was just a weak woman, yet she was able to carve out a path for survival. Now, with the support of so many others, and the goodwill shown by Duke An, we surely won’t have to resort to fleeing once more. A life concealed and nameless is after all inferior to living freely in the public eye, as one pleases."

"Tsk, tsk," Guan He sneered, "Only you would see Ye Xinyan as a weak woman. When has she ever been weak? I don’t seem to recall that."

Rendered speechless, Jiang Yifan had to admit his brother was right; the former Miss of Duke’s Mansion had been so domineering and strong, and the later Ye Xinyan was equally resilient and determined. It seemed like she had never shown weakness to anyone.

He paused for quite a while, his voice slightly low, "I have more than a year left in my term. I was thinking that Ah Yan could return home for two or three months to give Duke An some peace of mind. Then she could come back to Qingyuan County, at least to take care of things she’s responsible for, and it would be best if she could stay in Qingyuan County until I finish my term. It would be easier for Ah Yan to leave and come back with Jia and Brother Jia by her side.

According to Sixth Master’s current plan, when my term ends, I will be returning to the capital to take up a post. If that happens, it would be for the best; I’d have peace of mind if I return to the capital with Ah Yan. But if a year passes and Sixth Master’s situation changes, I’m not sure where I might be sent. So this period of time is very important to me, brother, you must help me no matter what."

Looking helpless, Guan He glared at him for a long while before saying, "What were you doing earlier? If you hadn’t divorced her, none of these troubles would have arisen."

Jiang Yifan grimaced inwardly; if he hadn’t divorced her, who knows where Ah Yan would be today? To this very moment, he couldn’t understand if it was merely a coincidence or if, having experienced her previous life, Ah Yan’s personality could have so quickly reverted to how it was before, erasing all traces of this lifetime.

He needed to find an opportunity to ask her properly. Ever since that time he accompanied Ah Yan to relax, he hadn’t had the chance to be alone with her again. The long and arduous wait had calmed his once curious heart quite a bit. No matter the result, this Ah Yan was the one he liked, and that was enough.

After convincing Guan He, the arrangements for returning to the capital were essentially settled. All that was left was for Qi Younian to find some time to visit Big Brother Qi Yougui in the main house, to discuss if it were possible to take Qi Sanshun to the capital. Speaking of which, taking Sanshun was likely to be readily agreed upon; for someone from a rural family living generation after generation in a remote village, the opportunity to follow Ye Zi and Sixth Master Rong to the capital was an incredible fortune beyond their wildest dreams.

As the end of the year approached, not only was the county government office swamped with work, but with Jinrong returning to the capital, Yuyuan Prefecture also had many matters that needed attending to. Following Ye Xinyan’s reasoning, there is no point in overthinking things one cannot avoid. Thus, not wanting to delay any further, they had lunch and rested briefly before setting out for home.

Qi Younian and Jinrong, along with their respective guests and hosts, exchanged polite pleasantries, escorting them to the entrance of the courtyard. Just as Jiang Yifan was about to mount his horse, he suddenly stopped and with a scoundrel’s bravado said to Jinrong, "Sixth Master, wait a moment. I just remembered that there are a few words I need to say to Ye Zi."

Jinrong immediately glared at him; this youngster was becoming increasingly brazen, with his mind clearly preoccupied with such matters.

Naturally, Ye Xinyan was also taken aback by Jiang Yifan’s unexpected action. Although she wanted to refuse, she feared causing him public embarrassment. After all, he had kindly come to offer her advice and also persuaded Guan He to go to the capital together. She at least owed him that courtesy.

Then, under Jinrong’s intense gaze, Jiang Yifan took Ye Xinyan aside, ensuring no one was nearby before whispering his instructions, "The capital is where you grew up, quite different from here. People there are extremely familiar with your past self. When you have time these days, try to recall how you were before. Remember, you are Duke An’s granddaughter; you only left the capital for just over two years. Even though you may have faced hardships and changed a lot, you are still the same person—you won’t have changed completely.

With Brother accompanying you, you’ve got much more protection. Once there, don’t belittle yourself; do as you wish. Whether it’s Brother, Duke An, or Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, they will all ensure your safety. Also, Duke An appreciates those who can take up responsibilities; being a little arrogant is no issue."

"The way I was before?" Ye Xinyan was somewhat troubled. She knew what the original owner had been like, but that was a sense of superiority built up over generations. Could she really learn to emulate that?

Ye Xinyan quickly scanned her surroundings and saw that Guan He was talking with Jinrong. She hurriedly lowered her voice and said, "I don’t think I’m very good at being arrogant." Her tone was somewhat sneaky.

Jiang Yifan looked at Ye Xinyan with a slowly rising feeling of heartache and was very moved. Ah Yan was such a good girl; if there had been no one else present, he might have reached out to touch her hair in comfort.

Jiang Yifan clenched his fists tighter, offering comfort, "Whether you can be pretentious or not doesn’t matter, haven’t you become a better person now? We won’t provoke others, but if someone tries to bully you, speaking ill of you or giving you dirty looks, just hit back hard. For instance, if someone speaks ill of Brother Jia, wouldn’t you fiercely fight back?"

This she could probably do. Ye Xinyan hesitantly nodded, "Okay, I’ll think about it more."

As she listened to Jiang Yifan’s admonitions, Ye Xinyan suddenly remembered the birthday banquet at Duke An’s from the year before last.

Ye Xinyan had caused such a scandal, rolling around with an almost naked man. It wasn’t just a spectacle in ancient times, but even in modern times, it was the kind of scene people would relish discussing for quite some time. Even many years later, just mentioning it would instantly jog people’s memories, saying it was as fresh as yesterday wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

And for Jiang Yifan, a man committed to his official career and, according to Qi Younian, destined to become an Ultimate Minister, marrying a wife with such a tainted reputation was an immense challenge. To still turn back to her in such circumstances, did it require great courage?

Seeing her silent for a long time, Jiang Yifan thought she was pondering his words, and he couldn’t help but chuckle softly, "We only live once. As long as you have no evil intentions and can face your conscience, living a bit unrestrained is not a bad thing. You needn’t worry too much about these matters. Not to mention, your character is much more stable now, and you won’t do anything out of line. Even if you really were unreasonable, what would it matter? Perhaps everyone would think that this is how the daughter of Duke’s Mansion should act."

Ye Xinyan looked at Jiang Yifan with an indescribable expression and nodded, "I understand what you mean."

If she acted according to Jiang Yifan’s advice and became that arrogant woman again in the capital, and if Jiang Yifan took such an infamously notorious woman home, wouldn’t it be considered karmic retribution?

Jiang Yifan went on, "If there is something you can’t discuss with others, you could try asking your senior martial brother for help. He has been through a lot in the outside world and has seen many odd things. He wouldn’t be shocked by even the most astonishing of matters."

Ye Xinyan nodded at Jiang Yifan, then glanced once more in Guan He’s direction. Both Jiang Yifan and Guan He had an unusual ability to accept things, likely related to them having the same mentor. It seemed that her luck wasn’t too bad.

Every now and then, Jinrong glanced at them, finding Jiang Yifan’s smile especially annoying. That kid, he probably never smiled at Ye Xinyan like that on their wedding night. Yet now, he wore such a grin for a young lady who had no relation to him at all, utterly disgraceful.

"Yuanfan, let’s hurry up and leave; there are still many things to do. How long are you planning to linger here?"