She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 400 - 399: Come Back Earlier

Chapter 400: Chapter 399: Come Back Earlier

Dawn breaks late in winter, and only after everyone had exchanged polite courtesies did a streak of light appear in the sky.

As the time to set off arrived, Lian Gui came over to inquire, and Ye Xinyan once again entrusted Qi Yougui and Lady Wang to take good care of her grandfather, before she climbed into the carriage.

In the rural countryside where seldom occur novelties, many villagers who knew that Ye Xinyan was leaving for the capital came out early to watch the excitement. Due to the presence of a dozen fierce-looking guards brought by Lian Gui, these people didn’t dare to come too close, only watching from a distance.

There had been plenty of rumors in the village lately, saying that Qi Ye of the second branch of the Qi family was originally of noble descent from the capital, and it was only because of a change in family fortune that she ended up here, and it was inevitable that she would return to the capital someday.

Given these rumors, Ye Xinyan’s departure was not entirely unexpected. What was surprising, however, was that Qi Ye would actually take Qi Jia and Qi Sanshun with her, indicating that the Qi family was solidly climbing the social ladder.

After all, Qi Jia carried the nominal title of Qi Ye’s younger brother, whom Qi Ye watched over closely, having maidservants supervise his play every day for fear of any mishaps, thus their sibling relationship was exceedingly close.

But it was different with Qi Sanshun, who was merely a grandnephew from a different branch of Qi Younian’s family, several degrees removed from Qi Ye, yet he, too, was going to the capital—a place where the emperor lived, and where, it was said, resided only nobility.

In the midst of all this, the most envious were those of the Qi Family Third Branch, with Madam Song, her son, and daughter-in-law watching from afar as the impressive procession of grand carriages and horses departed, among which one carried Qi Jia—who had once lived in their branch like an insignificant ant—and Qi Sanshun, who had lorded it over others.

It so happened that Congwen and Congwu of her household were closer in age to Qi Jia, and regardless of past quarrels, all grew up under the same roof and shared closer blood ties than Qi Sanshun. But they had been barred by the Second Branch family from fraternizing, and in the end, it was the distant cousin who reaped the advantage.

Lian Gui and his company had no time to pay attention to the villagers or the people from the Qi Family Third Branch, let alone speculate on their thoughts. Riding his horse and accompanied by a dozen guards, he led the convoy transporting Ye Xinyan and the wagons loaded with goods, setting off toward Qingyuan County as morning twilight had yet to fully disappear, in order to meet up with Jinrong and his party.

When Lian Gui and his party arrived at the south gate of Qingyuan County, Jinrong and his guards, along with Jiang Yifan who had come to see them off, had just stepped out of the city gates.

Though Jinrong was a prince, his entourage was much more streamlined and efficient than the one led by Lian Gui. Jinrong and four personal attendants, along with a dozen guards, were all riding horses, outfitted in leather coats and cotton boots, and donning fur hats, having emerged from the recently opened city gates.

Lian Gui went to pay his respects to Jinrong and discuss their itinerary.

Jiang Yifan, since the day Ye Xinyan received the summons from Duke An’s Mansion and met her, had been incessantly occupied at the county government office. Despite being preoccupied in thought, constrained by Jinrong’s watchfulness and truly busy with county affairs, he had no suitable excuse and could only wait; it was not until Ye Xinyan’s departure that he had the opportunity to meet her when he came to bid farewell.

From afar, Jiang Yifan’s heart uncontrollably skipped several beats as he saw the convoy guarded by Lian Gui approaching. His gaze swept over the green-clothed carriages, unknowing in which one sat Ah Yan.

Then, he saw the curtain of one of those green-clothed carriages lift. Ye Xinyan, clad in a silver fox fur cloak, poked her head out. The shiny fur accentuated her sparkling eyes, causing Jiang Yifan’s heart to miss several beats.

Ye Xinyan looked in their direction, and upon making eye contact with Jiang Yifan, she nodded slightly and then withdrew back into the carriage.

Inside the same carriage, a plump Qi Jiaer poked his entire body out, raising a big, cheerful smile toward Jiang Yifan, waving at him continuously. This immediately lifted Jiang Yifan’s spirits.

The little fellow was so endearing, it was no wonder he doted on him. Thanks to the opportunity provided by the little one, he had a reason to go over. While talking to Qi Jiaer, he could exchange a few words with Ah Yan as well.

Jinrong and Ye Xinyan were returning to the capital together, so there was no need for farewells. Seeing Jiang Yifan dismount, hand the reins to Shi Yu, and make his way towards Ye Xinyan and Qi Jiaer’s carriage, Jinrong did not go over to intrude, but rather just glanced their way before continuing his conversation with Lian Gui and Guan He.

Qi Jiaer, seeing Jiang Yifan approaching, didn’t even bother with greetings, but excitedly informed him, "Lord Jiang, my sister, nanny, and Brother Sanshun are all going to the capital."

Jiang Yifan replied with a warm smile, "Yes, I know Jiajia is going to the capital, that’s why I came to see you off. Jiajia is going to such a bustling and prosperous place, aren’t you very excited?"

Qi Jiaer nodded excitedly, "I’m so happy. Grandfather said there are so many fun and delicious things in the capital that we don’t have here, and there are many rich and noble people living there. I want to take a good look with Brother Sanshun and Brother Jiuhua, and then come back to tell Grandfather and the brothers in the village about it."

Jiang Yifan encouraged him with a smile, "That’s right, Brother Jia should not only look around the capital, but also carefully remember the people and sights along the way. Remember what your school teacher taught you that one should ’read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles’? This trip of yours is part of that journey, a rare opportunity to see so many things not found in Clear Water Village." When his master took him on his first trip, he was only a couple of years older than Qi Jiaer, and though the distance wasn’t far, he had walked, without the convenience of carriages and attendants like Qi Jiaer.

"Yes, Jiajia will listen to Lord Jiang," Qi Jiaer nodded vigorously in reply.

Only then did Qi Sanshun, who had followed Qi Jiaer out, find the time to greet Jiang Yifan.

Jiang Yifan instructed Qi Sanshun, "Take good care of your brother on the road and help your older cousin with her worries. If something comes up, inform Uncle Guan early so he can take care of it, understand?"

Qi Sanshun hastily agreed.

Qi Jiaer, looking at the empty space, then said to Jiang Yifan, "Lord Jiang, when will you have your vacation? Why don’t you come to the capital with us? We can all see what the capital is like together."

Jiang Yifan reached out and touched Qi Jiaer’s hair bun, saying, "Lord Jiang is an official appointed by the court to serve in Qingyuan County. During my tenure, I must not leave without permission, so I can’t accompany Jiajia to the capital. But when Lord Jiang’s term is over, I will take Jiajia to the capital again, how does that sound?"

Qi Jiaer’s smile widened, his eyes curving into crescents, "Really? Can I go to the capital again with Official Zhejiang? Can we bring my sister, grandfather, nanny, and everyone together, would that be okay?"

Jiang Yifan replied gently, "Of course, that would be nice. We’ll take everyone from Jiajia’s family, including Brother Sanshun."

Ye Xinyan, standing by, heard Jiang Yifan steering the conversation in direction he wanted and changed the subject, "In this cold winter, Official Laojiang has gone to the trouble of seeing us off outside the city. I offer my thanks here."

Jiang Yifan’s gaze swept through the carriage, spotting Bi Ning alongside the other three, swallowed the words at the tip of his tongue, and simply said in a low voice, "Ye Zi, remember there’s still much to be done here, be sure to come back soon."