She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 407 - 406 Not Worthy of Respect

Chapter 407: Chapter 406 Not Worthy of Respect

Qi Sanshun had been the king of the village children since he was young, and even the kids older than him would take orders from him. He naturally possessed a daring and resourcefulness that was a cut above the average village child.

And Qi Jiaer had been under the care of Qi Younian and Ye Xinyan for over a year, and aside from the necessary rules and etiquette, Ye Xinyan had always let Qi Jiaer run wild. Moreover, with many people coming and going from the Qi family, and with the likes of Jinrong and Guan He around, in Qi Jiaer’s naive consciousness, he didn’t see anything different about the people in Duke An’s Mansion.

Therefore, although they occasionally glanced over at Ye Xinyan, they were not intimidated by the unfamiliar people and things in this strange place.

Duke An’s gaze swept over Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer, and he sighed inwardly, lamenting that his own children and grandchildren, raised in a grand noble house, were actually not as composed and forthright as two country kids.

As he reflected on this with a sigh, Duke An turned his gaze towards Nanny Jin, his eyes gradually sharpening.

Nanny Jin had knelt down early when Ye Xinyan led Qi Sanshun to kowtow to Duke An and his wife. Seeing that the two kids from the Qi family had already stood up and taken their seats, while the young miss was still kneeling on the ground, she felt uneasy and kept shooting glances at the people sitting at the higher seats.

When she saw Duke An direct his icy gaze towards her, she involuntarily shivered and quickly touched her forehead to the ground, continuously knocking her head against it: "This servant knows her offense, this servant is willing to accept the punishment."

Ye Xinyan, hearing the sound of a forehead touching the ground behind her, felt her heart almost cramping.

She raised her head and looked at Duke An, seeing him with a cold face, showing no signs of softening. The Duchess was still leaning forward slightly, whispering to the two children, seemingly unaware that someone in front was knocking their head with a thud thud sound.

Ye Xinyan couldn’t help feeling angry. What kind of people were these? Knowing full well right from wrong, with what sort of mindset were they leaving the person responsible, her, out of it, and instead, intimidating and tormenting Nanny Jin, who obeyed the instructions of the master’s family?

She slightly turned her body, looked back, and snorted coldly, scolding, "Nanny, what are you doing? Who here has accused you of any crime? With such an act, where do you think you are placing Duke and the Duchess?"

Her current identity was still Qi Ye, and regardless of the actual circumstances, as long as it was not exposed, she didn’t belong to this household. Moreover, she had returned with Jinrong, a crowned prince, which was an unquestionably powerful backing.

Considering Qi Ye’s status as a guest, the protective intent of Jinrong, and the presence of the Protectorate General, even if she spoke out of turn, Duke An was unlikely to do anything to her.

Besides, the past Ye Xinyan always behaved even more rudely and arrogantly than this, yet Duke An had never done anything to her.

With Ye Xinyan’s reprimand ringing out, Nanny Jin stopped knocking her head in shock. Was the young miss about to cause trouble again? She glanced at Duke An and the Duchess seated at the top, unsure of what to do. Not admitting fault wouldn’t be enough to appease Duke and the Duchess, but if she continued verbally and triggered the young miss’s rebellious spirit, what kind of outcome would that bring?

Madam Yin had already been instructed by the Duchess to sit next to Ye Hongyang while Ye Xinyan was kowtowing to Duke An and his wife. She saw her daughter only behave for a while before becoming agitated again, and she was worried.

It was just kneeling as a punishment, and with supper time approaching and a brother to speak for her, Ah Yan just had to kneel for half an hour, and then it would be over. Why couldn’t she swallow her pride?

Nanny Jin wouldn’t really do anything. With her, the wife of the heir apparent, overseeing the situation, she would never allow Nanny Jin to be excessively punished; she could never bear to upset her daughter.

Madam Yin kept giving Ye Xinyan meaningful looks, hoping she would endure for a moment, but her daughter Ah Yan simply did not look at her—or maybe she intentionally avoided her gaze.

Ye Xinyan, although she knew she had supporters like Jinrong, Yin Xiaocheng, and Madam Yin, was no longer the Madam; after all, she dared not jump up arrogantly.

She turned back around, leaned forward, and spoke very respectfully, "Nanny Jin has been away from the Duke’s Mansion for over two years. On her return to see her old masters, she must be feeling overwhelmed with emotion, leading to such uncontrollable behavior. I hope the Duke and the Duchess can understand."

Ye Xinyan’s words were proper and to the point, yet they surprised everyone in the hall, especially the maids and old woman servants who were usually so discreet. Duke An and his wife, as well as Yin Xiaocheng, had some knowledge of Ye Xinyan’s current situation, but Ye Hongyang and the serving servants had never expected the Duke’s Mansion’s young lady, who usually acted before speaking, to speak out without showing furious anger.

Yin Xiaocheng couldn’t hide his emotions and gave Ye Xinyan a very surprised look. His niece’s actions, though as unchecked as before, were now much sharper in speech. She had skillfully avoided admitting that she belonged to the Duke’s Mansion and didn’t mention why Nanny Jin had left. In her words, it seemed as if Nanny Jin had merely gone out on business, or left the household as normally as one would cease to be a servant, without any sense of a family servant escaping.

Duke An, however, concealed his emotions deeply. His expectations for his granddaughter seemed to have found solid ground in that moment. At last, a promising and responsible child had emerged from the progeny of Duke An’s Mansion; one that dared to do what she desired, to protect whom she ought to protect—something neither his son nor grandson had achieved.

Duke An’s gaze remained stern as he stared at Ye Xinyan, saying, "Granny Jin is a family servant of Duke An’s Mansion, and you claim to be Qi Ye. Do you think, with your status, you can meddle in the affairs of Duke An’s Mansion?"

Since she had already spoken up, Ye Xinyan had to see it through and brazenly replied, "This humble woman does not understand what the Duke is saying. I simply do not understand, Nanny Jin claims she is guilty, but of what crime is she accused?"

As Ye Xinyan posed her question, she looked up at Duke An, her eyebrows slightly raised. Do you, Duke An, really have the gall to say that Nanny Jin abducted your granddaughter? Wasn’t your granddaughter supposed to be dead?

Duke An and Ye Xinyan locked gazes, yet he did not immediately speak. However, Ye Hongyang, the Crown Prince, could no longer contain his anger. He slapped the table furiously and chastised loudly, "You disgrace! You’ve become more and more indecorous by the day, now lacking even a shred of propriety! Do you need others to tell you what you have done? Instead of showing remorse, you are brazen here—clearly, you need to be confined to learn what ’The Three Bonds and The Five Constants’ are, as well as what the virtues of a woman should be!"

In the presence of Duke An, Ye Xinyan still had a trace of reverence. His respectability came from his own substantial capabilities. Furthermore, as Zhao Gang had mentioned to her, even though Duke An didn’t seem to treat her all too well, he did have her best interest at heart.

But Ye Hongyang, acting as the Heir-Apparent, was different. He had no right to demand her respect, neither for the way he treated his wife Madam Yin nor for the way he treated the true master.

Ye Xinyan immediately stood up from the ground and looked defiantly at Ye Hongyang, raising her voice, "Crown Prince, please be prudent with your words. I am Qi Ye, here accompanying Nanny Jin for a visit to your esteemed residence. Should your residence choose not to welcome us, you could have simply denied us entry at the gate. Since you allowed me in, I am now your guest. The Crown Prince labels me a ’disgrace’ straight away—is this how Duke An’s Mansion addresses its guests? Or does the Crown Prince believe us to be humble folks from the countryside worthy only of insult?"