She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 411 - 410: Beaten Back to Original Form

Chapter 411: Chapter 410: Beaten Back to Original Form

She still remembered that day when she opened her eyes, she was lying on this exquisitely carved luxurious wooden bed—she had actually traveled through time and was truly able to integrate into this era as a time-traveling woman.

Having crossed through time with such an identity, she had thought it impossible to return after her escape. Yet, she had returned and had so easily passed the test set by Duke An; after causing Duke An and everyone at Duke An’s Mansion to lose face, a simple punishment of kneeling seemed to settle the matter.

Moreover, her punishment of kneeling was so perfunctory—in the main hall where no one was watching over her, a place that had just received guests, with undiminished refreshments on the table, she neither thirsted nor hungered, and could even stroll around at will. Was this called a punishment?

Ye Xinyan carefully searched her past memories and could not figure out why she was treated this way. In the end, she could only attribute it to the reason Zhao Gang had given her: The old man longed for a capable and responsible descendant; he was nearly going insane.

While Ye Xinyan was puzzling over how she could pass so easily, Maternal Aunt Liu was almost driven mad by frustration.

A month ago, when Maternal Aunt Liu learned that Duke An had sent Lian Gui to bring back Nanny Jin for questioning, she felt uneasy. To her dismay, that uneasiness came true. The eldest miss, with her tyrannical and heartless nature, had not chosen to enjoy her carefree life but had taken the risk of accompanying Nanny Jin back.

Today, the news brought back by her maid shocked and infuriated her even more. That fool had not only come back but had received no punishment at all, just confined to the deserted main hall to kneel for a few Shichen. Who knew whether that rule-breaking fool had actually knelt down properly—this couldn’t count as a punishment at all.

While Ye Xinyan was leisurely strolling in the main hall, sipping tea, and occasionally tasting some pastries, Maternal Aunt Liu was alone in her room, eating a still abundant dinner without any appetite, thinking about the increasingly unbearable days since her last unsuccessful plan to take over Madam Yin’s Pastry House.

Now, she was heavily restricted by Duke’s Mansion and had completely lost the casual pride of her past ten-plus years, while Madam Yin became more and more carefree and pleased with each day. And now, her daughter, whose reputation was utterly ruined, had also returned brazenly. This meant that Madam Yin could meet and spend time with her daughter at any moment.

While she stayed at Duke An’s Mansion, longing to see her daughter and son, they had to first report to the Duchess and get her permission to come to her courtyard. Although the Duchess had never obstructed their meetings, her children were Duke An’s grandchildren; if they continually sought the Duchess to meet their maternal aunt, it would become a subject of mockery and contempt.

Thus, she could see her son and daughter only a few times a month. Moreover, with Ye Xinyan’s return, it was another reminder to everyone that her son and daughter were born illegitimate. After striving for so many years and finally achieving success, she was pushed back to square one, reduced to her original status. She reverted to being a lowly born, humble concubine, just like when she had first entered the mansion to pay respects to Madam Yin.

Thinking about the consequences of her plan to undermine Madam Yin’s business, Maternal Aunt Liu regretted it more than once; things would have been so much better without that incident. Since then, not only had she lost control over household affairs and the treatment as the de facto mistress of the house, but what broke her heart most was that the Crown Prince no longer had her alone.

The Duchess actually brought back a decent concubine for the Princely Heir, and this concubine, Maternal Aunt Zhao, was already assisting Nanny Qian in managing household affairs. Even though Maternal Aunt Zhao was not very beautiful and did not win Ye Hongyang’s heartfelt love, her young age—eighteen or nineteen years old—was enough to wither her into an old hag, eventually becoming her significant threat.

Duke An had always disliked her two sons, finding them lacking the rugged air of a martial man. If Maternal Aunt Zhao could bear a son for Ye Hongyang and the son followed Duke An’s wishes in handling weapons and acting as brash and rough as Madam Yin’s stupid child, perhaps he could indeed win Duke An’s favor.

By then, both she and her son would have no future, and they could forget about inheriting Duke An’s hereditary title; she would also lose the glory and dignity of being Duke An’s mother in the future.

The multitude of events that occurred over the past year, each one was enough for Maternal Aunt Liu to be heartbroken and filled with irreparable regret.

Now, the one consolation for her was that Ye Hongyang’s affection for her hadn’t changed. Just like today, Ye Hongyang, understanding her sour mood, returned to her courtyard immediately after dining with the guests.

Maternal Aunt Liu now faced a formidable rival and no longer dared to complain to Ye Hongyang as recklessly as before. If she complained too much and Ye Hongyang grew annoyed, he might find Maternal Aunt Zhao’s place quite agreeable for its tranquility.

After years of careful management, Maternal Aunt Liu had successfully instilled a heartfelt disdain and scorn in Ye Hongyang for Madam Yin and her daughter. In the past, no matter how much she complained, Ye Hongyang might have listened absent-mindedly, but he never went to Madam Yin’s quarters.

But now that Ye Hongyang had Maternal Aunt Zhao, without any disgust towards her, Maternal Aunt Liu had to restart her careful tactics and ingratiation. Until she completely defeated Maternal Aunt Zhao, she needed to handle Ye Hongyang with extreme care.

So when Ye Hongyang entered, Maternal Aunt Liu’s face was filled with a satisfied and warm smile as she joyfully welcomed Ye Hongyang to the heated brick bed.

"Crown Prince, are you tired? Being a scholar, it must have been taxing to accompany General Zhenyuan, a military man. Quickly come and rest on the heated bed."

Dismissing the servants, Maternal Aunt Liu personally brought tea and placed it next to Ye Hongyang, then moved behind him to gently massage his temples.

Ye Hongyang, easing his eyes comfortably, felt this was where he belonged. Maternal Aunt Liu was the one who truly understood and empathized with him. He thought about the guests he accompanied today, each one a brute; his father held that what’s-his-name in high regard, but what does he amount to? From his attire and manner of speaking, he was just a lowly Jianghu boxer.

Although Maternal Aunt Liu didn’t dare complain to him, Ye Hongyang couldn’t suppress his indignation, "What is father thinking? It’s one thing to elevate a down-and-out Jianghu boxer, but he’s also taken a fancy to some country bumpkin! What’s wrong with Hengheng and Yeye? Father has never shown them a shred of affection since they were little, yet this country boy, clearly born of lowly peasantry, receives such treatment from him."

Then, Ye Hongyang recounted the scene that infuriated him to Maternal Aunt Liu: his father had actually lifted that low-born child and tossed him into the air. To this moment, it still seemed unbelievable to him.

"How could that be?" Maternal Aunt Liu listened, dumbfounded.

Duke An was a warrior, and warriors were known for their rough nature; weren’t they destined to be ignorant of familial warmth and affection? Maternal Aunt Liu even suspected that Duke An had never once held his own Crown Prince, his flesh-and-blood son.

Yet today, he had shown such favoritism towards a wild mountain child. Why?