She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 417 - 416

Chapter 417: 416

Ye Hongyang’s head was in a fog as he heard Duke An dismiss them with a distracted, "Alright, everyone go back. We’ll talk about this matter later." They were both hurriedly ushered out of the study before he could fully recover from his shock.

Ye Xinyan didn’t salute him goodbye, and he hadn’t even realized that his out-of-the-ordinary daughter had come out with him. He just staggered along, drifting back to Maternal Aunt Liu’s courtyard in a daze, following his subconscious.

Maternal Aunt Liu was waiting for some news from Ye Hongyang, so when she heard from the maid that the Crown Prince had returned, she quickly went out to greet him.

As soon as Sixth Concubine stepped out, she saw Ye Hongyang deeply engrossed in his thoughts. Assuming that things hadn’t gone smoothly, she didn’t dare to ask more questions. She hurried to bring him into the room and had him sit on the heated brick bed.

After sending the maids away, Maternal Aunt Liu first poured a cup of hot tea and placed it in Ye Hongyang’s hands.

Ye Hongyang didn’t say much, and just cradled the teacup, slowly sipping from it. After drinking half a cup, he gradually came back to his senses.

He looked up at Maternal Aunt Liu with a heart full of confusion and asked, "Our Duke An’s Mansion has been a first-rank duke since the founding of the empire, enjoying the grace of ten generations of emperors, resulting in such a wealthy estate. Do you think there’s anyone who doesn’t envy our mansion’s riches?"

Seeing that Ye Hongyang had regained his composure and asked such a strange question, Maternal Aunt Liu couldn’t help but smile and said, "What trouble did you encounter to ask such a question, my lord? There should be people who don’t envy our mansion. Like the princes and direct sons of the emperor, they probably don’t feel much envy.

"The rest, I’m afraid even the imperial relatives and the top grade officials would be jealous of Duke An’s Mansion’s wealth and glory. Their wealth might last one or two generations, but Duke An’s Mansion is hereditary, with everlasting wealth and honor through the ages."

Instantly energized, Ye Hongyang sat up straight and said, "Exactly, I think so too. But tell me, why would that dimwit Ye Xinyan not want to stay in Duke An’s Mansion, huh?"

"What? My lord, please explain what exactly happened," Maternal Aunt Liu hurriedly asked, urging Ye Hongyang to clarify.

Ye Hongyang recounted the recent events and then questioned, "That’s what she said at that time. What do you think she’s thinking?"

Maternal Aunt Liu frowned, but not because of whether Ye Xinyan intended to continue living there.

It was already surprising enough that Ye Xinyan and His Highness Prince Yu returned together. How could Prince Yu go as far as to appoint her as the official in charge? Did she really have such ability, or had Ye Xinyan been secretly involved with Prince Yu, with him now just promoting this despicable woman?

With Prince Yu as her backer, she wouldn’t need to be so cautious in her actions, would she? What exactly was her plan? Did she say that to make them let their guard down, to make it easier for her to act?

"What did Duke say?" Maternal Aunt Liu inquired.

"Father said we would discuss this matter later," Ye Hongyang replied, feeling that it couldn’t possibly be true, "Do you think she’s serious, or is she just deceiving us?"

Maternal Aunt Liu said, "I feel that Miss is mostly lying. Even if she can really earn silver, when could she amass an estate as grand as Duke’s Mansion? Who would think they have too much silver? Miss must have realized that it’s not easy to plot against Duke’s Mansion, hence her actions.

"It must be said, Miss is much smarter now. You see, you spoke a few more words with the Duchess this morning and managed to get her to agree to send the two Qi children back soon. Miss must understand that just returning once made it unlikely for her to live in Duke An’s Mansion permanently, so she came up with this trick."

Ye Hongyang set down his teacup, "That’s true, she’s returned this time to stay a couple of months, go back for another couple of months and then come back, maybe then she’ll be able to stay for half a year or even a full year before she seeks to stay permanently."

Maternal Aunt Liu poured Ye Hongyang another cup of tea and nodded, "That’s how it is, however, if the Duchess doesn’t want those two young ones to stay permanently, the eldest daughter won’t be able to make much trouble. I’m now worried that, with the pretext of working for Prince Yu’s Mansion and with Lian Gui supporting her, there’s nothing you’ll be able to control that she wants to do."

Ye Hongyang sighed, "Who could have thought that escaping once would lead to such changes. I only hope that His Highness Prince Yu’s affairs can be completed soon so we can send her back to that village early, and I’ll talk more with mother, not letting her return again."

"That’s difficult," sighed Maternal Aunt Liu.

She never expected that Ye Xinyan, essentially a dead person, could turn her fate around. Duke An’s Mansion was a vastly wealthy household, a true wealth that splashed like the sea, and she absolutely didn’t believe that Ye Xinyan would not be interested in it.

...

Jinrong was not just making up empty words. Upon his return to the capital that day, after a brief wash-up, he immediately went to the palace to request an audience with the Emperor. After meeting with a few essential people, he rested for a day, and then he sent a visiting card to Duke An’s Mansion.

The next morning, Jinrong went to Duke An’s Mansion to express his gratitude to Duke An.

Although Duke An was extremely reluctant to get involved with a royal prince, Jinrong had a legitimate reason and reportedly even made a report to the Emperor, and had formally sent a visiting card; Duke An could only receive him.

Duke An welcomed him from afar and invited Jinrong into the guest hall.

The two exchanged shrewd pleasantries and veiled comments, after which Duke An expressed his gratitude to Jinrong once more, "Qi Ye is fortunate to accompany the prince and to be so highly regarded by you. Her fortune is indeed good. This old man thanks the prince again for his benevolence. However..."

Duke An’s tone shifted, "Although Qi Ye can accomplish certain tasks, she is ultimately a woman. Since she has agreed to help Your Highness with the railway carriages, I will not say more. In the future, though, for such matters, it might be better for Your Highness to find someone else. I fear Qi Ye, a young lady with limited experience, might delay Your Highness’s important affairs."

Jinrong laughed heartily. If Qi Ye had limited experience, there probably wouldn’t be many people left in the world who were considered experienced.

He asked with a chuckle, "Duke, you’ve summoned Qi Ye from afar, surely not to confine her back to the inner courts of a big house again? Qi Ye is a rare intelligent and sensible person, if she spends half a year, six months, in the back house, it might pressure her into acting out again. What would you be aiming for then?"

Drinking tea, without even lifting his head, the Duke replied indifferently, "Even if she’s the least of it, Qi Ye is still a member of Duke An’s Mansion. Even if she is to work, she can only work for her own, how can she be employed by an employer, to be someone’s steward."

Hearing this, Jinrong did not insist. He said laughingly, "That’s simple, as long as Qi Ye is willing, I have no objections to what the Duke says. The dairy farm is my property, but the dairy products store has three-tenths of its shares belonging to Qi Ye, if she’s willing to transfer these shares, I would of course be happy to see it."

Given Ye Xinyan’s greed for money, watching the lucrative cheese trade, would she sell the three-tenths share? Others might believe it or not, but he most certainly did not.

Duke An did not dwell on this issue, instead he probed, "When the court decided to develop the railway carriage in the capital, the Sixth Master was far in Yuyuan Prefecture. When did the Sixth Master order the steward to take on the two sections of the railway?" Was Prince Yu’s reach so extensive, or could it be that this idle prince was actually not what he seemed?