She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 420 - 419 That’s Plagiarism

Chapter 420: Chapter 419 That’s Plagiarism

Yin Long waved his hands to the maids and the old woman servant, signaling them to keep quiet.

Yin Lanxu indeed saw her grandfather and great-grandfather, but in her loss, she forgot her manners and merely glanced up at the two family elders without a trace of emotion in her eyes before she refocused her attention back on the chessboard.

Qi Jiaer also noticed them, his eyes flitting back and forth between the two. Hmm, he had not seen or recognized them before. He continued discussing with Yin Lanxu which chess piece they should move next to beat Brother Sanshun.

Qi Sanshun, on the other hand, realized that these two individuals must be of no ordinary status. He wanted to greet them properly, but seeing that Yin Lanxu only glanced at these two before continuing her game as if she had seen nothing, and the maids and old women servants beside him were even calmer in their reaction than Yin Lanxu, he understood.

Since no one else was giving any signs, it seemed that these two individuals did not require formal greetings. Qi Sanshun, not one to obsess over small details, promptly put aside the consideration for these important figures and redirected his focus back to the chessboard.

When Yin Long returned, the children were already halfway through their game. Watching the two youngsters lose to Qi Sanshun again, Yin Long then headed to Madam Cao’s room along with Yin Xiaocheng.

Upon entering the room, the daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law all stood up to greet Yin Long.

Yin Long waved his hand at them and did not take a seat but instead fixed his gaze calmly on Ye Xinyan, watching her for a good while. Alas, as soon as Ye Xinyan came into contact with Yin Long’s piercing gaze, she lowered her head. It seemed as though her heart knew she was at fault and she was dodging Yin Long’s scrutiny.

After observing Ye Xinyan for a moment, Yin Long nodded to himself—this rebellious granddaughter of his who refused to be tamed since childhood had indeed made progress. If she had been stared at like this in the past, she would have already bristled with anger, but her response now could be considered calm and composed.

"Are those toys the children were playing with outside brought by you? The ones with military ranks written on the wooden blocks," Yin Long asked.

Even though Ye Xinyan did not lift her head, when the Marquis Zhongyong inquired about the toys with military ranks, it was definitely directed at her.

Still keeping her head down, Ye Xinyan answered, "Yes. The journey to the capital was long, and the two children, cooped up in the carriage, became listless. Hence, I made these simple chess pieces to distract them during the tedious trip."

Hearing Ye Xinyan’s reply, Yin Long merely nodded slightly and without further questions, turned to Madam Cao and said, "There’s still some time before lunch. I want to have a few words with Qi Ye. When the meal is ready, send someone to call us immediately."

Then he said to Ye Xinyan, "Come with me."

Madam Yin was unsure of her father’s reaction and looked at her brother, Yin Xiaocheng, worriedly. Yin Xiaocheng gave her a slight nod and then followed behind Yin Long as he left.

Ye Xinyan was not particularly worried; she hadn’t done anything wrong, and the Marquis Zhongyong wasn’t the type to dwell on the past. This conversation was surely for questioning, and there was no chance of her being thrown to the ground and severely beaten.

She gave Madam Yin a reassuring look and followed closely behind Yin Xiaocheng as she left the room.

In the study of Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, Yin Long and Yin Xiaocheng sat down, neither of them instructing Ye Xinyan to sit. And Ye Xinyan, knowing her place, stood modestly in the center of the room, quietly waiting for the Marquis Zhongyong to speak.

Marquis Zhongyong was the first to ask what no one else had, "When Duke An wanted to send you to the ancestral temple, you were no longer in the mansion. How did you leave the capital at that time? And how did you manage to elude the people Duke An sent after you in several directions to bring you back?"

Marquis Zhongyong was well aware of Duke An’s capabilities, and his granddaughter had always been arrogant among the Female Relatives in the back house, yet in reality, she was quite incompetent. Marquis Zhongyong had always been puzzled as to how she managed to evade capture by Duke An’s Mansion.

Ye Xinyan looked up and gave Marquis Zhongyong and Yin Xiaocheng a once-over before honestly recounting how she had snuck out through a dog hole on that day, wandered around the city, changed her clothes, hid in the city’s western slums for two months, and it was not until she found out that there were no people from Duke An’s Mansion coming and going, that she and Nanny Jin left the city and sought refuge with relatives in Miyi County.

After listening, Marquis Zhongyong zoned out for half a day before shaking his head and giving a faint smile, "Duke An has been deemed infallible for many years, yet he underestimated you and took a fall. While your strategy was not ingeniously clever, it was quite unexpected for a young lady of the inner quarters to come up with."

Saying this, Marquis Zhongyong nodded in approval, "Not bad, to think of a way to save yourself when cornered, you are a clever child."

Ye Xinyan wondered whether she should respond to this praise. She glanced at Yin Xiaocheng and felt it was better to be modest.

"Grandfather, you flatter me too much," she said. Although her response wasn’t problematic, her tone was dismissive, prompting Marquis Zhongyong to scrutinize her further with a very evident evaluative look.

Ye Xinyan was speechless. Alright, perhaps she shouldn’t have answered just now.

Marquis Zhongyong continued, "Last time, Zhao Gang returned and said that you are quite capable now and have become far more sensible. Not bad, to grow from misfortune is a good thing; it’s better than living a life in confusion. From what you just said, were those little flags the children were playing with made by you?"

Ye Xinyan grimaced; she had plagiarized them! Why was everyone asking about this? Land warfare chess isn’t even considered mainstream among chess games, alright? It’s not profound at all, certainly not as intricate and engaging as Go or the later game of Chinese chess.

Marquis Zhongyong was a military general and not as easily fooled as Jinrong. Ye Xinyan’s explanation was detailed and exhaustive, "The first time Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer left home, it was for a long trip, and they were not used to being cooped up in the carriage day after day. In just a few days, both kids seemed deflated. Seeing this, your granddaughter came up with this idea. The village boys all like this stuff, running around the village with sticks and playing at being generals or marshals."

"As for military camps and battles, your granddaughter doesn’t understand much. The military ranks on the chess pieces were all asked from His Highness Prince Yu’s entourage. Prince Yu said the rankings on the chess pieces were roughly and generally defined, but for children’s games, it is enough."

Marquis Zhongyong nodded with a hint of a sigh, "You’re a smart child; it’s a pity that our lack of proper guidance has suppressed your nature. Not everything can be blamed on you; as elders, we also have our faults."

Ye Xinyan widened her eyes, blinked, then blinked again.

How come both Duke An and Marquis Zhongyong are so reasonable, yet they raised children like Ye Hongyang and Madam Yin? This was ancient times, an era where great importance was placed on parental authority, where elders could do no wrong in front of younger generations. Yet both Duke An’s Mansion and Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion were so understanding—was she perhaps too lucky?

Seizing the opportunity, Yin Xiaocheng asked Ye Xinyan, "What do you plan for the future? You brought back two children from the Qi family this time; do you plan to leave again after the New Year?"

Ye Xinyan nodded earnestly and replied, "There are many things in Qingyuan County and Yuyuan Prefecture that have not been settled yet. This departure was hasty, and those who took over were not arranged properly. The market in the southern part of Yuyuan Prefecture is just starting and has not yet stabilized. I need to go back for a while to see how things are before deciding on my future direction."