She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 457 - 455: She’s the Unlucky One

Chapter 457: Chapter 455: She’s the Unlucky One

Ji Xiaoyuan nodded. Even if the children of official families are young or not focused on government affairs, they are very clear about the hierarchy of status. Once they learned that Prince Yu was angered, Ji Xiaoyuan believed his grandson would certainly treat the matter with caution.

Ji Xiaoyuan instructed Ji Chengxian and Madam Zhou, "Not only should he not mention it, but no one in our mansion is allowed to bring it up again. Pretend it never happened. Treat Chengru’s wife as usual, and do not express our views on Duke An’s Mansion. Just behave as we always have."

There was nothing that could be done, Duke An was not an ordinary family. Besides a few military generals with whom Ye Tang, Duke An, was close, most of them were junior officers, and his relationship with other court officials was merely superficial. He never cared about what others thought of him, and outside matters of state, he never compromised with anyone.

How to behave towards one’s relatives according to proper etiquette was a mystery when it came to Duke An.

......

Compared with families living in various directions and places in the capital, Ye Hongyang learned of the incident quite late. He was out watching a play with friends and only when the show was ending, did he hear a few whispers from his servant, informing him that his disreputable daughter, or rather the baseborn lad she brought back, also managed to get into a fight.

Moreover, the servant heard that the wild child who fought with several young sons of officials had somehow startled His Highness Prince Yu enough to intervene on their behalf at Duke An’s Mansion.

Maternal Aunt Liu, despite being at Duke An’s Mansion, was oblivious to the incident.

Now, it was Nanny Qian and Maternal Aunt Zhao who were in charge of the central provisions. Nanny Qian had been with the Duchess for a long time, with her authority and capabilities recognized. And Maternal Aunt Zhao was a Decent Concubine, of a higher status than her. She not only handled the central provisions but also lived in the same courtyard.

She was being extremely careful nowadays, afraid of giving Duke An or the Duchess any reason to find fault with her. Even when Xinyan was still far away in Yuyuan Prefecture, she had suffered repeatedly due to matters concerning Xinyan and Madam Yin. Now that this wicked woman had returned, she had to be even more cautious, usually, she and her maidservants would only see to their own affairs, and would not meddle in anything else.

It wasn’t until before dinner that she became aware of the incident in the mansion when Ye Hongyang stormed into her room, still fuming with anger.

Upon initially hearing the news, Maternal Aunt Liu felt a mixture of shock and rage.

Xinyan had allowed several lowly boys to fight, and among the children who were beaten was even a young master of the Ji family, yet Duke An refused to give a proper explanation.

Would her Xinyi now have to endure the disdain and revulsion of her husband’s family? How could she live through such days?

"What... what about Xinyi?" Maternal Aunt Liu bent down to remove Ye Hongyang’s shoes, her face already brimming with tears, her voice choked up.

Ye Hongyang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Father and mother are already displeased with you, I didn’t dare to inquire further. If because of asking about this incident, not only do we not get results, but father becomes even angrier with you, and punishes you further, what then? Are we truly going to have to leave Duke An’s Mansion?"

Upon hearing about leaving Duke An’s Mansion, Maternal Aunt Liu immediately calmed down. She held back her tears as she helped Ye Hongyang to sit on the kang bed, and said, "The Princely Heir is so considerate. If not for the Princely Heir making all these arrangements for your servant and her three children, what would your servant do?"

She came from a poor family and knew how tough the life of the common people could be. With the Princely Heir being inept and ignorant of basic livelihood, should he fall into hardship outside, he would likely face nothing but death by starvation.

Duke An was nearly seventy years old, how many more years could he last? As long as Duke An’s Mansion eventually fell into Ye Hongyang’s hands, wouldn’t everything in the future be up to her to decide?

By then, as long as Duke An Ye Hongyang treated the Ji Mansion well, it would naturally be securing the best for her own daughter. It was just a matter of enduring a few more years, and the person who laughed last would be the final winner.

Her daughter could wait that long, and she was curious to see what good could come to the notorious Ye Xinyan.

Seeing Maternal Aunt Liu’s serene countenance, Ye Hongyang’s heart also settled considerably. He comforted her, "Don’t worry too much. A friend who was with me at the opera said that Ye Xinyan, that scourge, will not end well. She’s caught the attention of His Highness Prince Yu. Today’s uproar has spread far and wide, and everyone knows about it. With her status, who would dare take her in except the prince in an ambiguous manner? Even if Prince Yu doesn’t favor her, it will be her good fortune if she manages to live a desolate life. But if the prince adores her, the only outcome for her is being killed by the princess consort. Then, you’ll surely get your revenge."

Maternal Aunt Liu served Ye Hongyang some hot tea, snuggled beside him, and said with a choked voice, "Your servant does not wish to kill the eldest miss, only that Xinyi will no longer be bullied or implicated by her. This time Young Master Qi has beaten the son of the Ji Mansion. With so many people in the Ji Mansion, who knows what kind of face they will show Xinyi. Our poor Xinyi, how will she endure in her husband’s house?

Ye Hongyang hesitated for a moment, then said, "What if I visit the Ji Mansion tomorrow and explain things, and offer a proper apology?" After saying this, he remembered that tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, "No, tomorrow won’t work. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, it’s not the time to visit other people’s houses. How about this, isn’t Xinyi coming back on the second day of the new year? We can prepare some extra gifts for her to take back and distribute to her brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nephews, and nieces in the Ji Mansion, as a way to compensate them."

Maternal Aunt Liu would naturally not refuse anything that could bring honor to her daughter.

She looked at Ye Hongyang with joy and nodded her head, looking very pleased with his suggestion. After a moment of silence, Maternal Aunt Liu asked Ye Hongyang, "Princely Heir, you only heard that Duke An and His Highness Prince Yu are protecting the eldest miss and Young Master Qi. Do you know how they responded to those five powerful families seeking justice? After all, those children are offspring of officials."

Maternal Aunt Liu was eager to know by what means did a mere farm child from a remote rural area manage to get Duke An and Prince Yu to dismiss the claims of the five influential families seeking an explanation.

It was known that the Grand Tutor Xing of the Xing Mansion held a very high official rank and had a distinguished reputation, not at all inferior to Duke An and Duke An’s Mansion. Even the children of wealthy and noble families in the capital would not dare offend a child of the Xing family. What was it then that allowed this uncouth rural child to hit someone and get away with it?

Ye Hongyang looked troubled as he said, "Father has been displeased with me these past few days, who knows if today’s matter has some other explanation. If I rashly ask about it, I might end up getting reprimanded again. If you really want to know, I’ll find an opportunity to ask Lian Gui and see what he can tell me."

As for how much Lian Gui would tell him, he really wasn’t sure. These wretched servants had no foresight. Didn’t they realize who would run Duke An’s Mansion in the days to come? Did they think they could follow the old master to the grave?

Maternal Aunt Liu remembered that each time Ye Hongyang went to cause trouble or ask questions in the past two years, it always ended badly for her, a completely unrelated person, and the punishments became increasingly severe each time.

Thinking of this, her heart felt much heavier. Forget it, there was no need to ask. It all boiled down to Duke An being partial, while His Highness Prince Yu sought to win over Ye Xinyan, employing her to make silver for him.