She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 465 - 463 Lowering Conditions to See Eye to Eye

Chapter 465: Chapter 463 Lowering Conditions to See Eye to Eye

The banquet at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion on the fourth day was not on a grand scale, with only a few close friends and relatives in attendance, so there wasn’t much to be done. Madam Sun, wife of Yin Xiaocheng, found some time and approached Madam Yin to bring up the matter of Ye Xinyan’s marriage.

The reasons she gave were very tactful, stating that Ye Xinyan was not young anymore, and if she had to return to Yuyuan Prefecture after the New Year to manage family business, it might result in another year’s delay. By then, the options for a marriage alliance would be even more limited. Therefore, it would be best to find a suitable match for Xinyan before she left the capital, and to settle it beforehand.

Madam Sun also casually mentioned the son of the Junior Minister of Honglu Temple, who was of similar age to Ye Xinyan, twenty this year. Although he was only designated as one of the Successful Candidates, he was upright and diligent in his studies. Provided he could pass the imperial examination in the future, with the face of the Junior Minister of Honglu Temple, it was certain he could secure a position in the government of at least the Fifth Rank. Most importantly, this Junior Minister’s household was simple, without the complication of too many cousins and in-laws muddling together; just two brothers and sisters-in-law leading a relatively quiet life.

Having formed her own preconceptions, the moment Madam Sun started talking about potential matches, Madam Yin immediately compared these men to Jiang Yifan. The Junior Minister of Honglu Temple was merely a Fifth Rank official, and even if his family background was not impressive, the main issue was that his child was far inferior to Jiang Yifan in all respects. Moreover, she had already promised Ye Xinyan to delay the match-making for a while.

First and foremost, she replied to Madam Sun, saying she did not think highly of this lad, who at the age of twenty was only a designated Successful Candidate, which to her implied limited potential. She wanted to see if there were other more suitable candidates available.

Madam Sun did not insist. Truthfully, she believed the lad to be somewhat mediocre, and his family background ordinary. The only reason she had mentioned him to Madam Yin was due to the less-than-stellar reputation of her own niece.

Seeing that Madam Yin was not interested, she went along with her words, saying, "That’s true. We have only just started looking, let’s look around a bit more. It concerns Xinyan’s whole life, after all, and it never hurts to consider a few more options."

Madam Yin was still thinking about Jiang Yifan and tried to gauge Madam Sun’s opinion, saying, "Actually, if Ah Yan and Jiang Yifan could reconcile, that wouldn’t be bad either. Jiang Yifan’s scholarship and character are both commendable, and as Ah Yan’s former husband, he would ultimately be good for her future."

As she spoke, Madam Yin stole a glance at Madam Sun and saw her eyebrows furrow slightly, so she quickly changed the subject, continuing, "It’s just that Ah Yan is unwilling to mention Jiang Yifan, alas, we don’t know what Jiang Yifan’s attitude is."

After Madam Yin finished, Madam Sun shook her head and said, "I don’t think it’s a good idea. At the beginning, when Xinyan had her incident, although she was mostly at fault, Jiang Yifan, as her husband, handled the matter too harshly. People say ’a day as husband and wife brings a hundred days of grace,’ and Xinyan was his wife for three years. When she faced peril, he completely abandoned her, showing extreme indifference and cold-heartedness. Such a man is not a suitable match."

Madam Yin hesitated, then said, "The way Jiang Yifan acted back then might have been because their married life was not good, lacking in affection. I heard from people like Lian Gui that in Clear Water Village, Jiang Yifan’s attitude towards Ah Yan wasn’t bad, perhaps after two years of living together, he must have discovered Ah Yan’s virtues." Madam Yin, recalling the words of those from Anshun’s Household, dared not mention that Jiang Yifan and Ah Yan got along very well, and that now he treated Ah Yan with considerable care.

Madam Sun sighed, "It’s a significant matter, Xinyan’s life decision, we will keep looking. The Marquis is extremely furious with Jiang Yifan too, saying that when Xinyan was in such dire straits, Jiang Yifan did not show any bit of a husband’s responsibility. Your suggestion will not pass with the Marquis."

Worry crossed Madam Yin’s face; her Ah Yan had been trouble-prone from a young age, and her brother was constantly concerned for Ah Yan. If he didn’t agree, this matter would indeed be difficult to handle.

"Last year, before the New Year’s, when Zhao Gang returned, he mentioned that Jiang Yifan had changed quite a bit, and was very respectful to Zhao Gang. I thought that Jiang Yifan’s respect could be an attempt to ingratiate himself with our Ah Yan," Madam Yin slowly insinuated to Madam Sun.

Madam Sun shook her head and chuckled, "Even if Jiang Yifan is respectful, Zhao Gang will not give him a friendly look. On this matter, Zhao Gang and the general are completely in agreement."

Madam Sun thought about the walk back to her room with Madam Yin and recalled seeing Ye Xinyan wrapped in a cloak, sitting in the pavilion near Qi Jiaer, watching him play. She couldn’t help but sigh, "Xinyan used to be so thoughtless and caused so many problems without considering the consequences. If she had always been as calm and composed as she is now, there would have been no need to marry her off to Jiang Yifan. The outstanding young men of the capital would be at our family’s disposal for choosing. With our family’s background, even if Ah Yan was to become the Principal Wife of Prince Yu, she would be well-matched."

As soon as Madam Sun mentioned Jinrong, Madam Yin immediately recalled what Ye Xinyan told her on the second day of the lunar month and couldn’t help feeling shocked.

She hastened to explain to Madam Sun, "Our Ah Yan has absolutely no private relationship with Prince Yu. Initially, Ah Yan became a steward for His Highness Prince Yu to make a living. Our family is decent, descended from generations of the noble and prestigious, and now, Ah Yan must not be linked with Prince Yu."

"I know, I know," Madam Sun soothed as she patted Madam Yin’s hand, "That’s why we must quickly settle Xinyan’s marriage matters and secure Ah Yan’s future. In this way, there will be nothing for others to gossip about, and we can be at peace."

Madam Sun vividly remembered Yin Xiaocheng’s instructions not to speak about how His Highness Prince Yu felt about Xinyan to her younger sister. His little sister would immediately lose her composure whenever her daughter’s matters were mentioned.

Ye Xinyan, however, was unaware that just a day ago, her aunt had considered a marriage prospect for her, which her mother rejected. All she did was accompany Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer, watching them play with a few other boys.

This banquet at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion was attended mostly by closely related friends and family. The female relatives from these families, although not very hostile towards Ye Xinyan, also didn’t have many who were close to her.

Even before the birthday banquet incident, Ye Xinyan’s reputation was not great. People interacted with her mostly because Duke An’s Mansion held a high status and they didn’t want her to cause trouble for themselves, so they humored her superficially.

Following the birthday banquet scandal, regardless of the reason, it had been over two years since anyone had seen Miss Ye. But as Ye Xinyan herself said, people wouldn’t forget that incident. Although she made a significant impression this time, managing the Railway Carriage operation, the looks she received were still scrutinizing, questioning, and distant.

Yin Yuanfang, Yin Xiaocheng’s younger daughter, had plans to accompany Ye Xinyan, but Xinyan, seeing the other young ladies chattering excitedly from a distance and noting Yin Yuanfang’s envious look, simply sent her to join those girls instead.

Ye Xinyan never intended to live the regulated life of a noble and prestigious household’s female relative, nor did she care about what a few young girls thought of her. Today, she was only responsible for keeping an eye on Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer.

Today, as Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion hosted guests, who knew what they would say? Based on the original host’s spectacular history, if no one mentioned Ye Xinyan, well and good. But once her name came up, there would surely be no kind words.

Should one or two of the young lads hear something they dislike and start a conflict, trouble would follow. The current Qi Sanshun had a methodical approach to his punches and kicks, and no matter whose daughter or son got beaten at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, as the host and their grandfather and uncle, one must take some responsibility. She couldn’t afford to cause this kind of trouble for her family.