She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 576 - 574 A Very Bad Direction

Chapter 576: Chapter 574 A Very Bad Direction

Lady Zhao couldn’t help but frown, deeply blaming her son for his unreliability. How could they involve the wife of the heir of Duke An, a woman of such status, in an affair that wasn’t yet settled? If something went wrong, wouldn’t it tarnish the wife of the Princely Heir’s reputation?

However, matters had progressed to this point, and it seemed that the only option was to have a proper conversation with the wife of the Princely Heir. It would not be better to bypass her.

"You see, you child, you’re still too young, your actions are not reliable. How can you trouble the wife of the Princely Heir with a matter that is still so uncertain?" Lady Zhao sighed, "There’s no other way, we can only apologize to the wife of the Princely Heir and explain the situation clearly. Your mother will go with you; having an elder present to admit mistakes is always a sign of respect towards the wife of the Princely Heir."

In the rear courtyard’s hall, upon seeing Lady Zhao and Wong Qiao and with a somewhat embarrassed glance from Lady Zhao as a cue, Madam Yin ordered all the maids and old woman servants out of the room, save for Nanny Huang.

Ye Xinyan, who had come upon hearing the news, remained seated, utterly composed. Madam Yin gave her several hints, but to no avail.

With no other choice, Madam Yin said, "Ah Yan, Madam Zhao has something to discuss with your mother. It’s not appropriate for a young girl to listen in; can you go and tend to your affairs?"

"No, I can’t." Ye Xinyan appeared quite innocent, "How am I still a young girl? I am already a married woman. Madam Liang from the Prefectural Magistrate’s Residence is awaiting a reply from Wong Qiao’s side. Madam Zhao is surely here to talk about the matter regarding Biyao and Wong Qiao. Of course, I want to hear."

Madam Yin glared several times at her daughter but couldn’t bring herself to say anything further, and instead turned to Madam Zhao with a smile, "Please excuse my daughter; she has been spoiled terribly.

"However, Ah Yan is right, as you may well know, Ah Yan once divorced Yuanfan, which makes her a ’divorcee’. She is also very close with Second Miss Zhou. If Madam Zhao is here to discuss Ah Qiao’s marriage proposal, Ah Yan could actually offer valuable insight."

Lady Zhao glanced at Ye Xinyan. Compared to the prestigious wife of the heir of Duke An, she feared this Miss Ye even more. As a divorcee, Miss Ye should have lost face and ought to act more humbly.

But that was not the case. From what she had seen in the months since coming here, Miss Ye was very assertive. Those businesses stretching as far as the eye could see to the north of Clear Water Village were all directed by Miss Ye, and even Qi Younian’s construction industry respected Miss Ye’s position.

Ever since her arrival, Miss Ye had been treating her with courtesy but distantly. Yet deep inside that politeness was a sense of alienation and pressure that she, being among them, could clearly feel.

Still, the marriage affairs of her own son should naturally be decided by herself, his mother. It concerned her son’s lifelong happiness and whether the rest of her days would be content and smoothly run, so she must speak what needed to be said.

Pushing down the fear she felt towards Miss Ye, Lady Zhao apologized wholeheartedly to Madam Yin and declined the marriage proposal between Wong Qiao and the Zhou family.

Having heard Lady Zhao’s words, Madam Yin, although she had already suspected, remained silent for a long time.

Ye Xinyan had no such reservations. As soon as Lady Zhao finished speaking, she turned to question Wong Qiao, "Wong Qiao, we’ve been working together for so long, why have you never mentioned your mother was like this?"

Lady Zhao, taken aback looking at Ye Xinyan, was shocked and more than that, indignant. How impertinent of Miss Ye—what was wrong with her? What kind of person was she portrayed as?

Wong Qiao also frowned and spoke somewhat submissively, "My mother has seen a lot and thinks things through more thoroughly than I do. It’s not that she’s dissatisfied with Second Miss Zhou. Ye Zi, you must have misunderstood."

Ye Xinyan appeared to be somewhat angry on her face, but her tone was indifferent, "I have heard Madam Zhao’s words before and I know what she means. However, I thought that, being a man, you would perhaps be different and have your own opinions and ideas. But it turns out a son taught by Lady Zhao is very much like his mother, after all. It seems I was wrong about you."

Lady Zhao’s eyes held a hidden anger, but she did not dare to show it.

She was able to sit in front of the wife of the heir apparent and Miss Ye because of the face given by her husband, a sworn brother, and her son’s exquisite skills. If not for these, she would be worlds apart from the wife of the heir apparent and Miss Ye. Even though Miss Ye was so impolite, she dared not say much in response.

Ye Xinyan didn’t give Lady Zhao and Wong Qiao too much time to ponder. After speaking, she snorted coldly and without even the courtesy of a word, she stood up and walked away.

Witnessing her daughter just walking away, Madam Yin’s contemplation passed, and she courteously said to Lady Zhao, "My daughter has been spoiled since she was young. Madam Zhao, please don’t mind her. I have heard about Ah Qiao’s matter and will convey it to Biyao’s mother, Madam Liang."

As Madam Yin spoke, she glanced at Wong Qiao and seemed to sigh as she said, "Biyao really is a good child. If Ah Qiao and Biyao hadn’t mentioned those things, they might still be able to work with Ah Yan. Now, I’m afraid it won’t be possible."

Upon hearing this, Lady Zhao felt a vague worry. But then she thought of how her son had always been proclaimed gifted by peers in the construction industry from a young age, and how he even advised the court in the capital. She believed that if anyone couldn’t work together, it would surely be Miss Zhou; her genius son would naturally have no problem and would not be buried in obscurity.

What Lady Zhao did not expect was that at lunch, Wong Qiao’s expression was extremely despondent. When she asked when he would move out of the guest room and permanently relocate to the residence prepared by Eldest Uncle Qi, Wong Qiao’s expression grew even worse. He mumbled for a long time without clarifying when this would happen.

Lady Zhao’s heart suddenly filled with an indescribable feeling, as if something had gone beyond her expectations and was developing in a very bad direction.

This situation persisted to the next day. Wong Qiao had dinner in Lady Zhao’s room but did not leave. Instead, he sat distracted, chatting off and on with Lady Zhao.

Lady Zhao had been worried for nearly two days, and now, seeing her son absent-minded and that there was still no action regarding the house they were meant to move into, she grew anxious and asked Wong Qiao, "Ah Qiao, you can’t hide the truth with that look, let alone from the mother who watched you grow up. I can tell at a glance that there’s something on your mind. Tell me honestly, is there some difficulty you’re facing?"

Wong Qiao’s eyes rolled dimly and he said awkwardly, "No, don’t worry, Mother. There’s nothing." But his expression made it clear to anyone that he was saying one thing while meaning another; he was not speaking his true thoughts.

Lady Zhao slammed her teacup down on the table forcefully and chastised, "What is the matter? Do you think you can fool anyone like that?"

As the teacup collided with the tabletop, Wong Qiao startled and shifted his gaze towards Lady Zhao. His lips moved twice before he stammered, "Mother, let’s go back to Hezhou."

"What?" Lady Zhao’s face immediately changed and she exclaimed in shock, "What do you mean by that? Who told you to go back to Hezhou? We earn our living by our skills, not by squatting and living off others."

Wong Qiao looked at Lady Zhao with difficulty and then glanced at Xiuqin, who had no presence until now. Seeing that Xiuqin also had a face full of shock, and even a sense of panic as if about to lose something most important.