She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 588 - 586

Chapter 588: 586

The lead of the convoy was a guard assigned to Ye Xinyan by Duke An and naturally recognized Lian Gui. Seeing that Lian Gui had already stopped, he hurriedly called the convoy to a halt.

After Lian Gui exchanged formal greetings with the guard, Guan He, Wong Qiao, and others, he stepped forward, first went to meet Qi Younian, and then came to the carriage of Madam Yin. Lifting the carriage curtain, he greeted Madam Yin and said, "I have been ordered by the Duke and the Duchess to come and receive the wife of the heir apparent and the elder miss."

Ye Xinyan rolled her eyes covertly. Lian Gui didn’t even bother to pretend to act in Ye Hongyang’s name, directly coming under the orders of Duke An and the Duchess. This showed just how incompetent Ye Hongyang was. It really wasn’t necessary for her old mother to continue being the wife of the heir apparent.

After Lian Gui had seen Madam Yin, he turned to Ye Xinyan and asked, "Elder miss, would you prefer for Old Master Qi to stay at our mansion for a few days first, or should we go directly to the Qi family mansion? Our mansion has also prepared two courtyards, ready for occupancy at any time."

Ye Xinyan looked at the sky, which was starting to darken, and asked, "I read the letter from the mansion that was sent to Clear Water Village, the Qi family mansion is not far from the Duke’s Mansion, right?"

Lian Gui replied, "The Duke arranged for a courtyard to be purchased nearby so that the elder miss would have an easier time looking after Old Master Qi. Lord Jiang personally managed the purchase. The property is situated behind the alley of Duke An’s Mansion. Since there were no suitable places nearby, we had to buy residences from three families behind the Duke’s Mansion and combine them, resulting in a three-section courtyard."

Ye Xinyan raised her eyebrows and gave Lian Gui another surprised look. These arrangements ordered by Duke An and personally managed by Jiang Yifan—what kind of combination was this? Had the old man forgotten how Jiang Yifan had embarrassed him during his sixtieth birthday celebration?

"Since it’s getting late and it’s not far, let grandfather return to his own mansion to rest for the night. We can visit our ancestor tomorrow," Ye Xinyan said. She then wondered if that courtyard had been properly tidied up, "Is everything in the mansion arranged properly, including all the necessities?"

Lian Gui hurriedly responded, "Please be assured, elder miss, everything has been properly settled. Hearing that the elder miss and Old Master Qi were returning today, I had maids and servant women go there yesterday to clean up. Those servants are currently waiting in the mansion."

"Very well, then it would trouble Steward Lian to arrange for someone to lead grandfather there. Aunt Wong and Wong Qiao should come too and be settled into the Qi family mansion as well."

Having heard Ye Xinyan’s instructions, Lian Gui gave her a glance, his expression changing subtly as he vaguely answered, "Understood. Let’s go into the city now. Elder miss, rest assured, someone will certainly arrange grandfather’s accommodation."

After Ye Xinyan gave her consent, Lian Gui stepped back and urged the guards to move forward again.

The carriage carrying Lady Zhao and Xiuqin followed closely behind Madam Yin’s.

As the gates of the capital city came within sight, Lady Zhao was overwhelmed by the imposing and solemn city walls and gate towers. Looking again at the steward who had come to greet them, his demeanor so commanding—if she hadn’t been told he was a family servant, she would have thought him a high-ranking official.

Only after the vehicles started moving again did Lady Zhao lower the carriage curtain and sit steadily.

This was the capital city where she and her son, following Elder Brother Qi’s plan, would reside for a long time, without any mishap. If her son could establish himself well enough here, getting married and having children in the capital, then their family would likely settle down here for good.

For common folks from remote areas like them, the capital city was a place of unreachable splendor, a place they could only dream of and never had the chance to witness in their ancestors’ lifetimes.

And now, she had indeed come.

From now on, she would have to follow people like Nanny Liu and Nanny Zhou to properly learn the rules of a big household in the capital. If her own Ah Qiao could secure a position in a wealthy family, she couldn’t let her ignorance of the rules and manners embarrass the Wong family.

At the very least, before her son’s future bride from an official family joined them, she needed to behave like a proper wealthy matron. She must show others that, even though she came from a poor rural family, she also had dignity and was no less than her future daughter-in-law from an official’s family. Her marriage into the Wong family was not beneath her.

When Ye Xinyan was talking to Lian Gui, she didn’t notice that his words were mumbled when he talked about taking Qi Younian to the Qi Family Mansion. It was not until they approached the city gates and heard Qi Jiaer, who was sitting on the shafts of the carriage outside, exclaim, "Lord Jiang," that she suddenly realized Lian Gui had not only failed to provide a clear response about taking Qi Younian to the Qi Family Mansion but had also mentioned Jiang Yifan when they discussed purchasing the mansion.

Hearing the lively conversation outside and the carriage stopping again, Ye Xinyan cautiously lifted the cotton curtain of the carriage window a bit to peek outside. Unexpectedly, her gaze met with the smiling eyes of Jiang Yifan.

Wasn’t this too much of a coincidence? All she wanted was to see what was happening outside. Annoyed, Ye Xinyan let go of her hand, and the cotton curtain once again tightly covered the carriage window.

No sooner had she lowered the curtain than Madam Yin, having heard that her ideal son-in-law had arrived outside, signaled Cui Bai to lift the entire curtain in front of the carriage. Inside the spacious carriage, Madam Yin and her daughter, as well as their servants, were completely visible.

Jiang Yifan had already taken Qi Jiaer into his arms and was leading him to pay respects to Qi Younian.

Seeing Jiang Yifan bowing in front of the carriage to pay his respects, Qi Younian hurriedly prepared to disembark, but Jiang Yifan promptly stopped him, "We are on the road, the old master has traveled for so long and must be quite weary. No need for such formalities, we are in a hurry to enter the city. Sir, please remain seated, I will go and greet the wife of the Princely Heir and Ah Yan, and then I will return to my own home."

Upon hearing this, Qi Younian also stopped, smiling and saying, "Lord Jiang is right, I will excuse myself from formalities. Sir, please go and greet the Madam and Ye Zi."

It was only then that Jiang Yifan, leading Qi Jiaer, turned to face the carriage of Madam Yin, whose curtains had been lifted.

Madam Yin was now extremely pleased with Jiang Yifan and beamed with satisfaction as she watched her desired son-in-law leading her beloved Brother Jia over. A man so patient with children would certainly be a good match for Ah Yan. Look at how tenderly he regards her daughter.

In fact, Jiang Yifan was already composing himself. First, he bowed deeply to Madam Yin, "Yuanfan has the honor of meeting the wife of the Princely Heir. You must have had a hard journey."

Madam Yin, smiling, extended her hand in a meaningless gesture as if to support him, and said, "Yuanfan is the one who is being too polite. Taking on the court’s duties and still finding the time to meet us, Yuanfan is considerate."

Jiang Yifan did not rise but bowed even deeper, saying anxiously, "Please do not treat Yuanfan as an outsider, it was proper for me to come greet my elders returning to the capital. I am ashamed for not receiving you earlier, and that the Madam did not take offense brings me great joy."

Ye Xinyan, watching from the side, looked on with cold eyes as the two exchanged pleasantries, feeling disdainful. After such a long journey, and with nightfall approaching, did her mother really have the energy to exchange these pointless pleasantries, instead of attending to more important matters?