She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 597 - 595: Wealth Moves the Heart

Chapter 597: Chapter 595: Wealth Moves the Heart

After dinner, they chatted idly for a while before Qi Younian stood up to take his leave.

Duke An saw off Jiang Yifan and his grandson Qi Younian, then summoned Madam Yin and Ye Xinyan to the Duchess’s room.

In the room, Duke An and the Duchess each sat on opposite sides of the low couches in the outer chamber, with Maternal Aunt Zhao, Nanny Qian, and two maidservants standing by the sides.

Once Madam Yin and Ye Xinyan took their seats, the Duchess waved her hand to dismiss Maternal Aunt Zhao and the maids, leaving only Nanny Qian to attend to them closely.

Knowing that Duke An and the Duchess were about to discuss Ye Yuan’s matter with Madam Yin and her daughter, Maternal Aunt Zhao felt her heart pounding with anxiety. She did not dare to linger, and with her head down and eyes averted, she walked out with the two maidservants.

Cui Bai and Jiu Yue, noticing the situation, glanced at Madam Yin and her daughter. Upon receiving a signal, they quietly withdrew as well.

Duke An was the first to break the silence, saying, "Hongyang’s Wife, Xinyan, both of you have met Brother Yuan. He’s a good child. I have said before that if Maternal Aunt Zhao bears a son, he will be recorded under Hongyang’s Wife’s name. In this way, our mansion will have a legitimate grandson, and Hongyang’s Wife will have someone to rely on in the future. What do you think, Hongyang’s Wife?"

Madam Yin furrowed her brows. Whether Ye Yuan was a good child or not truly held no interest for her. The boy had his own parents; what business was it of hers to interfere? Besides, the child was Ye Hongyang’s, and she wanted nothing to do with Ye Hongyang anymore.

Duke An and the Duchess exchanged glances, their misgivings growing stronger. Since her return, Madam Yin had become even more indifferent to the affairs of the mansion and completely ignored Ye Hongyang’s existence, which seemed very wrong to them.

Ye Xinyan, on the other hand, hoped that the child could grow up healthy in body and mind. During her time in Clear Water Village, she had already considered how to respond to Duke An.

"Grandfather, Grandmother," Xinyan began, "I believe that no one can provide the most sincere love and care for a child other than his own parents." She coughed slightly, disregarding Ye Hongyang as a father, "Since Brother Yuan has his own birth mother, if we insistently split them apart, it would ultimately violate natural human relations. Only with the nurture and affection of a birth mother can a child grow up carefree and happy, developing a good character."

Ye Xinyan cast a glance at Duke An’s somewhat gloomy face and nervously added, "Ultimately, we all want Ye Yuan to be happy, don’t we?"

It seems that’s not the case, Ye Xinyan thought, stealing another look at Duke An. At least in Duke An’s eyes, Ye Yuan’s happiness wasn’t what mattered most. Ye Yuan didn’t even belong to himself, he was the hope of Duke An’s Mansion and needed to walk the path set by Duke An’s aspirations.

Sadly, all the people close to little Ye Yuan believed this to be a splendid avenue, a path that couldn’t be better.

Duke An detected the refusal in Ye Xinyan’s words, and Madam Yin’s expression was even more detached, an air of indifference about her as she slowly sipped her tea, remaining silent.

After a moment of silence, Duke An asked, "Have you thought about your mother? If she had a boy by her side, she would have someone to depend on for her future."

"She has me," blurted out Ye Xinyan, immediately realizing it was the wrong thing to say. She hastily added, "Of course, if Ye Yuan were to grow up with Qi Jia, Sanshun, and me, he would naturally be close to my mother. How could he not be good to my mother? Don’t you think that’s right?"

Duke An’s expression finally softened somewhat, but he still frowned and said, "That’s still not as good as having Brother Yuan raised by our side from the time he’s too young to remember anything. When he grows up, he will surely be devoted to your mother wholeheartedly."

What sort of joke is this? Ye Xinyan nearly rolled her eyes, "Grandfather, the affairs of the back houses in wealthy families are an open secret. Even if Ye Yuan were raised at his mother’s side from a young age, it wouldn’t stop him from knowing who his birth mother is. By then, what do you expect him to do?"

"If he’s only kind to his mother and cold towards his birth mother, then he isn’t someone with a pure heart. If he wants to consider his mother’s feelings and still be good to his birth mother, wouldn’t he be living in agony? Moreover, there’s another scenario, where he gains power and sidelines his mother in favor of his birth mother. Grandfather, what do you think Mother should do? What should I do? You are pushing Duke An’s Mansion into the midst of controversy."

If that’s the case, she couldn’t get through this obstacle. She would certainly scheme with all her might to reduce that potential future troublemaker back to his original form. Duke An’s Mansion... hmph, who would care about that then?

"How could that be? Brother Yuan is a good child," Duke An frowned but his expression revealed his uncertainty.

Ye Xinyan smirked, "As the old saying goes, we don’t fear the lack of good deeds but the lack of good-hearted people. In a wealthy and noble family, wealth is sought after, which exactly stirs people’s hearts. In the house, people who would do anything for wealth and status aren’t lacking. Good situations can still be turned into grievances, let alone when a mother forcibly takes a child away from his birth mother for her own future."

"Children are mischievous and inevitably get scolded for mistakes in studying or martial arts. If someone intent on causing trouble merely instigates a little, it is enough to make the child grow doubtful. Over time, it’s not only grievances that accumulate, but hatred and hostility can arise."

Duke An slammed the table angrily, "I would like to see who dares!"

"Come on, don’t get angry," Ye Xinyan said in a rascally tone, "After all, you are just one person. How can you keep an eye on everyone in the mansion all the time? Besides, it’s not as though they are doing anything terribly wrong, just speaking a few more truthful words. Even if there’s no chance for incitement within the mansion, when the child goes out, and strangers chat with him, can you stop that?"

Ye Xinyan snorted inwardly, My mom was harmed by your son and his concubine back then, who could have guarded against it beforehand? And what happened afterward?

Duke An seemed to recall the events of those years and appeared somewhat embarrassed.

Seeing that Duke An was softening, Ye Xinyan suggested, "Grandfather, if you trust my mother, you could let Maternal Aunt Zhao often take Ye Yuan to my mother’s rooms to play with Qi Jia." Madam Yin couldn’t help frowning.

Ye Xinyan pretended not to notice, "When he grows a little older, he can join Qi Jia and Sanshun, including learning martial arts with them. Alas, your place here in the capital is not conducive; if it were in Clear Water Village, by the time he’s three or four, he could be thrown out to play and tumble around the village. That’s the proper way for a boy to grow up."

The Duchess twitched at the corner of her mouth, hardly daring to imagine what a pitiful sight her beautifully-crafted grandson would be, tossed about carelessly in the countryside.

Duke An chuckled, "Is that how you raised Brother Jia?"

Ye Xinyan raised an eyebrow, "Yes. When Qi Jia first came to my home, he was a timid and reserved child who barely spoke. It was only by mingling with other kids, getting dirty and playing in the fields and countryside, that he grew up the way he has."

Duke An nodded. Though his own childhood wasn’t as rough and tumble as Qi Jiaer’s in the wilds, he too grew up covered in dirt and sweat. He pondered over Ye Yuan again—if Maternal Aunt Zhao could take care of him, and if the kid could receive the same kind of attention from his granddaughter as Qi Jiaer did, of course, that would be good. But...

"If Maternal Aunt Zhao takes care of Brother Yuan, I’m afraid she won’t be able to protect him thoroughly," Duke An frowned. His foolish son probably disregarded the children not born of Maternal Aunt Liu.