She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 599 - 597: Not Getting Respect

Chapter 599: Chapter 597: Not Getting Respect

Maternal Aunt Zhao listened to Ye Xinyan’s question, her face showing a struggle between reluctance and determination. After a moment, she bit her lip and still decided to follow her heart, saying, "This concubine believes in the wife of the heir apparent and the eldest young miss. If the wife of the heir apparent were cruel-hearted, how could she have allowed a lowly-born concubine to act unchecked in the mansion for over a decade? The eldest young miss took in a child abused by another family and treated him like her own brother, not to mention Brother Yuan is of young age and shares the same blood. This concubine will not misjudge people."

Ye Xinyan looked at Madam Yin, realizing that no matter what her own wishes were, she still had to consider Madam Yin’s feelings.

Although Madam Yin was not fond of Ye Hongyang’s concubines, she felt pity for Maternal Aunt Zhao’s affection for her child and softened her tone, saying, "I understand. You may rise."

Having spoken her mind, Maternal Aunt Zhao, fearing to annoy Madam Yin again, quickly scrambled up from the ground, "Thank you, wife of the heir apparent, thank you, eldest young miss."

"Please, take a seat," Ye Xinyan indicated to a brocade stool.

Maternal Aunt Zhao hesitated for a moment, then sat down as instructed, looking eagerly at Madam Yin and her daughter.

She had heard from the Duchess today that the wife of the heir apparent and the eldest young miss refused to bring Brother Yuan to the Morning Moon Courtyard, which left her heart sinking. With Duke An and the Duchess getting on in years, if no one was there to look after them, how could she and Brother Yuan survive under Maternal Aunt Liu’s control in the future? Especially Brother Yuan, who was so young.

Knowing that Madam Yin did not like to see her, she still mustered the courage to come and ask, only hoping that Brother Yuan could have a good status and a bright future. If the wife of the heir apparent would agree, she would work like an ox or a horse without a word of complaint.

Ye Xinyan met Maternal Aunt Zhao’s hopeful gaze and said, "No mother, unless absolutely necessary, would willingly give her child away to someone else. Children too prefer to be with their own mother, knowing even through hardship and punishment, that their mother is doing it for their own good. Maternal Aunt Zhao, don’t think too much about it, it’s best for your own child to be raised by your side."

Maternal Aunt Zhao’s face, full of hope, drastically changed and she attempted to rise again, but Ye Xinyan gestured for her to stay seated, "Listen to me first. As Duke An’s granddaughter and raised in Duke An’s Mansion, of course I hope the mansion maintains its prestige and status for a long time, just like my grandfather does.

As for Brother Yuan, Maternal Aunt Zhao, just let him grow up happily. He has his grandfather to guide him, and my younger brothers from the Qi family and cousins will wholeheartedly look after him. When Brother Yuan is older, they can play with him, help him with his studies, and teach him martial arts."

Maternal Aunt Zhao looked at Ye Xinyan, puzzled. She felt more at ease, but did not understand why, since the eldest young miss could treat Brother Yuan this way, she would not just raise him by the wife of the heir apparent’s side so she could have someone to rely on in the future?

After hesitating for a moment, Maternal Aunt Zhao still said, "But still, Brother Yuan is born of a concubine. According to the order of seniority, there are the Eldest Son and the Second Son before him, and both have the favor of the Crown Prince. I fear that Brother Yuan will have no place in the mansion in the future."

Ye Xinyan smiled and said, "It is often said that a hero needs no noble birth. There’s also a saying among commoners that a capable man does not live off his family’s fortune and a capable woman does not wear her dowry clothes. If Brother Yuan proves capable of supporting Duke An’s Mansion in the future, my grandfather would also be willing for Brother Yuan to inherit the title. I, as his sister, would naturally be happy to see it come to pass. However, what I want to say to Maternal Aunt Zhao is that as long as Brother Yuan grows up to be a responsible and upstanding man, even without Duke An’s title, he can still carve out his own place in the world."

Maternal Aunt Zhao was stunned. She had never thought about Brother Yuan’s future from this perspective. She looked at Ye Xinyan blankly, then remembered how the eldest young miss had left her family with nothing, leaving all her valuable ornaments untouched in her room. The eldest young miss, without any status upon leaving Duke’s Mansion, now held the highest position and influence in Duke An’s Mansion, aside from the Duke and Duchess, all due to what she had built and earned for herself.

Hope suddenly flared in Maternal Aunt Zhao’s heart—if her own son could be like the eldest young miss, able to earn his own fortune... would she still need to worry about Brother Yuan’s future?

Even if Brother Yuan cannot be like the Eldest Daughter, being like Brother Jia and Brother Shun is also acceptable. Last year, when the two young masters from the Qi family came to the mansion, they were greatly favored by both the Duke’s Mansion and the Marquis’ Mansion, and they will surely have a bright future ahead.

"Thank you, Eldest Daughter, for showing a slave like me the way forward. If the Duchess allows me to raise Brother Yuan myself, I will surely teach him to respect the Eldest Daughter and to regard the wife of the heir apparent as his own mother,"

Maternal Aunt Zhao said, ignoring Ye Xinyan’s attempt to stop her, and knelt down to kowtow once more.

Ye Xinyan hurriedly got up and helped Maternal Aunt Zhao to her feet, saying, "Maternal Aunt Zhao, you are too kind. I too hope that our mansion will have another master who possesses integrity and responsibility."

It seemed that Maternal Aunt Zhao was not only intelligent but also aspired to improve herself. She was not the kind of woman who only indulges in the fruits of success and schemes for her ancestors’ inheritance. For the Duke An’s Mansion to have such a concubine was indeed a fortunate thing.

Maternal Aunt Zhao quickly said, "How fortunate I am to be guided by the Eldest Daughter. In the future, Brother Yuan will still need the care of the Eldest Daughter and Young Master Qi, and this slave thanks the wife of the heir apparent and the Eldest Daughter."

The next day, an extra person appeared by Ye Yuan’s side, as Maternal Aunt Zhao began to look after him. It was a heart-wrenching scene, when Maternal Aunt Zhao first appeared beside Ye Yuan. He stared at his birth mother with his big eyes for a long time, but eventually turned around and sought comfort in his wet nurse’s arms.

Maternal Aunt Zhao was so overjoyed she almost shed tears. This was her son, who was already over a year old, yet she had seen him only a few times and could only long for him day after day. Now everything was alright, as the Duchess said. After a few days of adjustment, once Brother Yuan was willing to follow her, she could keep him by her side.

Maternal Aunt Liu and Ye Hongyang were unaware of these events until three days later, when Maternal Aunt Zhao moved out of Secluded Fragrance Garden. Only then did Maternal Aunt Liu hear that Ye Yuan was handed over to Maternal Aunt Zhao to raise herself.

Maternal Aunt Zhao and her son moved into a small courtyard close to Jinlan Garden, where Ye Xinyan stayed. The courtyard was temporarily named Hanxiu Garden.

On the same day, just as Ye Hongyang returned to the Secluded Fragrance Garden, and before Maternal Aunt Liu had the chance to inform him about Maternal Aunt Zhao’s departure, Nanny Qian, who attended closely on the Duchess, came to Maternal Aunt Liu’s room. She informed Maternal Aunt Liu that Brother Yuan had been taken back to Maternal Aunt Zhao, and if Brother Yuan fell victim to any secretive plots or malice in the future, regardless of the outcome, Maternal Aunt Liu would be dealt with first, and the reasons would be investigated afterward.

Enraged, Ye Hongyang smashed two teacups in the moment and shouted curses at Nanny Qian.

But Nanny Qian, too, was trembling with fear as she knelt down and begged for mercy, before leaving with two maidservants.

Once the maidservants and old woman servants from the Duchess’s room had vanished, Maternal Aunt Liu’s tears of humiliation finally fell, and she collapsed to the floor in a sorrowful cry.

She was enraged and extremely humiliated. How could there be such injustice? The Duke’s Mansion was powerful and influential, but wasn’t she a member of the Duke An’s Mansion too? With difficulty, she had given the Duke’s Mansion two grandsons and a granddaughter, ensuring the continuation of the male lineage for the past decades.

How was it that she received no respect at all?