She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 626 - 624 Visit

Chapter 626: Chapter 624 Visit

Ji Chengru hesitated for a moment before saying to his father, "Father, perhaps I should pay a visit to Duke An. With such a scandal erupting from Duke An’s Mansion, the whole capital is buzzing with gossip. As relatives by marriage, if we pretend to be unaware, it doesn’t seem proper."

Ji Xiaoyuan set his cup on the table and said coldly, "You’ve studied for many years; how can you be so clueless? If Duke An’s Mansion were framed and now teetering on the brink, I would have taken action without needing your suggestion, to defend them. But as things stand, this situation has arisen from his failure to manage his household properly; where does that leave you to offer comfort or to make a visit?"

Ji Chengru was first taken aback, then his face flushed with shame as he stood and responded, "My understanding was shallow; my thoughts were misguided. I admit my mistake."

Ye Xinyi, sensing the tension, quickly stood up too. Seeing Ji Chengru sit back down at Ji Xiaoyuan’s signal, she did not dare to sit herself.

Ji Xiaoyuan shot her a glance and said indifferently, "You should harbor no grievances. The recent scandal at Duke An’s Mansion is a result of your father’s foolishness and depravity; he’s completely undeserving of relatives visiting in concern! In this world, which father plots and schemes against his own daughter? Even if the daughter is unruly, that is a failure of parental guidance—how could they harbor thoughts of entrapment?"

Ye Xinyi hastily knelt down, repeatedly admitting her error, bowing her head to accept Lord Ji’s admonition.

Ji Xiaoyuan’s expression softened slightly, "You are a Ji Family Lady, and you should understand the bigger picture. In the coming days, if there’s no necessity, do not return to your parental home. Your father doesn’t deserve a visit from my Ji family’s daughter-in-law."

Ye Xinyi agreed with her head bowed.

In her heart, she still worried about her birth mother and father, especially her mother. Yet, she was also quietly resentful that Ye Hongyang couldn’t stand up for himself. Her grandfather, Duke An, had always been unruly, but who would dare to talk back to him? If her father could stand tall like her grandfather, who would dare to speak about her father in this way in front of her?

But when this matter was laid bare, it indeed was shameful. Her in-laws adamantly refused to let her visit her parental home, and, in her heart, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t that she was heartless and refused to visit her aunt and father; it was that her husband’s family wouldn’t allow her to go, and as a Ji Family Lady, she had no control over her own actions.

As Ye Xinyi left her in-laws’ courtyard, she once again faced the scornful gazes of her three sisters-in-law, feeling an uncontrollable anger in her heart.

When she had first married, she enjoyed the treatment of being the legitimate daughter of Duke An’s Mansion, bringing along a dowry that was many times richer than what her sisters-in-law had received, and they looked at her with envy and jealousy. But now...

All of this was the fault of that wretch, Ye Xinyan. In the past, she only disgraced herself, but now, she had brought disaster upon her mother, brother, and herself.

That wretch! Ye Xinyi clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly, as if she were squeezing the life out of that contemptible person. Duke An acted this way because he gained a grandson, and those two favored brats from the Qi family...

The result of the matter was that none of Maternal Aunt Liu’s sons and daughters visited her, and it was Nanny Jin who had to spend silver to have the old woman servant watching over her come up with various excuses for her children, to offer consolation.

Ye Xinyi did not come to witness Maternal Aunt Liu’s wretched situation or to cry with her, which left Ye Xinyan feeling rather regretful.

However, the task at hand still had to be done. She began to leave early and return late to the Qi Family Courtyard every day, discussing the refurbishment and decoration of the shop space with Wong Qiao and two other artisans skilled in construction paperwork, in a workroom prepared in the Qi Family Courtyard.

Additionally, the Qi Family Construction Business, which is named Guangsha Construction, needs to recruit craftsmen and has released the news through several middlemen.

The types of craftsmen and recruitment conditions all had been planned in advance and written down by Ye Xinyan during this period. This time, the construction business was not only recruiting craftsmen but also experienced foremen, scholars who understood construction or were skilled in public works, offering them extra favorable conditions.

The movement at the Qi family’s side was quite significant, and naturally, Jinrong and Jiang Yifan were aware of it.

Lately, Jiang Yifan had been visiting more frequently, not only to show his face before Duke An but also to spend a lot of time at the Qi family, whether Ye Xinyan was present or not. He would linger at the Qi family, either helping Qi Younian plan things, discussing academics with Qi Jiaer and Qi Sanshun, or just having dinner and a chat with Qi Younian.

It was unclear whether Jiang Yifan’s mentality had changed and he wanted to mark his presence in front of Ye Xinyan or because Zhou Biyao was not accompanying Ye Xinyan this time in her endeavors, and he did not feel at ease. In any case, his visits to the Qi family had noticeably increased, and even Qi Jiaer’s playful visits to the Duke’s Mansion to entertain Ye Yuan had become less frequent, as he followed Jiang Yifan around.

Hearing that the Qi Family Construction Business did not intend to wait until after the New Year to start recruiting but was preparing to do so now, Jinrong specifically chose a time after court to meet with Jiang Yifan, coming over to inquire about the Qi family’s intentions.

This was Jinrong’s second visit to the Qi Family Courtyard in the capital city.

Qi Younian, advanced in years and experienced in life, having even spent a few years conscripted at the border pass, naturally knew how noble a prince was. The capital was not like the rural areas; here, one must respect His Highness Prince Yu as a prince and a royal, with due gravity.

In the wilderness, Prince Yu could afford to be casual and not pay much heed to etiquette for the sake of easy interaction, and they could go along when appropriate. In the capital, it was different: a single lapse could be seen by someone with an agenda, and it would become a charge of disrespecting the royal family.

Upon learning of the arrival of His Highness Prince Yu, Qi Younian, like the last time, hurried out to pay his respects and was about to kneel when Jinrong quickly lifted him up, saying with a laugh, "Old man, you’re advanced in years; there’s no need for such formalities. The weather is cold; let us go inside and sit down to talk."

Only then did Qi Younian rise and welcome Jinrong and Jiang Yifan into the house to sit in the guest hall.

Observing the arrangement and furnishings of the Qi household and noting the well-mannered service of the two young servants bringing tea, Jinrong smiled at Qi Younian, saying, "Although Yuanfan is not that great a person, he has done a good job with setting up his residence. Old man’s house and courtyard are built quite well, and the layout of the house as well as the furniture and items are not bad either."

Jiang Yifan couldn’t help but throw him several sidelong glances upon hearing this. Ever since that fellow realized that there was no possibility with Ah Yan, he had become quite gloomy, always looking for an opportunity to denigrate him. Especially in front of the Qi family, the Ye family, and the Yin family, he sought every means to slander him, not caring for dignity at all.

Qi Younian was aware that Duke An had already consented to the marriage between Jiang Yifan and Ye Xinyan and that even Ye Xinyan had not vehemently opposed, simply stating she needed to think about it.

His granddaughter was a cautious character; if she put forward the notion of thinking it over and there was no response for a long time, it could be assumed that she had tacitly agreed.

Hearing Jinrong needle Jiang Yifan at this moment was likely because of his frustration at being unable to win his granddaughter’s favor. With the intention of defending his son-in-law-to-be, Qi Younian chuckled and smoothed things over, "Indeed, it’s quite good. In recent days, the old little man has been wandering outside, inspecting the architecture and construction works in the capital; I’m quite aware that purchasing houses in the capital is not easy, and the prices are incredibly high. To be able to procure such a fine courtyard must have required quite some effort from Lord Jiang."

Jinrong snorted twice and glanced at Jiang Yifan once more. That guy was indeed lucky, having already put his relationship with Ye Zi on such tense terms. And now, that youngster had managed to turn things around, which was simply beyond reasoning.