She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 678 - 676: Dealing with the Enemy

Chapter 678: Chapter 676: Dealing with the Enemy

Maternal Aunt Liu sighed deeply. She truly had not raised her daughter or son well. They might seem perfectly fine when nothing was wrong, but once a crisis arose, every one of them would be useless. Especially her daughter, who, while more intelligent than her sons, was also much more petty-minded.

Maternal Aunt Liu felt disheartened as she spoke, "Think it over carefully again, and you can also discuss it with your two younger brothers. I’m confined here, unaware of the specific situation outside, so I’m unable to make plans. I’m already of this age; it is your lives that stretch out before you, and from now on, you will have to strategize for your own futures."

Ye Xinyi could sense Maternal Aunt Liu’s cold indifference toward her. It was only when they had first reunited that Maternal Aunt Liu had cried bitterly. After that, she gradually showed a detached and distant demeanor.

Feeling uneasy in her heart, Ye Xinyi hesitated before asking, "Aunt, are you upset that your daughter hasn’t come to see you?"

A pain pierced Maternal Aunt Liu’s heart, yet her expression did not change, her face remained calm, and she did not respond.

A look of misery crossed Ye Xinyi’s face. She didn’t intend for things to be like this, but her days in Ji Mansion were also difficult.

Tears falling, she said, "I heard people discussing that there was a commotion at the door of Duke’s Mansion during a wedding procession, and that grandfather had taken a very firm stance. Not only did he turn away the troublemakers, but he also publicly embarrassed my father. I wanted to come back at that time, but as you know, the Ji Family has strict rules, and my in-laws wouldn’t allow it. Then the news spread that grandfather was going to petition the court to strip my father of his Princely Heir status. My situation at my in-laws’ place was really difficult; I couldn’t come back."

Maternal Aunt Liu felt even more disappointed in Ye Xinyi.

Since she had been locked up here, the guards had been changed five times. These old woman servants keeping watch had their own motives, occasionally telling her about outside matters, and more often than not, the time and place were clear, making the information highly credible.

It included accounts of Ye Xinyan having met her, this daughter, outside and informed the daughter of her plight, even suggesting the daughter make a visit.

However, the daughter did not come to see her but went to ask her in-laws for permission first. Even if she couldn’t come to Duke An’s Mansion, couldn’t she find an opportunity to meet with her two brothers? But she did not.

Even if disappointed, the daughter was still flesh of her own flesh. Maternal Aunt Liu knew in her heart that her daughter was making excuses, but after such a long time apart, she couldn’t bear to confront her directly, so she just responded faintly, "I know you’re in a difficult position. I’m quite well, no need for you to worry."

Ye Xinyi noticed Maternal Aunt Liu’s continued indifference and felt somewhat abashed. She asked another question, "Do Ye Heng and Ye Yi come to see Aunt often?"

A hint of warmth finally touched Maternal Aunt Liu’s face, "The two of them pleaded with your grandfather to allow a visit once a month. They have been considerate; they come separately, one on the first day of the lunar month, and the other on the fifteenth."

Whenever she thought of her situation, only her sons could offer her a bit of comfort. Although they were disappointingly weak-willed, they did think of her, their birth mother. Despite their usual fear of their grandfather, they had mustered the courage to secure this monthly visitation right. By taking turns visiting her, they had cleverly circumvented the restrictions, giving her some warmth in her heart.

However, her two sons were truly unaccomplished. During their visits, aside from bringing some food, they would only advise her to pray to Buddha calmly, waiting for Duke An to bestow his mercy and release her. They never took the initiative to think of ways to help her escape her confinement.

Thinking of this, Maternal Aunt Liu sighed helplessly and said, "It’s my fault for having such short-sighted thoughts back then, raising you all to be unable to withstand even the slightest adversity. Ye Xinyan may not be good in a thousand ways, but if her mother were locked up, I estimate she would create havoc without any care, turning this Mansion upside down."

Ye Xinyi’s face stiffened, but in her heart, she somewhat resented Maternal Aunt Liu for not considering her position. Did she want her to make a scene like that stupid wretch? Would that be of any use? If she did such a thing, how could she return to her husband’s home? How could the Ji Family’s household tolerate such a daughter-in-law?

Maternal Aunt Liu must have gone mad from being shut in the Buddhist hall.

Yet, as Ye Xinyi looked at Maternal Aunt Liu’s haggard face, she couldn’t bring herself to argue.

Ye Xinyi changed the subject, saying, "Maternal Aunt is right; I will think of a good solution. Ye Xinyan and that good-for-nothing Jiang Yifan are discussing marriage again, and the engagement is set. I’ll think about it—if she can make a big fool of herself one more time, I reckon there won’t be a place for her in the capital anymore; even Jiang Yifan would be too ashamed to show his face."

Maternal Aunt Liu, hearing that Jiang Yifan was in talks with Ye Xinyan again, couldn’t help but widen her eyes in disbelief, her face full of incredulity, "Is Jiang Yifan really willing to reconcile with her? How could this be? Isn’t he afraid of losing face, doesn’t he want to advance in his career?"

Are they trying to mend a broken mirror? If so, that wretch and Jiang Yifan would still be husband and wife. People are always more lenient toward stories of reconciliation.

She and Ye Hongyang knew that after Jiang Yifan was reassigned to the capital, he became close with Duke An, but they thought it was only because he wanted to avoid the Duke’s repression, reluctantly kowtowing to show goodwill. Why would they truly want to bring a woman with a tarnished reputation into their family again?

Ye Xinyi disdainfully said, "Exactly, many people are impressed with Jiang Yifan’s distinguished achievements during his three years of service and think he has a promising future. Who would have thought he’d look back and reconcile with Ye Xinyan, there won’t be anyone more useless than him."

Maternal Aunt Liu’s face still showed shock, her eyes rolling around before she said after a while, "You’re thinking right; ask Brother Heng and Brother Yi if they have any down-and-out classmates with bad conduct, or we can hire someone. As long as that wretch is still undisciplined, men will have the opportunity to approach her; we must devise a way to make her disgrace herself again. I really want to see if Jiang Yifan still has the face to be a cuckold again."

When it came to dealing with enemies, Maternal Aunt Liu was reinvigorated, her face showing some liveliness as the two conspired for a good while.

It wasn’t until the old woman servant who was on watch managed to break free from the harassment of Liu Xiang’s household and returned that they started to chat about trivial matters. The maid took out some pastries from the food box and poured tea for Maternal Aunt Liu; mother and daughter warmly conversed for a good while before Ye Xinyi left to find Ye Hongyang.

Ever since Ye Hongyang was stripped of his qualifications for the hereditary title, he scarcely went out, spending his days loafing around with his concubines. Today, to meet his son-in-law who had come to visit, he finally left his courtyard.

Facing his daughter’s questions, Ye Hongyang appeared full of guilt, but he was also helpless, his heart in turmoil.

It wasn’t that he and Maternal Aunt Liu lacked affection, nor that he was unfeeling or unconcerned about her. But he... he longed for the beautiful and gentle Maternal Aunt Liu of the past. As for the current Maternal Aunt Liu, he had tried his utmost but still found it difficult to accept; what could he do?

He genuinely wanted to visit Maternal Aunt Liu, but each visit left him feeling uncomfortable. He felt that if he saw her a few more times, he would start to doubt whether the Maternal Aunt Liu of the past ever existed, whether their affectionate days were just a dream.

So, he thought it best to keep the Maternal Aunt Liu he once loved in his heart; in that way, he could preserve the love of more than twenty years in his heart, find some semblance of reality, and feel a bit more at ease.

But how could he say such things to his daughter? How could he even utter them?