She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 692 - 690 Peaceful for a Few Days

Chapter 692: Chapter 690 Peaceful for a Few Days

Old Lady Li hesitated for a moment, then said, "When you really think about it, Miss Ye is just a Chief Steward for His Highness. Even if she doesn’t want to do it, it’s easy to replace her with another steward. It’s not easy to find a capable steward, but it’s not as difficult as you make it out to be, Advisor."

Han Yufang pouted and frowned, her eyes reddening as she glanced at Han Yanhui, seeming quite dissatisfied with her grandfather’s words.

Han Yanhui heh’d and scolded Old Lady Li, "You’ve managed our household before, how can you say such nonsense? Think about it—all the dairy farms, cheese, and mechanical workshops of Prince Yu, or even the Pastry House run by the Eldest Lady of Duke An’s Mansion—have you ever seen any family’s business boom so quickly and make so much money?

"This isn’t just about managing or not managing—it’s a unique business throughout the entire Great Xia, and no one else has the brains for it. With Ye Xinyan helping His Highness Prince Yu, he will never lack silver in this lifetime."

Han Yanhui would not mention Jinrong’s ambition to the female relatives of the household, but he did need to clarify the matters that were obvious.

Just as Han Yanhui said, Old Lady Li had also managed a household and naturally understood the importance and difficulty of household income. Having been involved in politics for many years, Old Lady Li, as his capable partner, naturally knew that His Majesty’s princes were, more or less, using their status to engage in money-making schemes to varying degrees.

But Prince Yu was different. In the past, he might have faced situations where he was short of money, but with the businesses managed by Ye Xinyan, there was no need to worry about income and certainly no need to reach out to the court. Plus, with Prince Yu’s indifferent nature, he naturally received extra favor from His Majesty.

Seeing that Old Lady Li understood him, Han Yanhui continued, "His Majesty has already decided that after the New Year, the railway transportation project will be handed over to His Highness, and he must do a good job with His Majesty’s task. The Qi family will definitely undertake this project, and Ye Xinyan’s role in it is crucial. Looking across the Great Xia Dynasty, there are few who are as capable."

Han Yanhui then looked at Han Yufang and said, "You’ve sneakily ridden the railway carriage, and not just once. You also boast a lot when talking to other young ladies about it. But what you kids don’t understand is that without Ye Xinyan, the railway carriage would probably still be struggling to operate smoothly. You don’t understand the affairs of the court, but if you’re set on marrying into the royal mansion, you should at least not be doing things that His Highness would find distasteful."

Old Lady Li and Madam Jiang somewhat understood what he was saying, but Han Yufang seemed to understand but not comprehend fully.

Han Yanhui did not expect her to understand—he knew his granddaughter had been spoiled from a young age and was neither old enough nor mature enough in disposition. He only hoped that she would take the words of her elders to heart.

There were some things that a grandfather should not say, so Han Yanhui glanced at Old Lady Li.

Old Lady Li nodded slightly and then said to Han Yufang, "Sister Fang, you are young and have experienced little. Your grandparents do not expect you to understand the intricacies, but you should know that your elders love you, and they say these things for your own good."

Seeing her grandmother’s words take on a serious and heartfelt tone, Han Yufang pouted but nodded her head.

Old Lady Li, relieved, continued, "Even if you can’t think it through right now, that’s okay. Just think of His Highness Prince Yu—think about whether you want to do things that would make him disdain you. Being someone that His Highness detests is not what you want. You should know that you’re not the only one entering the prince’s mansion; there are also the daughters of General Huwei and Vice Minister Sun. If His Highness does not favor you, even being the princess consort would be meaningless."

Han Yufang looked up at her grandparents, a glimmer of understanding dawning in her heart.

Indeed, His Highness has never shown any fondness for her; it has always been she who unrequitedly pursued him. Though she could marry into the prince’s mansion, two other ladies of good birth and beauty have entered as well. If His Highness Prince Yu comes to loathe her, then she would merely be ceding her opportunity to the concubines. What would she do then?"

She nodded gravely to Old Lady Li, "Granddaughter understands."

Yet within her heart, Madam Jiang was already tallying up her family’s accounts, the thought of that painfully detailed list making her feel exceptionally irritable.

If they were to compensate Miss Ye according to the list she provided, it would cost them several thousand taels of silver. Why should such an amount be squandered? The mere thought was enough to cause frustration and a sense of being wronged.

While the Han Mansion did not fear Duke An’s Mansion, everyone dreaded Miss Ye. If that woman were to throw a fit and recklessly come to make trouble at the Han Mansion...

Thinking about Miss Ye’s past exploits... this was indeed tricky.

"Father, what do we do with this list? Do we really have to compensate Miss Ye according to it?" Madam Jiang felt a genuine toothache coming on.

As she asked, she turned and glared fiercely at Han Yufang, who flinched, fearing another scolding from her mother, perhaps even having to copy texts or being grounded.

Han Yanhui paused; although he was the Prime Minister and his family owned considerable assets, if there was no other source of income, several thousand taels of silver were still no small amount.

He pocketed the list and stood up, "Enough, don’t bother with this. Just focus on educating Sister Fang properly."

He would have to show the list to Ye Tang and Yin Long, those two old men, so they would know the stakes. Even if he had to pay the silver, he wanted them to understand that he was giving them a concession, not willingly accepting a loss. The two old men owed him a favor.

As Han Yanhui walked out, he felt stifled. That old man Ye Tang had such a granddaughter, more troublesome to handle than any other man’s child. If she were a boy, after a few fights with the capital’s young nobles, it could result either in making friends or enemies, but at least he would have a way to deal with them.

Yet there wasn’t a single rival in the entire capital who could match Miss Ye’s willfulness; not even two friendly girls existed. And when confronted with a woman, unless she was utterly villainous, people tended to offer more understanding despite their disdain or revulsion.

......

Upon receiving the compensation list sent from the Han Mansion, Yin Long felt a headache brewing. He had no interest in debating the propriety of the list being sent to him and was too lazy to consult his wife and daughter-in-law, instead summoning Yin Xiaocheng directly.

Yin Xiaocheng entered the room, paid his respects to his father, and had just settled when Yin Long, without further ado, tossed the list to him, massaged his temples, and said, "This came from Han Yanhui’s mansion; it’s a list of losses Xinyan is making them compensate for. This girl truly is a creditor of our family. What on earth did I owe her, in this or any past life? Look at her antics, one after another; it’s been just a few days of quiet, and now she stirs up trouble again."