She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 694 - 692: I’ll go ahead, ha

Chapter 694: Chapter 692: I’ll go ahead, ha

Zhao Gang, upon hearing the words of Duke An, was speechless for a long while. His cousin Miss was actually a good child; it was Duke An’s malicious influence that had led her astray. Didn’t they see that as soon as the cousin Miss left Duke An’s Mansion, she immediately changed for the better? And just a few days into her second return visit, she was already showing signs of reverting to her old ways.

"I would like to see the cousin Miss and ask about what happened," Zhao Gang said.

Duke An laughed and replied indifferently, "There’s no need to look for Xinyan. Let the guard who came with her tell you."

The guard was summoned once again into the study of Duke An’s Mansion and recounted in detail the events that unfolded at the City God Temple yesterday, before exiting with much distress.

He was valued by Steward Lian for his articulate speech and keen observation, but now it seemed that this wasn’t entirely a good thing. How many times would he have to talk about the miss’s incident before it was over? This was already the third time, for heaven’s sake! This didn’t even include the questions from his fellow guards—any more and he would feel sick.

After the guard left, Duke An looked at Zhao Gang with a smile and said, "Vice General Zhao, you heard it, didn’t you? My child is not at fault; the blame lies entirely with the Han girl. Xinyan, having listened to Yuanfan’s advice, was ready to leave, but the Han girl provoked her again. If someone bullies Xinyan, she needs to teach them a lesson; otherwise, everyone will think that the Ye Family’s granddaughter can be bullied by just anyone. How can this be tolerated?"

Zhao Gang coughed drily twice, thinking, as if I’d believe you—since when can anyone bully your granddaughter?

He did not explicitly agree or disagree with Duke An but asked instead, "I wonder what Lord Jiang said to the cousin Miss? Why would she actually listen to him?" Zhao Gang did not know about the altercation at the City God Temple, but since the fight had apparently been stopped midway, and it was the cousin Miss and Guan He who intervened, such incidents were rare.

Duke An responded laughingly, "How could others overhear the private words between two spouses? No matter what Yuanfan said, as long as it worked, it’s all good. After all, Xinyan did listen to Yuanfan’s persuasion."

Duke An had a rough guess about what Jiang Yifan said. Being naturally much closer to the Emperor than Yin Long, he had deduced the hints from many of the Emperor’s and Han Yanhui’s words and actions, even though the news about the Emperor setting Jinrong with a Principal Wife and two Concubines had not been made public.

Furthermore, General Huwei Shi Zongyi, who once served under him, subtly mentioned it during his New Year visit, which made Duke An even more certain of his speculation.

Thus, Duke An could probably guess what Jiang Yifan said to Ye Xinyan. Jiang Yifan and Jinrong had spent over two years together in Qingyuan County, forming a profound friendship known to all. If the Emperor had decided to arrange a marriage for Jinrong, it was unlikely that Jinrong himself would have been unaware. And if Jinrong knew, that meant those close to him were also in the know.

In Duke An’s view, this matter was not as simple as his granddaughter and the Prime Minister’s granddaughter not getting along.

His granddaughter was working for Jinrong, so if Jinrong’s wife harbored hostility towards his granddaughter, that couldn’t be tolerated. If this incident came to nothing, what would happen if the Han girl, relying on her status as the royal family’s daughter-in-law, started to openly harass his granddaughter in the future, or continued to keep her down?

This kind of matter needed to be nipped in the bud as soon as any signs appeared; she must be made to abandon such notions immediately.

Even when his granddaughter was mischievous, she had never suffered a loss, so it made no sense that now, when she was behaving and understanding, she should start to be bullied.

Even if he was certain that Prince Yu and the Han Mansion were to become in-laws, the Emperor had not yet decreed it, and Ye Tang would definitely not indulge in guesswork regarding the sacred imperial intentions.

As Duke An was contemplating how to dissuade Zhao Gang from advising his granddaughter, a young servant An Nian came in to report that the miss was requesting an audience.

Truthfully, Ye Xinyan had never considered whether she would be bullied by the Prince Consort Wife in the future; she simply did not want to be at a disadvantage during confrontations.

Consider Ye Xinyan, who was currently earning money for that fellow Jinrong, and behind her stood several mountains of support including her grandfather, maternal grandfather, and uncle. Moreover, the relationship between Jiang Yifan and Jinrong was anything but ordinary. If she still had to be oppressed by a young girl under such circumstances, she might as well not bother being involved in the world any longer.

Ye Xinyan, upon hearing that Zhao Gang wanted to meet her, hurried to the Flower Hall, only to find he was not there and learned that Duke had invited him over. It was then that she made her way to Duke An’s study to seek an audience.

After Ye Xinyan entered, there was the usual round of salutations, seating, and serving of tea.

Once seated, Ye Xinyan turned to Zhao Gang with a look of surprise and inquired, "Uncle Zhao, did you come to see me because there is something you need?"

She was indeed surprised. Just the day before yesterday, when there was nothing of urgency, she had even taken Qi Jiajia on a visit to Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, and at that time, there had been no hint of any matter arising. Zhao Gang’s pointed visit to see her specifically could not be due to the incident at the City God Temple yesterday, could it?

Zhao Gang first glanced at Duke An, and it seemed that Duke had not told Miss Cousin about Han Mansion’s returned list. Although he did not know what Duke An intended, it was quite clear that the Duke’s opinion was not aligned with that of his lord, the Marquis.

In light of this situation, Zhao Gang was momentarily unsure how to proceed. If he were to convey the Marquis’s wishes and Duke An voiced opposition, that would pose a difficult situation.

Ye Xinyan was even more puzzled. It seemed that Duke An knew the purpose of Zhao Gang’s visit and the two appeared to have discussed it for a while.

Since Zhao Gang was reluctant to speak, Ye Xinyan turned to Duke An, "Grandfather, what exactly is going on?"

Duke An handed the list from the Han Mansion to Ye Xinyan, "This is from the Han Mansion. This, well, it’s well written, logical and reasoned, with a flourishing literary style."

Zhao Gang nearly spat out his tea, Your granddaughter crafted the list in such a manner, isn’t it primarily used for extorting money? If Lord Prime Minister Han heard your words, wouldn’t he become so angry that he would turn his back and pass out?

Ye Xinyan recognized at a glance that it was a copied version of the compensation list she had sent to Han Mansion. Before she could react, Duke An nodded at Zhao Gang with his chin, saying, "The Han Mansion has sent a similar list over to Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang had no choice but to take out the copy he had in his sleeve and handed it to Ye Xinyan.

Ye Xinyan was utterly stunned this time. Han Yanhui, the Court’s Grand Secretary, had actually resorted to telling on her like one would to an elder? And it was to the elders of both her parents’ families.

She glanced over both sheets of paper, haphazardly folding them a few times before standing up and saying, "Grandfather, Uncle Zhao, you two go ahead and chat. I’ll be off now, haha."

Zhao Gang was startled, what did she mean by leaving? The matter hadn’t been resolved yet.

"Miss Cousin, the general sent me with the message that..."

Ye Xinyan was already moving quickly towards the exit, waving her hand dismissively back at them, "It’s fine, it’s fine, you just carry on chatting, I’m okay." She was joking—why would she stay? To discuss how to deal with this matter with them?

Seeing Ye Xinyan about to leave, Zhao Gang quickly stood up and urgently said, "Miss Cousin, you should at least let me finish speaking. Otherwise, I won’t be able to report back to the general and I can’t return."

By this time, Ye Xinyan had reached the door. Hearing Zhao Gang’s words, she reluctantly stopped and, with a pained expression, turned to say, "All right then, speak up, I’m listening right here."