She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 700 - 698: Isn’t It Usually a Call to the Parents?

Chapter 700: Chapter 698: Isn’t It Usually a Call to the Parents?

Jinrong and Ye Xinyan settled down in the Duke’s Mansion’s reception room, accompanied by Han Yanhui, Han Jun, and Han Yufang.

Ye Xinyan was reluctant to stay longer at the Han Mansion because she brought Qi Jiaer and the others with her, not wanting them to overhear her leveraging the situation to extort money, which would tarnish her shining image as an elder sister.

She had considered not bringing them along, but without their presence, how could she expect Han Yanhui, Han Jun, and the others to truly understand the situation? Without that direct impression, they wouldn’t feel at fault and would have no idea how despicable it was for the Miss Han and her guards to have the audacity to strike children of seven or eight years old.

Now that she was alone at the Han Mansion, with Jinrong also present, she was in no hurry. Whoever spoke first would show impatience, and the following negotiations would become unfavorable.

Ye Xinyan slowly sipped her tea, listening to Jinrong, Han Yanhui, and Han Jun exchange pleasantries and lavish praise on one another.

However, after she had already drunk two cups of tea and these people still had not touched upon the main issue,... she was known for drinking her tea very, very slowly.

While she had resolved not to give the Han Family the impression she couldn’t keep her cool, their small talk was becoming excessively protracted, wasn’t it? People say that only gossipy women possess such tenacity in rambling on—how could it be that a prince and the prime minister are also so adept at chewing the fat?

How long do you plan to drag this out? Ye Xinyan looked at Jinrong with suspicion. She began to suspect that now Jinrong had found a wife, he had forgotten his... "sworn brother"? Was it possible he had forgotten that she was still doing him a favor, trying to earn Silver for him?

Ye Xinyan placed her emptied teacup back on the table and cleared her throat, saying, "Well, gentlemen, feel free to continue your chat. I have other matters to attend to and must excuse myself."

With just that sentence, she successfully drew everyone’s attention to herself.

Jinrong glanced at her and said leisurely, "Look here, Ye Zi, the quality of those rings on your hand doesn’t seem to be very good—too many impurities. Before you go, make sure you haven’t scratched the Jade Pendant’s family teacups. We’ll need to deduct that from the compensation later."

Ye Xinyan’s eyebrows shot up immediately. What kind of remark was that? The rings on her fingers were genuine gold rings, and even if they weren’t of the highest purity, they certainly wouldn’t have scratched porcelain. This was obviously a slight against her, mocking that her outfit appeared cheap.

Ye Xinyan wanted to flare up but then reconsidered upon looking around the reception room and noticing Han Yufang sitting below her, a cold smirk playing on her lips. Well, she thought, this space is a bit too cramped, not quite suitable for making a scene.

So, Ye Xinyan sheepishly withdrew her hands into her sleeves, lamenting, "That’s exactly why I’m in such a hurry to get back my top-quality items. But really, what are you implying? Just give me a straight answer. If it can’t be settled now, I’ll leave and come back tomorrow."

Tomorrow, again!

Han Yanhui was quite certain that His Highness Prince Yu also intended to leave Ye Xinyan hanging for a while, but it seemed to be of no use. This granddaughter of the Ye Family was indeed tough to handle; even the presence of Prince Yu didn’t seem to suppress her.

Han Yanhui was grateful he hadn’t asked his other two sons to accompany them. His Han Mansion was being led by the nose by a woman—such an event was best witnessed by as few people as possible, his own sons included.

Han Yanhui composed himself and asked, "Miss Ye, how do you propose to be compensated? My residence could offer several jade pendants and pearls for Miss Ye to choose from, how does that sound?"

Ye Xinyan quickly raised her hand to object, "No, please don’t. The adornments treasured by your residence are surely favorites of your family members. I might not be a gentleman, but I know better than to covet what others hold dear. Better you compensate me with silver."

Compared to jade pendants and pearls, Ye Xinyan preferred silver. The jewelry was for showing off to others, but silver was more intimate. Having silver coin meant she could follow her heart and buy whatever she fancied.

Han Yanhui swallowed his frustration once more and asked with a calm demeanor, "Speaking of top-quality items, I have not seen them myself, so I am unable to set a price. How many Silver Taels does Miss Ye think the items on your list amount to?"

Ye Xinyan cocked her head, thinking for a moment, "It’s got to be at least ten thousand taels. This is a conscience price. I didn’t overcharge you, Prime Minister."

Seated below Ye Xinyan, Han Yufang immediately slammed her teacup onto the table upon hearing this, "Ten thousand taels? You’ve got some nerve saying that!"

Ye Xinyan glanced at her, speaking coolly, "Miss Han, you’re a bit heavy-handed. Although the porcelain from your mansion isn’t top-grade, it’s not bad either. It would be unfortunate to break it. You’re supposed to marry into a wealthy family in the future. If you don’t have good habits, I’m afraid you’ll frequently damage your husband’s valuable items. A daughter-in-law like that is called a ’family destroyer’ in the countryside. Do you understand what that means?"

"You!" Han Yufang was nearly moved to tears. His Highness was still there, and this detestable woman was cursing her like this.

"Alright, alright." Jinrong frowned, "Can’t you be a bit more proper? You’ve got some nerve; why don’t you also ask for a hundred thousand taels of silver?"

"If Prime Minister Han is willing to give me a hundred thousand taels of silver, of course, I have no objections," Ye Xinyan immediately replied, her eyes lighting up as she looked towards Han Yanhui.

Han Yanhui’s eyes were as wide as saucers. He was beginning to suspect that His Highness Prince Yu and Ye Xinyan were in cahoots.

"One thousand taels. Not a tael more," Jinrong declared sternly.

Han Yanhui’s eyes bulged instantaneously. Although this showed that His Highness was on his side, wasn’t this price-cutting a bit too ruthless? What if Miss Ye walked away in a huff?

Sure enough, Ye Xinyan nearly jumped up, "Why don’t you just rob me?"

Jinrong kept a cold smile on his lips, "I couldn’t rob as well as you even if I tried." He wasn’t foolish; if he really started bargaining with ten thousand as the base, this troublesome woman would likely figure out a way to raise the price.

Ye Xinyan rolled her eyes, "Fine, since you’re a prince, I’ll make it nine thousand taels."

Huh, so that’s possible? Han Yanhui almost spilled his tea as his hand shook holding the lid bowl.

"No deal, two thousand taels."

"Two thousand is too little. I won’t agree to anything less than eight thousand taels."

"Two thousand five hundred taels."

"Hey, Sixth Master, you’re being unreasonable. It was increasing by one thousand each time, why only increase it by five hundred this time? Are you serious or not?" Ye Xinyan was getting exasperated.

So this works? Han Yufang’s gaze shifted back and forth between Jinrong and Ye Xinyan, watching their bargaining. She even forgot to stay angry.

Just as bewildered was Han Jun. Poor him, they were children of wealthy families who had never experienced such a thing. Moreover, were these really the prince and the daughter of the Duke’s Mansion? They actually managed to conduct such bargaining so adeptly—it was truly inconceivable.

Jinrong kept a stern face, "Alright, let’s wrap this up quickly. The most I will give is five thousand taels. Take it or leave it. And don’t say I didn’t warn you—if you still think it’s not enough, I’ll bring Jiang Yifan over right now. I’d like to ask him what kind of accessories he and Brother Jia were wearing when they went out."

Ye Xinyan heard this and paused. That didn’t sound right. Wasn’t it usually the parents who are called over? Why did it now involve calling over a fiancé?