She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 702 - 700 How to Answer This

Chapter 702: Chapter 700 How to Answer This

Having a granddaughter that no one dares to bully is naturally a matter that brings comfort, yet if the same granddaughter has just trampled upon the Imperial Daughter-in-law and is then summoned by the Emperor, it seems a bit less comforting.

Since His Majesty the Emperor’s verbal decree was for an immediate audience, they needed to hurry—the Eunuchs in the palace were still waiting, and they couldn’t let His Majesty wait. Duke An told his servant An Nian to notify Ye Xinyan, while he himself changed into his court attire, exchanging courtesies with the palace Eunuch as they made their way out.

It wasn’t until Duke An had walked a short distance that he remembered: How would Ye Xinyan resolve the issue with the men’s clothing? She was a woman—where would she get men’s clothes from?

By this time, Duke An had already recalled Lian Gui’s description of his granddaughter’s masculine attire. Surely she wouldn’t put on that outfit gleaming with gold—should she really wear it as Lian Gui had said, let alone an audience with the Emperor, even a casual stroll outside would be unbearable to witness.

That was indeed a sign of his granddaughter’s bold and unrestrained spirit. No one else in the capital would have the guts and imagination of his granddaughter, who could with just an outfit alone make the Grand Secretary lose face.

Duke An was about to instruct his Attendant to find Ye Yi and get two sets of clothing. Judging by their physiques, they should be passable, at least the outer garments would look decent.

Yet, before he could turn to instruct his Attendant, he saw in front of him a handsome young master standing beside a date-red horse, waiting on the side of the path. She was dressed in a long robe the color of moonlight, with a Jade Pendant for peace and safety hanging from her waist, and a white jade hairpin inserted into the bun atop her head, without any additional adornments, truly standing tall and elegantly.

Ye Xinyan was already tall and slender. After traveling all over Yuyuan Prefecture last year to settle business matters, her skin, tanned from sun and wind, hadn’t fully recovered yet and didn’t appear very fair. But her face was clear and bright, and her eyes were distinctly black and white, appearing very pure.

Duke An thoroughly appraised his granddaughter from head to toe, regretting once again that she was born a girl. If only she had been a boy, how wonderful that would have been—he would not have to worry about the future of Duke’s Mansion.

Ye Xinyan had only been told by An Nian that His Majesty the Emperor had summoned her in men’s attire, but she was unaware of the specifics. When she saw Duke An, she hurriedly came forward a few steps wanting to ask what exactly the matter was. But upon seeing the many Eunuchs by her grandfather’s side, she promptly stepped aside to bow with hands clasped.

The Eunuchs also hurriedly returned the gesture, repeatedly declaring their courtesy. However, their eyes quickly swept over Ye Xinyan, this Miss Ye indeed suited the men’s clothing she wore.

Duke An didn’t say much, gesturing for her to follow him out, but he laughingly inquired, "Where did you find this outfit? I was actually worried you might wear the one you visited Han Mansion with the other day."

Although Ye Xinyan felt disdained by Duke An, his mischievous teasing somewhat eased her nerves. She glanced at a few of the Eunuchs, and softly complained, "What judgment is this? How could I do something so foolish?"

Duke An glanced at her approvingly, "Hmm, this outfit is nice, you haven’t said where you got it from yet?"

Ye Xinyan looked down at her own attire with pride, "Of course, it’s mine. I, your granddaughter, am the Chief Steward managing several businesses—we often have to ride horses for travel, so men’s clothing is naturally much more convenient."

Duke An nodded his head, "It seems I must properly discipline your maids. This is not appropriate for a young lady; you can’t have your grandfather losing face because of you."

Uh, Ye Xinyan’s step faltered, then she quickly caught up. Old man, what was with that smile just now? Weren’t you chuckling the other day during dinner, thinking you got the better of someone? Why are you flipping out now?

The grandfather and granddaughter, accompanied by a few bodyguards, rode to the palace, accompanied also by eight Eunuchs from the palace. This entourage, along the way, attracted no less attention than Ye Xinyan’s visit to the Han Mansion the day before.

With the continuous gazes from passersby, Ye Xinyan grew more certain: the Emperor’s summons must be because she had attracted too much attention finding her way to Han Mansion in men’s clothing. People, brashly fearless of death, aspire to be the Emperor because they have the capital to act willfully—her performance the day before was quite astonishing, but she still had to present herself in that ridiculous outfit to threaten the young lady of the Han Family.

And the Emperor, with just a word, made her put on men’s clothing and display herself to the onlookers of the capital to undo the influence she had caused Han Yufang the day before.

Fortunately, the Han Mansion had already given her Six Thousand Taels of Silver; if it had been delayed until today, it would have certainly fallen through.

Perhaps to let more people see her and sustain a longer-lasting impact, though the eight arrogantly smug Eunuchs rode on horses, they did not travel fast.

Ye Xinyan held the reins in one hand and wiped her forehead with her sleeve. The Emperor himself wasn’t so bad, he hadn’t required her to appear in the exact same attire as the day before. If she had, one glance from His Majesty would have been enough to judge her character.

The group dismounted outside the gates of the palace. Duke An and Ye Xinyan handed their horses to the guards and followed the Eunuchs with unhindered access all the way to the entrance of Yangxin Hall.

The leading eunuch went in to announce their arrival, while the other seven dispersed. It was only then that Ye Xinyan had the opportunity to speak alone with Duke An.

She glanced around once more and asked Duke An in a low voice, "Grandfather, did His Majesty summon us because I went to the Han Mansion to demand silver the day before yesterday? Is it serious?"

Duke An gave her a contemptuous glance and snorted, "Worrying about it now? Isn’t it a bit late?"

Were these really Grandfather’s words?!

Ye Xinyan also gave Duke An a sidelong glance, "Grandfather is not right to speak like this. Don’t you bear any responsibility? If it weren’t for Duke An and Duke An’s Mansion, I wouldn’t dare to confront the Prime Minister’s granddaughter no matter what."

Duke An, the maverick, was pleased when he heard this and nodded in approval, "Hmm, my granddaughter knows how to judge the situation and measure her actions appropriately."

Ye Xinyan blinked, utterly confused by what Duke An meant. The way she managed things, wasn’t it precisely the opposite of having insight and knowing moderation?

Elder Master Ye, can you please make up your mind? Your granddaughter is clashing with the person who is to be the emperor’s future daughter-in-law. Can’t you feel a sense of crisis?

Ye Xinyan wiped her sweat again, thankful that the former Ye Xinyan hadn’t been too close to you, Elder. Otherwise, she might well have poked a hole in the heavens.

Emperor Qianqing was indeed a good man; he didn’t make them wait long by leveraging the supreme power of the emperor. Just as they exchanged these few words, a message came from inside, summoning them to meet.

The emperor looked at the people entering the door, his gaze passing over Duke An to pause on the figure in male clothing behind him. The woman didn’t seem as ignorant and unruly as rumors suggested, following Duke An with lowered eyes and measured steps, matching him perfectly, extremely cautious in her movements.

She followed closely behind Duke An, kneeling to kowtow and chant ’long live’ three times. She mirrored Duke An in everything except for how she referred to herself, not missing a single word.

"Beloved Minister Ye, you may rise," said His Majesty the Emperor, his words intended for Duke An, but his eyes were on Ye Xinyan. He saw the woman lift her head slightly and swiftly glance in his direction, almost without the opportunity to see clearly, as she instantly resumed her kneeling posture.

But in that instant, her clear eyes and lively expression were fully revealed.

Duke An stood up, intending to plead for his granddaughter to be spared from kneeling for too long, but when he saw the emperor looking at Ye Xinyan with interest, he swallowed his words. Let it be, his granddaughter had embarrassed the imperial daughter-in-law. Kneeling a while longer was like paying interest on the six thousand taels of silver.

Ye Xinyan, upon hearing that only Duke An was allowed to stand, indeed snuck a quick glance at the emperor, but saw almost nothing clearly. She only glimpsed the emperor’s posture and didn’t see his face before realizing His Majesty was staring at her and promptly knelt back down with understanding.

This was a feudal society where imperial power reigned supreme. Not suffering much since her arrival here and even flaunting her arrogance occasionally was not due to her own capabilities, but because she belonged to a powerful family background.

Even back when she sold rice tofu in Qingyuan County, Jinrong accommodated her because she was a downtrodden Miss from Duke’s Mansion, piquing his interest. After several encounters, she and Jinrong became friends, and his leniency was toward her as a person, not the granddaughter of Duke An.

The emperor wouldn’t recognize this, for seated in that position, he was alone. Before imperial power, all people and things had to make way and bow down in submission.

There she knelt, submissive, hearing the emperor ask, "I heard Miss Ye greatly admires Prime Minister Han’s granddaughter. How do you express such admiration?"

Uh, what a tricky question! How should she respond? From the emperor’s tone, she couldn’t discern his current mood at all.

His Majesty sat above her, likely scrutinizing her as she couldn’t dare steal even a glance at Duke An without knowing the emperor’s mood, fearing His Majesty would think her audacity was instigated by Duke An.

If the emperor were angry, she mustn’t implicate Duke An, or else she’d lose her last resort of support.