She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 706 - 704

Chapter 706: 704

Ye Xinyan cast aside how Duke An suddenly became an obstinate gentleman.

"Forget it, forget it. It’s more important to figure out how His Majesty will demand this debt from me," she thought. That was the pressing matter. As for Duke An, there was no need for worry. It wasn’t his first time appearing before the emperor. Once he came to his senses, he would naturally return to his usual self, knowing that only fools would behave as he had just now.

If only His Majesty the Emperor, busy with the affairs of the world, could forget about her, a mere girl.

With many thoughts in her mind, Ye Xinyan entered Duke An’s Mansion. After dismounting, she greeted Duke An with a bow.

Duke An spoke earnestly, "Don’t delay. Go back and reply to your mother quickly; she must be worried about you."

Indeed, when Madam Yin heard about the imperial summons and that it required Yinyan to see the emperor dressed as a man, her complexion immediately changed.

Ye Xinyan quickly excused herself and headed towards the Second Gate to reply to Madam Yin.

Duke An struggled to maintain a solemn and stern expression until he entered his study, at which point he burst into laughter. His granddaughter really was extraordinary; the current emperor was so cunning that he wasn’t easily fooled.

Yet, faced with the emperor’s stern questioning, his granddaughter had not only responded, but her reply was utterly splendid—she almost made His Majesty laugh himself into an internal injury.

Duke An laughed while wiping his forehead with relief. Fortunately, His Majesty had only coughed twice and hadn’t actually suffered an internal injury. Otherwise, wouldn’t Xinyan’s crime be too great?

He had indeed underestimated his granddaughter. He had praised her previously for the brilliantly written compensation note, thinking it was just a fluke, a one-time feat.

Who knew that his granddaughter naturally had such talent? Today’s witty dialogue with His Majesty the Emperor proved it. She had managed to portray her impolite disruption at Han Yanhui’s residence as dignified and justifiable, truly teflon-coated.

He had dealt with the emperor not for three or five years but knew well that His Majesty originally intended to pressure his granddaughter.

The Emperor had indeed harbored the intention to suppress his granddaughter. Only by intimidating her into fear, could he use her to his best advantage. His Majesty’s intentions at the time were clear, and even he, an old minister who always held some influence before the emperor, did not dare to give his granddaughter the slightest hint.

Yet, when confronted with the Emperor’s fierce questioning, his granddaughter brushed it off with a few faint words, smoothly deflecting the matter. Not only did she tell no lies, but her responses were also impeccable, leaving no room for criticism.

Such a granddaughter who brought honor to her grandfather—besides himself, Duke An, who else could boast such a family member?

Duke An, with his profound capabilities, held back his laughter all the way until he returned to his mansion. Only when he entered his study did he let out the laughter.

And Emperor Qianqing didn’t need to suppress his seriousness for so long. As Duke and his granddaughter left the Yangxin Hall, even as His Majesty was still looking dignified picking up the teacup, planning to take a sip to calm himself, he suddenly couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

The Grand Steward of the royal palace, Zhang Cunhai, also couldn’t resist and trembled slightly.

Miss Ye was truly an outlier; she not only handled herself admirably with her words but her explanations were excellent as well. It turns out that just a few choice words can elegantly transform an originally discordant scene.

After laughing for a while, His Majesty pointed at Zhang Cunhai and asked, "Do you remember the exact words Miss Ye from the Ye Family said just now? Repeat it for me."

The people who serve by the Emperor’s side are naturally not just adept at serving tea and water; their quick-wittedness and adaptability are second to none.

Zhang Cunhai recounted Ye Xinyan’s speech, filled with diplomatic phrasing, and pleased His Majesty greatly. The Emperor recalled Ye Xinyan’s corresponding explanations, chuckled merrily once more, and then said, "So it turns out that such disgraceful behavior, such unpleasant scenes, could be described so righteously and imposingly."

After speaking, the Emperor still felt unsatisfied. "Zhang Cunhai, have someone write down that speech and its explanations for those good-for-nothings at the Honglu Temple. In vain they all regard themselves as extremely learned, yet when dealing with envoys from other countries, they can’t even speak coherently. If they had such eloquence, those five cities in the Northwest would rightfully be ours, with no cause for criticism or censure."

......

In the days leading up to the court convening, rumors spread through the capital about a garishly dressed young lord swaggering through the streets, claiming to admire Miss Han of the Han Mansion and paying her a visit.

This rumor did not spread widely in the capital, and those ignorant enough to believe that it was a man were only a small part of the idle crowd. Those with even a little bit of background and family heritage knew that it was not some young lord, but Miss Ye of Duke An’s Mansion who had deliberately dressed up in that manner to cause trouble for the Han Mansion.

The Han Family, having been bested in a round of arguments with Miss Ye, naturally did not care to discuss the details and reasons. As for the Ye Family, it was out of the question because it involved their granddaughter Xinyan’s precarious reputation, which had to be handled with utmost care.

Therefore, the uninformed onlookers could only speculate.

The reason Miss Ye went to trouble the Han Mansion must have been because of the clash at the City God Temple on the eighth day of the month, where Miss Han and Miss Ye had a confrontation, escalating to a full-blown brawl.

The people backing Miss Ye were from the Qi family where she had once taken refuge; it was likely that Miss Ye couldn’t swallow her pride, hence she resorted to this method to disgust Miss Han.

Although many people knew that the person who went to the Han Mansion was a woman, others were still willing to spread the rumors far and wide for the sake of making the incident more interesting.

And for another part of the informed populace, their curiosity about Miss Ye was undiminished. A woman who could so unabashedly, and unashamedly dress in such a vulgar manner, truly had the air of the former Miss Ye.

Thus, it seemed that the reputation Miss Ye had been trying to salvage over the past two years was, in one night, on the verge of reverting back to its previous state.

The day after Ye Xinyan’s visit to the Han Mansion, the influential and powerful families of the capital were abuzz with discussion, as nearly all recalled what the previous Miss Ye had been like.

Although the current Miss Ye was not as violent as before, the garish clothes she wore that day and her reckless demeanor suggested she might well revert to her old ways.

Many people once again felt pity for the Imperial Top Scholar Jiang Yifan. Could it be that the couple’s horoscopes were truly at odds, for scarcely had they been betrothed when Miss Ye began showing signs of reverting to her old self.

In just one day, various rumors quietly spread among the influential families of the capital. Yet, what truly shocked everyone was that His Majesty the Emperor, too, had heard of it and had summoned Miss Ye to an audience at the palace.

Although Duke An accompanied her on this audience, His Majesty summoning a woman, and to Yangxin Hall no less, was an event unprecedented in many years of the dynasty.

Indeed, it seemed that in the entire Qianqing Dynasty, such an event had never occurred.

If one were to say that His Majesty the Emperor had learned the truth of the matter and wanted to question Ye Xinyan, but the fact was that both granddaughter and grandfather entered the palace in good order and then left just as well. Moreover, it was said that the Emperor was in a particularly good mood that day, having eaten two extra bowls of white rice at noon.

Could it be that, despite Ye Xinyan’s actions, His Majesty the Emperor would summon her to the palace and pay her compliments? For a time, the capital’s residents were abuzz with speculation, none knowing what had truly transpired.