She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 711 - 709: The Discussions It Provoked

Chapter 711: Chapter 709: The Discussions It Provoked

Nearing the Zi Hour, Jiang Yifan finally escorted Ye Xinyan back to Duke An’s Mansion.

The carriage hadn’t yet entered the gate when they happened to encounter a messenger from Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, who said that the boys were enjoying themselves so much that Zhao Gang had taken them to Qushui to enjoy a boat ride. They estimated that it would be very late by the time they finished playing, so they would first rest for the night at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, have a good sleep, and then return the children the next day after lunch.

Ye Xinyan listened with amusement and smiled at Jiang Yifan, "I was worried that Qi Jia and the others wouldn’t have fun without me, but it seems the little ones are enjoying themselves even more."

Jiang Yifan also chuckled. At this rate, in the future, wouldn’t Qi Jia and the others find it dull and restrictive to play with them? It was a bit hurtful.

Ye Xinyan thanked the person from Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion and said, "It’s late now, you should head back. As for Grandfather Qi, I’ll send someone to inform him."

After sending off the person from Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, Jiang Yifan said to Ye Xinyan, "You go back and rest. I’ll go to inform the old master now and check on him while I’m there."

Ye Xinyan thought for a moment and nodded, "It’s good for you to visit Grandfather. After the visit, don’t delay too long. Hurry back home. I’m sure your aunt must be waiting for you. If you return late, it would be unnecessary worry for her."

When everyone discussed going out to see the lanterns during the Lantern Festival, Qi Younian had already said that with his old arms and legs, he was too lazy to squeeze through the crowds and had made plans to drink with the neighbor, Old Man Li.

By this time, the Wong Qiao mother and son, who had been living in the Qi family, had already moved out with Xiuqin and the maid Xiao Cui. The craftsmen and servants who lived with them had also gone out to enjoy themselves, and it was estimated that only Qi Younian, a few old woman servants, and gatekeepers were left in the yard.

On the tenth day of the first month, Wong Qiao went to meet the steward of Prince Fu’s Mansion and unexpectedly received an audience with Prince Fu himself.

Although Wong Qiao didn’t seem very enthusiastic about this appointment, Prince Fu’s Mansion still hired him on fairly generous terms. They also arranged living quarters for Wong Qiao and his mother in the back alley of the mansion—a rather large courtyard with three main rooms and three wing rooms on each side, complete with furniture and decorations, surrounding a large courtyard.

In comparison with their accommodations in the Qi family, this place was much better, which left Lady Zhao extremely satisfied. Her son had moved away from the Qi family, yet the Wong family’s circumstances had greatly improved, allowing her finally to stand tall in front of the Qi family.

On the fifteenth day of the first month, Wong Qiao brought gifts to visit Qi Younian but was unable to stay at the Qi family and keep the old master company with drinks and conversation on the evening of the Lantern Festival.

Therefore, before going to pick up Ye Xinyan, Jiang Yifan had already made one visit. Now, to say hello once more, he wanted to prevent Qi Jia and the others from coming back and leaving the old man feeling lonely at home.

When Jiang Yifan arrived, Qi Younian had just seen off Old Man Li. After hearing the news Jiang Yifan brought, he simply cursed "Those stinky boys" with a laugh and urged him to head back early, not to let the family worry. He showed none of the loneliness that Jiang Yifan feared.

...

Once the fifteenth of the first month had passed, the court resumed official duties. Although everyone had enjoyed themselves the previous night, on the sixteenth of the first month, those who had to go to the imperial court did so, and those who were required at the Yamen presented themselves as usual.

What surprised the civil and military officials of the entire court was that on the first day after the end-of-year court session, the palace sent out three eunuchs. Each holding a resplendent royal decree, they went to Prime Minister Han’s Mansion, General Huwei’s Mansion, and Assistant Minister of Rites Sun Tingyue’s residence to deliver the decrees—all related to the marriage of Prince Yu.

By noon, most of the people in the capital knew that the content of these three eunuchs’ proclamation was about Prince Yu’s marriage arrangements, which named a Principal Wife and two Concubines for him all at once.

The Principal Wife was naturally Han Yufang, the granddaughter of Grand Secretary Han Yanhui. The two Concubines were Shi Lan, the daughter of General Huwei Shi Zongyi, and Sun Shumin, the daughter of Assistant Minister of Rites Sun Tingyue.

In the capital, the families with some status were abuzz with discussions.

Prince Yu was already twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, and since there was neither a princess consort nor an heir in his mansion, it was high time for him to remarry. Hence, the focus of most people’s discussions was not on Prince Yu’s marriage, but rather on the event a few days ago when the emperor summoned Ye Xinyan, Duke An’s granddaughter.

The emperor’s decision to arrange Prince Yu’s marriage was naturally set before the end of the year, and Ye Xinyan, the woman who had caused a disturbance at the City God Temple, was not just Prime Minister Han’s granddaughter, but also the future princess consort.

Not only did the Ye family’s woman refuse to back down during her conflict with the future princess consort, but she also brazenly made a so-called visit to the Han Mansion afterward. It was clear to anyone that her visit was anything but innocent, and her malicious intent was evident.

Yet, despite causing trouble, she came away unscathed. Even though the emperor prominently had her appear in male attire, she was still not punished, and no one even knew what took place during the meeting.

Afterwards, Miss Ye went about her business as usual, unaffected in the slightest.

At this point, Duke An’s Mansion and Ye Xinyan were seen in a different light by the people. Had they received greater imperial favor? But why?

The court officials were focused on matters of interest, but the stance of the Crown Prince, Prince Fu, and the aligned officials was different.

Prince Fu behaved normally while carrying out his official duties, but as soon as he returned to his mansion and entered his study, his countenance grew dark.

The principal registrar Shi Dong and one of the advisors Liu Yu had been waiting for Prince Fu, already informed of Prince Yu’s marriage. Upon hearing of their lord’s return, they immediately sought an audience.

After the three of them sat down, there was a long silence.

After a while, it was Liu Yu who broke the silence first and asked, "Your Highness, did you notice during the court session if anyone knew of this matter in advance?" If the emperor had kept only the prince and his supporters in the dark, it would not bode well.

Prince Fu understood Liu Yu’s implication and shook his head, "There shouldn’t be many who knew. From what I saw, only Han Yanhui and Shi Zongyi seemed to be in the know beforehand; even Sun Tingyue had no idea his youngest daughter would enter the prince’s mansion. It took quite some time for the news to spread, and when people congratulated Sun Tingyue, he still seemed to be in a daze. To my surprise, it appeared that Duke An was also aware."

"Oh?" Liu Yu was surprised, "This matter has nothing to do with Duke An. How could he know? And since he knew that Prime Minister Han’s granddaughter was to marry into the prince’s mansion, why didn’t he restrain his granddaughter from using the reputation of the princess consort to threaten the Han family? That’s rather bold."

Prince Fu pondered for a moment before saying, "Ever since Lao Liu visited Yuyuan Prefecture and returned, he’s made no secret of his relationship with Jiang Yifan. I think that Ye Xinyan, precisely because she knew Han Yufang would marry into the prince’s mansion and that the Han family couldn’t afford to let her reputation be damaged, behaved so fearlessly at the Han Mansion’s doorstep."

"Just for six thousand taels of silver, to blatantly damage the reputation of an imperial daughter-in-law? Isn’t that too childish? Duke An, Prince Yu, Jiang Yifan—all of them just watched her make a scene?" exclaimed Shi Dong, unable to believe his ears.

It was utterly inconceivable; this was exactly like those notorious bastard moves. The relationships among the elite of the capital have always been intricate, where an extra word spoken or an action taken could lead to scrutiny.

Yet for the Ye family’s woman, merely for the purpose of extorting six thousand taels of silver from the Han family, she used the reputation of an imperial daughter-in-law as a threat. If she were an ordinary person, that would be tantamount to seeking death. Even for a child of an official’s family, it would be inviting disaster upon their own household.

But why did Ye Xinyan face no consequences?

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