She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 725 - 723: The Future of Duke An’s Mansion

Chapter 725: Chapter 723: The Future of Duke An’s Mansion

Maternal Aunt Zhao followed closely behind as she entered and paid her respects to Ye Xinyan and Madam Yin, then explained with a smile, "Brother Yuan just woke up from his nap not long ago when the maids said they saw Jiu Yue. He must have remembered that Jiu Yue follows Eldest Sister, so he wouldn’t stay put and insisted on finding Eldest Sister. He came here after not finding anyone in Eldest Sister’s courtyard."

Ye Xinyan glanced at Madam Yin from the corner of her eye and, sure enough, noticed that Madam Yin appeared quite indifferent towards Maternal Aunt Zhao. Madam Yin shifted subtly farther away on the couch, clearly meaning to put more distance between herself and Ye Yuan.

"Cui Zhu, bring a stool for Maternal Aunt Zhao," Ye Xinyan ordered.

Maternal Aunt Zhao, knowing how to read the room, was aware that Madam Yin didn’t favor her and certainly wouldn’t linger in her quarters. But, considering that Maternal Aunt Zhao was so sensible, they still owed her that social courtesy on their part.

Indeed, Maternal Aunt Zhao declined with a smile: "No need. I have some matters to attend to in my own quarters. If Eldest Lady and Madam have no further instructions, I shall take my leave."

Maternal Aunt Zhao left Ye Yuan’s nanny and maids behind, paid her respects once more, and withdrew.

Watching Ye Xinyan cuddle and play with Ye Yuan, Madam Yin couldn’t help but sigh and say, "Ah Yan, you’re not young anymore, and Yuanfan hopes for you to enter the Jiang Family’s household soon. You should settle down, get married, and start having children. What’s the use of doting on someone else’s child?"

Every time Madam Yin laid eyes on Ye Yuan, she was reminded of Ye Hongyang, which in turn made her think of the wasted years at Duke An’s Mansion with a man not worth her time. Reflecting on it, her entire life seemed like a joke.

As Ye Xinyan teased Ye Yuan and glanced at Madam Yin again, she responded with little concern, "We’ll see. I don’t feel at ease leaving you alone in the mansion."

"What’s there to be concerned about? I’ve been managing for many years." Madam Yin quickly became anxious. If this reasoning were valid, wouldn’t her daughter never marry and always stay at Duke An’s Mansion?

"You girl, when will you ever let me have peace of mind?" Madam Yin held her chest, feeling she might sooner or later be troubled with heart disease because of her precious daughter.

Ye Xinyan glanced at Madam Yin again and darkened her eyes involuntarily. She still had concerns—how could she not worry? Looking at her mother’s position, the couch was only so big; if it could be any bigger, she feared her mother might have to sit outside the room.

In the future, Duke An’s Mansion would belong to Ye Yuan. Once Ye Xinyan married and Duke An and his Duchess passed away, where in Ye Yuan’s Duke An’s Mansion could Madam Yin hide?

If she distanced herself from Ye Yuan or lived at a country estate, that would make Ye Yuan appear unfilial. But if Ye Yuan really became the next Duke An with Ye Xinyan’s support, Madam Yin probably wouldn’t let him bear the accusation of being unfilial, would she?

So, how could Madam Yin not suffer if she lived at Duke An’s Mansion?

Ye Yuan, with his arms around Ye Xinyan’s neck and his clear, large eyes looking at Madam Yin, said to Ye Xinyan, "That, that... angry?"

Ye Xinyan replied with a smile, "Our Brother Yuan is the brightest, even able to tell that mother is angry. Mother is just troubled with some business issues, it’s not anger, but worries about the business."

Ye Yuan stammered, "Brother... business..."

Madam Yin’s complexion changed, but Ye Xinyan chuckled audibly.

"Mother, did you hear that? This little one is already plotting against your Silver Coin and family business."

Upon hearing Ye Xinyan’s words, Madam Yin’s face turned even darker.

They say children speak without restraint, but such a small child probably doesn’t even know what business is. If he speaks such words, it’s certainly not with real intention to plot anything. More likely, he thinks that this ’business’ is something bad, and he’s speaking in defense of her.

However, she didn’t want to have too much to do with this child, nor entangle too much emotion with him. This was Ye Hongyang’s son, the child of the man whom she now found repulsive, and another woman.

"Enough, is this how you upset your own mother? He’s just a little kid, and I know how to discern the good from the bad. You’d better rest up. It won’t be long before Brother Jia comes back, and then there will be noise," Madam Yin said, somewhat resentfully.

Ye Xinyan glanced at Nanny Huang and Song Ping’s Household, and they understood, quickly ushering all the maidservants and old woman servants in the room to leave, which included Ye Yuan’s wet nurse and maidservants being led away by Song Ping’s Household.

Once Madam Yin saw the room clear of people, she glanced at Ye Yuan and couldn’t help but furrow her brows. This was someone else’s child. Without their servants close by to watch over him, if the child bumped or bruised himself, or felt headachy and unwell after going back, it would be trouble for her.

"If you have something to say, just let them take the child out. It’s always better to have the people from your grandmother and Maternal Aunt Zhao watching over him. If someone takes advantage of the situation and causes trouble, how will you clear things up then?"

Ye Xinyan, seemingly unconcerned, said, "As long as we have a clear conscience, that’s what matters. Should we change our own nature just because we’re scared of involvement?" Seeing Madam Yin was about to speak, she quickly added, "Alright, alright. Later, I’ll personally take Ye Yuan back and speak to Guan He to keep an eye on Maternal Aunt Zhao’s courtyard at night. No one will have the opportunity to act."

"What is it that you want to talk to me about?" Madam Yin asked with a furrowed brow, urging her on. She was eager to finish the conversation and have the child’s attendants called back in. The longer she and her daughter stayed alone with someone else’s child, the worse it was.

Ye Yuan, with his big, round eyes, looked back and forth between the two adults as if knowing that the grown-ups had serious matters to discuss, and he obediently didn’t make a fuss.

Ye Xinyan said, "Mother, look at Brother Yuan, what a good child he is—lively, smart, and well-behaved. But you always act like this. You already have insurmountable issues within the Duke’s Mansion; why insist on staying here?"

Ye Yuan seemed to understand that he was being praised by Ye Xinyan and, with a mouth revealing several little teeth, giggled continuously, kicking vigorously within Ye Xinyan’s embrace.

Yet, for Madam Yin, no matter how she looked, she felt no sense of closeness or affection.

"Mother, why are you always so stubborn? Maybe if you leave the Duke’s Mansion, you’ll be rid of that knot in your heart and then you’ll see how lovely Brother Yuan is. If you stay in the mansion, you’ll have to interact with Brother Yuan for a long time. It’s not worth spending the latter half of your life in awkward terms with Maternal Aunt Zhao, is it? Tell me, if your days in the mansion aren’t happy, how could I be at ease?"

People change. Currently, Duke An’s Mansion has Duke An and his Wife, and Ye Xinyan, with Maternal Aunt Zhao at a disadvantage, thus holding back any malicious intent for the sake of her son, willing to give in at every turn.

However, Ye Yuan was raised by Maternal Aunt Zhao. Their natural mother-son bond is something Madam Yin, as his legitimate mother, simply can’t compare with. In the future, as Maternal Aunt Zhao’s son becomes part of Duke An’s Mansion, the prospect of Madam Yin and Maternal Aunt Zhao being in the mansion together is not something anyone would find comfortable.