She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 726 - 724: All Heard by Word of Mouth

Chapter 726: Chapter 724: All Heard by Word of Mouth

Madam Yin this time did not silence Ye Xinyan’s words, but cast her hesitant gaze upon Ye Yuan’s chubby little face, resembling a dollop of powder. Gazing into those clear, large eyes and the expressionless face that still smiled cheerfully at her, Madam Yin unexpectedly began to doubt the days to come.

Indeed, trapped in Duke An’s Mansion, this quagmire, her mood was naturally foul, and with troubles arising every two or three days, how could her daughter live a peaceful life?

If Madam Yin could be somewhat pliable on the issue of divorce, that would be for the best, and it meant that things were largely on track for success.

Having communicated with Jiang Yifan regarding this matter, Ye Xinyan no longer had time to agonize over it. She started to be kept busy by Madam Yin, selecting fabrics, trying on clothes, and looking at jewelry day in and day out.

Ever since Ye Xinyan fled the capital years ago until now, although she had returned once in the meantime, staying over two months in the capital, she did not participate much in the gatherings of noble ladies in the capital. At most, she had made a couple of appearances during the New Year celebrations at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion.

After the New Year, as the court resumed, and after the emperor arranged a marriage for Jinrong, Han Yufang, as Jinrong’s Principal Wife, once hosted a literary gathering at Han Mansion. Although invitations were sent to Duke An’s Mansion, Ye Xinyan had that three-Chapter agreement with Jinrong and did not go to Han Mansion to pay respects to the future princess consort.

Speaking of which, this spring welcoming gathering at General Huwei’s Mansion would be Ye Xinyan’s first official reappearance among the capital’s noble ladies since that embarrassing incident, and Madam Yin could not treat it lightly.

Ye Xinyan could understand Madam Yin’s feelings, and she also had to take into account Jiang Yifan’s reputation; she couldn’t let others think Jiang Yifan was a man who chose poorly, could she?

Five days later, on the morning of February 28, Madam Yin came to Ye Xinyan’s room and watched intently as she dressed and made up.

After several days of selection, Ye Xinyan chose a light cyan outfit, embroidered with patterns of the same color and decorated with green plums of varying shades. Although the color of the clothes seemed somewhat muted, the embroidery revealed a depth of character, matched with green plums, it appeared transcendentally elegant. Especially the long skirt embroidered with patterns and embellished with green plums swayed ethereally with her movements.

Ye Xinyan never liked gold jewelry, and wearing this outfit, naturally she couldn’t adorn herself with gold-inlaid jade or similar jewelry. The two accessories she chose to weigh down her skirt were a pair of pendants inlaid with red and blue gems in silver.

Having the rare opportunity to go out, it was essential to wear the red-feathered green jade bracelet given by Jiang Yifan. Its emerald color complemented her outfit perfectly.

Nanny Huang personally attended to her, inserting a silver pin encrusted with red and green gems into her Hanging Horse Bun. Several broken gemstone hairpins added splashes of color to her hair, while a pair of silver earrings twined with green gems dangled from her ears, their silver brightness always giving off a refined elegance.

Madam Yin scrutinized Ye Xinyan from head to toe several times, thoroughly pleased. While examining her, she exclaimed in admiration, "Our Ah Yan is the epitome of beauty, with such a graceful figure, everything she wears looks lovely."

Ye Xinyan couldn’t help but purse her lips upon hearing this; if everything she wore looked lovely, why had she been put through the endless cycle of dressing and undressing, undressing and dressing these past days? During these days, Madam Yin and the two nannies had fussed over her so much that her head spun, making her dizzy even when looking at construction books.

Madam Yin praised for a while, and then finally concentrated her gaze on Ye Xinyan’s face, slightly dissatisfied, "This complexion is still a bit lacking, if only you spent less time out in the wind and sun, our Ah Yan’s beauty would be peerless in the entire capital."

Nanny Huang and Nanny Jin stood to the side, pursing their lips in amusement but remained silent.

As a mother, Madam Yin really had enough confidence, didn’t she? Did she not have any idea of her daughter’s beauty? To proclaim that her daughter was peerless across the entire capital? It was as if she believed the world lacked beautiful women.

Ye Xinyan felt awkward and could no longer bear to listen, "Mother, I am already in my twenties, and I am already someone with a husband. How I look is no longer important, okay?"

Madam Yin also smiled, "Ah Yan is right, as long as Yuanfan likes her, no one else is qualified to critique any aspect of our Ah Yan."

Ye Xinyan was speechless once again.

Nanny Huang reminded from the side, "It’s getting late, shouldn’t we go and wait in the Duchess’s room? We wouldn’t want to keep the Duchess waiting for us."

The family of Duke An’s Mansion, spanning three generations, took three separate carriages to General Huwei’s Mansion. There were indeed many guests attending this banquet at General Huwei’s Mansion, coming to show their support driven by the emperor’s decree and the face of Prince Yu’s Consort. Families with even the slightest connection showed up to join in the fun.

The female relatives of Duke’s Mansion stood at a higher social rank and had the relationship with Duke An and General Huwei, which made them quite significant. People were already waiting for them. Upon seeing the carriages of Duke An’s Mansion approaching, stewards welcomed them and led the carriages along a side passage directly into the mansion, stopping in a corridor.

Madam Liu, the wife of General Huwei, had just finished escorting the female relatives of the Minister of Rites and had come out to greet the Duchesses. "I was just saying when the Duchess would arrive. We have a few more guests today; I hope you weren’t squeezed... And Eldest Lady Yin, we haven’t seen each other for a few days. Oh, our Miss Ye is becoming more and more charming by the day. Just look at that countenance and attire, truly like the image of a fairy."

Madam Liu spoke with a warm cordiality, leading the grandmother and grandchildren inside to the Flower Hall of the Inner Residence, while sneaking several glances at Miss Ye from the corner of her eye.

What she had just said was not merely polite conversation; Miss Ye really did look different from before, even her appearance had changed, softened a lot. Although her complexion was not as fair as that of the women of the Inner Residence, there was a distinct brightness and efficiency about her.

Madam Liu did not expect that the granddaughter of the Duke, who had lived with such a temperament for over a decade, could completely transform her character and appearance after an incident capable of ruining her, and at the age of only in her twenties, demonstrate a different kind of beauty.

Madam Liu settled the Duchesses in the Flower Hall to sit with the wife of Liu Chengzhi, the second counsellor, Old Lady Pei, and others.

Meanwhile, Shi Lan also came to welcome Ye Xinyan and led her toward the area where the young women were laughing and talking.

Shi Lan was fifteen this year, not quite the same age as Ye Xinyan. When Ye Xinyan ran away from home, Shi Lan was just over ten years old, so her impression of the Duke’s superior officer’s granddaughter was mostly from hearsay without actual interaction.

Until the last year or two, she had heard other things about the miss, with mixed reviews. However, criticism outweighed praise, and there wasn’t much commendation.

During the New Year’s festivities at Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion, Shi Lan also saw Ye Xinyan, but since she was not the host and with an age difference between them, they had not spoken.

Seeing her again today, however, gave Shi Lan a refreshing feeling; this woman, once criticized by the Capital’s Noble Ladies, turned out to be a beauty.

Previously, when people mentioned her or watched her from a distance, they always talked about how unruly and arrogant she was; it seemed that no one had paid attention to her appearance.

While leading Ye Xinyan towards the side hall, Shi Lan said with a smile, "We have quite a few guests today, including fourth madam of Lord Ji family, and sisters from the Yin Family who are well acquainted with Sister Ye."

Ye Xinyan smiled and replied, "Just lead me in; there’s no need to worry about the rest. You have many things to attend to, go on with your duties."

Although Shi Lan did not dare to just place her anywhere -- even if this Miss Ye seemed harmless -- what if? There had not been a few at the Han Mansion literary meeting who had expressed disdain for her. She felt she at least owed it to herself to settle her with the Yin Family sisters before she could relax.