She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 738 - 736: This Is How Your Legitimate Elder Sister Grew Up

Chapter 738: Chapter 736: This Is How Your Legitimate Elder Sister Grew Up

It was clear what Madam Zhou meant; she didn’t want to see her anymore, did she?

Once Ye Xinyi heard the words passed on by the maid, she immediately placed her hand on a teacup, her grip tightening and loosening, again and again, almost biting her lip through, but in the end, she dared not smash the teacup to the floor.

Maternal Aunt Liu from Liu Xiang’s residence who followed in hurriedly came forward, steadied her arm, took the teacup from her hand, and said in a low voice, "Fourth madam, please restrain your anger for the moment. The madam is furious right now; we must not cause any more trouble." Saying this, she gestured for her to look at the young master who was playing on the couch.

Ye Xinyi glanced at Ji Sheng, who was intently fitting together a tangram, and took a deep breath. Madam Zhou’s actions, showing no consideration for her dignity in front of her sisters-in-law, filled Ye Xinyi’s heart with anger.

Yet as time ticked away and dinner had been reheated twice, Ji Chengru had still not returned, Ye Xinyi’s anger slowly turned to anxiousness.

In the past, even if Ji Chengru did not come back for dinner, he would always send someone to tell her, allowing her to dine herself. But today, after the incident, Ji Chengru also changed his usual ways, making it impossible for her not to worry.

Under the earnest gaze of Ji Sheng, she had no choice but to serve him dinner first and let him eat.

Ye Xinyi, looking at the soup and dishes in front of her that had gone cold once more, turned her dull gaze towards Maternal Aunt Liu from Liu Xiang’s residence. Even the young Ji Sheng realized something was amiss and nestled quietly by his wet nurse’s side, not daring to make a sound.

Maternal Aunt Liu from Liu Xiang’s residence also inwardly sighed, gestured to the maids to reheat the meal again, and then advised Ye Xinyi, "Fourth madam, please eat first. You didn’t have lunch and you can’t go on like this. If you’re concerned about Fourth Master, you can set aside food for him."

It wasn’t until the Xu Hour that Ji Sheng, unable to resist sleepiness, fell asleep, and Ji Chengru returned looking exhausted.

Seeing Ye Xinyi who had approached him cautiously, Ji Chengru’s expression was rather complex. He did not say much, only changed out of his robe and put on home clothes, and sat on the kang bed.

Having learned that Ji Chengru had already eaten dinner with Madam Zhou, Ye Xinyi felt even more uneasy. After she brought the tea, she stood nervously at the edge of the kang bed, as if hesitating, not knowing how to start a conversation.

After a long while, Ji Chengru remained silent, so Ye Xinyi finally could not hold back, and said with difficulty, "Husband, your concubine... Your concubine has made a mistake today. It was not intentional, and I did not anticipate the severe consequences. Husband... could you forgive your concubine?"

As she spoke, she looked at Ji Chengru with tearful eyes.

Ji Chengru’s heart skipped a beat and then he recalled what his mother had said. After a pause, he sent the maids out of the room and then asked, "Has your legitimate elder sister treated you unfairly in any way?"

Ye Xinyi did not expect Ji Chengru’s first question to be this, and involuntarily blurted out, "She..." Of course she has wronged me, that blockhead, that fool, yet she occupies the position of the legitimate daughter. For all these years, no matter how outstanding I may be, whenever legitimacy is mentioned, I am the lower person, the concubine-born daughter. And that idiot Ye Xinyan, no matter how irresponsible she is, remains the legitimate daughter, no matter what kind of joke she becomes, someone is always there to clean up after her.

She has taken away what should have belonged to me! Now, she has snatched away everything our mother and siblings possess; of course, she has wronged me!

Ye Xinyi pursed her lips hard, managing to swallow the words that had almost tumbled out, then looked tearfully at Ji Chengru and said, "She, I have been beloved by Aunt Liu from a young age, and now Aunt Liu’s circumstances are so miserable. I, I was just distressed by Aunt Liu’s situation, which is why I lost control and made a mistake today. Your concubine only wanted to vent for Aunt Liu, not knowing the serious consequences. Your concubine is willing to be punished, just hoping that mother and husband won’t be angry with me."

As she spoke, Ye Xinyi began to sob softly.

Ji Chengru struggled for a while before speaking in a dejected tone, "I’ve always thought of you as a clever woman, and indeed, you are one. So you must have always found me easy to deceive, right?"

Ye Xinyi was taken aback by Ji Chengru’s response, which was completely unexpected. She looked up in astonishment, "No, how could that be? My lord, my lord must not treat me this way. My lord is my everything, the entirety of my life. If my lord gives up on me too, I would truly have nowhere to turn." She began to cry.

This time, Ye Xinyi was genuinely scared and her cries were real. In some sense, Ji Chengru indeed represented her entire world, similar to her maternal aunt who, without her father’s love and even after his loss of status, suddenly found herself stripped of everything, including the shops and properties she held, and was even imprisoned.

Thinking of Maternal Aunt Liu’s current plight, and recalling Madam Yin’s earlier circumstances, Yexinyi shuddered.

Ji Chengru, watching his crying wife, had a moment of realization. Her tears this time were different from the past; could it be as his mother said, that her previous mournful and woeful demeanor was all an act?

"According to rumors, a long time ago, the wife of the heir of Duke An was given a potion that destroyed her ability to have children. Though the culprit was never found, everyone says that the perpetrator was the Crown Prince’s only concubine, Maternal Aunt Liu," Ji Chengru looked at Ye Xinyi.

Ye Xinyi was startled and quickly denied it, "Why would my lord mention this? It wasn’t my maternal aunt. The wife of the heir apparent comes from a distinguished family, and my maternal aunt’s background is humble. If it had been her doing, my maternal aunt would have lost her life long ago."

Ji Chengru narrowed his eyes, "So you’re aware of the wife of the heir apparent’s distinguished background."

Ye Xinyi mumbled and stopped talking.

Ji Chengru continued, "The wife of the heir apparent was denied offspring, and the only one who would benefit from that is Maternal Aunt Liu. Her illustrious background alone, in any other household, with or without evidence, would mean a death sentence for a concubine. But Maternal Aunt Liu emerged unscathed, and you and your two brothers grew up like legitimate children into adulthood."

At this point, Ji Chengru stroked the rim of his teacup, puzzled by the fact that he had never considered these things before.

"In fact, Maternal Aunt Liu and your brothers living so splendidly in the Duke’s Mansion, you all should be more grateful to the wife of the Duke’s Heir Apparent and Miss Ye. You have occupied everything that ought to belong to the legitimate wife and daughter," he said.

Ji Chengru suddenly looked up at Ye Xinyi and asked abruptly, "Am I not right?"

"Of course not, those things inherently belong to..." Ye Xinyi reflexively began to argue, then realized her mistake mid-sentence and quickly stopped.

"So you do believe that those things should rightfully belong to you and your mother," he sighed.

Ye Xinyi, realizing that today’s Ji Chengru was unlike before, knelt down with a thump, reaching inside the edge of the kang bed, and grasping at Ji Chengru’s everyday robe, she cried and pleaded, "No, it’s not like that. My lord, it was not intentional, I didn’t know things would turn out this way, I did not mean to cause trouble for the family. Please forgive me this once."

Ji Chengru felt repulsed looking at Ye Xinyi’s current state. Did this mean that the wife who had shared his bed before was never the real her?

"I don’t know about the affairs between you women, but my mother said that although Miss Ye is still as arrogant and undisciplined as before, she’s become much more cunning and intelligent. If she had encountered something like today’s issue in the past, she would have probably thrown herself at Grandma Wang and others until she muddled the situation entirely, making it impossible to trace the sequence of events. In the end, the consensus would remain that Miss Ye was presumptuous and reckless, and after that, her reputation for misconduct and even promiscuity would spread throughout the Flourishing Capital," he said.

Ji Chengru looked down at Ye Xinyi and added, "Actually, that was your plan all along, wasn’t it? After all, that’s how you and your legitimate elder sister grew up. Thus, you’ve earned a reputation for being virtuous and intelligent, while your legitimate elder sister is known for being aggressive and scandalous."