She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 740 - 738: Not Resenting the Minister’s Granddaughter

Chapter 740: Chapter 738: Not Resenting the Minister’s Granddaughter

Although the officials swept up in the superior’s rage did not know what had happened, they could not deceive the ears and eyes of the Emperor.

By evening, Lih Mian reported on the day’s affairs, among which was: General Huwei’s Mansion had hosted a Spring Welcome Banquet, during which various young ladies and matrons exchanged pleasantries and laughter...

"It’s the granddaughter of Duke An again..." After hearing the report, His Majesty let out a wistful sigh, ending with a drawn-out tone.

The attendant Zhang Cunhai and the reporting Lih Mian exchanged glances, unsure of the implications behind the Emperor’s sigh, and both remained silent.

After a while, the Emperor spoke again, "This Ye Xinyan’s ability to cause a stir surpasses that of a dozen or so prodigals from other families; she must be able to satisfy Duke An’s wishes."

These words still did not seem intended for conversation.

Zhang Cunhai and the others dared not respond, but they sighed in relief internally. Judging by His Majesty’s tone, it seemed he was not displeased. That was a relief; if His Majesty were to lose his temper like the two Cabinet elders, they would have been sweating bullets.

After the Emperor’s soliloquy, he looked up to see Lih Mian still bowing in place and waved him off, "That will be all, you may go. Attend to your duties well."

Lih Mian was startled, hastily agreed, and backed away a few steps before hurrying off. As he walked, he wondered what was wrong with the Emperor. Usually, a wave of the hand was his cue to exit, but today he had added a phrase, instructing him to attend to his duties well.

What did ’attend to your duties well’ mean? Could it be that His Majesty thought he had not handled this assignment well? But his only responsibility was to collect information from all quarters; he had no authority to intervene in or prevent incidents. Moreover, his agents were not those who operated openly, which His Majesty was aware of.

Was the Emperor displeased with the timing of his report? That seemed unlikely; considering that the incident at Shi Zongyi’s residence today had been kept under wraps, his ability to obtain such clear information was quite efficient.

However, these thoughts he could only entertain in his mind, as he certainly did not dare to question the Emperor—he still wished to live a few more years.

Alas, Elder Master Ye was their senior, and he always defended his own. Otherwise, he would have gone to seek Elder Master Ye’s help. He could ask the elder to keep his granddaughter under control, so as not to make those carrying out their duties tremble with fear.

The incident at the Han Mansion last time had troubled him for a long while. Reporting it would risk offending Elder Master Ye. Not reporting it, he feared, might lead to reproach from His Majesty once he found out. Why had his tasks become increasingly challenging?

Indeed, the saying that a clean official finds it difficult to settle household affairs is true; matters involving the women of the inner court are indeed more troublesome than dealing with rough men.

...

The Emperor, left alone in the inner chamber, furrowed his brow in thought for a while before turning to his side and asking, "Zhang Cunhai, what do you make of today’s commotion? Four Cabinet elders saw two and a half of their number sneak off to attend to personal matters, and there were also Secretaries, Vice-Ministers, and officials of the fourth and sixth ranks leaving in droves. They threw tantrums without restraint in the government office, yet they still wish to keep matters under wraps. Doesn’t this count as deceiving the Emperor?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cunhai shuddered in fright and gaped at the Emperor.

What does Your Majesty mean? This matter surely doesn’t qualify as deceiving the Emperor. Even if you are discontent and wish to find trouble with someone, just picking a few you don’t like would suffice. To accuse so many of the serious crime of deceiving the Emperor... If in the end, you wished to step back, wouldn’t it be difficult to justify?

The Emperor watched Zhang Cunhai’s reaction and raised his previously furrowed brow, "Would it be so bad to charge them with deceiving the Emperor? Hmm, it wouldn’t be good, hard to manage afterwards. Yet they are only concerned with their own enjoyment, and think to keep me in the dark, truly unforgivable!"

Can this be considered enjoyment? If it was enjoyment, why would the two Excellencies fly into such a rage? It was because someone had trampled on their dignity, leaving them fuming!

Zhang Cunhai steadied himself, tactfully agreed, "Yes, what His Majesty said is true, it is somewhat improper." Surely, His Majesty must feel that he missed out on the excitement, that he failed to share the joy with the people, and hence, he is displeased. It must be so, yes, that’s good, that’s good.

Zhang Cunhai breathed a sigh of relief.

The next day at the Imperial Court, after all the ministers had finished their reports, the Emperor, seemingly out of nowhere, called out, "Beloved Minister Ye." In the court, the only minister with the surname Ye was Duke An.

Duke An didn’t think anything was amiss and stepped forward to respond, "Your servant is here."

But people like Han Yanhui felt a tingle on their scalp. They were still angry, and at this critical moment, His Majesty had singled out Duke An. Could the Emperor possibly be aware of yesterday’s incident?

Han Yanhui quickly shot a glance at Liu Chengzhi.

Liu Chengzhi’s eyelids were drooping, his eyeballs moving back and forth beneath them, also feeling surprised. It would not be difficult for the Emperor to find out about yesterday’s incident if he wanted to. But that was a squabble amongst the women of the inner court; surely His Majesty wouldn’t bring it up at the Imperial Court?

Duke An bowed slightly, waiting for the Emperor’s question, but there was no sound from the Emperor for quite a while. He looked up, and his gaze met the Emperor’s profound eyes.

Duke An quickly lowered his head and once again said, "Your servant is rash, may I know what Your Majesty’s instructions are?"

The Emperor surveyed Han Yanhui, Liu Chengzhi, Sun Tingyue, and a few others before turning back to Duke An, and abruptly asked, "How do you discipline your granddaughter?" There was a hint of displeasure in his tone.

Uh...

The crowd was startled. Your Majesty, do you really have so much free time? So you really were inquiring about this?

People like Han Yanhui turned their gaze toward Duke An. Old Master Ye, this was not our doing, it was His Majesty the Emperor who publicly asked you. Being questioned by His Majesty like that, it’s probably impossible to keep it hidden. If, after today’s court is dismissed, the incident at the Shi Mansion becomes public, it wouldn’t be our fault, would it?

Duke An, with a very calm demeanor, glanced at Han Yanhui and the others in the front row out of the corner of his eye and bowed as he replied, "Your Majesty’s wisdom is penetrating, it is not my granddaughter’s fault, it truly is the lack of discipline among the young ladies and wives from other mansions in the capital."

Pfft..., those who were slightly gloating almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

The old patriarch of the Ye family simply went too far. His granddaughter was ignorant and behaved inappropriately; that’s one thing, but you, a first-rank hereditary title holder, are filing complaints at the Imperial Court, in front of His Majesty... It’s simply intolerable!

The people were indeed annoyed, but then again, considering the unseemly language their own children used, they really couldn’t muster the courage to argue in front of His Majesty. With the way His Majesty was behaving, it was obvious that he was looking for trouble; who knew what issues arguing might stir up?

Let it go, let it go, they are all people we can’t afford to provoke. The crowd helplessly swallowed their anger and continued to keep their heads down, pretending to be dead.

Ministers unaware of the context immediately sensed something was wrong, there was a story, a hidden meaning behind the Emperor’s question and Duke An’s answer. What happened to Duke An’s granddaughter? What had happened that made Duke An take such a broad swipe, saying that the young ladies and wives from other mansions in the capital lacked discipline?

Some were indignant. Even if Duke An was powerful and influential, he shouldn’t speak so carelessly, should he? We are mansions of the capital, and even if our young ladies are not good, they are still better than your granddaughter Ye Xinyan!

Indeed interesting, the Emperor was very pleased with Duke An’s response.