She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 744 - 742: Outstanding Descendants

Chapter 744: Chapter 742: Outstanding Descendants

Madam Yin, of course, would not neglect the Eunuch Bearing the Imperial Edict, especially since he had been so amicable toward her daughter, offering numerous useful hints. Upon catching Madam Yin’s eye signal, Nanny Huang stuffed three large red envelopes into the hands of the three men, followed by a torrent of profuse thanks that left the eunuchs exceedingly merry.

Ye Hongyang forced himself to be sprightly as he saw the Eunuch Proclaiming the Imperial Edict out, his heart brimming with frustration. At the beginning of the imperial edict, when he heard reprimands, he had thought of taking the opportunity to scold that scourge severely and then go discuss with his mother and father whether it was truly worth it for his father to risk the First-Rank noble and prestigious Duke’s Mansion for such a troublemaker in the family.

Little did he know that this edict, which he remembered as being the longest ever, would undergo such dramatic changes. All in all, His Majesty seemed to treat that evil thing almost as a trusted official. Even he, who had been the First-Rank Duke’s Heir for over thirty years, had never been regarded by His Majesty in such a way.

Ye Hongyang, filled with intense envy, jealousy, and hatred, watched as the group proclaiming the edict departed, snorted indignantly, and, without casting a glance at Madam Yin and her son, walked away with his hands in his sleeves.

Although Maternal Aunt Liu had been put under house arrest, losing all her colors and looking like an old woman servant unbearable to witness, he still had two chambermaids. They might lack grace and understanding, but they made up for it with youth and beauty, at the very least pleasing to the eye.

Even though he was no longer the Princely Heir, his life was still decent, still clad in brocade and fed with jade, able to enjoy operas and stroll through gardens. It was just that he no longer had the means to provide for his two sons and daughter.

Thinking of this, Ye Hongyang felt a tinge of sorrow. His own children were enduring tough times, while that scourge prospered, continually causing trouble, and even had heaps of silver to the point of attracting His Majesty the Emperor’s attention.

Ye Hongyang left, seething with resentment.

......

Duke An, having been penalized half a year’s Official Salary by His Majesty, was thinking about how to recoup the losses from his granddaughter. After all, that wretched girl had quite the income; he was getting on in years and still had to live in fear because of her, ...well, even if it wasn’t exactly living in fear, wasn’t the face of an elderly person even more important?

As a granddaughter, she should show filial piety and make up for it, considering both the loss of face he suffered publicly and the half-year salary he was fined because of her. Even leaving aside family ties, based on the origin of this disaster, it was a trouble she caused, so naturally, she should bear the losses, shouldn’t she?

Duke An was quite satisfied with his internal calculations, casually chatting about topics of no consequence with a few colleagues. Suddenly, An Nian stealthily approached, tugging at his sleeve and pulling him to one side.

When Duke An stepped back, he was surprised to notice that other colleagues also had their Personal Attendants or young servants whispering to them. Then, they looked at him with a very strange expression.

"What’s the matter? Has that wretched girl caused some other problem?" Duke An asked An Nian, only belatedly aware.

While he spoke of the wretched girl, there was not a hint of displeasure in his tone.

Seriously speaking, that wretched girl from his family, with the status of a woman, had caused such a huge commotion, placing many cunning officials between a rock and a hard place, and even His Majesty mentioned her seriously at the Imperial Court. This was not something any child could achieve, let alone a daughter.

The thought that this major incident, which led to the punishment of numerous officials with half a year’s salary reduction, had been instigated by his granddaughter filled the old master with delight.

Now, being regarded with such inexplicable looks by everyone, could it be that his granddaughter, after causing such a significant uproar, was still not settling down, and there was more he didn’t know about?

An Nian was asked by her family’s Duke with a tone that was expectant, yet surprised, and only slightly worried, which gave her a bit of a toothache.

The Duke had no worthwhile grandchildren, so for the past decade or so, even though the young mistress had repeatedly caused trouble with her rash actions, the Duke had never overly blamed her. Now, the young mistress had finally made him proud, and the Duke’s long-held frustrations were at last smoothly released.

But you should also consider the feelings of others, shouldn’t you? Today, quite a few officials were implicated by your granddaughter, and penalized half a year’s official salary.

There are still others around, so when you ask your questions, could you perhaps add a touch of anger to your tone, even if just for show? It would make the rest of us feel a bit more comfortable, wouldn’t it?

An Nian led Duke An a little further away, thinking that if fewer people saw the Duke’s pride when he heard her reply, he would be spared some envy.

"His Majesty has issued a decree for our young mistress, and the Eunuch Proclaiming the Imperial Edict has just returned to the palace."

Upon hearing this, Duke An’s mustache quivered, "That damned girl is causing trouble again." Since the Eunuch had returned, he assumed everyone already knew the content of the decree.

Meeting Duke An’s gaze, An Nian hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, "...It’s not bad news. It’s said that His Majesty first severely reprimanded the young mistress, then told her to devote more effort to the track project, and afterwards, considering the mistake she made yesterday, decided that after the wooden track project is complete, half a year’s income will be deducted as a warning to others."

"...Cough cough cough..." Duke An took a breath, then coughed harshly several times.

Damn, the Emperor is becoming more and more improper. Penalizing the salaries of their ministers is one thing, but he even goes after a little woman’s earnings; that’s a bit too much.

Well, there goes his half-year’s official salary. That dead girl of his family is extremely money-minded. If it had been just him getting his salary penalized by the court for half a year, he could have gone back and sweet-talked, maybe even scammed her, and by playing a few familial sentimental cards, he might have gotten her to cover it whilst her head was hot.

But now that the Emperor has issued such a shameless decree, he was certain that the well-meaning parts of the decree would be completely overlooked by the annoying girl, who would focus exclusively on the loss of half a year’s income. The old man could kiss his half-year’s salary goodbye.

Just let it go. You can’t fight the situation. Who told her, with all her capability, to bring him trouble? He’d better not stir up this hornet’s nest; with his granddaughter’s brains and eloquence, the moment he suggests she should make up the loss to him, she might just turn it around and somehow make him end up paying her instead.

Duke An’s mind raced through various thoughts, resigning himself that his half-year’s salary was gone. But to everyone around him, Duke An seemed deeply furrowed with worry after hearing the whispered message, as if he was exceedingly troubled.

"What’s going on here? If the content of that decree is genuine, it’s a tremendous boon for the Ye Family girl. Not to mention the attention from the Emperor, having the decree displayed in their home will make her dowry stand out, and her future in the marital family much more comfortable. Why does Old Ye Tang look so unhappy?" someone wondered.

"Pfft!" Liu Chengzhi, passing by, let out a cold scoff, "Reaping such great benefits and still putting on this show, utterly shameless!"

At noon, as the session ended, Duke An walked with his hands behind his back, amidst the various emotions of those around him, towards his carriage which was parked even farther than usual. He relished the attention he received due to his descendants’ excellence, lifted the carriage curtain, and left.