The old woman servant was taken aback, this couldn’t count as letting in soone they didn’t recognize, could it? That was a person brought by The Old Master. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t have stopped it.
The old woman glanced over, the young lady of the house saw The Old Master had brought back a woman, she must be displeased, right?
"To the young lady of the house, that woman was brought in by The Old Master, the two of us servants were just discussing going to inform Nanny Qian," she replied.
Ye Xinyan said rather coldly, "Oh... to inform Qian Momo, that’s good. I was afraid that you weren’t managing the gate well and let in soone unfamiliar, which could cause trouble in our mansion. Since you plan to report to Nanny Qian, then there’s no issue, you may go back to your duties."
To the maids and old woman servants, the young lady of the house seed indifferent, but there was a startling gleam in her eyes, as if she were already quite angry.
Close to noon, Ye Xinyan brought a letter to the Duke’s Mansion; she had urgent tasks to finish with Zhou Biyao and had bought als from a restaurant, deciding not to return for lunch.
By the late Shen hour, when Ye Xinyan ca back, the atmosphere in the mansion was sowhat strange. Especially the two old won servants at the gate; they glanced at Ye Xinyan heading towards the Second Gate and seed to dodge her gaze.
Ye Xinyan guessed that Ye Hongyang bringing a woman back had already caused a stir in the mansion; she paid no further attention to the old won servants at the gate, and led her maids directly to Madam Yin’s courtyard.
Madam Yin seed completely unaffected by the mansion’s atmosphere, sitting cozily on the couch with Qi Jiaer, inquiring warmly about his and Qi Sanshun’s lessons and amusing incidents at school.
Qi Sanshun sat rigidly on the stool beside the couch, responding intermittently to Madam Yin and Qi Jiaer.
Nanny Huang, along with Cui Bai and Cui Zhu, stood by, watching them with smiling faces.
In the past few days, with Qi Younian not at ho, Qi Sanshun spent most of their ti at Duke An’s Mansion. Apart from doing their lessons, they played with Ye Yuan. They would have lunch right there in Madam Yin’s courtyard, and after school, they would usually stop by Madam Yin’s place first.
However, both boys had to return to the Qi family to rest every evening, as per Ye Xinyan’s instructions.
After all, they were the Qi family’s children, and Qi Sanshun was already thirteen years old. In ancient tis, a thirteen-year-old boy was considered almost an adult and, in so households, could be the one supporting the family.
Qi Jiaer was also to inherit Qi Younian’s family business in the future and couldn’t be treated like a little child at Duke An’s Mansion by Madam Yin.
The Qi family had Nanny Jin to take care of them, plus Zi Ning and Guan He, making up a complete ho. Ye Xinyan would also visit them occasionally in the evenings.
After being cloying with Ye Xinyan for a while, Qi Jiaer then got off the couch to put on his shoes, and went with Qi Sanshun to Maternal Aunt Zhao’s courtyard to play with Ye Yuan.
Once they had left, Ye Xinyan started to inquire from Madam Yin, "Mother, this morning, I saw from a distance father entering the gate, followed by a young woman. I asked the gatekeepers and a few maids, and they all said they had never seen that woman, she must be from outside our mansion. Have Nanny Qian or Maternal Aunt Zhao said anything?"
A look of disgust crossed Madam Yin’s leisurely face, her brow slightly furrowed, she said, "Maternal Aunt Zhao ca over, but I didn’t let her in. A little maid heard from people outside, your father brought back a woman from outside. They said the woman’s family was poor and she sold herself, and he took pity on her, so he brought her back."
Ye Xinyan raised an eyebrow; Ye Hongyang actually hadn’t ntioned that the woman was a singer.
In a flash, she suddenly rembered many years ago when she asked Madam Yin, "What did father say when he brought Maternal Aunt Liu back?"
Madam Yin paused, her expression sowhat strange, "He said the sa thing back then, claiming that Maternal Aunt Liu’s family couldn’t make ends et, and her brothers wanted to sell her. He felt pity for her, so he gave so silver and bought Maternal Aunt Liu back."
Ye Xinyan curled her lips disdainfully, Ye Hongyang’s intelligence was even poorer than hers. Knowing full well that Maternal Aunt Liu was detested by Duke An, and now she was even more restricted to the Buddhist hall, he still brought back another woman of the sa status as Maternal Aunt Liu. And he couldn’t even think of a different excuse, still using the sa old story from over twenty years ago.
What a brain!
Madam Yin pushed a cup of tea toward Ye Xinyan and said, "Let’s not bother with all his affairs, let him make a fuss, it has nothing to do with us. Dinner is just half an hour away, drink so warm tea first so you won’t be thirsty during the al." Although she spoke with a light tone, her brows were not as relaxed as before.
Holding the cup, Ye Xinyan sipped slowly, then turned to Nanny Huang and asked, "Father used the sa excuse as twenty years ago, Nanny, have you found out what family background that woman cos from? Don’t tell she also has a background in performing."
It must have taken Jiang Yifan a lot of thought to find a woman capable of moving Ye Hongyang. If they couldn’t reveal the girl’s identity as a concert perforr, how could Madam Yin find a reason to recall that unbearable past? And how could she logically divorce and leave the household?
Nanny Huang was also in a bad mood, and she replied sowhat irritably, "The Eldest Lady has forbidden our quarters from ddling in these idle matters, so the servant only asked the maids who go out to get groceries to pay attention, and they overheard a thing or two. The details are still unknown."
Ye Xinyan’s brows knitted slightly, her eyes shifting back and forth between Madam Yin and Nanny Huang. Didn’t the two of them consider that this was a perfect opportunity to leave the Ye family?
When she persuaded Madam Yin last ti, Madam Yin was clearly moved. Nanny Huang didn’t want Madam Yin to continue staying in Duke An’s Mansion either, to be called Eldest Lady all the ti, the wife of that distasteful man.
"Mother, do you think father will take that woman into his room? If she gains father’s favor and bears him a son or daughter, the situation in this mansion will probably beco even more complicated," Ye Xinyan suggested tentatively.
Upon hearing this, Madam Yin’s face imdiately darkened. To say that she had nothing to do with Ye Hongyang was one thing, but after all, she was Ye Xinyan’s legitimate mother, and no matter which concubine bore a child, they would have to call her ’Mother’ upon seeing her.
Just the thought of it made Madam Yin’s entire being uncomfortable, as if she had been soiled by sothing filthy.
Seeing that Ye Xinyan was about to speak again, Nanny Huang hurriedly waved her hand at Cui Bai and Cui Zhu, signaling them to leave the room, before turning to Madam Yin and saying, "Eldest Lady, I also think this situation isn’t very good. What Miss said last ti was right, in the future, with only Brother Yuan managing the household, your days ahead will be awkward. If The Old Master gains another favorite woman beside him and bears another son, it will be even more troubleso. The Duke is keen for more heirs; he won’t overlook that child."
At this point, Madam Yin’s brow was furrowed as if it was knotted, and she said displeasedly, "What do you two an by this?"
Nanny Huang, seeing that Madam Yin looked troubled, hesitated and dared not make a sound.
Ye Xinyan moved beside Madam Yin, hugging one of her arms while glancing at Madam Yin’s face, and said, "Mother, let’s take this opportunity to leave the Duke’s Mansion. It’s much better to live quietly on our own than to stay here in this ssy situation, isn’t it?"
Madam Yin frowned and remained silent, while Nanny Huang quietly nodded to Ye Xinyan.
Ye Xinyan pouted her lips, acting spoiled, "Anyway, I’m not at ease leaving you alone in the mansion, you’ll have to decide for yourself."
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