章 6: Chapter 6 An Unexpected Encounter
Two months later, deep autumn had set in, and the staff of Duke An's Mansion, who had searched fruitlessly for over two months, began to return one after another.
The irascible Duke An summoned Ye Hongyang and his wife and gave them a severe scolding, declaring that he would give up the search for Ye Xinyan.
However, the old master left the couple with these words, "If she does not wish to stay in Duke An's Mansion, then she should never think of entering the Ye Family again, no matter whether she's dead or alive, or whatever her circumstances might be, it has nothing to do with Duke An's Mansion. From tomorrow onwards, the legitimate granddaughter of Duke An's Mansion is to be considered dead, and no one shall mention her again."
The legitimate granddaughter of Duke's Mansion had been sent to the ancestral temple two months ago, and it was about time for her accumulated depression to become a fatal illness.
After Duke An finished speaking, he looked at Ye Hongyang and shook his head secretly. From now on, there would be no legitimate children in Duke An's Mansion. This was a point of criticism for the Duke's Mansion, but fortunately, Madam Yin had been dedicated to educating the children, hoping that the two illegitimate grandsons could make something of themselves.
Ye Hongyang, having been thoroughly cursed out by his father, was righteously indignant.
After returning from the Duchess's courtyard, he pointed at Madam Yin and berated her, "This is the daughter you've raised, who has no sense of shame and has run away on her own. It'd be better if she just died out there, but if she were abducted by human traffickers and sold to those unspeakable places, where would the dignity of our Duke An's Mansion go?"
The Crown Prince paced like a caged animal, turning twice on the ground before stopping to rebuke Madam Yin, "I leave you with these words today—if that dead girl has any sense of propriety, good, but no matter what, she must not tarnish the reputation of the Ye Family. If she really ends up in a brothel and claims she is my Ye Family's daughter, you can expect to receive a divorce letter." With that, he flung his sleeve angrily and left.
Madam Yin was left behind in the room, sobbing softly. Two months of torment had made the already lean Madam Yin even more gaunt. Every day, she worried that they would not find their daughter, yet she also feared that they might find her in that wretched place.
Without Ye Xinyan, her psychological crutch, Madam Yin had lost her last bit of fighting spirit.
Whenever she saw Maternal Aunt Liu's falsely smiling, beautiful face, and heard her pointed and seemingly well-meaning advice, Madam Yin's heart was torn apart. Not to mention she could not compete with Maternal Aunt Liu, who had the backing of Ye Hongyang, but now, without her daughter, she simply had no mood or energy to engage in any battles.
Madam Yin, without her daughter, felt as if her sinews had been removed, left without a shred of vitality.
...
A few days later, when noon approached, on the muddy streets of the filthy and disordered poor district to the northwest of the city, a young woman dressed in bulky, patched clothing, carrying a worn-out basket, stepped toward an even muddier alley.
"You there, woman! Watch where you're going!" a voice angrily chided her.
She was so preoccupied with walking and pondering the news she had gathered that she almost bumped into a passerby hurrying by. Fortunately, her days of being vigilant and cautious allowed her to stop and dodge in time, avoiding a full collision.
"I'm sorry, it was all my carelessness," Ye Xinyan quickly apologized, and as she looked up, she was startled.
The person who scolded her was a clean-cut young servant, but the young man she nearly collided with appeared to be in his early twenties. With a handsome, refined face and a tall, sturdy figure dressed in luxurious clothes, his distinguished demeanor stood out glaringly against the backdrop of the grimy streets. Ye Xinyan was surprised not because the man was remarkable, but because she knew him.
During the past two months, the constant psychological defenses had allowed Ye Xinyan to conceal her astonishment, letting it flash only briefly in her eyes without showing on her face. Taking advantage of the young man's lack of reaction, she lowered her head and, amidst continuous apologies, stepped back and walked to one side.
Since she had already encountered him, all she could do was hope against hope that he had not recognized her.
Although she thought this, Ye Xinyan still did not dare to continue on her original path and instead proceeded deeper into the muddy street, eventually emerging onto another main road.
This vast area to the west of the city was a slum inhabited by the capital's poor. Under normal circumstances, Jinrong would not have set foot in it even once in several lifetimes. Just as he was about to leave the capital's land of strife and enjoy a few carefree years, he found himself entangled by the granddaughter of the Prime Minister's Residence.
If he couldn't shake her off, he would have to accompany that delicate lady to lunch.
If he ended up dining with Han Yufang, his situation would become even more indefensible.
Who could have expected, however, that something even more unforeseen would happen? After freeing himself, he actually saw Duke An's legitimate granddaughter, who had passed away five days earlier.
Jinrong stopped in his tracks, eyeing the silhouette of a woman who seemed to walk normally but had clearly deviated from her original route, and pondered to himself.
Officially, the legitimate granddaughter of Duke An caused a scandal at Old Master Ye Tang's birthday banquet and was sent to the ancestral temple in the suburbs of the capital. But secretly, there were rumors that Ye Xinyan had fled from Duke's Mansion, and despite searching with a large number of people for over two months, they had failed to find her.
In reality, during that period, the people of Duke's Mansion had indeed sent out many under different pretexts. However, given the crucial timing when the rumors of the Ye Family granddaughter's escape emerged, the movement of so many people raised questions.
Then, just a few days ago, it was announced that Ye Xinyan, the legitimate granddaughter of Duke's Mansion, had died of a condition precipitated by fright, shame, and depression.
A few people with access to certain channels speculated that, considering the foolish demeanor of the Duke's legitimate granddaughter in the past, she probably had fallen into an ignoble situation like a brothel and could not free herself. It was very likely that she had already been quietly disposed of by the Duke's Mansion.
The woman he had seen just now, though she had disguised herself, could be unequivocally identified by Jinrong's sharp eyes as Jiang Yifan's former wife, Old Master Ye Tang's granddaughter, Ye Xinyan.
And this Ye Xinyan did not appear to have fallen into any dire straits; despite her impoverishment, she seemed at ease.
Jinrong stroked his chin with interest. This woman, well-known in the capital for her brash stupidity, had actually managed to escape the inescapable net of Duke's Mansion and was living peacefully in a secluded corner of the capital.
"Sixth Master." The servant beside him noticed that Jinrong had halted and tentatively called out.
Jinrong waved his hand, "Let's go."
This foolish woman must have exhausted much effort and energy to flee Duke's Mansion. It was an affair he could not be seen acknowledging. Moreover, the women of the capital had been lifeless for a long while, and there hadn't been something this interesting in a long time.
Indeed, he absolutely must not have seen anything.
The only regret was that he could not trace the woman's subsequent developments, which left him feeling truly unsatisfied.
It wasn't until Ye Xinyan turned a corner out of the street that she looked back nervously. Seeing that the street behind her was populated with the usual poor folk, she hurriedly quickened her pace.
She wandered back and forth until noon had nearly passed, ensuring that no one was following her before she tiredly walked into the rented courtyard.
The recent downpours had made the roads where the poor lived even harder to navigate over the past few days.
Ye Xinyan sidestepped a puddle of mud and water and knocked on the battered wooden door.
"Why are you so late coming back? Are you tired?" Nanny Jin, who had been waiting for her, quickly opened the door and ushered Ye Xinyan inside. Seeing Ye Xinyan's shoes splashed with mud and water, Nanny Jin couldn't help feeling distressed.
The events of two months ago had deeply shaken the young lady. From that day on, she had changed into a completely different person, able to endure any hardship and becoming more cautious and sensible, no longer that reckless and spoiled girl.
It was a pity that Ye Xinyan had become sensible too late. If only she had come to her senses earlier, things might not have come to this.
"I'm alright; it just took a bit longer to gather information," said Ye Xinyan, not daring to mention to Nanny Jin the incident of encountering someone she knew.
Nanny Jin sighed and took the basket from Ye Xinyan's hands, speaking in a low voice, "It's been two months, and no outsiders have come to our area to inquire. The weather is getting colder, and it's miserable to move about outside. If there's anything to be done in the future, let this servant go instead."
Ye Xinyan dared not let Nanny Jin venture onto the main streets.
If Nanny Jin had encountered that person today, who knew if she could have kept her composure? If she lost it and drew unwanted attention, the western part of the city was not so large; a thorough search would surely lead to their capture and return to Duke's Mansion.
Once captured, escaping again would prove difficult. It's quite possible that, for the sake of the Duke's Mansion's reputation, they might even lose their lives.
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