CHAPTER 811: CHAPTER 809: JUST A JUMPING CLOWN

By all accounts, Ye Hongyang having a son at this age should be considered a blessing in his old age, deserving of special cherishment. But this brainless fool begrudgingly sat on a chair in the main house, not only looking at Ye Xinyan with hatred but also showing no warmth towards Ye Yuan.

When Ye Xinyan paid her respects to Ye Hongyang, she had already placed Ye Yuan on the ground, letting him greet his father.

Children growing up in these Prestigious Clan families are generally accustomed to paying respects to elders.

Though Ye Yuan was young, upon hearing Ye Xinyan’s reminder, he knew that the person sitting above him was someone he must call father.

The little one respectfully greeted Ye Hongyang, and without waiting for a response, turned around, raised his hands high, and was picked up by Ye Xinyan. Then he clung to Ye Xinyan’s neck, facing towards the door, refusing to look at Ye Hongyang again.

Ye Hongyang frowned at the sight of the pair in front of him, the weight on Shi Xintou seeming to press even harder.

One was a disgrace born from a lowly woman who made him lose face completely, the other a son born to a woman arranged by his father solely for the purpose of continuing the family line. How truly disagreeable they were, unlike his other three children whom he adored.

"Why are you here? Who let you come here?" Ye Hongyang asked with a frown, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Oh, Xinyan has been away from home for several months, so upon returning, it is only natural to pay respects to father. Since I’ve done so, if father has no other instructions, I shall take my leave."

Mentioning the few months away from home immediately angered Ye Hongyang. Her mother shamelessly sought divorce at such an old age and stubbornly returned to her natal family, lacking any semblance of feminine virtue.

And this disgraceful creature is even more outrageous, wandering aimlessly outside for months, only returning home when satisfied, disgracing him completely, yet still shamelessly coming here to pay respects, does she wish him a quicker death from anger?

Ye Hongyang angrily said, "So you do know you’ve been away for several months! As a woman, you don’t know how to stay quietly in the back courtyard, and you display yourself in public all day, letting people criticize you, you’ve lost all of the Ye Family’s face."

This... She came here in good faith just to go through the formalities, isn’t that something everyone understands? Why has this scene suddenly emerged? Is this picking a fight?

Ye Xinyan immediately retorted, "Father, mind your words! Did you say the Ye Family’s face was lost? How come I didn’t know? Shouldn’t I go ask grandfather, see if the Ye Family lost face under his stewardship?"

"You..." Ye Hongyang’s face flushed. He knew she was a scoundrel, when had he ever said the family’s honor was ruined by father?

This courtyard housed Ye Hongyang’s three chambermaids. The other two were not much favored by Ye Hongyang, but Yingying was constantly by his side serving.

Seeing the unfriendly confrontation between father and daughter, Yingying watched from the sidelines, already feeling apprehensive.

She hadn’t seen this eldest lady many times, and the servants in the mansion were tight-lipped, rarely discussing the family’s past affairs. But before joining the mansion, Yingying had heard of the eldest lady, knowing of her notorious antics, fearing nothing and no one.

The father and daughter might spar, but they wouldn’t harm each other. The problem was, she was a chambermaid of The Old Master, and it was due to her entering the mansion that the Eldest Lady angrily sought divorce.

If The Old Master and his daughter clashed heavily, would the eldest lady bear resentment towards her?

Yingying truly feared the eldest lady might see her as a threat akin to Maternal Aunt Liu. Right now, the eldest lady was at the height of her strength, and she felt The Old Master could not protect her.

Thinking this, Yingying involuntarily moved her body backward, trying to minimize her presence.

In the room, there were two other maidens born in the house who understood the mansion’s situation better than Yingying. As the eldest lady was at her peak now, but The Old Master was Duke’s only son, comparatively, The Old Master wouldn’t suffer greatly.

Even so, it couldn’t stop them from being scared. The three of them looked at Ye Xinyan in horror, fearing the situation might escalate beyond control, wondering then where they’d go, whom they should side with?

Ye Xinyan curled her lips into a cold smile, "What was that? The Duke’s Mansion’s honor was earned by generations of ancestors on the battlefield, fought for with grandfather’s lifetime of battles, putting his life at risk. Whether the Duke’s Mansion’s face is lost, grandfather decides, others are not qualified to comment."

With Ye Yuan still by her side, if it weren’t for the fear of setting a bad example for the child, she would have directly thrown her sleeve and left. But at this moment, she had to reluctantly bend in front of Ye Hongyang before straightening herself and turning to leave.

"Who told you to leave?!" Ye Hongyang said in angry humiliation.

He knew that, in Duke An’s eyes, he, a scribe unwilling to brandish weapons, was the one who disgraced the Duke’s Mansion. Being well-read and courteous like Hengheng and Yiyi was what truly shamed the Duke’s Mansion.

That’s just father’s old confusion, but since it’s father, he can’t speak much. But you Ye Xinyan, are you my elder?

"Is it not disgraceful enough? You that garden you’ve built, people are gossiping behind your back. As a woman, after being divorced and returned to your natal family, you should stay home to reflect and repent. But you, not only flaunt yourself outside all day, but you also recklessly attempt to build a garden for others. Building a garden requires money, whose silver did you think you were wasting?"

Originally unwilling to speak much with him, Ye Xinyan paused at his words, turned back, and asked in surprise, "Isn’t father solely fond of watching plays? When did you start worrying about people building gardens?"

Official Tang and Ye Hongyang should have had no intersection, how did he know?

Ye Hongyang hesitated for a moment, before reacting and saying, "Thanks to your deeds! Of course, when people discuss this, they’ll naturally drag me into it."

Seeing Ye Hongyang’s uncomfortable expression, Ye Xinyan already had some understanding, decided not to say more. If Ye Hongyang was involved in Official Tang’s garden, it truly wouldn’t be much of a deal, just like Jinrong said, a mere jumping clown.

"Official Tang’s garden... As Xinyan has been away working these months, I’m not well-informed. But those investigating this matter relayed to me that this isn’t a big matter, not worth detailing in letters, merely a jumping clown."

After speaking, Ye Xinyan turned to leave.

"You..." this disrespectful, heaven-struck, disgraceful creature!

Ye Hongyang shook with his hand, pointing at Ye Xinyan’s back, but couldn’t utter a word for a long time.

Yingying and the others didn’t understand what the two were talking about, watching the eldest lady leave, their anxiously held hearts finally fell.

Yingying quickly brought a cup of hot tea to Ye Hongyang, while massaging his back to ease his breath, she gently advised, "The Old Master shouldn’t be angry, the eldest lady is still young, not understanding the affectionate heart of a father. Someday when she has her own children, she’ll naturally understand The Old Master is doing it for her own good."

Ye Hongyang glanced at Yingying with slight regret, involuntarily missing the Maternal Aunt Liu from before. If Maternal Aunt Liu were here, she surely wouldn’t say such indifferent, ineffective words.