Chapter 812: Chapter 810: Why Does This Sound So Familiar?

Ye Xinyan led Ye Yuan outside, and not far away, Qi Jiaer and Qi Sanshun were still waiting for her. Ye Xinyan composed herself, and they chatted and laughed along their way to the outer courtyard.

After paying respects to Qi Younian in the outer courtyard’s living room and meeting Guan He and Zi Ning, Zi Ning took Ye Yuan and a few other children outside, watching them as they played and rolled about. Only then did Duke An and Qi Younian have the chance to chat properly with Ye Xinyan.

After a few words, Duke An started complaining to Ye Xinyan, saying that although his own granddaughter could design such a fine garden like Guan He’s, she kept her skills hidden and wouldn’t bother to properly tend to their own garden.

“Uh,” Ye Xinyan looked embarrassed, “isn’t our mansion’s garden pretty good already?” Haven’t you always shouted that you don’t care for those superficial, extravagant things?

“Pretty good compared to what? Our mansion’s garden isn’t bad compared to other families in the capital, but can it compare to Guan He’s garden? You’re just not willing to put effort into our own affairs.” Duke An stated with a stern face.

Qi Younian posed as the nice old fellow, sipping his tea while looking from one to another, without offering any opinion.

Guan He, that rascal, always the mischief-maker, heard Duke An’s words and chimed in with a cheeky smile, “Duke, you truly understand your own granddaughter. Your mansion’s eldest miss only has business on her mind, and anything that doesn’t earn her silver, whether internal or external, she just doesn’t care about.”

Damn it! Can’t you speak properly? If you can’t talk properly, don’t talk at all, okay?

Ye Xinyan glared angrily at Guan He.

Guan He’s words left Duke An momentarily stunned, and then he wore a look of deep concern, “Granddaughter, are you deliberately avoiding it because you can’t earn silver from fixing our own garden?”

Ye Xinyan replied seriously, “How could that be?” This… she absolutely couldn’t admit to.

Duke An said, “Then how about we start overhauling our garden next spring?”

Ye Xinyan: “…” So decisive?

All because of that bastard Guan He!

The following conversation was no longer Ye Xinyan’s domain; she was completely on the defensive. Listening to Duke An and the others talk, she kept fretting inwardly about how she could, justifiably, ask for compensation if she were to fix their garden next year—at least not end up at a loss.

Ye Xinyan pulled herself together to finish the emotional exchange before the family banquet.

Who would’ve thought after all her hard work for months, she’d return just to face financial loss? Moreover, Guangsha Construction was working for the court and even got underpaid by the Old Emperor.

Is it her that has such bad luck, or are these ancient people just incredibly scheming and well-hidden, causing her to constantly suffer setbacks?

By lunchtime, the Ye family, along with the Qi family’s grandfather and grandson, and the couple, Guan He and Zi Ning, gathered to have a lively meal together. Duke An and a few others even had a little bit of wine.

After the meal, Ye Yuan was taken for a nap, and Guan He and Zi Ning also took the two boys from the Qi family back.

Duke An and Qi Younian, however, tacitly stayed behind and summoned the clueless Ye Xinyan to join them, moving to Duke An’s study in the outer courtyard.

The two old men said a few obviously filler sentences, and then Duke An cleared his throat and said to Ye Xinyan, “Granddaughter, you’re not that young anymore…”

As soon as Ye Xinyan heard the first half of the sentence, she instantly felt something off. This conversation seemed all too familiar.

“… Ye Zi, you’re already twenty-two, you really can’t delay any longer. Since you’ve reconciled with Yuanfan, there’s not much to fuss about; you should finalize the marriage soon,” Qi Younian said.

Ye Xinyan’s face immediately turned dark. So her feeling was right, it was indeed about pushing for marriage, and it was two old men at that. Not only was Duke An eagerly waiting for her, but Qi Younian’s eyes too were filled with anticipation.

How long have you two been planning this, or holding it in until now? I’ve just come back, haven’t I? Can you give me a buffer, let me rest for a few days first?

Twenty-two already…

Ye Xinyan wore a pained expression, listening to the two elders earnestly explaining reasoning next to her.

Frankly speaking, such matters aren’t exactly an old man’s forte either, this thing definitely includes Madam Yin as part of the united front. However, her mother was still more considerate towards her, understanding her more, at least she didn’t bombard her with this in the carriage.

Though Duke An and Qi Younian had grown older, gaining a tendency to nag, they were, after all, men; they dredged up all the marriage-urging phrases they could think of and eventually had nothing more to say.

When Duke An saw Ye Xinyan’s pained expression, silently slumped in the chair, he urged, “We’ve talked with you for quite a while now, at least give us a straightforward answer if it’ll happen or not.”

Ye Xinyan pitifully looked towards Duke An, not knowing how to respond.

Whether getting married now was good or not was really hard to say, so she instinctively stayed dodgy about it.

Jiang Yifan and Jinrong had a close relationship, and he was most likely among the first to support Jinrong’s bid for the throne.

Currently, the only open contender against the Crown Prince for the position of heir was Prince Fu, but sooner or later, Jinrong would reveal himself. By then, it would be a three-way struggle. If Jinrong came out on top it would be fine, but if he lost, Jiang Yifan certainly wouldn’t be able to escape from involvement.

If she didn’t marry Jiang Yifan, she’d simply be Duke An’s granddaughter. In this era where women held a lower status, it worked to her benefit in situations like this. Once Jinrong was defeated, as Duke An’s granddaughter who had deep ties with Jinrong, she wouldn’t truly represent the Ye and Qi families; she’d merely be seen as a naive girl meddling in matters she didn’t understand.

Also, it was generally perceived that women couldn’t engage in such grand affairs. Many would probably think she was just unknowingly leveraging Prince Yu’s influence to do business and make money.

The Duke’s Mansion and Marquis Zhongyong’s Mansion had deep roots, so when the time came, simply pushing her forward alone would shield Duke An’s Mansion and the Qi family from entanglement.

But if she were to marry Jiang Yifan now, after marriage, the Qi family and the Ye family would become in-laws with the Jiang family. Additionally, Qi Jiaer and Ye Yuan would certainly maintain close ties with the Jiang family then, making it less likely for Duke An’s Mansion and the Qi family to distance themselves from involvement.

These are words she could perhaps privately discuss with Qi Younian, but certainly couldn’t be voiced to Duke An.

“Um, how about… I ask Jiang Yifan’s opinion first? Grandfather, you know, I currently have many affairs in hand, inevitably making me a public figure. Who knows, maybe the Jiang family isn’t keen on marrying me right now.”

Duke An hadn’t noticed that such words weren’t exactly appropriate for a young lady and simply heard their surface meaning, immediately objecting, “Are we to worry about them not wanting to? With my granddaughter’s talent and fame now, there are plenty who’d vie to marry her. If he dares utter a word against it, I’ll immediately find a family scion, a gentleman ten times better looking than him for you.”

Ye Xinyan looked at Duke An speechless.