Chapter 981: Chapter 999: This Isn’t Appropriate
Maternal Aunt Liu thought she had suffered enough, yet it wasn’t the end. Just over a month ago, her daughter returned to her natal home after a divorce.
That year, Ye Xinyan, whom she and her daughter once schemed against, also received a divorce paper. Yet, she didn’t live back at Duke An’s Mansion in disgrace; instead, she left that very day and carved out a new path for herself outside.
When she returned, Ye Xinyan had undergone a complete transformation. The return of that wretched woman, Ye Xinyan, directly plunged her and her son into misery.
If Maternal Aunt Liu couldn’t accept being confined to the Buddha hall, or the aging face she saw reflected in a copper basin of water, then her daughter being disgraced as selfish and unfilial, kicked back to her natal home, utterly dashed her hopes.
Though Duke An’s Mansion now had few people, it still possessed immense wealth. Yet, this overwhelming wealth shut its doors before them, leaving her and her son completely outside.
Maternal Aunt Liu worried about her daughter, and even more about her son, causing her health to further deteriorate. Then, what directly snuffed out her vitality was her daughter, the daughter she doted on, who turned out to be genuinely selfish and unfilial.
In Maternal Aunt Liu’s view, her twenty-some years of scheming ended up leaving only Ye Xinyi’s dowry, while her two sons got nothing.
Now, her two sons were living off Duke An’s handouts. After Duke An passes away, her well-mannered and sensible sons would have to rely on that little bastard named Ye Yuan for their livelihood.
If Ye Yuan one day grew tired of them and sent them away from the mansion, her sons, who couldn’t lift a hand to support themselves, could not survive.
So, when Ye Xinyi visited Maternal Aunt Liu, Maternal Aunt Liu tentatively suggested that Ye Xinyi should divide her dowry into three parts, one part for each sibling.
But her beloved daughter immediately changed her expression. Although she didn’t flatly refuse, she quickly changed the subject and didn’t bring it up again.
Maternal Aunt Liu, sad and disappointed, didn’t feel well that night and vomited everything she ate. Even though Maternal Aunt Zhao promptly called for a physician and adjusted her prescriptions, Maternal Aunt Liu’s condition remained poor.
Perhaps sensing that her end was near, an unwilling Maternal Aunt Liu brought up the matter again when Ye Xinyi visited her again.
This time, she spoke more clearly, stating that all her years of scheming left only Ye Xinyi’s dowry. And that she not only had a daughter, but also had two sons who deserved a portion of the wealth their mother left behind.
What Maternal Aunt Liu didn’t expect was that Ye Xinyi was already mentally prepared. Upon hearing Maternal Aunt Liu’s words, she immediately burst into tears.
Ye Xinyi lamented that she had nothing now: no son, a ruined reputation, and she might never marry again. As a divorcee, she wasn’t counted as a member of the Ye Family, and only with some wealth could she live in peace till old age.
But Ye Heng and Ye Yi were different; they were of Ye Family’s blood. No matter what, Duke An’s Mansion would support them and their families.
Even Ye Heng’s and Ye Yi’s sons would receive lifelong support from Duke An’s Mansion. Their daughters, attached to Duke An’s Mansion, would surely find good families and receive dowries befitting Duke An’s Mansion, assuring them a better future than hers.
Ye Xinyi’s reasoning and factual explanation directly cut off Maternal Aunt Liu’s next words.
Maternal Aunt Liu herself knew that back then, she and Ye Hongyang had exhausted every effort to prepare Ye Xinyi’s lavish dowry, far exceeding what a concubine-born daughter of the Duke’s Mansion should have. Even Ye Xinyan, upon marrying, did not have as much private money and goods as Ye Xinyi, the concubine-born daughter.
Poor her, wholeheartedly planning for her daughter, only to have her daughter be so indifferent and cold in return.
Maternal Aunt Liu, short of breath, fainted.
Though the chaos of the crowd soon brought her back, the old woman servant reported to Steward Qiao Laiyun that Maternal Aunt Liu probably didn’t have many days left.
Ye Xinyan knew most of these things, but Lian Gui still briefly explained it to her, then moved on to the main issue, “The Duke has sent this humble one to inform Great Aunt that if she has anything to say to Maternal Aunt Liu, it would be best to say it in these few days. Otherwise, Maternal Aunt Liu may really not be around.”
Maternal Aunt Liu had been confined by Duke An, but at that time, Ye Xinyan had not yet married and was involved in managing Buddha hall affairs. She did not poison or mistreat Maternal Aunt Liu; she even instructed the old woman servant in charge to treat her well.
The only thing Ye Xinyan was involved in was having the woman servant inform Maternal Aunt Liu of all the goings-on in the mansion. Any changes or news, big or small, were all relayed to her.
However, this information transfer was one-way, in without out. If Maternal Aunt Liu wanted to send any word out, she had no opportunity.
Duke An knew this was Ye Xinyan avenging her mother. From Duke An’s view, his granddaughter’s revenge struck at the psychological level, and such psychological blows needed closure.
Considering his granddaughter respected him by asking about Maternal Aunt Liu’s situation only when she returned to her parental home after marriage, Duke An didn’t want the woman servant looking after Maternal Aunt Liu to break Duke An’s Mansion’s rules by sending messages out of the mansion.
Since his granddaughter was so competent, he, as her grandfather with favors to ask of her, had to consider matters more comprehensively for her.
If Maternal Aunt Liu died without Ye Xinyan knowing, the old Duke feared his granddaughter would blame him.
The Duke was not living easily either. When did this old man ever have to watch others’ faces? But now, with the changing tides, fate sent him a formidable granddaughter, diminishing his upper hand.
Ye Xinyan naturally understood Duke An’s intentions. She listened to Lian Gui with a knowing smile and said, “Thank you for braving the cold to deliver the message. Please thank Grandfather for me and tell him that I will return to see her tomorrow.”
With these words, several women servants in the room changed their expressions in unison; this was indeed improper. Even a woman servant sent by Duke An’s Mansion frowned deeply. How could the Duke let Great Aunt do something so risky?
Upon hearing this, Lian Gui hesitated not an inch and reminded, “The Duke asked me to inform Great Aunt that you need to discuss this with your husband and get his consent before seeing Maternal Aunt Liu. Otherwise, you are not allowed to return.”
Lian Gui spoke with a sincere expression.
Though these words might not sound pleasant, they needed to be said. Great Aunt no longer had the liberty she used to; she was now pregnant. Her husband was nearly thirty, and now they finally had this treasure; nothing could go wrong.
With Maternal Aunt Liu at death’s door and Great Aunt visiting a dying enemy while pregnant, her husband’s consent was essential, better not to go at all.
Otherwise, if this caused discord between Great Aunt and her husband, it would not be good.
Ye Xinyan nodded in agreement, “Thank you, Steward Lian, for the reminder. I understand and will definitely discuss it with my husband before returning.”
…