From the bottom of her heart, Ye Xinyan was very reluctant to meet Ye Xinyi. She had witnessed the scene at Duke An’s birthday banquet with her own eyes, and from a very peculiar perspective, she had seen the entire scene unfold.
Such a scene, not to mention in ancient times, even in modern days, to see a young woman entangled with a naked man, her clothes in disarray, under the public gaze, was quite an unsightly sight, enough for gossipmongers to discuss heatedly for a while.
The usual talk about who was right, who was wrong, or who was innocent - those were the kind of things people would say when it had nothing to do with them. When it really happened to oneself, the humiliation and emotional scars were indescribable.
And Ye Xinyan herself, now carried that uncomfortable identity back to the capital. Especially when facing Ye Xinyi, that particular scene stood as a painful testament to their struggle, in which she suffered a terrible defeat.
Regardless of whether Ye Xinyan was willing or what identity she truly held inside, standing before Ye Xinyi made her a complete and utter loser, laden with a reputation of shame. In the end, she could only choose to flee from her family to find a slim chance of survival.
If it weren’t for her transmigration, one could only imagine how tragic the original host’s end would be, and how much satisfaction Ye Xinyi and her mother would take from it.
But Ye Xinyi did not, as Madam Yin had expected, simply make a perfunctory visit and then go to curry favor with Maternal Aunt Liu. Instead, she earnestly sought an audience in Madam Yin’s courtyard, continuously saying that she had not paid her respects to her mother during such an important day as New Year’s, and that she had not had a chance to meet her sister since her return; she missed them dearly. She pleaded for Madam Yin’s grace to allow her to pay respects to her mother and sister and to have a face-to-face meeting.
The sweet, persuasive words of Ye Xinyi in the courtyard, combined with Nanny Huang’s dissuasions, reached the room one after another, causing Madam Yin’s face to grow increasingly grim.
On the other lounger, where Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiajia were playing, they too ceased their game upon hearing the commotion outside, looking puzzledly towards Madam Yin and Ye Xinyan.
Madam Yin got up abruptly and said to Ye Xinyan, "Ah Yan, let’s go outside, the two of us. She wants to see us, doesn’t she? We’ll go out just long enough for her to have a look and then we’ll send her packing."
Ye Xinyan remained seated on the kang bed, simply leaning forward to grab Madam Yin’s hand, speaking, "It’s okay, Mother, let her come in. If we go out, and she still stubbornly refuses to leave, it will look as if you, as the mother, went out to greet her, which would diminish your stature. Just let her in."
Perhaps Ye Xinyi truly had important matters to discuss. If Madam Yin kept refusing to see her, and if Ye Xinyi stubbornly refused to leave, it could turn ugly and make Madam Yin appear petty and unreasonable as a mother.
No matter what reason Ye Xinyi had for insisting on seeing her, they would just see her. With her psychological strength, was Ye Xinyan afraid of facing such an inexperienced young girl?
She must remember, her trip to the capital wasn’t about competing with anyone on who was more of a lady or who had more dignity. With the original host’s previous brilliant achievements, she had come back to... no, to train her mental fortitude.
Ye Xinyan had psyched herself up for quite a while and finally ignited a blazing battle spirit within her chest. It was only when she saw Ye Xinyi walking in with careful steps, and the cautiously optimistic smile peeking through her air of ease and confidence, that she realized how silly she had been to think so much.
If this were in the Duchess’s chamber, or in the presence of Duke An, Ye Hongyang, and others, Ye Xinyi might have the audacity to provoke and seize an advantage in conversation, testing whether she could ignite her fury.
But this was Madam Yin’s courtyard. If Ye Xinyi provocatively angered her, given the original owner’s violent arrogance, it was very likely that she really would be beaten into a pig-headed mess. At that time, Miss Ye would merely add a trivial note to her endless list of bad reputations, while Ye Xinyi, returning home with a pig’s head for a face, would lose all her dignity, right?
This is to say, today was Ye Xinyan’s main battlefield.
Since it was the first time Ye Xinyan had met Ye Xinyi, she scrutinized her appearance, figure, and every move very earnestly.
Ye Xinyi, perhaps deliberately, was dressed in a long coat with bright red silver-fox fur trims and a narrow skirt. The bright red brocade was embroidered with rich peony patterns, giving off a remarkably rich and splendid effect. The silver-fox fur edge and the narrow skirt made Ye Xinyi’s features appear soft and refined, her body slender and graceful.
Ye Xinyi did not wear many complicated ornaments, only a beautifully colored gilt-edged emerald ornament, along with a few hairpins to pin back her hair. Hanging beside her full cheeks were earrings that shimmered like clear water. On her fair and lovely face, a pair of bright, large eyes were exceptionally gentle and beautiful.
Ye Xinyi, entering Madam Yin’s room with caution, also took a serious look at Ye Xinyan, because her legitimate elder sister seemed very different this time upon her return. Although she hadn’t seen her, the many years of experience living with her elder sister told her that her instincts were rarely wrong.
Over the past month, even though Ye Xinyan still flouted feminine decorum, appearing in public without restraint, no inappropriate actions of Miss Ye had been reported. The only incident that caused an uproar was the fight involving the two boys she had brought back. Boys fighting was a common occurrence. Furthermore, not only had the boys, along with their accompanying servants, won the fight, but they had also been on the right side of it. Such events were completely out of character for her legitimate elder sister’s usual behavior.
And now, seeing Ye Xinyan right before her eyes, calmly seated across from Madam Yin. Although she still looked at her with an undeniably impolite and arrogant gaze, within that impudence and arrogance was a composure and scrutiny that completely lacked her past instability and quick temper.
Ye Xinyi suppressed the feelings in her heart and firstly performed a respectful bow to Madam Yin, greeting her mother.
Then she turned to Ye Xinyan with a smile, curtsied, and said affectionately, "Xinyi pays respect to sister, I hope you are well."
Ye Xinyan replied with a faint smile, "Xinyi, no need for formalities. Come, take a seat and we’ll talk." She then turned her head and ordered Cui Bai, "Find a seat for Second Miss and serve tea."
Ye Xinyi felt surprised again. She followed Ye Xinyan’s gesture, sat on the chair Cui Bai had moved over, took the offered cup of tea, and expressed her thanks. Then she slightly bent forward, respectfully sitting in silence with a smile. She appeared respectful towards her mother and legitimate elder sister, yet in her heart, she was contemplating stretching the tension in the room, waiting to see who between Madam Yin and Ye Xinyan would lose patience and speak first.
Ye Xinyan had no intention of playing mind games with her. As soon as she settled, Ye Xinyan asked, "In the past, Xinyi’s visits were just formalities, merely going through the motions and rushing back to your maternal aunt’s side for warmth. What makes today so different that you insist on seeing mother and me?"
Ye Xinyi, startled, looked up. Ye Xinyan had spent two years away, and she had become so careless about keeping up appearances? In any decent household, who spoke like that? Bluntly piercing through pretenses, how were they going to get along in the future?
Ye Xinyan was satisfied to see the astonishment in Ye Xinyi’s eyes, pleased with her own unexpected and timely response.