"My lord," the Duchess wailed, collapsing to the ground, her heart twisting in agony. She knew Duke An well; once he had spoken, his words would not be retracted. Her son was truly finished, stripped of his title as the Princely Heir. Given his ineffectual and indecisive nature, he would now only lead a life of mere existence, scorned by the noble elites of the capital city for the rest of his days.
Ye Heng and Ye Yi were not much better off. As soon as Duke An had uttered those words, they were stunned into immobility, then fell to the ground, weeping loudly and begging their grandfather to reconsider.
Although Ye Hongyang had always been worthless, he had never had such self-awareness. Begging had never been something he had done, not even to his father.
Even now, when everything had come to this, he still didn’t know what to do, standing there dumbfounded, unable to come to a solution. Everything had been planned out so well before, so how did it end up ?
Duke An, seeing the Duchess sobbing on the ground, frowned and ordered Nanny Qian and Madam Yin, "What are you standing there for? Help the Duchess back to her room to rest. Qiao Laiyun, have someone invite the Imperial Physician to check on the Duchess’s well-being."
After he finished speaking, he turned to leave with a flick of his sleeve, but was grabbed by Ye Hongyang, who had just come to his senses.
Ye Hongyang, who had never begged anyone before, was now in tears.
He didn’t care that they were in the council hall where Madam Yin, whom he looked down upon, and Ye Xinyan, whom he despised, were present. He grabbed Duke An’s sleeve and knelt down, pleading, "Father, please give your son another chance. I will really change my ways, from now on I will always consult with you and mother in all matters, and I will treat Madam Yin and Xinyan well, fulfilling my duty as the Princely Heir. I beg of you not to submit the petition to the court, and spare Maternal Aunt Liu."
Ye Xinyan, listening from the side, rolled her eyes. To be this foolish was truly unsurpassed. At a time , to bring up Maternal Aunt Liu—was he brainless? Even if Maternal Aunt Liu was his true love, couldn’t he have her endure a little longer? After he secured power, couldn’t he then bring out his true love?
Ye Hongyang’s insistence and plea triggered Duke An to remember something he had almost forgotten.
He instructed Housekeeper Qiao, "Find Lian Gui, and have him check the accounts to see how much silver tael the young master has taken from the account room over the years and under what pretenses. Also, check the storeroom inventory to see how many items Maternal Aunt Liu has taken out for decoration, and find out the origins of the shops and estates she claimed to manage. What should be retrieved, retrieve; what crimes should be inquired, inquire."
After giving the order, he snorted coldly, "Just a servant, and yet she has property in her hands. Since when does Duke An’s Mansion operate by such rules?"
After speaking, he shook off his sleeve forcefully, left the council hall, and strode away.
When Duke An left, he didn’t even glance at Madam Yin or Ye Xinyan. He was annoyed at Ye Hongyang’s stupidity, but he also blamed Madam Yin for being ineffective. With her status as the legitimate eldest daughter of a marquis, how could she be unable to suppress a mere concubine, resulting in Ye Hongyang’s repeated mistakes.
As for Ye Xinyan’s attitude of watching the excitement, he was equally exasperated.
Now that Ye Hongyang had lost his position as the Princely Heir, Madam Yin would no longer be considered a lady of the mansion; anyone in the house or outside who saw her would only address her as Mrs. Yin.
Ye Hongyang felt a tingling in his hands as Duke An’s sleeve slipped from his grasp. He lifted his tear-stained face, watching helplessly as Duke An left through the doors, distancing himself.
Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that this was true. As the only son of Duke An, Ye Tang, he hadn’t committed any atrocious crimes. From the moment of his birth, he had been the heir of Duke An, wearing that title for forty years. And now, with just a word from his father, the position of heir was stripped away from him. How could he possibly accept that?
Ye Xinyan nudged Madam Yin, glancing at the Duchess, who was kneeling on the ground like a collapsed mud statue, signaling Madam Yin to help her up.
As Madam Yin and Nanny Qian helped the Duchess up and walked her out, Madam Yin glanced at Ye Hongyang, who lay on the ground like a pile of mud, and wondered in amazement. She had actually spent nearly twenty years pouring her energy into such a man. Could it be that she had suffered from some eye disease that whole time?
When Maternal Aunt Liu heard that Duke An would rather grapple with the guests outside the door, letting the Duke’s Mansion suffer loss of face and be subjected to public scandal, than recognize the marriage, she panicked terribly, her heart pounding as though it was about to leap out of her chest.
She anxiously waited for Ye Hongyang’s return, only to hear from Chun Xiu, who had been inquiring about events, that Duke An had called several masters of the house to the council hall, including her two sons.
Maternal Aunt Liu felt even more uneasy, and in her panic, she didn’t know what to do. As she paced back and forth in her room, restless like ants on a hot pan, she heard the courtyard door being pushed open and a cacophony of voices and footsteps coming toward her.
Rather abruptly, the room door swung open. This time it wasn’t Nanny Qian, nor was it the head maid from the Duchess’s chambers. The visitor was Qiao Laiyun.
Maternal Aunt Liu, already anxious, knew that this matter probably couldn’t end well. Hearing the noise outside, she thought it was another maid or old woman servant from the Duchess coming to take out Ye Hongyang’s mistakes on her. Instead, she saw Qiao Laiyun.
Her heart lurched with panic.
Maternal Aunt Liu quickly performed a courtesy, "Housekeeper Qiao, this servant pays her respects to Housekeeper Qiao. May I ask what instructions Housekeeper Qiao has brought?"
Looking at this concubine, who had esteemed herself for nearly twenty years in Duke An’s Mansion, Qiao Laiyun couldn’t help but sigh internally. Only with a muddled man like their lord could a woman with Maternal Aunt Liu’s wits stand a chance.
Any man with the slightest astuteness wouldn’t allow matters to spiral to this extent. Not only would the lord have retained the title of Princely Heir, but Maternal Aunt Liu also wouldn’t have ended up in her current predicament. Had it been a man with a clear understanding of the situation, a concubine with Maternal Aunt Liu’s sensory faculties would have had no choice but to remain quiet and obedient in her place, without any extravagant thoughts, and thus would not have found herself at this juncture.
So it goes, fortune and calamity are unpredictable. That must be what this means.
Qiao Laiyun slightly bowed and said, "Maternal Aunt Liu is too polite. I presume you already know about the incident that occurred outside the mansion’s doors this morning. I am specifically here to inform Maternal Aunt Liu of Duke’s decision regarding that matter."
He repeated the punishment Duke An had decided for Ye Hongyang and Maternal Aunt Liu and then continued, "Maternal Aunt Liu, you should leave now, there’s no need to pack your belongings. Whatever you might need later on, the Buddha Hall is well-stocked and ready for your move."
With that, he stepped aside, clearing the way to the door, waiting for Maternal Aunt Liu to leave of her own accord.
Struck by lightning, Maternal Aunt Liu knew that things had gone awry, but she hadn’t anticipated that they would deteriorate to such a degree. How could Duke An be so indifferent to his kinship? With Ye Hongyang deprived of the title of Princely Heir, wouldn’t she and her sons be ruined?
And what about the Silver Taels Ye Hongyang had withdrawn from the accounts over the years, under pretexts that couldn’t withstand scrutiny? Furthermore, many of the possessions they’d taken from the storeroom had already been sold off or given to her own brothers. If Duke An’s Mansion demanded restitution, what was she to do?