Although it was Miss Ye from Duke An’s Mansion who filed the complaint, the facts were clear, with both parties acknowledging their own statements, and with the support of the court’s laws, there were no dissenting opinions, and the case could be closed.
You Chenghui cleared his throat again and glanced at Ye Xinyan.
It wasn’t that he, the head of the capital’s yamen, lacked backbone; it was just that this young lady’s combat power was astonishing. If she heard the judgement and couldn’t control her emotions, causing a scene, he would find himself at a loss.
Ye Xinyan had already recovered from the shock that Wong Qiao had brought her, and upon hearing the cough from You Chenghui, indicating his intention to conclude the case, she immediately put on a cold face and kept silent.
You Chenghui straightened his sitting posture and said solemnly, "Since Wong Qiao has admitted that the mechanical equipment sold by the two shops was indeed first produced by the Qi family, there is no need to send people to Yuyuan Prefecture to collect evidence. What does Miss Ye think?"
Ye Xinyan sneered and said, "It seems that Lord You has already drawn a conclusion about this lawsuit, so there’s no need for further discussion. You need not have any concerns; this insignificant woman will only listen to your verdict. No matter the outcome, I will not trouble you again."
Of course, You Chenghui could read between the lines of Ye Xinyan’s words. Was this young lady not intending to let things go? But he still breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t matter where she chose to make a fuss; as long as she didn’t complicate things in his yamen, and didn’t pose difficult questions for him, everything would be fine.
The trial of this case concluded very quickly, taking only a half-day to close, and the outcome was naturally Ye Xinyan’s defeat.
After You Chenghui read the court’s decision in the main hall, the case was settled in his hands.
Fortunately, You Chenghui had come prepared for this trial. Fearful of being implicated in any escalation, he didn’t make a big fuss. Although the trial process followed the normal procedure with every testimony carefully recorded, the entire process was limited to participation by the yamen’s internal staff, and there were no bystanders at all.
At this point, there was no need to administer any punishment to Ye Xinyan; he would be grateful just to see these troublemakers off.
Ye Xinyan accepted the verdict indifferently, and upon hearing that the yamen’s procedures were complete, she immediately turned around. Without even glancing at the two shopkeepers and Wong Qiao, she left without looking back. She did not even bother to see if her maid, old woman servant, and Zheng Pengfei, who were waiting outside the main hall, were following.
Watching Ye Xinyan leave with an imposing air, You Chenghui was not worried in the slightest but rather relieved. This troublesome case was finally over. He couldn’t claim it was a complete success, but he had managed to achieve a satisfactory seven or eight points out of ten. He had neither offended Prince Fu nor mistreated Miss Ye, and even if he had to face Duke An, he could still make an acceptable explanation.
Whether Ye Xinyan was reconciled to the outcome or what actions she would take in the future were no longer concerns for the capital’s yamen.
After all, considering Ye Xinyan’s frustrated and resentful demeanor, which hadn’t erupted in his presence, she was surely holding back her moves for later.
You Chenghui entertained the idea of warning Prince Fu for a moment, thinking of sharing his judgment with Prince Fu to prepare him. Perhaps, if Prince Fu took the throne later, this gesture would ensure a better future for himself.
But as soon as the thought arose, he felt a sudden jolt in his heart and immediately dismissed the idea. Better to mind his own business; the higher the rank, the more difficult it was to deal with people. If he informed Prince Fu and the prince turned around and blamed him for knowing that Ye Xinyan would not give up easily and for letting her off lightly without any punishment, wouldn’t he be left crying somewhere?
Besides, the struggle for the throne was filled with uncertainty; without seeing it through to the end, no one knew the outcome. Currently, he was just acting in accordance with the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, and no one had a reason to blame him. To keep a steady position and do his duty properly was the only right path.
Right, right, right, doing one’s duty was the best course of action.
In a moment’s time, You Chenghui’s mind had turned over a hundred thoughts, and he ultimately decided to play the fool. Being deliberately obtuse was the timeless path to stability.
By the time Ye Xinyan left the yamen of the Capital Prefecture, it was approaching Noon. Not far from the yamen’s main gate was her carriage, with several people standing beside it.
The person in the lead was Jiang Yifan, with his several young servants trailing behind him.
When Ye Xinyan appeared, Jiang Yifan tossed the horse’s reins to Shi Yu and walked up to meet her.
He nodded to Ye Xinyan and then gave Zheng Pengfei a bow with hands clasped to express his gratitude, "Thank you, Brother Zheng, for the inconvenience."
Zheng Pengfei looked at Jiang Yifan with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, as his gaze kept drifting toward Ye Xinyan, and said, "Yuanfan, you’re too polite. How could it be an inconvenience? Since I stay with the Qi family, I must have something to do."
He paused, then laughed and said, "I assume you’re not here to pick me up, so get on with whatever you need to do. Stop putting on an act in front of me."
Jiang Yifan wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest and laughed as he clasped his hands again, "I’ll have a few words with Ah Yan first, and then we can chat on the road."
In a few strides, Jiang Yifan reached Ye Xinyan’s side and whispered helplessly, "For such matters, you could have simply let Yuan Shang handle it, or sent a steward from Duke An’s Mansion. There was no need for you to come in person. Knowing it would turn out this way, it was a waste of effort."
Ye Xinyan snorted discontentedly, glanced around to make sure there were no outsiders, and then said, "It’s precisely because I knew the outcome that I had to show up in person; otherwise, how would I handle what’s to come?"
Jiang Yifan found Ye Xinyan’s occasional choice of words quite speechless.
Like now, how is that called ’handling things’? From that one phrase alone, Jiang Yifan seriously doubted her claims of experiencing a lifetime in a dream. Could it be true?
Looking at how Ah Yan talked about dealing with things, she didn’t sound like a woman who had been educated for over a decade at all; she sounded more like someone who had been mixed up in the marketplace.
Forget it, this was outside, and such matters shouldn’t be discussed in public. As for the specifics of dealing with the issue, it was best to go back and ask for clarity.
Jiang Yifan took the footstool passed by the coachman and said, "Let’s go. I’ll take you home. We can talk about everything when we get back."
Ye Xinyan glanced at him before stepping into the carriage, her mind pondering whether this man had come just to take her home. Was he really so unoccupied? Or did he have other business?
Jiang Yifan indeed had other matters he wanted to warn Ye Xinyan about in advance. But seeing her as she was now, it was clear she had already made up her mind about the Mechanical Workshop dispute and probably didn’t intend to let it go smoothly.
Given that she wouldn’t rest even with the judgment from the capital’s yamen, it was predictable that her plans would escalate and she was likely to make a big fuss again.
In that regard, it seemed what he wanted to discuss really wasn’t that important, and he hoped it could be deferred.
After Jiang Yifan accompanied Ye Xinyan to pay their respects to Duke An and his Wife and Madam Yin, the two of them went to the Flower Hall in the backyard and settled themselves next to small tables.
Ye Xinyan asked, "Did you come here today specifically to pick me up, or is there something else?"
Jiang Yifan couldn’t help but laugh, "You, a woman, have made such a public scene over the Mechanical Workshop affair, resorting to a lawsuit. How could I not come specially to pick you up?"
Ye Xinyan arched her eyebrows but said nothing. This Jiang Yifan was an odd one; in ancient times, shouldn’t her actions be considered disgraceful? Yet this man didn’t seem to feel the slightest bit of this sentiment.