Ye Xi huffed off angrily.
Seeing Yi Yuan's unfriendly expression, Steward Chen hesitated several times. Finally, he decided to speak up in Ye Xi's defense.
"Your Highness, these past few days, this old servant has seen Miss Ye comforting the young heir. She has never overstepped her bounds. She never asks unnecessary questions and has never tried to persuade the young heir to speak well of her. She's really different from those other women in the past. As for what she said today, I suppose..."
"Uncle Chen." Yi Yuan frowned. This Miss Ye was really capable. In just two days, she had even deceived the old steward who had served in his mansion for decades.
"Don't say any more. Select a new tutor for the young heir."
"Sigh..." Steward Chen sighed and finally replied, "Yes."
"What about the maids and nannies in the mansion..."
Remembering what Ye Xi had said before leaving, Steward Chen couldn't help but feel worried.
After all, it's better to be safe than sorry. The late prince only had these two children. Now that the eldest son was gone, Yi Yuan was left alone to hold up the prince's mansion. At the age of twenty, he still had no heir yet. Steward Chen was almost worn out with anxiety.
Ye Xi's words "Beware of women" seemed to ring in Yi Yuan's ears again.
Yi Yuan felt a bit irritated.
He always felt that Ye Xi's words were like a satire on his arrogance, as if she thought he always assumed that all the women in the world wanted to be his princess.
But wasn't it the truth?
After all, many women had previously resorted to self - defilement just to climb into his bed in order to gain a higher status. Some of them seemed the least interested on the surface, but were actually the most unscrupulous...
"She's just talking nonsense. Don't take it to heart."
Rubbing his tightly furrowed brow, Yi Yuan said indifferently. Calculating the time, Lin An would be arriving soon. He didn't have the time to deal with these petty matters of young girls.
"Yes." Steward Chen didn't say any more. He turned around and went to conduct an investigation on his own.
While Yi Yuan could afford to not care, he couldn't.
On the other side—
Since she had been driven out of the mansion by Yi Yuan, Ye Xi didn't have a carriage this time. She could only walk back with Sai Xing.
Ye Xi was still thinking about what had just happened:
She should have used fortune - telling as an excuse when she grabbed the maid just now. It was all because she was suddenly shocked by such serious news and didn't react in time!
Alas! It's okay. Practice makes perfect. Next time, she'd just use fortune - telling as an excuse.
It was just that her current identity didn't carry much credibility...
"Of course it's true. If I wasn't trying to avoid suspicion, why would I have left so quickly?"
Suddenly, a coquettish voice came from around the corner, interrupting Ye Xi's reverie.
The Prince Yu'an's Mansion was located in the east of the city. Due to its vast area, there were few other mansions nearby, and the environment was very quiet. There were hardly any people on the way. So, even though the voice was deliberately lowered, that affectedly delicate voice was still extremely clear.
Who else could it be but Ye Jueyao?
Ye Xi subconsciously stopped in her tracks and exchanged a knowing look with Sai Xing beside her.
Here they come—
"Okay, I believe you. But Yaoyao, you should have less contact with the Prince Yu'an in the future. He's not the kind of person who cherishes women."
This familiar voice, domineering and warning, was none other than Cao Sheng.
"I know. The Prince Yu'an is nothing. I even find it a nuisance to see him once. Yaoyao has always only had Brother Sheng in her heart. Brother Sheng should know that. Every time I think that it's my younger sister who has an engagement with Brother Sheng, Yaoyao just..."
The coquettish voice was filled with grievance and a hint of sobbing.
Ye Xi felt sorry for her just listening.
Sure enough, Cao Sheng immediately softened his voice:
"Alright, alright. It's all my fault. I couldn't change my grandfather's mind, which made Yaoyao suffer so much grievance. But look, even though I've been engaged to Ye Xi for so long, we haven't actually gotten married. It's all for you."
"Um~ Yaoyao knows Brother Sheng's feelings. It doesn't matter. Yaoyao is willing to wait."
Of course she was willing to wait. If Ye Xi hadn't discovered this so - called fate disaster, in another year, Ye Jueyao would have been able to be with Cao Sheng openly.
Seeing that the two were about to make up, Ye Xi gently tugged at Sai Xing's clothes.
The mistress and the maid tiptoed back like thieves for several feet. After putting some distance between them, Ye Xi said in a flurry:
"Sai Xing, hurry up. Otherwise, elder sister will be out of sight. The prince values elder sister, but it's not appropriate for him to show partiality in front of the young heir. We have to catch up with elder sister quickly, or else elder sister might have a rift with the prince."
"Don't be in a hurry, miss. Since the prince intends to explain, and the eldest miss is so reasonable, I'm sure she won't misunderstand."
Sai Xing replied immediately. She was honest, but she wasn't stupid.
Moreover, her poor second miss had always endured humiliation in the Ye family. Now her fiancé was even snatched away by her own elder sister. Sai Xing really felt aggrieved for her miss.
The two lovebirds over there both froze.
Hearing Ye Xi and Sai Xing's footsteps getting closer, Cao Sheng quickly distanced himself from Ye Jueyao, but his face was already extremely ugly.
Ye Jueyao was also in a complete panic, but hearing what Ye Xi and Sai Xing said, she felt a little secretly happy in her heart.
Yes, she had been too impatient. There were so many people in the prince's mansion at that time. The prince doted on the young heir so much that he had to protect the young heir's face to some extent.
While each was lost in their own thoughts, Ye Xi and Sai Xing had already turned the corner and saw the two people who hadn't had time to leave.
"Elder sister," Ye Xi pretended to be overjoyed. Then she glanced at Cao Sheng beside her and feigned surprise:
"Eh? Why is Young Master Cao here too? You two..."
Sai Xing quickly followed suit, bowed to the two of them, and deliberately said:
"What a coincidence, Young Master Cao. Are you here to visit the prince just like the eldest miss?"
Cao Sheng's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Visit the prince? He had just heard from the merchants on the street that Ye Xi had won the favor of the prince's mansion, and Ye Jueyao had also benefited from it and was trying to curry favor with the prince's mansion. He hadn't believed that the aloof and proud Ye Jueyao would do such a thing, but he couldn't help but have doubts in his heart, so he came to take a look.
Who would have thought that he would really see Ye Jueyao dressed up in all her glory coming to the prince's mansion, but she came out soon after.
He was extremely angry and stopped Ye Jueyao to question her. But Ye Jueyao said that she had just come to visit Ye Xi, and in order to avoid suspicion, she left as soon as she saw Yi Yuan appear, so she didn't stay long.
But judging from what Ye Xi and Sai Xing said, the truth might be far from what Ye Jueyao had said.
Seeing Cao Sheng's bad complexion, Ye Jueyao quickly scolded:
"Don't talk nonsense! I clearly came to visit my younger sister. You're just a lowly maid, yet you dare to gossip about your master. This maid of my younger sister's is really unfit to stay!"
"Elder sister, don't be angry," Ye Xi quickly stepped forward and took Ye Jueyao's arm, comforting her:
"Sai Xing doesn't know the proper etiquette. Why should elder sister bother with a servant? It's just that Sai Xing saw Young Master Cao with elder sister and was afraid that others would gossip, so she asked. But elder sister, why are you with Young Master Cao?"
[This really was an unexpected encounter.]
Ye Jueyao thought to herself. However, because of her guilty conscience, she didn't know how to explain for a moment.
It was Cao Sheng who reacted first. He eased his expression and said:
"I heard that you've won the favor of the prince's mansion by comforting the young heir. I came here specially to pick you up. I didn't expect to run into your elder sister."
[Pick up Ye Xi!? No wonder I suddenly ran into them. It turned out to be for Ye Xi!]
"Oh..." Ye Xi pretended not to hear Ye Jueyao's inner thoughts and shyly tugged at Cao Sheng's corner of his clothes:
"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Cao. Then... let's go."