Table of Contents

1. Chapter 1 Previous Hatred and Drowning

2. Chapter 2 Ning Xueyan Reborn at the Funeral
3. Chapter 3 Ning Xueyan Shows Off Her Great Change
4. Chapter 4 Disorder and the Evil Servan
5. Chapter 5 The Strange Fragrance at the Funeral
6. Chapter 6 Ning Xueyan Relieves Madam Dowager’s Anger
7. Chapter 7 Who Will Be Responsible for the Scandal?
8. Chapter 8 The Threat Comes from Ning Xueyan’s Uncle
9. Chapter 9 Mother Yun Escapes to Her Sister’s Home
10. Chapter 10 The Maid Who Took Advantage of Her Power
11. Chapter 11 Slap the Servants Who Slight Their Master
12. Chapter 12 Neither Plain Nor Pure White Clothes
13. Chapter 13 First Madam’s People
14. Chapter 14 The Personal Maid of Ning Xueyan’s Previous Life
15. Chapter 15 Mean Sisters
16. Chapter 16 The Handsome and Ruthless Prince Yi
17. Chapter 17 Vicious; The Beauty Get Intoxicated Amid Peach
Blossoms
18. Chapter 18 Confrontation with the Wickedly Charming Man
19. Chapter 19 Mixed-breed; Not Favored?
20. Chapter 20 Little Affection between Father and Daughter
21. Chapter 21 The Corpse at the Bright Frost Garden’s Entrance
22. Chapter 22 Secret; The Link between the Past and Presen
23. Chapter 23 Panic; Chaos in the Cloud Reflection Courtyard
24. Chapter 24 Face Powder; Ning Ziyan’s Presen
25. Chapter 25 Nemesis; Meeting Ning Ziyan Again
26. Chapter 26 The Woman Who Selfishly Lingers in the Cold
Mountain Temple
27. Chapter 27 They Can Forget About Being Happy Themselves
28. Chapter 28 Winning Lanning’s Hear
29. Chapter 29 Dressing up as a Man, Ning Xueyan Offends Prince Yi
30. Chapter 30 Meeting Third Prince with Soft Talking
31. Chapter 31 Killing Intent Flashes
32. Chapter 32 The Reunion of the Niece and Uncle
33. Chapter 33 Emergency, Madam Dowager Arrives
34. Chapter 34 Ning Xueyan Goes to the Bamboo Forest after Dressing
Up
35. Chapter 35 It’s Said that the Third Prince is Friendly and Handsome
36. Chapter 36 The Young Lady, Ning Yuling, Was Coming
37. Chapter 37 Sudden Appearance of Prince Yi and the Military
Medallion from the Preceding Dynasty
38. Chapter 38 Let Her Know Who is the Master of Lord Protector’s
Manor
39. Chapter 39 Madam Dowager’s Partiality
40. Chapter 40 Ning Yuling Falls Down Badly
41. Chapter 41 Your Highness Wants Something, So Do I
42. Chapter 42 Assassination and Blood Everywhere.
43. Chapter 43 The Appreciation Comes from the Honored Consort Ya
44. Chapter 44 An Extra Phoenix Hairpin
45. Chapter 45 Aunt Xiang’s Surprise
46. Chapter 46 The Handsome Princely Heir, Wen Xueran
47. Chapter 47 Greetings and the Poison in the Medicine
48. Chapter 48 The Kindness of the Consort Dowager of Commandery
Prince Li’s Manor
49. Chapter 49 Things Happen One after Another and Madam Dowager
Gets Angry
50. Chapter 50 The Disturbance in the Lord Protector’s Manor and
Madam Ling Is Going to Frame Ning Xueyan
51. Chapter 51 The Private Meeting with the Painter of a Brothel
52. Chapter 52 Planning, Maid’s Changeable Words
53. Chapter 53 Chaos, Princely Heir was beaten
54. Chapter 54 Insisting
55. Chapter 55 The Evidence, Beautiful Painting
56. Chapter 56 The Private Meeting and the Wrong Person
57. Chapter 57 Chessman and Madam Dowager’s Hin
58. Chapter 58 There Is Also a Problem with Ning Xueyan’s Medicine
59. Chapter 59 Madam Dowager Shows Partiality to Madam Ling and
Takes Away All Medicine
60. Chapter 60 A Gift Comes from Aunt Xiang
61. Chapter 61 The Commandery Princess Muling from Yunnan
62. Chapter 62 The Sick Civet Ca
63. Chapter 63 - It Can’t Be a Coincidence
64. Chapter 64 - A Tentative Strategy about the Medicine
65. Chapter 65 - Framed, Mother Han Got Caugh
66. Chapter 66 - The Fight in the Woodshed
 67. Chapter 67 - Among All the People in the Manor, Who Doesn’t
Know That the Fifth Young Lady Is Sickly?
68. Chapter 68 - You’re Right. We Must Find out Who Did This!
69. Chapter 69 - That’s How an Accident Happened
70. Chapter 70 – Who Is The Victim?
71. Chapter 71 She Would No Longer Be Softhearted to Her Foes
72. Chapter 72 Step by Step
73. Chapter 73 The Pretty Maid, Yu Lian
74. Chapter 74 The Closed Courtyard Door and Slightly Closed Room
Door
75. Chapter 75 The Mysterious Woman in White
76. Chapter 76 Lanning’s Doubts
77. Chapter 77 Ling Yi Will Thank Mother Chen Again After He
Succeeds in Seducing Ning Xueyan
78. Chapter 78 The Impolite Visitor
79. Chapter 79 The Sudden Search Frightens Ning Xueyan
80. Chapter 80 A Letter from Ning Yuling
81. Chapter 81 Madam, This is Lord Protector’s Manor
82. Chapter 82 Madam Ling and Madam Qian Act so Well
83. Chapter 83 If She Is Innocent, Who Is Not?
84. Chapter 84 Ming Feiyong Visits Lord Protector’s Manor
85. Chapter 85 Is This the Concubine Ma Who Poisoned Me?
86. Chapter 86 The People around Concubine Ma
87. Chapter 87 The Birthday Feast for Concubine Ma
88. Chapter 88 The Hairpin and Ning Ziyan’s Personal Maid
89. Chapter 89 The Wife and the Concubine Both Got Pregnan
90. Chapter 90 Pregnancy, Surprise Or Scare
91. Chapter 91 It Was the Imperial Physician
92. Chapter 92 The Baby Was Already Two Months or Three
93. Chapter 93 Truth, or Scandal
94. Chapter 94 I’ve Only Taken You in for Half a Month
95. Chapter 95 Prince Yi’s Favorite Concubine
96. Chapter 96 If It Is Good, You Just Keep Watching
97. Chapter 97 So, I Helped You, Prince Yi
98. Chapter 98 Who Do You Think You Are?
99. Chapter 99 They Want to Cover up the Scandal Again!
100. Chapter 100 I Will Fulfill Her Wish
101. Chapter 101 Your Majesty, Do You Want to Investigate This Matter
Thoroughly?
102. Chapter 102 No Matter Which Way Concubine Ma Chose, She
Would Not Survive
103. Chapter 103 The Way for Concubine Ma
104. Chapter 104 Ning Lingyun’s Marriage
105. Chapter 105 Concubine Ma Admits Her Error and Asks for
Punishment While Kneeling at the Door
106. Chapter 106 A Maid’s Confession
107. Chapter 107 The Concubine Wins in the Wife-concubine Infighting
108. Chapter 108 Suspicion to the Pas
109. Chapter 109 Madam Ling Wants Ning Xueyan to Marry Marquis of
Ping’an
110. Chapter 110 I Will Wear the Dark Blue Clothes
111. Chapter 111 The Third Prince Has Been Here on This Day for the
Last Three Years, Rain or Shine
112. Chapter 112 I Walked Too Fast So That I Bumped into the Fourth
Young Lady
113. Chapter 113 Marquis of Ping’an Is Fascinated by Ning Lingyun
114. Chapter 114 Who Is the Third Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor?
115. Chapter 115 The Third Prince’s Gentleness
116. Chapter 116 Marquis of Ping’an Is Drunken and Enters the
Womenfolk Courtyard by Mistake
117. Chapter 117 One Show after Another
118. Chapter 118 Ning Yuling Speaks Without Thinking and Falls into
the Trap Step by Step
119. Chapter 119 The Unexpectedness in Buddha Hall
120. Chapter 120 A Beauty Is Still Less Important Than Wealth and
Honor
121. Chapter 121 Like It or No
122. Chapter 122 Madam Ling Isn’t an Easy Opponen
123. Chapter 123 The Beauties from the Palace
124. Chapter 124 Open Targe
125. Chapter 125 But Remember, Just This Once
126. Chapter 126 Is It Second Sister Who Let Grandmother Reward You
127. Chapter 127 Two Unsatisfactory Marriages
128. Chapter 128 The Arrogant Maid
129. Chapter 129 An Old Lady Was Knocked Down
130. Chapter 130 Worrying about the Disclosure of the Conspiracy
131. Chapter 131 Is There Anything Special about the Brocade?
132. Chapter 132 Mother Wang Was Not Her First Wet Nurse
133. Chapter 133 The Lure of a Beauty
134. Chapter 134 All of a Sudden, an Accident Happened
135. Chapter 135 A Rearrangement, a Drama in Real Life
136. Chapter 136 It Is You, Am I Right?
137. Chapter 137 Mother Sent Me to Do All of This
138. Chapter 138 The Weird Encounter In The Study
139. Chapter 139 Something Serious Happened
140. Chapter 140 The Women Sent by Third Prince Had a Lot of Guts
141. Chapter 141 A Villain with a Temporary Success
142. Chapter 142 I Don’t Know What You’re Talking Abou
143. Chapter 143 The Past of Madam Ming
144. Chapter 144 Do You Think I’m So Gullible?
145. Chapter 145 A Second-class Maid Who Was Paid as a Third-class
One
146. Chapter 146 the Straw that Breaks the Camel’s Back
147. Chapter 147 Tie Up that Little Bitch and Drown Her
148. Chapter 148 Whose House Is This?
149. Chapter 149 The Tactful Concubine Xu
150. Chapter 150 She Will Survive As Long As She Is Smart Enough
151. Chapter 151 How to Deal with the Old Lover and the New Lover
152. Chapter 152 Do You Know Ning Ziying Who Lived in Cloud
Reflection Courtyard?
153. Chapter 153 The Buddha Hall Is Busy and Each Shows Their
Special Prowess
154. Chapter 154: Sister, I Don’t Understand What You Were Saying
155. Chapter 155 Ning Huaiyuan Is Back
156. Chapter 156 The Red Plum and the Beauty
157. Chapter 157 Who Is the Sister?
158. Chapter 158 Ning Xueyan Refuses All Gifts
159. Chapter 159 You Mistook Me for Someone Else. I’m Ning Xueyan!
160. Chapter 160 His Pet Could Only Belong to Him
161. Chapter 161 Reputable Third Young Lady
162. Chapter 162 Got Her Hand Injured
163. Chapter 163 Elder Brother, It had been Three Years since We Parted
164. Chapter 164 Have You Really Forgiven Me?
165. Chapter 165 Why Does Her Voice Sound So Familiar?
166. Chapter 166 I Will Find a Way Finally If I’m Still Alive
167. Chapter 167 the Stained Account Book
168. Chapter 168 Stay with the New Concubine?
169. Chapter 169 the Warm-hearted Third Young Lady
170. Chapter 170 I Just Learned a Little from Grandmother!
171. Chapter 171 Third Sister, Can You Give Me Some Advice?
172. Chapter 172 Being Defeated Because of Self-righteousness
173. Chapter 173 Send the Account Books to Foggy Courtyard
174. Chapter 174 Block the Maid on the Way to Buy Time
175. Chapter 175 There’s No Braised Fish in the Kitchen Today
176. Chapter 176 Being Kind to Your Enemy Is Often the Wrong
Beginning
177. Chapter 177 What You had Imagined and Reality were not the
Same
178. Chapter 178 the Phoenix Earring
179. Chapter 179 Run into Heng Yuqing Again
180. Chapter 180 the Legendary Favorite Concubine
181. Chapter 181 Prince Yi’s Favorite Concubine Is at the Imperial
Palace
182. Chapter 182 Taking Her for Ning Ziying by Mistake
183. Chapter 183 Uncle, Is There Anyone You Like?
184. Chapter 184 I Have Nothing Special with Third Young Lady
185. Chapter 185 A Note That Conveys an Affair
186. Chapter 186 Third Prince’s Suspicion
187. Chapter 187 Don’t You Know Who You are Dating?
188. Chapter 188 He Said It was Me Who Had Made the Appointmen
189. Chapter 189 Series of Stratagems
190. Chapter 190 Why Has Nothing Bad Happened to Ning Xueyan?
191. Chapter 191 Miss, She Stole Your Bracele
192. Chapter 192 Third Young Lady, Please Wait!
193. Chapter 193 Being Slapped, Ning Qingshan’s Hate Gets Intenser
194. Chapter 194 Uncle, Can You Let Us Have a Look at Her?
195. Chapter 195 My Favorite Concubine Said…
196. Chapter 196 Do You Want to Watch a Good Show?
197. Chapter 197 Let’s Go! Leave Her Alone
198. Chapter 198 The Gifts from the Two Princes
199. Chapter 199 the Candied Fruits from Mr. Wang
200. Chapter 200 Investigation, and a Past Event about Ning Ziying
201. Chapter 201 A Late Night Visit from Prince Yi
202. Chapter 202 A Past Event…
203. Chapter 203 Just Like Third Prince, I Like You, Too
204. Chapter 204 The Reason Madam Ming Adopted Ning Qingshan as
Her Daughter
205. Chapter 205 A Vicious Woman
206. Chapter 206 Maybe Nothing Bad Happened to My Family
207. Chapter 207 A Ghost Is Not the Most Horrible Thing in the World
208. Chapter 208 Those Things She Had Hidden
209. Chapter 209 Fourth Prince Wants to Help Third Young Lady Vent
Her Anger
210. Chapter 210 Third Young Lady Is the Most Beautiful
211. Chapter 211 What? She Is Third Young Lady!
212. Chapter 212 The Wound She Has Been Concealing
213. Chapter 213 You Are Not Our Own Daughter
214. Chapter 214 I’m Going to Leave the Lord Protector’s Manor
215. Chapter 215 Fifth Sister Is Not Such a Person
216. Chapter 216 We Have Found Concubine Ma
217. Chapter 217 Ning Qingshan’s Plan
218. Chapter 218 Fifth Sister, I’m Willing to Take All the Responsibility
as Long as You Don’t Get Angry
219. Chapter 219 A Well Plotted Show
220. Chapter 220 The Tragic Fall of the Previous Dynasty
221. Chapter 221 Concubine Ma’s Death
222. Chapter 222 Under What Circumstances Is It Advantageous for a
Girl to Cancel the Engagement?
223. Chapter 223 The Similar Clothes
224. Chapter 224 They All Have an Ulterior Object in View
225. Chapter 225 The Noble Childe Xia Yudong
226. Chapter 226 The Close Cousins
227. Chapter 227 The Greenhouse in the Garden…
228. Chapter 228 She Is Willing to Do Everything
229. Chapter 229 Xia Yudong Tries to Find a Chance to Save Ning
Xueyan
230. Chapter 230 Princely Heir, Why Are You Here?
231. Chapter 231 Third Young Lady Failed
232. Chapter 232 Ning Lingyun Was Frightened
233. Chapter 233 Mr. Yu, the Shopkeeper of the Cloth Shop
234. Chapter 234 I’m Going to Buy Some Cloth for My Servants
235. Chapter 235 This Is a Reward for you From Prince Yi
236. Chapter 236 It’s Time for Me to Get Married
237. Chapter 237 Third Sister, It Was not Your Faul
238. Chapter 238 A Trouble Caused by the Account Books
239. Chapter 239 Each of the Shopkeepers Has Prepared Two Different
Account Books
240. Chapter 240 What if They Can’t Find the Dowry List?
241. Chapter 241 The Broken Pearled Hair-pin
242. Chapter 242 How Dare You Take Away All My Stuff
243. Chapter 243 Madam Ling Was Released From the Buddha Hall
244. Chapter 244 Madam Ling Adopted Ning Qingshan as Her Daughter
245. Chapter 245 Xia Yuhang’s Doub
246. Chapter 246 Diamond Cut Diamond
247. Chapter 247 Ning Ziyan Pinched Ning Xueyan Hard False
Sisterhood
248. Chapter 248 Madam Ling’s Scheme Is Different from Ning
Qingshan’s
249. Chapter 249 The Accident at Orchid Garden
250. Chapter 250 Madam Ling Is Triumphant at the News of Ning
Xueyan’s Trap
251. Chapter 251 Unexpectedly, an Assassin Came
252. Chapter 252 The Thing Got Even Worse
253. Chapter 253 How Could Family Affairs Be More Important than
National Affairs?
254. Chapter 254 A Mysterious Middle-aged Woman
255. Chapter 255 The Qingyun Academy
256. Chapter 256 Meet Commandery Princess Xianyun for the First
Time
257. Chapter 257 The Birthday Party of the Lord Guardian’s Daughter
258. Chapter 258 The Quarrel and the Unexpected Acciden
259. Chapter 259 He Turned out to be the Man I Am Looking for
260. Chapter 260 Sir, Are You From the Qingyun Academy?
261. Chapter 261 Meeting Chen Qing Again
262. Chapter 262 To Scare the Cat out of the Bag
263. Chapter 263 Not the most Reasonable but More Reasonable
264. Chapter 264 Accidental Rescue at the Tea House
265. Chapter 265 A Competition of Earrings and Hairpins
266. Chapter 266 The Orphan of the Former Dynasty
267. Chapter 267 Someone Is Following Us
268. Chapter 268 Your Royal Highness, Which Tender and Sweet Girl
Do You Want to See
269. Chapter 269 Go Down. Let’s Go to the Linjiang Restaurant Quickly
270. Chapter 270 All the Three Girls Are Missing
271. Chapter 271 Families Should Huddle Together to Have a Jolly Time
272. Chapter 272 Third Sister Wanted to Ask About Second Sister
273. Chapter 273 The Affectionate Third Prince Ao Mingyu
274. Chapter 274 Ning Qingshan Cast the Blame on Ning Xueyan
275. Chapter 275 Ning Lingyun Pretending to Be Ill and Not Going
Upstairs
276. Chapter 276 Disturbances Arise Again for Eavesdropping
277. Chapter 277 The Carriages Moving Forward, It’s Dangerous
278. Chapter 278 Enjoying the Tea, Changing the Carriage Observantly
279. Chapter 279 Some Coincidences Made Her Countermeasure
Slightly Superior
280. Chapter 280 Maybe the Back Door Is Not Sealed
281. Chapter 281 The Cloud Reflection Courtyard Is Haunted
282. Chapter 282 That’s How Rumors Spread
283. Chapter 283 Secrets Hiding in the Book of Family Names
284. Chapter 284 Put on Airs to Collude with Each Other
285. Chapter 285 Let Mother Wang Get Away With a Clever Device
286. Chapter 286 What’s on Madam Dowager’s Mind
287. Chapter 287 Weird, a Sudden Change in the Study
288. Chapter 288 A Delicate Pearl Flower
289. Chapter 289 A Coincidence Might Cause a Disaster
290. Chapter 290 The Warm-hearted and Kind Mammy Luo
291. Chapter 291 Horror in the Garden, Father and Daughter Fough
292. Chapter 292 Specially Prepared Maids
293. Chapter 293 Sinister, Madam Dowager’s intention to kill Aroused
294. Chapter 294 Warning, Mammy Luo Was Tortured
295. Chapter 295 Ning Qingshan’s Regre
296. Chapter 296 Praying at Cold Mountain Temple During the Spring
Festival
297. Chapter 297 Is She Really the Princess of the Previous Dynasty?
298. Chapter 298 A Powerful Man
299. Chapter 299 The Beauty in Ao Xian’s Hear
300. Chapter 300 Accident, a Fire in the Buddha Hall
301. Chapter 301 Danger, Night Attack
302. Chapter 302 Your Highness, Did the Third Prince Do i
303. Chapter 303 The Third Prince Ao Mingyu’s Care
304. Chapter 304 Jealousy Ning Qingshan
305. Chapter 305 A Dispute Between Servants
306. Chapter 306 Officially Entering the Palace and Joining the Beauty
Contes
307. Chapter 307 Honored Consort Ya’s Enthusiasm
308. Chapter 308 The Past Events Disclosed, Honored Consort Ya
Conceded
309. Chapter 309 The Hate-filled Caifen
Chapter 1 Previous Hatred and
Drowning
“Miss, Ning Ziying has been beaten and is passed out. Should I continue
to beat her?”

Two women in fine clothes were sitting high up in the Yunying courtyard
of the Lord Protector’s Manor scornfully looking at the thing that was
huddled up on the ground. It was badly mutilated and could be
recognized as a human being. They picked up their teacups and slowly
took a sip of tea.

One of them walked forward and brushed aside the matted hair on the
face of that person. She said with affectation, “Sister Ying, wake up,
Sister Ying!”

Having been awakened by the pain on her face, Ning Ziying raised her
dirty face covered with mud, where a few deep blood stains could be
seen that had just been scratched by Ning Ziyan’s nails.

“Sister Ying, don’t hate your elder sister. You had an affair with another
man before marriage. It is really shameful. How could Brother Yuhang
marry a dirty woman like you…”

“Ning Ziyan!” she raucously bellowed with difficulty, “it is you who had
an affair with a man and made my fiance break it off with me!”

Ning Ziyan put her hand holding a hanky under her nose as if to block
something dirty while she said with disdain, “Brother Yuhang and I are
fond of each other. It’s you who shamelessly messed around with him!
At first, I took pity on you. It’s OK to let you become Brother Yuhang’s
concubine as the minister’s mansion can afford a concubine who serves
me with drinks, but you were unlucky. When you had a tryst with a man,
you ran into Brother Yuhang and me, so I had to take action…”

Looking at the perky Ning Ziyan in front of her, Ning Ziying just felt a
surge of anger. This woman, who had secretly had an affair with her
fiance and even got pregnant out of wedlock, had falsely accused her of
having an affair with another man before her wedding in order to take
her marriage away! How could there be such a vicious woman in the
world like her, whom she had treated as her own elder sister before?

With her eyes full of hatred, Ning Ziying had been beaten unconscious
by the servants. She was only able to lie on the ground. Suddenly, she
rushed at Ning Ziyan and fiercely bit her hand, making her mouth bloody
and teeth break. She felt her teeth cut open the skin on her hand and
become embedded in the flesh, where bright-red blood oozed out. It was
unknown whether that blood came from her mouth or Ning Ziyan’s
hand!

Madam Ling, the Lord Protector’s wife, who sat next to Ning Ziyan
watching the fun, just then rushed over to beat and scold Ning Ziying.
But no matter how much pain Ning Ziying felt when her back and body
were being beaten, she did not let up her bite. She stared straight at Ning
Ziyan and bit her with greater and greater force.

“Bitch!”

A powerful male voice suddenly resounded among the noise, which

came from Xia Yuhang!

The next moment, Ning Ziying felt that her abdomen had been
ferociously hit by something. Completely unguarded, she was hit and
flew straight out, smashing into a large stone by the lake! A mouthful of
blood sprayed out, which stained the ground red in front of her!

“How dare you hurt Yan’er! Throw this shameless bitch into the lake,”
Xia Yuhang said coldly.

“How dare you bite me! Drown this bitch in the lake!” Ning Ziyan
shouted with madness…

Ning Ziying wanted to look up at the man who had spoken sweet words
to her yesterday but today could mercilessly kill her. However, the next
moment several people grabbed her hair and dragged her into the nearby
lotus pond.
“Miss!” The scream came from Xiang’er, her personal maid. She tried to
look back, but she could not see what was in front of her eyes.

She was violently suffocating and her numb body could not feel pain any
longer. With her last bit of strength, she tried to focus her eyes on the
faces of Madam Ling, Ning Ziyan, and Xia Yuhang. She smiled silently
toward the sky. Her sad, distorted smile could be seen through the
fluctuations of the water surface, and it was cold and bloodthirsty…

“Someone come over here, put stones onto them, and make them sink
into the water. After tomorrow, we’ll tell others that they have drowned.”
Madam Ling stood up and coldly instructed once the water’s surface no
longer fluttered and the mistress and her maid were dead.

“Yes, madam!” Several ladies sharply grabbed either side of a stone and
tied to Ning Ziying and Xiang’er, then pushed it hard into the lotus pond
with a big splash. Immediately, it turned into light ripples. No one knew
that the owner of the Yunying Courtyard had died in this lotus pond.

“Yan’er, you were bitten badly by the damn bitch. Go and see the doctor.
Don’t put off tomorrow’s wedding because of that.” Madam Ling turned
her head to Ning Ziyan and spoke empathetically after she had dealt with
everything in sight.

“Mom, don’t worry about my minor injury. Will the death of Madam
Ming delay my and Brother Yuhang’s wedding?” Xia Ziyan pointed to
the southeast corner of the backyard where Madam Ming, the co-wife of
Lord Protector Ning Zu’an, lived. Just now, someone had reported that
Madam Ming was dead!

Madam Ming was the co-wife of the Lord Protector and had the same
position as her, the wife of the Lord Protector. If the news were to be
spread out, Ning Ziyan, as her daughter, could not marry until three
months later. But even though she could wait, her pregnant belly could
not!

“That bitch didn’t die earlier or later, but at this moment. Don’t worry,
Yan’er. I will put off the time of her death until the day after tomorrow,”
Madam Ling snorted coldly. The bitch should have died long ago, but
unexpectedly she had a hard life. Her death was postponed for half a
month, which happened to be in collision with her baby daughter’s
wedding day!

As they spoke, their group of people suddenly walked out of the door of
the Yunying Courtyard. The last lady to leave closed the door, and the
Yunying Courtyard was restored to peace and quiet again. No one would
have thought that this empty, closed yard had lost its owner…

But that sinking body suddenly woke up in the water. The floating body
made her grasp something in front of her subconsciously.

Awake!

As she opened her eyes and looked at the strange surroundings, Ning
Ziying was full of doubts.

She had undoubtedly been drowned in the lotus pond. So, where was she
now?
Chapter 2 Ning Xueyan Reborn
at the Funeral
“Where am I?”

Seeing the white clothes on her body and the simple arrangement of a
funeral in the house, Ning Ziying suddenly felt dizzy, and a lot of strange
memories poured into her mind.

Ning Xueyan was the cowardly, 14-year-old Fifth Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor. Her natural mother was the unfavored co-wife
of the Lord Protector, Madam Ming, who had died the day before. Ning
Xueyan had died at her mother’s funeral due to grief and weakness.

And Ning Ziying was reborn in Ning Xueyan’s body. She was no longer
the Ning Ziying who went to the Lord Protector’s Manor for shelter.

The sound of joy and laughter in the front yard made her feel that it was
a dream…

According to Ning Xueyan’s memories, it was Xia Yuhang and Ning

Ziyan who were married now.

They thought that Ning Ziying had died!

Every dog has its day. Now she was no longer the same as she used to
be. This time, it was her turn to send them to hell…

“Fifth Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady.” Mother Han’s voice came from
the door.

“Mather Han, I’m here.” There was a mute voice in her throat. She had
lost consciousness and been hungry for a day. She was lucky to be able
to make a sound.

Hearing the sound of Ning Xueyan, Mother Han rushed over and said,
“Fifth Young Lady, I brought you some water. Have a drink and rest for a
while.”
“Mother Han, hasn’t madam arranged someone to send me food yet?”
After drinking some water, Ning Ziying did not feel any pain in her
throat. She slightly recovered her original voice and her gaze became
serious. At this time, the bride had left, but the guests were still there
according to noise outside. “Everyone will see if I go out now and make
trouble for them,” Ning Xueyan thought.

“I have asked them, and they said…” Mother Han swallowed hard as she
looked at Ning Xueyan, “they said that the First Madam would ask
someone to send food to you soon.”

“Mother Han, let’s go and get it ourselves!” Ning Xueyan stood up

suddenly with a mocking smile on her lips. If she remembered correctly,
aside from the Madam Dowager, who very much valued face, there was
a Madam Dowager Liu in the Lord Protector’s Manor, and both were
extremely respectful of the rules.

This Madam Dowager Liu was the aunt of Ning Zu’an, the Lord
Protector. Her dead husband was a famous scholar in the regions south of
the Yangtze River and she only had a daughter. After her husband died
and her daughter was married, she lived alone. So Ning Zu’an went to
her home to bring her to the Lord Protector’s Manor to take care of her.
At that time, all the people in the court said that Ning Zu’an was filial.

“What? We… we’ll get it ourselves?” Mother Han widened her eyes in
shock and looked incredulously at the Fifth Young Lady, who had always
been weak and protected by her.

“Yes, we’ll get it ourselves. They said that my mother has died and I’m
unlucky now, so they don’t allow me to go to the front yard. I’ll go!”

Ning Xueyan spoke coldly, with hatred in her eyes!

“Ning Ziyan, don’t think everything is okay as long as you enter the
Xia’s Manor. I’ll mess it up. Besides, the Lord Protector’s Manor never
has been peaceful.”

“Fifth Young Lady, you can’t go. The Madam Dowager and First Madam
will punish you if they find out.” Mother Han was shocked by Ning
Xueyan’s sudden decision. She grabbed Ning Xueyan’s sleeve tightly for
fear that she would recklessly rush out.
“Mother Han, don’t worry. I won’t be rash.” Ning Xueyan’s eyes were
indescribably deep.

Seeing that the Fifth Young Lady was persistent, Mother Han could only
pick up the lantern on the ground and hold Ning Xueyan with her hand.

Ning Xueyan walked toward the bustling front yard. Everything was full
of happiness, and her white linen clothes were more dazzling than the
others.

Most of the servants in the manor did not know that someone had passed
away. And Ning Xueyan had not been out of her Bright Frost Garden for
many years due to cowardice. The new servants did not know who she
was, secretly guessing her identity.

“Who is she? How does she dress like this? It looks as if someone died.”

“It’s the Fifth Young Lady. Look at her, she doesn’t look like a lady of
the Lord Protector’s Manor.”

“She has no manners. The First Young Lady got married today, but she is
dressed like this. What does she want to do?”

Suddenly, a woman rushed out of the crowd and reached out to stop her,
saying rudely, “Fifth Young Lady, why did you come here? You’re not in
good health. You needn’t come out. The First Madam asked you to go
back to rest.”

Everyone in the Lord Protector’s Manor called Madam Ning “First

Madam” while they called co-wife Madam Ming “Second Madam”. The
comer was Madam Ming’s trusted Mother Yun. Ning Xueyan recognized
that she was one of the villains who had drowned Ning Ziying the night
before. She could not help looking at her with great hatred.

“Mother Yun, the Fifth Young Lady hasn’t eaten for a day. Why hasn’t
anyone sent her food yet?” asked Mother Han.

“We all are busy serving the guests. Madame and Madam Dowager
haven’t eaten yet. Why are you in a hurry? When everything is done,
we’ll send a meal to the Fifth Young Lady,” Mother Yun said
impatiently.
“When everything is done? When will that be? Mother and grandmother
also haven’t eaten for a day?” Hiding the hatred in her eyes, Ning
Xueyan raised her head and asked in amazement.

The Fifth Young Lady, who had always been cowardly and seldom spoke
loudly, had refuted Mother Yun today, which stunned Mother Yun. She
raised her head and looked up at the cold eyes of Ning Xueyan and felt
afraid.
Chapter 3 Ning Xueyan Shows
Off Her Great Change
“Mother Yun, I heard that you are in charge of the kitchen today. Why
didn’t the masters have dinner, yet all the servants have eaten?” Ning
Xueyan stretched out her hand and pointed at the greasy corner of
Mother Han’s mouth, smiling ironically.

“Fifth Young Lady, you’re the daughter of the Lord Protector’s co-wife.
It’s very disgraceful of you to argue with us. You’d better go back first,
and when we’re not busy, we’ll send it to you.” Mother Yun was shocked
to see that Ning Xueyan was so fierce today. But when she remembered
that it was madam’s order to neglect the Fifth Young Lady and her
cowardice, she was perfunctory again.

After that, without waiting for Ning Xueyan to answer, Mother Yun
turned to the two women following her and said, “Come on, take the
Fifth Young Lady back!”

Mother Yun was Madam Ling’s trusted servant, so she knew that she had
to prevent Ning Xueyan from going to the front yard. So, Mother Yun
asked them to take Ning Xueyan away, as she could not let her destroy
the wedding ceremony.

“Who dares to touch me!” Looking at the two women coming at her in a
threatening manner, Ning Xueyan suddenly gave a sneer and spoke
sharply.

The indignation on Ning Xueyan’s face threatened the two women, and
they did not dare to come closer.

Mother Yun felt humiliated and shouted at the two women, “Go ahead
and take Fifth Young Lady away.”

Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind. Madam Ling’s servants dared to bully
a mistress, but this was exactly what she needed. She pushed aside
Mother Han who was protecting her, stepped forward, and slapped
Mother Yun. “I am the mistress, and you dare to bully me!”

She slapped Mother Yun’s face heavily with great hatred.

No one expected that the cowardly the Fifth Young Lady would slap the
First Madam’s personal servant!

Mother Yun had never received such treatment in the manor. She covered
her face subconsciously and roared with a fierce look on her face, “How
dare you slap me!”

She was dizzy now, just feeling the buzz in her ear. She felt that she was
losing face when she saw several maids and women on the side secretly
laughing.

She forgot that Ning Xueyan was also the mistress of this manor due to
being enraged and she rushed at Ning Xueyan and was going to hit her!

“Sure enough, you’re an evil flunky and dare to beat a mistress,” Ning
Xueyan thought with mockery in her eyes. She moved to one side, but
pretended to be unsteady and fell down. Before she fell down, she
secretly stretched out one foot and tripped Mother Yun, who then fell
down beside Ning Xueyan.

Looking at Mother Yun coming over to her, Ning Xueyan stretched out
from a very hidden angle and pinched Mother Yun hard on her breast.
Then she fell down on top of Mother Yun, so it seemed that it was
Mother Yun who had dragged her down.

Mother Yun screamed out in pain because of Ning Xueyan’s hard pinch.
She completely forgot that Ning Xueyan was the mistress of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, and was going to beat Ning Xueyan while she
scolded her. “Bitch! How dare you hit me! I’ll kill you today.”

The maids and women around them responded at this time, and
immediately rushed up to stop Mother Yun. Mother Han reacted quickly
and protected Ning Xueyan with her body. It was chaos.

“Stop! What’s going on?” The angry sound came from over their heads.
Madam Ling, who came in hurriedly, almost went mad when she saw the
scene! She stared at Mother Yun fiercely. Mother Yun felt afraid so she
let go of Ning Xueyan’s arm and hurried to explain.

“Madam, the Fifth Young Lady slapped me. Look, my face is swollen.”
Mother Yun complained to Madam Ling, pointing at her swollen face. It
had become red and swollen, and it could be seen that she had been
slapped.

“Fifth Young Lady, what’s the matter? You don’t stay well in the Bright
Frost Garden. Why did you come here and slap my servant?” Madam
Ling frowned and looked at Ning Xueyan, who was being protected by
Mother Han.

Ning Xueyan held Mother Han’s hand and stood up with difficulty. Her
face looked pale. She pointed at Mother Yun and said, “She not only
scolded me, but also bit me. Mother, please exercise justice for me.”

“Ah!”

All of them screamed, and their eyes fell on Ning Xueyan’s sleeves,
where there was a large bloodstain and blood still dripped from the
sleeves. They all realized that Ning Xueyan’s pale face was caused by
excessive blood loss.

This sudden change surprised everyone except Ning Xueyan! She hid all
the hatred on her face. Because of her pale face and bleeding wounds,
she looked more miserable in the eyes of the people around her.

“Madam, I didn’t bite her!” Mother Yun was also shocked, hurrying to
explain. Even though Ning Xueyan was not favored, she still was a
mistress of the manor.

“Do you mean that I bit myself?” Ning Xueyan stood unsteadily,
covering her head with one hand. It looked like she was going to faint,
but she still forced herself to turn her head to Madam Ling. “Mother,
please exercise justice for your daughter.”

She emphasized the word “daughter” when she begged, then fell back
after saying it. Mother Han hurried to reach out to catch hold of her.
Before fainting, Ning Xueyan said something in Mother Han’s ear in a
low voice.
Chapter 4 Disorder and the Evil
Servan
t

The surrounding maids and women reacted because the Fifth Young
Lady still was a mistress of the manor even though she was not favored.
If something bad were to happen to her, all of them would be punished.
So they were overwhelmed at the moment, just trying to wake Ning
Xueyan up and calling for a doctor.

The shouts in the garden passed to the front yard, where the madams
were having a banquet. They looked at each other, not knowing what had
happened.

At this time, a blood-stained female servant hurriedly walked by, but was
stopped by a madam in splendid clothes. “What happened in the
backyard?”

Mother Han did not know why Ning Xueyan had asked her to go to the
front yard before she fainted. But now, she suddenly understood. The
Fifth Young Lady wanted all these madams to go to the garden!

So she quickly said to the madam, “A servant stunned the Fifthe Young
Lady in the garden. I’m going to fetch the doctor!”

Mother Han’s words shocked all the madams.

A servant dared to hit a mistress! Were there no rules in the Lord

Protector’s Manor?

These madams’ interest of gossip was aroused, so they walked to the

garden while gossiping about it.

Seeing these madams coming over, Madam Ling became extremely

angry because she knew that things could no longer be controlled. She
stared at Mother Yun, who then realized things would get worse, and
knelt down beside Ning Xueyan.
“What’s wrong with the Fifth Young Lady? Who hurt her?” The Madam
Dowager walked out, frowning. She became unpleasant when she saw
the fainted Ning Xueyan and her injured arm.

Today was Ning Ziyan’s wedding. But the Lord Protector’s Manor lost
its face because of such a thing. Why was Madam Dowager happy?

“Madam Dowager, please exercise justice for the Fifth Young Lady.
Mother Yun not only starved the Fifth Young Lady for a day, but also
scolded and beat her when the Fifth Young Lady came to ask her about
it. Look, Madam Dowager, the Fifth Young Lady… Fifth Young
Lady…” Mother Han, who came back with those madams, pointed to
Ning Xueyan’s bloody hand and spoke with grief and indignation.

They all looked at Ning Xueyan’s hand. Some timid madams could not
help crying. Although they did not see the bloody wound, the blood
dripping down from Ning Xueyan’s hand made them shiver. What a
cruel servant! She should bite a mistress like that!

“Madam Dowager, it wasn’t me. I didn’t bite the Fifth Young Lady.”
Mother Yun anxiously explained, sweat dripping from her face.

The evidence was obvious, but Mother Yun still denied it. Some madams
could not bear it and said with dissatisfaction, “If you didn’t bite her,
why does her hand look like this! What a damn servant.”

“She should be beaten to death. There’s no reason for servants to bully

their masters.”

“How could there be such an evil servant in the Lord Protector’s

Manor?”

“Come on, shut her up and take her away to beat her to death!” Looking
at this chaotic scene, Madam Dowager made the decision. She just
wanted to end this chaos quickly. Otherwise, the face of the Lord
Protector’s Manor would be lost!

“Help, First Madam! Help me!” Mother Yun turned to Madam Ling,
crying for help.
But immediately, two women came up and covered her mouth with a
handkerchief and were going to take her away.

“Wait a minute. Mother, we haven’t asked about it clearly yet before

taking her away… It’s, it’s not good!” Although Madam Ling was afraid
of Madam Dowager, she now had to stop Mother Yun from being taken
away. If she did not help her personal servant, who was going to be
beaten to death and begged her for mercy, no one would dare to follow
her in the future.

“You mean we should just let her go?” Madam Dowager reprimanded
Madam Ling and was more dissatisfied with this daughter-in-law who
came from a small family and did not know it was inappropriate for such
a matter to happen now. What’s more, Madam Dowager was displeased
with the clothes that Ning Xueyan wore when someone died.

She was afraid that Madam Ming’s death would be exposed, and they all
would get into trouble if that happened.

Having been reprimanded by Madam Dowager in front of all the

madams, Madam Ling was ashamed and angry and could not speak for a
moment.

“Sister, wait a minute. Today is Ziyan’s wedding. It’s unlucky if someone

dies today!” Madam Dowager Liu, who stood at the side, tried to
persuade Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager Liu’s words were reasonable. So, Madam Dowager

nodded her head and wanted to lock up Mother Yun first, and then
interrogate her separately after the wedding.

Ning Xueyan, who pretended to be unconscious and listened to their

conversations, knew that it was time to wake up.
Chapter 5 The Strange Fragrance
at the Funeral
Ning Xueyan unsteadily stood up, holding onto Mother Han’s hand, and
said, “Grandma, please spare Mother Yun. We were too impulsive just
now.”

All the madams were stunned by Ning Xueyan’s unexpected pleading for
Mother Yun. Ning Xueyan was still young and her face was pale, but she
behaved elegantly and had a delicate appearance. Her behavior and
words made people feel close to her.

They had not unexpected that there was such an outstanding girl in the
Lord Protector’s Manor. They only heard that the First Young Lady was
gentle and elegant, but now, they felt that Ning Xueyan was better.

“Xueyan, why did you plead for her? She doesn’t respect you and even
hurt you. She’s an evil servant.” Looking at the gentle and graceful Ning
Xueyan, Madam Dowager Liu felt happy and spoke with a soft smile on
her face.

“Grandmother, she has to be punished because she hurt me. But I think
today is important and it’s not suitable to kill her. She has been working
in the Lord Protector’s Manor for many years. How about asking her to
go to the backyard… It’s also a punishment for her negligence as a
servant…” Ning Xueyan smiled when she said that sincerely, but
everyone could see that she was in pain. And they all felt confused by
Ning Xueyan’s complete words.

“What is she going to do in the backyard?” Madam Dowager Liu also

did not understand what Ning Xueyan meant, and asked in puzzlement.

Realizing that Ning Xueyan wanted her to keep vigil at the funeral,
Mother Yun shouted in horror. She crazily pushed away the two women
and cried out in a hurry, “No! No! I don’t want to keep vigil for Madam
Ming! First Madam, I won’t go. Help me, I won’t go! The funeral…
Madam Ming… funeral…”
This sudden change scared everyone!

When they heard clearly what Mother Yun said, all the madams changed
their expressions. Ning Xueyan had waited for this scene for a long time.
She looked down slightly to hide the coldness in her eyes.

The death of Madam Ming was strange. When Ning Xueyan was at the
funeral, she smelled a sweet scene. After careful distinction, she found
that the fragrance came from the coffin! The source of this fragrance was
a kind of poisonous food. Long-term consumption of it would lead to
dizziness and illness, and the fragrance would stay in the body.

The slight, sweet fragrance must have had something to do with Madam
Ling. Ning Xueyan’s mother, Madam Ming, had left her a set of methods
for making incense, so she knew that that incense was harmful. Mother
Yun was Madam Ling’s trusted personal servant, so she knew the truth
about Madam Ming’s death. Therefore, she was afraid of keeping vigil
for Madam Ming.

“You damn servant, what are you talking about here?” Madam Ling
rushed over and slapped Mother Yun before she finished her words,
interrupting Mother Yun.

But Mother Yun’s words had caused amazement among the madams who
were watching.

Mother Yun’s words caused chaos in the backyard.

The Second Madam had died in the backyard, but they held a wedding
banquet in the front. How could the Lord Protector’s Manor do such a
disrespectable thing!

“Damn servant, what are you talking about? Come on, shut her up and
take her away. Beat her to death directly!” Madam Ling did not expect
Mother Yun to say that. She shouted at the two female middle-aged
servants in a panic, totally forgetting that she had pled for Mother Yun
just now.

“Beat me to death? Madam, I have…” On hearing Madam Ling’s vicious

word, Mother Yun cried out. But before she finished her words, she was
stopped and held back.
At this point, Madam Dowager already knew that the death of Madam
Ming could not be covered up. Looking at Madam Ling, she trembled
with anger. This matter not only brought shame on the Lord Protector’s
Manor, but also would affect her son’s prestige. Faced with the gaze of
the madams, Madam Dowager felt ashamed and angry, her face turning
pale. She could say nothing now and finally fainted.

Then it became more chaotic. The doctor who had been called to cure
Ning Xueyan happened to come over and was pulled to cure Madam
Dowager first.

All the madams knew that the Lord Protector’s Manor had done
something disrespectable. They all wanted to see how the Lord
Protector’s Manor would end this wedding ceremony. Originally, some
madams heard that there were other daughters in the Lord Protector’s
Manor and wanted to take the opportunity to take a look at them. Now,
none of them wanted to. It was said that the First Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor was elegant and gentle. But in order to get
married, she hid the death of her elder, which was greatly disrespectable.

She was not cultured or steeped in propriety at all!

According to Madam Ling’s guilty look, it was obvious that she already
had known. She treated Ning Xueyan badly, allowed her servants to
bully a mistress, and hid the death of Madam Ming, so a daughter taught
by such a mother was no good either.

“Don’t beat her to death first. Take her away, we’ll deal with her later.”
Madam Dowager Liu withdrew her smile and stared coldly at Madam
Ling. At this time, there had to be someone to order.

Ning Zu’an, the Lord Protector, had great respect for his aunt, so no one
dared to disobey her even though she did not take charge of anything
during ordinary times. Immediately, two women took Mother Yun away
to stop her from saying anything more.

“Young Lady, are you all right?” The maid Qingyu ran over and
supported Ning Xueyan. She had been arranged to help in the wedding
ceremony by Madam Ling and could not leave. Now she came when no
one noticed her.
“Go and see where Mother Yun will be locked up,” Ning Xueyan leaned
against Qingyu and said in her ear with a quiet voice.
Chapter 6 Ning Xueyan Relieves
Madam Dowager’s Anger
“Go and see where Mother Yun will be locked up.”

“Young Lady…” Qingyu looked at Ning Xueyan and asked with a quiet
voice full of doubt.

“Go!” Ning Xueyan pushed her hard.

This time, Qingyu did not hesitate, but turned and ran away.

Looking at the back of Qingyu, Ning Xueyan smiled.

Mother Yun was Madam Ling’s accomplice who knew a lot. How could
she let her die so simply?

The Lord Protector’s Manor was holding a wedding ceremony and the
banquet was arranged near the second door. But the backyard was
already in chaos.

Nobody noticed that somebody was watching them in a loft near the
second door.

In the vast, luxurious living room, an extremely handsome man sat

against the railing wearing black clothes on which there were many
bloody flowers.

He was extremely beautiful, but also daunting. Several guards stood far
away at the entrance of the stairs, not daring to move.

He lifted up a glazed cup and took a sip from it slowly, his beautiful eyes
reflecting coldness. The temperature around him was lower than that of
other places.

At this time, he looked at the thin Ning Xueyan with great interest.
“It’s really interesting. I didn’t expect there to be such an interesting little
girl in the Lord Protector’s Manor!”

He said that as if he had found some interesting prey.

From there, he could clearly see the movements of Ning Xueyan.

“What a surprise!” he thought. Ning Xueyan was just a delicate girl who
only knew how to cry, he had not expected her to be as fierce as a wolf.

She bit herself without any hesitation. Everyone knew that it was easy to
be cruel to others, but difficult to be cruel to oneself!

“The Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor is so interesting!”

It was late, and the Lord Protector’s Manor was dark. Two people were
on the way to the Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden with a lantern. Just
now, the Madam Dowager asked Ning Xueyan to see her.

“Young Lady, why does Madam Dowager want to see you now? Will she
blame you for what happened just now?” Mother Han was quite anxious,
and could not help asking with a quiet voice.

“Don’t worry. They won’t do anything to me at this time!” Ning Xueyan

sneered. She clearly knew Madam Dowager’s purpose. Maybe aside
from Madam Dowager and Madam Ling, her father was also in the
Lucky Garden.

So many people gathered there only for one purpose—they wanted Ning
Xueyan to be responsible for this matter!

Unfortunately, today she would not let them do what they want.

“Young Lady, but…” Mother Han was still worried.

“Mother Han, when I enter the Lucky Garden, you wait for me outside.
Then at the proper time, come in to do what I told you.” Ning Xuyan
Looked down at the road beneath her feet with a resolute look. Knowing
their purpose, she had prepared well before coming.

Looking at the confident Young Lady, Mother Han relaxed and nodded
forcefully. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it all in my mind.”
When they arrived at the Lucky Garden, the whole place was ablaze with
lights. A large number of servants stood still outside, not daring to move
and fearing to provoke the masters in the house.

In the room, the Madam Dowager sat on the couch with an unpleasant
look, and Madam Dowager Liu sitting beside her also frowned.

Ning Zu’an sat calmly to the right of the Madam Dowager, and Madam
Ling stood beside his chair with her head bowed.

The Madam Dowager in her seat stared at Ning Xueyan angrily as soon
as she came in. She knocked on the ground severely with the crutch in
her hand and shouted at Ning Xueyan, “Kneel down.”

The atmosphere became more tense.

Ning Xueyan was not in a hurry. When she came in, she saw the entire
scene clearly and knew that Madam Ling must have said something bad
about her.

The Madam Dowager also wanted to suppress her by using this

opportunity. Ning Xueyan sneered at them.“If I were the cowardly Ning
Xueyan from before, I would listen to you now after being scolded. But I
am not!”

Taking a cup of tea brought in by the maid, Ning Xueyan stepped

forward and gently said, “Grandmother, are you better now? Don’t be
angry. Your health is the most important.”

Hearing her words, the Madam Dowager could not help feeling eased.

Madam Dowager Liu nodded off to the side. “This girl is kind-hearted.
At this time, she still worries about her grandmother’s health. It’s totally
different from what Madam Ling said.”

“Xueyan, did you intentionally make trouble in the front yard this time?”

Madam Dowager Liu asked before the Madam Dowager could tell Ning
Xueyan to kneel down again.

“Grandma, I’m a mistress of the Lord Protector’s Manor, how could I do

that? My mother has died, I was very sad and I didn’t eat for a day, so I
felt dizzy. But I can’t be ill. Otherwise, no one would keep vigil for my
mom. I had no choice but to go to the kitchen to get some food with
Mother Han.”

Ning Xueyan said that sincerely with tears in her eyes, letting them know
that she was telling the truth.

“Madam Ling, what’s the matter? Why there was no servant in Bright
Frost Garden? And no one sent meals?”

Madam Dowager asked angrily, and almost at the same time, Ning Zu’an
stared at Madam Ling.

Madam Ling did not expect Ning Xueyan to say that so methodically in
front of so many people.

At this time, when she saw that the Madam Dowager was staring at her
and her husband, who had always favored her, was unhappy, she
trembled due to fear, stared at Ning Xueyan, and cried out her
grievances.
Chapter 7 Who Will Be
Responsible for the Scandal?
Hearing Madam Dowager’s inquiry, Madam Ling hurried to cry out her
grievances!

“Mother, I did arrange it. Maybe the servants were too busy to serve the
Fifth Young Lady. Today, there were so many guests, I can’t always be
with the Fifth Young Lady! Those servants came out to laze around on
their own. It really has nothing to do with me.”

“You’ve been in charge of this manor for some time. How can there be
evil servants who deceive and bully the masters! Although Xueyan lives
in a remote house, she is also a mistress of the Lord Protector’s Manor.
Later, you will arrange more servants in her Bright Frost Garden, she
can’t be slighted.” Madam Dowager stared at Madam Ling unhappily for
a while, then ordered in a deep voice.

“Yes, Mother. I was too busy to neglect Xueyan. Xueyan, it’s mother’s
fault, sorry.”

Madam Ling made an apology quickly this time, then turned to Ning
Xueyan and was going to salute her.

If Ning Xueyan were to accept Madam Ling’s salute now, she would be
criticized for not respecting elders.

Madam Ling had changed her plan to frame Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind and glanced over at her father, whom
she did not hold out any hope for. But she looked at Madam Dowager
Liu for a while.

In order to achieve their goals, the Madam Dowager and Madam Ling
used the carrot and stick. They wanted Ning Xueyan to know that they
were a family.

Unfortunately, this time they were wrong. She already had a solution.
Ning Xueyan stepped away and avoided Madam Ling’s salute with a
cold smile on her face. Then she looked up and said in surprise, her cold
smile already disappearing, “Mother, you are the First-class Marchioness
and my elder, how dare I accept your salute!”

“Madam Ling, don’t embarrass Xueyan. What’s important is what to do

next. As the Marchioness, don’t you know it’s a scandal to hold a
wedding ceremony when a member of our family has died!”

Ning Xueyan felt surprised, but she behaved well. However, Madam
Ling wanted to salute her daughter regardless of her identity, which
showed her flippancy. Madam Dowager Liu frowned and directly asked
Madam Ling in an unpleasant tone.

“I…”

Madam Ling could not answer for a moment then turned to the Madam
Dowager.

The Madam Dowager coughed and was asked by Madam Dowager Liu
before saying anything, “Sister, you don’t know about it, do you?”

This remark surprised the Madam Dowager, making her cough for a
while. Then she drank tea with the help of the maids and said, “Madam
Ling has covered that up. I didn’t know.”

Saying this, the Madam Dowager was more unpleasant regarding

Madam Ling.

Madam Ming had died the night before, but the Madam Dowager found
out about it this morning. At that time, the wedding ceremony had started
and the bridal sedan chair had left.

Now, the Madam Dowager was so passive because of Madam Ling.

“Now we have to come up with an idea to make up for it. It’s not good
for anyone if the reputation of Lord Protector’s Manor is destroyed.
Xueyan, just tell others that your mother told you on her deathbed not to
announce her death until after your sister’s wedding. This is also your
mother’s love for the younger generation.”
At this point, the Madam Dowager did not want to hide it anymore. She
told Ning Xueyan her purpose directly.

Someone had died in the family, but they held a wedding instead of a
funeral. Now they wanted Ning Xueyan and Madam Ming to be
responsible for that. The Madam Dowager and Madam Ling distorted the
facts, but thought it was justified!

Only Ning Zu’an, who sat on one side, stopped looking at Ning Xueyan
with guilt on his face.

That was the reason why they had called her at this time!

Ning Xueyan clenched her hands in her sleeves and tried her best to
suppress the rising anger. Anger and hatred flashed in her eyes!

“You want me and my mother to be responsible for that! How shameful

of you! Unfortunately, you can’t achieve your purpose.”

Ning Xueyan nodded with a smile and said, “Grandmother, I know your
difficulty. I’m willing to do what you said!”

Hearing Ning Xueyan’s words, Madam Dowager was relieved and

thought her granddaughter was understanding.

Seeing that the Madam Dowager had been relieved, Ning Xueyan smiled
and continued to speak.

“But now the entire city knows that we held a big wedding while hiding
the news of someone’s death. If we put it another way, I’m afraid people
will think that we spare no efforts to slander the dead people to cover up
the scandal. If some people make irresponsible remarks to expose it to
His Majesty, I’m afraid…”

The Madam Dowager became fearful, her gaze wandering. At this point,
Ning Xueyan knew that her aim had been achieved.

Realizing that the Madam Dowager was going to change her mind,
Madam Ling hurried to speak with a smile. “How could His Majesty
know about such a trifle? Xueyan, don’t talk nonsense. You’ve
frightened your grandmother!”
Madam Ling’s meaning was that Ning Xueyan was unwilling to help the
Lord Protector’s Manor and had intentionally frightened the Madam
Dowager.

“Mother, do you think His Majesty doesn’t know? Or do you think this
kind of thing won’t be exposed to His Majesty? Mother, don’t doubt His
Majesty’s ability. If this matter is spread to His Majesty…”

Ning Xueyan looked at Madam Ling with a cold smile, which scared
Madam Ling. Then she said slowly, “The crime of deceiving the
monarch is unforgivable!”
Chapter 8 The Threat Comes
from Ning Xueyan’s Uncle
When Ning Xueyan finished saying that, they were all silent due to fear.
The entire house was in silence.

“Who… No one will tell His Majesty!” Madam Ling struggled to speak.

Madam Dowager Liu pounded the desk heavily and suddenly stood up.
She pointed at Madam Ling, then turned to stare at Ning Zu’an.

Madam Dowager Liu was so angry that she could not speak for a
moment. After a while, she said angrily, “Madam Ming has died, but you
still want to humiliate her. Madam Ling, you have replaced her, aren’t
you satisfied? Why did you make trouble all day? Zu’an, you tell me,
was Madam Ming sorry for you? She has died, why don’t you let her go?
Do you feel guilty when you wake up at night?”

Originally, Madam Dowager Liu thought the Madam Dowager’s

decision was not proper and realized the consequences after Ning
Xueyan’s words. In daily life, she disliked people who did not behave
well. Now she saw that Madam Ling wanted Madam Ming to be
responsible for what she herself had done. And it might bring collapse to
the Lord Protector’s Manor. She could not restrain her anger anymore
and scolded Madam Ling and Ning Zu’an.

“Aunt, I…” Ning Zu’an was scolded so that he could not speak a word,
frowning slightly. He gave a look to Ning Xueyan and sighed, saying
nothing.

“Aunt, I’m also unwilling to do that. But it will affect the Marquis’s
career if it’s known by others. I have no choice…” Madam Ling disliked
Madam Dowager Liu, but she had to pretend to be aggrieved, wiping
tears with her handkerchief. It looked like she really took the Lord
Protector’s Manor into consideration and had no choice.
Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind when she saw Madam Ling pretend to
cry. She would cry for real later on.

Just now, Madam Dowager Liu realized that it was Madam Ling’s
decision to hide the news of Madam Ming’s death, so she scolded her.
“Mandan Ling, what else do you want to say? You’re the Marchioness,
how can you do such unruly things? Was Ziyan so anxious to marry?
Why couldn’t you wait a few months?”

Ning Ziyan was not Madam Ming’s biological daughter, so she only
needed to observe a three-month mourning period instead of three years.
Madam Dowager Liu was extremely angry. It was not a big deal to
postpone the wedding for three months. She took the cup in her hand and
smashed it at Madam Ling’s feet.

Madam Ling did not expect for this normally gentle old lady to get so
angry. She was frightened backward, tripped directly on the foot of the
chair, and fell to the ground.

Several people were talking when suddenly there was a noise at the door.
The Madam Dowager waved her hand with an unhappy look. A woman
immediately turned up and came in to report to her. “It’s Mother Han,
she said there’s an urgent matter to report to the Fifth Young Lady.”

“Mother Han, you’re just in time!” Ning Xueyan looked down to hide
her sneer.

“What’s the matter at this time?” Madam Dowager was unhappy now as
she impatiently asked.

“Grandmother, maybe it’s uncle’s letter!” Ning Xueyan said before

Madam Ling drove away Mother Han.

“Your uncle’s letter? He hasn’t contacted your mother for 10 years,”

Ning Zu’an was stunned, then he suddenly raised his head and asked,
panic flashing in his eyes. Madam Ming’s brother, Ming Feiyong, had
been guarding the border for 10 years and had never returned to the
capital. Because of the events of the past, he was unhappy about his
sister and had not contacted Madam Ming since he went to the border.
Why did he send a letter here at this time?
“I don’t know. Mother Han mentioned it before, saying that there may be
a letter from uncle. So I asked her to report to me as soon as she got the
letter,” Ning Xueyan said, appearing confused as if she really did not
know the reason. But ridicule appeared in her eyes. Like Mother Han
said, Zing Zu’an was afraid of Madam Ming’s brother.

“Bring over Mother Han!” the Madam Dowager frowned and said.

The woman went out and she brought in a sweaty Mother Han.

“Madam Dowager, Marquis, First Madam.” After saluting them, Mother

Han hurriedly turned to Ning Xueyan and said in a hurry, “Young Lady,
the letter says your uncle will arrive in the capital soon to see you and
your mother, but now the Second Madam…”

Ming Feiyong had not seen his sister in 10 years. So it was normal he
wanted to see Madam Ming. But the problem now was that Madam
Ming had died.

Now they all became frenetic and confused.

Ning Xueyan frowned at the right moment and said with worry, “But my
mother… What should we do?”

“What a coincidence!” Madam Dowager murmured, her gloomy gaze

turning from Ning Xueyan to Madam Ling. Just now, she wanted to
force Ning Xueyan to be responsible for this scandal. But now, she had
to reconsider it carefully. Ming Feiyong was irritable. If he found out the
truth, he would report it to His Majesty. At that time, the entire Lord
Protector’s Manor would get into trouble.

The crime of deceiving the monarch was unforgivable. The Madam

Dowager felt scared inwardly. She struggled for a while and made a
decision in her mind.

“Mother, what should we do now?” Ning Zu’an asked, losing his mind.
Now, he did not dare to push these things onto Madam Ming and Ning
Xueyan again. His Majesty became more and more suspicious. This was
a matter among women, but it was possible that it would lead to the
exposure of the past events and cause their deaths.
“There’s no choice. Madam Ling assumes all responsibility. Anyway,
this was her own idea.” Madam Dowager stared at Madam Ling. At this
point, no one could assume responsibility for this matter aside from
Madam Ling.

“Yes. It’s her own fault. We also have to explain that Ziyan has nothing
to do with this matter. She was influenced by her disappointing mother.”
Madam Dowager Liu nodded at the side.

Hearing their conversation, Madam Ling sat on the ground and cried,
“Marquis, Marquis…”

And this time, she did not need to pretend to cry, as tears dropped down
from her face.
Chapter 9 Mother Yun Escapes to
Her Sister’s Home
Ning Zu’an stood up, glanced at Madam Ling, and left quickly,
disregarding her screaming.

“Was Ning Ziyan innocent?” Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind. Ning
Ziyan framed her for having adultery, stole her fiance, and asked others
to drown her. How could Ning Ziyan be innocent!

“Madam Ling, this is just beginning, you’ll take on the responsibility

you deserve.”

The next day, the scandal of the Lord Protector’s Manor shocked the
court!

Many officials impeached Ning Zu’an in court. They said that Ning
Zu’an had hidden the news of his co-wife’s death and dared to hold a
wedding ceremony regardless of rituals and principles. Such a vicious
act was abhorrent!

In the end, it was proved that it was Madam Ling’s fault and she should
be the one to blame. But Ning Zu’an was the Marquis and should be
responsible for it as well. If he had valued his co-wife, he should have
known about her death and this scandal would not have happened.

Such a big scandal happened in the Lord Protector’s Manor. His Majesty
was so angry that he threw the memorial to the throne to Ning Zu’an and
asked him to read it while kneeling. And as for Madam Ling, if not for
Ning Zu’an’s entreaty and that she was the mother of Ning Zu’an’s only
son, she would have been killed directly.

“Young Lady, Madam Ling has been taken to the palace by the people
sent by the empress. I heard that her title of First-class Marchioness will
be stripped and she will be beaten 20 times!” Mother Han had pried the
information in the morning. When she came into Ning Xueyan’s room,
she could not help screaming with happiness.
Ning Xueyan just got up and had not cleaned up yet, sitting at the
window. Listening to Mother Han’s words, she showed a slight smile.

The punishment from the empress would not only punish Madam Ling’s
body, but also destroy her dignity as the Marchioness.

Madam Ling was Ning Zu’an’s Official Wife, but she was no longer the
First-class Marchioness. It meant that she could not stop Ning Zu’an
from marrying someone else as the Marchioness. At that time, she would
become the co-wife.

This totally humiliated Madam Ling!

“Is she back?” The Imperial Morning Conference had been over for a
while.

“Not yet. But the doctors are ready there, just waiting for Madam Ling to
come back for treatment. I heard that the punishment in the palace is
more severe than that of the manor. 20 floggings would disable
someone!” Mother Han said in a low voice, “It’s better to…”

“Mother Han, this can’t be talked about!” Ning Xueyan became serious
at once and reminded Mother Han.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell others.” Mother Han immediately nodded,

looked around carefully, and left.

When Ning Zu’an came back from the palace, the bloody Madam Ling
had been sent back.

The doctors who had been waiting hurried to treat her. The people in the
manor were all flustered.

No one expected Mother Yun, who had been locked in the firewood
room, to escape.

Of course, Ning Xueyan knew that!

Qingyu, who monitored Mother Yun secretly, returned and was called to
dress up Ning Xueyan.
Today, she would keep vigil for her mother in the main hall, accepting
the condolences of the guests. The Lord Protector’s Manor would hold a
funeral for Madam Ming with the standard of Official Wife to show that
they did not maltreat Madam Ming to cover up the scandal.

“Young Lady, Mother Yun didn’t return to her home, but went to her
sister’s on East Street early in the morning. Do I need to monitor her?”

Qingyu asked while dressing up Ning Xueyan.

Qingyu’s eyes were bright and her face was full admiration for Ning
Xueyan. But for the same face as before, she could not believe that her
weak and cowardly master would become so smart and powerful, and
even predicted that Mother Yun would not escape to her own home.

Such a Young Lady made her unconsciously convinced, and also made
her happy. Her mistress was no longer the obedient Fifth Young Lady!

“Don’t worry about her. You needn’t monitor her for the time being. Did
you bring the powder I wanted?” Ning Xueyan stood up and asked. It
was not the best time to expose Mother Yun’s escape.

“Yes. Everyone was in chaos in the morning. So I went to the pharmacy

at that time and found the powder you mentioned. Here you are. Is it
what you wanted?” Qingyu took out the powder hidden in her arms and
put it on the table.

Ning Xueyan looked at it. It was exactly what she needed. She nodded
and said, “Go to the garden and take a few pots of malus halliana koehne
for me.”

Malus halliana koehne was one of Madam Ling’s favorite flowers, and it
was fully blooming at this time.

“Qingrui, why are you just coming back now? Where were you last
night?” Mother Han’s voice in the yard came in with dissatisfaction.
Chapter 10 The Maid Who Took
Advantage of Her Power
Ning Xueyan looked out and saw that Qingrui was back.

She was another first maid of Ning Xueyan, but in fact, she was one of
Madam Ling’s people. She usually relied on Madam Ling’s influence
and had bullied Ning Xueyan much.

Whatever happened in Bright Frost Garden was always known by

Madam Ling’s side first, and that was all because Qingrui was trying to
curry favor with her.

It could be said that this Qingrui was put in Bright Frost Garden by
Madam Ling to monitor Ning Xueyan. She likely also had something to
do with Madam Ming’s death.

There was something odd about Madam Ming’s death.

“Of course I have something to do. The first miss gets married, it’s an
important issue. I have to help her. Unlike you, you can also rely on the
Second Madam to be lazy.” Qingrui, dressed in a beautiful new satin
dress, looked disdainfully and sneered at Mother Han, who was covered
in coarse linen and white cloth.

“Qingrui, how dare you say that!” Mother Han was trembling with anger
as she cursed in rage.

“Give your fire a rest, Madam, you’re also so old. What kind of temper
do you have so early in the morning? The Fifth Young Lady needs to get
up, and you should go serve her now!”

Qingrui lifted up her head. With Madam Ling backing her, she was not
afraid of Mother Han, so she twisted her waist to walk toward her room.
She did not want to come if the First Madam urged her.

She was just a dying thing that kept consuming medicine. What was so
important about it?
Ning Xueyan stood silently at the window, watching Qingrui’s brilliant
red skirt disappear around the corner. Only then did she raise her voice
and call out, “Mother Han.”

Hearing Ning Xueyan’s call, Mother Han, not caring her anger toward
Qingrui, hurriedly put down her things and went in. “Young lady, do you
want to have breakfast? Please wait for a moment. Qingrui is not here
today. Qingyu went to fetch it. She’s a little late.”

Ning Xueyan’s food had always been taken from the kitchen by Qingrui,
but this food was often replaced by her. Madam Ming was ill and Ning
Xueyan was cowardly. How could she argue with Qingrui because of
this?

“Madam, have Qingrui get the noon meal.” With her thoughts turning,
Ning Xueyan had come up with a countermeasure, and a cold smile
appeared on her pale face.

This issue could perhaps break Madam Ling’s reach into Bright Frost
Garden. If Madam Ling suffered losses this time, she would never let it
go. So, she should start at a faster pace and take advantage of Madam
Ling’s business…

White flags fluttered, and cries were heard in the mourning hall of the
Lord Protector’s Manor.

Ning Xueyan knelt in front of the coffin, burned paper offerings and
incense. She was clad in white and looked gaunt. She was exhausted
after having knelt for a morning, and her eyes had turned red because of
constant crying, which made people feel sorry for her! The guests who
came to pay their respects sighed for her when they learned that her
biological mother had lost her life and had been treated unfairly.
Everyone felt that Madam Ling had done too much.

She finally had time after launch. Then, she greeted the guests who last
came to the hall.

Except for her, the other one knelt in front of the coffin was the Fourth
Young Lady, Ning Lingyun. She was the daughter of the aunt, so she
naturally had to kneel in front of the coffin with Ning Xueyan as an act
of filial piety. Although she was just a common woman, she kept
flattering Madam Ling’s daughter, and she also very much despised Ning
Xueyan, thinking that Ning Xueyan simply could not compare with her.

At this point, seeing that no one was coming, she stopped pretending to
mourn and let her old maid take some food. She also ignored Ning
Xueyan and ate on the small table at the side.

At this time, it was unlikely that anyone would come, so people

attending the coffin had slackened off.

“Young lady, why hasn’t Qingrui brought the food yet?”

Qingyu went to the door, looked outside, and then looked at Ning
Lingyun who was eating. She then walked to Ning Xueyan and asked
anxiously.

The Fourth Young Lady had eaten almost all her food. Why didn’t
Qingrui bring the food over? This girl was in poor health and had been
busy all morning. If she was hungry, she could even faint.

“Don’t worry, I’m not hungry, Qingyu. First, go to Madam Dowager and
ask Mother Qin if she has the Frigid Pill for Madam Dowager. Just say
that my chest is congested and I want some Frigid Pills to lift my spirits.
Then, go back to Bright Frost Garden and get some of my clothes. I’m a
little cold.”

Ning Xueyan picked up the paper offerings nearby and watched the fire
in the stove burn slowly while speaking softly.

An elderly lady like Madam Dowager would have these refreshing Frigid
Pills at hand, which could lift her spirits and relieve slight symptoms
such as chest tightness and asthma when she felt uncomfortable.

“Yes, I will go right away,” Qingyu hurriedly replied when she heard that
Ning Xueyan was having trouble breathing. She did not dare to be slow,
so she stood up and hurried to Madam Dowager’s auspicious courtyard.

Not long after she left, the maid Qingrui walked in with a teapot,
followed by a woman carrying a basket of food. This time, she looked
quite normal outside as she had on a plain white dress. Ning Xueyan,
kneeling on the ground, saw a small piece of red under the white dress
with her sharp eyes, which appeared from time to time when she was
walking.

Ning Xueyan quietly withdrew her eyes and sneered in her heart.
Chapter 11 Slap the Servants
Who Slight Their Master
Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly when she spotted the red clothing that
maid Qingrui exposed.

To think that mere maids dared to wear a mourning garment on top of a

gaudy outfit when her masters did not. It was obvious how badly they
treated Madam Ming and Ning Xueyan. Everyone in this manor was
brave enough to bully her. Outsiders knew only of the first wife’s eldest
and second daughters of the Lord Protector’s Manor but not the fifth
daughter born by Madam Ming.

The two servants came over and lay down the teapot and food basket in
their hands. The older female servant poured a cup of water and passed it
to Qingrui, who squatted down and handed it to Ning Xueyan. Ning
Xueyan was a filial daughter. She had been kneeling for an entire
morning and did not even have a sip of water. Yet she saw the cold tea,
she found that she had no appetite.

“You must be starving, young lady. Keep calm and have some water
before eating. It’s better for your body that way.” Since there was an
outsider around, Qingrui nevertheless would show some respect for Ning
Xueyan’s status. Her words sounded warm but the sarcasm was obvious
when one took note of the steamless tea that she served.

Ning Xueyan leveled a cold look at her without accepting the cup of tea.
She then turned to look at the food without a hint of warmth that the
older female servant prepared. With a faint smile, she asked, “Is it out of
consideration for my health that you deliberately waited for everything to
cool down before coming in?”

Late autumn was frigid and the sky today had been murky as well. Ning
Xueyan’s hands and feet were ice-cold after standing in place motionless
for so long. If she drank that cup of “warm” water, she supposed her five
viscera and six bowels would freeze. She had always been frail and
sickly. Even if she was healthy, eating such cold food so frequently
would eventually get her ill.

Qingrui was stunned, having not expected the timid Fifth Young Lady to
retaliate. She raised her head and met Ning Xueyan’s jet-black pupils
that seemed to be a bottomless sea of serenity. Inexplicably, she began to
panic. However, she immediately straightened out her expression and
chuckled. “What’s wrong with you today, Young Lady? Why throw such
a large tantrum? Your health is poor and the doctor said that you’re not
allowed to eat overly warm food. Don’t tell me that you forgot, Young
Lady!”

“So I’m not allowed to eat overly warm food, but it’s fine to feed me
cold leftovers?! You people sure are a bunch of self-serving and smooth-
talking slaves!”

Ning Xueyan frowned and said sternly, “Kneel down!”

This time, Qingrui got a fright. However, she wasn’t afraid and was even
audacious enough not to kneel. She started loudly, airing her grievances.
“What’s the matter, Fifth Young Lady? I know you’re upset because
Second Madam is gone. But you can’t take it out on this lowly servant. If
you act this way, how will us servants have the courage to serve you?”

The older female servant, who walked behind Qingrui, immediately

cried, “Oh dear!” She pointed to three plates of dishes and one bowl of
soup on the side. “You’re sure in a bad mood today, Young Lady. It’s
your health that doesn’t permit you to eat warm food. It’s not like we’re
deliberately slighting you.”

The two of them echoed one another, insisting that Ning Xueyan was
provoking matters.

They caused so much fuss that they drew the attention of Ning Lingyun,
who was next door. She set down the bowl and chopsticks in her hands
and put on a disapproving expression. She sat on a small wooden stool
and watched the show with a grin.

Ning Xueyan looked around and saw that the other maids, as well as the
older female servant, looked like they were waiting to watch a show. No
one stepped forward to take her side. In fact, they were even looking at
her in disdain. It was no wonder that no one bothered even though
Madam Ming had passed away. No one in this manor, from the lowly
servants to their masters, truly regarded them as masters.

However, she was no longer the Ning Xueyan of the past who allowed
people to humiliate her!

A cold glint flickered across her pupils. Without another word, she raised
her hand and landed a hard slap on Qingrui’s face. The maid was so
shocked that she couldn’t recover her senses in time and fell to the
ground. She was utterly speechless.

With an ice-cold expression, Ning Xueyan sternly rebuked, “I wonder

who made the despicable order to have their master eat cold food!”

Her imposing manner frightened Qingrui so much that she trembled. The
Ning Xueyan before her eyes was emitting a domineering air that was
difficult to describe. Clutching her face, Qingrui stared wide-eyed at
Ning Xueyan. For a moment, she couldn’t snap out of it.

“Come back with fresh dishes. Get your punishment of 10 canings on

your own!” Ning Xueyan said, frowning.

Only then did Qingrui recover her senses. She gathered her courage
again upon remembering that she belonged to First Madam. She got up
from the floor and straightened her neck. “Young Lady, you’re acting as
you please, from wanting to change dishes to hitting people! This lowly
servant wonders if you have eaten something wrong today. Why are you
as explosive as a lighter? Second Madam had just died and you’re
already tormenting me like this. Even if you want me to die, you need to
explain why you want to punish me out of nowhere.”

Her use of the word “die” was in complete disregard of the taboo of
Madam Ming lying inside the mourning hall. In front of Ning Xueyan
who was still hurting from the loss of her mother, this was rude beyond
reproach.

Qingrui’s voice had just faded when a bellow came from the door.
“What’s that about dying? Come, men! Drag this lowly slave out and
slap her 20 times.”
Everyone turned around and saw Madam Dowager standing at the door
of the mourning hall, looking so angry that her face was ashen. Qingrui
had never anticipated her to show up at this moment. She was so terrified
that she trembled and felt her legs weaken. With a loud thud, she knelt
on the floor.

Ning Xueyan smiled coldly.

Chapter 12 Neither Plain Nor
Pure White Clothes
Madam Dowager was drawn here after she noticed Qingyu running off
to get Frigid Pills.

Ning Xueyan deliberately ordered Qingyu to get some Frigid Pills to

indicate that her health was very poor.

Old Lady Qin was still ill at ease after giving Qingyu the Frigid Pills and
went to inform Madam Dowager about Ning Xueyan’s condition.

“After all that racket in the Lord Protector’s Manor yesterday, all eyes
are on us. We must not allow rumors of us abusing the Fifth Young Lady
spread. With her health, the Fifth Young Lady is like a master who is at
death’s door. We’re having guests over this afternoon. What will they say
if she faints inside the mourning hall?”

After thinking about it, Madam Dowager decided to check on the

situation personally. The family was already at the heart of so much
uproar in these two days. She must not allow people to continue
gossiping about the Lord Protector’s Manor.

To her surprise, she heard a sharp-tongued maid bombarding Ning

Xueyan with words the moment she entered the mourning hall. The maid
even mentioned the word “die” inside the mourning hall. She was furious
that her face turned ashen.

She never thought that a lowly maid would embarrass her master this
way and speak so fearlessly inside the mourning hall. She couldn’t
imagine the kind of things people would say if they overheard this.

Two old women walked over to Qingrui and grabbed her. Ignoring her
cries, they dragged her to the corridor and started slapping her.

Another came to help the kneeling Ning Xueyan to her feet. She
carefully helped Ning Xueyan walk to the side room. Madam Dowager
was already sitting there waiting. Ning Xueyan once again kneeled
down. Even though she looked pale and frail, her expression was
determined. “Grandmother, please uphold justice for me.”

Pin-drop silence took over the side room!

“What do you have in mind?” Madam Dowager stared at Ning Xueyan

who had her head lowered.

“This maid and older female servant go too far in deceiving their master.
I don’t have the courage to have them serve me.” Ning Xueyan raised
her head and said every word with clarity. Her manner was neither
servile nor domineering. “They went to retrieve the food at the same
time as Fourth Sister’s maids. However, my food wasn’t here even after
Fourth Sister finished dining. Moreover, what they served me were their
leftovers.”

Earlier, Ning Xueyan saw that her dishes were clearly food for the
servants.

The maids had eaten Ning Xueyan’s dishes and then served her the cold
rice and vegetables from the servants’ table. This practice was repeated
every day and today was no exception either!

The reason she drew Madam Dowager here was to let her see this scene!

Ning Xueyan knew that at this moment, Madam Dowager would surely
avenge her.

It wasn’t because Madam Dowager’s heart ached for her. It was only for
Madam Dowager to put up a front to others. She must show that her
adoration of and compassion for Ning Xueyan as a way to speedily
remove the Lord Protector’s Manor from the ugly rumors going around
yesterday.

And the replacement of her servants was an excuse that Ning Xueyan
deliberately gave Madam Dowager!

Taking advantage of the fact that Madam Ling was in hot waters, she
used Madam Dowager to drive away Madam Ling’s people around her
and reinstate the Bright Frost Garden. This was her true goal in ordering
Qingyu to pay a visit to the Auspicious Fortune Hall!

What she needed now were servants that she could trust!

After a moment of silence, Madam Dowager asked, “Are your words

true?”

“Grandmother, you may investigate it if you don’t believe me. Even if

I’m weak, I refuse to allow them to humiliate me. That would affect the
reputation of our Lord Protector’s Manor!” Ning Xueyan’s every word
was purposeful, allowing everyone to understand the irrefutable truth at
first listen.

Mother Han had already checked on the food, having understood Madam
Dowager’s intention. She smiled wryly at Madam Dowager and nodded.
“Madam Dowager, the dishes are indeed food for low-level maids and
older female servant and they have become thoroughly cold. Considering
her frail body, the Fifth Young Lady would surely fall ill if she eats such
food.”

“Clang!”

The teacup fell to the ground and broke into fragments. Madam Dowager
sneered. “To think that there are such wicked slaves that dare to bully
and humiliate their young master! Fetch Housekeeper Lu immediately!
Have him sell off these two wicked slaves!”

Seeing that Madam Dowager was angry, Mother Han immediately tried
to mollify her. “Please appease your anger, Madam Dowager. I’ll
immediately send someone to fetch Housekeeper Lu!”

Ning Xueyan was still kneeling. From her vantage point, she could see a
shadow flitting behind the white banner. A person wearing a navy blue
dress was slowly moving outward. Everyone inside the mourning hall
earlier was dressed in pure white clothes. The servants that Madam
Dowager brought were dressed in plain but not pure white clothes.
Chapter 13 First Madam’s People
Out of nowhere, Ning Xueyan turned around and bellowed, “Stop right
there!”

This time, even Madam Dowager and Mother Han noticed someone
shifting suspiciously behind the white banner. The middle-aged woman
that had just arrived at the door looked at Ning Xueyan in bewilderment.
She didn’t know if she should put down her raised foot. She was the very
picture of awkwardness!

“Could you be sneaking out to find a way to save these two wicked
slaves? Fake some evidence and witnesses to help them out of this
predicament?” a pale-faced Ning Xueyan said coolly.

Madam Dowager, who occupied the central seat, watched the middle-
aged woman wear a guilty expression as if her intention had been
uncovered. She turned livid with rage and flung the teacup in her hand at
the middle-aged woman’s feet.

The middle-aged woman was so frightened that she trembled. With a

loud thud, she kneeled down and tried to explain herself. “Fifth Young
Lady, I’m just feeling the urge to go to the washroom. I’m not going off
to fake evidence or whatever; I just didn’t want to disturb Madam
Dowager!”

“Even if you’re feeling an urge, you shouldn’t be leaving at this time.

With your blatant disregard for rules and regulations, how can you serve
Grandmother?” Ning Xueyan gave her an indifferent glance.

Such words fanned Madam Dowager’s anger even further. How could
the people around her, the Madam Dowager of the Lord Protector’s
Manor, flout the rules and regulations? It was impossible for her not to
flare up.

Moreover, she recognized this middle-aged woman to be a relative of

Housekeeper Lu. Housekeeper Lu was an older female servant of the
inner courtyard and a maid that was a part of Madam Ling’s bridal
entourage. She was Madam Ling’s most loyal dog.

She didn’t give this incident much thought but this time, she immediately
understood that this middle-aged woman belonged to Madam Ling. How
could she not be angry when Madam Ling dared to provoke even her?

“Drag this wicked slave out as well! Flog her 20 times!” Madam
Dowager slammed a hand on the table. Her face was ashen and dark as
she became even angrier at Madam Ling.

Amid the middle-aged woman’s terrified pleading, Ning Xueyan looked

out to the corridor to where Qingrui was. The handmaid’s face was
drenched with blood after repeated slaps. A mocking smirk appeared on
Ning Xueyan’s face. Madam Dowager’s heart was pricked by a thorn.
Even though it didn’t hurt now, it would one day penetrate deeper…

Out of fear that Ning Xueyan’s health would fail, Madam Dowager
ordered Ning Lingyun to keep watch of Madam Ming’s coffin so the
former could rest in the side room. Ning Lingyun felt so angry about this
that she secretly crushed her handkerchief. She had no choice but to
reluctantly keep watch inside the mourning hall.

Ning Xueyan was simply too frail to reject the offer. After eating a small
portion of lunch, she leaned against the couch with her eyes closed,
racking her brain as she rested.

“Madam Ling is as clever as she is ruthless. The reason I gain the upper
hand this time is that I manage to catch her off guard and make her suffer
a great disadvantage. When she recovers, she’ll definitely not let me off.
She has every advantage when it comes to status, so I must strike while
the iron is hot. I must make my move in succession so that she won’t
have the time to target me.”

No matter how she thought about it, there were still too few trustworthy
people around her! The intel that she could obtain were also too few!

There was no way for her to tell the world about the poisonous fragrance
found on Madam Ming’s body. Tomorrow, the coffin would be nailed
and moved to the grave. If she didn’t bring up this matter now, she would
lose the chance forever!
She subconsciously reached out to touch her arm. The wound on it had
been treated with ointment and bandaged. Her long, finely eyebrows
involuntarily knitted together. There was no one that she could use!

“Young Lady, are you okay?” Qingyu ran into the side room with Ning
Xueyan’s garment in hand. She had heard that something happened in
the mourning hall on her way here. Worried that Ning Xueyan was in
trouble, she ran so hard here that her forehead was soaked with sweat.
The moment she came in, she sized up Ning Xueyan and only heaved a
sigh of relief after seeing that she was fine.

“I’m fine. Why were you gone for so long?” Ning Xueyan asked
casually. It didn’t take that long to go from Madam Dowager’s place to
Bright Frost Garden to the mourning hall.

“I was already on my way back but halfway here, I met Lan Ning from
the Cloud Theater. She requested that I ask you if you still need a
handmaid, even if it’s a low-level handmaid who sweeps the grounds.
She’s willing to come to our Bright Frost Garden.”

“Lan, Lan Ning?”

Ning Xueyan bit her lower lip. She lowered her faraway gaze and her
heartbeat abruptly quickened.
Chapter 14 The Personal Maid of
Ning Xueyan’s Previous Life
“How can she not know who Lanning is?” Ning Xueyan had the thought
while she was gripping her lapel.

In her previous incarnation, Lanning was her close personal maid.

Although Lanning was sent by Lord Protector’s Manor to serve her, Ning
Xueyan treated her well and they had a deep relationship which was as
intimate as what she had with Xianger after being with her for two years.

That night, however, Lanning wasn’t there!

“Maybe you don’t know it, my lady.” Qingyu said, “Lanning was the
first class servant of Yunying courtyard. She had nowhere to stay after
Ziying Lady’s gone. She might think you are a good master, so she
begged me especially. I talked with her just now, this was exactly the
reason why I was late.”

Once, Qingyu was bullied by Xianghong and Miao’er who were Second
Young Lady’s maids. They blocked the way to stop her moving. At that
time, Lanning did something clever shouting that Madam Dowager had
come. Two bullies were scared and ran away. Besides, Lanning was nice
to everyone. She never looked down on herself even though Fifth Young
Lady wasn’t favored.

Trying hard to repress her heartbeat, Ning Xueyan raised her head and
said, “Qingrui was kicked out by Madam Dowager before long so that I
just need someone to be my first maid. You can tell Nanny Qin that I’m
fond of Yunying courtyard’s Lanning, to make sure whether she can be
sent to be my maid.” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly with her bloodless
beautiful lip.

“Oh my lady, does that mean you agree to accept Lanning?” Qingyu only
caught the point having no time to ask why Qingrui was driven away.
She was thrilled because she really thought Lanning was a good girl who
was smart and kind.
“Yes, Qingyu, you can talk about this later. First of all, do you know
there’s any noble guests who will definitely be here and are good at
medicine?” Ning Xueyan asked, frowning.

“Noble guests, with good medical skills…I have no idea.“Qingyu

thought for a while and shook her head. She wasn’t pretending. She
barely went out because Fifth Young Lady was never outside the yard.
Knowing a few persons only, of course, she wouldn’t know the kind of
guests whom Ning Xueyan wanted.

Noble guest!

Qingyu suddenly opened her eyes wide and said, “My lady, I know such
an honored guest in our manor who is in marquis’s Mingyue Pavilion
now. When I met Lanning just now, she came from the front. She said
that it had been heavily-guarded with the honor guards. But the marquis
just returned to Lord Protector’s Manor. He’s talking with the guest in
Mingyue Pavilion now.”

Mingyue Pavilion had the most sumptuous ornaments of Lord

Protector’s Manor. Ning Xueyan knew that only the one with more
valuable status than Ning Zu’an could be there. However, there weren’t
many such men in Chu State.

Ning Zu’an received the man there with honor guard, and this showed
the guest was more likely from the royal family. On a day like today, this
noble guest must come to Lord Protector’s Manor for worshipping Ning
Xueyan’s mom.

A great idea flashed into Ning Xueyan’s mind, this caused her a heart
stroke. As far as she knew, the royals were noblest. So even though some
of them were not familiar with medicine, when they went out they would
take someone with medical skills. But now that the guest was a royal, it
was impossible Madam Ling could get help from the guest.

“Qingyu, are doctors of Lord Protector’s Manor all at First Madam’s

place?” Ning Xueyan questioned. She lifted her eyes slightly. The eyes
were profound and black like dark jade was wandering inside. Madam
Ling was almost beat to death. Two doctors of Lord Protector’s Manor
must both be at her place.
“You are right, my lady. I just heard that First Madam’s condition wasn’t
so good. Doctors are all in Yunxia courtyard, not allowed to leave.”
Qingyu said as nodding.

“Later, you go to the front and stay there. If you see the marquis coming
along with the guest, you need to run back here through lane. Remember
not to be noticed by anyone.“Ning Xueyan ordered her in a low voice
holding her hands, “If someone finds you, you just tell them I’m not
feeling well and send you for a doctor.”

Doctors were all in Yunxia courtyard. According to Madam Ling’s

temper, there’s no way that the doctor could come to deal with Ning
Xueyan’s wounds.

Seeing Ning Xueyan being confident and showing calm in her face,
Qingyu felt a bit distressed. Especially she found something convincing
from Ning Xueyan’s smile, it was beyond words. From now on, this
young girl would never be bullied by anyone. Second Madam’s soul
could rest in peace. Qing yu nodded hard and said, “Don’t be worry my
lady, I will follow your order and nobody will notice me.”

“Ok, there you go, remember to be careful!” Ning Xueyan raised herself
and stood up. After tidying up her clothes, she walked straight toward the
mourning hall.
Chapter 15 Mean Sisters
Ning Xueyan propped herself up to get back on her feet and adjusted her
clothing before walking out to the mourning hall.

Since she had to put on a show, she must act until the end. Those around
the noble guests were no ordinary people. If she accidentally made a
mistake, she would be bringing trouble to herself instead…

“My, Fifth Sister! You’re finally showing up!”

Ning Lingyun couldn’t help mocking Ning Xueyan after seeing her. This
was the first sentence that Ning Lingyun said to her sister today.

Even though she was a concubine’s daughter, her beautiful looks made
her believe that she wasn’t inferior to her sisters!

Her sisters were merely fortunate to have grown inside First Madam’s
belly. On the other hand, she was unfortunate enough to have a
concubine for a mother. Her birth lowered her status by a significant
degree.

Ning Ziyan and her sister were daughters of Madam Ling, who was the
First Madam of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Madam Ling could kill her
as easily as she could squash an ant. That was why she didn’t dare to
retaliate.

Thus, she vented her anger on Ning Xueyan instead. She was a frequent
accomplice of the Second Young Lady, Ning Yuling, in bullying Ning
Xueyan. She thought of herself as much nobler than Ning Xueyan.

She was long stewing in anger after being told to keep watch while Ning
Xueyan went off to rest. Gripping her handkerchief tightly, she harshly
rebuked Ning Xueyan when she saw her.

“Fourth Sister, you could have left if you didn’t want to keep watch,”
Ning Xueyan said indifferently as she kneeled down again. She didn’t
want to concern herself with Ning Lingyun who was busy licking the
soles of Madam Ling’s boots.
“Leave? Of course, I want to! Had your damned mom not die, do you
think I’d be forced to keep watch?!” Ning Lingyun retorted furiously.

She had been kneeling since this morning. She was so tired that she was
close to collapsing.

Currently, she was in an incredibly poor mood. Moreover, she had never
possessed any respect for Madam Ming. To think that she would be
ordered to keep watch of this woman’s coffin!

These thoughts filled Ning Lingyun with even more rage.

Ning Xueyan’s face fell after hearing Ning Lingyun slandering Madam
Ming and her voice was cool as she said, “Fourth Sister, would you dare
to repeat such words in front of Grandmother?”

“Repeat such words in front of Madam Dowager?”

“Wouldn’t I just be digging my own grave?”

Ning Lingyun had taken note of Madam Dowager’s protection of Ning

Xueyan today. Even though she didn’t know why Madam Dowager
showed Ning Xueyan such respect today, she knew now wasn’t the time
to provoke the latter. Earlier, she had been watching the fate of the
servants on the sidelines in fear.

“What do you mean? Are you deliberately criticizing me?”

Having always considered Ning Xueyan a pushover, Ning Lingyun was

instantly furious after hearing the former’s words. Unable to control her
emotions, she yelled, “Who allowed you to speak in such a manner?
How dare you talk to me like that!”

“Fourth Sister, are you protesting against me or the Madam Dowager?”

Ning Xueyan asked coolly, with an unwavering gaze.

She raised her head to look at Ning Lingyun. Her pupils were so cold
and unfathomable like two deep natural ponds. They sent a shiver down
one’s heart.

Ning Lingyun, who was about to lose her temper, took in Ning Xueyan’s
coldness and unfathomable eyes. She opened her mouth and for a
moment, no words came.

However, she felt resentment just as quickly and glared at Ning Xueyan.
After making sure that no one was around, she rose to her feet with her
maid’s help and went to rest in the side room.

This was exactly what Ning Xueyan wanted. If Ning Lingyun was
around, she might notice something when Ning Xueyan acts later.

The following event would be the most crucial step in seeking justice for
Madam Ming. She could only hope that the noble guest would be of high
enough standing and reputation that Ning Zu’an wouldn’t be able to
retort much.

Considering the time, now would be the time for the noble guest to come
if the guest intended to pay respects to Madam Ming. A guest like that
wouldn’t stay long in the Lord Protector’s Manor for something like this.

She picked up the cup next to her and poured the powdered medicine
that Qingyu brought back into the tea.

The tea emanated a faint fragrance. It wasn’t a strong smell but enough
to alert those with a keen sense of smell when they enter.

After downing half of the teacup, she leaned sideways and quietly rested.

Qingyu ran in from the front hall. When she saw that no one was inside
the mourning hall, she went to Ning Xueyan and whispered into her ear,
“Young Lady, the Marquis is on his way here. I ran here after seeing him
showing the way from afar. They didn’t see me.”

“Hmm. Stop running around and kneel here.”

Suppressing the stabbing pain that demanded its presence to be felt, Ning
Xueyan opened her eyes and pointed behind her as she spoke.

The medicine kicked in nearly immediately. It barely took any time for
her to feel its effects.

“Alright. Let me get a sip of water first.”

An exhausted Qingyu reached out for the teacup by Ning Xueyan’s foot
but the latter swiftly caught her hand and stopped her. “You can’t drink
this water. Go and kneel first!”

“Young Lady…” Qingyu looked at Ning Xueyan in surprise. When she

noticed that her master’s lips were so pale that it was nearly colorless,
she got a huge shock.

She kneeled down next to Ning Xueyan and supported her arm. In a
panicked voice, she said, “What’s wrong, Young Lady? Are you ill? I’ll
look for Madam Dowager now and ask her to find a way to call for a
physician.”

There was no way that Ning Xueyan would allow her to look for Madam
Dowager. That would render her effort in drinking that cup of
“medicine” in vain.

She clutched Qingyu’s sleeve. “You don’t have to look for Grandmother.
It’s alright. I’ll be fine after resting for a while. I suppose it’s my old
illness acting up. It’s no big deal; nothing a little rest won’t fix.”

“Are you sure you’re fine, Young Lady? Your old illness has been
dormant for a long time, so why is it acting up now? What should we
do?”

Qingyu’s expression changed drastically after hearing that it was Ning

Xueyan’s old illness.

In the past, Second Madam would find a way to get Ning Xueyan some
pills. Now that she was gone, where could they find pills for Ning
Xueyan?

A cold glint crossed Ning Xueyan’s pupils. Sure enough, Madam Ling
had poisoned her!

It was no wonder that her health would be so poor that she would die
after crying in front of her mother’s coffin.

“Old illness? What old illness? What kind of old illness can a young girl
have?”
A bellow abruptly came from the door!
Chapter 16 The Handsome and
Ruthless Prince Yi
A bellow abruptly came from the door!

The two of them turned to look in unison and saw a group of people
standing at the door. The one who spearheaded the group wore a black
robe with an eye-catching large blood-red spider lily print. The contrast
of the garish, beautiful colors of black, red, and gold enveloped
everyone’s vision.

The blood-red large blood-red spider lily print stood in stark contrast
against the ink-like black fabric. The hem of the robe was lined with
golden thread.

Under the purple-golden hat was an extremely handsome face that was
equally as demonic. His seemingly pure-black eyes had no light in them
and resembled two bottomless pits of darkness. He emanated a thousand-
year coldness that frantically sucked everyone into his aura. He appeared
both ruthless and treacherous.

Thanks to his aura, his delicately beautiful face didn’t lend him an air of
femininity. Instead, he was full of the demonic charms with his manly
nefariousness and ruthlessness on full display!

His pale, thin lips were pressed together, making him look frighteningly
beautiful. However, he inexplicably made others feel the coldness akin to
the frigidness of the Blood Sea.

Upon meeting that pair of eyes, Ning Xueyan felt her hands tucked
inside her sleeves inexplicably began to cramp.

However, she swiftly put her emotions under control and showed no
trace of her feelings aside from the appropriate display of surprise. Then,
she slowly lowered her head.
Fortunately, her mental state was firm after her rebirth. Otherwise, she
wouldn’t be able to stop herself from trembling in fear after meeting his
eyes!

The man was as much as of an unrivaled beauty as he was cold.

Together, he produced an extremely strong visual and mental impact.

A person like him was surely one to hold another’s fate in his hands. He
must be frequently stationed above everyone else and had a cruel and
tyrannical nature.

Right now, he was staring fixedly at the people inside the mourning hall
with his overwhelming cold aura.

“What happened, Yan’er?”

A frowning Ning Zu’an was standing next to the man. He stared

unhappily at Qingyu, who was kneeled beside Ning Xueyan. This girl
was sure insensible to mention old illnesses. What would His Highness
Prince Yi think after hearing that?

“Father, I’m… I’m fine.”

Ning Xueyan forced herself to sit up straight and put on a small smile.
However, her hand that she placed by her side couldn’t help trembling.

“Tell me the truth.”

It was Qingyu who Ning Zu’an addressed this time. His expression was
somber and his gaze was sharp. As a former military commander, his
glare carried quite a bit of a demonic air.

“Marquis, my Young Lady isn’t feeling well and has been breaking out
in cold sweat all day. I would like to invite a physician to check on her.”
QIngyu was both worried about Ning Xueyan and terrified of Ning
Zu’an. When she was questioned, she immediately lowered her head to
the floor and answered.

“Why aren’t you going then?” Ning Zu’an frowned.

“The physicians are… all with First Madam…” Qingyu’s voice

trembled. She didn’t finish her sentence.
Ning Zu’an looked at Ning Xueyan’s body, so thin that she looked like
she would topple over with the slightest breeze, and then at the
nonchalant expression that she forcefully wore. Finally, he took note of
how the mourning hall was deserted except for a pair of master and
servant. A trace of concealed anger inadvertently flashed across his face.
He had ordered Madam Ling to organize the funeral properly but she had
treated his words like air!

“Come, people! Go and fetch a physician from the Auspicious Clouds

Garden!” Ning Zu’an said furiously.

“Father, please don’t. Mother isn’t in good condition either. I’ll be fine
after enduring it for a while.” Ning Xueyan stopped her father, putting on
the demeanor of a gentle and sensible child.

“Oh, now she’s gentle.” The corner of Prince Yi’s cold and stiff lips
lifted into a smirk. He stared at her with great interest, his eyes partially
narrowed. Amid his imposing aura was a trace of coldness in his gaze. It
made Ning Xueyan shifted her body sideways in discomfort, avoiding
his eyes. This noble guest’s gaze was simply too piercing for her liking.

“Your Mother is fine, but you, on the other hand… Stand up and get
some rest first.” Ning Zu’an reached to help Ning Xueyan stand, his
voice subconsciously carrying a trace of warmth.

“It’s alright. I’m… fine…” Ning Xueyan rose to her feet while holding
Ning Zu’an’s hand. However, the moment she stood up, her body fell
backward.

When Ning Zu’an touched his daughter’s hand, he felt that it was devoid
of any warmth. He turned around and angrily scolded the manservant
who had not left. “Why are you still here? Go and fetch the physician
now!”

“Marquis, if you trust me, you may use the imperial physician that
constantly accompany me. He can examine your precious daughter.”

His was a voice that was as pure and fragrant as fine wine and yet carried
a hint of coldness and dauntlessness. Even with her head lowered, Ning
Xueyan could feel that man’s gaze on her like a thorn in her back.
“This man is too dangerous! I must not provoke him!”

She inwardly made a resolution and allowed her long lashes to droop to
fake a flustered appearance. Unfortunately, she had already provoked
this man and even schemed against him.

“Many thanks, Prince!”

While Ning Zu’an was expressing his thanks, Qingyu heaved a sigh of
relief as she helped Ning Xueyan take a seat in a short stool by the
coffin.

The imperial physician walked to Ning Xueyan. With a quick sniff, he

looked confusedly at the coffin placed on the deceased’s bed and
frowned. However, he swiftly put his focus on examining Ning Xueyan’s
pulse.

“Imperial physician, how is our Young Lady doing?” Qingyu couldn’t

help asking when she noticed the imperial physician’s increasingly deep
frown.
Chapter 17 Vicious; The Beauty
Get Intoxicated Amid Peach
Blossoms
“Imperial physician, how is our Young Lady doing?”

The imperial physician didn’t answer. He made Ning Xueyan offer her
other hand and his frown deepened.

His gaze fell on the teacup placed near her. He reached out for the cup,
placed it near his nose, and sniffed. He asked Qingyu, “Did your Young
Lady drink this?”

“Yes. The kitchen sent it over. Is there something wrong with it?”
Qingyu asked nervously.

“I didn’t touch the tea when they sent it over this afternoon. But I got
thirsty earlier and took a sip or two. We’re all drinking tea prepared in
the kitchen; how could there be a problem?” Ning Xueyan explained
feebly.

Her face was deadly pale.

Her explanation stopped Ning Zu’an from questioning.

The imperial physician fished a silver needle out of his bosom and
dipped it inside the teacup. The snow-white silver needle was now dyed
a faint layer of black!

“There’s the Intoxicating Peach Blossom inside this. This medicine has a
cold nature and carries a naturally sweet and mellow fragrant aftertaste.
It’s also poisonous and a frequent user will die of poisoning. Judging
from this Young Lady’s complexion, I think it’s not her first time
consuming this. I fear that her body has been deeply harmed and requires
thorough care or her life will be at risk.”
The imperial physician shook his head as he gave a thorough
explanation. The household affairs of an aristocratic family had nothing
to do with him but since he had received his master’s order, it meant that
they would be meddling in this matter. Naturally, the imperial physician
would reveal his findings without reservation. After thinking about it, he
decided to reveal that it wasn’t the first time this Young Lady had
consumed the poison.

The Intoxicating Peach Blossom—the full name being The Beauty Get
Intoxicated Amid Peach Blossoms—had a lovely name and yet was
deadly enough to claim lives. It was particularly vicious due to its faint
fragrance being difficult to discover.

“It’s… It’s impossible. This is my old illness; my mom suffered

something similar. It couldn’t be a poisoning. My mom and I would
experience symptoms like these every now and then. How could it be
poison? Imperial physician, are… are you mistaken?”

Ning Xueyan clutched the imperial physician’s sleeve as she questioned

him.

The greatest taboo for a physician was having his expertise questioned.
When he saw that Ning Xueyan didn’t believe him, he became so furious
that even his beard stood up!

“I have been a physician all my life and never have I been mistaken! But
this is my first time having someone doubting my expertise. You’re
indeed poisoned with the Intoxicating Peach Blossom, but you’re still
living because the dosage is small. This Madam of the Lord Protector’s
Manor ought to have died from Intoxicating Peach Blossom poisoning as
well. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be lingering fragrance on her body the
second day after she died. If you don’t believe me, you may lean close to
the coffin. You will be able to smell the fragrance better.”

“As expected, one who enters the Lord Protector’s Manor finds himself
entering a deep sea. The waters inside the Lord Protector’s Manor sure
are deep!”

Prince Yi’s unfathomable eyes were fixed on the girl leaning on one side,
his mouth forming a teasing smirk.
The Lord Protector Marquis’ expression immediately changed. The veins
on his forehead protruded as he turned around and barked, “Go and
investigate it! Investigate what exactly has been going on! Let it be
known that without my order, no one is allowed to leave the manor!”

He rarely made such strict orders, so it was evident how furious he was.

How could he not be angry when he was discovering something like this,
which even caused Madam Shi’s death, in front of a Prince?

He never expected something this shameful to happen in his household,

and even caused the death of a person! In front of outsiders, to boot!
Ning Zu’an became even angrier. He had a feeling that Madam Ling was
surely involved in this matter. Never did he imagine that Madam Ling
would dare do something like this and make him so furious that he was
shaking.

The servants moved a spacious seat inside and Prince Yi occupied it. In a
leisurely manner, he said, “Lord Protector Marquis, please go on your
way if you have something to attend to. I don’t mind staying here a little
longer.”

“Yes. Well, please take a seat, Prince. Your humble servant will be back
soon!”

The Prince looked as if he was about to watch a good show. Even though
Ning Zu’an found his interest inappropriate, he dared not say anything
about it.

This man was temperamental. He might look like joyful now but who
knew if he would turn around and cripple someone for something minor?

“Go on!” Prince Yi waved offhandedly. His eyes were focused on Ning
Xueyan, his gaze carrying a sliver of interest.

Ning Xueyan ought to feel bashful under the watchful gaze of such a
noble and handsome Prince and yet she felt as if her hair was rising on
its end. His gaze was like the focused gaze of a venomous snake, cold
and frightening.
Even without looking at him, she could feel his stare on her. It was a
stare that made her feel as if she had been plunged into darkness!

Only after a long time, when cold sweat was already forming on Ning
Xueyan’s back, that Prince Yi revealed an indifferent smile on his face.
He leaned sideways into the spacious chair, with his elbow propping up
his waist. In a leisurely manner, he asked, “The Fifth Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor, is it? Should I ask the imperial physician to give
you a prescription?”

“Many thanks, Prince, for your grace in saving me.” With Qingyu’s help,
Ning Xueyan stood up and made a deep bow.

Instead of confirming or denying it, Prince Yi retorted, “Oh. I don’t

remember when I have done something like saving you.”

It was as if there was nothing she could hide in front of this person. His
cold gaze fixed on her was frigid and carried a hint of demonic air. Ning
Xueyan gnashed her teeth and said, in neither servile nor domineering
manner, “Many thanks for your help, Prince.”

She had planned on going along with the flow and let this incident pass
under the guise of thanking the Prince for saving her. However, the
Prince in front of her evidently had seen through her ploy.

“You dare to manipulate me?” Even though his snort was without
warmth, his tone lacked the coldness that sent chill down one’s spine
earlier.
Chapter 18 Confrontation with
the Wickedly Charming Man
Ning Xueyan shivered inwardly. She made the correct bet. This man was
typically a man who made good on his word and one who couldn’t
tolerate any annoyance. She never thought that she would end up
provoking a person like him. Right now, she could only stay humble.

“In response to Prince: I’m not intentionally manipulating you. The

circumstances have forced my hand. If I had any other idea… why
would I hurt myself?” Ning Xueyan was expressionless. It was as if she
was talking about something as ordinary as the weather. However, her
smirk inadvertently revealed a hint of wryness.

“Aren’t you… afraid of me killing you?” His voice was so cold that
there was no trace of vitality to be found.

“If it means that I can plunge those who abuse, humiliate, and harm me
into a world of despair, then I have nothing to fear!” Ning Xueyan stared
fixedly at the man’s handsome face with neither fear nor admiration. Her
gaze harbored only a sliver of coldness.

The purpose of her rebirth was revenge. The grudge she bore in her past
life, the grudge Ning Xueyan bore, the grudge Madam Ming bore—
every grudge was steeped in blood…

Very soon, Madam Ming would be buried six feet under. If she didn’t
take advantage of this opportunity to raise suspicion about Madam
Ming’s cause of death, the truth would be concealed forever and Madam
Ling’s true colors would never be revealed.

Thus, she had thrown all caution to the wind for this purpose!

Prince Yi looked away from her and said ambiguously, “You’re clever
but I won’t accept being used as your knife without compensation!”
“What do you want, Prince?” Ning Xueyan asked solemnly, while
staring fixedly at that extremely handsome face. Someone else’s favor
must be repaid in similar magnitude. She didn’t find this unreasonable at
all. She understood very well that Prince Yi not exposing her trickery
was equivalent to sparing her life.

To be precise, she owed him a great favor!

So what if he was forcing her to repay his favor? Even though she had
borrowed his authority in this matter, it wasn’t he who took the initiative
to help her. Even if she was aggrieved, she couldn’t reject him! This
person in front of her didn’t look like someone who would take no for an
answer.

Prince Yi looked at her and suddenly laughed out loud. “Very well, Ning
Xueyan! Do you feel like I’m forcing you to repay my favor?”

It was as if he could see through her thin body, straight into her heart.

“No. I owed you the favor, in the first place!” Ning Xueyan replied
neutrally.

Prince Yi rose to his feet and said nonchalantly, “I won’t make it difficult
for you. If you ask for my help again in the future, I will reap the
compensation for both favors at once: you must agree to one of my
conditions.” Even so, his words were as sharp as a sword coated with
poison. Like a sword pressed against her throat, his words made her
unable to speak.

There was no negotiation. He was merely informing Ning Xueyan the

truth without giving her any room for resistance.

“Yes!” Ning Xueyan calmed herself down and a cold smile appeared on
her face. No matter what happened next, he had at least given her a way
out now. She allowed herself to relax a little. This man was too
dangerous. If their paths ever crossed again, she would undoubtedly stay
away from him. As long as they never meet again, there would never be
a situation whereby she would need his help.

Then, that condition would never appear!

Ning Xueyan had a feeling that the condition was surely not a condition
that would delight her.
Chapter 19 Mixed-breed; Not
Favored?
After giving his prayers in front of Madam Ming’s coffin, Prince Yi left
with his entourage without waiting for Ning Zu’an to return. It wasn’t
until he left that Ning Lingyun finally dared to come out of the side
room.

Ning Zu’an had come over with the others while she was hiding inside
the side room. Two stone-faced guards watched the entrance, making it
impossible for her and her maid to return to the mourning hall. Thus, she
had no idea of what happened inside the hall.

She hastily came out to investigate as soon as she saw the outsiders
leave.

When she saw that Qingyu was helping Ning Xueyan swallow a pill, she
thought that Ning Xueyan was so frightened that her illness flared. She
stared at Ning Xueyan in contempt while inwardly mocked the latter for
being so useless. She had forgotten how she hid inside the side room
earlier, too afraid to even move a limb.

Without people around, Ning Lingyun refused to call Ning Xueyan her
younger sister. With her chin raised, she asked rudely, “You there, what
happened earlier? Why did Father come and then left?”

“A noble guest came to pay his respects to my mom,” Ning Xueyan

replied indifferently. She had Qingyu put away the bottle of uneaten pills
that the imperial physician gave her earlier. He said the medicine could
neutralize the poison in her bloodstream but whether it could destroy the
roots of her illness was still undetermined. They could only wait and see
until she finished this bottle of pills.

“A noble guest came to pay his respects your mom?!” A dumbfounded

Ning Lingyun looked at the coffin lying in the middle of the mourning
hall and curled her lips. She said bitterly, “Are you making up stories?
Don’t you know what kind of status your mom had? What kind of noble
guest would come and personally pay his respects? It’s already
commendable if he even sends a housekeeper over! Do you think she
was the official wife of the Lord Protector’s Manor?!”

“When Father and Grandmother come, I’ll inform them that you don’t
have to keep watch here. My mom doesn’t need an insincere person
serving her altar,” Ning Xueyan said coolly.

She glanced at Ning Lingyun with a dark expression. The reason why a
concubine’s daughter like Ning Lingyun would take advantage of her
was that she was easily bullied!

Ning Lingyun never imagined that Ning Xueyan would dare go against
her.

Ning Xueyan’s glance added to her fury. She rushed to Ning Xueyan,
pointed at her face, and began scolding her!

“Ning Xueyan, who do you think you are? How dare you order me
around! Did you think you’re the first wife’s daughter of this manor?!
You’re just an unfavored girl and a mixed-breed born in this manor!
How dare you show me the temper of a first wife’s daughter!”

Mixed-breed? Unfavored?

Ning Lingyun’s words riled Ning Xueyan up. Her gaze suddenly turned
so razor-sharp that it frightened Ning Lingyun. Her bravado in bullying
Ning Xueyan instantly weakened significantly.

Ning Lingyun looked ridiculous putting up a front after her rage was
clearly extinguished. Seeing that, Ning Xueyan sneered. She raised her
hand and swatted away Ning Lingyun’s pointing finger.

“My mom was the legal family of this manor. Her status was the same as
Madam Ling. All the Young Masters and Young Ladies of this manor
must address her as Mother. For you to speak such wicked words in
Mother’s mourning hall is an unfilial act!”

Following her words, Ning Lingyun’s expression changed. Just as she

wanted to open her mouth to retort, she heard Ning Xueyan continue,
“The standing of equal-status wives in a family has long been declared
when the late Emperor founded this country: ‘Equal-status wives are
both considered one’s mothers.’ Your words earlier not only deny
Mother her status, but also ridiculing the late Emperor’s wishes. That
makes you disloyal to the country!”

Ning Lingyun was already pale by the time Ning Xueyan started
speaking.

The servants nearby all had different expressions.

Even men would be afraid of being accused of being unfilial and

disloyal, never mind an unmarried girl like her!

Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly, having noticed Ning Lingyun’s change

in expression. She didn’t have to waste much effort in dealing with an
idiotic woman who spoke without thinking. With this in mind, she took
her seat once again and continued, “Besides, your biological mother is
also Madam Ling’s maid. Fourth Sister, you’re born a concubine’s
daughter and yet you hold such arrogance toward a first wife’s daughter.
You really opened my eyes today.”

Ning Lingyun had always considered Ning Xueyan a weak and easily
bullied person. After hearing the latter mention that her biological
mother was no more than a concubine with the status of a maid, she was
so humiliated that she flew into a rage. She immediately scolded, “So
what if my biological mother is a maid? She’s still better than a
rebellious daughter like your mom! Who knows if one day, secrets are
revealed and you’re exposed as an illegitimate child!”

“Is that how your concubine-status mom educates you?! How dare you
say something like that!” The imposing, furious voice came from behind
them. Ning Zu’an stood in a dark corner by the door with a dark
expression. He stared coolly at Ning Lingyun. No one knew when he
came. The moment Ning Lingyun saw him, she was so frightened that
her face turned chalk-white.

Ning Xueyan slowly lowered her gaze to hide her emotions. Naturally,
she knew Ning Zu’an wouldn’t punish Madam Ling this time. It wasn’t
hard to investigate something like this. Madam Ling was the one who
oversaw the inner courtyard and sent Qingrui and the others to the Bright
Frost Garden. If there were anyone in the manor who hated Madam
Ming enough to kill her, it must be Madam Ling.

However, she bore little hope of Ning Zu’an finding out the truth of this
incident. If this useless father of hers truly cared for Madam Ming, he
wouldn’t be completely ignorant about this matter.

However, now the truth that Madam Ming died of poisoning was out. It
had become a thorn in Ning Zu’an’s heart.

Perhaps, the thorn was still small now and not enough to make him
loathe Madam Ling. However, once suspicion existed, his trust in her
would gradually diminish.

Ning Xueyan quietly coughed several times and took advantage of the
motion to hide her smirk. From now on, another person would be
keeping his eyes on Madam Ling. Madam Ling would have to think
thrice before doing anything to her.
Chapter 20 Little Affection
between Father and Daughter
“Fa… Father…” Ning Lingyun never imagined that Ning Zu’an would
appear here at this moment. Her face instantly paled and she was so
frightened that her voice trembled.

Ning Zu’an raised an eyebrow after seeing Ning Lingyun’s hesitation

and immediately rebuked her. “Apologize at once!”

Even though Ning Lingyun hated this order so much that she was
inwardly gnashing her teeth, she was forced to lower her head and say,
“Fifth Younger Sister, please forgive me my poor choice of words. I
don’t mean it. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I’m sure it wasn’t intentional. But the rebel that you
mentioned earlier…” Ning Xueyan raised her head and put on a curious
expression. However, her pupils were frozen cold.

“Rebel?” She was curious as to why Madam Ming would be considered

rebellious.

Before Ning Xueyan could finish her sentence, Ning Zu’an interrupted
her with an angry bellow. “Go to the ancestral hall! I hereby punish you
to copy Lessons for Young Women one hundred times!”

What was the reason that this matter couldn’t be mentioned at all?

Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, her pupils ever cold.

“Father!” Having never thought that Ning Zu’an would give her such a
harsh punishment, Ning Lingyun looked incredibly aggrieved. The tears
welling up in her eyes nearly fell. She looked at Ning Zu’an pitifully.

“Yan’er, come out here.” Ning Zu’an didn’t spare Ning Lingyun a
glance. With a flick of his sleeves, he turned around without looking
back.
After being reprimanded by their father, Ning Lingyun felt both
humiliated and furious. She was so angry that her entire face was red.
After seeing Ning Zu’an leave, she pointed at Ning Xueyan and scolded
her in a quiet voice, “Ning Xueyan, you unscrupulous woman!”

“Was I unscrupulous? If you hadn’t so fearlessly scolded my mom in

front of her coffin, why would I need to do this?” Ning Xueyan smiled.
The sliver of coldness buried in the depths of her pupils made Ning
Lingyun shiver. She slowly put down her raised hand and the moment it
fell completely, she felt an overwhelming cold aura.

When she tried to get a better look, Ning Xueyan had already walked out
of the hall.

Outside the mourning hall, Ning Zu’an stood quietly inside a neat circle
of blooming chrysanthemums. He looked deep in thought.

“Father!” After walking out of the hall, Ning Xueyan concealed the
contempt in her eyes and put on a deferential and gentle look. She would
only address him when necessary. This man wasn’t worth the title of
“Father”.

“It was Qingrui who poisoned the tea. Your mum once hit her and that
gave rise to hatred strong enough for her to poison her. Your Mother has
already ordered people to beat her to death.”

Ning Zu’an turned his head and momentarily paused as he took in Ning
Xueyan’s thin and pale face. Then, looking as if he made a resolution, he
ultimately still told her.

“Father, a packet of Intoxicating Peach Blossom must be expensive,

yes?” Ning Xueyan looked up and stared emotionlessly at him. She was
so calm that she didn’t sound like she was talking about something
involving her. How high could the monthly salary of a maid be? A
packet of Intoxicating Peach Blossom would cost at least two taels. It
wasn’t something that a maid could afford!

Ning Zu’an’s stance was not very clear. After a brief pause, he explained,
“Qingrui comes from a decent family!”
Despite knowing that he wasn’t being honest, she stubbornly continued
to ask, “She wants to kill my mom and I just because my mom once hit
her?”

Her head was lowered and her smile was faint and fleeting on her lips. If
not for her rebirth, Ning Xueyan would be long dead. Or perhaps it
would be more accurate to say that even if she didn’t die now, she would
still die at Madam Ling’s hands in less than half a year. Being a
concubine’s daughter in an estate as impressive as the Lord Protector’s
Manor, her life was even more worthless than a maid’s.

“You don’t have to worry about that. Your Mother has already got to the
bottom of it,” Ning Zu’an replied impatiently, frowning. Ning Xueyan’s
questioning had irritated him.

This was the outcome of the investigation that her “Father” made. Even
though she wasn’t surprised, Ning Xueyan still despised how Ning Zu’an
protected Madam Ling. She sneered inwardly. Were it not for the
presence of the Prince today, Ning Zu’an might not even bother giving
her such a superficial explanation.

Madam Ling was definitely a crafty woman to be able to pull Ning

Zu’an to her side in such a short time! However, it remained to be seen
whether she would always be that invincible!

A pale-faced Ning Xueyan dropped the issue. “Since you have already
found the reason and also punished the perpetrators, I’m sure my mom
will be happy in heaven. I’d like to be a vegetarian at the Cold Mountain
Temple for a month after my mom is buried in hopes that she will be at
peace. I hope she’ll be reincarnated into a decent family and never suffer
the pain of being poisoned.”

After having her plans foiled again and again, Madam Ling would be
undoubtedly so furious that she loses her judgment. Ning Xueyan didn’t
have to power to go all out in fighting her right now. Dodging her was
for the sake of a better return. She would seek her revenge in the end!

Ning Zu’an gaze paused and lingered on Ning Xueyan for a long time.
His sharp, observant look seemed capable of penetrating her. She stood
there quietly and openly without evading in the slightest.
His gaze softened after failing to detect anything abnormal about her. “I
feel ill at ease letting you go to the Cold Mountain Temple in your
current state. Why don’t we have your Eldest Sister go with you? Now
isn’t the time for her to make her first return to her parental home after
marriage, so she isn’t able to help you keep watch by the coffin. But she
can accompany you to the Cold Mountain Temple and be a vegetarian
for a while. It can be considered her show of filial piety to your mom.”

Ning Ziyan’s good reputation had been ripped to shreds because of the
clash with Madam Ming’s funeral. Not only did Ning Zu’an let her off
without any punishment, but he even manipulated the matter of being a
vegetarian to restore Ning Ziyan’s reputation. Ning Zu’an was sure
biased!

“Father, Eldest Sister is still a newlywed. I think… it’s better for you to
ask Mother and Eldest Sister for their opinion!” Ning Xueyan’s eyes
reddened as if she was moved by the offer, even though she ultimately
still declined it.

“Yan’er is a gentle and kind girl. She must be feeling deeply aggrieved
after something like this happened. She keeps saying that she must do
her filial duty with you. You don’t have to worry that she won’t agree.”

After dropping such a bomb, Ning Zu’an left her with some words of
warning before walking away with large strides!

Qingyu took two steps forward and said indignantly, “Young Lady, when
Qingrui first arrived in the Bright Frost Garden, Madam would fall ill
every now and then. To think that the Marquis would believe that it was
she who poisoned Madam!” Qingyu had been serving Ning Xueyan
since young; she came to the household several years ahead of Qingrui.

“Ah… you noticed as well, haven’t you? But some people are truly adept
liars to both themselves and others!” Ning Xueyan sneered. No one was
more familiar with Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan’s hypocrisy than her.
After something like this happened, they would inevitably put on the act
of a Bodhisattva and do their filial duty for her mom!

That line of words was what she had been waiting for. After something
like this happened, Ning Ziyan had no choice but to show Ning Xueyan’s
mom “filial piety” if she wanted to recover her reputation! The reason
she mentioned going to the Cold Mountain Temple and becoming a
vegetarian was to lure Ning Ziyan.

“Cold Mountain Temple, is it? We’re about to meet again! Ah, how
interesting. There’s a ‘major gift’ I prepared for Ning Ziyan waiting
there! I hope Ning Ziyan won’t disappoint me too much!”

Suddenly, a panicked-looking Mother Han appeared out of the corner of

the corridor. Her typically calm face was drenched with sweat. “Young
Lady, there’s trouble! Hurry… hurry and return to the Bright Frost
Garden!”
Chapter 21 The Corpse at the
Bright Frost Garden’s Entrance
“What happened?” A frowning Ning Xueyan turned around and looked
at Mother Han in confusion. She had never seen Mother Han looking this
panicked.

“Young Lady, Qingrui was beaten so badly that she’s one breath away
from dying. First Madam ordered the servants to drag her to the entrance
of the Bright Frost Garden, saying that she has avenged Second Madam.
A battered and bloodied Qingrui is now lying at our door.” A pale-faced
Mother Han was sweating all over. Whoever who saw that badly
mutilated body would feel an intense fear!

First Madam had Qingrui thrashed and thrown at the entrance of the
Bright Frost Garden before leaving with some ambiguous message about
avenging Madam Ming. She was a cruel woman, indeed. She wanted
everyone to think of Ning Xueyan as a narrow-minded and vicious girl.
She wanted to ruin Ning Xueyan’s reputation while simultaneously
distracting everyone’s attention.

Qingrui was a servant of the Bright Frost Garden who served Ning
Xueyan. Coupled with the previous dishes incident, the servants thought
it was Ning Xueyan who wouldn’t let Qingrui off and used Madam
Ming’s name to force First Madam to deal with her. They thought
Qingrui’s death wasn’t enough for Ning Xueyan, who placed the
former’s corpse at the entrance of the Bright Frost Garden as a warning!

This action could only be described as malicious!

Her action was considered even more frighteningly cruel and excessive
than Madam Ling concealing Madam Ming’s funeral!

“Mother Han, let’s take a look,” Ning Xueyan said serenely. She
nonchalantly grabbed a pair of large white candles from the pile of
funeral offerings nearby.
Mother Han inexplicably relaxed after seeing how calm Ning Xueyan
was. Her complexion improved as well. She nodded and led Ning
Xueyan to the Bright Frost Garden.

The moment they arrived at the Bright Frost Garden, an older female
servant hastily walked over to them. When she saw Ning Xueyan, she
greeted her with a face full of smiles and said serenely, “Fifth Young
Lady, the Marquis said you can just remove this person. He also
reminded you to keep the manor’s reputation in mind.” She looked like
she couldn’t care less about the matter.

Ning Zu’an telling Ning Xueyan to keep the manor’s reputation in mind
was equivalent to ordering her not to mention Madam Ming’s poisoning.
Sure enough, Madam Ling was so sure of Ning Zu’an’s character that
she knew he would force Ning Xueyan to swallow this grievance.

Still, it didn’t matter how good she was at predictions. Some things were
beyond her expectation!

“Alright.” Ning Xueyan nodded with a faint smile. She said

nonchalantly, “Please relay my response to Father. Tell him that the
Prince said he’d be sending his men to deliver some offerings. Please ask
him to receive them.”

One would typically send offerings when paying respects to a deceased

person, yet the Prince had come empty-handed. Thus, he must not be
here to pay his respects to Madam Ming. Even if he had merely stopped
by the mourning hall, he would be expected to make subsequent delivery
of offerings.

Earlier, while Ning Zu’an was hastily making his way to the inner
courtyard, the Prince was heading toward the outer courtyard. Seeing as
they were headed in different directions, it was unlikely for them to
meet.

“Yes. I will inform the Marquis immediately.” Thinking that she had
completed Madam Ling’s order, the satisfied-looking older female
servant nodded and happily turned around to leave. She walked in the
direction of Madam Ling’s Bright Clouds Garden.
She belonged to Madam Ling, after all. She was also involved in
throwing Qingrui at the entrance of the Bright Frost Garden. After
completing her job, she went to Ning Zu’an to report the matter. Of
course, she didn’t forget to mention Madam Ling’s motive of wanting to
avenge Fifth Young Lady, repeatedly emphasizing how magnanimous
her master was in taking Ning Xueyan’s side.

One couldn’t live under the same sky as the murderer of one’s mother. It
wasn’t excessive even if one whipped the murderer to death!

Ning Zu’an knew something was wrong after listening to the servant. He
immediately ordered her to stop Ning Xueyan from revealing the truth. If
it was revealed that a servant poisoned the Second Madam of the great
Marquis’ Manor to death, their reputation would be ruined. He can’t
imagine the kind of gossip that would arise about their inner courtyard.

Thus, the servant was satisfied after seeing that Ning Xueyan didn’t dare
to defy her father’s order. It was as she had expected. Thus, she happily
left to inform her master of this good news.

Qingyu’s eyes widened after seeing where the servant was heading. She
said angrily, “Young Lady, she…” The servant said that she was going to
relay Ning Xueyan’s message to Ning Zu’an, yet she was fearlessly
running off to the Bright Clouds Garden. Obviously, she was taking
advantage of the fact that Ning Xueyan couldn’t do anything about it.

Ning Xueyan smirked coolly. “Mother Han, keep watch at the manor’s
entrance. If a noble guest is here to deliver offerings on his own, greet
him…” she whispered into Mother Han’s ears. Initially stunned, the
latter swiftly nodded.

A crowd had gathered outside of the entrance of the Bright Frost Garden.
The maids and older female servants pressed their handkerchiefs against
their mouths while gesticulating at the garden.

“I didn’t expect Fifth Young Lady to be so vicious. The girl is already

dead, yet she’s still denying her peace.”

“She had the girl executed just for eating some of her food! I pity the
girl!”
“Can’t believe she’d drag the girl here for public viewing after beating
her to death! How wicked!”

“I can’t believe the Fifth Young Lady who never leaves the Bright Frost
Garden would be so cruel. Whoever who marries her might find all
members of his inner courtyard dead…”

As expected, the gossip about Ning Xueyan became increasingly nasty

under someone’s deliberate provocation. Not only did the servants on the
other side of the door not speak up for her, but they joined the
bandwagon as well. They all wore disapproving looks.

The servants working in this garden were on Madam Ling’s side. They
fawned on her by bullying and tormenting Ning Xueyan.

Seeing as the crowd was still smearing Ning Xueyan’s name, Qingyu
stepped forward and pushed away a chattering old female servant. She
yelled, “Quiet! Fifth Young Lady has returned!”

The crowd quietened a little but soon came the jeering and laughing.
None of the servants came to salute Ning Xueyan. They cast her a
sideways glance and chatted among themselves, none paying her any
mind.

“Who’s the one who besmirched me earlier?” Ning Xueyan stared coolly
at the crowd of more than ten.

“Oh, how dare we, Fifth Young Lady! We’re here to see what’s all the
fuss about after hearing that a corpse is thrown at the entrance of the
Bright Frost Garden. We came here to see who committed a crime,” a
green-clothed maid in the crowd said, laughing.

“Exactly! Us old servants were shocked after hearing someone had died.
It’s only after coming here that I knew that Fifth Young Lady is
punishing a servant from the Bright Frost Garden and we’re the one
fussing for nothing!” an old female servant holding a teapot chimed in,
grinning. Instantly, the rest began interjecting with their own responses.
One after another expressed that they were here to join the excitement.

Sure enough, no one in this Lord Protector’s Manor—from the masters

down to the servants—took her seriously. It must be Madam Ling’s
order. Otherwise, these people wouldn’t be so daring as to slight her to
her face.

A somber-faced Ning Xueyan stepped forward and conveniently grabbed

the teapot in the older female servant’s hand. Without another word, she
threw it to the feet of the crowd. The teapot smashed, sending the hot
water inside splashing.

No one expected the typically weak and timid Fifth Young Lady to
retaliate out of nowhere. Some reacted quickly enough to jump out of the
way but some of the slower ones were scalded by the splashing hot
water. They retreated several steps, sat on the ground, and tended to their
scalded skin. It hurt so much that they were groaning.

They had never seen Ning Xueyan like this. Staring into her ice-cold,
ink-black eyes, those yelping in pain after getting scalded quieted down.
The girl standing before them seemed to be emanating an imposing,
domineering aura.

“Well, why aren’t you continuing? I’d like to listen what else you have to
say,” she said sternly, her gaze as sharp and cold as a blade.

Only now did the servant who held the teapot earlier recover her senses.
She continued to argue, saying, “Fifth Young Lady, we… we’re just here
to join the excitement!” She had reacted swiftly earlier and jumped at the
right timing, saving her the pain of being scalded.

“Punishment of 20 slaps!” Ning Xueyan’s cold gaze landed on her. Her

gaze was so frigid that her pupils carried no warmth.

“Why? Fifth Young Lady, you’re the master. I shouldn’t be questioning a

master who wants to punish her servant, but I serve First Madam. Even if
you want to hit a dog, you still have to be wary of the dog’s owner. If
you want to punish me, give me a reason at least. Otherwise, you won’t
be able to explain yourself to First Madam!” the sharp-tongued servant
argued.

She kept bringing up First Madam without the slight bit of nervousness.
In fact, she seemed unconcerned. She even looking smug toward the end
of her sentence.
It was Madam Ling who sent her here to stir up the gossip. Now that she
saw herself destroying Fifth Young Lady’s authority, she became even
prouder and surer of herself. She wasn’t even addressing Fifth Young
Lady, but the crowd of servants instead.

“Pa!” A tight slap sent her twirling in place and she nearly fell. When
she saw that it was Qingyu who slapped her, she gnashed her teeth and
angrily stormed over to make a scene. She scolded, “You lowly wench!
Not even Fifth Young Lady dares to hit First Madam’s people, but a
lowly wench like you dares? You must be tired of living!”

Ning Xueyan sneered and stepped forward in front of Qingyu. She said
sternly, “How dare you, you damned slave! I’m still your master. How
dare you act so brazenly in front of me! Who gave you the courage to do
so?”

The sudden killing aura radiating from her face fell on the servant like it
was tangible. The servant inexplicably shuddered and began losing
confidence. She took a step backward, not daring to swing her hand. She
felt goosebumps after receiving Fifth Young Lady’s cold stare.

However, she swiftly recalled that she belonged to First Madam and had
no reason to fear Fifth Young Lady. Noticing everyone’s attention on her,
she felt a surge of embarrassment and anger. She felt like she had lost
face. She immediately gave two nearby maids, both sent over by Madam
Ling, a meaningful glance. “Please get out of the way, Fifth Young Lady.
If I don’t teach this lowly wench a lesson today, she will never learn who
the true master of this manor is!”

She reached out to pull Ning Xueyan aside. The two maids also came
over, bypassing Ning Xueyan to try and hit Qingyu.

Madam Ling’s slaves had disrespected Ning Xueyan in front of the

Bright Frost Garden and even tried to hit her maid in front of her! Since
when had anyone in this manor treat her as a master?

Ning Xueyan swatted the older female servant’s face with the white
candle in her hand. Having been caught off guard, the servant was hit so
hard that she became disoriented. She subconsciously touched her head
and found her hand drenched with blood.
She never thought that the Ning Xueyan who dared not raise her voice
even when she was bullied would dare to hit someone. When she saw
Qingyu’s mocking gaze, hatred and courage filled her. She laughed
nastily and said to Ning Xueyan, “Your bravery is off the charts today,
Fifth Young Lady! You dare put on airs in front of me and disobey First
Madam. Look at the girl lying on the ground. That’s what happens to
people who don’t listen to her!”

She was so determined to suppress Ning Xueyan that she was now
speaking incoherently.

“Oh, so this person had offended Mother and that was why she was
killed. But why is she left outside my Bright Frost Garden?” Ning
Xueyan sneered. The corner of her lips was lifted to form a smirk.

“That will be your outcome if you insist on being disobedient, Fifth

Young Lady!” The servant threatened Ning Xueyan, misunderstanding
that the latter didn’t believe her. She deliberately pointed to Qingrui’s
mangled, lifeless body on the ground.

After saying her piece, she reached out to pull Ning Xueyan. She wanted
to drag Ning Xueyan to the corpse so that the latter had a closer look of
Qingrui’s miserable state.

However, before her hand reached Ning Xueyan’s sleeve, she heard
someone’s angry rebuke from behind her. “Stop! Where did this mad old
woman come from? Why isn’t anyone dragging her away?”
Chapter 22 Secret; The Link
between the Past and Presen
t

When everyone turned around, they saw an ashen-faced Ning Zu’an and
an elderly eunuch standing behind them.

After sizing Ning Xueyan up, the beaming eunuch turned to Ning Zu’an.
He said with a laugh, “Marquis, your First Madam is sure impressive to
execute a slave and then deliver the body to your first wife’s daughter as
a demonstration of power. To think a mere slave dare to yell and
reprimand her master! What a novel experience!”

His words were direct and spared Ning Zu’an no respect.

Ning Zu’an’s face went from green to purple, and finally black, after
hearing Prince Yi’s head eunuch taunting him. Unable to vent his anger
on the eunuch, he focused it on the older female servant instead. He
approached her and kicked her to the ground without a word. The servant
coughed up blood. She was so badly injured that she couldn’t even stand.
“Damned slave! How dare you bully your master!”

Thanks to the previous incident, court reports condemning him had

already piled up on the Emperor’s desk. If rumors spread that Madam
Ling bullied a fragile young girl and his manor’s servants were acting
like masters, he would be charged with failing to govern his household
and indulging his wife’s vicious acts. People might even dig up the
incident from all those years ago and call him a man who favored his
concubine over his wife! That would spell even bigger troubles for him!

These few days, he had been unable to raise his head in the court after it
was known a funeral in his household had been concealed in favor of a
wedding. He must not allow a bullying rumor to spread at a time like
this! Moreover, this eunuch was the keeper of internal affairs of the all-
powerful Prince Yi. He couldn’t afford to offend both the master and his
servant. When they were in the mourning hall earlier, Prince Yi had
already learned of Madam Ming’s death by poisoning.

He must absolutely conceal this matter!

Ning Zu’an’s mind was made. He looked at the servant on the ground
who was oblivious that her time of death had arrived. He said coolly,
“Drag this mad slave who bullies her master away and beat her with a
rod 30 times!”

It was impossible for an old female servant to endure 30 rod beatings.

Ignoring the blood trailing down the corner of her mouth, the alarmed
servant immediately looked up. “Marquis, it’s First Madam…”

“First Madam ordered you to beat to death the maid who harmed Second
Madam and inform Fifth Young Lady. Yet you tried to act clever by
carrying the body to the Bright Frost Garden. Whose order are you
executing?! How dare you act on your own accord! People, come and
drag her away!” With a wave of Ning Zu’an’s hand, two servants stepped
forward and dragged the older female servant away.

The other servants immediately dispersed after seeing that disaster was
looming!

However, they also came to understand that Qingrui was beaten to death
for harming Second Madam and that First Madam was the one who
wanted her body delivered here. When they thought about it, it was
evident that First Madam’s intention was twofold…

Ning Xueyan stood quietly on the side with her lowered head concealing
the sneer within her pupils. As expected, he was protecting Madam Ling.
Even though he couldn’t reveal how Qingrui harmed Madam Ming, he
nevertheless revealed Madam Ling’s role with just a few words. He
made it clear that Madam Ling was merely avenging Madam Ming and
the current situation was the result of the older female servant acting on
her own accord.

The elderly eunuch was smiling but his pupils were tainted with a hint of
darkness as he looked at Ning Xueyan. In a manner that suggested a
deeper meaning, he said, “So this is your family’s Fifth Young Lady.
She’s a pearl-like character, as expected.”
“You’re too courteous, Eunuch Ling. This is indeed my daughter,” Ning
Zu’an said. He then awkwardly diverted the topic, asking, “Yan’er, do
you have any of your mom’s designation tablets left?” It was rather
embarrassing to have something like this happen and for Prince Yi’s
servant to catch them in the act, to boot.

“I have one. Please wait for a moment, Father, I will fetch it

immediately.” Ning Xueyan nodded. She turned around and asked
Qingyu to retrieve the tablet from their courtyard.

Designation tablets were tablets inserted into the pile of sacrificial

offerings sent by other families. The tablets were wrapped with a snow-
white cloth with the deceased’s name written on it. They were typically
designed with great detail as a form of respect to the deceased’s family.

Of course, the Lord Protector’s Manor had prepared a few for when there
were other needs for them.

However, Ning Xueyan was the only one in this manor who sincerely put
effort into making the tablets for Madam Ming.

Soon, the tablet reached Ning Zu’an’s hand. The bamboo tablet was
wrapped with a white cloth. It was intricately made whether in terms of
materials chosen or needlework. It was obvious at first glance that the
maker of this tablet had poured her heart and soul into it. The calligraphy
of Madam Ming’s name was fine but extremely beautiful.

“Great work!” Eunuch Ling nodded with satisfaction and his gloomy
expression faded a little. He glanced at the fidgeting Mother Han behind
him before turning around and walked away with large strides.

Ning Zu’an didn’t follow after him. Frowning, he unhappily asked Ning
Xueyan, “Why didn’t anyone receive Prince Yi’s sacrificial offerings at
the door?”

Had he known earlier that Prince Yi’s Manor would be delivering

sacrificial offerings, he would surely send servants to receive the
offerings at the door. Then, the offerings wouldn’t have toppled over in a
moment of chaos and the tablet on top of it wouldn’t be knocked down to
the muddy ground, dirtying its white cloth. The eunuch wouldn’t have
been upset either.
Desperate to find an intricately-made tablet to appease Eunuch Ling’s
anger, Ning Zu’an took him to the Bright Frost Garden in a moment of
panic. Little did he expect such a scene.

“When the older female servant came to relay your message, I told her to
inform you that the Prince’s sacrificial offerings are on their way and ask
that you send servants to receive them,” Ning Xueyan replied calmly.

After thinking about it, Ning Zu’an realized that the older female servant
earlier served in Madam Ling’s courtyard. Right now, she must be
reporting to Madam Ling without paying him any mind. How dare she
ignore him just to curry favor with Madam Ling.

“So this is how Madam Ling governs her servants.” A flash of anger
crossed his face.

He dropped the conversation and left hastily with a flick of his sleeves.
He was heading in the direction of Madam Ling’s Bright Clouds
Garden…

Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly as she watched him leave without

showing her any regard. This useless father was indeed a good-for-
nothing. It was one thing for him to say nothing about Madam Ling
beating the maid to death and dumping the body at her door, but he was
even forcing her to suffer in silence. Fortunately, she had already come
up with a countermeasure.

If he were to investigate, he would find Madam Ling at the root cause of

his terrible embarrassment today.

Ning Zu’an wouldn’t reproach Madam Ling just because an unfavored

daughter was bullied. But if his honor as a court official and the prestige
of his manor were threatened…

Those coming to send offerings to the funeral weren’t merely people

from the manor!

Madam Ling was so focused on subduing Ning Xueyan that she forgot
that secrecy was difficult if too many people share it. It would be the
manor’s reputation that she was ruining!
Ning Xueyan was sure that the string of incidents must have given Ning
Zu’an a massive headache. His mood must be even worse after all that
chaos earlier. No matter how much he trusted Madam Ling, the truth was
before his eyes. This time, there wouldn’t be a good outcome for Madam
Ling.

Everything went as expected. In the evening, Mother Han reported the

chaos in the Bright Clouds Garden and the argument between Ning
Zu’an and Madam Ling. Ning Zu’an was so furious that he smashed a
piece of chinaware and angrily left for Concubine Ma’s courtyard.
Madam Ling kicked up a fuss and wept in her own courtyard. She was so
upset that she didn’t eat dinner.

“Young Lady, First Madam is still fussing and crying in the Bright
Clouds Garden. I heard she smashed quite a few things,” Mother Han
said quietly.

“Is that so? She’s still crying now?” Ning Xueyan chuckled. She took off
her outer garment and entered her bedroom. Qingyu was already inside
with hot water ready for her.

“Madam Ling, I fear you won’t even be able to eke out tears in the
future.”

Even though she was smiling faintly, Mother Han inexplicably detected a
hint of sinister coldness…

Ning Xueyan was the only one inside the bedroom. The vapor rising
from the hot water gradually filled the room, making her skin look like
as pure-white and translucent as snow and her ink-black pupils look even
darker.

Standing in front of a copper mirror, she tugged the sleeve of her

underwear and turned sideways. She could clearly see the distinct spot
on her pale shoulders in the reflection. Instinctively, she covered it with
her fair hand. Staring into her eyes in the mirror, she saw a hint of
coldness and contemplation reflected in them. She never thought that she
would see this “pattern” again after being reborn as Ning Xueyan!

Back when she was still Ning Ziying, her mother had repeatedly warned
her to never reveal that imprint. Therefore, she always bathed on her
own. Not even her personal maid, Xiang’er, knew this. Now, she was
seeing the same imprint on a person with zero connection with her
previous self.

“Why would this happen? How could this happen…”

The same spot, the same pattern. She subconsciously reached out to
cover it. It was as if she could conceal everything by doing so.

The unfamiliar feelings of fear and trepidation came to her. For a long
time, she couldn’t calm her rapidly beating heart.

This must be Ning Xueyan’s secret, as well as her own. She thought that
her previous self had carried this unsolvable secret to the netherworld
and yet this secret remained on her body. How she could not feel fear?

She would never forget how frightened her mother had looked when she
told her this in her previous life. That fright was something that her
mother couldn’t hide.

It seemed that everything was fated. In her previous life, Madam Ling
subdued her and she ended up drowning in the lotus pond. In her current
life, Ning Xueyan wept to death in the mourning hall. After being reborn
as Ning Xueyan, she came to discover the latter’s secret.

Everything indicated that this matter wasn’t so simple!

She put down her hand and her young, tender face regained its mask of
coldness. She knew what she should do now. Before she got to the
bottom of matters, she would guard this secret…

“Young Lady, is the water still warm? Should I add more water?”
Qingyu’s voice came from outside her bedroom.

“It’s fine. The temperature is just right,” Ning Xueyan answered placidly.
She turned around and stepped inside the bathtub. The heat of the warm
water surged into her from her four limbs, giving her a sense of being
revived. However, she was still ill at ease even as she was staring at the
water. The drowning sensation from that day suddenly became vivid in
her mind.
The bright red blood, the choking sensation that was so terrible that it felt
like her chest was bursting, the fruitless struggle, the hands that pressed
her into the water!

She subconsciously reached for her chest. Her face turned chalk-white
and cold sweat formed on her fair forehead. Still, she continued to sit
upright inside the bathtub. She gnashed her teeth and made no sound.
Her bitten lip was initially white but soon became stained with blood.

After drowning to death, she inexplicably developed a fear of water after

her rebirth. She could feel the choking sensation of drowning even
though she was merely stepping inside the water inside a bathtub.

But she wasn’t willing to let this be her weakness, so she must overcome
it. Leaning against the wall of the tub, she tried her best to ignore the
water enveloping her body and its rippling surface. Following a pained
grimace, she slowly regained her calmness. She was now Ning Xueyan,
not the Ning Ziying who drowned to death.

She was now bathing, not being pressed under the lotus pond…

After hearing no sound from the bedroom for a long time, Qingyu asked
nervously, “Mother Han, why isn’t Young Lady out yet? Should we go in
and take a look?”

“It’s fine. Young Lady has always preferred to bathe on her own. Maybe
she’s exhausted today. Let’s wait a little longer. It’s not too late to ask
later if she’s still not out yet!” Mother Han sighed. When she thought of
how her Young Lady had lost her support at such a young age, she
couldn’t stop the rim of her eyes from reddening.

“Young Lady must be exhausted after the past few days…”

Chapter 23 Panic; Chaos in the
Cloud Reflection Courtyard
Madam Ming was buried the next day. Few came to witness the
ceremony. In fact, the number of witnesses was fewer than those who
came to pay their respects at the mourning hall that day. Some manors
merely sent their housekeeper as a representative but Ning Xueyan
expected this. To put it nicely, a co-wife was also considered a wife,
whose position was equivalent to a wife. However, to put it frankly, a co-
wife was a concubine. She had no right to demand anything for a
concubine’s funeral.

In fact, she was curious why such esteemed guests came to pay their
respects to her mom. The co-wife of the Lord Protector’s Manor wasn’t
so reputable as to attract the likes of them. It made no sense even if this
was Madam Ling’s funeral! Some guests were particularly noble. Take
that Prince for example. She knew at one glance that he possessed a high
standing and great authority. Why would he come and pay his respects to
her mom?

Even if he was merely stopping by, it was still suspicious. Ning Zu’an’s
treatment of that eunuch was enough to tell her that the Prince was a
formidable character!

She decided to forget all of this for the moment. She was now packing
up in preparation to leave for the Cold Mountain Temple tomorrow.

“Young Lady, Lanning sent a little maid to ask when you’re leaving.”
Qingyu lifted the curtain and entered with a small package. That was the
few things that she was bringing with her.

Her former residence, the Cloud Reflection Courtyard, was deserted after
a young lady drowned herself into the lotus pond along with a maid. The
suicide stirred up numerous rumors, with many accusing Ning Ziying of
lewd behavior with a man to the point of falling pregnant. The rumor
went that she drowned herself out of desperation after the man
abandoned her. Her maid, Xiang’er, also jumped into the pond, fearing
the responsibility of her master killing herself.

Ning Xueyan said nothing after hearing this rumor. She merely
expressed her wish to visit the lotus pond before leaving for the temple
and pay her respects to a fellow young lady. Thus, Qingyu told Lanning
to make preparations at the pond. After the prayers, Lanning would
officially join Ning Xueyan’s courtyard.

“A little maid?” Ning Xueyan’s gaze swiftly turned cold. “Tell her I’m
not done packing. I’ll be there in another two hours.”

The Cloud Reflection Courtyard had been deserted for a long time!
Where would one find a little maid who Lanning could order around?

“Yes, I will relay your message now.” Qingyu put down the package in
her hand and walked out of the room. She came back minutes later and
appeared ill at ease. “Young Lady, please excuse my frankness. Nearly
everyone in this manor belongs to First Madam. It’s better if you don’t
reveal when you’re leaving for a place lest you incite gossip.”

Ning Xueyan smiled faintly while sliding a finger across the surface of a
basin decorated with crabapples on the table. “If First Madam wishes to
know, so be it.”

Madam Ling wouldn’t sit still after suffering such a massive

disadvantage. Yesterday evening, Ning Xueyan heard of the havoc in the
Bright Clouds Garden and Ning Zu’an slapping Madam Ling after an
argument. He had left swiftly after and spent the night at his study.
Considering Madam Ling’s temper, she wouldn’t let matters rest.

“Young Lady, have you anticipated this?” Qingyu’s eyes brightened after
seeing that Ning Xueyan didn’t seem like she was being taken advantage
of.

“What have I anticipated?” Ning Xueyan stood up with a faint smile. She
placed the spice bag in her hand into the pocket sewn into her sleeve and
dusted her hands. She craftily said, “The timing that First Madam knows
isn’t the real timing anyway. Bring me some water. I will leave after
cleaning my hands.”
Qingyu’s mood settled after seeing that her master had a plan. She
hastily went to retrieve some water and helped Ning Xueyan wash her
hands. Then, they headed for the Cloud Reflection Courtyard.

The courtyard was far from the Bright Frost Garden as both residences
were located northeast and southeast respectively. They were separated
by an entire courtyard, which made the Cloud Reflection Courtyard
appear even more isolated. Perhaps it was because its master and servant
had died in the lotus pond. Ning Xueyan didn’t even spot a shadow on
her way there.

To her surprise, a wall was being built on the other side of the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard. Someone seemed to be trying to separate the
courtyard from the Lord Protector’s Manor.

The semi-slanting door of the courtyard was ajar. No sign of life could be
found inside. Even though this place used to be isolated in the past, there
was at least the sound of an old female servant keeping watch by the
door drinking tea. To keep up appearances, Madam Ling designated
quite a few maids and old female servants to work in this courtyard.
When Ning Xueyan first arrived in the Lord Protector’s Manor, she truly
believed that Madam Ling was a magnanimous woman. Otherwise, she
would have listened to her wet nurse’s advice to wait and see instead of
directly moving her dowries into the manor.

Ning Xueyan couldn’t bring herself to feel anything while looking at the
familiar courtyard’s door. When she got close to the courtyard, she saw a
little maid looking around at the door. The maid must have missed her
earlier due to the wall. When the maid finally saw her, she looked
frightened. Thinking that she was running out of time, she opened her
mouth in preparation to scream.

Ning Xueyan stepped forward, raised her hand high, and landed a tight
slap on the maid’s face. She used so much force that the maid took two
steps backward and fell to the ground. The startled cry in her throat
turned into a quiet, pained groan. She clutched her mouth. For a moment,
she was knocked dizzy.

Qingyu reacted just as quickly and stepped forward to block the little
maid’s mouth. She pressed so hard that the maid’s eyes were rolling to
the back of her head.
Ignoring the maid, Ning Xueyan hastily walked to the second room to
the right of the wing of the building on the slopping side of the
courtyard. That was Lanning’s bedroom.

The doors were closed but not locked. They gave away with a slight
push. The table and chairs inside the room were overturned. She
instantly knew that something had happened. An older female servant
was forcing Lanning to kneel by the bed and tried to pour a dark
medicinal concoction into her mouth. Lanning desperately struggled but
failed to get out of the servant’s clutches.

Ning Xueyan flared up in anger. She stepped forward, grabbed the

servant’s coiled hair, and tugged it backward. Pain stabbed the servant
and she dropped the bowl of medicine, spilling it all over her and
Lanning. Lanning forcefully shoved the servant aside and took advantage
of the moment to break out of the latter’s hold.

The servant wiped the medicinal concoction off her face and started
yelling before taking a good look at who it was. “Who’s so foolish as to
hinder Madam’s business?”

Ning Xueyan instantly understood what was going on. Madam Ling truly
despised her. Had she came a little later, Lanning would surely die by
their hands and her death would be blamed on her when she arrives
afterward. She was sure that Madam Ling had made preparations to seal
her fate.

“Fifth Young Lady, please let go of me. It’s First Madam who sent me
here. This girl is the one who harmed Lady Ning Ziying. First Madam
sent me here to execute this maid who harmed her master. You must not
ruin her plans.” This servant was pretty slick. When she saw that it was
Ning Xueyan, an idea immediately struck her and she started spinning
lies.

She truly believed that Ning Xueyan couldn’t do anything to her. Thus,
she spoke brazenly and self-righteously. She shoved Ning Xueyan’s hand
aside and stood up. She even straightened her neck smugly. Then,
looking as if she recalled something, she pointed to Ning Xueyan and
sneered.
“Fifth Young Lady, didn’t you say you will be coming two hours later?
“I’m going to report this to First Madam and the Marquis. I can’t believe
you’re so cunning! Everything you do is premeditated. Let’s see if First
Madam will let you off!”

She then haughtily made her way out.

Even though Madam Ling had her suspicions about everything that had
happened, she ultimately believed it was all an accident. If she found out
that it was all part of Ning Xueyan’s plans and the latter was feigning
ignorance, she would surely kill her.

The sound of a dying yelp followed the sound of a crash. The servant fell
to the ground with her head and face drenched with blood. Ning Xueyan
stood nearby with a cool expression. The only thing left of the flower
vase in her hand was a base dyed with blood. The fragments were
scattered across the floor amid a pool of vibrantly red blood.

Lanning recovered her senses and calmed down. She lowered her body
and checked the servant’s breathing. In a trembling voice, she said,
“She… She’s dead!”

Ning Xueyan stared indifferently at the servant on the floor. If she

allowed the servant to return, it would be her death instead!

“Young Lady, I… I accidentally suffocated the little maid to death…”

Qingyu frantically ran inside the room. When she saw the bloodstain on
the floor, her face became frozen with fright and she couldn’t even finish
her sentence.

“So the other one is dead too. Well, might as well!”

Ning Xueyan put down the vase in her hand calmly and said to Lanning,
“Go to the storeroom on the left and fetch two burlap bags. Stuff the two
bodies into the bags and tie them up with stones. Sink them into the pond
near the back door.”

When she first moved here, she took her parents’ relics with her. The
burlap bags used to move those things were still kept inside the
storeroom.
Lanning looked at her in surprise. There was a flicker of shock in her
eyes but she refrained from saying anything. She turned around and left
to get the bags.

The back door of the Cloud Reflection Courtyard was located in a

secluded corner. It was evening when Ning Xueyan arrived and the sky
was even darker now. Seeing as the courtyard was desolate and
considered inauspicious after the recent deaths that took place, no one
would be heading in this direction. The three of them stuffed the bodies
into the burlap bags, tied stones to the bags, and threw them into the
pond in the courtyard. Then, they returned to the room to clean it.
Lanning, bringing only a piece of small baggage, followed Ning Xueyan
out of the courtyard.

Cloud Reflection Courtyard was completely barren. The objects that

filled the rooms were either stealthily taken away by Madam Ling and
Ning Ziyan or moved into the Xia Manor before the wedding. The
servants had all escaped to get better jobs after hearing that their master
was dead. Lanning was the only one who stayed to watch over the
desolate courtyard.

Watching Lanning close the courtyard’s doors firmly, Ning Xueyan’s

gaze turned sharp. She must ensure that the damned couple receives their
retribution. They coveted her riches, harmed her life, and drowned her in
the pond the day before the wedding. Heaven would never tolerate such
evil…

When they returned to the Bright Frost Garden, they found Mother Han
at the door. Having been waiting for a long time, she sighed in relief to
see them.

The group entered the garden. Qingyu went off to settle Lanning into her
new room while Mother Han followed Ning Xueyan into the house.

“Young Lady, the Eldest Young Lady sent this for you, saying it’s her
small but kind intention. She also said that she will accompany you in
the Cold Mountain Temple once she returns for her bridal home visit.”
The table was filled with presents and several sheets of ornate satin. She
instantly knew that these were expensive gifts. However, the vibrant
colors of the fabric didn’t look like something one would gift a person
who had recently lost her mother.
Obviously, these sheets of satin were Ning Ziyan’s wedding presents that
she conveniently regifted. Even so, she wanted to put on a show of
gratitude in front of others. Like mother, like daughter. Both deceived the
world while hiding their wicked hearts.

“Mother Han, send the satin to Madam Dowager. Tell her that Eldest
Sister sent them to me but I have no use for them now. Since I can’t
waste my sister’s kind intentions, I will gift them to Madam Dowager
instead,” Ning Xueyan said placidly. Everything Ning Ziyan did was to
manufacture a facade in front of others.

Outsiders might see this as a deep affection between sisters but if Madam
Dowager learns that Ning Ziyan had regifted her wedding present to
someone who had just lost her mother, Ning Xueyan wondered if the old
lady would believe in Ning Ziyan’s innocence!

Mother Han, also upset after seeing the sheets of satin, nodded after
hearing Ning Xueyan’s order. She pointed to the boxes of vibrant rogue
and powders. To think that Eldest Young Lady had the gall to send over
things of such auspicious colors. She asked in disgust, “Young Lady,
what about the cosmetics? Should I send them to Madam Dowager as
well?”
Chapter 24 Face Powder; Ning
Ziyan’s Presen
t

Ning Xueyan walked up to the table and opened one of the boxes. She
used her sharp fingernail to scrap the powder and placed them near her
nose for a sniff. It was a light, natural fragrance. It was the type of face
powder most popular among young ladies, whether in terms of texture or
fragrance. She smirked. “Keep this and put it in the drawer. We can talk
about it after I return.”

The face powder was a top-notch product and exactly what she needed
right now. Her monthly allowance wasn’t even enough to pay for a box
of it. Ning Ziyan’s present had come at just the right timing.

This could be considered as a case of preparation averting peril. She

would strike Madam Ling where it hurts at the right timing and use the
face powder that her eldest daughter sent to ruin her second daughter.
She wondered if Madam Ling would go mad over this.

“Young Lady, you must refrain from using cosmetics now or people will
talk.” Mother Han thought that Han Ziyue was nursing a woman’s sense
of vanity. After thinking about it, she pitied her master for never having
the chance to use such face powder since young. Thus, she merely
warned her instead of stopping her.

“Relax, Mother Han. I understand. Just put it away for now.” Ning
Xueyan nodded. Since she didn’t plan to use the face powder herself, she
naturally wasn’t concerned.

“I’m glad you understand.” Mother Han was relieved.

“Mother Han, do you know when Uncle is arriving in the capital?” Ning
Xueyan took a seat at a nearby table. Under the light, her palm-sized face
appeared contemplative. She didn’t look like a carefree 14-year-old girl
at all. This upset Mother Han even further. Without Second Madam
sheltering her in the future, her days would be even harder.

Simultaneously, she also vowed to protect Ning Xueyan from now on!

“We just delivered the letter the night before yesterday. It will reach him
10 days later at the soonest.”

Madam Ming never exchanged letters with her Eldest Brother stationed
in the border army. It was Ning Xueyan who wrote the letter. However,
she couldn’t remember her maternal uncle very well and her mom didn’t
seem to have a good relationship with him. It had been more than 10
years since they met and Madam Ning never wrote to him during that
time. If not for Mother Han mentioning his name in a moment of
desperation, she would have forgotten that her mom had a brother.

Mother Han stammered through a vague explanation of past events and

concealed quite a few details but when it came to her uncle’s adoration
for her, she wasn’t at all ambiguous. She was very sure that he would
rush over if Ning Xueyan wrote him a letter, prompting the latter to draft
one on the spot and ask her to send it that very night.

Regardless of when this uncle of hers shows up, she could tell from Ning
Zu’an’s reaction that day that the former had quite the influence over
him. She hoped that her uncle truly cared for her and would be able to
return to the capital in a month.

“Mother Han, are the servants from Eldest Sister’s manor still here?”

“They were here moments ago. Do you have a need for them, Young
Lady?” Mother Han stopped in her tracks.

“Tell them to relay my gratitude to Eldest Sister and tell her that she
doesn’t have to hurry to the temple. I’m fine with having Qingyu and
Lanning for company.”

Lanning was a maid that the Lord Protector’s Manor assigned her. The
day Madam Ling barged into the Cloud Reflection Courtyard with her
people, Lanning happened to be away. Ning Ziyan said that Lanning was
the one who claimed that Ning Ziying was having an affair with a man.
She never believed this! Even if she had her reservations, she became
convinced after seeing Lanning remaining in the Cloud Reflection
Courtyard alone and Madam Ling’s intention to kill her.

She wondered if Ning Ziyan would feel pressured when she sees
Lanning again.

Auspicious Clouds Courtyard.

Mother Chen frantically pushed open the door to a bedroom. “First

Madam! I went over with a group of servants but no one is there. The
Cloud Reflection Courtyard is deserted and I can’t find Old Servant Ling
anywhere. I asked around at the Bright Frost Garden and heard that
Lanning has returned with Fifth Young Lady, safe and sound.”

“Crash!” The teacup in Madam Ling’s hand crashed into a nearby small
side table. Her exquisite, pale face was contorted into an ugly expression.
“That damned old servant actually failed her task. Give her a good
beating when you see her.”

Mother Chen was supposed to catch Ning Xueyan in the act. Once she
saw the wench Ning Xueyan and the dead Lanning together, Ning
Xueyan would have no room to argue her innocence. To her surprise, she
saw no one, not even Old Servant Ling.

“First Madam, please remain calm. With Second Madam gone, Fifth
Young Lady’s fate is in your hands. We can take it slow.” Mother Lu
placated her with a soft voice. “The Marquis is already suspicious about
Second Madam’s death. It’s best if you stay put for the time being.
Otherwise, we will risk his anger.”

“As long as that wench is alive, there will never be peace in this manor.”
Madam Ling gnashed her teeth in resentment.

Her injuries meant that she could only lay on her bed. Even though she
didn’t know that it was Ning Xueyan’s work, the latter was nevertheless
the reason for it. Naturally, she hated the girl down to her bone. Her
greatest desire was to tear that wench to shreds. How dare a low-class
slut like Ning Xueyan reduce her to this state.

“First Madam, we might not be able to act but we still have Eldest Young
Lady. If something happens to Fifth Young Lady in the Cold Mountain
Temple, it has nothing to do with us,” Mother Han said contemplatively
while pointing outside. “The Marquis won’t be able to put the blame on
us then.”

Madam Ling’s eyes brightened and a thoughtful glint appeared in her

pupils. She nodded with force. “Fine. Inform Yan’er later.”

Whatever happened to that wench in the Cold Mountain Temple would

have nothing to do with her. No matter how the Marquis investigates, he
wouldn’t be able to implicate her.

Ning Xueyan departed from the Lord Protector’s Manor early in the
morning. Aside from the servants that Madam Dowager Liu sent to see
her off, there was no show of familial affection from Ning Zu’an and
Madam Dowager. The entire manor knew that she was an unfavored
child and thus sent her off on a random carriage from the side door.

It was still dark out. Ning Xueyan, Qingyu, and Lanning were all stuffed
inside the same carriage. Mother Han, the housekeeper of the Bright
Frost Garden, stayed behind to watch the house.

“Young Lady, can I meet you there later…? I think I saw my aunt
earlier!” Lanning, who was about to enter the carriage, seemed to have
spotted someone. Surprise flickered in her pupils and the hand that was
holding the reins trembled. She turned around with a pale face and asked
Ning Xueyan for permission.

“Your aunt?” Ning Xueyan looked away from the window with a faint
and indecipherable smile. The smile was barely there but it wasn’t cold.

“Yes, it’s my paternal aunt. She came here from the city outskirts a while
ago. I heard she was being bullied outside and came to seek shelter with
relatives. However, my family’s house is too small and she’s forced to
rent a place outside. Just now, I saw her waiting anxiously outside the
manor. I fear that something serious has happened,” Lanning explained,
biting her lower lip.

“Since it’s your aunt, go ahead. Who knows if something serious might
happen later? Those hooligans are troublesome; they might pursue her all
the way here. Tell her to be careful. I have some money here. Take them
and find her a place. I’m sure she didn’t bring much with her since she
was in a hurry,” Ning Xueyan said softly.

“Many thanks, Young Lady!” Lanning felt a hint of embarrassment.

When she looked up and saw Ning Xueyan’s sincere smiling face, she
felt a sting in her eyes and nodded fervently. She didn’t reject the offer
because it was true that she didn’t have much money and wouldn’t be
able to find Mother Wang a good home. For the time being, she must not
allow First Madam to find Mother Wang.

Ning Xueyan ordered for the carriage to keep going after seeing Lanning
off. Subconsciously, a faint smile was playing on her lips. Her long-time
worry and longing finally subsided. Her wet nurse had finally returned.
Not only that, she detected that something was off and didn’t
immediately enter the manor. Otherwise, First Madam would definitely
silence her. With Lanning’s protection, First Madam wouldn’t be able to
pin this on her for now. Once her roots became firm, she would be able
to settle Mother Wang down even more securely.

It was now late autumn. Dead leaves were scattered all over the road.
The small carriage draped with green cloth traveled down the road
inconspicuously, shaking all the way to the Cold Mountain Temple. They
arrived at the temple about four hours later. The monk that greeted them
at the door was soon replaced by a young novice monk who led them to
the female quarters. Then, out of the blue, the sound of the flute reached
their ears. The tune sounded melancholic in the quiet, desolate temple.

Ning Xueyan stopped in her tracks. When she heard the first note of the
tune, it was as if lightning had struck her.

Misunderstanding that her master was enjoying the tune, Qingyu quietly
stopped behind her. The young novice monk also cleverly stopped at the
corridor and didn’t disturb Ning Xueyan’s peace.

The sound continued to linger after the first song ended. The tune was
filled with sorrow and anxiety. Coupled with the withering trees in the
autumn season, one couldn’t help feeling emotional and suffering quietly
from a broken heart.

Finally, Ning Xueyan moved. The corner of her lips lifted to form a faint
but lovely smile. However, one couldn’t sense any warmth from her
smile, only endless coldness that followed the end of autumn.

In her past life, the sound of this flute had repeatedly appeared and
lingered endlessly in her dream. The tune was accompanied by that
delicate, handsome face. However, she now found it laughable. That was
her former fiance and Ning Ziyan’s current husband. He was Xia
Yuhang, the Eldest Young Master of the Minister of Justice with little
reputation and talent.

For a moment, memories of all kinds from her past life hit her like the
tide crashing on the shore. Nothing but deep, cold, and biting resentment
remained!

Slowly, Ning Xueyan resumed walking and concealed her emotions. She
asked nonchalantly, “Little monk, who’s the one playing the flute?”

“It’s the Eldest Young Master Xia of the Minister of Justice’s Manor. He
came here two days ago and has been playing his flute on top of the
mountain ever since. He sounds like he’s in a sorrowful mood,” the
young novice monk answered deferentially.

“Eldest Young Master Xia?” Qingyu was stunned. She asked

nonchalantly, “Didn’t he just get married a few days ago? Why is he
staying on top of the mountain?”

“I’m not sure myself. I heard that he’s grieving the death of a friend. He
came here the day after his wedding and has been here since,” the young
novice monk said while scratching the back of his head in confusion.

Ning Xueyan raised her hand to point to the mountain and asked in a
leisurely manner, “What a coincidence. Is he staying there?” The
coldness concealed in her pupils were several degrees lower in
temperature than the autumn season. Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan were
the ones who gave the order. He had watched blankly as they drowned
her in the lotus pond and yet he was now putting on a show of being
melancholic.

If she was still the same Ning Ziying of the past, she would surely be
moved and believed that he harbored a deep, undying affection for her.
But the simple and kind Ning Ziying was now dead. The one who
survived was Ning Xueyan, the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor who had climbed out of hell.
Chapter 25 Nemesis; Meeting
Ning Ziyan Again
“Yes, Young Master Xia has been occupying his usual residence. He
used to come here every now and then to offer incense. Every month, he
would spend three nights here,” the young novice monk immediately
answered. Evidently, he was very familiar with Xia Yuhang.

As expected, Xia Yuhang’s habits remained unchanging. On the same

few days every month, he would spend a few days in the Cold Mountain
Temple. Others might not understand why, yet Ning Xueyan was well
aware of the reason.

“I see. Is he not returning to his manor today as well?” Ning Xueyan

looked away and continued walking behind the young novice monk. If
Xia Yuhang doesn’t show up when his wife returns to her bridal home
three days after their wedding, Ning Ziyan wouldn’t be the only one
would be humiliated.

“You guessed correctly, Fifth Young Lady. I heard servants from the
Minister’s Manor came early this morning to persuade Young Master Xia
to go home. Our Master Uncle, the one who greeted you earlier, even
told us to keep the courtyard as it is because Young Master Xia will be
returning. He only left today to deal with some business,” the young
novice monk said.

The three of them had a casual chat until they reached their destination, a
courtyard that the Cold Mountain Temple prepared for the ladies.

This courtyard wasn’t the same courtyard that Ning Ziying occupied in
her previous life, which was closer to the male quarters. After all, Ning
Ziying was a guest at the Lord Protector’s Manor back then. Even
though she was engaged, she was nonetheless not allowed to meet her
groom. Thus, Xia Yuhang would secretly meet her under the guise of
visiting the Cold Mountain Temple.

Thus, Ning Xueyan wasn’t a stranger to this temple.

The young novice monk stood at the entrance of the courtyard and
pointed to a spot at the rear mountain. Smiling at Ning Xueyan, he said,
“Fifth Young Lady, the chrysanthemums at our temple are blooming
beautifully at the moment. Please take a look at them if you’re keen.
They’re just right there!”

“The chrysanthemums are blooming?” Ning Xueyan asked, stunned.

Something flickered in her mind but it vanished so quickly that she
didn’t quite grasp what it was.

“Yes. The chrysanthemums at our temple are famed worldwide. Some

cherished varities of the flower can be found here. I heard there are a few
types that have gone extinct out there. Many famed individuals and
elegant scholars would come here for flower-viewing. Even an imperial
consort was full of praises when she came last year.”

“Oh, are you referring to Noble Consort Ya? Is she coming again this
year?” A thought flickered across her mind.

Noble Consort Ya was the Third Imperial Prince’s biological mother and
the Emperor’s favored consort. She originated from the Qingliu Clan and
rumor had it that she liked tending to her flowers and plants in the
palace. She was known to be a lover of flowers. Ning Xueyan finally
recalled that the chrysanthemums at the Cold Mountain Temple were
indeed famous. Two years ago, Noble Consort Ya sung praises about the
flowers when she deliberately visited this place.

“I don’t know if the imperial consort will be coming but our Uncle
Master has ordered us to prepare for her arrival. He said that even though
there’s no news yet, she might come here when she feels like it.” The
young novice monk placed his palms together with an earnest
expression. He looked rather amiable.

“Please inform me if the imperial consort comes. I have never met any
imperial consort and would like to gain a new experience,” Ning Xueyan
said softly.

“Very well. I will surely keep that in mind.” The young novice monk
then excused himself.
The courtyard was small but clean, with only one main house and two
side rooms. After all, its intended purpose was to accommodate a master
bringing two or three servants. Ning Xueyan took a seat inside the house
while Qingyu ran off to fetch tea. She only began to fully recover her
senses after sipping the tea that emanated a faint but refreshing
fragrance.

The carriage was simply too small and the journey was so bumpy that it
gave her a headache. Holding her dizzy head, Ning Xueyan felt some of
her memories returning to her. That year, she was only seven or eight
years old when she spotted a lavishly-dressed older female servant
entering the courtyard. She remembered how the servant had dressed
even more extravagantly than those serving Madam Ling.

Madam Ming had sent everyone away but the mischievous Ning Xueyan
hid under the bed and watched the servant salute Madam Ming
deferentially. It was obvious from the servant’s eyes that she greatly
respected Madam Ming. Ning Xueyan didn’t dare to get any closer, so
she only faintly heard them mentioning Noble Consort Ya’s name. It
seemed that Noble Consort Ya had sent over some presents. During the
conversation, they also mentioned someone else.

That person was Noble Consort Ya’s servant intended to be a gift for
Madam Ming. However, the latter rejected the offer. That person
kowtowed to Madam Ming before leaving with Noble Consort Ya.

Ning Xueyan had never paid that person any mind but her interest was
now piqued. Since that person was Noble Consort Ya’s confidante, then
she would surely tag along when the consort leaves the palace. That
person must share a deep relationship with Madam Ming. If Ning
Xueyan could persuade that person to be her chess piece, it would be
akin to having heaven give her a helping hand…

The chrysanthemums at the Cold Mountain Temple were indeed a sight

to behold. The temple was known for its complete collection of
chrysanthemums. Now was just the right time to enjoy the flowers. The
guests who came to the temple had all gone flower-viewing in the rear
mountain. Ning Xueyan spent her morning listening to the head abbot
reciting scriptures and took Qingyu and Lanning to the rear mountain
after they had lunch.
The Cold Mountain Temple was built halfway up the mountain, with a
path built in front and a forest for a backdrop. There was a winding path
that led to the mountaintop. Surprisingly, there wasn’t as much of a
crowd at noon compared to the morning and everything was much more
peaceful. Shortly after they began hiking up the mountain, Ning Xueyan
felt too weak to continue and took a rest at a pavilion nearby.

Her other purpose in coming to the Cold Mountain Temple was

strengthening her body, lest her health failed her before she even started
fighting Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan. Her current body was simply too
frail. It was no wonder she cried herself to death in front of Madam
Ming’s coffin.

“Young Lady, are you going to continue? Why don’t you just rest here?
How can your body take it if you keep climbing?” Qingyu tried to
persuade Ning Xueyan. She was worried about her master’s health which
had always been prone to sickness. Ning Xueyan’s jade-white face was
tinted red and she was panting after the climb.

“I’m fine. I will stop if I really can’t go on anymore. The higher we

climb, the more beautiful the scenery will be.” Ning Xueyan looked up.
The rear mountain of the Cold Mountain Temple was truly tall. From
afar, the mountain seemed high enough to pierce the clouds. It was said
that the temple atop the mountain was the actual Cold Mountain Temple
while the one below was simply a subsidiary.

Lanning poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to her. She said softly,
“Young Lady, there’s nothing much to see up there, except a farther
view. In the past, we…”

The rim of her eyes suddenly reddened as she thought of Ning Ziying
who died a tragic death. She bit her lower lip, unable to continue her
sentence.

“Lanning, why don’t you tell me about your previous master, Lady
Ziying? I heard Sister Ziying was accomplished in the four arts of zither,
Go, calligraphy, and painting and that she was a rare talent. Why would
she be so upset as to drown herself in the lotus pond?” Ning Xueyan
asked in apparent interest. She adjusted her hair and seemed to be
smiling from her eyes.
“My master didn’t drown herself in the lotus pond. How could she when
her dowry had just arrived at the manor…” Lanning became agitated the
moment Ning Ziying was mentioned. The corner of her mouth trembled
and her voice subconsciously became high-pitched.

A soft voice came from behind them. “Are you discussing Sister Ziying?
What’s wrong? Didn’t they say she drowned herself in the lotus pond? Is
there a secret behind it?”

The voice alone was enough tip off Ning Xueyan that its owner was a
gentle and beautiful lady. Ning Xueyan slowly turned around while
suppressing the resentment in her pupils. She felt herself go cold all over.
She would never forget this voice. Madam Ling’s daughter, the eldest
daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor, and the one whose face woke
her from her nightmares at night!

Ning Ziyan, dressed in a pink embroidered coat and dress, had her coiled
hair decorated with two dangling ornaments. There was a faint smile on
her face, which gave the impression of a gentle, fragile lady. One
couldn’t help but want to protect her. Upon closer inspection of her
memories, Ning Xueyan realized that she couldn’t remember when Ning
Ziyan and Xia Yuhang’s affair began. She only knew that due to their
good relationship, Xia Yuhang wouldn’t avoid Ning Ziyan out of
courtesy whenever he visited.

Whenever Xia Yuhang came to the Lord Protector’s Manor, the three of
them would surely have a chat. Most of the time, they would meet in
Ning Ziyan’s courtyard. That was because Ning Ziyan said that Xia
Yuhang would be cozier in her spacious and better-maintained residence.

Now that Ning Xueyan thought about it, the two of them must be in
affair by then. Otherwise, why would Xia Yuhang never find Ning
Ziyan’s courtyard inconvenient? Once, Ning Ziying told him that they
should meet in her courtyard because she felt bad about constantly
troubling her sister. He immediately rejected the idea, saying that both of
them were guests at the manor and that the host must accommodate her
guests. Seeing as the Eldest Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor
was showing them such courtesy, it was only right for them to repay in
kind.
What a fool she had been. Had Xia Yuhang not visited Ning Ziyan’s
courtyard each time he came to the manor, outsiders would have
objected to the marriage alliance between the Xia family and the Lord
Protector’s Manor. People believed that it was Ning Ziyan whose hand
was promised to Xia Yuhang at a young age, not someone else. Why else
would Young Master Xia visit the Eldest Young Lady’s courtyard each
time without even avoiding her out of courtesy?

She believed that she and Xia Yuhang loved each other but it turned out
that the mutual love was actually shared by them both. She was nothing
but a supporting character, one that doubled as their stepping stone. They
used her life to gain blessing for their “fated” union. And now, she had
returned from Asura’s sea of blood…

Ning Xueyan stood up and smiled. “Elder Sister, when did you arrive?”
The last time she met Ning Ziyan was four or five years ago, so they
weren’t very close.

Ning Ziyan walked over and grabbed her hand. She asked softly, “I just
arrived. I came here after hearing that you’re heading to the rear
mountain. I didn’t think I’d really come across you. Fifth Sister, are you
well these days?” Just by looking at her, one would have a hard time
believing that she wasn’t someone with a good relationship with her
younger sister. She truly emanated the air of the eldest sister!

Resisting the urge to rip her hand away from Ning Ziyan’s, Ning Xueyan
pulled the latter down the path with a flat smile. “Since you’re here, let’s
see the scenery together, Eldest Sister. Lanning was just talking about
Lady Ning Ziying who used to live in our manor. I heard she was
incredibly beautiful but drowned herself in the lotus pond for no
apparent reason. It’s strange, indeed.”

Ning Ziyan behaved as if she was hearing about this for the first time.
She put down Ning Xueyan’s hand and turned to smile at Lanning. Her
questions came one another another. “Drowned herself in the lotus pond?
When did that happen? I was so caught up in my affairs that I didn’t
realize. Afterward, I heard Second Mother talk about it but nothing about
Sister Ziying,” she asked, her questions coming one after another.
“Lanning? Oh, I remember that your older sister works in the kitchen,
yes? Well, why don’t you tell me? Tell me why Sister Ziying drowned
herself in the lotus pond.”
Her words were aggressive and threatening. She was so focused on
Lanning’s reaction that she didn’t notice others.
Chapter 26 The Woman Who
Selfishly Lingers in the Cold
Mountain Temple
The ladies chatted as they walked. Ning Ziyan didn’t realize that Ning
Xueyan was “accidentally” leading her down a trail.

The winding path in the rear mountain of the Cold Mountain Temple was
full of trails. Those who rarely came here would have no idea where
these trails lead to.

“Was Ning Ziyan threatening Lanning earlier?”

Ning Xueyan glanced at Lanning. Sure enough, her maid’s expression

had changed. Even her face turned pale. However, she soon raised her
head, deferentially saluted Ning Ziyan, and retreated behind Ning
Xueyan. She was making it clear that she now belonged to Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan gave her a subtle nod. She had long known Lanning to be a
clever girl. Lanning’s refusal to speak had effectively ruined Ning
Ziyan’s plans. If Lanning really had to say something, she must at least
get her master’s permission. Ning Ziyan’s abrupt arrival was prompted
by her talking about Ning Ziying. Not even in a million years would
Ning Ziyan expect that the girl she drowned would be reborn in a
different body.

Thus, Ning Xueyan knew where Xia Yuhang was and what he was doing
at this very moment. The nefarious smile hidden in her pupils turned
even colder.

Her aim was to draw Ning Ziyan over and take her to see a good show.
As for what would happen next…

Well, she had no idea what would happen next!

Hadn’t Xia Yuhang kill her for Ning Ziyan? Wasn’t he deeply devoted to
Ning Ziyan? Then she looked forward to seeing the couple’s “lovefest”!

Despite sneering inwardly, her mask of gentleness stayed put. Mirth

filled her beautiful eyes as she slowly said, “Eldest Sister, let’s put that
aside. I heard Eldest Brother-in-law is here as well. Why didn’t you
come with him? The monk at the temple said that he has been staying
here these few days.”

A curious-looking Ning Xueyan blinked at Ning Ziyan. She sounded so

innocent, yet Ning Ziyan felt like it pierced her heart. Xia Yuhang had
been away from the Xia Manor aside from their wedding night. In fact,
he left for the Cold Mountain Temple the morning after. Ning Ziyan was
furious but she couldn’t complain. People had been criticizing her ever
since the death of Madam Ming of the Lord Protector’s Manor was
revealed. Minister Xia and his wife were also terribly unhappy about her.
Their every word suggested that she was bringing their family
misfortune.

To her chagrin, they didn’t even question their son about leaving the
manor the day after the wedding and leaving his bride to safeguard an
empty bedroom. Even though he obeyed the tradition of accompanying
her to the Lord Protector’s Manor yesterday afternoon, he urged her to
return straight after lunch. By the time the carriage was halfway through
the journey, he was nowhere to be seen. It wasn’t until she questioned the
young manservant that she learned that he was already returning to the
Cold Mountain Temple.

If not for the fact that she had to return to the Xia Manor to pack, she
would have headed straight for the temple.

Ning Ziyan considered this a great disgrace and her smile nearly faltered
after hearing Ning Xueyan bring it up.

“Brother Yuhang will be taking part in the preliminary round of imperial

examinations in the spring, so he needs peace. Ambitious men aim far,
after all. How can I, his wife, restrict him? It’s tranquil here; it’s just the
right environment for one to study in. That’s why he’s here.” Ning Ziyan
tried her best to act the part of a noble wife as she took a seat nearby. She
looked like she was acting in nothing but consideration for Xia Yuhang.
With a turn of her mind, Ning Xueyan flashed a brilliant smile and said
curiously, “I see. So, Eldest Brother-in-law is taking the imperial
examinations soon. I have long heard of his talent. There wouldn’t be
any problems with your visit home in the coming spring, would there?
The examinations next year are still far away. Don’t tell me that he’s
going to stay here until then.”

Ning Xueyan’s facial features were exquisite but they typically didn’t
stand out due to her young age, poor complexion, and pale lips.
However, her exhaustion after the climb had dyed her pale face with a
reddish tint. She looked like she had been revitalized. She was so lovely
that she nearly took one’s breath away. Though her smile was faint and
placid, there was a coquettish quality to it.

She looked so beautiful that the madams walking down the mountain
path couldn’t help turning around to steal second looks. They wondered
which family she belonged to. How could she be so beautiful and
ethereal? Subconsciously, they began walking toward her.

Ning Ziyan didn’t notice all these for rage was rising in her chest.
Regardless of how she diverted the topic, Ning Xueyan would somehow
draw Xia Yuhang “abandoning his new bride” into their conversation.
The girl sounded like she was comforting her but her words sounded like
mockery to Ning Ziyan’s ears. She suppressed her fury and scuttled
forward like a raging inferno.

Trying her best to restrain herself, she said, “Fifth Sister, let’s not talk
about your Eldest Brother-in-law. Men think differently than women.
Besides, us women need only to keep their inner courtyard in order.”

“Is that so… But…” Ning Xueyan paused. She looked as if she was
holding back and it made Ning Ziyan terribly curious.

“What is it?”

“Eldest Sister, look. Isn’t that Eldest Brother-in-law? The one next to
him…” Ning Xueyan acted as if she had just spotted Xia Yuhang. She
blinked and pointed to a pavilion nearby. The mountain path was
winding. Had they not walk to this area, they wouldn’t have discovered a
small pavilion here.
The handsome, blue-robed gentleman standing in the cloister of the
pavilion was none other than Xia Yuhang. The one leaning against the
railing with him was a beautiful lady dressed in a yellow and green dress.
From afar, they looked like a handsome couple who had walked out of a
painting. They were laughing while chatting, not realizing that they had
caught someone’s attention…

Watching Xia Yuhang so elegantly chatting and laughing with a woman,

Ning Xiyan’s face instantly darkened.

After taking in the scene, Ning Xueyan subconsciously took a couple of

steps backward with a small smile. Ning Ziyan believed that she had
won Xia Yuhang’s heart but never expected that a newly-wedded Xia
Yuhang would act so intimately with another woman. Moreover, she
even insisted that Xia Yuhang had merely neglected her for his studies in
front of Ning Xueyan. However, barely any time passed before she saw
him with another woman. It was a hard slap on her face.

Ning Ziyan’s face instantly turned ashen after seeing her husband. She
looked drastically different from her typical image of a sweet-tempered
young lady from a wealthy family.

Ning Xueyan, who had become Xia Yuhang’s fiancee at a young age,
naturally knew a lot of things about him that Ning Ziyan didn’t. Take this
woman in front of them for example. Xia Yuhang had always insisted
that he wasn’t close to that woman. In her previous life, she trusted his
words and believed that they had a platonic relationship. He said that the
woman was just a damsel in distress that he happened to rescue and
settled in the Cold Mountain Temple.

A precious young lady ran to the capital to escape a forced marriage but
discovered that her relatives were away. In a moment of desperation, she
entered a forest somewhere to hang herself. Xia Yuhang happened to
pass by, saved her, and settled her in the Cold Mountain Temple. He even
ordered his men to search for this woman’s family but the search was
fruitless even after half a year had passed. Thus, that woman remained in
the temple until now.

Ning Xueyan once met this woman by chance. Back then, she was
coincidentally in the Cold Mountain Temple as well. The woman had
sought her out, apparently to thank Xia Yuhang for saving her. She
insisted on returning the favor and expressed her willingness to be Ning
Xueyan’s servant. She was willing to do anything as long as she could
repay his kindness.

It was also the same woman who told her of this spot!

The woman was so agitated that she knocked Ning Ziying into the creek
that she was standing next to. She fetched Xia Yuhang while weeping
like the world had ended. She acted as if she was prepared to jump into
the water to save Ning Ziying. Xia Yuhang hugged her tightly out of fear
that she would truly jump, all while delaying Ning Ziying’s rescue.

It had been a cold winter day with the wind blowing from the northwest.
Lanning happened to be away to fetch something while the woman held
onto Xia Yuhang. It wasn’t until Lanning returned and jumped into the
water while sobbing that she was saved. She was so cold that she was
stammering through her words. Fortunately, Abbot Mingyue of the Cold
Mountain Temple was a medical expert or she wouldn’t have survived.
Even so, her recovery took nearly half a year.

However, she had been terribly naive. After hearing Xia Yuhang’s
explanation and the woman’s repeated tearful apologies, she instantly
trusted in their innocence. She believed that the woman was only trying
to repay his grace and the subsequent incident was merely an accident.
Since it was an accident, then no one should be blamed.

But from the looks of things now, it was evident that something was
going on between them. That woman was obviously vicious. Back then,
she had tried to kill Ning Ziying but the admiration and gentleness in her
eyes now were evident for all to see!

Xia Yuhang was much taller than the woman and would lower his head
to talk to her. His action was so gentle that Ning Ziyan became red-eyed
with fury. She glared at the woman in resentment.

Noticing someone looking at her, the woman looked up. She became
frozen with shock after seeing Ning Ziyan and reached out to tug on Xia
Yuhang’s sleeve as if she got a fright. She said softly, “Young Master
Xia, who… who’s that woman? She looks so fierce!”
Xia Yuhang swiftly turned around and saw Ning Ziyan. He was surprised
to see her here but he didn’t panic. He got up and walked over to her.
“Ziyan, why are you here?”

Even though she was raging inside, Ning Ziyan forcefully suppressed her
emotions and put on a faint smile. “I came here to accompany my Fifth
Sister. Why are you here, Brother Yuhang? Who is that woman? She
looks like the one we saw at Cousin Brother’s place. Don’t tell me that
you deliberately invited her from one of those places.”

Her words sounded like a nonchalant joke but she was nonetheless
comparing the woman to a brothel lady. Ning Ziyan’s cousin was a
frequent visitor of brothels and would have flings with courtesans every
now and then.

“No, she’s a damsel in distress that I saved. She’s not from a brothel,”
Xia Yuhang said earnestly. His gaze went from Ning Ziyan to Ning
Xueyan. Her pair of limpid, cold eyes were as dark as ink and filled with
indifferent mockery and scorn. Inexplicably, his heart raced. When he
wanted to get a closer look, she made a small bow at him. She addressed
him somewhat placidly, “Eldest Brother-in-law!”

“Oh, so you’re Fifth Sister.” He felt disappointed for no particular

reason.

Ning Ziyan watched the woman shyly walk over to them and cried in
feigned surprise, “Damsel in distress?” After sizing the woman up, she
turned to smile at Xia Yuhang. “Brother Yuhang, I think she’s rather
pitiful. Why don’t we take her in? That way, it will be easier for us to
care for her in the future.”

Mirth was dancing in her eyes as if she was truly going to give Xia
Yuhang a concubine. She looked just like a wise and virtuous First
Madam of a manor.
Chapter 27 They Can Forget
About Being Happy Themselves
The woman who walked over in an “ordinary” manner kneeled and
knocked her head hard on the ground before raising her head fearfully.
She wasn’t a great beauty but she was petite and had a pitiful look. Tears
cascaded down her cheeks as if she had been bullied. “It’s a
misunderstanding, Young Madam. Young Master Xia saved me, settled
me here, and even contacted my family for me. We’re not really in a
relationship. Please trust me, Madam. Let… Let me die to express my
innocence.”

With that said, she abruptly stood up and acted as if she was going to
throw herself at a nearby pillar and die.

A panicked Xia Yuhang reached out to stop her. The woman’s petite
body fell into his tight embrace and she cried even harder. “Young
Master Xia, you saved me. How could I allow others to misunderstand
you? I’m… I’m but a piece of duckweed floating on a pond. I don’t care
about being mistaken as a lady from a brothel, but… how could I ruin
your reputation? I…”

She wept so hard that her words became strangled!

She looked like she would rather die than ruin Xia Yuhang’s reputation.

She was retaliating against Ning Ziyan for calling her a prostitute! She
seemed to be rather sly. The moment she showed up, she stole all of
Ning Ziyan’s lines as a fragile, gentle character. Ning Ziyan had always
been the one to act the part of a frail lady but the wheel of fortune was
always turning. Things were becoming interesting.

Ning Xueyan stepped back. She might as well stand on the sidelines and
watch the show. Ning Ziyan believed she had won Xia Yuhang by killing
her. She would like to see Ning Ziyan get a taste of the deep resentment
she had felt back then.
“Ziyan, how can you say such disgraceful words? She’s innocent. You’re
the precious young lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor yourself. How
can you say such filthy words?” Seeing the beauty in his arms cry her
heart out, a stern-faced Xia Yuhang unhappily berated his wife.

“Innocent?” Ning Ziyan’s anger nearly exploded. What innocence when

these two were embracing each other in front of her? He even called her
unworthy of being the precious young lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor for the woman. From this angle, she could even see the unbridled
smugness on the woman’s face. She was about to crush the handkerchief
in her hand into dust.

She had spared no effort in snatching this man and their blissful
marriage. Now, another woman was standing in her way. She would
never accept this. Moreover, Ning Xueyan was nearby, looking like she
was watching a good show. She could barely restrain the perfect smile on
her face.

“Eldest Sister, since Eldest Brother-in-law and this lady are innocent,
there’s no need to conceal their relationship. Otherwise, people will think
he abandoned his new bride to frolic with his mistress. This will harm his
spring boudoir,” Ning Xueyan said softly, trying to placate Ning Ziyan.
Her unfathomable gaze landed on the woman standing in the corner and
the mirth in her pupils intensified.

She was reminding Ning Ziyan that this was the Cold Mountain Temple.
If the latter made a fuss here, it would hurt her reputation. If news broke
out that she got into a fight with another woman before the gossip about
the Lord Protector’s Manor had even subsided, her reputation would
never recover.

“Brother Yuhang, Fifth Sister is right. Since there’s nothing going on

between you two, I will get her settled somewhere in our inner courtyard.
She can return when her family comes for her in the future. It’s better
than her staying here on her own. Even though this temple is tranquil,
there are only men here. Some things are easy to gossip about but
unpleasant to hear!”

Ning Ziyan had already recovered by now and was barely restraining her
anger. Hatred flickered in her eyes, yet she looked like she was
wholeheartedly devoted to Xia Yuhang. She even deliberately mentioned
that there were only men in the Cold Mountain Temple. After all, monks
were also men.

Once the woman enters their manor, she would have to submit to her.
Madam Xia didn’t like her very much, it was only because the funeral in
the Lord Protector’s Manor going against her wedding made Madam Xia
feel like her son had married an unlucky wife. That was why Madam Xia
was unhappy with her. However, this woman of questionable background
who had come out of nowhere would drag her son’s reputation through
the mud. Madam Xia would never like this woman.

When that happens, Madam Xia wouldn’t even care if she tramples all
over this woman!

Ning Ziyan would torment her so much that she would beg for death!

“Brother Xia, I’m scared. I… I don’t want to go…” The woman

panicked as soon as she heard she was going to the Xia Manor, and as
someone without an identity or status. She tugged on Xia Yuhang’s
sleeve pitifully, looking so fragile that she was moments away from
fainting. It was as if she wouldn’t be able to take it if she was agitated
even a little. She looked affectionately and pitifully at Xia Yuhang.

Ning Ziyan was unlike that foolish woman. She knew at once that Ning
Ziyan wasn’t easy to deal with. If she truly followed her to the Xia
Manor, she might very well die a tragic death!

Xia Yuhang hesitated. On one end was his delicate confidante and on the
other was his legal wife. He frowned, finding it hard to choose. He had
been planning to tell Ning Ziyan about this sometime later but their
relationship was exposed when they were still newlyweds. No matter
what, he was at a disadvantage.

If Ning Ziyan truly wanted to kick up a fuss, he wouldn’t stand for

reason either. Moreover, this would affect his future career.

Seeing Xia Yuhang’s hesitation, Ning Xueyan thoughtfully gave him a

reminder. “Eldest Brother-in-law, your spring boudoir…” When she
spoke, she deliberately looked behind her and saw several married
women who had subconsciously followed her. They happened to witness
the show as well. Even though they kept their distance, they didn’t walk
away either. The women were staring curiously and even pointing
fingers at them.

“Miss Chen, please follow Ziyan to our manor. It’s not appropriate for a
man like me to be always watching over you. When we find your family,
I will definitely send you home.” In a flash, Xia Yuhang made up his
mind and let go of the woman. He even stepped backward, putting in
distance between them.

It would be the spring boudoir next year. The triennial imperial

examinations would be taking place then. Xia Yuhang had waited three
years for that spring and would never allow a woman to ruin his plans.
Even if he likes her, he would never gamble his future away! Those with
a poor reputation would never be able to enter the Sacred Heart no
matter how intelligent and studious they were. Never mind getting one of
the three ranks, he wouldn’t even get second or third place!

Furthermore, Ning Ziyan had the Lord Protector’s Manor to back her up.
She wasn’t one to be trifled with.

Understanding this, he naturally wanted to wash his hands clean off

Chen Hexiang.

Chen Hexiang never thought he would push her away. She stood still
with tears brimming in her eyes. Whenever she acted like this, he would
answer to her every whim. She never imagined he would stop going
along with her wishes today. She called out for him pitifully, “Young
Master Xia!” Somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to continue speaking.

Xia Yuhang glanced at Ning Ziyan and couldn’t stop himself from giving
her a reminder. “Ziyan, Miss Chen is a guest. Tell the servants to give
her a better accommodation. Don’t let others think that our manor is
inhumane. Since I have saved her, I must make sure I help her until the
end.” His words angered Ning Ziyan so much that steam was practically
rising from her head.

“So he’s afraid I’d torment this woman!”

“Rest assured, Brother Yuhang. I will order the servants to take good
care of Miss Chen.” Ning Ziyan walked over and warmly took Chen
Hexiang’s hand in hers. She even used her handkerchief to wipe the
woman’s tears. She smiled and said, “Please stop crying, Miss Chen. If
you keep crying, people will really think you’re Brother Yuhang’s
mistress that is getting bullied by me!”

“Many thanks, Young Madam.” Based on their conversation, Chen

Hexiang knew she had no choice but to go with Ning Ziyan. She had to
humble herself and salute Ning Ziyan, putting on a look of gratitude.

“What’s there to thank? You look so adorable and well-behaved, Lady

Chen. Don’t worry even if you can’t find your family. Brother Yuhang
and I will surely find you a good husband.” Ning Xueyan became
increasingly immersed in her role. She tugged Chen Hexiang’s hand
while praising her. Then, she turned to Xia Yuhang and asked, “Isn’t that
so, Brother Yuhang?”

Frowning, Xia Yuhang said impatiently, “Hm. Go home after you help
her pack up.” He turned around and walked away with large strides. It
made him feel ill at ease that the group of married women was still
curiously watching them. What made him even more uncomfortable was
that beautiful pair of ink-black eyes that were both limpid and
unfathomable. She stared quietly at him and made him feel like she
could see through him.

“Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor? Isn’t she considered
the timidest and most incompetent daughter of that manor?”

He suddenly felt a wave of frustration, even some inexplicable guilt.

The maids and older female servants acted quickly and packed up Chen
Hexiang’s things in no time at all. When Ning Xueyan saw the servants
carry out a divider carved out of black jade and crystals and fixed with a
painting of beautiful women, rage took hold of her. That divider was a
relic that her mom left her. She had always kept it inside her room.
However, Xia Yuhang once came to her room and sang praises about the
divider.

Back then, she believed she would eventually marry into the Xia Manor.
Seeing how much Xia Yuhang liked the divider, she gifted it to him.
Who knew he would give it away to this woman who nearly killed her?
She never thought he would so thoroughly trample her sincere heart. She
paid not only with her heart but also her life…
However, she would reclaim everything back little by little! A murderer
must pay with his life in the same way a debtor must repay with money.
These two had taken everything from her! Her sneer gradually
disappeared under her sharp gaze. Then, her expression slowly returned
to normal.

Ning Xueyan walked over and smiled at Ning Ziyan, who was angrily
watching the servants finish packing up Chen Hexiang’s things. “Eldest
Sister, why don’t you go home as well? You don’t have to accompany
me. I’m fine anyway, I just plan on reciting some scriptures. But you’re a
newlywed, Sister, and Eldest Brother-in-law needs to study. More than
ever, his inner courtyard needs to be peaceful.”

The show earlier was her purpose in drawing Ning Ziyan here. Now that
her goal was achieved, she wanted to send her away.

She didn’t want to kill Ning Ziyan yet. She wanted to see Xia Yuhang
and Ning Ziyan slowly turn against each other until they become
nemeses. She wanted to reduce them into two people who couldn’t
tolerate the other living…

They had ruined her happiness and life, so they can forget about being
happy themselves!

With Xia Yuhang gone, Chen Hexiang calmed down as well. Seated
somewhere nearby, she secretly dabbed her tears with a handkerchief
that covered half of her face. Ning Xueyan didn’t know if her tears were
real. Chen Hexiang was still watching Ning Ziyan with a glint in her
eyes. She was deliberating what she should do to force Xia Yuhang to
take her side. Was this woman really Xia Yuhang’s new bride?

Why wasn’t it the woman from before?

Even though Ning Ziyan didn’t look like a pushover, Chen Hexiang
knew that she stood a chance from the way Xia Yuhang treated the
former. Xia Yuhang didn’t seem to care much for Ning Ziyan, which was
drastically different from how he treated his former fiancee. But why did
his fiancee end up changing?

In the past, she thought she would never win against that foolish woman!
Chapter 28 Winning Lanning’s
Hear
t

After falling into the water last time, Ning Ziyan had been ignored by
Xia Yuhang for more than half a year. She had sneaked into Xia Manor
afterward, kneeling down in front of Xia Yuhang for six hours with
lightly dressed. She fainted later so Xia Yuhang forgave her reluctantly,
and he warned her not to be against the woman.

Seeing Xia Yuhang’s reaction, Ning Ziyan knew he treated that woman
differently, but who was this woman?

Ning Ziyan was hesitating.

Because Ning Xueyan’s words had helped her just now, Ning Ziyan had
a good feeling about her. She frowned a little when she heard what Ning
Xueyan said and thought it made sense. However, she couldn’t make up
her mind. The main purpose of Ning Ziyan’s coming to Cold Mountain
Temple with Ning Xueyan is to glorify her reputation. She wanted
people to know she was a filial daughter. And the reason why the funeral
turned into a wedding was because of her unawareness.

She needed to get herself out of the scandal of Lord Protector’s Manor.

Therefore, perhaps it was not wise that Ning Ziyan returned home now.
Seeing that woman showed a coquettish face with a handkerchief in her
hands, however, Ning Ziyan hated it a lot and couldn’t calm down easily.

“My Eldest Sister, if you don’t come back…” Ning Xueyan glanced at
Chen Hexiang slightly, implying something unspoken with her lip
thrown up a little. It could be told obviously that Chen Hexiang was
ambitious. If Ning Ziyan really stayed at Cold Mountain Temple for a
month, it would be hard to predict what would happen.
“My dear fifth younger sister, please help me to burn some incense for
my second mom. I got something to handle in my manor, so I need to go
back hurriedly.” Ning Ziyan said. Although her reputation was
important, she decided to deal with Chen Hexiang first at the moment
seeing Chen Hexiang’s face. Because nothing is more important to her
than Xia Yuhang. Ning Ziyan had just got rid of Ning Ziying. It was
unexpected that Chen Hexiang showed up.

Ning Ziyan even never felt guilty for killing Ning Ziying, let alone this
woman.

“Eh…okay, my Eldest Sister. Our mom wouldn’t blame you for this,
especially in circumstances like this. You can go home now.” Ning
Xueyan dropped her eyes smiling. Her eyes fell upon Ning Ziyan’s
hands, which were bound up carefully. The wound inside the bandage
was a bite from Ning Xueyan. The bite contained all her grievance,
hatred and pain. It, seemingly, hurt deeply because Ning Ziyan tried to
protect the hand all the time.

Even though it hurt her badly and so what? The wounds would heal
soon, but how about the broken heart?

Assembling two vicious women together is the purpose of her managing

to make Ning Ziyan come to Cold Mountain Temple. Two hypocritical
malicious women gathered in Xia Manor so it would be impossible for
Xia Yuhang to get any peace. What Xia Yuhang cared about most, such
as having the first prize of the next spring and passing the imperial
examination for a better political career, would be destroyed by her one
by one…

Both her and Ning Xueyan’s stuff, she would let them pay for it
eventually…

Back to the room, Ning Xueyan sat for a long time to recover from
gloomy malaise. She thought her status as Fifth Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor could play a role better now…

“My lady, do you want to have a rest?” Lanning asked as she walked in
with a cup of hot tea. She noticed Ning Xueyan remained the same
gesture as she saw before her leaving. So she thought about it and asked
the question.
Ning Xueyan turned to look at Lanning, taking a deep breath. Her limpid
cold eyes were filled with mood swings, and she came straight to the
point with astonishing words, “Lanning, please tell me everything you
know, and I would avenge your lady’s death.”

The words came to Lanning unexpectedly. Lanning’s face turned white

promptly and couldn’t help trembling. She looked at Ning Xueyan in
amazement with her eyes in panic, “My…my lady…”

Her delicate lip was bitten turning almost bloodless! And her eyes
seemed losing bright!

Although Ning Xueyan appreciated it in her heart, she stared at Lanning

trying hard to repress her feeling, and said by word, “Yes, I want to know
the truth of Ning Ziying’s death.”

Ning Xueyan wanted Lanning, but it would be unnecessary to keep

Lanning if she became disloyal. The one Ning Xueyan needed is the
same Lanning of Ning Xueyan’s previous incarnation, who was loyal to
her completely. She never planned to tell Lanning all the weird things
about herself. How freaky what she had gone through was! Her rebirth in
another girl’s body, even herself couldn’t believe it really happened let
alone Lanning. So she ought to adopt some more valid measures to give
a hit straight to Lanning’s heart.

“My dear Fifth Young Lady, my lady…was…was because of herself…”

Lanning said, gritting her teeth when she opened her eyes wide.

“I know you don’t dare to tell the truth. Then please keep it as a secret
forever, and never try to avenge her death! Let reality be the truth!” Ning
Xueyan interrupted Lanning cold-bloodedly. Her eyes were insightful
and peaceful, filled with rolling darkness, which could nearly swallow
people.

Looking at this pair of eyes, Lanning felt a bit distressed. She burst into
tears because there were hatred and sadness deep inside her heart. She
flopped down on her knees, kowtowing to Ning Xueyan hard three
times. Then she raised her head staring at Ning Xueyan and said, “Fifth
Young Lady, please get revenge for my lady. She… she… must be
murdered by Eldest Young Lady and First Madam.”
Lanning was already chocked with sobs pulling Ning Xueyan’s dress
when she finished talking,

At that moment just now, Lanning was convinced by some unreasonable

feeling to believe Fifth Young Lady. She had a strong instinct that the
fragile Fifth Young Lady could definitely be the one who could revenge
her Young Lady. Lanning looked at Fifth Young Lady’s black jade eyes
which were the same as Ning Ziying’s eyes and made up her mind that
she would do everything to reciprocate Fifth Young Lady, so long as
Ning Xueyan finished the revenge.

“Please stand up.” Ning Xueyan reached out to Lanning. She saw
Lanning raising herself with tears, so she whispered,” Where were you
the day when your lady drowned?”

“My lady was about to marry, and I was afraid that someone of the
manor wouldn’t take it seriously. So I went to the people in charge to ask
about the wedding stuff. It was said everything was ready, but suddenly
they told me it was not fully prepared. They asked me to check on. I
knew there wasn’t anyone who cared about my lady in the manor, so I
worried about it and went to check up myself. However, I didn’t expect
that… that…” she said.

Lanning became speechless for the tears while she was talking.

When she returned, her lady and Xiang’er had disappeared. She found no
one in the yard. And the older female servant of Ning yard happened to
deal with something outside. Lanning looked for them everywhere with
anxiety, but she saw nobody after keeping looking for half more night.
Finally, someone remained her that she should go to see whether Ning
Ziying fell into Lotus Pond. Then a man who could swim made sure that
her lady and Xiang’er both were drowned there.

How was that possible her lady killed herself by drowning?

Tomorrow was Ning Ziying’s wedding day, but the wedding dress, which
she had embroidered over half a year, was thrown on the ground in
chaos. All the evidence showed her lady was murdered. In Lord
Protector’s Manor, First Madam was the only one who could do this.
Except for her, no one could send all the people of their yard away
leaving the lady and Xiang’er alone.
Besides, it could be told from the bruise on her lady’s face that someone
beat the lady. However, all the maids were lying obviously saying the
people drowned to death all looked like this. Moreover, Lanning didn’t
have the chance to say more, and her lady was put in a coffin. She only
saw her lady once before the coffin was nailed.

Most importantly, the one who should be in the bridal sedan chair should
be her lady, but it turned to be Eldest Young Lady instead. To her great
surprise, everyone said the Eldest Young Lady and Xia Yuhang were
engaged when they were young and nobody knew the bride should be
Ning Ziying. It seemed that the one who could change everything, like
turning black to white, sabotaging her lady’s wedding could be no one
but Madam Ling and First Young Lady.

Lanning wanted to make terrible at the wedding under the impulse. But
she was clear that she was just a maid who barely kept alive. How could
she revenge her Young Lady? If she really went to sabotage the wedding,
she would be dead before entering the hall. If she died, nobody would
find out the truth for her lady.

“Therefore, you came to my place to revenge Ning Ziying. But don’t you
think I’m fragile without any ability?” Ning Xueyan asked after hearing
what Lanning said. She tried hard not to show her hatred.

“At that moment, I didn’t know what to do. But now, I believe you can
find a way.” Lanning said decidedly looking at Ning Xueyan. From the
moment she became Ning Xueyan’s maid, she got a feeling that she
didn’t approach to the wrong person. The girl in front of her was not
incompetent because the lady can rescue her from the First Lady, then
punished them without hesitation.

The one who did such things couldn’t be incompetent or coward.

“Lanning, if you want to avenge Ning Ziying’s death, you must follow
my order all the time.” Ning Xue’s face was full of the cold smile, and
she said, “You know where I am now, I can’t confront Madam Ling or
Ning Ziyan for the moment. But I will let them pay back step by step, are
you willing to follow me?”

Ning Xueyan was short-staffed now, especially loyal staff. If she only
got Qingyu and Mother Han, it wouldn’t be enough. Lanning was always
her close maid and loyal to her, so she hoped Lanning still was.

“So long as we can get revenge my lady, no matter how long I have to
wait, I will wait.” Lanning’s eyes became bright. She wiped her tears and
said, gritting her teeth. She often dreamed of her lady’s bloody face.
They not only changed the wedding but also killed her. So Lanning was
determined to avenge her lady’s death.

“Lanning, do you believe that there is a ghost?” Ning Xueyan asked

quietly.

“Ghosts? I believe in their existences. I believe my lady is watching me

in heaven, to see how I make the bad guys pay back.” Lanning said with
great hatred.

Ghosts? Ning Xueyan dropped her eyes again and smiled slightly.
Nobody knew better than her. She was an evil ghost who died sadly. She
was the one who relived from bloody hell!

Since the day she was reborn, Ning Xueyan knew clearly, she came here
for revenge.

The water flowed into her nose. She could feel Blood came out from her
organs and her chest hurt like being cracked. She struggled once, then
twice, using up her all strength. But she was pressed by someone whom
she glanced at clearly. The water flowed, but the familiar gentle face
became strange and horrible, like a man-eating demon.

Struggling to the extreme, she felt nothing but extreme pain. Ning
Xueyan suddenly sat upright from the darkness. She put her hands on her
chest, breathing quickly. She saw blood, and she opened her eyes in the
end. Her eyes looked at the sky blankly, and blood emerged in front of
her.
Chapter 29 Dressing up as a Man,
Ning Xueyan Offends Prince Yi
Ning Xueyan had a nightmare again! She lifted her quilt, smiling
ruefully, and stood up. Then she walked toward the table to grab a cup of
cold tea, pouring in her mouth. But she was too weak to swallow the cold
water. She poured in quickly, so she had to grasp her chest for a slight
cough. Although she tried to do exercise every day, it seemed that she
hadn’t get better.

Ning Xueyan was lost in thought, standing in the front of the window.
She looked at the lightful dawn with frowning.

She had been at Cold Mountain Temple for half a month. Several days
ago, Mother Han wrote a letter to tell her that her uncle was about to
come to the capital and today was the day of his coming. Ning Xueyan
never met this uncle before, but Mother Han guaranteed to her this uncle
would protect her.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan planned to meet this uncle today, to verify

whether Mother Han told the truth. Moreover, if she didn’t go to see him,
her uncle would inquire about her from Lord Protector’s Manor, which
would cost more time unnecessarily. In addition, she needed to tell him
something in person.

She must meet him before Madam Ling, making sure she and her uncle
were on the same boat.

It was early, so she went back to bed. However, she couldn’t fall asleep.
Ning Xueyan replayed the scene of her death in her mind for no reason.
Blood, suffocating, struggling, the pain… She lay on the bed remaining
stock still with eyes closed, but she could still sense the smell of fear and
the despair caused by death.

Grabbing her quilt tightly, Ning Xueyan took a deep breath to relax. But
even her breathing was smelt like the blood. She sat straight again,
abruptly trying to memory other things for distracting her thought. It
came to her mind suddenly that her dowry was sent to Shangshu Manor
at the beginning.

Something was wrong!

Looking back at her previous life, her father died on duty and her mother
followed his step after being sick for three years. Her mother told her to
turn to Ning Zu’an, the family patriarch. She came to the capital taking
all her belongings with the old housekeeper. After she moved to Lord
Protector’s Manor, Shangshu Xia visited her and Madam Xia came to
console her with Xia Yuhang.

The Ning and Xia families had already made the decision of her
marriage, which would settle down when she was 16.

They had been engaged since they were kids. However, she knew Xia
Yuhang. He would constantly give her father some gift in person when
her father was in the office. It seemed Xia family didn’t plan to go back
on their word. As soon as Ning Xueyan arrived in the capital, Xia
Yuhang and Madam Xia went to see her immediately.

Observed in any aspect, Xia Yuhang showed great affection for her. It
could be told from his bright smile.

When did he begin to change?

Ning Xueyan’s mind was full of doubts. Almost one or two years ago,
even earlier, maybe it was at the time when she reached here… But she
couldn’t remember what she did to piss him off. The only thing she
remembered was some stuff was sent from her family when Xia Yuhang
and Ning Ziyan were at her place. They left hurriedly after seeing the
things.

Ning Xueyan also inquired about the rumor in these days. The story that
Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan had been engaged since they were little,
started to spread from then on.

If Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan wanted to replace her long ago, why did
they keep her alive until the night before her wedding? Was there any
difference?
Did they really keep her for her dowry? But Ning Ziying was alone
without any immediate family living in Lord Protector’s Manor
temporarily, so if she died early, the manor could have all her property.
Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan didn’t need to wait, then what was the truth
behind? Ning Xueyan had a sneaking suspicion that something was
hidden.

She might be overthinking so that she forgot her fear of death. In the end,
she fell asleep.

When Lanning came to wake Ning Xueyan up, Qingyu had prepared the
breakfast well. Because she was going out today, Ning Xueyan didn’t
climb the mountain. She took the clothes of some manservant style from
Lanning’s hands. The clothes fit her perfectly. It must be made by
Qingyu and Lanning according to her size.

“My lady, do you really want to go alone?” Lanning was a mature girl
and worried about her. After all, her lady hadn’t been outside of Bright
Frost Garden in her previous life.

“It’s okay; I know the way.” Ning Xueyan straightened her clothes and
said,” If someone of the manor wants to visit me today, please tell them I
am ill and can’t greet them.”

Ever since the last time she defended Ning Ziyan in public, even though
it couldn’t eliminate Madam Ling’s doubts, she showed great sisterhood
to people. This could prevent Madam Ling from being harmful to her
provisionally providing her some time to prepare other things. And this
duration was important to her.

Madam Dowager sent people to inquire after her now and then. This was
for showing her concern about Ning Xueyan. Since that time, Ning
Xueyan was no longer the quiet Fifth Young Lady. Instead, she became
the one who could defense Lord Protector’s Manor’s dignity. Of course,
Madam Dowager needed to show her respect.

“Yes, I’m aware. But please be careful, my lady.” Lanning said as

nodding.

After arranging it all, Ning Xueyan didn’t go out of the room without
delay. Cold Mountain Temple was the suburban district, not far from
Shili Pavilion. Whoever coming from that direction, must pass Shili
Pavilion if they wanted to go to the capital. She would see her uncle
there.

She struggled to climb the mountain for exercise every day. Not only her
body but also her complexion got better these days. So it wasn’t difficult
for her to walk for a while after the downhill.

Hastily coming out of the pilgrim’s yard and then walking through
several halls, Ning Xueyan saw the temple’s door, the honor guards
stood there. She frowned a little noticing there were many carriages with
a huge array, especially a lenient carriage stood at the entrance. And the
abbot of Cold Mountain Temple was waiting by the door. Ning Xueyan
was aware that big shot was about to show up.

Who would come to Cold Mountain Temple in a big way now?

Big shot’s men came over in lockstep. All the monks went out for
greeting and they were bald, so it would be obvious if Ning Xueyan
walked out now. She knew she was a woman in a man dress. Therefore,
she was afraid of being caught and was careful everywhere. She thought
and looked at the side door. The monks were all out of the front door and
only a few persons were by the side door. So even though it was almost
closed, she could go through the door.

More importantly, nobody would notice her.

Taking a few steps quickly, Ning Xueyan walked towards the side door.
Her body was small and she was far from the front door so it would be
possible no one saw her.

Sure enough, the side door was slightly closed and nobody noticed her.

However, a young monk who was behind the abbot found her. He made a
gesture to her. Ning Xueyan didn’t think it through at the moment. She
saw nothing outside in her sight. So she thought the young monk tried to
ask why she went out. She raised her hand pointing at the side door then
herself, and wanted him to know she was about to go out.

The little monk seemed a little anxious giving a strong hint to her by his
hands constantly, but Ning Xueyan didn’t understand him.
She would leave him alone because time was ticking.

She heard the rebuke when she opened the door. The next thing she knew
was someone shouted, “Who is it? Arrest him!” She could feel the
coldness of the man.

Looking at the sharp knife in front of her, she looked back at the young
monk who was in a panic now. Ning Xueyan was aware that the young
monk was trying to warn her of the man outside the door. But she didn’t
see anything just now and misunderstood him. So she was caught.

The dignified soldiers guarded the hidden place with armors. They
surround the unshaped lenient carriage.

And that was exactly the direction of her way.

“Who are you? How dare you to run in front of Prince Yi? Knee on the
ground, now!”

Prince Yi? Ning Xueyan changed her face and was really frightened now.
People in Chu state might know nothing about their emperor, but they
definitely knew Ao Chenyi, Prince Yi. He was not only Prince Yi but
also the named previous emperor’s younger brother, which meant he
could succeed to his brother’s throne.

The younger brother could get his crown, this was the previous
emperor’s decision.

Ning Xueyan heard that Ao Chenyi fought beside the previous emperor
on the battlefield, and he was famous for his great valiancy. So he
struggled out of the slaughter. He must be cold-blooded and didn’t care
about people’s lives.

Everyone in the capital knew Prince Yi was a ruthless guy, who killed
ten ministers overnight, leaving nothing alive in their families. It shocked
people and other officials, so people were scared of him. Besides, he
controlled the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Punishments. Even
some intelligence organization and Secret Service of the Imperial Court
was in charge of Ao Chenyi.
As long as it was reported by Secret Service of the Imperial Court, being
taken to the Ministry of Punishments’ court, anything could happen.
What they wanted, they got it easy.

Therefore, although some ministers wanted to support the prince being

the crown heir, they couldn’t say it out.

Ao Chenyi was the true ruler of this country, who stood under the
emperor only but everybody else stood under him. He was obviously the
next emperor in the future and also cold-blooded, so nobody dared to be
against him unless he lived for long enough.

Ning Xueyan thought a guy like him shouldn’t come here. The merciful
Buddha might be stunned by his blood figure.

Coming across Ao Chenyi, Ning Xueyan was unable to calm down. She
went out hastily today never expecting something like this. Looking at
the curtain of black carriage with gold ornaments, she flopped down on
her knees immediately trying to explain herself, “I get work to do outside
the temple ordered by my master. Please let me go.”

Her body was small, but the hat of her clothes was huge so that it seemed
she hid her face in the hat when she dropped her head. Her face couldn’t
be seen totally. This made the guard think there was a problem with her.

“You are trying to hide something. Move your hat away!” The guard said
as using the knife edge to poke towards her hat. Sharp knife scared Ning
Xueyan but she remained where she was and explained, “My highness,
I’m not interrupting on purpose. If you don’t believe me, I can go back
now and wait until you leave, then go out doing my job.”

She couldn’t let the hat go away, or else, they would find out she was a
girl.
Chapter 30 Meeting Third Prince
with Soft Talking
“Move the hat away! It is an order! How dare you!” Ning Xueyan’s
reaction annoyed the guard. Using his sharp knife, the guard was about
to kill her because nobody could do such things in front of Prince Yi.

Prince Yi’s arrogance was unexpected. His guard was even more
arrogant than him. If the knife fell on her neck, she would die! She
shunned back in panic and suddenly shouted loudly, “In command of my
lord, I inquire for Prince Yi!” Ning Xueyan gritted her teeth tightly.

Ghosts were difficult to deal with but it was easier to see Hades. Now
that she was here, nothing could be worse.

With some comeliness, Ning Xueyan’s voice sounded tender like a girl,
which was also alluring. So several men who were standing by the door
were attracted and they came towards her. An elegant man in a white suit
walked ahead.

Inside the carriage with a long curtain, cold eyes fell upon Ning
Xueyan’s pure face at the same time. Looking carefully at her pale little
face, Ao Chenyi smiled slightly showing his bloody interest in her.

She was truly an interesting and bold girl. He thought it was fun.

After her shouting, the guards had nothing to do with her, they even got
sweaty on their foreheads. They didn’t expect her to be brave enough to
disturb Prince Yi. The cold eyesight came from that side meant Ao
Chenyi was aware. The guards threw away their swords, then knelt on
the ground.

“Which manor are you in?” The man in white asked after reaching here
and looked Ning Xueyan up and down. His eyes were full of doubts.

The man in front of him seemed delicate. It could be told from the pale
face and light-colored lip that he wasn’t in good health. But his beautiful
facial features, especially his dark eyes astonished him. He thought the
man was too thin so the hat seemed oversize, which would cover almost
all the forehead. The clothes were also huge for the man, making him
look thinner.

This was an extremely delicate servant, who would want him? Maybe he
was sick.

To some extent, he was right!

Was this Prince Yi? Ning Xueyan felt something wrong. He talked
slowly and his eyes were warm and gentle, unlike Prince Yi described by
the rumor.

“How dare you! Reply to Third Prince now!” The guard beside shouted
angrily at her.

Third Prince? Ning Xueyan took a breath with a little relief. Unlike the
ruthless Prince Yi, Third Prince got a good reputation. Everyone knew he
was quite gentle and elegant.

It would be better if he wasn’t Prince Yi.

Noticing him looking her up and down, Ning Xueyan lowered her head
and said with respect, “I come from Lord Protector’s Manor. My Fifth
Young Lady lives in the manor so I come from there to deliver some
stuff in the command of Madam Dowager. Now I’m about to return.”

“Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor?” Third Prince couldn’t

think of who it was. He looked at him again with frowning. It is
unexpected that such a small body had the courage to speak loudly in
front of his royal uncle. So he asked curiously, “Did you just say your
master wanted to meet my uncle?”

“All I want was to get out of here. But the guard thinks I sneak in and
want to kill me. So I have to say this but it is not true. My lady doesn’t
want to meet Prince Yi.” Ning Xueyan said.

Ning Xueyan explained it slick. She was afraid that Third Prince didn’t
believe her. So she raised her head looking at him with profound dark
eyes twinkling. Her face was full of sincerity.
“It turns out that you take this as an excuse to send the guards away!”
Third Prince burst into laughter because he didn’t expect the delicate
servant’s answer would be like this. The servant was smart and funny, so
it was no wonder that he was wanted in spite of his weakness.

“No, it’s because I’m scared that I would be killed. I still got work to do,
I can’t die here.” Ning Xueyan said proudly.

“Oh, are you sure that I won’t kill you?” Seeing her opened dark eyes
under the long eye-lash, Third Prince got more interested in her.

“It is acknowledged that the Third Prince is generous and kind. You care
about the servants so you won’t punish me for telling the truth. If you
don’t believe what I said, you can send people to ask our Fifth Young
Lady.” Ning Xueyan said.

Fawning on him wouldn’t do harm to her. Besides, if Third Prince really

sent someone to ask, Lanning and Qingyu wouldn’t let the cat out of the
bag. Ning Xueyan fawned on Third Prince at the same time of telling the
truth. It wouldn’t be wrong.

“Ha-ha, you are funny. What’s your name?” Third Prince laughed.

“My name is Little Yan.” Ning Xueyan said randomly.

“Little Yan? What an interesting name!” Third Prince said as nodding.

He thought this servant was a funny man with a funny name. He
wondered whether Fifth Young Lady gave the name. It seemed she could
be a wonderful person, too.

He came here to ask about something. He didn’t mean to come across

this funny guy but he knew he couldn’t delay. When he was about to
release Ning Xueyan, a eunuch came from the carriage side.

“Third Prince, Prince Yi asked me to take this man for a talk.” The
eunuch said with a long voice, laughing.

“He is just an ordinary servant in panic. He was in a hurry just now, so it

will be unnecessary to bother my uncle.” Third Prince said frowning a
little. Some mystery flashed through his eyes.
“The servant of Lord Protector’s Manor is exactly the one my highness is
about to question.” The eunuch said with a sharp voice while falling his
eyes upon Ning Xueyan.

When it came to this, Third Prince couldn’t stop it anymore.

“Kid, you are super bold! Stand up and follow me to meet my highness.”
The eunuch had a fake smile and said after looking her up and down for
a while.

The eunuch left for the carriage without waiting for her standing up.

Ning Xueyan didn’t expect the attention of Prince Yi. Her heart beat
abnormally. She looked at the gorgeous carriage in distance with
hesitation. She stood up as her eyes flickering. Thinking of Prince Yi’s
prestige, she couldn’t stop being scared. Ao Chenyi wouldn’t be as kind
as Third Prince.

Seeing her pathetic look, Third Prince couldn’t hold the words anymore,
“Don’t be afraid. You can tell my uncle the truth. He won’t blame you.”

Ning Xueyan nodded and hesitated to go toward the carriage. She had a
horrible instinct and sighed by heart. She prayed that Prince Yi wasn’t
the one she saw that day. Because that man was hard to get along with
and he saw her so it was impossible to trick him.

Standing before the lenient carriage, Ning Xueyan saw huge curtains
were hung over. She came closer but couldn’t see clearly his face. The
eunuch shouted at her, “It is your Highness! Knees on the ground!”

Someone hit her hard from behind. Ning Xueyan staggered a little then
tumbled on the ground. Ignoring the pain, she hurried to kneel in
tendency. She saw his black clothes with embroidering glossy bright
gold strings and some red flower shadow on it. It gave her a hit then she
felt horrible. The royal she was afraid to see again was now in front of
her. They came across at Cold Mountain Temple.

How could she not feel bad? She had the thought that this prince could
be the famous Prince Yi. But except for him, she couldn’t think of any
other prince could make Ning Zu’an act with his most respect.
However, when she thought about it again, she figured, with high status
as Prince Yi, he wouldn’t come to grieve for her mom. So she excluded
the answer. However, now she saw his black clothes with striking red
and gold on it. She ended up with no doubt.

“You are the servant of Lord Protector’s Manor?” Ao Chenyi’s voice was
as cold as the first Ning Xueyan heard of it. There was no warmness in
it. This could frighten people well.

“Yes, I am. I’m here for Fifth Young Lady. I’m in the command of her so
I’m about to return to the manor.” Ning Xueyan said lowering her head
down. It’s the only way that she continued her story and tried to hide.

“The servant of Fifth Young Lady? Let me see your face.” Prince Yi said
coldly.

“I… I’m ugly. I’m afraid you’ll be in shock so I can’t raise my head.”
Ning Xueyan said earnestly but her hands trembled. Although Prince Yi
might not recognize her because they only had a small chat that day, she
couldn’t raise her head. She pretended to be a servant now and Ao
Chenyi was a busy man. And she knew he could meet dozens of people
every day. But she’s worried so it would be better he didn’t see her face
again.

“Since you are ugly, you are useless. I can ask someone to drag you out
and kill you, in case you defiled my eyes.” Ning Xueyan heard Prince
Yi’s cold snort clearly. She was stupefied. It was unexpected that Prince
Yi was such a cruel man. He wanted her life for one sentence only.

Ning Xueyan’s hands were held by two arms which were as hard as the
steel. She believed Ao Chenyi wasn’t bluffing. If she answered him late,
she would be dead.

“My Highness, I’m humble. And I’m truly ugly. You may see!” Despite
being recognized, Ning Xueyan raised her head and shouted hastily.

Her eyes in panic looked into Ao Chenyi’s dark eyes. Prince Yi’s eyes
were totally black with coldness inside. He looked like the demon from
hell. You saw him once, you could never relive.
Even though it was the second time she saw him, Ning Ziyan couldn’t
help trembling. This man made people scared. With the gruesome smile
on his face, he could warp space and cause the dread. His handsome face
gave people heartquake with that smile.

“You are Fifth Young Lady’s servant?” Prince Yi asked coldly with an
uncertain smile. His looking her up and down made her feel something
cold and ropy swept over her body.

Squinting around, Ning Xueyan found two eunuchs who repressed her
before were back-off reverently. They blinded the Third Prince’s curious
eyes.

Ning Xueyan knew Ao Chenyi recognized her. They were in a crowd

now, she didn’t know whether she should say yes or no. He was Prince
Yi, so Lying to him was the same as lying to the emperor. Ning Xueyan
couldn’t call herself the slave any longer. Unlike Third Prince, Prince Yi
would kill her without hesitation if she did anything wrong.
Chapter 31 Killing Intent Flashes
Thinking about it, Ning Xueyan took a bowl to Prince Yi and said, “Your
Highness, your favor will be carved on my bones.”

She conveyed her appreciation to Prince Yi and also admitted who she
was.

Prince Yi suddenly burst into laughter. He used his hand for supporting
the forehead. And his fingers which were white as the jade glided over
his black robe but his beautiful voice was cold as hell.

“Twice!”

It wasn’t a question, it was an affirmative sentence. Prince Yi was telling

Ning Xueyan that he had certainly helped her twice. No matter she
admitted it or not, when he thought it was, then it must be. He was the
boss.

Would he need anyone’s favor? She couldn’t imagine what the favor
would be, maybe it would cost her life.

Ning Xueyan felt her hands, which was hidden in the sleeves, trembling
and swallowed some saliva unconsciously. Prince Yi’s peaceful eyesight
seemingly focused on her with the treacherousness, and she could sense
it moved on her tender skin inch by inch as a sharp sword poking into
her frail neck.

This truly frightened her!

Ning Xueyan composed herself. Trying hard to repress her fear, she
raised her head and made eye contact with Prince Yi’s beautiful cold
eyes, saying, “Your Highness, if you don’t ask me here, I’ve already
been released by Third Prince.”

This meant, she refused his generous favor! Ning Xueyan thought she
would be out of danger by now if Prince Yi didn’t take her here. Now he
caught her first, and released next. In the end, did he want her to regard it
as a favor?
Seriously?

Seeing her bloodless bitten lip and the stubbornness in her jade-dark
eyes, Prince Yi could feel her deep fear. But it seemed she didn’t plan to
capitulate. He smiled slightly.

His jade-like hands reached out and stayed at her front, lifting her sharp
chin. He stared at her peaceful jade-dark eyes smiling significantly with
sudden coldness, “Not again!”

His face confronted Ning Xueyan’s beautiful face with bloodthirsty

coldness.

It was not a compromise! It was a warning!

“Yes…never again.” Ning Xueyan said without noticeable pause

although she halted a little. She looked at him, trying hard to keep calm
under his strong oppression. The eyesight from this incredibly handsome
man scared her deeply.

“If you did such thing again…” Prince Yi withdrew his hands from her
chin and didn’t go on talking. His hands skimmed over her delicate neck,
with his sword-like fingers stained with venom. The fingers were so cold
that he would kill her with mild strength.

Prince Yi showed satisfaction when he saw her pupils magnifying.

Then he released her. He waved, suggesting her leaving.

Seeing the troops went into Cold Mountain Temple, Ning Xueyan got
refreshed. Even though she seemed peaceful just now, only she knew the
sweat under her vest. Now the wind blew over, she felt colder. She had
no doubt that the hands on her neck minutes ago would take her life
instantly.

At that moment, she sensed his intent on killing her clearly!

If she didn’t talk along with his way, and guaranteed to pay for his favor,
she would be dead already.

Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi, what a fathomless and ruthless man he was!

She needed to be more careful!

After the renewal, Ning Xueyan understood the importance of life more.
She didn’t finish her revenge and she knew Madam Ling was hard to
break down, so she couldn’t die for the unknown cause now. She might
avenge herself with the help of powerful Prince Yi.

Once the thought appeared in her mind, it disappeared quickly!

She wanted to use Prince Yi for her own revenge unless she was ready to
die! Maybe she would be killed by him before she could borrow his
power.

Shili Pavilion in the suburb was necessary to enter and leave the capital.
Ning Xueyan arrived there early. According to the time that Mother Han
said, she found she still got hours before her uncle came, so she sat
down.

Soon after her sitting down, she saw a carriage moved slowly towards
her. There wasn’t any sign on the carriage, but it could be told from the
number of maids and older female servants aside that the personage
inside was rich or respectable. The carriage stopped and a handsome
young man got off the horse behind the carriage. He glanced at Ning
Xueyan then turned around, walking to the carriage.

With the curtain lifted, a maid and an older female servant jumped off,
then a noblewoman who was about 30 years old came out and got off the
carriage supported by the young man’s hands. She raised her head and
took a look of the sky, then planned to go into the pavilion without
talking.

“Madam, my young master, someone was there!” Instead of kicking

Ning Xueyan out forthwith like the other bureaucracy family, the older
female servant went back to report because she went first to check on the
pavilion. And she found Ning Xueyan occupied the only stone table.

“Please ask her whether we can have a table!” The young man said
impatiently taking one look at Ning Xueyan, but the tender madam
didn’t speak.
This was also the same. Although they were polite, they wouldn’t sit
with a servant. Ning Xueyan was in a manservant robe now, so she
would leave the table for them no matter what. She couldn’t lead them to
suspect her.

“Hey, bro, can you make a concession?” The older female servant came
close to her and asked politely.

Ning Xueyan nodded then stood up. She sat by the railing of the pavilion
then.

Their maids put some brocade over the stone chairs and served tea.
Madam and the young man sat down. It seemed they were waiting for
someone. Several older female servants stood by the roadside. Madam
waved her hands, telling the other servants to step aside. Only she and
the young man were left in the pavilion.

“Who is your master? Are you also waiting for someone here?” The
tender madam asked Ning Xueyan after sitting down and drinking some
tea. She seldom saw a servant waiting here without the master.

“I come from Lord Protector’s Manor. I’m here for our great-uncle.”
Ning Xueyan answered loudly while standing up. She must tell the truth
because her uncle would be here soon. They would suspect her identity.

Madam Ming was Ning Zu’an’s first wife, of course, her brother was
Lord Protector’s Manor’s great-uncle.

The face of the young man aside became darker. He snorted coldly. Ning
Xueyan had no idea what she did to piss him off. Why did he look so
irksome? So awkward!

“Lord Protector’s Manor? Does your marquis ask you to pick up your
great-uncle?” This astounded the madam, but she asked gently.

“Not my Marquis, It’s my Fifth Young Lady who asked me here. My

lady hears her uncle will come to the capital today, so she let me wait for
him here.” Ning Xueyan said with a slight smile. Although she was in
manservant’s robe, her jade-dark eyes and exquisite facial features
attracted people.
Even the handsome young man, who turned away and looked at her with
great impatience, couldn’t help looking at her more.

“Have your Fifth Young Lady still been in Cold Mountain Temple now?”
The madam asked frowning. She took a close look at Ning Xueyan’s
over-exquisite pale face. Some unknown doubts and mysteries flashed by
in her eyes, but her tone was still gentle.

Ning Xueyan knew shrewdly that the madam in front of her paid much
attention to her, but she had a good feeling on her inexplicably. She
didn’t hide anything from the madam.

“My Fifth Young Lady is in Cold Mountain Temple now. She hears her
uncle will come today, so asks me to wait here.” Ning Xueyan said.

“I thought your lady was capable of anything! Now she retreats in order
to advance, but where was she before? She can’t even protect her own
mother. Useless!” The young man interrupted the madam’s conversation
and said with anger staring at Ning Xueyan. It looked like Ning Xueyan
committed a great crime. This astonished Ning Xueyan to speechless
looking at him with shock.

“Hua’er, be polite!”

“Mother, I’m telling the truth. I heard before that Fifth Young Lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor was an incompetent girl. However, looking at
her now, she understands how to avoid opponents’ sharpness. It is
obvious that she is smart. In spite of her cleverness, she can’t protect her
own mom. Now, does she feel embarrassed about having a helper?”

The handsome young man waved angrily. He was pissed off seemingly
with his eyes filled with rage.

Ning Xueyan really confused what was going on here. She tried to figure
out what she had done to get him there, but she couldn’t. She didn’t
remember she knew him. Not to mention how to piss him off. But he
regarded her as an enemy.

“Hua’er, if you do this again, you go to talk to him yourself when you
see your father.” The madam said with her face darkened when she saw
her son talking without thinking.
Her words confused Ning Xueyan, but the handsome young man seemed
to understand and became quiet. The way how he looked at Ning Xueyan
was still with hatred. If Ning Xueyan weren’t herself, she would think
she did something horrible to him, causing his great anger.

“Does Fifth Young Lady ask you to take the man to Cold Mountain
Temple?” The madam asked gently. She dropped her eyes, then raised
her head with a smile reshowed on her face.

“My Fifth Young Lady has to talk to her uncle, so she asks me to take a
message. “Ning Xueyan said as winking with a smile. She definitely
couldn’t wait here aboveboard as Fifth Young Lady. Or else, she would
be caught by Madam Ling. This would damage her and her uncle in the
future, making them passive.

“Does Fifth Young Lady know she has an aunt in the capital?” The
madam signed and looked at Ning Xueyan with soft eyes. There was
some obscurity in her eyes.

Her aunt? Ning Xueyan was surprised and raised her head suddenly. She
looked at the madam in wonder. The madam was smiling slightly with
mercy in her eyes. All her gestures meant she was the aunt of Ning
Xueyan.

Her uncle had guarded the frontier over ten years and never returned.
How was it possible that her aunt was in the capital?

Madam Ming never talked about her uncle’s family to Ning Xueyan. If
Mother Han didn’t bring up, Ning Xueyan wouldn’t know she had an
uncle who loved her by now. Now that her uncle was at the board all
these years and nobody reached out to her mother when Ning Xueyan
was in Lord Protector’s Manor, she assumed her aunt followed her uncle
to the frontier.

But who was the madam in front of her? Ning Xueyan’s eyes fell upon
the young man’s face who was beside the madam opening his eyes wide
with shock. He looked her up and down, and his eyes seemed the same
as her mother’s so it was apparent they two had blood connection. Ning
Xueyan didn’t look closely just now because he was a man after all.
Chapter 32 The Reunion of the
Niece and Uncle
“Come here, sit down.” The madam showed thin happiness on her face
with complex emotion emerging from the bottom of her eyes. There was
a little sadness in her eyes. She reached out to point at the stone chair
aside asking Ning Xueyan to sit down.

“Yes, thanks a lot, my aunt!” Ning Xueyan calmed down immediately

from the shock. The aunt in front of her was a smart woman. She might
suspect Ning Xueyan’s identity already, so she tested her by words all
along. Ning Xueyan was aware that her pale face and the infirm body
was the defect to lead to people’s suspicions of her identity.

However, Ning Xueyan was short-staffed. Although her two maids were
gumptious, she still needed to handle something herself. She had no
choice but to disguise as a manservant using a roomy robe to cover her
track. But any experienced man could tell she was a skinny sick girl.

“Yan’er, he is your uncle’s son, you can call him Brother Hua. Hua’er,
this is your Sister Yan.” The madam introduced them to each other.

“Nice to see you, younger sister Yan,” Hua’er said indifferently after
waking up from the shock. His lip was curved with taunt. He looked her
up and down and said,” Sister Yan’s robe was so beautiful that luckily
my mother was sharp-eyed to notice you. Otherwise, we will miss you.”

Ning Xueyan really didn’t know why her cousin was angry at her. She
lifted her pretty eyes and smiled, holding no grudge against him. “So
glad to see you, my brother Hua.”

Seeing Ning Xueyan saluted him with a good attitude, Ming Yuanhua
couldn’t stump her more. He snorted and turned around, ignoring Ning
Xueyan. He seemed so angry. Even though he looked like one or two
years older than Ning Xueyan, he was childish like a kid. Ning Xueyan
felt funny.
Her cousin truly didn’t like her! And he showed her dislike all over his
face!

“Madam, my young master, the lord is coming! The lord is coming!”

Some older female servants who stood by the road screamed abruptly.
One of them even ran as screaming.

Three people in the pavilion stood up immediately looking towards the

crossing in excitement together. Some horses appeared indistinctly in the
dust, running to them fast…

Five or six horses stopped at the Shili Pavilion together. Ning Xueyan
just saw clearly that a middle-aged man of about 40 years old was ahead.
He lifted his leg getting off expertly and strode into the pavilion. Madam
Ming walked to him excitedly with her hands, which held a
handkerchief, trembling.

She was a sedate woman but couldn’t help herself now.

“My lord…you…you are back!” She said whimpering. The tears flashed
through her eyes making them red.

“Yan? Why are you here?” Ming Feiyong didn’t expect his wife would
be here, so he was surprised. He wrote a letter saying that he would come
back, but they needn’t pick him up because he wanted to talk to his niece
first.

“I…I’m here for you…you.” Madam Ming stammered. She was so

excited that her tears dropped ceaselessly. Her husband stayed at the
frontier over a decade and never returned before. Usually, they could get
his letters only. Hearing he could come back, she couldn’t wait to see
him arriving here early with her son for seeing him soon.

“Don’t cry. You are an adult. Kids would laugh at you. Is this…Hua’er?
Look, how big he is!” Seeing his wife’s tears, Ming Feiyong felt
heartache and reached out to wipe her tears gently. His face looked
tender. He threw his eyes on Ming Yuanhua. It made him feel good that
his son was vigorous and robust.

“Father, my dear father. How’s everything going?” Ming Yuanhua was

moved to see his mother crying. His lip trembled a little, and then he
saluted his father with respect. He grew up along with his father’s
stories, which his mother told him. Knowing his father was a general so
he must stay with the troops, he was proud of him. But when his father
really appeared in front of him, he wasn’t so excited.

“Okay, okay…everything was good!” Ming Feiyong answered, showing

tears in his eyes. He pulled his son near him then slapped his shoulder
hard with mixed feelings. If he had the choice, he wouldn’t stay there for
that long. And in the duration, he never came back once.

Ming Feiyong’s eyes fell on the last person here. Dressing like a
manservant, Ning Xueyan didn’t catch his attention at the beginning. But
he remembered his family sat with this servant just now. It meant he
wasn’t ordinary. He withdrew his eyesight suddenly after seeing the
bloodless pale face.

“Uncle, I’m Yan’er.” Ning Xueyan said. She didn’t know why she
wanted to cry with them. Seeing their reunion, she had red eyes, too. It
was supposed to be a happy scene, but she dropped her head for glossing
over her excitement. When she raised her head again, there was a soft
smile on it.

“Yan’er?” Ming Feiyong moved his hands away from Ming Yuanhua’s
shoulder. He strode to her, lifting his lip slightly with the fortitude.

“Yes, my uncle, I’m Yan’er! My mom… she…” Ning Xueyan couldn’t

keep on talking biting her lip. For her, she was not only Ning Ziying, but
also Ning Xueyan now. Everything Ning Xueyan went through was like
her experience. So in her heart, she already regarded Madam Ming as her
own mother. She was so moved to look at Ming Feiyong now.

She only felt her nose sore and was about to cry. Being reborn, she never
felt like this way even when she confronted Prince Yi. She even couldn’t
say the word “died” now.

“My good girl, no more talking. I’ve known it all about your mom.”
Ming Feiyong was definitely a broadly experienced general. He was
calm now and looked Ning Xueyan up and down, reaching out to touch
her head. He sighed and consoled her, “I know. I know it all. My good
girl, you suffered a lot!”
“Uncle, I’m not. My mom did.” Trying hard to repress her pain, Ning
Xueyan raised her pale face forcing a smile.

“Are you dressed like this for avoiding their eyes on you?” Ming
Feiyong understood after seeing her clothes. He nodded and appreciated
that Ning Xueyan was clever. He was worried that she might be
cowardly. Now he sighed with relief. Sure thought the rumor wasn’t true.

“Don’t worry, my lord. Please sit down and have a cup of tea first.”
Madam Ming suggested as she walked towards them with red eyes. She
served Ming Feiyong a cup of tea herself.

The family sat together again. Several maids were ordered to be out of
the pavilion. Some trusted guards stood outside the pavilion, too. Ning
Xueyan relaxed her hands and stood beside Ming Feiyong instead of
sitting down. They were in Shili Pavilion now. It would be a broad vision
if someone looked in the distance. Ning Xueyan was overwhelmed just
now, so she sat down with Madam Ming. Now she was aware of this so
that she wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

The people of Lord Protector’s Manor couldn’t know she was here to
meet her uncle.

Ming Feiyong saw her movement and appreciated her. He didn’t expect
Ning Xueyan to be such a thoughtful woman in her age. She was tactical,
although her body was weak. He got another heartache and hated Lord
Protector’s Manor more.

He couldn’t imagine how his younger sister and niece’s life in Lord
Protector’s Manor looked like. It made a skinny young girl mature!

“Uncle, there are all Madam Ling’s staffs in Lord Protector’s Manor.
After mother’s death, Marquis didn’t punish Madam Ling. If I’m not
careful enough, you will be notified of my death for illness soon.” Ning
Xueyan explained. She could tell Ming Feiyong’s pity in his eyes feeling
a bit distress, but she forced a smile with more courage in her eyes.

It was hard for her to deal with Madam Ling, but it was easy for Madam
Ling to kill her.
Ning Xueyan deliberately helped Ning Ziyan find Chen Hexiang before
and let Chen Hexiang enter Xia Manor for her revenge, of course.
However, she couldn’t hurt Ning Ziyan for now because Madam Ling
wouldn’t spare her easily. So she needed to get rid of Madam Ling first,
then went after Ning Ziyan and Xia Yuhang.

Ning Xueyan knew how vicious Madam Ling was. If she showed any
hatred to her, Madam Ling would be ruthless and kill her immediately.
Her mother was gone so nobody would stand out for her in the manor.
Nobody would care if she died for no reason like her mother.

Madam Dowager only cared about Lord Protector’s Manor’s dignity and
wealth. She ended her relationship with Ning Xueyan years ago. Now
Madam Dowager seemed to treat her well, but compared with other
granddaughters, Ning Xueyan was nothing so Madam Dowager wouldn’t
take the risk of pissing off Madam Ling for Ning Xueyan.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan needed to be more careful to make sure her

safety. Only when she was alive, she could avenge herself and her
mother and dragged her enemies into the bloody hell.

Blood for blood. She never forgot the despair produced by her death.

Designing by step, leading them to death one by one would be all in her
rebirth.

“Pa” Ming Feiyong hit the stone table hard so that the table shook and
almost fell down. He scolded, “Dare him!” If his sister didn’t decide to
pretend to have a good life there and had a fight with him asking him to
leave her alone, he wouldn’t ignore her for so long.

“Uncle, please don’t be angry. I won’t let them bully me in the future.”
Ning Xueyan said gently. She really felt close to this uncle. Just like
Mother Han said, her uncle loved her so much. And when he talked
about her mom, his eyes turned red with the pain in them. So she was
sure he sincerely loved her and her mom.

Ning Xueyan was relieved a lot now.

Chapter 33 Emergency, Madam
Dowager Arrives
Ning Xueyan was very relieved now.

She took out a thick stack of letters from her arms, delivering them to
Ming Feiyong. She had been out for a long time and was afraid that
someone from Lord Protector’s Manor would come to see her. Lanning
might be unable to handle this so she had to return now. She said,
“Uncle, I found these letters in my mother’s secret dresser. I don’t know
whether or not they’re useful to you so please keep them for me because
they are not safe with me.”

The letters were brought to her recently by Mother Han’s staff. They
were hidden in her mother’s dresser. Ning Xueyan never saw Ning Zu’an
come to Bright Frost Garden to see Madam Ming when she lived there.
So Madam Ming never did any decorating and the dresser was covered
in dust. Mother Han and Ning Xueyan did not notice it before. However,
after someone always came to check Madam Ming’s things, they found
something wrong there.

Mother Han sent everyone away and checked everything carefully. Then
she found these letters from the secret dresser so she delivered them to
Cold Mountain Temple at night. She needed Ning Xueyan to make a
decision. Ning Xueyan opened them all and found a few contracts from
stores and some silver coins in them. This might be her mother’s dowry.

Looking at the letters, Ning Xueyan had no idea that Madam Ming’s
dowry was so large. Compared with hers, Ning Ziying, Ning Xueyan’s
previous incarnation, had no reason to be killed for a dowry, so she
suspected the cause of her death had another reason.

What surprised Ning Xueyan was the last paper, it was a contract with
Ning Zu’an’s and Madam Ming’s fingerprints on it. But under theirs,
there was another vague fingerprint, which belonged to Madam Ling.
This contract could be regarded as the symbol of Madam Ming’s status.
If her uncle wanted to redress the grievance for his sister, this was fit for
the entry point. Madam Ling also thought she was the noble marchioness
so she oppressed Ning Xueyan’s mother all along so that Madam Ming
was restricted to live in the backyard. And Madam Ling still did not let
her off. She poisoned her thinking everything was settled down.

But Ning Xueyan, who was reborn, would destroy her.

“Madam Ling, the crime you committed on me and Madam Ming, I will
make you pay for that gradually! One day, I will make your life a living
hell!”

Shili Pavilion was not a good place to talk, so Ning Xueyan only
expressed the key points, then she excused herself. Ming Feiyong knew
he could not keep her here for long. He told her to be cautious, and if she
needed anything she could send someone to take a message to him.
Madam Ming held her hands gently saying the same words over and
over.

Only Ming Yuanhua snorted at her indifferently and loathed her deeply.
Even now, Ning Xueyan could not figure out what she did to him. But he
went near her specifically and said, “Be careful! Don’t die for no
reason!”

Ning Xueyan felt he was funny. He was a weird man, so even the way he
expressed his concern was weird as well.

Back at Cold Mountain Temple, everything was silent now. She

wondered whether Prince Yi had left, but that had nothing to do with
Ning Xueyan. She saw a maid of Lord Protector’s Manor squint at the
crowd. She had to run back to the yard along a secluded path and got into
the room from the back window hurriedly.

“Finally, my lady,” Qingyu said happily when she saw Ning Xueyan’s
face. She had been so worried. Then, she helped her lady get in and get
rid of the manservant’s clothes.

“Is Madam Dowager here?” Ning Xueyan asked while panting. Her body
was weak so she felt ill after running.
“Yes. I heard from the people in the manor that Madam Dowager would
come to burn some incense after you leave. I’m so worried. Lanning is
waiting for you at the front, you didn’t see her.” Qingyu took off Ning
Xueyan’s robe quickly and put the clothes under the bed. She supported
Ning Xueyan to lie down.

“I saw Madam Dowager’s maid in the front, so I ran back as quickly as I

could. Lanning may be with Madam Dowager now.” Ning Xueyan
thought about it. Lanning saw Madam Dowager instead of her at the
door, so she had to be stalling now. “What did you tell them?” Ning
Xueyan asked.

“I told Madam Dowager you are sick so you haven’t gotten up yet,”
Qingyu said. She calmed down and wiped the sweat on her forehead.

She was in a panic with Lanning. If the maids or older female servants
came here, they could say that the Fifth Young Lady fell asleep and was
sick so she could not see them. But if Madam Dowager wanted to see
Ning Xueyan, the maids could not stop her. So Lanning waited outside,
hoping Ning Xueyan would come back soon.

In the morning, the powerful Prince Yi came to Cold Mountain Temple

with the Third Prince. Now Madam Dowager of Lord Protector’s Manor
came here also. Ning Xueyan saw many different carriages in the
parking lot when she entered the temple. So, even though it was quiet at
the doorway, there were a lot of people inside.

Has anything happened here?

When Ning Xueyan was thinking of that, the voices of the maids and
older female servants were heard. “Be careful, Madam Dowager.” “The
steps!” “Madam Dowager…” She knew that many people were coming.

“Qingyu, give me a cold handkerchief so that I can wash my face!” Ning

Xueyan said, leaning on a soft cushion and pointing at the handkerchief
in the basin.

“My lady, the water is so cold!” Qingyu said with shock.

“I can’t wait. If Madam Dowager sees me lying here with a healthy face,
she will suspect me.” Ning Xueyan said. Because she was running just
now, her face looked better than when she was in the pavilion. A hot face
with a little blush on it did not look sick.

“But my lady, you can’t stand it…” Qingyu hesitated.

“Come on, it will be better than death!” Ning Xueyan showed sharpness
in her eyes. Of course she knew that the cold water would damage her
body. She got sweaty first, then got cold. It was a late autumn day, if she
used the cold handkerchief, her body would get worse. But she had to.

She noticed Lanning’s peaceful voice with anxiousness in it.

Seeing Ning Xueyan insisting on this, Qingyu knew it was emergency

now. The people got closer, so she grasped the cold handkerchief while
gritting her teeth and gave it to Ning Xueyan. The moment Ning Xueyan
put it on her face, she shook a little because of the coldness.

Her body was too ill to take it. She could feel her shaking once the
coldness entered her body.

But she did not stop. She wiped her face hard and bit her lip. Blood
emerged in her mouth so that she could keep conscious. She asked
Qingyu to soak the handkerchief in the cold water again.

She repeated it several times until the heat blew away. Ning Xueyan lay
down with her hair disheveled. Her pale face was bloodless, not to
mention any blush, and her body was trembling now. Qingyu noticed
something wrong with her and wrapped her using a quilt while tears
almost flowed out from Qingyu’s eyes.

The door opened when they finished those acts in a panic. Madam
Dowager showed up with the maids and older female servants at the
door. Lanning walked ahead to guide them. When she saw the bed gauze
was lifted, she was relieved and almost fell down. She had been stalling
again and again just now so Madam Dowager was not happy. So she had
no choice but to take her here.

It seemed that the Fifth Young Lady was back.

Ning Xueyan was on the bed with her eyes closed. It was unclear
whether or not she was dizzy, but it could be seen that she was not well.
She forced herself to open her eyes and raised her head, pretending to be
surprised when she saw Madam Dowager. She struggled to get up,
seemingly supporting herself with the bed, but she was too weak, so she
failed. She panted hard lying there.

Qingyu and Lanning rushed to the bed and shouted. Ning Xueyan
opened her eyes slightly and said weakly, “Grandmother.” Then, she
could not say anything more.

Madam Dowager was unhappy just now because Ning Xueyan had been
informed that she was coming but did not wait for her at the temple door.
So, she showed her unhappiness all over her face.

But when she saw that Ning Xueyan was sick on the bed, she turned
around and looked at the older female servant behind her angrily because
she had told her that Ning Xueyan had recovered from her illness.
However, she got worse than when she was in the manor.

The influence of Madam Ming’s accident had not passed yet. Madam
Dowager did not expect anything to happen to Ning Xueyan. She did not
blame her, seeing how sick she was. So, she asked other people to wait
outside and she entered the room with two close maids.

“My fifth granddaughter, what happened? How did you get worse? I
heard that you had gotten better days ago,” Madam Dowager said gently,
sitting on a chair beside the bed.

Qingyu and Lanning supported Ning Xueyan to sit upright. The cushion
behind her was warm now. Qingyu knelt on the ground after Madam
Dowager’s question and said, “Madam Dowager, the Fifth Young Lady
was better before. But she heard from the abbot that she must take a
shower and change her clothes before copying the scripture. That would
show her sincerity while she prayed for you and the family. She wrote
until midnight yesterday and we couldn’t stop her, so she became like
this today.”

“Qingyu… stop talking…” Ning Xueyan said weakly. It seemed she

tried to stop Qingyu, but she was too ill to do so. She could not catch her
breath after talking.
“Okay, my fifth granddaughter, please stop talking. Were the doctors
asked?” Madam Dowager showed some kindness on her face after
hearing Ning Xueyan had gotten sick due to praying for her, even though
she did not like Ning Xueyan at all.

“It happened in the morning. I planned to ask for a doctor but there were
none in the temple. I heard a master was good at medicine here, so I was
about to invite him. But some big shots came today, so I waited for a
while and couldn’t get in. I had no choice but to go to the front, and
that’s where I came across Madam Dowager.” Lanning took over the
conversation and completed the whole story.
Chapter 34 Ning Xueyan Goes to
the Bamboo Forest after Dressing
Up
As soon as Ning Xueyan left, Lanning went to see with concern but
encountered Prince Yi’s guard of honor, so she quickly knelt beside the
road. Then she knew that it was Prince Yi who came, knowing that most
of the monks of Cold Mountain Temples went to greet him and would
not have time to take care of other guests.

“I’ll go to see if Master Mingyue is there or not. If he’s here, I’ll invite
him to come over and greet you. Don’t rush to pray for me, take care of
yourself first. Several days later, Honored Consort Ya will come to the
temple to enjoy the chrysanthemum and hold an appreciation grand
meeting. Your sister, First Young Lady, has been married, and the Fourth
Young Lady is not qualified. So, only you and Second Young Lady can
enter the grand meeting. You have to keep a good body before the grand
meeting.”

The Honored Consort Ya was coming to Cold Mountain Temple, so the

temple had been busy recently.

And, that was the reason why the madams and ladies had all come here.
But, why had Prince Yi and the Third Prince come too? It could be said
that the Third Prince came here to accompany his mother. However,
what was Prince Yi’s reason? He was not like a good person who was
willing to accompany Honored Consort Ya to appreciate the flowers.

Ning Xueyan thought about it in her mind, but her face didn’t show her
thoughts at all. She weakly raised her head and nodded hard. Although
she was half-supported by Lanning, she still teetered. “Grandmother, I’m
in poor health. I’m afraid I can’t go with my second sister!”

She was not interested in the appreciation grand meeting at all. She cared
more about the news that Honored Consort Ya would come. It at least
meant that that man would come too.
“You are the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, how can
you say that? Fine, I’ll ask someone to send you medicine. You take a
good rest. There are still a few days left. Before that, you put your body
first.” Madam Dowager was unhappy. She stood up and walked out
while asking some maids to take some good herbs to Fifth Young Lady.

Seeing that Madam Dowager had left, others left too. Ning Xueyan
closed her eyes slightly and leaned against Lanning’s arms, gasping, and
then gently pushed Lanning away. “Go inquire about why these madams
and ladies have come!”

Ning Xueyan didn’t think that Madam Dowager should be so positive

about Honored Consort Ya’s chrysanthemum appreciation grand
meeting. In the past, Honored Consort Ya held other chrysanthemum
appreciation grand meetings. But, Madam Dowager had never
participated. If Ning Lingyun was not qualified to take part in the grand
meeting. What kind of person could take part in?

It was not difficult to identify the reason. All those madams came to
Cold Mountain Temple with their own daughters. It was said Honored
Consort Ya was going to look for suitable wives for several princes
during this chrysanthemum appreciation grand meeting. If there was an
appropriate one, Honored Consort Ya would directly grant a marriage.
Those princes were distinguished and would choose an Official Wife this
time, so the comers were Official Wife’s daughters from a rich or noble
family.

Except for the Second Young Lady, Ning Yuling, only Ning Xueyan was
an Official Wife’s daughter in the Lord Protector’s Manor. So, Madam
Dowager would try her best to help the two take part in the
chrysanthemum appreciation grand meeting. In Madam Dowager’s
opinion, it would be a great honor if they married the princes. So, now
she gave multiple precious medicines to Ning Xueyan.

Looking at the tonic on the table, Ning Xueyan sat up with Lanning’s
help. She squinted at the tonic, sarcasm flashing in her eyes. Madam
Ling was injured and laying on her bed. So, her grandmother was in a
hurry to come over and see Ning Xueyan when she heard that Honored
Consort Ya was going to choose wives for the princes.

That meant the Second Young Lady, Ning Yuling, was coming over!
She could never forget how her sisters had humiliated her when she was
ten. On that day, she played in the yard and met Ning Yuling. The
sinister Ning Yuling not only asked the maids to slap her but also asked
maids to take off her clothes. Ning Ziyan watched the fun from the side
and Ning Lingyun, watching her holding her clothes and crying, saying it
was fun.

There were so many servants in the manor, but no one helped her. They
just looked on coldly!

She was ten years old at the time. Even though there were only older
female servants who worked only for madams and ladies when her
clothes were taken off in public, her reputation and integrity would still
be ruined. Ning Xueyan believed that her father, Ning Zu’an, would
never tolerate that and would kill her secretly and call it an illness.

Fortunately, Madam Ming knew that and came from Bright Frost
Garden. She slapped Ning Yuling and saved Ning Xueyan from the
hands of the maids. But, at the same time, Madam Ming also insulted
Ning Yuling and was punished to keel in the ancestral hall. She knelt for
three days and three nights and was brought to Bright Frost Garden until
she fainted in the ancestral hall.

After that, Madam Ming became weaker, and Ning Xueyan had never
dared to leave Bright Frost Garden, becoming cowardly and useless!

But, Ning Yuling only had been reproached and it was said that she was
not given money for one month!

How ridiculous it was! Ning Yuling almost killed her but was only
punished by having no money for a month. Her life was only worth some
money. However, Madam Ming was almost tortured to death by Madam
Ling because she had slapped Ning Yuling. And Ning Zu’an and Madam
Dowager did nothing.

Madam Ming was not favored by Ning Zu’an, so she was bullied and
scolded in the manor. Even if she was dead, no one would care about her.
Since they all believed the law of jungle, Ning Xueyan would not shrink
in fear. She had died once, so now she knew what would hurt them most.
“How many princes live in the Cold Mountain Temple?” Ning Xueyan
looked down and gently asked, her white fingers hooking a corner of the
embroidered bed curtain.

“Only the Third Prince and Prince Yi came. The whereabouts of Prince
Yi is unknown. The people who guard there are too fierce, I wouldn’t
dare to inquire. The Third Prince lives in the middle courtyard on the
right side. I have seen several Young Ladies of other manors walking
around there from time to time.”

Lanning answered after thinking about it. In order to get more accurate
information, she went there to spy. But, she had no way to get close to
Prince Yi’s house. On the contrary, there were more girls that went to
Third Prince. As long as they didn’t bother the guards at the door and
didn’t intend to go into the yard, those ladies wouldn’t be chased off.

Ning Xueyan slightly frowned and was not sure why Prince Yi, Ao
Chenyi, came.

People of the Shu Kingdom knew that Prince Yi hadn’t married since his
fiancee died because of an illness before the marriage. The Emperor had
mentioned it several times, but he rejected it every time. He said that he
still loved his former fiancee and didn’t want to get married. So, his
marriage had been delayed.

Would Honored Consort Ya choose an Official Wife for Prince Yi this

time?

After carefully thinking, Ning Xueyan thought that this idea was
ridiculous. Who was Prince Yi? He was in such a high position. Honored
Consort Ya had no right to interfere in his marriage.

Ning Xueyan thought about it in her mind while getting up.

“Fifth Young Lady, you just get better. Your body will be weak again if
you get up now. You’d better rest for two more days!” Lanning looked at
her slightly flushed face, saying with worry.

“I heard that Ning Yuling is coming.” Ning Xueyan said faintly, holding
Qingyu’s hands to stand up. She was still weak, so she almost fainted
when she stood up but got better after a while.
She must heal quicker. Madam Dowager had asked people to send many
medicines to her over the past few days. The older female servant who
sent the medicine repeatedly told her to raise her body and said that if
she would be healthy, she would not have a good marriage and maybe
she would become someone else’s concubine.

In addition, she praised Ning Xueyan’s beauty. Ning Xueyan believed

that the older female servant wouldn’t dare to say that to her without
Madam Dowager’s order.

What did it mean that she would be a concubine if she couldn’t be

someone else’s Official Wife?

This time, the Honored Consort Ya was going to look for an Official
Wife for princes. Why had Madam Dowager mentioned the concubine?

This was a threat, but also a warning, or even a notice!

If she couldn’t become someone else’s Official Wife, it was likely that
Madam Dowager would send her to someone else to be his concubine. In
Madam Dowager’s opinion, she must do something for the Lord
Protector’s Manor, or her beauty would be wasted.

Ning Xueyan had been bullied in the Lord Protector’s Manor for so
many years. Later, she even didn’t dare to leave Bright Frost Garden.
Madam Dowager had never helped her in the past years. But, now seeing
that Ning Xueyan was beautiful, she wanted to send her to someone else
to be a concubine. Thinking of this, Ning Xueyan was full of hatred.

“Dress me up, let’s go to the bamboo forest in the back mountain.” Ning
Xueyan gritted her teeth, showing coldness in her eyes.

After saying that, she sat in front of the dressing table. Seeing that she
was firm, the maids began to dress up her. When she was dressing up, a
servant sent by Madam Dowager came and saw Ning Xueyan had gotten
up, happily saying that she would report it to Madam Dowager.

Ning Xueyan said that she was still sick and would not go see Madam
Dowager in order to not infect Madam Dowager, then asked the older
female servant to express her apology to Madam Dowager.
The older female woman promised, scrutinizing Ning Xueyan for a
while, then went back to report it to Madam Dowager. She used to think
that the Second Young Lady was the most beautiful, and didn’t expect
that the Fifth Young Lady who hadn’t left Bright Frost Garden for four
or five years was a real beauty. Even though she was sick now, she was
still beautiful and attractive. She thought Madam Dowager’s wish would
be fulfilled.

After dressing up, Ning Xueyan ate a little porridge and felt better. Then
she went out with Qingyu. Qingyu carried an old zither that had been left
by Madam Ming. Madam Ming used to use this to teach Ning Xueyan
how to play the zither. This time Ning Xueyan brought it from the manor
to the Cold Mountain Temple.

The bamboo forest was at the foot of the back mountain, where there
were no chrysanthemums. One would only see the chrysanthemums if he
or she walked up. At this time, the bamboo leaves had been blown by the
wind and it was depressing there. Nobody went to see the colorful
chrysanthemums at this time but came to the bamboo forest.

Holding Qingyu’s hands, Ning Xueyan walked while looking at the

scenery in front of her. The sun rode high in the sky at this time, so it
was not cold. Ning Xueyan had had a fever for a few days, so now she
was weak and had no strength. Although the bamboo forest was not too
far away, she had to stop to rest several times and it took her longer than
usual.

Another path on the mountain road was steep and unreachable. It was
one of the few dangerous places there. A small yard was built on it, and
the courtyard door was closed. Half of the yard connected with the rock
on the side. So, from the bottom, it seemed that half of the yard was in
mid-air. On the attic of the small yard, Ao Chenyi was reading the
memorial. Suddenly, he became angry and threw away the memorial.

It scared the two guards at the door and they immediately knelt down.

“Catch Zuo Zhibing and decapitate him in public. Transport his male
family members to the frontier juncture and send his female family
members to the official whorehouse! Ao Chenyi showed a cold smile on
his face, which frightened people.
If anyone was familiar with the court, he or she would definitely be
amazed now. Who was Zuo Zhibing? He was a Three-class official. But,
Prince Yi didn’t investigate and ordered them to decapitate him and
exterminate her entire family.

“Your Highness, what if… if His Majesty asks about this…?” One of the
guards asked with fear.
Chapter 35 It’s Said that the
Third Prince is Friendly and
Handsome
Ao Chenyi’s smile was ruthless. He leaned backward lazily, narrowed his
eyes, and said, “Tell His Majesty I said that Zuo Zhibing intended to kill
me and gossiped about the royal family. His crime is unforgivable. So I
killed him to warn others.”

His voice was cold and indifferent. It seemed that he didn’t know his
words had determined the lives of hundreds of people.

His words also showed that he hadn’t negotiated with His Majesty before
killing this official.

The Emperor was the supreme master of a country. But this one, Prince
Yi, dared to directly kill an official without His Majesty’s permission.
How arrogant he was.

“Yes!” The guards did not dare to say more, respectfully nodded before
they left.

Ao Chenyi stood up and walked to the window, coldly looking out of the
window. Suddenly, it seemed that he found something fun. He smiled
and said profoundly, “What a funny little thing!”

His gaze fell on Ning Xueyan, who was strolling with Qingyu’s support.
He heard that this little girl had been ill in order to gain Madam
Dowager’s trust. Now she went out before recovering from an illness.
Who was she going to frame?

“Your Highness, need me to invite her to come?” The eunuch standing

on one side saw Ao Chenyi’s smile and flattered.

“No. It’s rare to have something fun. I have to treat it carefully and keep
it longer!” Ao Chenyi shook his hands, and his long eyelashes fell,
making him like a ruthless and bloodthirsty demon. What a bold and
interesting little girl! She framed herself again and again without mercy.

Prince Yi’s smile frightened the guards who served and the eunuchs! It
was not a good sign that Prince Yi felt something interesting.

Ning Xueyan did not know that she had attracted a bloodthirsty demon.

She was walking along the path to the bamboo forest. One side of her
was bamboo, and the other side was a winding path. It was indeed a very
quiet place. Qingyu helped Ning Xueyan sat down on a slightly smooth
stone to rest. This was the time for the Third Prince to go to the bamboo
forest. These days, in order to avoid those young ladies, the Third Prince
came here every day at the same time.

In her last life, Ning Xueyan occasionally learned from Xia Yuhang that
the Third Prince liked bamboo, especially the bamboos of Cold
Mountain Temple. He built a small thatched cottage in the depths of this
bamboo forest and had a rest there every time he came to the Cold
Mountain Temple.

Xia Yuhang’s conduct was bad, but he had excellent talent and learning
was appreciated by the Third Prince, so he knew some of the Third
Prince’s hobbies. And Ning Xueyan felt that the relationship between
Xia Yuhang and the Third Prince was by no means simple.

Ning Xueyan began to play the zither. The music was clear and crisp,
spreading far in the bamboo forest. The Third Prince, who was walking,
heard the sound and stopped, frowning and walking towards the sound.

“Young Lady, you haven’t recovered yet, how could you come here
again? Here only are some bamboo, and they are not as beautiful as the
chrysanthemums over there. If you really don’t want to stay in the room,
you can go to see the chrysanthemum with those girls!” Qingyu muttered
as she handed the zither to Ning Xueyan.

The cold wind blew and the bamboo forest was lush. It was cold here.
This place was really not suitable for a long-term sick person to relax.

Ning Xueyan coughed with handkerchief covered her mouth and then
said with a smile, “It’s good here. We’ll stay here. I used to stay in the
Bright Frost Garden all the time and seldom saw bamboo. It’s great to
have a chance to see a bamboo forest. Bamboo is not as beautiful as
chrysanthemum, but it’s more charming.”

“Whatever. I can’t understand. I just feel cold. You’re still sick, what
should we do if you become worse? Madam Dowager said you have to
raise your body. It will be terrible if you miss the chrysanthemum
appreciation grand meeting.” Qingyu said with unhappiness.

“It doesn’t matter.” Looking at Qingyu’s unpleasant look, Ning Xueyan

burst into laughter. She played the zither and stopped after a second
because of weakness. “There’s my second sister. She is expected to
marry the Third Prince by the Lord Protector’s Manor. I… If I really
have to marry, I’d rather marry an ordinary person and live a peaceful
life. And I hope no one will bully us!”

“The Second Young Lady? Fifth Young Lady, if the Second Young Lady
really become the Consort of Prince, she will bully you even more.”
Qingyu recalled Ning Yuling’s bullying on Ning Xueyan and became
more indignant. Ning Yuling had done a lot of to Ning Xueyan, and
almost killed her several times.

“Qingyu, don’t talk nonsense. Second sister… Anyway, she’s the lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor… and she’s also my sister. She can teach me.
These words must not be heard by others, otherwise, her reputation will
be damaged.” Ning Xueyan’s face sank and she said in a deep voice.

She seemed to choke because she said in a hurry, and immediately

coughed. With her Her plain and simple clothes, she looked paler and
weaker. She narrowed her eyes. Her delicate face made people pity her.

They were talking about Ning… Yuling?

The Third Prince, who came to the back of the bamboo grove, frowned
when he heard that. He looked at the pale, gentle face, anger flashing in
his eyes. He didn’t expect the Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor, Ning Yuling, to be such an evil girl and pretend to be graceful
when she saw him in daily times.

His mother had been deceived by her. If such a vicious woman who even
bullied her bloody sister became his wife and entered his manor, it would
in a mess in the future. The Third Prince’s mother had repeatedly told
him that Ning Yuling was gentle and beautiful and was the perfect
candidate for the Consort of Prince.

Unexpectedly, she was good at acting and was vicious!

“Young Lady, I won’t say that again… Don’t get angry. I’ll never that the
Second Young Lady pushed you into the river because of envy and you
almost was drowned. I’ll keep my mouth shut. I hope that the Second
Young Lady can successfully become the Consort of the Third Prince. In
this way, she won’t bully you in the manor.” Qingyu was frightened by
the tremendous cough of Ning Xueyan. She supported Xueyan and
patted her slim back path gently, saying with tears in her eyes.

After a while, Ning Xueyan stopped coughing and wiped tears with her
handkerchief. She was fragile now, so indeed she was too dispirited to
play a song. She touched the zither gently with her fingers, but before it
made a sound, Ning Xueyan already felt weak. She had to pat the zither
with her fingers.

“Qingyu, let’s go back. I really have no strength.” Ning Xueyan

struggled to stand up and used up all her energy. She glanced at the quiet
path and secretly smiled. The way led to seclusion and the bamboo there
was lush so that nothing could be seen clearly. But only when she came
in, she heard the sound of footsteps.

It seemed that the noble Third Prince heard what they said just now!

“Okay, Young Lady, we’ll go back now. Then you lie down to rest.
Several days later when the princes choose their wives, you have to go,
otherwise, Madam Dowager will be unhappy.” Qingyu took the zither
and hung it on her shoulder, saying that with concern while holding Ning
Xueyan. Actually, Qingyu also hoped that Ning Xueyan could marry a
powerful husband. In this way, the Second Young Lady wouldn’t dare
bully Ning Xueyan.

Looking at Qingyu’s hopeful face, Ning Xueyan gently smiled and shook
her head. “The Lord Protector’s Manor is so unpeaceful. Living in the
royal family… will be more difficult for girls.”
“Young Lady, I heard that the Third Prince is handsome. People in the
capital say that he’s friendly and beautiful. Don’t you like him?” Qingyu
asked, feeling that the Third Prince was good. She thought that her Fifth
Young Lady was good and maybe the Third Prince would like her.

“Qingyu, you think too much!” Ning Xueyan looked at Qingyu’s solemn
look and said with a smile. “Even though the Third Prince is handsome,
it’s just his appearance. Good looking doesn’t mean good character, just
like…” Ning Xueyan’s black eyes turned around as if she was looking
for a suitable analog.

Qingyu’s eyes suddenly became bright. “Just like the Second Young
Lady. She’s beautiful, but her character is bad.”

“Qingyu, you did it again!” Ning Xueyan said.

“Sorry, I won’t do that again. Young Lady, let’s go fast. The is too strong
here.”

“Okay, let’s go!”

The master and maid walked away slowly. When they couldn’t be seen,
the Third Prince came out with an unpleasant face, looking at Ning
Xueyan’s back thoughtfully. He came here to avoid those ladies in his
courtyard. This time, all the noble or wealthy families became excited as
soon as his father, His Majesty, spread the news that he was going to
choose a consort.

From the early morning, those ladies kept visiting him constantly. From
time to time, someone said they were tired and wanted to have a drink.
Some said they had fallen down and wanted to come in to have a rest.
Their reasons were strange and diverse. The Third Prince felt annoyed
and didn’t like them at all.

But unexpectedly, there was someone who didn’t want to see him. “What
does ‘good looking doesn’t mean good character’ mean? She was saying
that my character was not as good as my looking.” The Third Prince
thought in mind. And he got angry when he realized that this beautiful,
clever lady didn’t want to see him and avoided him like avoiding snakes
and scorpions.
What was more, her delicate and weak appearance made people pity her.

Ning Xueyan finally returned to her own house with Qingyu. Then the
two maids served her to rest. Lanning handed Ning Xueyan the medicine
she had prepared earlier. After drinking, Ning Xueyan lied down and
Lanning covered the quilt tightly. Until now, Ning Xueyan felt better.

Her medicine was prescribed by a master in Cold Mountain Temple who

was good at the medical skill. And it worked. After drinking for several
times, Ning Xueyan felt much better. But because she was too weak, she
hadn’t recovered immediately. Today, she went out for a long time and
became worse again.

Lanning touched the Ning Xueyan’s forehead and felt a little relieved.
Fortunately, she didn’t have a fever. Ning Xueyan’s body couldn’t bear
more harm. In order to survive, Ning Xueyan, the daughter of Lord
Protector’s Official Wife, had done too many things and even hurt
herself. Thinking of this, Lanning felt very sad, and her eyes became
wet.

“Lanning, you needn’t accompany me. I’ll be better after sleeping.” Ning
Xueyan patted Lanning’s hand. Looking at Lanning’s look, she knew that
Lanning thought her experience in the past again and smiled at her.

“Yes.” Lanning nodded and left, secretly wiping her eyes. Standing in
the doorway, she took a deep breathed and became determined, thinking
in mind, “Now I’m guarding the Fifth Young Lady. She’s clever and
courageous. She will never do what her mother did. And such a tragedy
will never happen again.”
Chapter 36 The Young Lady, Ning
Yuling, Was Coming
Everything was in silence in the room. Ning Xueyan dropped her eyes
slightly, thinking she could be sure the one who had been at the end of
the road was Third Prince. Ning Yuling had regarded herself as Third
Prince’s wife already. Ning Ziyan told Ning Xueyan many times before
that Ning Yuling was Highest-ranking Imperial Concubine Ya’s beloved
girl, and was determined to be the wife of Third Prince in the future. Not
only did she have the thought herself, but also Madam Dowager and
Madam Ling had it.

Ning Xueyan wondered whether it would drive Ning Yuling crazy if they
were aware of what they planned fell through.

Ning Xueyan noticed that Madam Dowager and Madam Ling still had
time to get some benefits from her marriage with conspiracy. She would
embarrass them heavily if they pushed her too far. Her half-closed eyes
had a cold light. Who could imagine such a sick and weak girl had such
sharp eyes.

More than a decade, Ning Xueyan was confined in the courtyard. How
could Madam Dowager say that she had been concerned about her
confined granddaughter whom she never met or cared about over ten
years? Ning Xueyan never felt any blood connection with them,
otherwise, her life in the Bright Frost Garden wouldn’t be as bad as now.

Ning Yuling was packing her things in Lord Protector’s Manor. She
would leave for Cold Mountain Temple tomorrow. Thinking she would
meet elegant handsome Third Prince, she can’t hold her thrills. She tried
to pack up all her beautiful dresses and jewelry. Her mother already got
in touch with Highest-ranking Imperial Concubine Ya, making sure she
was the prime candidate for Third Prince’s wife.

Ning Yuling was very satisfied with everything at the moment, except for
one thing—thinking of that little bitch would also be a candidate, she
couldn’t stop being angry with this.
Madam Ling walked into the yard supporting herself with older female
servant’s hands. She recuperated well after all these days and almost
fully recovered from injury. She seemed like she was never been beaten
before so long as she walked slowly and was careful with her wounds.

“Mother, why can that little bitch compete with me?” Ning Yuling said
with great hatred seeing her mother walked towards her. She was born to
be a beauty and was favored by Madam Dowager. Nobody dared to piss
her off in the manor. But now when she thought of Ning Xueyan, she felt
uncomfortable. How could she forgive this? If Ning Xueyan was in
Bright Frost Garden now, she would go there to humiliate her badly.

“It’s okay. She is a sick girl, nobody would have a crush on her.” Madam
Ling tried to console her daughter petting Ning Yuling’s head with love.

“No, mother. She is a humble girl. How could she take part in
Chrysanthemum Party to compete with me? I can’t stop being angry with
this. Mother, we’d better kick her out at the beginning. In the room, I
heard from grandma that she is a beauty. Maybe some heirs or princes
would like her.”

Biting her handkerchief, Ning Yuling said it with hatred, showing

jealousy all over her face. After all these years, she never thought that
little bitch could grow up to be a beauty, which caught grandma’s
attention. How could Ning Yuling not hate her and be angry with her?

What did Ning Xueyan think she was? How dare she compete with her!

“Don’t worry, nobody will like that niddering girl. Before long, she will
follow her mother’s steps.” vicious Madam Ling said. She couldn’t give
up hatred when she recalled she had to end up like this for no reason.

If Ning Xueyan didn’t come out from Bright Frost Garden that day,
anything wouldn’t happen later. She wouldn’t even be able to attend the
Chrysanthemum Party. Now, although Madam Ling still was
Marchioness, without the imperial mandate, she couldn’t go to the party.

Thinking of this, Madam Ling became more vicious. Even though she
didn’t have proof to blame Ning Xueyan, she still wanted to relieve her
anger on her. The older female servant wanted to let this niddering girl
show up at Chrysanthemum Party with Madam Ling’s daughter, to get
the attention of royal princes or imperial boys. Don’t even think about it!

Niddering woman’s daughter must also be niddering. Ning Xueyan

deserved that!

“Mother, you found a way, right?” Ning Yuling asked while dragging her
mother’s sleeves. And she smiled with joy when Madam Ling’s face
changed.

“Take it easy, I will help you get rid of the little bitch!” Madam Ling’s
face became colder like a cacodemon. Ning Xueyan’s mother had to give
the official wife position away after defeated by Madam Ling, ending up
with death. That little bitch wouldn’t be tougher than her mother.

“Mother, I will ruin her face tomorrow as soon as I get there. You can
sell her to a brothel so that she will be fucked by men every day. Isn’t
that a great idea?” Ning Yuning said venomously. When she thought of
Ning Xueyan’s face, she couldn’t help wishing her destroyed.

“It’s not a good idea. Do you want to make your grandma angry? Look at
you, as Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor, how could you
say something like this?” Madam Ling dressed Ning Yuling down after
hearing what she said because it was too dirty.

“What are you afraid of, mother? I will be Third Prince’s wife in the
future, or maybe in a better position later. Grandma will fawn on you
instead of being angry with us.” Ning Yuling said proudly. Madam Ling
told her in private that some ministers support Third Prince being the
crown prince.

The younger brother got his elder brother’s position, which was the
previous emperor’s thought, but not today’s emperor’s. Everyone wanted
to give his crown to his son.

If Third Prince became the crown prince, he would be the future

emperor, so Ning Yuling would be the empress someday admired by her
people. Grandma wouldn’t dare to bully her.

“Shut up!” Madam Ling said hurriedly. Her face suddenly turned white
and she covered up Ning Yuling’s mouth with hands,” My young lady,
you can’t say this. If he hears you, you will be dead.”

Prince Yi had a title of the devil incarnate. What he always did were
confiscating the property and exterminating the family. Moreover, what
Ning Yuling said concerned royal issues. Madam Ling was of some
insight knowing this wasn’t allowed to talk about.

“Fine, no more talking. You can’t be wayward when you reach to Cold
Mountain Temple tomorrow. There will be your grandma, Third Prince
and Highest-ranking Imperial Concubine Ya. If you aren’t desired to
have a royal marriage, you can be whoever you want.” Madam Ling said
while poking Ning Yuling’s front head hard. She expected more on her
daughter.

Struggling hard to free herself from her mother’s hands, Ning Yuling
said in anger, “But mother, Ning Xueyan…”

“You don’t need to worry about her, I will not let her live in peace.”
Madam Ling said impatiently. She thought Ning Yuling was too indulged
to know what she should do and shouldn’t do. If Ning Yuling got
involved into this, it wouldn’t end up well. So it would be better if
Madam Ling acted ahead this time. Anyway, Ning Xueyan wouldn’t be
alive for long.

Cold Mountain Temple’s wing-room.

Maybe because of the exercise lasting for a half month, Ning Xueyan
took a package of medicine only and slept for a while, but her body felt
better instead of worse. She drank half more bottle of soup at the dinner,
which made two maids so happy. They prayed to god for this.

Madam Dowager got the information, so she visited Ning Xueyan at the
dinner time. This was the first time she visited besides the first day
Madam Dowager came here. She even sat on Ning Xueyan’s bedside,
saying Ning Xueyan was a lucky person that she could get recovered
knowing Highest-ranking Imperial Concubine Ya was coming.

Ning Xueyan sat on the bed, replying to whatever Madam Dowager’s

said politely. If anyone saw this, they would think they are grandma and
granddaughter in a good relationship.
After watching Madam Dowager leaving, Ning Xueyan felt a little tired.
Qingyu fed her another package of medicine, served her to lie down, put
out the candle, and left.

Lying in the dark, Ning Xueyan closed her eyes with frowning. She came
to Qingchu Forest on purpose for sabotaging Ning Yuling’s marriage
with Third Prince. Otherwise, although with evidence, Madam Ling
wouldn’t be broken down by Ning Xueyan’s uncle. Considering the
Third Prince’s prestige, her uncle would come to grief.

So no matter what, Ning Yuling couldn’t be the wife of Third Prince, or

the wife of any princes and heirs. Because whoever she married to would
be used by Madam Ling. But under this circumstance, it was hard to stop
Ning Yuling’s marriage because if Third Prince wouldn’t marry her,
someone else would.

Ning Yuling was a beauty. Besides, just like Ning Ziyan, she got a good
reputation outside and they were the best two daughters in Lord
Protector’s Manor. With both talent and knowledge, she was the top of
concubines’ daughters. The only reason why she had not been engaged
yet at the age of 16 is she wanted a royal marriage. This was the same as
Ning Ziyan, who got married in her 17th. Ning Ziyan already had a crush
on Xia Yuhang, and their families had a deal.

In her previous life, Ning Xueyan didn’t figure out clearly that Ning
Ziyan said Madam Ling liked her so that she wanted to keep her for
more time. In the end, they conspired to kill her for exchanging Ning
Ziyan and Xia Yuhang’s marriage with her life. In a word, they got the
marriage by sacrificing her.

Ning Zu’an, the Lord Protector, didn’t inherit the title from his family.
When the current royals plundered the country from the emperor of the
last dynasty, Ning Zu’an was the leading general and achieved
outstanding military exploits. The previous emperor regarded him as
Lord Protector and allowed his posterity to succeed in the title. Nobody
could deny what he did in the military.

Stated thus, Ning Yuling’s marriage would definitely come true!

Raising herself with the help of the headboard, Ning Xueyan sat in the
shadow with her long hair hanging loose. She had no idea what she
would do next. She was short-staffed now.

The wind blew up the curtains and came inside. Ning Xueyan sat
upright. She remembered Lanning closed the window before leaving,
then why was the window opened in the middle of the night. After
drawing the curtains back and locking the window, she sat back on the
bed, suddenly finding someone was sitting on her bed, which surprised
her. Looking at the cold handsome face, she felt scared and stepped back.

“Little girl, who will you do damage on?” The voice sounded kind of
spooky in the dark. No matter how brave one man was, he wouldn’t be
able to be calm when he saw this cold gray face, even though it was
handsome as hell.

“My honor, Prince Yi.” Ning Xueyan calmed down and showed her
respect to him. She looked at Ao Chenyi with black eyes full of
questions. She never tried to hide. Some highest-ranking and second-
ranking ministers wouldn’t dare to look straight into his eyes. But she, a
delicate little girl, are doing it with a strong heart.

“You seduced Third Prince this afternoon, right?” Ao Chenyi smiled

with coldness and didn’t want to be veiled. Any other ladies would insist
on explaining themselves to him after hearing what he said, saying they
were as innocent as white flowers.

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and said, “I’m not beautiful so I’m not
seducing. I just make Third Prince know he can’t marry Ning Yuling if
he wants to keep his beautiful concubines alive.”

Even though Prince Yi’s words were offensive, Ning Xueyan needed to
accept them. People like him, whose temper was unpredictable, would
kill her as easily as winking. But she only had one life, she couldn’t lose
it before finishing her revenge. So it was okay being humiliated by his
words. It wouldn’t hurt her.

“Oh, you know this so you aren’t willing to marry him?” Ao Chenyi
asked with leisureliness. He seemed happy tonight so he didn’t say more.
He just lay down on Ning Xueyan’s bed genteelly occupying Ning
Xueyan’s place.
Chapter 37 Sudden Appearance
of Prince Yi and the Military
Medallion from the Preceding
Dynasty
“Third prince has always been gentle to women with good manners.
There are many women admiring him in the backyard. What’s the
difference in having a few more!” Ning Xueyan replied gingerly. Neither
did she care about Third Prince nor had she any thoughts for him at the
moment. The only reason that she didn’t want Ning Yuling to marry
Third Prince was that it would be very disadvantageous to her.

It was said that there were a few beauties living in Third Prince’s Manor,
as attractive and desirable as the white jade. Given Ning Yuling’s
disposition, a turmoil must await in the future.

Ao Chenyi nodded, seemed to be satisfied by her reply. He then raised

his hand and pointed outside, saying, ” Go fetch a cup of tea for me. I am
thirsty!”

With no attitude, Ning Xueyan picked up the coat hanging on the edge of
the bed, put it on, and grabbed a teacup on the table before leaving the
room. Since she had no habit of drinking water in the middle of the
night, there was no hot water in the room. She should better try to find
some from outside where Qingyu slept. Hot water might be available
over there.

She was fairly weak. After detaching herself from the warm, cozy quilt,
she became more vulnerable to the intrusive chill at this autumn night,
right in its prime. She couldn’t help but have a stroke of shiver. Along
with the teetering of the teacup, her pure-jade fingers were shaking.
However, despite all that, she bit her lips and staggered towards the door.

That was Lord Xiuluo we were talking about, there was no way to argue
with him.
Ning Xueyan cracked the door open and realized that Qingyu had been
asleep. She groped her way to the table in the darkness and poured a cup
of hot tea from the teapot. She turned around and went back, and closed
the door behind her. She served hot water on Ao Chenyi’s reach and said,
“Your Highness, please enjoy your tea!”

Such a stream of warmth penetrating through the teacup to her frozen

fingers literally got her. But when his slender fingers came, she
automatically let it go, leaving herself to the cold that blatantly seeped
into her body, inch by inch.

All she could do was keeping a bitter smile to herself. It was so freaking
cold; she felt like she would be frozen before long.

“Are you cold? ”It was like Ning Xueyan’s shivering finally captured
attention from Ao Chenyi, who grabbed the tea, took a sip, then leaned
on a cushion he retrieved from the bed, and asked in a curt, dismissive
voice.

“My lord. What may I help you with?”Ning Xueyan struggled to hold
herself together and finished the sentence. This person, an obnoxious
killer of countless lives, could never be expected to have some mercy
and respect on a lady. He must have come with ulterior motives.

“I do have things that could use your help, but I wonder if you are
willing to do me that favor! ” A smirk flashed on his face, as Ao Chenyi
patted the bed, “You look freezing. How about you come up and lay in
bed? So we can talk.”

He lounged on bed and took up over half of the space, tucking most of
the quilt under himself and leaving the rest drooping on the edge. It was
never a pleasant combination when you had a glaringly bloody red,
thriving Equinox Flower, also known as Manjusakaonablack garment,
and the greenish cover of the quilt. This combination, although
seemingly resplendent, reminded her of blood and struck the core of her
heart.

It sounded like a proposal, but Ning Xueyan knew he wasn’t asking

because there was never an “asking” bone in his body.
“My pleasure, my Lord.”She owned up to her decision and helped
herself walk towards him and getting on the bed with aplomb and
composure. She circumspectly covered herself up with half of the quilt
and rolled up in the corner. She instantly sensed the warmth coming from
quilt which helped ease the numbness on her frozen extremities a little
bit. It would be stupid to let the lofty and pretentious courtesy get in the
way of her own health.

A sense of poignancy emerged from her heart. Given that she was never
gifted with a robust constitution by birth and that she was unfortunately
ill recently, exposure to the cold a little longer would cause a fatal stab to
her health.

“My lord, you have all my ears,” said Ning Xueyan, who tucked her
whole body in the quilt, took a deep gasp to relax her uptight lips, and
revealed her beautiful and innocent eyes while looking into the air.

Since he made an offer, it was impossible to have him withdraw it, let
alone the attempt to discuss with her. Considering that there was no way
to turn down this offer, it would be smarter to just play by his rules.

“Yan’er, you are such a clever woman knows the right thing to do,”
smirked with a bit of coziness, which diluted the heaviness in the air. He
acted as if he was close to her, casually he said, “I have heard that there
is a piece of the military medallion in the hands of Lord Protector, which
belongs to the preceding dynasty. Yan’er, why not bring the military
medallion to me? I would be very interested to have a peak of it.”

A military medallion from preceding dynasty? Ning Xueyan’s heart

twitched and beat strongly as she heard it. Although she had no idea why
Ning Zu’an had a medallion from the preceded dynasty, it must be true if
Prince Yi said so. What a medallion from a dynasty that had demised for
more than 10 years for? It made no sense for Ning Zu’an, a general of
the current Chu dynasty, to have it.

“Your Highness, there… must be some kind of mistake?” Ning Xueyan

turned her eyes to look at Ao Yichen. A bit of astonishment leaked out of
the corner of her mouth, showing her surprise. Everyone would be as
frightened as her if they heard the same thing. It is treason for Ning
Zu’an to have the medallion and not hand it to the authority.
To justify treason, the whole family must be uprooted!

No matter how much Ning Xueyan hated Ning Zu’an, Madam Ling
wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of their lives by the
way of exterminating the whole family.

“Are you doubting my ability?” Ao Chenyi’s face dropped. His voice

was attracting yet merciless, emanating brooding and forbidding sense,
which made her backbone chill. Her cold fingers touched Ning Xueyan’s
cheek and the frost activated by that touch doused the bottom of her
heart. On top of that, there came his icy eyes, which all said nothing but
Prince Yi was in rage.

“Your Highness, my father would not dare to hide anything from the
former dynasty, especially the useless medallion.” Ning Xueyan smiled
softly, looking at Ao Yichen straight into his eyes.

Given the former dynasty only exist in the past, the medallion was
certainly meaningless. People who hid this thing would be causing
themselves trouble. No one along with their whole family could be
spared if it was found out.

“If Your Highness says so, then Ning Zu’an must have hidden it from
me. How dare you to be skeptical about my judgment?” He said with a
snub in his voice, after noticing Ning Xueyan did not give away any
trace of being frightened and evasive.

Ning Xueyan really didn’t want to argue with him on this matter. Her
body has warmed up a bit. She half-closed her eyes and said, “Well,
when I return to Lord Protector’s Manor, I will search my father’s study
for the medallion!”

“Aren’t you afraid of dragging the whole Lord Protector’s Manor down
to the desperation of being exterminated?” Ao Chenyi found her being
overcomposed quite intriguing. He leaned over and locked his icy eyes
on Ning Xueyan’s face, and slowly ran his slender fingers through her
beautiful hair, which made her strain the scalp.

She fully understood that Prince Yi was not joking around. When he said
extermination, he seriously meant it.
She looked down, and replied, “Of course I am. Will you stop me?”

“Never!” Without any hesitation, Ao Chenyi rebuffed relentlessly. His

eyes projected a ray of menace; thin mouth, going slightly upwards at the
edges, seemed like a smile on that charming appearance, yet quite
terrifying.

“So, you leave me no choice but to find it.” Ning Xueyan shrugged off.

She didn’t get a say on anything. In front of Prince Yi, dignified yet
merciless, the only thing she could do was playing by ear and be safe.

Ao Chenyi was quite content with her soft but calm attitudes. Out of
nowhere, there came a meaningful gesture, a slight stretch on one corner
of his mouth, pretty and flirtatious, and said,” Yan’er, don’t worry. Even
if the Lord Protectors’ is in trouble, I can guarantee your safety.”

Made a turn and sprang up from the bed. He then headed outside after
dabbing his sleeves, unclosed the window when he passed by and shot a
complicit smile at Ning Xueyan, “Since you are willing to give me a
hand, I will be generous to offer you one.”

Was this the justice he imposed? No room for negotiation. The

discrepancy on power between him and her was like the distance
between sky and earth, Ning Xueyan got nothing to say.

Before Ning Xueyan could say anything, he fleed away and disappeared
on her after letting those words out, leaving the window widely open and
the cold blast gusting into the room.

Ning Xueyan had to suck it up. She stood up, walked over, and closed
the window. Accompanied by the serene night, cradled by the warm
quilt, she sat there for a long time before finally drifting off.

“Young Lady, I thought you got much better last night. How come the
fever come back again? “

“What do you say if I ask a master to have a look on you?”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. I’ve heard that Prince Yi is listening to the
chants. No one would be allowed to leave at the moment. How about I
go down the mountain and look for a doctor to take a look at you? Young
Lady, you need to be cautiously taken care of to get your illness under
control.”

Laying in bed, Ning Xueyan was too weak to open her eyes and respond
by moving her eyelashes fully. With Lanning and Qingyu’s voices
echoing in her ear, she felt like herself floating further and closer, and
suddenly had no grasp of where she was.

“The Young Lady woke up. The Young Lady woke up.” Two
maidservants also saw Ning Xueyan open her eyes, all hurled themselves
to her, and reported concernedly.

“Am I getting worse?” Ning Xueyan could barely make a sound after
clearing her throat. She squeezed a bitter smile to herself. It is lucky
enough for her to be able to wake up after standing outside for a long
time on that freezing night.

“When I came checking on her, I found that her temperature was high
again, and I thought I’d better go find a doctor at the foot of the
mountain.” Lanning helped Ning Xueyan sit up. When she first came in,
Ning Yuning didn’t respond to her calling at all, and her scorching
forehead astounded her.

“Leave it as it is. Last night, some naughty wind opened my window, and
I caught a cold.” Ning Xueyan coughed and said in a low voice.

“I was planning on inviting a master to take your pulse, but everyone is

preoccupied with chant lessons.” Qingyu was finally relieved when she
saw Ning Xueyan wake up.

“Are you saying you were stopped from coming inside by the guards?”
Ning Xueyan asked weakly.

“Yes. My Lady. The guards gave me this pill and implied this was from
Prince Yi. Look?” Qingyu showed her a little glass bottle, with one pill
inside.

This was the favor Prince Yi had promised before.

“Water, please, I shall eat this pill.” Ning Xueyan nodded and took a
deep breath. Fortunately, Ao Chenyi didn’t want to kill her. But Ao
Chenyi had a swing mood, unapproachable and unpredictable. Just as
last time, no one knew which word from him to believe and which not.

Fortunately, the silver lining was that for now, he had no intention of
killing her.

“Young lady, we know nothing about the characteristics of the pill, your
health…” Lanning suggested reluctantly, holding some thoughts to
herself.

“It is fine!” Ning Xueyan laughed, received the water from Qingyu,
picked up the pill and aimed it in her mouth, swallowed it with water. If
Prince Yi was determined to deprive her of her life, there would be no
way for her getting away with it. Besides, this pill was consisted of
several valuable herbs, which could also be very helpful to her. She knew
fairly enough about the quality of herbs.

She thought about what Ao Chenyi said last night. It seemed like she had
to help him find that soldier medallion which belongs to the last dynasty.
Since she had to be on the same board with Ao Chenyi, she would like to
take advantage of his power. For somebody as shrewd, sophisticated,
paranoid and unpredictable as Ao Chenyi, it certainly wouldn’t be easy
to use his power for her favor. She had to be more careful.

Requesting evils to act against their interests, and manipulating human

mind were not what she was good at in her last life. However, in this life,
she had to learn it from scratch.

Neither Ning Xueyan nor her had any attachment with the Lord
Protectors, hence she couldn’t care less about what the future held for the
Lord Protectors.

Since she already walked into the road of revenge, she had never
expected everything would go as she wished.

Alternatively, having Prince Yi on her corner was the best arrangement

she could imagine in this situation where she did not have a say on
anything.
After taking the pill, she rested for a while, right until lunch time. She
was awake and soaked by sweat, but surprisingly found herself much
better, as if she fully recovered overnight. Her appetite was back to
normal and looked pretty well, except for her pale face, which made her
two maids quite happy. The room was full of joy.

In the middle of joyfulness, a voice from outside interrupted. “Is Fifth

Young Lady here?”
Chapter 38 Let Her Know Who is
the Master of Lord Protector’s
Manor
Madam Dowager was having a nap now, so it was not her who asked
someone to come.

Lanning went out and saw a maid who dressed well standing in the
courtyard. At a glance, Lanning knew she was the First Maid. Raising
her chin, she looked at Lanning impatiently.

She was the Ning Yuling’s First Maid, Xianghong. The Second Young
Lady had come to the Cold Mountain Temple!

“Fifth Young Lady is sick and resting now. What’s wrong?” Lanning
asked faintly.

Ning Yuling’s maids had the same temperament with Ning Yuling. They
were cowardly in front of Ning Yuling, but were very arrogant outside.
They always bullied other maids under the protection of Ning Yuling.
And Ning Yuling’s two personal maids were more arrogant.

“The Second Young Lady is coming, let the Fifth Young Lady pick her
up at the gate of the temple.” Xianghong glanced at Lanning and said
with scornfully.

“Our Young Lady is ill and can’t go out. The Second Young Lady could
come by herself. When Fifth Young Lady recovers, she’ll visit the
Second Young Lady.” Lanning politely refused. The Second Young Lady
was not an elder who needed younger to pick up, just came. Moreover, it
seemed that the Second Young Lady had a bad idea.

“What? Let our Young Lady come by herself. Lanning, how dare you!”
Xianghong was so angry. In the Lord Protector’s Manor, everybody had
to respect the Second Young Lady, not to mention the cowardly Fifth
Young Lady. In the past, Xianghong always helped the Second Young
Lady to bully the Fifth Young Lady. She also took part in taking off Ning
Xueyan’s clothes.

In her mind, Xianghong looked down upon the Fifth Young Lady all the
time. Now Ning Xueyan’s maid dared to stand in her way. She instantly
became angry!

“My second sister doesn’t come in by herself, do I have to carry her?”

When the door opened, Ning Xueyan came out with Qingyu’s holding,
smiling coldly.

She satirized Ning Yuling by her words, which made Xianggong angrier.
Xianghong turned her gaze to Ning Xueyan and was about to swear. But
she suddenly looked into Ning Xueyan’s eyes. Ning Xueyan was coldly
looking at Xianghong, which scared her a lot.

Xianghong’s abusive words were stopped, and she didn’t dare to speak
out for a moment.

“My second sister is effeminate and fragile, but I am sick now and
grandmother is taking a nap at this time. She has to go to the yard and
clean there first. I’ll visit her after taking medicine.” Ning Xueyan, with
a faint look, said that and then came back the room, unwilling to say
more to Xianghong.

The meaning of the Fifth Young Lady was that the Second Young Lady
wanted the Fifth Young Lady and Madam Dowager to pick her up.
Xianghong was angry about Ning Xueyan’s satire and wanted to say
something. But Lanning didn’t look at her and turned into the house.
Then laughter of them came out.

No one took Xianghong seriously. She was angry and then left in
resentment.

She would tell the Second Young Lady that the useless Ning Xueyan
dared to satirize her. She not only didn’t go to pick up the Second Young
Lady, but also ignored Xianghong. She would ask the Second Young
Lady to punish Ning Xueyan. They used to scold and bully Ning
Xueyan. Unexpectedly, Ning Xueyan dared to fight against the Second
Young Lady.
When Xianghong left, Ning Xueyan also didn’t stay in the house. She
took some medicine and felt better. The weather was good outside. She
was thinking of going out for a walk. At this time, of course, she
wouldn’t stay in the courtyard and wait for Ning Yuling. So she went to
the back mountain with two maids. There should be many people
enjoying the chrysanthemum flower.

Ning Xueyan’s room was with other ladies’ and on a relatively remote
place. It also was far from men’s courtyards. If she wanted to go to the
back mountain, she had to pass through the men’s courtyards. Those
princes chose the best courtyards. Ning Xueyan would pass through
theirs.

When they left and were not far, Ning Yuling came to Ning Xueyan’s
courtyard. After listening to Xianghong’s words, she was very angry and
determined to teach Ning Xueyan a lesson first. “This bitch dared to talk
back to my people. I’ll kill her.” Ning Yuling thought in mind.

But when she arrived at Ning Xueyan’s courtyard, she was told that she
had gone to the back mountain to appreciate the flowers and got angrier.
Instead of picking her up, Ning Xueyan went to the back mountain to
appreciate the flowers, which greatly angered Ning Yuling.

Regardless of going to her own courtyard, Ning Yuling chased Ning

Xueyan with a large number of maids. After walking for a while, Ning
Yuling saw Ning Xueyan and the two maids behind her. She gave a look
at two older female servants, then the two immediately ran to Ning
Xueyan and stopped her with fierce momentum.

“Fifth Young Lady, please wait a minute.” One older female servant
stretched out her hands and said in a weird way.

All of Ning Yuling’s servants looked down upon Ning Xueyan. These
evil servants almost tortured Ning Xueyan to death several times for
Ning Yuling.

“Second sister, you don’t tidy up your yard first but come to me, what’s
wrong?” Ning Xueyan stopped, turned his head to look at the angry Ning
Yuling, and asked with a faint smile on her face.
This question was natural. But Ning Yuling thought it was defiant. Just
now, she sent people to inform Ning Xueyan of her coming and ask Ning
Xueyan to pick her up. But Ning Xueyan didn’t come and dared to talk
back. Now she pretended to be innocent. So Ning Yuling said nothing,
came over and was going to slap Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan had expected that. She turned her head to avoid, took Ning
Yuling’s hand, and asked with puzzle, “Second sister, why are you so
angry as soon as you arrive here? Grandmother asked us to come to the
temple to be calm and self-disciplined. Don’t get angry. If there’s
something wrong with me, please tell me.”

To be calm and self-disciplined? It seemed that the Madam Dowager just

asked Ning Yuling to change her bad temper here. Ning Yuling got
angrier and got rid of Ning Xueyan’s hands, saying angrily, “All of you
come here, give her a lesson. Let her know who is the master of the Lord
Protector’s Manor.”

Ning Yuling’s servants were familiar with this kind of thing. Tow older
female servants laughed and were going to beat Ning Xueyan.

Qingyu and Lanning were going to stop them, but was stopped by Ning
Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan stepped forward, stared at the two evil servants and said, “I
am the master anyway. Who dares to touch me?”

Her fierce gaze fell on the two older female servants. The two trembled
and didn’t dare to go forward, subconsciously looking back at Ning
Yuling.

The two were frightened by Ning Xueyan. Ning Yuling felt she had lost
face and immediately shouted at the two older female servants, “Teach
this little bitch a lesson. I’ll take all the consequences.”

Ning Yuling was mad by Ning Xueyan now and cared nothing. She had
long forgotten that this was not the backyard of the Lord Protector’s
Manor. A servant realized that something was wrong. She saw more and
more people around them and couldn’t help pulling Ning Yuling’s
sleeves.
“Young Lady, Young Lady…”

“Let me go, we’ve done it before. It doesn’t matter. Beat her, beat this
little bitch.” Ning Yuling was really mad, getting rid of that servant.
Seeing that the two older female servants didn’t start, she just came over
by herself, raised her hand and was going to slap Ning Xueyan. Ning
Xueyan took a step backward and avoided Ning Yuling’s slap.

“Second sister, can’t we talk about it?”

Ning Yuling didn’t beat Ning Xueyan, so she rushed to Ning Xueyan and
wanted to knock her down. Lanning rushed forward to stop Ning Xueyan
from being pushed down. But she was hit by Ning Yuling, stood
unsteadily, and hit Ning Xueyan’s back. Qingyu reached her hands and
pushed Ning Xueyan, making her stable.

A group of people was in chaos, attracting all the people from the side to
watch.

“What an arrogant Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor!” The

cold voice came from behind Ning Yuling with anger.

The crowd turned around and saw several young noble men were
walking slowly. The first one of them was the Third Prince.

Looking at Ning Yuling fierce face and hearing her slanderous words, the
Third Prince felt disgusted. How could such a woman become his
Official Wife? He couldn’t imagine what she would do if he married
concubines… Such an evil woman couldn’t be his Official Wife. He used
to think she was beautiful, but now he only felt disgusted.

His gaze fell from Ning Yuling’s face on Ning Xueyan’s. Though she
looked pale and weak, she had the demeanor of a lady. She was at a
disadvantage, but others still felt that she was noble. His Official Wife
must be this kind of lady.

Other childes also looked at Ning Yuling with disdain. They didn’t
expect that the Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor who had a
good reputation to be a shrew. Whoever married her, he would get into
big trouble. Now she was so merciless to her bloody sister, she must be
more merciless to her husband’s concubines in the future.
Was she taught by the Lord Protectors’ Manor? The shrew was better
than her.

Ning Yuling stunned and then woke up in an instant. She began to

tremble and couldn’t stand steadily, almost falling down. Why didn’t
anyone tell her that the Third Prince was here. She was scolding Ning
Xueyan just now and didn’t find that both the Third Prince and some
childes were there.

“What… what should I do?” Ning Yuling thought in mind. Now she
realized that she had to maintain her grace. But what should she do under
such a circumstance?

“Third Prince, I…”

“Second Young Lady Ning, you’re so commanding. You really are a

sister. Did Fifth Young Lady Ning make you angry? Did she do
something wrong? If so, Fifth Young Lady should apologize to the
Second Young Lady, Right?” A voice came from the Third Prince’s
back.

Ning Xueyan’s gaze fell on a beautiful face, which was more enchanting
than woman’s. Seeing Ning Xueyan looked over, he deliberately blinked
at her.

Although she had never seen such a beautiful face, she had heard that.
The man who was more beautiful than a woman was Wen Xunran, the
son of Commandery Prince Min.

“I, I’m too angry. Fifth sister… Fifth sister has beaten a servant… So I’m
so angry.” Ning Yuling didn’t know what she was saying. Looking at the
Third Prince’s face, she almost cried. She just wanted to teach Ning
Xueyan a lesson. How could she know it would arouse lots of things.

Everyone present saw clearly just now. They all knew that she was
telling a lie and more looked down on her. Even several young ladies
chuckled. They came here because they wanted to be the Consort of
Prince or Consort of a Princely Heir. Ning Yuling was their opponent. Of
course, they hit her when she was down.
“Fifth Young Lady Ning is so weak and might be blown away. Could she
beat the servant? Did I hear aright?”

“I heard that the Fifth Young Lady has been here for a period of time,
and never beat or scold the servant. How come the Second Young Lady
found her beating the servant as soon as she came here to exercise justice
for the servant? It seems that the Fifth Young Lady is not as good as a
servant in the Lord Protector’s Manor.”

“Am I wrong? The Second Young Lady was going to beat the Fifth
Young Lady by herself…”

All the people looked at Ning Yuling with sarcasm.

Chapter 39 Madam Dowager’s
Partiality
The ridicule of everyone was coming to Ning Yuling.

Ning Yuling’s face was pale. With tears in her eyes, she looked at the
Third Prince with a grievance, hoping that he would stand on her side.

“Second Young Lady, if you’re feeling sick, you’d better see a doctor
early. Don’t let it hurt you!” said the Third Prince who gave her a heavy
blow. It meant that she was sick and went out to harm people, like a
madman!

Seeing that the Third Prince looked at Ning Xueyan with gentleness and
care, Ning Yuling was jealous. Suddenly, she cried with her hands
covering her face as she ran back. “Ning Xueyan, how dare you do that?
How dare you seduce the Third Prince in front of me? I’ll never let you
go.” Ning Yuling thought in mind.

Seeing Ning Yuling run away, the group of servants looked at each other
and immediately followed her.

It became quiet.

“Fifth Young Lady, are you okay?” The Third Prince took two steps,
gently asked Ning Xueyan, who was standing behind Lanning. Just now
Ning Yuling ran into Lanning, and the latter hit Ning Xueyan who was
almost knocked down. Everyone saw it.

“I’m fine. Thank you. Third Prince, is there any doctor coming with
you?” Ning Xueyan checked Lanning and saw she frown painfully,
knowing that she was hit by Ning Yuling seriously. So she asked the
Third Prince gently.

Lanning must have been hurt. People like the Third Prince must be
accompanied by doctors.
“Go to invite the doctor.” The Third Prince also realized that Lanning
was injured and asked people to invite the imperial physician.

He didn’t like to go out with too many people. So the imperial physician
was in his courtyard. After a while, the imperial physician came and
checked Lanning, leaving some medicine for her. Ning Xueyan thanked
the Third Prince. She asked Qingyu to hold Lanning and went back with
them, not going to appreciate flowers. It was unexpected that Ning
Yuling was so crazy.

If it hadn’t been for Lanning, she would have been knocked down! She
couldn’t bear any more injury now.

Ning Yuling was getting more and more vicious…

Madam Dowager knew it after waking up in the afternoon. She was very
angry and reproached Ning Yuling. Ning Yuling also knew it was going
to be terrible at this time. She cried sadly and blamed Ning Xueyan for
everything.

It was Ning Xueyan who deliberately led her there, made her angry, and
embarrassed her in public.

Ning Xueyan had been standing in the corridor for some time, but all the
servants directly ignored her. She stood quietly, looking down and
listening to Ning Yuling scolding her with a cold smile on her face.

Madam Dowager was so partial with Ning Yuling.

Many people saw Ning Yuling bully people by taking advantage of her
power, but now they blamed Ning Xueyan!

Fortunately, she had no expectation on Madam Dowager. She knew that

the Madam Dowager wanted to warn her by making her stand in the
corridor. Ning Yuling was brought up by herself. She, an abandoned girl
was no match for Ning Yuling. If Ning Xueyan’s reputation had been
ruined today, Madam Dowager would not care about that.

Fortunately, she did not care about her attitude!

“Fifth Young Lady, Madam Dowager invites you in!” A female servant
came out and said with a smile.

Ning Xueyan nodded and went into the house with Lanning.

As soon as she entered the house, she saw Madam Dowager sitting in the
first place with a gloomy face and Ning Yuling standing beside her while
wiping her tears with her handkerchief. At this time, Ning Yuling wasn’t
arrogant at all. She cried sadly. When she saw Ning Xueyan, she looked
at her with hatred and tightly grasped her handkerchief.

If it hadn’t been for an older female servant behind her who pulled her
sleeve hard, she would have rushed over and torn Ning Xueyan’s face.
“It’s me who humiliate you all the time, how dare you fight against me!”
Ning Yuling thought in mind.

“Grandmother!” Ning Xueyan didn’t look at Ning Yuling and directly

saluted Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager coldly looked at her pale face and didn’t allow her to
stand up. She asked faintly, “Are you better now?”

Actually, Ning Xueyan looked more delicate than Ning Yuling. But her
face was pale and the color of her face and lips was faint. At first glance,
one would know that she was a patient. No one would marry a patient.
So Madam Dowager thought Ning Yuling was much better. She was in
good health and was beautiful, smart, and sweet!

“Grandmother, thank you for your concern. I’m better now. Today, after
getting up, I went out for a walk to breathe fresh air!” Ning Xueyan
answered gently.

“Xueyan, you said you were sick when your sister asked you to pick up
her. Why did you go out for a walk in a short time?” Madam Dowager
stared at Ning Xueyan with an unhappy look. She doubted that Ning
Xueyan deliberately made Ning Yuling lose face.

An older sister came to the temple and needed her sick younger sister to
pick her. As their grandmother, she thought it was normal and blamed
the younger sister not going to pick up her sister. Ning Xueyan sneered
in mind but didn’t show that on her face. She was not in a hurry and said,
“When my second sister came, I am taking medicine. I was expecting to
visit her after she cleaned up the garden. But I didn’t expect her to rush
over directly and get angry with me.”

Ning Yuling was so arrogant that she got into trouble. Madam Dowager
listened to her words and blamed Ning Xueyan.

“It is clear that you deliberately let Xinghong provoke me and led me
there. Ning Xueyan, I didn’t expect you to be so vicious!” Ning Yuling
couldn’t hold it anymore. She looked at Ning Xueyan with hatred and
angrily said.

“Second sister, how did I let Xianghong provoke you? Xianghong is

your maid. When you were in the temple, she didn’t serve you, but ran to
my yard and urged me to greet you. There were not only our Lord
Protector’s Manor living in the temple. What will they think when they
see I greet you at the door? Will they think it’s the rule of Lord
Protector’s Manor?!”

Ning Xueyan said slowly and looked at Ning Yuling.

The current Cold Mountain Temple was different from others.

Everywhere you could see Young Ladies, Childe, and princes. If
someone saw that the younger sister respectfully greeted her older sister,
what would they think? What was more, the younger sister was in bad
health. Madam Dowager frowned and unpleasantly stared at Ning
Yuling.

She behaved so badly. If this was known by others, the whole Lord
Protector’s Manor would lose face.

Thinking of this, Madam Dowager was unhappier. Even though she

favored Ning Yuling, Madam Dowager wouldn’t let her harm the
reputation of Lord Protector’s Manor.

“I forget that you just recovered. Stand up to talk!” Madam Dowager

waved her hands.

“Yes. Thank you, grandmother!” Ning Xueyan stood up, holding

Qingyu’s hands. She knew that Madam Dowager didn’t like her and
deliberately ignored her salute.
Seeing that Madam Dowager was going to spare Ning Xueyan, Ning
Yuling couldn’t allow that. She took two steps forward and cried to
Madam Dowager. “Grandmother, she made things like this, now what
should I do. Just let outsiders gossip me and ruin my reputation? And…
the Third Prince… What will he think, what will he think of the Lord
Protector’s Manor?!”

Ning Yuling wanted to persuade Madam Dowager in the name of Third

Prince. Ning Xueyan didn’t expect that the arrogant Ning Yuling would
be so scheming.

Madam Dowager coughed and turned to Ning Xueyan with an

unpleasant look. She snorted and rebuked, “Xueyan, if you followed
Yuling when you saw her, this would not have happened. Both our
manor and the royal agreed on the marriage between your second sister
and the Third Prince. Now, what will others think about the Lord
Protector’s Manor?”

If Ning Xueyan went with Ning Yuling when the two older female
servants stopped her, then she must be seriously injured. Ning Xueyan’s
gaze became colder and colder. Compared with Ning Yuling’s reputation,
her life was not important at all in Madam Dowager’s mind. Nobody
really treated her as a real master in the Lord Protector’s Manor. Even a
maid would struggle desperately when she was tortured by Ning Yuling,
but her struggle was a mistake.

What Madam Dowager meant was that Ning Xueyan could be

responsible for the whole thing in order to maintain Ning Yuling’s good
reputation. What she thought was perfect.

Ning Xueyan bit her lip slightly and quickly thought in mind. Suddenly,
she went up and saluted again. “Grandmother, you can put this matter on
me, I’m willing to be responsible for it. Tell others that I provoked the
second sister and made her angry so that people will know that she is a
graceful lady.”

“What?” Madam Dowager was stunned. This was what she wanted to
say next. Ning Xueyan said it in advance, and she didn’t react for a
moment.
Ning Yuling, who stood aside stopped crying. She looked at Madam
Dowager in surprise and cried out in a hurry, “Grandma!” Then she
looked at Ning Xueyan with disdain. She had thought that Ning Xueyan
had become smart. Now she found that she was still timid. Grandmother
didn’t say anything before she took the initiative to take responsibility. “I
needn’t persuade grandmother.” Ning Yuling thought in mind.

“Grandmother, I’m in bad health. I don’t know how long I can live. The
reputation is useless to me.” Ning Xueyan coughed for a while and
continued. “So no matter what you say, I’ll agree. As long as I admit this,
those princes and princely heirs won’t say more even though they have
seen what happened!”

“What? They saw all?” Madam Dowager widened her eyes suddenly.

“Yes. I went out to relax and saw them after a while. Unexpectedly, the
second sister rushed over and asked two older female servants to stop
me. Without saying a word, they were going to beat me. I was afraid that
people would think that servants always bully masters in our Lord
Protector’s Manor, so I reproached the two servants. But the second
sister was angrier. She rushed to beat me by herself while scolding me,
so this matter…”

Ning Xueyan said gently. It seemed that she defended the Lord
Protector’s Manor, especially when she said ‘always’. But Madam
Dowager was anger about her words, and her gloomy gaze fell on Ning
Xueyan as if she wanted to see her through to see if she told the truth
because Ning Yuling didn’t mention the detail just now.

Ning Xueyan faced Madam Dowager’s gaze and looked gentle and calm.

“Grandmother, she’s deliberate. She deliberately reproached the two

servants, deliberately provoked me and deliberately framed me…” Ning
Yuling cried out in a hurry when she felt something wrong.

“Shut up!” Madam Dowager shouted at her with anger.

Chapter 40 Ning Yuling Falls
Down Badly
Ning Yuling didn’t expect Madam Dowager to yell at her. Looking at
Madam Dowager’s unpleasant face, Ning Yuling was shocked, and she
couldn’t help but say, “Grandma!”

Such a wronged look made people feel she was pitiful.

“How could you get into the prince’s manor like this? What did you say?
You said that she led you there and framed you intentionally. But you
asked someone to beat your sister in front of so many people. Now you
dare to deceive me. Don’t you know I’m your grandmother? Your father
and mother have spoiled you.”

Looking at her, Madam Dowager was so angry that she couldn’t help
shouting at her. She had wanted Ning Xueyan to be responsible for this
matter, explaining to others that Ning Xueyan treated her sister’s maids
badly and beat her sister’s maids so that Ning Yuling angrily defended
her maid, then the two argued in the back mountain.

But Ning Yuling didn’t tell Madam Dowager that the Third Prince saw
what had happened. How could Madam Dowager explain to others this
time?

If they blamed Ning Xueyan for this matter, even though Ning Xueyan
was willing to take it, others would feel that the Lord Protector’s Manor
was biased. What was more, Ming Feiyong was in the capital. He was
difficult to get along with. Maybe he had been collecting evidence these
days so that he didn’t go to Lord Protector’s Manor.

“Grandma, it’s not all her faults. I should be blamed as well. I should
have told her early.” Ning Xueyan said.

Indeed, she didn’t want to make it clear at that time. Even though she
wanted, Ning Yuling didn’t give her a chance to say. She rushed over and
immediately asked two older female servants to beat her. She didn’t care
about Ning Xueyan at all. Of course, Ning Xueyan had to say that she
should have told Ning Yuling early to Madam Dowager, letting Madam
Dowager understand what kind of person Ning Yuling was in other
people’s mind.

Looking at the sensible Ning Xueyan, Madam Dowager sighed. “If she
could be as sensible as you, it would be good. Look at what she has done
today. She looks like a shrew. Let’s wait for the Honored Consort Ya to
solve the matter.”

She hoped that the Honored Consort Ya would consider this an accident
since Ning Yuling seldom forgot herself and forgave her.

Looking at that Madam Dowager was gentle to Ning Xueyan, Ning

Yuling was very angry. Although she was afraid to speak, she stared at
Ning Xueyan fiercely. She only wished to tear Ning Xueyan’s face.
Suddenly, she looked at the outside and got a malice idea in mind.

Madam Dowager had no choice but to remedy what Ning Yuling had
done. She only wanted Ning Yuling to stop causing trouble these days
and do some decent things to cover this matter for Lord Protector’s
Manor. So she repeatedly told Ning Yuling to behave herself these days.

Ning Yuling promised.

After saying goodbye to Madam Dowager, Ning Yuling rushed over and
wanted to grasp Ning Xueyan’s hair as soon as they arrived at the gate of
the courtyard. She didn’t believe that she could not deal with a patient,
scolding, “You’re such a little bitch. It’s all your fault. You dared to
provoke grandmother to scold me. I’ll kill you.”

Things happened unexpectedly. Ning Xueyan didn’t expect Ning Yuling

to be so wanton. She just had time to avoid her head from being grasped.
But she was grasped on the shoulder and pushed hard. She couldn’t keep
stable. She rushed forward and was going to collide with the door frame
and stone wall. Ning Xueyan was so weak that she might be dead if she
hit the door frame and stone wall.

Ning Yuling was upset that she had not caught Ning Xueyan’s hair. But
when she looked at the door and the stone wall in front of Ning Xueyan,
Ning Yuling was immediately happy to see that she was going to die.
In the critical moment, Ning Xueyan grabbed an older female servant’s
clothes who stood on the side. The older female servant was pulled to
take two steps forward, but stopped when Ning Xueyan was going to
knock on the door frame. Luckily, Ning Xueyan didn’t hit the door
frame. She just was bruised slightly.

Even so, Ning Xueyan was too shocked and scared to hear other people’s
voice.

“Little bitch, watch out. Do you still dare to fight with me?” Ning Yuling
mocked at her, tidying herself. Then she strode past Ning Xueyan,
glanced at her intentionally, but reached out her foot to trip Ning Xueyan
who still stood unsteadily. She wanted Ning Xueyan to be seriously
injured.

Ning Xueyan was furious, thinking, “She’s so vicious!”

Ning Xueyan gritted her teeth and lifted her foot slightly. When Ning
Yuling stretched her foot, Ning Xueyan seemed to be unsteady and fell to
Ning Yuling. The older female servant who was pulled by Ning Xueyan
subconsciously exchanged her position with Ning Xueyan. So Ning
Yuling finally tripped the older female servant.

The older female servant was powerful. When she noticed someone
tripped her, she stood steadily with great strength. Instead, she tripped
the Ning Yuling. Those servants following Ning Yuling was laughing at
Ning Xueyan, so they all didn’t have time to stop Ning Yuling from
falling down.

Ning Yuling staggered out of the door, and fell down, laying on the
ground.

Nobody expected Ning Yuling to fall so heavily. Suddenly there was a

burst of laughter outside the courtyard door. Ning Yuling looked up and
saw several ladies looking at her with disdain and laughing ironically.

“Well, isn’t this the Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor?
What are you doing this time? Are you dressing in motley and clowning
to amuse your grandmother?” The Young Lady who spoke put her
handkerchief over her mouth and laughed at Ning Yuling.
“She must be. The Second Young Lady is really filial. Knowing that
Madam Dowager likes drama, she plays a part to amuse her
grandmother. It’s lucky that we also see the play.” Another laughed
happily. Her family wanted her to marry with the Third Prince, but heard
that the Lord Protector’s Manor wanted Ning Yuling to marry the Third
Prince. She was depressed. So now she was happy to see Ning Yuling
losing face.

“You… you…” Ning Yuling didn’t hurt, but she felt embarrassed. And
now she was mocked by her opponents. She was extremely furious.

“Second Young Lady, Madam Dowager invites you in!” One older
female servant told this to Madam Dowager who then almost fainted in
her anger. She immediately asked people to call back Ning Yuling. One
problem hadn’t been solved and another problem came. Madam
Dowager didn’t know how to help Ning Yuling!

Would it be fine for her to marry Third Prince?

Ning Xueyan calmed down and was called in by Madam Dowager too.

As soon as they entered the room, they saw the angry Madam Dowager
hitting the ground with her cane. Ning Yuling knelt and said with
unwillingness, “Grandmother, I’m not wrong. Ning Xueyan deliberately
stripped me. She wanted me to lose face. She’s malicious.”

Although she didn’t know how she was tripped, she still pushed things
all over Ning Xueyan. If it hadn’t been Ning Xueyan, she wouldn’t have
stretched her feet and fallen down! It was her fault.

“You’re ruining yourself.” Madam Dowager had no time to scold her and
said to the servants, “Go to see if Master Mingyue has time now. Invite
her to come here. Help Fifth Young Lady sit down.”

Only after a while, Ning Xueyan’s forehead had been swollen. It looked
scary and worse than Ning Yuling.

Ning Xueyan’s forehead was swollen, but she was calm, covering her
forehead with a handkerchief, and said with a smile, “Grandmother, I’m
good. How’s second sister? Is she also injured? Check her first.”
No one saw the ridicule in Ning Xueyan’ eyes. She was only slightly
hurt, but Ning Yuling lost face in front of many people. For those Young
Ladies, reputation was more important than life!

“Don’t be hypocritical. Bitch! It’s your fault!” Ning Yuling shouted with
hatred.

Madam Dowager looked at this sick granddaughter who almost could be

blown down by the wind. She kept calm even though she was seriously
injured. Then she looked at Ning Yuling who knelt on one side and spoke
out a stream of abuse. Madam Dowager felt pity for Ning Xueyan now.

She personally came over and looked at the forehead of Ning Xueyan.
“Because of her, you’re injured seriously. Leave her alone. Later when
the Master comes, I’ll invite her to check you first. You’re a Young Lady,
your face couldn’t be ruined.”

Ning Xueyan looked at Madam Dowager loving face and her eyes
brimmed with tears. She lowered her head and wiped tears with her
handkerchief, hiding the sneer in her eyes.

Ning Yuling’s behaviors had proved that she was a vicious shrew. Now
Ning Xueyan wanted to get rid of this matter. Although she was pushed
forward by Ning Yuling first and it was not she who tripped Ning Yuling,
she was not sure whether Madam Ling would pick on her. So she had to
come up with an idea to let Madam Dowager believe she was innocent.

“Grandma, why do you still protect her? She tripped me.” Ning Yuling
was angry when she found that she was kneeling while Ning Xueyan was
sitting on one side.

“Since when her status was even higher than me? You’re just a bitch.
How dare you sit?” Ning Yuling thought in mind. Because she was
beautiful and charming, she often made Madam Dowager happy. So she
was favored by Madam Dowager and stood by her word in front of
Madam Dowager. Even though she almost killed Ning Xueyan in the
past, Madam Dowager never scolded her.

Today, she just pushed Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan didn’t fell down, but
she fell down and was mocked by several Young Ladies. Ning Yuling
felt that she was aggrieved. The cause of this incident was Ning Xueyan.
If she hadn’t wanted to trip her, she wouldn’t have fallen down.

There was a kind of person in this world who was vicious and killed
others but claimed all were other people’s fault.

If Ning Xueyan really died today, no one would suspect what Ning
Yuling said!

“Shut up and go back to your yard. You can’t go out without my

permission.” Seeing she still was stubborn, Madam Dowager was angry
and shouted at her.

“Grandmother, you punish me for her? Do you really think she is the
daughter of Official Wife and is equal to me? She’s just a bitch. Yes, I
want to kill her. But so what? Grandmother, you’re partial.”

Ning Yuling was unwilling, shouting in the house.

“How dare you! Take her into the yard.” Madam Dowager was
extremely furious, hitting the ground with her walking stick. Ning Yuling
didn’t know that she also scolded Madam Dowager as she scolded Ning
Xueyan. Madam Dowager had a close blood relation with Ning Xueyan.

Seeing a few older female servants come toward her, Ning Yuling
shouted more loudly, pushing them away.

“Grandmother, how can you do this to me? I’ll tell my mother!”

Chapter 41 Your Highness Wants
Something, So Do I
Madam Dowager pressed on her chest, so furious and livid at what Ning
Yuling had just said, which almost caused her to have a heart attack. The
messages Ning Yuling conveyed was that in the Lord Protector’s Manor,
Madam Ling prevailed her on power. Though she barely laid her hands
on the matters in the Manor, she couldn’t bear such a demeaning attitude
towards her. “Force her out, force her out, leave her kneeling in her own
yard, and without my permission, she shall never get up.”

After yelling out, she was all worked up and panting heavily. Sensing the
severity of this situation, with no hesitation, maids and older female
servants unambiguously dragged Ning Yuling out. After all, Ning Yuling
hadn’t dared to cross the line so far. As soon as she was outside, she
cleared her hair, angrily shoved two older female servants’ hands away
and strode forward. Two older female servants looked at each other,
knowing there was nothing they could do but following behind her,
which made the whole thing more like “escorting”, rather than “forcing”.

Master Mingyue came over and checked on Ning Xueyuan. Aside from
prescribing her some medicine for swelling, he asked her to ensure
enough rest. As a token of consolation, Madam Dowager sent someone
to select and give her some luxuries, and then to escort her back to her
own yard.

Coming back to her yard and sitting down, Ning Xueyan leaned on the
bed, resting. The medicine prescribed by Master Mingyue was so
effective that it took only a short time before her forehead felt much
better. Qingyu felt relieved after finding out nothing serious was going
on on her forehead.

“Young Lady, how come Madam Dowager gives away such things to
you when you are not allowed to wear them currently?!” Lanning
frowned and asked, pointing at the exquisite silks, satins, and the jewelry
on the table which were identifiable as high quality at first glance.
However, since she was in mourning right now, it would be extremely
inappropriate to put those on.

“This is a gesture from Madam Dowager to show her kindness to you. It

seems like she has truly realized how good you are.” Qingyu laughed
naively.

“That is because she found out the great benefits of using me and I am
such a good asset to her, rather than how good I am.” Ning Xueyan tilted
her head and sneered. Her long eyelashes teetered a little, leaving the
subtle shadow on her pure white face. The thing was that Madam
Dowager was absolutely too confident of her plan to realize that Ning
Xueyan was no longer the person who knew nothing about how to
defend herself.

There was no way that Madam Dowager could genuinely care about her.
In front of her granddaughter, she had always adored her most with a full
heart, Ning Xueyan was the one that lacked any interaction and
attachment to her. On one hand, treating her well was to show the
manners and rules in the Lord Protector’s Manor to the bystanders,
especially after Ning Yuling made such a dramatic scene. On the other
hand, she aimed to reestablish and improve Ning Yuling’s resilience in
this way.

Madam Dowager was encouraging Ning Yuling, by taking advantage of

the situation so Ning Yuling could use it as a stepping stone.

Given Ning Yuling’s disposition, it would be unwise to become one of

the royals. Madam Dowager intended to teach her a lesson by giving
Ning Yuling a hard time under her watch. As for whether Ning Yuling
would wind up turning against her, or whether she could make it, was all
beyond her consideration.

Lanning stayed silent. As someone who had been through hell once, she
could think about things ahead of Qingyu. Knowing Ning Xueyan was
right about this, she had nothing to say.

Qingyu bit her lips, speechless, and feeling sorry for the Young Lady she
served.
The carriage Honored Consort Ya rode in arrived at nightfall, with
everyone’s expectation and attention. All of a sudden, the madams in the
temple all rushed outside to welcome her. In Cold Mountain Temple’s
gate was such a hustle and bustle, swarmed with young ladies. The
madams who brought their eldest daughter, all eagerly wanted to make
some impression in front of Honored Consort Ya, with the hope of
marriage being possible if they were lucky enough to catch Honored
Consort Ya’s eye. Even though it was not the emperor’s son who was to
marry, noble and dignitary princes in the palace of the Prince would also
be enough for them.

Since the people had all gathered in front, correspondingly there was a
lot of space in the back. Ning Xueyan saw the chance and headed to the
back. Constantly resting on a bed for these past few days evidently
crippled her flexibility. She roamed around to get some fresh air and
relax.

Since everyone had been attracted to the front where Honored Consort
Ya was, the ambiance of the mountain behind Cold Mountain Temple
was fairly quiet. The stream was running through, the road was still, and
the breathtaking trees stood against the sky, as she ambled along a path.
She felt humble and peaceful. Immersing herself in the serene forest felt
like a dream to Ning Xueyan.

As a survivor, everything around her was surreal, more like a dream.

Only can wrenching pain while suffocating provide a real awareness of
being alive.

Walking for a while, a stream settled underneath a small-sized waterfall

and grew into a lake. Though the waterfall came far from the sky, the
complicated turns and twists compromised its speed and impact, so the
sound of its impact was muffled. Through the crystal clear lake, there
were fish swimming by frequently, exclusively nurtured and pampered
by idyllic nature.

There was a person sitting on a tall rock beside the lake, with their hair
scattered and soaked. Though he was facing away from her with his back
turned, Ning Xueyan still recognized the black garment as sooty ink,
resplendent yet aggressive, with the crimson Manjusaka blooming and
the elegance conveyed by the golden silk thread.
She couldn’t help but sigh, sometimes fate was sometimes karma.

It was the last person she wanted to see, and here he was!

The whole temple, as His Highness whose power loomed over the entire
imperial government, Prince Yi was the one that didn’t take Honored
Consort Ya seriously. It was already too late to retreat. Besides, given
there were no guards getting in the way, he must allow her to get near.

“Why not go to the front to please Honored Consort Ya. You may wind
up getting married to the Third Prince, who knows.” Expectedly, before
she moved, Ao Chenyi turned his head, sitting on that tall rock, and
looked down on her. Without his gold crown, he looked less superior and
cavalier and yet more enchanting. Slightly rolling his beautiful eyes, he
distantly looked at Ning Xueyan and asked.

Ning Xueyan shook her head as she leaned on a stone next to her, looked
upwards and replied, “Playing a role as the royal wife is quite
demanding. Since I am not endowed with enough intelligence and the
gifts I need, it is better if I distance myself from this mess where I may
die without even knowing why.”

All she said was unfortunately true. She had already been struggling in
the Lord Protector’s Manor, and every step ahead of her was tough
enough. Turning her back against others for the Third Prince would leave
her marooned and isolated. There was a fat chance that she would end up
being eliminated without a trace.

In her last life, she had been blessed with romance. However, when it
came to this life, the only thing she cared about was revenge and living a
normal life ever after. The fortune and affection shall all pass.

“What if I can help you become the Third Consort to the Prince? Ao
Chenyi leaned over and then laid down. His eyes looking directly at
Ning Xueyan, eliciting a smile tinged with a weird chill.

“I really appreciate my lord’s offer, but I literally have no intention to

become Consort of the Prince,” Ning Xueyan sighed, “My lord need not
worry. Though becoming Third Consort to the Prince wouldn’t work out
for me, I will still go to Ning Zu’an’s study room and help you look for
that thing like I promised. She retracted her captivating gaze from the
distance, projected it at Ao Chenyi and shined a smile on him. That
unpolished and innocent gesture made his heart skip a beat.

This was the first time someone was so comfortable around him, unlike
others who would dodge making eye contact after the first glance. Not
everyone was capable of putting up with the appalling vibe which
seemed to emanate from the dead and their blood. In front of him, even
experienced generals who had witnessed countless battles obeyed him
without questions, let alone this vulnerable young lady who could
literally be carried away by the wind.

In his handsome eyes, some curiosity was stirred up. “Wouldn’t it bother
you if the whole of the Lord Protector’s Manor was exterminated?”

Even though the words were similar to before, the tone was different.

“My lord is second to the one only, besides, In the future, with the whole
country in your hand, whoever you want to kill is totally up to you. Not
making a move today won’t guarantee their safety tomorrow. I am not in
the position to worry.”

“Oh, Ning Zu’an is your own father, wouldn’t you feel concern about
him?”

“My biological mother is the only parent I have, I’ve never had a father.”
Cutting and distant as her eyes were, she said without a slice of
hesitation, and only her long eyelashes teetered a little bit. Since she had
already planned on taking advantage of Ao Chenyi’s power, when it
came to the choice between the Lord Protector’s Manor and Prince Yi,
there was no room for her to evade. Besides, she literally had no
attachment to the Lord Protector’s Manor. Though she was yet capable
of leaving the Lord Protector’s Manor for good, no one can stop her from
building up her strength.

Ao Chenyi’s thin lips went slightly upwards at the edges, black hair
falling smoothly down his shoulder, looking like dark silk. Slender eyes
squinted towards this delicate girl standing in front of him, “Do you want
to leave the Lord Protector’s Manor?”

“Yes, the day I leave shall come!” Ning Xueyan answered bluntly.
“That’s a quick answer, aren’t you afraid of me dragging you down while
I crush the Lord Protector’s Manor?” Ao Chenyi found her more
intriguing and looked at this young lady, who had been telegraphing cold
and distant vibe, with great interest. As a person who treated the one she
loved with a full heart and paid back the pain to the people she hated a
hundred times over, she was quite something else.

To get what she wanted, she acted merciless and assertive, even to
herself.

It was her personality that he was mesmerized by.

“My lord wouldn’t. Killing someone on your side with no good reason
would definitely make the people who work for you feel disappointed
and even betrayed!” Ning Xueyan looked up, corners on her mouth
going upwards slightly. She raised her head and looked at Ao Chenyi
with her clear eyes as water yet fairly cutting and elusive. Only she knew
that her drooping long sleeves hid her clenched fists. In front of Prince
Yi with his capricious mood, she never would dare to lower her guard.

She circumspectly saw herself as one of Ao Chenyi’s subordinates.

“Hehe……” he smiled, with his glamorous beauty, while ruffling his

handsome eyes. He raised his hand casually, grabbed a flagon and
frivolously poured himself a cup of wine. Red wine, dark as blood,
spinning in glass, reached his lips which made them much brighter and
tinged them with a sense of danger like he’d been drinking blood.

“How dare you threaten Your Highness? Aren’t you afraid that I would
kill you right now?” Ao Chenyi’s slender, charming eyes flashed a hint
of astonishment. This girl kept surprising him. His focus was not on the
menace hidden in her words, but her boldness, which he really
appreciated.

His eyes looked at her palm-sized face, stopping at her forehead where
some medicine had been applied. To avoid infection, Lanning
deliberately let her hair down onto her forehead and thought no one
would notice. Her exquisite facial features were utterly exposed, the
redness and swelling on her forehead made her look more pitiful and
fragile.
From every angle, she was a delicate young lady from a respectful
family. However, what she said and what she did was far from that
image. If he didn’t see the evident bite on her arm in person, there was
no way for him to believe that she could be so hard-hearted.

“My lord, of course I’m afraid, but I still stand by my words.”

“Oh, why?” Ao Chenyi widened his eyes a little.

“If my Lord wants something, so do I.” Ning Xueyan looked straight at

his gorgeous face and confided in him as if in front of Ao Chenyi, she
had nothing to hide.

This answer made Ao Chenyi laugh so hard. “In fact, you can also ask
the Third Prince for help, maybe he is more willing to do the beauty a
favor.”

“What Third Prince would do is his own business, not mine!” Ning
Xueyan articulated. Judging from Madam Dowager’s attitude, that door
for Ning Yuling becoming Third Princess was not entirely closed, it
seemed like Third Prince’s marriage was not entirely up to him.

Besides, Ning Zu’an’s power was something Third Prince probably

craved.
Chapter 42 Assassination and
Blood Everywhere.
So, when it came to Third Prince, she yearned for nothing that could
happen between them. Initially, she had no intention to swoop in and
compete with Ning Yuling. What Third Prince would do was literally
none of her business, and the reason she didn’t want Ning Yuling to
marry Prince was that she had been afraid Madam Ling would capitalize
on the power coming along with this marriage against her.

“If Third Prince knew the opposite side of you that you act so hard-
hearted, I am not sure whether he would still treat you nice and kind.”
Something funny occurred to Ao Chenyi which made him laugh even
harder. His eyes, falling on Ning Xueyan, were so gloomy and cold that
made her whole body nervous, like being hit by something resplendent
yet glacial.

She couldn’t afford a slice of suspicion from Ao Chenyi, was afraid to

remove her eyes away first. She had no choice but to confront that
creepy gaze, while in her heart deep trembling with fear. She kept telling
herself as comfort that since Ao Chenyi needed her to find that military
medallion which belonged to preceding dynasty, he must need her alive
and would not kill her at least for now.

Compared with the first time they met, Ao Chenyi was less hostile and
intimidating to her, but still couldn’t guarantee her safety for good,
considering that Prince Yi was obnoxiously capricious.

Requesting evils to act against their interests, is a business either to win

or die. She put her own life at stake.

To defeat Madam Ling mother and daughter was out of her league, so
she had to seek support from others. Her uncle was one of them, but he
would eventually return far back to the border. It just hit her that since
there was no other valuable family background for her to exploit, she
must take advantage of other’s power, otherwise, killing her would be
like nipping a bud to Ning Yuling, leaving no chance for her to fight
back.

In the whole Manor, there was no one for her to count on, neither the
Madam Dowager, nor Ning Zu’an. As incompetent as she was, how on
earth could she win Madam Ling to get her revenge!

The weak might succeed in manipulating others, but not the military
force. In front of Madam Ling’s tremendous appalling power, everything
she had was trivial. If Madam Ling wanted her dead, there was nothing
she could do to stop her. Besides, Ning Zu’an wasn’t a threat to her. All
in all, she had to score this one.

She must become one of Ao Chenyi’s people.

“Okay, you are in.” He smiled with some elusive meaning, and
surprisingly long eyelashes cast creepy shadows on his white smooth
face, “since I’ve already listed you in my team, you don’t need to be so
frightened.”

That flippant laughter sounded like a signal and was received by the
guards who ambushed him on the side, which made their hearts jolt.
They all desensitized their hearing and retracted their attention from the
lake. If Prince Yi found out they were all eavesdropping, they might lose
their ears for that.

He suddenly hurled the wine glass backward, drawing a crimson light

and it thudded into the lake. Before Ning Xueyan could figure out what
happened, Ao Chenyi adroitly landed on the ground from that rock,
caught Ning Xueyan and turned around before both of them fell on that
rock. He remained half-reclining posture, and the only difference was
that there was a beautiful, pale yet chaste as clear water in this handsome
man’s arm.

What presented in front of her was the red blood waving in the water and
drifting away!

On the hills of both sides, some people in black with masks either rolled
down or showed up from the lake. All of them were aiming their swords
toward Ao Chenyi, as well as Ning Xueyan in his arm. Blinding and cold
lights went straight to their faces within a blink…
Meanwhile, a group of guards coming out from nowhere jumped out
from all directions and acted mercilessly. People in black were extremely
skilled, but they were immediately ambushed. In front of guards who
were twice times than them in number and equally trained, people in
black couldn’t stand a chance to spare.

All of a sudden, cries only from one party were everywhere. The clear
lake was colored into bloody red.

There was blood everywhere. People in black were taken down one by
one, a few of them died of one fatal harm, and some of them were still
struggling to march toward Ao Chenyi after applied seven or eight
wounds by the sword. An assassin who had already jumped up on the
rock fell down in front of Ning Xueyan. His eyes were still wide-open,
bluntly gazing at her, and the color in his eyes was fading away. Before
dying, he spurted blood on Ao Chenyi’s and Ning Xueyan’s clothes.

Unconsciously, Ning Xueyan reached out and dragged Ao Chenyi’s

garment.

“Are you scared?” A cold yet enchanting sound echoed in her ear…

“Does it matter whether I am scared or not?” Ning Xueyan’s eyes cast on

that assassin’s face. Although her face had turned pale and her
extremities were frozen, she still exerted herself and stared at that
assassin.

After being stabbed a few times, fresh and warm blood was flowing out.
Wide-open eyes were staring at them in vain and vanity, but still could
sense the bloody hatred. This assassination ended up with failure, as the
cries became weaker and weaker.

Everything had been planned. Prince Yi showed up here because he had

known this. It was herself that strayed into this.

“If you are frightened, feel free to go!” Ao Chenyi let go of Ning
Xueyan’s slim waist, and on the corners of his mouth, a creepy cold
smile emerged, resplendent yet elusive, which was quite terrifying,
especially against this bloody background.
“Even if I can leave, I can’t be safe. For your information, the road has
been full of danger, too.” Ning Xueyan felt a stab of pain. She quickly
calmed down, sat up, embraced her knees where her head settled and
said in a low voice.

Since assassination had happened, there was no way there were only a
few people. Those people could not kill Ao Chenyi. There must be some
attacks waiting for him since they dared to assassinate Ao Chenyi. It was
the most relaxing moment for someone who just won a battle after being
threatened. If the enemy mustered their strength to fight back, it was
possible that they could get what they want.

This reminded her of the last life, Madam Ling and her daughter, along
with Xia Yuhang acted exactly like that. At the last night before her
wedding, which was supposed to be the happiest and most blessed
moment in her life, they cruelly drowned her to death in that lotus pond.

The young lady in plain dress bent her knees and sat on the stone stage,
and her eyes were black as dark jade, deep yet distant, emanating a sense
of melancholy. Her palm-sized innocent face seemed at a loss. The
corner of her clothes was covered with some blood. This was a
dramatically bloody scene where she was the only one who seemed out
of all this and unbelievably peaceful, like a pure white snowdrop, so
unapproachable and elegant.

The view full of blood on the back actually served as a foil to her.

She didn’t feel sorry for them, given she would lose her life if they won.
After all, they wouldn’t spare her life out of her being innocent.

Ao Chenyi frowned, flippantly pointed at the path Ning Xueyan took

before, and asked, “So, you mean there are more assassinators out
there?”

“My Lord, this question is actually redundant. Along that path, I can’t
even hear the sounds of insects and birds. This forest is abnormally
quiet!” Ning Xueyan retracted her thoughts and slightly looked back,
eliciting a smile at the edges of her eyebrows, “Since My Lord has
already set up everything, how come you ask me again!”
She hadn’t noticed when she came here, the path she took was oddly
quiet. Cooperating with this current situation, all was so clear.

Looking upward, this intense fight was just over, while another fight got
started. Although she couldn’t see the details, the cries loomed over this
place, scary and terrifying. Though she didn’t pity those people, that
didn’t mean she appreciated such a scene, which was full of blood and
death. Even the air smelled bloody. She looked down and kept silent.

She tried to avoid witnessing such a living hell.

“My Lord, what should we do with those people?” A guard came and
saluted respectfully under the stone stage.

“Old rules!” Ao Chenyi said without any feelings.

“Understood!” With no more words, the guard went back a few steps and
then retreated!

In the meantime, there were cries coming one by one, echoing long in
the air. The last cry came right before they died, in the broad field, before
the final strike, it was more like a cruel game of cat catching mouse. Not
until they grew bored about this, here came the lethal move!

Prince Yi, who had been through a lot, how come he didn’t realize there
were people ambushing him.

Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes and asked Ning Xueyan no more

questions. He stood beside Ning Xueyan. The autumn wind blew his
sooty garment with some blood, where the Equinox Flower looked even
more glaring and striking and got people spellbound by the arresting red.
From Ning Xueyan’s position, she could see the blooming Equinox
Flowers, which blocked her view of the sky flying toward her with the
wind.

The night rolled over. Ning Xueyan came back to her yard in the
darkness. Fortunately, everyone had gone to the Honored Consort Ya’s
place to pay their respect, so she didn’t encounter anyone. When she
entered her room, Qingyu almost shouted out after inspecting the blood
on her dress.
“I am okay, and this blood is not mine.” Ning Xueyan urgently explained
in order to prevent her from screaming.

“Young… young lady, what happened?” Qingyu asked concernedly after

finally getting herself together, while her face was still pale.

If this blood wasn’t from Ning Xueyan, then it must be others’. How
come others’ blood splashed on young lady’s clothes. Thinking of this,
Qingyu was terrified.

“I ran into an event that someone tried to assassinate Prince Yi. Go get
me clothes to change.” Ning Xueyan sat down on a chair and acted
composed when the fatigue kicked in. She had been holding her breath
until now. After she exhaled, she felt that her arms and legs were
trembling and freezing. It was not she was not afraid; it was because she
could not be afraid.

“Young lady, please take the tea first, and then I will help you change
your dress.” Lanning served a cup of steamed tea, and said in a low
voice. She had always been more sophisticated than Qingyu, so after she
saw Ning Xuening come in, she acknowledged Ning Xueyan wasn’t
injured. Lanning, on the opposite, behaved herself as normal and went
make a cup of tea.

Ning Xueyan fetched the tea. When her trembling fingers touched that
warm cup, a stream of warmth seeped in through her fingers literally and
brought her back to life.

After they helped Ning Xueyan change and clean up, she finally got to
sit down when hearing someone asking, “Is Fifth Young Lady here?”

“Sister, can I help you?” Lanning came out and saw a maidservant, so
she asked politely.

“Madam Dowager asked Fifth Young Lady to dress up and come over
now.” This maidservant replied.

“Sure, she will be there in a minute.” Lanning nodded. Hearing this, the
maidservant turned around and left.
“Madam Dowager was asking for me?” Ning Xueyan was shocked.
After giving it a lot of thoughts and getting the clue, she barely hesitated
before standing up, bringing a lantern and heading toward Madam
Dowager’s place with Qingyu. Lanning was bumped by Ning Yuling and
hadn’t fully recovered yet, so she stayed in the yard.

When they got to the gate, they saw the dazzling gate and a group of
maidservants standing still on the corridor. Also, there were a few
eunuchs waiting next to the door. When they spotted Ning Xueyan
coming, one of them stepped forward and asked, “Who are you?”
Chapter 43 The Appreciation
Comes from the Honored Consort
Ya
“Our Young Lady is the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor.
She’s coming here to meet Madam Dowager.” Qingyu stepped forward,
raised her head and answered. During this period of time, Qingyu had
been trained to be no longer as timid as before. She was neither humble
nor arrogant when she answered the eunuchs.

Someone came in to ask for permission. After a while, an older female

servant came out and nodded while looking at Ning Xueyan who was
blocked outside. Then the eunuch raised his hand and let go.

Qingyu was left in the corridor and Ning Xueyan went into alone.
Although she didn’t look up, she had seen everything in the room as
soon as she came in. In the spacious room, a beautiful woman in a piece
of clothing embroidered phoenix was sitting at the top seat. She had an
oval face and her eyebrows were slender, showing her gentleness while
speaking and smiling.

It was hard to believe that such a pure and gentle woman was the favored
Honored Consort Ya.

The Third Prince sat on her left hand while Madam Dowager was sitting
on her right hand. Ning Yuling, who was supposed to be punished in the
courtyard now was standing next to Madam Dowager with a charming
and shy look. When Ning Xueyan came in, Ning Yuling looked at her
with maliciousness but did nothing.

Sure enough, the Honored Consort Ya was here. She came to Madam
Dowager’s courtyard at this time, which showed that she had a good
personal relationship with Madam Dowager.

“You’re the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor? How old
are you?” The Honored Consort Ya scrutinized Ning Xueyan for a while.
Ning Xueyan looked pale at first glance, which gave people a feeling
that she was not in good health. But when people looked at her carefully
again, they would found her delicate face was really beautiful. Just
because of her light lips, she looked less eye-catching.

But the more you looked at her, the more beautiful you felt she was. She
was a young beauty.

“Her Royal Highness, I am the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s

Manor. I’m fourteen years old.” Ning Xueyan went forward and saluted
respectfully, then stood on the side and answered.

She was natural and graceful and didn’t show any surprise, panic or joy
when she saw Honored Consort Ya.

Seeing Ning Xueyan behaved well, the Third Prince praised her in mind
and his look became more gentle. He gave a look to Ning Xueyan with
an unconscious smile. Ning Yuling, who stood opposite him, saw his
smile clearly. Immediately, she became angry and almost tore her
handkerchief into pieces.

“You’re a clever child. But I found that you’re not in good health. Have
you ever gone to the doctor?” The Honored Consort Ya looked at her
with a smile and asked, seemingly in a casual way.

“Mother, the imperial physician had seen Fifth Young Lady before,
saying that there was nothing serious. Because of the neglect of nursing,
she always falls ill.” The Third Prince answered first. When they were in
the back mountain, Ning Yuling didn’t hit Ning Xueyan but hit Lanning.
After checking Lanning, the imperial physician was asked by the Third
Prince to see Ning Xueyan’s complexion.

Originally, the Third Prince wanted the imperial physician to feel the
pulse for Ning Xueyan. But Ning Xueyan didn’t want to be close to the
Third Prince, so the imperial physician only saw her complexion.

His word made Madam Dowager uncomfortable. A Young Lady of the

Lord Protector’s Manor always fell ill because of the neglect of nursing.
Did it make sense? It clearly meant that the Lord Protector’s Manor
slighted Ning Xueyan. But it was the Third Prince who said that, so
Madam Dowager couldn’t refute even though she wanted to.
“Not just because of that. I just lost my mother. I missed her very much
day and night. So I’m weak now.” Ning Xueyan raised her head and
explained in a soft voice. Her expression was gentle and the voice was
clear. She ascribed her illness to her missing of mother in a few words.

Madam Dowager, sitting at one side, could not help smiling and
satisfactorily looked at Ning Xueyan.

“The Fifth Young Lady is really filial. Madam Ming is dead, and she
doesn’t want to see her only daughter fall ill because of her. You should
be happier in the future and take care of yourself.” Listening to Ning
Xueyan’s word, Honored Consort Ya soothed her with a smile. She
waved to her with a kind look. “Come here, let me see, how come you
are so weak!”

Hearing that, Ning Xueyan gently and obediently raised her head and
stepped up to Honored Consort Ya, behaving appropriately. There was
nothing wrong with her. It really made people feel that she was a true
Young Lady of a noble family. Compared with the Second Young Lady
of Lord Protector’s Manor who flattered Honored Consort Ya as soon as
she met the Honored Consort Ya, Ning Xueyan was much better and
more graceful.

“You’re really beautiful, looking like a fairy from the painting.” The
Honored Consort Ya took Ning Xueyan’s hand and praised her with a
gentle gaze.

Ning Xueyan was slightly uncomfortable, but she couldn’t pull her hand
out of the Honored Consort Ya’s hands. She looked up and looked into
the Third Prince’s eyes.

The Third Prince was scrutinizing Ning Xueyan. She was still in plain
clothes. She couldn’t be too plain because she came here to see Honored
Consort Ya. So she wore light white clothes embroidered a few light pink
flowers on the edge of her skirt. It made her look more elegant.

Such a woman was not only beautiful but also indifferent. With her
slightly childish face, her temperament was quite attracted and it was
difficult for people to remove their gaze from her delicate face.
“Many thanks for your love.” Ning Xueyan lowered her head to avoid
the deep gaze of the Third Prince.

“Madam Dowager, your granddaughters are both beautiful and graceful.

How come the Lord Protector’s Manor fosters such outstanding Young
Ladies.” The Honored Consort Ya let go of Ning Xueyan’s hands, turned
to Madam Dowager, and said to her with a smile.

Seeing that the Honored Consort Ya also praised Ning Yuling, Madam
Dowager smiled more greatly. “Thanks for your praise. They’re just little
girls and don’t dare to speak in front of you, so they look quiet. Usually,
the two sisters like playing in the courtyard. It’s quite annoying. They’re
so childish.”

She openly talked about the event that happened in the Cold Mountain
Temple before. At that time, the Third Prince was there and watched the
whole process. He even took the initiative to help Ning Xueyan in the
end. Madam Dowager thought that Honored Consort Ya must know this
matter too. So she claimed that this matter just was the quarrel and fight
among children.

Ning Xueyan, with a smile on the face, retreated a few steps and then
stood behind Madam Dowager. “The quarrel and fight among children?
How dare you said that. Your lovely granddaughter’s quarrel will cause
death.” Ning Xueyan thought in mind with a cold smile on the face.

“They are still young and sisters. It’s normal for them to have fun. When
they get married, they will have no possibility to play together.” The
Honored Consort Ya sighed, seeming to recall the past that happened
when she was a little girl. She turned to Ning Yuling and Ning Xueyan
and smiled more softly.

“Madam Dowager, have your two granddaughters been betrothed to

anyone?”

Ning Xueyan suddenly became excited and haze flashed through her
eyes, thinking in mind, “I know that the coming of Honored Consort Ya
to the Cold Mountain Temple this time is bound to have something to do
with the Third Prince’s marriage, but why did she mentioned me? I have
nothing to do with the Third Prince’s marriage, why did they ask me to
come here?”
“Their mother loves them very much and don’t want them to marry early,
so they stay in the manor all the time and haven’t been betrothed. Too
much spoiling is harmful to children. Look, their marriage have been
delayed.”

Madam Dowager answered with worry. She blamed Madam Ling for
spoiling daughters too much so that they couldn’t get married early.

“It’s normal that parents love their children. They’re afraid that their
daughters will be wronged after getting married. So they want them to
stay at home longer. But it can’t be too long. Look at your two
granddaughters. They look like a pair of beautiful flowers. I really like
them very much. It will be a good thing if they are still together and
follow the example of Ehuang and Nvying!”

With a smile on the face, Honored Consort Ya turned her gaze from Ning
Yuling’s face to Ning Xueyan’s and put them together.

Ehuang and Nvying?

Ning Xueyan finally understood what that weirdness was. No wonder the
Honored Consort Ya asked her to come at night. She didn’t mention what
happened to Ning Yuling before and even praised her. She wanted Ning
Xueyan and Ning Yuling to marry the Third Prince together.

Honored Consort Ya wanted the two daughters of Lord Protector’s

Manor to marry the Third Prince together. Ning Yuling would be the
Consort of Prince and Ning Xueyan would be the Co-consort of Prince.
She really had a good intention. Ning Xueyan gave a look at the Third
Prince who was looking at her gently, a trace of disgust flashing in her
eyes. She didn’t want Ning Yuling to marry the Third Prince. At the
same time, she also didn’t want to marry him, let along being a Co-
consort of Prince.

Co-consort of Prince namely was the consort, just like the co-wife
namely was the wife. In fact, Co-consort of Prince was a concubine.

What’s more, she didn’t want to be hated by other women because of this
man. This man was rich and powerful, but actually, he had too many
scruples. He didn’t like Ning Yuling, but he had to marry her. If Ning
Xueyan married him, she was bound to be murdered.
People of the Lord Protector’s Manor in the room changed their looks
because of the words of Honored Consort Ya. Ning Yuling almost
couldn’t stand up. If she hadn’t been helped by the older female servant
beside her, she would have fallen down. She couldn’t believe it. She
looked at the Honored Consort Ya, and then looked at the Third Prince
who was looking at Ning Xueyan. In the end, she looked at Ning Xueyan
with jealousy and hatred.

“This little bitch dares ogle the Third Prince and seduce him in front of
me. She’s so cheap and shameless!” Ning Yuling thought in mind with
angry.

“Your Highness, they are all the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s
Manor. Zu’an said a few days ago that we should choose a good husband
for them. Their marriage shouldn’t ruin the reputation of the Lord
Protector’s Manor. Although the Fifth Young Lady is weak and the
daughter of the co-wife, fortunately, she’s smart and gentle.” Madam
Dowager was shocked. Although she didn’t expect the Honored Consort
Ya to have this idea, she responded quickly and said with a smile.

When Ning Xueyan was in Bright Frost Garden, Madam Dowager didn’t
care about her. At most, the Lord Protector’s Manor supported one more
person. In Madam Dowager’s mind, the ‘support’ meant feeding her.
Ning Xueyan’s safety was not in Madam Dowager’s consideration.

But now things had changed. Ning Xueyan was quite different now and
she was beautiful. Madam Dowager hadn’t figured out how to arrange
the future of Ning Xueyan, so she subconsciously refused Honored
Consort Ya’s suggestion.

Ning Xueyan relaxed at one and looked at the ground.

“Oh, that’s a pity. I really like these two girls.” Honored Consort Ya
didn’t show any unhappiness on her face, as if Madam Dowager didn’t
refuse her just now. She continued with a smile. “Here, reward the two
Young Ladies a set of ruby headwear and ten pieces of brocade
separately. Besides, reward the Second Young Lady a golden Phoenix
Hairpin.”
Chapter 44 An Extra Phoenix
Hairpin
Ning Yuling was unsatisfied when she first heard that she was had the
same reward as Ning Xueyan’s. But when she heard that she could still
get a Phoenix Hairpin, she looked up at Honored Consort Ya in surprise.
Her eyes were widened and she was very happy. Then she turned to Ning
Xueyan and glared at her with satisfaction.

The Phoenix Hairpin was not something that ordinary people could have!

Only the consort of the royal family could be called the Phoenix. “Since
Honored Consort Ya noble rewards me with such a Phoenix Hairpin, she
must be satisfied with me and wants me to marry the Third Prince.” Ning
Yuling thought in mind.

Madam Dowager also was very happy and relaxed. Unexpectedly,

Honored Consort Ya didn’t ask about the trouble Ning Yuling made
before, which pleased Madam Dowager. She deliberately asked Ning
Yuling to dress up and then come here in order to Ning Yuling could
leave a good impression to Honored Consort Ya.

The jewelry and brocade were put on the table by the palace maids one
by one, beautiful and noble!

“Why does she also have a Phoenix Hairpin?” Ning Yuling was smugly
looking at her own reward. Suddenly, she turned around and saw that
there also was a gold Phoenix Hairpin in Ning Xueyan’s ornamental box.
Although it was not as beautiful as her, it still was not a common
product, so Ning Yuling could not help crying out at once.

She was so angry because she thought Ning Xueyan didn’t deserve the
Phoenix Hairpin.

“Maybe the palace maids brought an extra Phoenix Hairpin. Fine, give it
to Fifth Young Lady!” Honored Consort Ya waved her hand at will and
said as if she didn’t care much about it.
How could the palace maids bring an extra Phoenix Hairpin that couldn’t
be sent at will? Ning Xueyan sneered in his mind but didn’t show it on
her face. She stepped backward, bowed respectfully and saluted. “Your
Highness, thank you for your rewards. But I’m not qualified to own this
Phoenix Hair. I don’t dare to accept it.”

She didn’t want to be Third Prince’s Co-consort, so she couldn’t receive

this Phoenix Hairpin. This one was lower than Ning Yuling’s. And the
two Phoenix Hairpins represented the Consort and Co-consort.
Unexpectedly, the Honored Consort Ya didn’t say anything on the
surface, but rewarded her with this Phoenix Hairpin. If Ning Xueyan
accepted it, she wouldn’t make it clear!

“She dares to refuse my mother’s Phoenix Hairpin!” The Third Prince

was slightly unhappy, thinking in mind.

Although he had heard before that she didn’t want to marry into the
Royal family, he didn’t expect her to give up the opportunity when it was
there. This made the Third Prince who was loved by countless Young
Ladies stricken. He lowered his head and play with the folding fan in his
hands without saying a word.

Madam Dowager also reacted at this time and hastily explained.

“Honored Consort Ya, you really think highly of her. How dare she
accept such a valuable Phoenix Hairpin.”

Hearing that, Honored Consort Ya looked at the gold Phoenix Hairpin

for a while and pretended she suddenly recalled something, then said,
“Oh, it’s my negligence. Change a gold hairpin for the Fifth Young
Lady.”

The palace maid immediately took away the Phoenix Hairpin and
replaced it with an ordinary one.

This matter seemed to be just a misunderstanding.

Ning Xueyan knew that the Honored Consort Ya really wanted her to
marry Third Prince. Ning Xueyan knew herself well. She always was in
bad health. It was possible that she might die quickly after the marriage.
So no one wanted to marry her.
The Co-consort of the Third Prince was also noble.

Why did the Honored Consort Ya feel satisfied with her and repeatedly
hinted to Madam Dowager? Because she was the daughter of the Madam
Ming? Honored Consort Ya had met Madam Ming secretly, did they
have a good personal relationship? If so, why didn’t she send someone to
worship Madam Ming since she died? Did Honored Consort Ya have
other intentions…

After rebirth, Ning Xueyan habitually considered things in a

comprehensive way. The tragedy of her Last Life told her that things
could be traced!

Honored Consort Ya and Third Prince for a short time and left. Ning
Yuling was also asked to leave by Madam Dowager while Ning Xueyan
was left behind. Under the light, Madam Dowager’s face couldn’t be
seen clearly and her look was cold. Ning Xueyan stood there, bowing her
head and saying nothing.

“Would you like to marry the Third Prince?” Madam Dowager asked
slowly while staring at Ning Xueyan closely.

“I don’t want to!” Ning Xueyan firmly said, looking up at Madam

Dowager respectfully. “Grandmother, I knew the meaning of Honored
Consort Ya. But I really don’t want to marry the Third Prince.”

“Why? Since ancient times, marrying into the Royal family means
wealth and rank. Marrying Third Prince, you’ll get more wealth and
rank. Even though you’ll be the co-consort, it’s possible that you’ll have
great wealth in the future. You really don’t want to?” Madam Dowager
didn’t express her meaning clearly, but Ning Xueyan understood.

If the Third Prince became the next emperor in the future, things would
change greatly. Those women who married him before, including
consort, co-consort, and concubines, all would be exalted and enjoy
countless wealth.

Ning Xueyan respectfully and gently replied, “Grandmother, as a Young

Lady, I shouldn’t have said that. But since grandmother asked me to stay,
I don’t want to conceal. The marriage of Third Prince and second sister
is secretly agreed by you and Honored Consort Ya. Second sister likes
the Third Prince. I would not like to get involved with them. Both second
sister and I are the Young Ladies of Lord Protector’s Manor and are
exalted. If we marry the Third Prince together, it will only weaken the
reputation of the Lord Protector’s Manor. What’s more, if the Third
Prince failed in the future… We shouldn’t put all the eggs in one
basket!”

After saying that, Ning Xueyan looked at Madam Dowager sincerely.

Her words showed her concern for others. And she didn’t speak out her
meaning completely in the end, but Madam Dowager could understand.
If the Third Prince failed in competing for the throne, the whole Lord
Protector’s Manor might get into trouble too. It would be much difficult
for them to get rid of the trouble if one of their Young Lady married the
Third Prince, let alone two Young Ladies married him.

Nobody dared say that he would win before the result came out. What’s
more, it was the ruthless and cold-blooded Prince Yi who controlled the
court. It was difficult to get along with him.

Madam Dowager was shocked and stared at Ning Xueyan in silence. She
didn’t expect the most insignificant Fifth Young Lady to have such
insights. It shocked her greatly. Both she and Ning Xueyan didn’t speak
out their meaning clearly, but they understood each other clearly.

“It’s hard for you, a young girl, to have such an idea.” After a long time,
Madam Dowager sighed, and her look became mild. What Ning Xueyan
scrupled was what Madam Dowager scrupled. She would never let her
son support Third Prince with the whole Lord Protector’s Manor before
things were clear.

“Grandmother!” Ning Xueyan said in a soft voice and didn’t show any
fickleness. She was totally unlike those Young Ladies who blushed when
they saw Third Prince. She was graceful while indifferent. When the
Honored Consort Ya rewarded her with the Phoenix Hairpin, she refused
politely. It seemed that she really didn’t want to marry Third Prince with
Ning Yuling.

“Well, go back and rest! Today you are tired. Your second sister is
impatient. Although her some words are harsh, she isn’t unintentional.
Forgive her, after all, she is your sister.” This time, Madam Dowager’s
smile was sincere. She waved her hand, and specifically asked servants
to send Ning Xueyan’s rewards to her place.

Although the quality of the cloth was good, they were plain. Maybe
because the Honored Consort Ya thought of that Ning Xueyan’s mother
had died.

The Honored Consort Ya and her servants occupied three courtyards. It

seemed that the Cold Mountain Temple already knew she was coming,
so the temple had left these three middle courtyards to her. The Third
Prince didn’t come back to his own courtyard and followed Honored
Consort Ya to her courtyard. When they entered the house and sat down,
the Third Prince was depressed.

“You really want her?” Honored Consort Ya looked at her unhappy son
and laughed suddenly. Then she asked servants to serve them tea and
leave.

“Mother, Ning Yuling is arrogant and domineering. She’s a shrew. I don’t

want her. You didn’t see what she had done in the temple before. She
scolded and beat her bloody sister. How could such a woman be my
consort?”

The Third Prince unhappily said and took a sip of tea, remembering Ning
Xueyan. She wore plain clothes and was still calm when she was bullied.
She must be graceful and was much better than Ning Yuling. She was the
right person to be his consort.

“I’ve heard before that she’s very unpopular in the Lord Protector’s
Manor. Maybe she refused my mother’s suggestion just because the Lord
Protector’s Manor doesn’t want her to marry me.” Thinking of this, the
Third Prince became happy again. Then he began to worry about her
because she was innocent and weak.

“Mother, how about Ning Xueyan being my consort?” He turned to the

Honored Consort Ya and said.

“No way!” The Honored Consort Ya’s face darkened and she refused
directly.

“Why?” The Third Prince could not help but ask.

“Need I say the reason? Do you really like her? She’s so weak. I think
she won’t live for a long time. Maybe she’ll die before marrying him.
How can such a woman give birth to a child for you? Besides, she has
nothing, what’s the advantage of marrying her?”

Honored Consort Ya said coldly.

In fact, the Third Prince understood all that his mother said. He also
knew that it was impossible for Ning Xueyan to be his consort. A
daughter of co-wife could only be his co-consort. He married Ning
Yuling, not only because she was the daughter of the Official Wife, but
also because of the forces behind her.

One was the beloved daughter, and the other was the unfavored daughter.
In addition, Ning Zu’an’s attitude also mattered. How could the Third
Prince not be clear about the reason behind?

“The news that the assassination failed again came just now. But you are
immersed in love now! I promise, Ning Xueyan will be your co-consort
if possible. The Lord Protector’s Manor doesn’t want Ning Xueyan and
Ning Yuling to marry you together. But if no one wants to marry Ning
Xueyan, they won’t refuse to our suggestion.”

The Honored Consort Ya said with an unhappy look. The Madam

Dowager repeatedly refused her just now, which had already made her
angry. Now there were no other people, Honored Consort Ya didn’t need
to cover her anger. She clearly knew what Madam Dowager was
thinking. Ning Xueyan was beautiful, so she should have had a good
marriage. Unfortunately, she was in bad health and her mother had died.
It was hard to say that if anyone wanted to marry her.

Today she deliberately asked Ning Xueyan to come over and said those
words. She also knew that Madam Dowager would not agree, but she did
so. What she wanted was to provoke the vixenish Second Young Lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor. The Second Young Lady wasn’t easy-going. She
was certain to make trouble for Ning Xueyan. So Honored Consort Ya
only needed to watch on one side.

“Maybe I can help Ning Xueyan when she is in danger…” Honored

Consort Ya thought.
Of course, these were not her main goals. How could these two Young
Ladies be her daughter-in-law? Just because the situation now was not
clear, she needed to do something to help her son.

“Mother, you decide this matter. I’ll go to deal with the affair.” On
hearing the failure of assassination, the Third Prince rubbed his
eyebrows and stood up, putting the matter of Ning Xueyan aside. This
was the fifth time that he sent people to assassinate Ao Chenyi. But no
one hurt him. If this went on, he would use up his killer that he trained
secretly.

“See if there are any traces left. If any, clean them up!” The Honored
Consort Ya said coldly.

“I know.” The Third Prince turned and strode away. The house became
quiet. Only the Honored Consort Ya sat quietly under the lamp, her
eyebrows wrinkling slightly.

“Your Highness, are you going to have a bath and rest?” A 30-year-old
woman knocked at the door, came in, and asked.

“Yes.” The Honored Consort Ya nodded. It was late and there would be
madams to visit her early tomorrow morning.

A group of palace maids came in with towels for bathing. They followed
Honored Consort Ya into the inner room where everything had been
prepared well. Honored Consort Ya took off her clothes and went into
the bathtub.
Chapter 45 Aunt Xiang’s Surprise
Seeing that the Honored Consort Ya going into the inner room to have a
bath, the 30-year-old woman left the house.

“Aunt Xiang, it’s late, where are you going?” Seeing Aunt Xiang came
out, the eunuch who guarded the door asked with a smile.

“I heard that there is a sole chrysanthemum outside our yard. I’ll go and
see it first. If Honored Consort Ya asks about it tomorrow, I can tell her.”
Aunt Xiang answered with a faint smile. She was Honored Consort Ya’s
servant and in charge of the flowers and plants in Honored Consort Ya’s
palace for her. She was good at growing flowers and plants, so the
flowers in Honored Consort Ya’s palace bloomed better than that of
anywhere else and even was praised by the emperor.

Since these flowers could attract the emperor for Honored Consort Ya,
Aunt Xiang was not an ordinary servant anymore. Everyone respectfully
called her Aunt Xiang. Aunt Xiang came into the palace with Honored
Consort Ya and was Honored Consort Ya’s dowry. Naturally, she was
Honored Consort Ya’s henchman. So these eunuchs smiled and let her go
when she went out at this time.

Aunt Xiang went out of the courtyard and observed for a while, then she
went to the left. The chrysanthemum was specially planted by the monks
in Cold Mountain Temple for the guests to enjoy. The flowers were
elegant when bloomed. But people seldom enjoyed it at night. The
eunuchs who guarded the door didn’t know that, but Aunt Xiang was
very clear about that.

Aunt Xiang walked along the path and passed the chrysanthemum. She
didn’t see the chrysanthemum at all but went to the pavilion on the side.
Under the moonlight, there was a beauty sitting on the stone bench. She
poured a cup of tea and slowly drank. Her delicate face, together with
her inky jade-liked eyes, made her alone in the night.

Aunt Xiang could hardly believe it. She stared at Ning Xueyan’s white
face in excitement. The huge impact almost made her unable to believe
what she saw for a moment. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the
young girl in the pavilion again. She could say nothing due to great
amazement.

She had seen almost identical inky jade-liked eyes. Though the two faces
were not very similar, both were beautiful. The face in front of her was
too pale so that people couldn’t realize its beauty at one. The childish
gaze was also familiar to Aunt Xiang. She almost thought that the girl
she saw was the beautiful and graceful woman…

Aunt Xiang’s lips trembled and her eyes became red because of sadness.
“No, it could not be her.” Aunt Xiang had seen her jumped into the fire
in person. The flames burned her skirts, reflecting her beautiful face.
Then she was covered by the fire and smoke…

“Aunt Xiang?” Ning Xueyan stood up leisurely. The moonlight shone on

her little face, making it a little blurred. Her glittering eyes were full of
smile. She looked calm and gentle. It seemed that she encountered Aunt
Xiang by chance instead flicking a note and it fell to Aunt Xiang when
Honored Consort Ya walked by her with Aunt Xiang. The note said she
wanted to have a meeting with Aunt Xiang at night.

Aunt Xiang came to the imperial palace with Honored Consort Ya when
Honored Consort Ya married the emperor. She had visited Madam Ming
in private with Honored Consort Ya. It seemed that Honored Consort Ya
wanted to leave Aunt Xiang to Madam Ming, but Madam Ming refused.
The former Ning Xueyan didn’t know who Aunt Xiang was, but now
Ning Xueyan knew.

The real Ning Xueyan had died. The soul of the present Ning Xueyan
was Ning Ziying. Ning Ziying’s mother knew how to make spices and
also knew how to make poisons with spices. She said that the invisible
poison was made up of several kinds of spices. But Ning Ziying’s mother
said she wasn’t good at that and mentioned Aunt Xiang, saying Aunt
Xiang was a master who knew all kinds of poisons made up of spices
and also knew how to make poisons.

If there was such a person to help Madam Ming, the competition and
poison wouldn’t be a problem for Madam Ming.
Madam Ming was poisoned to death. But actually, that poison was not
difficult. One could found it as long as he or she knew a little bit about
poison. Unfortunately, Madam Ming refused the goodwill of Honored
Consort Ya, which puzzled Ning Xueyan. On that day, Aunt Xiang
kowtowed to Madam Ming. From that, Ning Xueyan speculated that the
relationship between Aunt Xiang and Madam Ming was unusual. So she
invited Aunt Xiang to come here in the name of Madam Ming’s
daughter.

She was in great need of help now. If there was an expert like Aunt
Xiang who knew poison well, she didn’t have to worry about being
poisoned by Madam Ling. Maybe she also could fight back in some
respects. With Aunt Xiang’s help, she could revenge with more courage.
That was why she risked meeting Aunt Xiang.

Aunt Xiang came as what she expected.

“You… you’re Madam Ming’s daughter, the Fifth Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor?” Aunt Xiang finally controlled her mood and
calmed down. She walked slowly and scrutinized Ning Xueyan. She was
a little excited and confused. When she went to the Lord Protector’s
Manor last time, she only saw Madam Ming and didn’t saw Ning
Xueyan.

“Yes, please sit down, Aunt Xiang.” Ning Xueyan smiled and invited her
to sit. Then she sat down on the stone bench leisurely, poured two cups
of tea, and pushed one to Aunt Xiang.

“Fifth Young Lady, why did you want to see me?” Aunt Xiang did not sit
down, looking at Ning Xueyan on alert.

“Aunt Xiang almost followed my mother before. I wonder if Aunt Xiang

would like to follow me now if there’s a chance.” Seeing Aunt Xiang
didn’t sit down, Ning Xueyan didn’t invite again. She gently buckled the
teacup, lifted her watery eyes, and lifted the hair on her face casually,
asking directly.

On that day, the Honored Consort Ya came to see Madam Ming in person
in order to leave Aunt Xiang to Madam Ming, but Madam Ming refused
for some unknown reason!
“You want me to help you?” Aunt Xiang was shocked. She didn’t expect
gentle Ning Xueyan to say that directly.

“Yes, Aunt Xiang. How can you leave Honored Consort Ya?” Ning
Xueyan asked with a smile.

Although she hid at that time, she still saw that Aunt Xiang left
reluctantly while crying. She must want to stay with Madam Ming.

“I can’t leave Honored Consort Ya!” Aunt Xiang refused.

“Why? Didn’t you wish to stay with my mother before?” Ning Xueyan
wasn’t very surprised, because she knew that Aunt Xiang wouldn’t help
her easily.

“That was just my wish. Madam Ming didn’t want me to stay with her.”
Aunt Xiang said with sadness but didn’t speak out the meaning directly.

“So, my mother died. Aunt Xiang, do you want me to die my mother?”

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly as if she were talking about other people’s
affairs, only hatred in her eyes. Madam Ming died because of Madam
Ling’s plot. But the whole Lord Protector’s Manor didn’t give her an
explanation. Only several servants were punished. Ning Zu’an really
ignored her completely!

“Your mother has been sick for a long time, so…” Aunt Xiang’s face
became pale. After a while, she answered in difficulty.

“She had been sick for a long time? Aunt Xiang, you’re wrong. She died
of poisoning. There was a light fragrance of peach blossom after her
death. The imperial physician brought by Prince Yi diagnosed in the
mourning hall. But they only punished several servants. I don’t know
when I’ll die like my mother.” Ning Xueyan smiled, picked up the tea
cup on the table and took a sip.

It seemed as if she were talking about other people’s life and death.

Aunt Xiang shocked violently, and her calm eyes were full of rage. One
could see that she was very angry. She couldn’t be indifferent to Madam
Ming’s death and Ning Xueyan.
“Aunt Xiang, the Lord Protector’s Manor isn’t the right place for my
mother and me. My mother was too confident to fall into such a
situation, but I don’t want to die in the backyard of Lord Protector’s
Manor so silently.” Something fierce flashed in Ning Xueyan’s dark eyes
and she smiled coldly.

Ning Xueyan didn’t know why Madam Ming refused such a big helper.
Now she only wanted to revenge herself, Madam Ming and Ning Ziying.
She would never let them succeed again and again. “Aunt Xiang, if you
still remember the relationship with my mother, please help me.”

Ning Xueyan stood up and remembered the despair when she was
pressed tightly into the water, holding her fingers tightly. No matter
when, she would not give up. Of course, she couldn’t persuade Aunt
Xiang to help her so easily. Aunt Xiang was Honored Consort Ya’s
henchman and it was not an easy thing that she came to Ning Xueyan.
This Aunt Xiang didn’t seem to be impulsive. She must think about it
carefully.

And she just needed Aunt Xiang’s help.

“Fifth Young Lady, did you ever feel uncomfortable?” Aunt Xiang stood
by the roadside, frowning and meditating. When Ning Xueyan passed by
her, she suddenly widened her eyes and grabbed Ning Xueyan’s hand,
asking in a hurry.

“Aunt Xiang, what’s wrong?” Ning Xueyan stood still and asked softly,
but she was not surprised at all.

Aunt Xiang pulled Ning Xueyan and looked at her face under the
moonlight. Then she picked up her hand again and felt her pulse. In the
end, she asked with a trembling voice, “Fifth Young Lady, do you always
feel uncomfortable? Do you often feel sleepy but can’t sleep at night,
and sometimes feel epigastric pain?”

“Yes. How could I sleep well when I think about mother’s death?” Ning
Xueyan said indifferently. She seemed to have no surprise about her
discomfort at all.

“Are you taking medicine?” Aunt Xiang looked pale.

“Yes, I have been taking all the time. My mother asked people to nurse
my health when she was alive. Now Madam Dowager asks people to
take care of my health.” Ning Xueyan said with a smile. She was calm
and not surprise at all when she said that, but her gaze was cold. “No
matter what medicine I take, there’s always a light fragrance of
osmanthus. It’s not easy for others to notice that when it’s mixed with the
medicine. But I have a keen sense of smell!”

After listening to Ning Xueyan’s words, Aunt Xiang was sure what was
mixed with the medicine. She bit her teeth and said with hatred, “Fifth
Young Lady, don’t take that medicine again. This… this is used to make
woman infertility and kill people. I checked for you just now. If you take
more of it, I’m afraid you won’t…”

This kind of thing only happened in the backyard when women

competed for husband’s favor. Ning Xueyan was only a child. But
Madam Ling should poisoned her. Before that, Aunt Xiang was still
hesitant. At this time, she had made a decision in an instant.
Chapter 46 The Handsome
Princely Heir, Wen Xueran
Madam Ming wanted her to be childless and also wanted to murder her.
Ning Xueyan noticed that something was wrong in medicine, which was
the reason why she invited Aunt Xiang to come tonight. But she didn’t
expect Madam Ling to be so malicious. For a woman, her children were
her lifelong dependence. The love came from lover would change one
day. Ning Xueyan didn’t believe love anymore.

If she could succeed in revenge in the future, she wanted to marry an

ordinary person and live a simple life. If she had no offspring, it could be
imagined how miserable her future life would be. First, she would have
no offspring, and then she would die. She couldn’t figure out that there
would be anyone but Madam Ling who hated her so much.

No wonder Madam Ling had kept a low profile for Ning Xueyan these
days. She had already poisoned her and waited quietly to see Ning
Xueyan get weak step by step and die in the end. Even though Ning
Xueyan wouldn’t die, she also would have no children. Then her future
would be…

“Fifth Young Lady, have you ever taken a precious pill?” Aunt Xiang’s
hand came over again. It seemed that she didn’t get the right diagnosis
just now. This time, she put her hand on Ning Xueyan’s wrist to feel her
pulse for a longer time and then asked confusedly.

A pill? Ning Xueyan suddenly thought of the pill given by Ao Chenyi

and became surprised. “Yes, I have taken one.”

“Fifth Young Lady, is that pill still available? This pill suits the remedy
to the case. If you can take it several times for a long time, most of the
residual poisons in your body can be solved.” Aunt Xiang put down
Ning Xueyan’s wrist and looked at her, seriously saying, “One of its
components is very precious, and even no stock in the palace. Although I
know how to detoxify, I can do nothing without that medicine.”
“If I don’t take this medicine, what will happen to me?” Ning Xueyan
asked softly.

“Without the pill, the residual toxicity in your body won’t be cleared and
you won’t get well. In the future, it will be very difficult for you to have
children and you will die soon!” Aunt Xiang was very sad and angry.
Even if it was found earlier, Ning Xueyan had already been harmed for a
long time.

It seemed that she had to ask for Ao Chenyi’s help in order to survive.
Ning Xueyan sighed helplessly.

“Fifth Young Lady, I’d like to help you, but I’m afraid I can’t leave
Honored Consort Ya for the time being. However, I can occasionally
leave the palace and you can learn how to make perfume with me. What
do you think?” Aunt Xiang had made up her mind at this time. The Fifth
Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor not only was Madam Ming’s
daughter, but also her face was familiar, which made Aunt Xiang want to
help her uncontrollably.

Now, Aunt Xiang was Honored Consort Ya’s servant. As she could not
leave Honored Consort Ya to follow Ning Xueyan, she could only help
Ning Xueyan in private.

She went into the palace and became Honored Consort Ya’s henchman,
which involved lots of people. She didn’t want to cause too many
trouble.

“Thank you, Aunt Xiang! Maybe you can help me tomorrow.” Ning
Xueyan said readily. Her smile contained some indescribable charm,
which made the sad Aunt Xiang feel a little more gratified. Compared
with Madam Ming, the Fifth Young Lady was stronger and smarter. If
Madam Ming knew it, she would surely rest assured.

“Okay, I’ll help you in secret!”

Ning Xueyan didn’t expect Aunt Xiang to give up Honored Consort Ya

and follow her. What kind of person was Honored Consort Ya? Ning
Xueyan had known after having a few words with her today. She
couldn’t tolerate people’s betrayal. If Aunt Xiang promised to leave
Honored Consort Ya immediately, she would bring trouble to both of
them.

The way Aunt Xiang did this was consistent with what Ning Xueyan
thought. On the one hand, it could be seen that the relationship between
Madam Ming and Aunt Xiang was unusual. On the other hand, it could
prove that Aunt Xiang was not a rash person, whom Ning Xueyan
needed most.

After Aunt Xiang left, Ning Xueyan walked alone on the path of the
Cold Mountain Temple, thinking about what to do next. It was dark and
cold wind blew gently. Fortunately, the moon was still bright, shining on
her head.

“Fifth Young Lady, it’s so late, why don’t you go to sleep? Or you are
like me who can’t fall asleep?” A tall figure appeared turned out under
the tree. A man in a light blue robe appeared in front of Ning Xueyan. A
folding fan in his hand shook slightly, which made people feel he was
flashy. Using a fan in autumn, together with his smiling eyes, made him
like a libertine.

Why was he here? Did he see what happened just now?

“I lost a piece of jewelry here. I’m looking for it. Sorry for disturbing
you.” Ning Xueyan explained with a slight smile, but didn’t answer Wen
Xueran’s question, showing indifference on her face.

Wen Xueran, the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min, was famous
in the capital because of his appearance. He was not only handsome but
also the son of the rich and noble family. He was the ideal husband of
many Young Ladies, except Ning Xueyan.

In the night, he wore a loose-bodied robe whose cuffs were embroidered

a purple auspicious cloud pattern. His appearance and temperament were
eye-catching which couldn’t be ignored.

Unexpectedly, such a handsome and gentle man became a ruthless

person. Just as an old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover.

In the Last Life, when Ning Xueyan saw Wen Xueran for the first time,
he just arrived at the capital city. He entered the capital on a fine horse
and so many Young Ladies rushed to the road to see him that even the
road was blocked.

For the second time, Ning Xueyan met him in Cold Mountain Temple.
That night, Wen Xueran in black was completely different from the
handsome and elegant man of daytime. He pointed at her chest with a
sword, asking about the whereabouts of a nun. When he was aware that
she didn’t know anything, his coldness and ruthlessness made her
believe that she would be killed.

But in the end, he disappeared without saying anything…

“What did you lose? Let me help you.” Wen Xueran walked over
leisurely with a smile, looking at Ning Xueyan with his bright eyes in a
good mood. He felt interested since all the Young Ladies in the capital
were shy and excited when they saw him. He had never seen a girl who
saw him with alert.

She looked at him with alert both the first time and the second time. Wen
Xueran couldn’t remember what had happened between the Fifth Young
Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor and him.

She stood there so quietly with indifference. She frowned slightly, and
then naturally turned away. She didn’t show any uneasiness, shyness, or
coquetry, as if he was nothing.

“Thank you. It’s just a piece of valueless jewelry. Forget it. I don’t dare
to bother you.” Ning Xueyan smiled and nodded. Losing jewelry was
just an excuse. This seemingly passionate Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Min was not a decent person. Was it a coincidence that he was
here alone at midnight?

Ning Xueyan unconsciously turned to another path, avoiding the one

where Wen Xueran appeared.

“An inessential accessory? None of the girl’s accessories is unimportant.

I’m not busy now, so I’d like to help you.” It seemed that this handsome
gentleman didn’t perceive Ning Xueyan’s unwillingness. He said with a
smile, which made people feel warm.
Then he headed to the road where Ning Xueyan turned to, which meant
he would go with Ning Xueyan!

Ning Xueyan slightly frowned. It seemed that she couldn’t get rid of this
Princely Heir! She stopped instantly and said, “Princely Heir, please
stop. I really don’t want to bother you. If people see we’re together, they
will gossip. That might not bother you. But it’ll be a big problem for
me.”

People were always tolerant of man. If a man and a woman dated

secretly, people only would say the man was romantic. Especially when
the man was like Wen Xueran, it would bring more gossip.

But things were different for women. In Ning Xueyan’s Last Life, she
was framed by Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan that she had secret
communication with other men. Although everyone knew it was fake,
Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan insisted that it was true. Then she was
drowned at the lotus pond so that they could destroy her marriage.

Nowadays, she became Ning Xueyan. If she made a tiny mistake,

Madam Ling would not spare her, even if she was the Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor.

Wen Xueran didn’t expect Ning Xueyan to be so evasive and say that
directly. He was speechless for a moment, shaking the fan in his hand.
Seeing that she looked down obediently and the firmness in her eyes,
Wen Xueran thought for a second and then nodded, indicating that Ning
Xueyan could leave.

Then he walked to another road.

Seeing he leave, Ning Xueyan turned and left, saying nothing. She would
better leave here as soon as possible.

When Ning Xueyan returned to her courtyard, Lanning had long been
waiting for her. Seeing her coming, Lanning was relieved. Lanning had
wanted to follow Ning Xueyan, but Ning Xueyan said that the fewer
people went, the less likely they would be found. So she stayed in the
courtyard. When they closed the gate and entered the house, Lanning
asked in a low voice, “Young Lady, how’s it going?”
Qingyu was decocting in the corridor. Seeing Ning Xueyan come over,
she stood up and saluted.

Ning Xueyan stopped beside the medicine can and sniffed, but smelled
nothing. Actually, that smell was very light and could only be smelled
when the medicine was hot. After the medicine cooled down, one
couldn’t sniff that smell even though his or her nose was sensitive.
Usually, the medicine that the maids brought was cool. If it wasn’t
because the medicine maids brought it when it was hot occasionally,
Ning Xueyan would not doubt it.

But she was not good at distinguishing the scent, so she only felt strange.
After listening to what Aunt Xiang said, she knew what it was.

“Is this medicine sent by Madam Dowager?” It was Master Huiming

who prescribed, but the medicine was sent by Madam Dowager. Now it
seemed that Madam Ling had planted her people in Madam Dowager’s
place. And these medicines had been changed before they were sent to
Ning Xueyan.

“Yes. Madam Dowager’s maid, Xiangmiao, asked the second-class maid

Huanlan, who was in charge of the store house in the Lucky Garden, to
send it to us. We didn’t take enough medicine with us when we came to
the temple. When we used up the medicine, you didn’t ask us to fetch
from the manor. Later, Madam Dowager knew that we had used up the
medicine, then she asked people to give some to us.”

Lanning answered after thinking for a moment. When Ning Xueyan

came to the Cold Mountain Temple, they didn’t bring too much medicine
and used up all after several days. But Ning Xueyan didn’t tell the
manor. Instead, she insisted on going to the mountain to exercise every
day and got much better. This time, in order to enjoy the trust of Madam
Dowager, all of the medicine Ning Xueyan took were taken from Madam
Dowager’s store house.
Chapter 47 Greetings and the
Poison in the Medicine
“Does Madam Dowager also take tonics?” Ning Xueyan thought for a
second and said. In the Lord Protector’s Manor, the masters were used to
taking tonics in winter. Of course, there was no such rule in the Bright
Frost Garden. People in the manor said that Madam Ming and Ning
Xueyan had been taking medicine all the time and they couldn’t eat other
tonics randomly in case the effect of the medicine would be influenced.
But Ning Xueyan knew that Madam Dowager started taking tonics in
autumn which was useful for old people.

So Madam Dowager had a small pharmacy, small but complete.

Compared with the large pharmacy which was in charge of by Madam
Ling, there were more precious medicinal materials in Madam
Dowager’s small pharmacy. Usually, Madam Dowager kept a close eye
on her small pharmacy strictly and always brought good things into it,
which made Madam Ling jealous.

Ning Xueyan had come up with an idea. Since Madam Ling planned to
hurt her, she would let her pay a double penalty.

“Madam Dowager’s maids have begun to decoct tonics. Yesterday, I saw

a maid decocting medicine in the corner of the corridor. What’s wrong,
Young Lady?” Lanning had been keenly aware of the problem and
urgently asked.

“There is a kind of poison which could make people infertile and die.”
Ning Xueyan said faintly.

Qingqu was shocked when she was going to take up the lid of the
medicine pot to see if the medicine was ready. The lid of the medicine
pot in her hand suddenly fell to the ground, making a crisp sound.
Qingyu didn’t pick it up but asked in surprise, “Young… Young Lady,
you said that it was poisoned?”
Under the lamplight, the face of Qingyu was pale. She looked at Ning
Xueyan with horror, and almost screamed!

“Qingyu, bring the decoction and come with me.” Ning Xueyan walked
into the house. Lanning said nothing and followed her. Qingyu calmed
down herself, picked up the lid of the medicine pot from the ground,
came into the house with the medicine, and closed the door behind her.

The pot was put on the table. Ning Xueyan opened it and smelled a faint
osmanthus fragrance. It slowly spread out from the inside, and then
dissipated in the wind, leaving no traces. It was very light and dissipated
in a very short time. If it was placed for a longer time, that fragrance
wouldn’t be smelled any more. Then no one would doubt that there was
a poison in it. This poison was more powerful than that was used to
poison Madam Ming.

Maybe Madam Ling was afraid that things had happened to Madam
Ming would happen again and then people would suspect her, so she
poisoned Ning Xueyan in a more insidious way.

“What time does Madam Dowager usually take medicine?” Ning

Xueyan thought for a while and then asked.

“Madam usually take medicine at around 10 o’clock in the morning. The

doctor in the manor said that that time was the best time for Madam
Dowager to take medicine. So the maids in Auspicious Fortune Hall
decoct medicine for Madam Dowager around that time every day.”
Lanning had a good relationship with the maids in all the courtyards, so
she knew Madam Dowager’s habit.

“Young Lady, do you want Madam Dowager to know that First Madam
had secretly changed the medicinal materials?” Qingyu also calmed
down at this time. Her eyes suddenly brightened, but soon faded down.
“Young Lady, the smell is so light that Madam Dowager may not detect
it. And she won’t check her own pharmacy without any reason. Or do
you want to take this medicine to Madam Dowager directly?”

This medicine had been decocted for some time, and Qingyu had never
noticed any difference. If they could not find anything, what was the use
to bring it to Madam Dowager? On the contrary, Madam Dowager would
suspect that Ning Xueyan had a bad intention.
They all knew that Madam Ling was harming Ning Xueyan, but there
was no evidence and nobody could prove it. Madam Ling was still the
First Madam of the manor as well as Ning Xueyan’s namely mother. If
she made a false countercharge then, Ning Xueyan would fall into
danger.

Ning Xueyan sat down beside the bed and thought for a while, then said,
“Don’t worry, I’ll let people find out that the smell of this medicine is not
right. Lanning, you and Qingyu walk to Ning Ziyan’s courtyard later
while saying…”

Seeing that Ning Xueyan was confident, Lanning and Qingyu nodded
and believed that their Young Lady would have the solution. They
relaxed and thought in mind, “The Young Lady is quite different now
and is more and more convincing!”

After getting up the next morning, Ning Xueyan went to visit Madam
Dowager with Qingyu. Her face was paler than before. Madam Dowager
asked her to sit down and asked about her situation but found nothing
different. She thought that Ning Xueyan looked so pale maybe because
she had been weak for a long time.

When they were talking, Ning Yuling came in with her maid. She wore a
coat that embroidered gold twisted branches patterns and a skirt in a
bright color, which showed her more charming. Compared with pale
Ning Xueyan, Ning Yuling was beautiful and lovely.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan was still pale and powerless, Ning Yuling
restrained her jealousy. So many things had happened yesterday. The
Honored Consort Ya even suggested that Ning Xueyan should marry to
Third Prince. Although she didn’t mention Ning Yuling, it still alarmed
her.

Now Ning Yuling’s personal older female servant was sent by Madam
Ling. When they returned last night, this older woman told Ning Yuling
that Ning Xueyan would not have any children or live for a long time
even though they married the Third Prince together. These words made
Ning Yuling feel comfortable. Therefore, although she still hated Ning
Xueyan, she didn’t show it on her face. She even felt a little proud.
“So it’s okay that Ning Xueyan seduces the Third Prince since she’ll die
soon. If she marries the Third Prince together with me, I’ll step on her.
Look at her, she’s so pale and ugly. How dare she seduce the Third
Prince?” Ning Yuling thought.

“Fifth sister, you’re so early. Did you take the medicine today? I’m afraid
you’ll faint in front of the Honored Consort Ya if you don’t take the
medicine. If so, it will irritate the Honored Consort Ya and affect the
Lord Protector’s Manor!” Ning Yuling proudly raised her chin and said
to Ning Xueyan with disdain.

Ning Xueyan smiled lightly and said softly, “Second sister, you came
early too. Is it early to visit Honored Consort Ya now?”

If Ning Xueyan hadn’t said that it was still early, Ning Yuling also would
think it was early. But since Ning Xueling had said, Ning Yuling would
not agree with her. She sneered at the moment and said, “It’s early? It’s
just right to go at this time, so as not to make Honored Consort Ya feel
that we are used to be idle and there’s no rule in the manor. In the manor,
everybody visit elders at this time.”

Previously, Madam Dowager didn’t like Ning Xueyan and never let Ning
Xueyan greet her in the morning. Madam Ming didn’t trust Madam Ling,
so she never greeted anybody in the morning. Now Ning Yuling mocked
Ning Xueyan of being unfilial. Sure enough, Madam Dowager became
unhappy at once when she heard Ning Yuling’s words. But she forgot
that it was she who never let Ning Xueyan greet her in the morning.

“Yes, you’re right, second sister. Let’s go now. But Grandma’s

medicine…” Ning Xueyan pretended not to understand her meaning. She
pointed at the medicine that was being decocted outside and asked,
frowning. Usually, Madam Dowager didn’t take medicine at this time.
But when Ning Xueyan came in, she noticed that the medicine had been
decocting for some time. It seemed that Madam Dowager wanted to take
some before greeting the Honored Consort Ya.

“The medicine?” Ning Yuling understood at this time. But she didn’t
want to deny what she said just now and was unwilling to show
weakness in front of Ning Xueyan. She took Madam Dowager’s sleeve
and shook it, saying with coquetry, “Grandmother, we should not take
the medicine now. First, it is not the right time and the effect won’t be
good. Second, I just saw several madams with their daughters going to
Honored Consort Ya’s courtyard.”

“Are they so early?” asked Madam Dowager.

“Yes, Grandma. Tomorrow is the chrysanthemum appreciation grand

meeting. Those madams have to go to Honored Consort Ya’s courtyard
to inquire about it.” Ning Yuling muttered, “Grandma, everyone else has
gone. It won’t be good if we’re late.”

This remark was very reasonable. The relationship between the Honored
Consort Ya and the Lord Protector’s Manor was unusual. The marriage
between Ning Yuling and the Third Prince was certain. If they were later
than others, maybe Honored Consort Ya would be unhappy. Moreover,
Madam Dowager had refused Honored Consort Ya’s suggestion
yesterday, which already had made her unhappy.

“Fine, let’s go first!” Madam nodded, stood up, and walked out with
Ning Yuling and Ning Xueyan.

“The medicine can’t be taken if it’s cool. How about asking them to send
it to Honored Consort Ya’s courtyard. Grandmother can come out to take
it and then return to the house. Or else all the medicines you had taken
will be in vain! ” Ning Xueyan suggested Madam Dowager with concern
on her face.

Ning Xueyan’s suggestion hit the spot. Madam Dowager had been taking
this tonic for some time before and the doctor also told her that she could
not stop taking. Otherwise, all the previous efforts would be wasted.
Madam Dowager thought Ning Xueyan’s suggestion was a good idea.
She could then explain to Honored Consort Ya and come out to take
medicine. Then she would go back and continue to chat with the
Honored Consort Ya.

So Madam Dowager nodded and asked the servants to send the medicine
to her when it was ready. Ning Xueyan also specifically advised the
servants to pour it into the bowl when it was taken to the Honored
Consort Ya’s place in case it would be cold and the effect would be
reduced. Hearing Ning Xueyan’s words, the servants nodded. The
Madam Dowager showed a satisfied smile when she saw that Ning
Xueyan was so careful.
When they arrived at the entrance of Honored Consort Ya’s courtyard,
they saw a large group of maids and servants waiting outside. It seemed
that those madams were eager to visit Honored Consort Ya.

Knowing that the Madam Dowager of the Lord Protector’s Manor was
coming, Honored Consort Ya allowed them to come in.

In the house, there were several madams with their daughters. After
saluting Honored Consort Ya, Ning Yuling and Ning Xueyan stepped
back and sat down with other Young Ladies.

“Madam Dowager Ning, you’re so lucky. Look, how beautiful your two
granddaughters are.” Sitting on the one side of the Honored Consort Ya
was the Consort Dowager of the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor, who
held a snow-white civet cat in her hands. She and Madam Dowager were
familiar with each other. She gave a look to Ning Yuling and Ning
Xueyan and praised them while touching the head of a civet cat.

Ning Xueyan’s gaze could not help but fall on the lazy civet cat.

The snow-white civet cat leaned lazily in the arms of Consort Dowager.
There was a lot of meat around its belly. It curled up naturally, head
touching its tail. It looked very lovely.

“It’s very kind of you, Consort Dowager. They’re just ordinary girls.
They don’t deserve your high praise.” Madam Dowager said modestly
with a smile. Hearing Consort Dowager’s praise, the Madam Dowager
was very happy but didn’t show it on her face.

“Madam Dowager, you’re too modest. Everybody knows that the Second
Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor is highly cultured and
steeped in propriety and also elegant and versatile. She has a
straightforward temperament and is responsible. Looking at her
appearance now, it’s really enjoyable.” The Consort Dowager said with a
smile and praised Ning Yuling while looking at her.
Chapter 48 The Kindness of the
Consort Dowager of
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor
Ning Yuling flushed because of the praise. Although she didn’t
understand what the meaning of the Consort Dowager was, she still
proudly looked at Ning Xueyan. She had already felt that she was much
more beautiful than Ning Xueyan.

But Ning Xueyan remembered something and understood the meaning of

this Consort Dowager. She lowered her head to cover the sneer in her
eyes. Ning Yuling was very proud now. Ning Xueyan wondered whether
she would be proud too when she knew the truth.

“Consort Dowager, you think highly of her.” Madam Dowager said with
a smile, then she raised her hand and said to Ning Yuling, “Yuling and
Xueyan, you two come over together and salute the Consort Dowager of
the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor.”

“Yes!” The two came together and saluted the Consort Dowager of
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor with great respect.

Really speaking, the identity of this Consort Dowager was the same
exalted as that of the Empress Dowager. She was the present emperor’s
aunt. The Honored Consort Ya also had to respect her. Her meaning that
she took a fancy to Ning Yuling was so obvious. The Madam Dowager
couldn’t act like she didn’t understand.

So she let Ning Yuling come over to salute the Consort Dowager with
Ning Xueyan. In this way, Ning Yuling would be less conspicuous.

“You’re really a good girl. You’re so lovely. If you were my child, it

would be great. Good girl, I don’t have something good with me now. I
just give this to you.” The Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s
Manor took Ning Yuling’s hands intimately. She took off the ruby
bracelet on her wrist and then put it on Ning Yuling’s wrist.
Both Madam Dowager and Honored Consort Ya changed their looks.

Only Ning Yuling still didn’t know. Ning Yuling knew this ruby bracelet
was the best when she saw it. She remembered the pair of ruby bracelets
that she wanted and finally was given to Ning Ziyan by Madam Ling. So
she now wanted to accept this ruby bracelet when she saw it.

“Consort Dowager, this is too expensive. How could a child deserve such
a good thing?” Madam Dowager refused with a smile.

“It doesn’t matter. I just like her, so I want to give it to her. I have no
other meaning.” The Consort Dowager said with a smile. Her words
relieved Madam Dowager and showed that she really liked Ning Yuling.
And when she was talking, the ruby bracelet had already been worn on
Ning Yuling’s wrist.

“Thank you, Consort Dowager.” Ning Yuling had already thanked

Consort Dowager before Madam Dowager said something again. So
Madam Dowager now could say nothing more and had to thank Consort
Dowager with a smile. But she had made up her mind that she would let
Ning Yuling take off the bracelet and then send it back when they
returned.

This ruby bracelet was not an ordinary bracelet. It was the heirloom of
the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor and also was the bride-price for the
future Consort of the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Thinking
of this Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, Madam Dowager
couldn’t be happy anymore. He just was a libertine. Every day, he either
saw a play or drank in the brothel. No parents wanted their daughter to
marry him.

He dared to bring any woman to the manor. It was heard that he had
married many concubines and had several children. And he had once
annoyed his mother seriously. If any girl became his Official Wife, she
wouldn’t live a good life!

Ning Yuling didn’t know the meaning of this bracelet. She returned to
her seat with joy, and also deliberately show off her new ruby bracelet in
front of Ning Xueyan.
Ning Xueyan smiled faintly and didn’t pay attention to her. Her gaze fell
on Aunt Xiang who stood next to Honored Consort Ya. Seeing that she
had been standing behind Honored Consort Ya, Ning Xueyan smiled
more greatly.

The madams in the room chatted about their daily life and the
chrysanthemum appreciation grand meeting of tomorrow. Several
madams also asked about who would attend the chrysanthemum
appreciation grand meeting, wondering if there was a daughter in their
manors who could marry the Princely Heir or prince. All of them
calculated in mind and chatted with each other, which cost quite a long
time.

Ning Xueyan felt it was the time that Madam Dowager’s medicine
should be sent. She looked up and looked outside, seeing a palace maid
coming in.

“Your Highness, an older female servant of the Lord Protector’s Manor

is outside and said that she came here to send the medicine to Madam
Dowager.”

Hearing that the medicine had arrived, Madam Dowager stood up and
said to Honored Consort Ya with a smile, “Your Highness, I’ll go out to
take the medicine first, and then come back.” After that, she was going to
go out.

“Madam Dowager, don’t have to be so troublesome. Let she come in and

you can take the medicine here.” Honored Consort Ya politely said.

“Er…” Madam Dowager hesitated.

With a slight smile, Ning Xueyan was about to persuade Madam

Dowager to take medicine in the room. But she stopped and kept her
head down when she heard the words of the Consort Dowager. Since
someone was willing to persuade Madam Dowager, she just needed to
watch the show!

“I’ve heard that the medicine taken by Madam Dowager is very good for
the elderly. I wanted to ask Madam Dowager for advice. Now that
Madam Dowager’s servant has taken the medicine here, how about
letting us look at it.” Consort Dowager said with a smile. Now the
Consort Dowager wanted the help of Madam Dowager, so she flattered
Madam Dowager.

Since Consort Dowager said that, Madam Dowager would be pretentious

if she refused again. So she had to agree.

After a while, an older female servant of the Lord Protector’s Manor

walked in with a pot and was led to Madam Dowager. The palace maid
took out a bowl and the older female servant opened the pot.
Immediately, a strong smell of medicine rushed out and the Honored
Consort Ya who was the nearest to the medicine couldn’t help but lean to
the side.

Madam Dowager took the pot, poured the medicine into the bowl, and
was going to drink.

Aunt Xiang who stood next to Honored Consort Ya suddenly changed

her look, looked up slightly, and looked at the bowl in Madam
Dowager’s hands. She shouted, “Stop! There’s something wrong with
the medicine!”

This word stunned everyone. And they all looked at the bowl in Madam
Dowager’s hands.

Ning Yuling first shouted and rebuked, “Nonsense. This medicine is

made by grandmother’s servants in her yard. How could there’s
something wrong with it?”

If there was something wrong with the medicine in the manor, Madam
Ling was the first to be suspected. Ning Yuling was particularly clear-
headed this time.

When Ning Yuling reproached Aunt Xiang, Honored Consort Ya

frowned and looked at Ning Yuling with unhappiness. Aunt Xiang was
Honored Consort Ya’s henchman, and even she herself also respected
Aunt Xiang. How dare Ning Yuling reproached Aunt Xiang in front of
her?

“Aunt Xiang, what’s the matter?” Honored Consort Ya ignored Ning

Yuling and asked Aunt Xiang gently.
Madam Dowager knew Aunt Xiang. At this time, she didn’t dare to take
the medicine in her hands. She put it on the table, looked at Aunt Xiang
with confusion, and listened to her.

“Your Highness, there’s another kind of medicine material in it. Long-

term use will make people sleepy. Weak people like Madam Dowager
will lose her life if they take it. Originally, this medicine is used for
people who are in good health. But it’s harmful to weak people!”

Aunt Xiang said with a faint expression. Then she came over, smelled it
and said, “The smell of that kind of medicine is very light and couldn’t
be smelled when it’s mixed with other medicines. Only when the pot is
opened, one could smell the faint scent that is different from the smell of
general medicine. Madam Dowager, if you don’t believe it, you can
smell it now. Otherwise, it’ll dissipate after a while.”

It was almost colorless and tasteless, but could kill people! How
poisonous this medicine was. No one would pay attention to the tiny
difference in the medicine. Usually, it had been cool when it was sent to
Madam Dowager. But this time, Madam Dowager poured it into the
bowl in person in order to take it when it was still hot.

The looks of everyone changed.

“Bullshit! How could someone poison grandmother!” Ning Yuling

subconsciously felt bad and refuted.

“Second Young Lady, I don’t know how to say if you insist on not
believing. You can invite other doctors to have a look. Are the dregs of
the decoction still here?” Aunt Xiang indifferently said. She looked at
Ning Yuling, stepped back, and stood behind Honored Consort Ya, as if
she just casually discovered something and spoke out it.

What would happen next had nothing to do with her!

What would happen next had nothing to do with Aunt Xiang. But how
could it have nothing to do with Madam Dowager. Madam Dowager was
extremely angry when she thought that there was poison in her medicine.
She pointed at the older female servant and shouted, “Go, pour the
medicine dregs out.”
The older female servant was so frightened. She had wanted to be
rewarded for bringing the medicine to Madam Dowager. Unexpectedly,
it might bring a great disaster to her. She didn’t dare to be slow, quickly
pouring out the dregs into another bowl sent by a palace maid.

Honored Consort Ya also brought an imperial physician with her when

she came to the Cold Mountain Temple. Aunt Xiang was her henchmen.
If she invited her own imperial physician to check the dregs, others
would suspect the result. So Honored Consort Ya didn’t invite her
imperial physician. Instead, she let people tell the Forth Prince that she
wanted to borrow his imperial physician.

Since such a thing happened, the palace maid ran away quickly to invite
the Forth Prince’s imperial physician.

When things got to this point, Ning Yuling was shocked at first, and then
looked back at the servant standing behind her. This was the person
Madam Ling sent to her and was Madam Ling’s henchmen. When Ning
Yuling looked at her, she shook her head, indicating that there was no
problem with the medicine and the First Madam didn’t poison.

Although the interaction between them was not attention-getting, it still

fell into Madam Dowager’s eyes, and her gaze suddenly turned cold.

This servant’s behavior relaxed Ning Yuling. She came over and said to
Madam Dowager with a smile, “Grandma, don’t worry, there can be
nothing wrong. It must be this female officer’s mistake. Your medicine
materials are the best medicine materials selected by my mother, and the
doctor in the manor has also checked. How can there be problems? Is
there something wrong with this bowl?”

She just wanted to say that Madam Ling was filial to Madam Dowager,
not to speak ill of Honored Consort Ya. But this bowl was taken out by
Honored Consort Ya’s maids from Honored Consort Ya’s room. It
seemed that Ning Yuling targeted at Honored Consort Ya. The meaning
was that the Honored Consort Ya deliberately made troubles.

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and thought Ning Yuling was the most
stupid one she had seen. Didn’t she see Honored Consort Ya’s and
Madam Dowager’s cold and unhappy faces? Originally, Ning Xueyan
had wanted to irritate Ning Yuling so that she would say something
foolish. Unexpectedly, she didn’t need to do that. Ning Yuling had
already taken the initiative to say something wrong. So Ning Xueyan
simply sat aside and quietly saw what would happen.

“Ning Yuling, just boast. You’d better say how virtuous and filial Madam
Ling is. Later, you’ll regret what you have said.” Ning Xueyan thought
in mind.

Madam Dowager didn’t show a smiling face because of Ning Yuling’s

explanation. Instead, she looked at Ning Yuling coldly and gave a
gloomy smile, ignoring her.
Chapter 49 Things Happen One
after Another and Madam
Dowager Gets Angry
Ning Yuling was ignored and felt embarrassed for a while. When she
saw Honored Consort Ya’s unhappy face, she realized that she was
disgusted. So she quietly stepped back and stared at Ning Xueyan
fiercely when she came back. When passing through Ning Xueyan, she
whispered angrily, “Did you do that, little bitch?”

Ning Xueyan gave her a faint smile, but didn’t answer her question. She
looked at Madam Dowager’s face and ignored Ning Yuling directly,
which made Ning Yuling angry. However, she dared not indulge in front
of so many people.

The Forth Prince’s imperial physician came quickly. Listening to the

order of the Honored Consort Ya, he went to examine the dregs and said,
“Yes, there’s one harmful medicine material!”

Ning Yuling stiffened and could hardly believe what she heard. She
unconsciously looked at the servant behind her again. “Did I
misunderstand just now? Did she mean that there really is something
wrong with the medicine? Did she want to tell me that my guess is
right?” Ning Yuling was tense and restless, thinking in mind.

Seeing Ning Yuling’s tense and restless look, Madam Dowager was
furious. It seemed that Madam Ling really had added one harmful
medicine material into her tonics. She recalled what had happened in the
mourning hall. At that time, she found that someone was going to report
to Madam Ling’s person. Combining the two matters, Madam Dowager
realized that Madam Ling not only planted people in her place but also
poisoned her.

Madam Dowager could hardly contain her anger.

“Grandma… How could it be? Did… did the servants mistake it? My
mother has always been responsible. It’s impossible that she delivered
the wrong medicine.” Ning Xueyan suddenly stood up, as if she was
frightened. She stepped forward. It seemed that she wanted to check in
person. But after a few steps, she teetered with amaze and scare on her
face.

It seemed that she was incoherent because of over-fright. But her words
unconsciously linked Madam Ling and Madam Dowager’s medicine.
Ning Yuling had said that before. So it wasn’t abrupt that she said that
again. On the contrary, it made people feel that it must be true since
Madam Ling’s own daughter said that.

This was a family affair of the Lord Protector’s Manor. So no one said
something now even though they had guessed it was Lord Protector’s
wife, Madam Ling, who did that. Madam Dowager was extremely angry
and didn’t want to stay any longer. She rushed to say goodbye to the
Honored Consort Ya and returned with Ning Yuling and Ning Xueyan.

As soon as she entered the room and sat down on the couch, Madam
Dowager slapped the table heavily, pointed to the older female servant
standing behind Ning Yuling, and scolded, “Kneel down!”

Madam Dowager saw clearly that this older female servant had been
making eye contact with Ning Yuling just now. She must know the truth.
Thinking that she had been poisoned by Madam Ling, Madam Dowager
was furious. In order to maintain the face of Lord Protector’s Manor,
Madam Dowager had controlled her anger in front of Honored Consort
Ya.

“I, I…” The older female servant didn’t expect the Madam Dowager to
blame her as soon as they came back. She immediately knelt down and
trembled, not knowing how she made Madam Dowager angry. “Madam
Dowager, I don’t know. It really has nothing to do with me!”

“Huanlan, you say!” Madam Dowager said with anger.

Huanlan, who had been informed earlier, was also frightened to tears. At
this time, she hurried to explain when Madam Dowager asked her.
“Madam Dowager, the medicines are taken from Manager Zhang. When
I get them, I’ll carefully seal them up. When we use them, I’ll take them
out with other maids. Madam Dowager, if you don’t believe it, you can
ask the servants who guard the pharmacy.”

Huanlan was afraid to be involved in this matter, so she explained it

hurriedly.

Mother Zhang, the manager of the backyard, was Madam Ling’s person.

Ning Xueyan moved back silently and let Ning Yuling’s older female
servant expose to Huanlan. Huanlan was worried that she couldn’t
explain clearly. Her eyes suddenly brightened when she saw Ning
Yuling’s older female servant. So she said urgently while pointing at the
older female servant, “Madam Dowager, when I was preparing the
medicine to be decocted for you in the morning, she came over and said
that the Second Young Lady was uncomfortable and wanted some
medicines. So I, together with a little maid, hurried to get the medicine
that the Second Young Lady needed. At that time, she… she was left
there alone!”

Huanlan originally didn’t think of this matter. But she suddenly

remembered when she saw the older female servant.

The older female servant didn’t expect that. She was frightened and
could not even speak fluently for a moment. “Madam Dowager, Second
Young Lady was… uncomfortable… I, I wanted to nurse her health,
so…”

“She was uncomfortable? Why?” Madam Dowager snapped.

Ning Yuling wasn’t uncomfortable at all. She thought that what had
happened yesterday would let the Honored Consort Ya and the Third
Prince feel dissatisfied, so she listened to a maid’s suggestion. She
wanted to get some medicine to take and deliberately pretended that she
was uncomfortable yesterday so that she did those foolish things.

But the older female servant couldn’t say that now.

Therefore, after listening to Madam Dowager’s words, this older female

servant looked paler and almost collapsed to the ground. She was
Madam Ling’s henchman and was arranged to help Ning Yuling.
Usually, Ning Yuling relied on her very much. But such a serious thing
had happened, Ning Yuling wouldn’t talk for her. Looking at Madam
Dowager’s angry face, Ning Yuling suddenly became sober.

Her grandmother’s medicine was poisoned, which seemed to be related

to her mother. If she still talked for this older female servant, her
grandmother would be more suspicious of her mother!

Therefore, she could never save this older female servant!

Not only could she not be saved, but also she needed to be punished
severely. In this way, her grandmother’s suspicion would be dispelled.

“You, how can you do that? I always respect my grandmother. You dared
to poison her. Did you forget why my mother sent you to me?” Ning
Yuling came forward and heavily slapped the older female servant.
Blood immediately appearing on her face.

She accentuated the word “mother” deliberately.

Listening to Ning Yuling’s words, the older female servant trembled all
over. She clearly knew how vicious Madam Ling was. If she said that it
was Madam Ling’s order, her whole family would be murdered by
Madam Ling. Moreover, Madam Ling had born a son for Lord Protector.
So whatever she said now was useless. She had to admit it now.

The older female servant gritted her teeth and kowtowed at Madam
Dowager, crying loudly, “Madam Dowager, please spare me. I did that.
Huanlan and I are not in harmony. So I added another medicine material
in your medicine. I didn’t mean to harm you. I just wanted Huanlan to be
punished. Madam Dowager, forgive me. This was originally the
unhappiness between Huanlan and me. I didn’t expect to involve you.”

“She dared to murder the master. Such an evil servant should be beaten
to death. Grandma. Do you think so?” Ning Yuling’s suggested with
indignation.

“Grandma, we’re in the temple, I’m afraid…” Ning Xueyan suddenly

said.

Madam Dowager then remembered that this was the Cold Mountain
Temple. It wasn’t suitable to kill people directly here. But she was
unwilling to let this older female servant go. She thought for a while and
came with an idea.

“Here, send her back and let Madam Ling find out who wanted to kill
me! Let her execute this older female servant as a warning to others!”
Madam Dowager snapped with fierce. Although this older female
servant’s words were reasonable, Madam Dowager still didn’t believe
her. She suspected that Madam Ling was involved in this matter. She
already didn’t believe Madam Ling, so she thought everything seemed
possible.

This older female servant would be sent to Madam Ling to be executed

as a warning to others. Madam Dowager would see who dared to follow
Madam Ling in the future.

The older female servant was gagged and taken away. Madam Dowager
was still angry and didn’t want to pay attention to Ning Yuling and Ning
Xueyan. She waved her hand and let them go.

Ning Xueyan returned to the courtyard with Qingyu and Lanning had
been waiting for them in the courtyard. Then the three closed the door
and went into the house together.

Ning Xueyan’s courtyard was in a remote place and few people came
here.

“Young Lady, how do you know that Second Young Lady’s maid would
listen to us and persuade the Second Young Lady to ask for the medicine
from the Madam Dowager?” Thinking about what happened just now,
Qingyu couldn’t help asking when there were no outsiders around.

Last night, she and Lanning made a special trip to Ning Yuling’s place.
When they saw two of Ning Yuling’s maids coming, they deliberately
talked about Ning Yuling’s scandal and exaggerated it and said Ning
Yuling was so foolish. Then they joked that if the Second Young Lady
was smart enough, she would surely think of pretending to be ill to
account for her foolish behaviors.

As long as she got some medicine to take and spread a rumor that she
was so uncomfortable that she did such stupid things yesterday, maybe
her reputation would be saved.
Qingyu had thought that those words would be useless. She didn’t expect
it to have a great effect. Qingyu was surprised at her Young Lady’s
cleverness.

Ning Xueyan took the tea from Lanning, drank it, and smiled.
“Yesterday many things happened. Ning Yuling was impulsive at that
time, then she would certainly want to remedy her reputation. When she
heard the maid’s suggestion, how could she not accept? It was late last
night. So asking for medicine from Madam Dowager before others
getting up this morning was better. When Honored Consort Ya asks
about it, she could explain.”

Ning Yuling was easy to be impulsive but was extremely poisonous

when she calmed down. In Ning Xueyan’s memory, she had been framed
by Ning Yuling for many times and finally didn’t dare to go out of the
Bright Frost Garden because of Ning Yuling. This time she wiped out
one of Ning Yuling’s important helpers. Then, she would revenge on
Ning Yuling step by step.

Didn’t she want to marry the Third Prince? Unfortunately, the Third
Prince didn’t like her. But that Consort Dowager of the Commandery
Prince Li’s Manor seemed to be satisfied with her. If Ning Yuling
married this Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, it would be a good
thing. That Princely Heir was a famous libertine, and Ning Yuling was a
shrew. They suited each other.

“Are you better now, Lanning?” Ning Xueyan looked back at Lanning,
who had been standing beside her with a faint smile. She knew that
Lanning was smarter than Qingyu, so she asked at the moment.

“Young Lady, what can I do for you? The injury isn’t serious. I feel
much better after taking medicine.” Lanning nodded and said with a
smile, knowing Ning Xueyan’s meaning. Actually, she was hit seriously
yesterday. Luckily, she was treated in time. The imperial physician came
timely and the medicine she took was good. Although she still felt a little
uncomfortable, she was much better today.
Chapter 50 The Disturbance in
the Lord Protector’s Manor and
Madam Ling Is Going to Frame
Ning Xueyan
There were few people who could help Ning Xueyan and everyone had
to bear more responsibilities. Lanning knew this situation very well, so
she said she was okay.

“You and Qingyu go out for a stroll in the afternoon. As soon as you see
the maids of other manors, you talk to them. During the conversation,
you only say that Ning Yuling is beautiful and virtuous.” Ning Xueyan
leisurely said with a smile.

“Many Childe and Young Ladies saw what happened yesterday. No one
will believe us!” Qingyu blinked her eyes and couldn’t understand Ning
Xueyan’s meaning for a moment, asking in perplexity. At that time, more
than one Chile was present and saw what Ning Yuling did. Who would
believe Ning Yuling was virtuous?

“Those Chiles who were present yesterday know that Ning Yuling isn’t
virtuous. But not all Childes were present yesterday. They might believe
what we’ll say.” Ning Xueyan smiled and jade-like eyes circled,
mockery in her eyes.

She didn’t know how many people saw it yesterday, but she knew that
the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was absent!

It was said that this Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was

unhappy without women. It was impossible for him to stay quietly in the
Cold Mountain Temple. Even though the Consort Dowager of
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor had come, this Princely Heir would
only appear at the end. Tomorrow, he would come and might leave as
soon as possible.
The Third Prince was that Princely Heir’s friend on the surface, but
would not be too intimate with him. So the Third Prince wouldn’t gossip
about Ning Yuling with that libertine. In this way, that Ning Yuling
actually was a shrew wouldn’t be spread to the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li.

“Yes, I’ll go with Qingyu in a minute.” Lanning had a better

understanding of worldly wisdom. So she understood Ning Xueyan’s
meaning at once and showed it on her face. She looked at Ning Xueyan
with admiration and nodded her head forcefully.

Although Qingyu was still somewhat confused, she knew that Ning
Xueyan had made up her mind, so she didn’t ask any more questions.
Now she was more and more convinced of Ning Xueyan, feeling that
Ning Xueyan was right all the time.

After lunch, Ning Xueyan went to bed for a nap. Lanning and Qingyu
closed the courtyard door and went outside to meet people
“occasionally”. In order to meet more people, they deliberately separated
and went to different places. Originally, one of the two had to stay to
serve Ning Xueyan, but Ning Xueyan refused this time. She was really
short of manpower now. Even though both Lanning and Qingyu went
out, she still was afraid that words wouldn’t be spread to the Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

The most important thing for Qingyu and Lanning was to encounter the
servants of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor. Those servants had seen
how the Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor treated
Ning Yuling today. So they also wanted to know some good news about
Ning Yuling and then told the Princely Heir. At that time, the Consort
Dowager would be satisfied and reward them.

At the same time, there was a great disturbance happening in the Lord
Protector’s Manor.

Looking at the older female servant who was on her knees, Madam Ling
was very angry and almost tore her handkerchief. She was unpleasant
recently. Her person was wiped out one by one and now the people she
sent to Ning Yuling was accused of poisoning and murdering Madam
Dowager. How dared Madam Ling join in such a thing? Although she
wanted Madam Dowager to die, she also knew that she couldn’t do.
Ning Zu’an was a well-known filial son. Seeing that he sit aside with an
angry look, one could know he must be very angry.

“Marquis, what should I do?” Madam Ling asked carefully, forcing a

smile on her face.

“Do what mother says! You’re the Marchioness, but you can’t manage
the whole manor well. Things that servants murder masters happen again
and again! Didn’t anyone teach you before? When something like this
happens, just beat the servants to death. Don’t ask me anymore.” Ning
Zu’an was extremely angry. He rarely punished servants so severely. It
seemed that he was in a great rage.

The evil servant dared to murder his mother so that Ning Zu’an was very
angry and even scolded Madam Ling!

Didn’t anyone teach her before? Did this mean that she was lowborn?
Madam Ling felt angry in mind. She gritted her teeth, pretended to cry
because of anger, wiped her face with her handkerchief, and cried
wrongly. “Marquis, do you dislike me now? Since I married you, I have
given priority to you and taken care of mother all the time. Mother is a
Buddhist, so I think we can’t really beat her to death…”

This older female servant was her person, so she wanted to save her life,
although she dared not ask for mercy for her publicly. Now there were
fewer and fewer people who could help Madam Ling, so she had to save
her person.

“If you are a Buddhist, can you be poisoned by others? Mother lets you
execute her as a warning to others. Don’t you understand?” Ning Zu’an
pounded the heavily and stared at Madam Ling coldly. Now he suspected
that Madam Ling was unfilial to his mother. And he felt angry when he
thought that his mother was poisoned by an evil servant.

He was originally a general, so he was full of fierceness. Now he stared

at this older female servant with fierceness, and she had collapsed to the
ground in fear for a long time.

“Here, take her away and beat her to death!” Madam Ling had no choice
but to order. Ning Zu’an had determined to severely punish this older
female servant.
Two servants came over and carried away the older female servant.
Knowing that she had been abandoned, the older female servant who had
been gagged showed her entreaty in her eyes. But Madam Ling also
wanted to kill her now. If Madam Ling didn’t execute this older female
servant, she would be suspected by Madam Dowager. Then she would
lose more.

Seeing Madam Ling was going to execute the older female servant, Ning
Zu’an was satisfied. He stood up and said casually, “Huaiyuan will come
back in a few days. Ask servants to clean up his room. All the evil
servants must be wiped out. I don’t want to see these things happen
again.”

“Yuan’er’s coming back?” As soon as she mentioned that her only son
would come back, Madam Ling was in a high mood. She didn’t even pay
attention to the other meanings of Ning Zu’an’s words. Madam Ling
hadn’t seen her son for half a year. She really missed him.

“He’ll be home in about half a month! You prepare to welcome him.”

Ning Zu’an shook his hand and went out.

“Yes, I’ll clean up in a minute.” Madam Ling said with joy. When Ning
Zu’an left, her face grew gloomy at once. Her beautiful face became
cruel, which showed that she was very angry.

Mother Chen, who knew her temperament well, knew her mind, waved
her hand and let all the maids in the room leave. Then she said, “Madam,
what’s wrong with Madam Dowager’s medicine?” “I remember you
didn’t touch her medicine.”

How could there be such poison in Madam Dowager’s medicine? This

poison was only added into the Fifth Young Lady’s medicine a short time
ago.

“That little bitch is not a good woman, and I misjudged before.” Madam
Ling said in a gloomy way. Madam Ling had been framing others all the
time, but this time she was framed by others. Madam Ling didn’t expect
Ning Xueyan to revolt. She had realized that she was framed by Ning
Xueyan.
“Madam, would it be the servant who sent the medicine which should be
sent to the Fifth Young Lady to Madam Dowager?” Mother Chen
hesitated and asked. She still didn’t believe that Ning Xueyan would be
so fierce. She thought that the Fifth Young Lady had no courage or
ability to do such a thing.

“I don’t care whether it’s her or not. But the cause is her. I heard that the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li also would go to the Cold
Mountain Temple to choose his consort. Did you find the person I
want?” Madam Ling narrowed her eyes slightly and said with hatred,
“How can things be so coincidental? Since Ning Xueyan came out of the
Bright Frost Garden, bad things happened one by one and the manor
isn’t peaceful anymore.”

“Yes, I’ve already prepared well. He’s good at drawing, especially

drawing the portrait of a lady. Later, I’ll bring him to the Cold Mountain
Temple. Even though he can only see her for one time, he still could
draw well. The Young Ladies in his pictures are so beautiful. Those
Princely Heirs and Princes must like the Young Ladies in his picture as
long as they see the picture. You have ever seen his pictures before.”

Mother Chen said with a smile. That man was her nephew, a chair
warmer who haunted the red-light district every day and used up all his
family property.

Fortunately, he had read books for some time when he was young and
drew pictures well. So now he drew the portraits of ladies in a brothel
and was in charge of all the portraits sending everywhere. The longer the
time, the better his painting was.

“Good. Do it quickly. Let him draw well. I don’t want to see a weak lady
in the picture. And the chrysanthemum appreciation grand meeting will
be held tomorrow.” Madam Ling said coldly. The Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li had married many women who were scheming.
When Ning Xueyan married him, she would inevitably be tossed to
death. It was possible that she would survive. But the Princely Heri was
a playboy. She also would live an unhappy life even though she survived.

For an unfavored woman, death was much better than being alive!
“Madame, don’t worry. He has worked for you before. You can be
assured.” Mother Chen nodded her head with understanding

“Last time he did a good job. This is for him!” Madam Ling took an
ordinary hairpin and threw it to Mother Chen. In Madam Ling’s opinion,
this hairpin was common. But it valued a lot for ordinary people. Mother
Chen was so happy that she bowed her head and thanked Madam Ling
vigorously.

When Ning Xueyan woke up in the afternoon, the weather was cloudy
and it seemed it was going to rain. Lanning and Qingyu had come back.
When they heard the sound of Ning Xueyan waking up, Qingyu came to
help her get up and Lanning poured a cup of warm water for her. Ning
Xueyan was spirited after taking a nap.

Holding Ning Xueyan to the dressing table to dress up, Qingyu said,
“Young Lady, an older female servant of Madam Dowager came and said
that the Madam Dowager invited you to the Fragrance Pavilion in the
back mountain.”

“Madam Dowager invited me to the Fragrance Pavilion at this time?”

Ning Xueyan frowned and thought in mind. She looked up at Qingyu
and asked, “Is she really Madam Dowager’s servant?”

“Yes, she guards the gate in Madam Dowager’s courtyard. I have seen
her in Auspicious Fortune Hall before. And this time she also came
along with Madam Dowager.” Qingyu answered naturally.

“It’s going to rain at this time… She’s just a gatekeeper… The Fragrance
Pavilion…” Ning Xueyan looked out at the sky and showed an
indifferent smile on her face.

Qingyu didn’t understand what Ning Xueyan murmured. “Young Lady,

what did you say?”

“Young Lady, you’d better not go. I’ll go for you!” Lanning sensitively
felt the weirdness. She put down the comb in her hands and said
urgently.

“Yeah, you’ll go somewhere for me. Qingyu, prepare the brush pen and
paper.” Ning Xueyan stood up with her long hair scattered. Although her
face was pale, her hair was dark and smooth. When it was scattered, her
face looked smaller and paler. Ning Xueyan went to the bookcase in
front of the window with a calm expression.

Qingyu had prepared the brush pen and paper. Ning Xueyan thought for
a while and then wrote a few words with her left hand. After that, she
looked at it, folded the paper and handed it to Lanning. Lanning changed
her look as soon as she saw the words…
Chapter 51 The Private Meeting
with the Painter of a Brothel
It started to rain. The raindrop, with a touch of coolness, fell on the
human body from the sky. The sky was dark and gloomy!

Ning Yuling was walking to the Fragrance Pavilion with Xianghong in

private, tightly holding a piece of paper in her hand. She was so happy
that she didn’t found that the umbrella which was held by Xianghong
didn’t stop the sporadic raindrops from falling on her head and body.
Thinking that she would catch the man who secretly dated Ning Xueyan
and then murder Ning Xueyan, she could not help being excited.

“Ning Xueyan is so unlucky. The note she dropped in front of my door

was picked up by Xianghong.” Ning Yuling thought with excitement.
How could she give up the chance of exposing Ning Xueyan’s scandal
and letting people see what kind of person she was? Ning Yuling was
very excited when she thought that.

She rushed to the Fragrance Pavilion with Xianghong.

Ning Yuling saw someone in the pavilion far away, but she couldn’t see
who it was. The sky became darker. It seemed that she had come early,
and Ning Xueyan hadn’t come yet.

Ning Yuling, hiding aside on a rainy day, felt very uncomfortable. She
had waited for a while and still didn’t see Ning Xueyan. She was a bit
upset. Would Ning Xueyan not come when she found that the note was
missing?

“Young Lady, will Fifth Young Lady come?” Xianghong also felt tired
because she had held the umbrella for a long time. Now they couldn’t see
the man in pavilion clearly from a distant place, so she could not help
asking.

When Xianghong asked this question, Ning Yuling also felt uncertain.
Would they go back empty-handed? Ning Yuling had stayed here and
endured the rain and coldness for so long. She was unwilling to go back
empty-handed. She took a look at the people in the pavilion not far away
and determined to go to the pavilion. “Let’s go!”

She couldn’t come back empty-handed. Even if she couldn’t catch them
on the spot this time, at least she had to see who the man secretly dating
Ning Xueyan was. Then she would find another opportunity to catch
them on the spot. Ning Yuling didn’t believe that she couldn’t murder
Ning Xueyan. She didn’t expect that the cold and indifferent Ning
Xueyan couldn’t stand loneliness and started to date man soon after her
mother died.

Chen Qing was also cold on a rainy day. He didn’t expect the weather to
change greatly at once. In order to pretend to be an encounter, he dressed
himself as a handsome scholar. He was quite handsome, but was foppish,
two eyes rolling around. He didn’t look like a good man.

After sitting for a while, he stood up and looked outside. “Why hasn’t
she come yet? It will rain heavily. Maybe she won’t come.” Chen Qing
thought in mind. If he couldn’t finish the picture today and send it to the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, he would lose his reward.
Thinking of that, Chen Qing felt distressed. Besides, he had to report to
Madam Ling.

He just wanted to leave, but it wasn’t that easy.

When Chen Qing was anxious and looked around, he suddenly saw a
master and a maid coming. The one walked ahead must be the Young
Lady. She wore a light pink coat with peach blossoms on it and a light
green pleated skirt. As soon as she appeared, Chen Qing’s attention was
attracted by her.

It was a beautiful woman with a pink face, very bright and eye-catching.

Didn’t they say that she was a patient? In order to make her more
beautiful in the picture, Chen Qing decided to pinken her pale face in the
picture. He had to paint her as a bright and charming beauty. But the
person in front of him didn’t need those embellishments any more. Such
a ruddy, healthy, and charming face could attract men in an instant.

Compared with the fair prostitutes in the brothel, she was more brilliant.
“Why are you here alone?” Ning Yuling walked into the pavilion,
scrutinized Chen Qing, and asked with a smile. It was unexpected that
Ning Xueyan had found a handsome childe who seemed to be from a
rich family.

Chen Qing had decided to have a look at her, and then go back to finish
the picture. Unexpectedly, this beauty didn’t avoid him when she saw
him. Instead, she came to the pavilion. Hearing her soft greetings, Chen
Qing was intoxicated.

He had been haunting in the brothel and often saw prostitutes’ wandering
behaviors there. So he didn’t feel that Ning Yuling shouldn’t have talked
to a stranger. Instead, he wondered whether Ning Yuling had taken a
fancy to him. Thinking of that, he almost couldn’t control himself.
Fortunately, he still had some sense and remembered that this was the
Cold Mountain Temple where there were many noble people. He
couldn’t be rude.

“I’m having a rest here and waiting for the rain to stop. My servant went
to other Princely Heirs’ courtyards to see if there were any extra
umbrellas.” Chen Qing saluted Ning Yuling in a gentle and elegant way.
He had seen many such behaviors in the brothel, so he applied them now.

Ning Yuling’s gaze changed instantly when she knew that this man knew
those Princely Heirs. She had thought that he was rich but had no right.
Unexpectedly, he was the son of an official family. Besides, he was so
gentle and elegant. He was in line with Ning Yuling’s image of a good
husband. Therefore, Ning Yuling became shy for a moment.

“Childe, I have an extra umbrella. You can take it. It’s late now.” Ning
Yuling said in a soft voice.

Ning Yuling really took an extra umbrella. In Ning Yuling’s plan, if Ning
Xueyan was here, Xianghong would call over all the servants hiding at
the back intersection. Then it would be more convenient for them to act
if they had two umbrellas.

“Er… I’m afraid I won’t have the chance to return the umbrella!” Seeing
the beautiful woman was delicate, Chen Qing was delightful. But he
deliberately frowned and hesitated for a moment.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s normal to forget to take an umbrella when people
go out. If there’s a chance, you can return it next time. If there’s no, just
keep it.” Said Ning Yuling.

“Well, thank you very much!” Chen Qing didn’t refuse this time. He
smiled and took the umbrella handed by Xianghong.

Ning Yuling also remembered that she shouldn’t stay any longer. So she
turned and left with Xianghong.

Looking at her disappearing in sight, Chen Qing smiled proudly. He

didn’t expect her to be a beauty. He hoped that the Lord Protector’s
Manor wouldn’t murder her. After all, it was a pity that such a vivid
beauty died.

Last time, when his aunt came back and told him about another Young
Lady, he sighed in mind. It was a pity that a beautiful woman was
drowned.

This one was also good. When the Princely Heir disliked her, he could
ask her out in the name of today’s encounter. It would be a romantic
affair. Chen Qing’s eyes brightened when he thought of that. He didn’t
care the coldness and strode back, holding the umbrella. He didn’t dare
to disobey the order of the Marchioness of Lord Protector. He had to
finish the painting as soon as possible.

Neither Ning Yuling nor Chen Qing noticed that Ning Xueyan had been
standing under a big tree at the top of the mountain with Lanning and
Qingyu for a long time. They happened to see the whole thing. Ning
Xueyan was in a high position, so she couldn’t see and hear them clearly.
But she clearly saw that Ning Yuling left an umbrella to that man in the
end.

Seeing Chen Qing left, Ning Xueyan made a look at Qingyu. Qingyu
busily went down the hill from the other side to inquire about him. A
male outsider could never appear here without any reason. And it was
impossible that someone deliberately asked her to come just in order to
see such a man. Ning Xueyan coldly smiled, with a deep gaze.

Madam Ling’s method was superb. She wasn’t here, but still could frame
Ning Xueyan.
Madam Ling framed Ning Xueyan again and again. At this time, this
matter must be related to the chrysanthemum appreciation grand
meeting… Ning Xueyan hoped the intention of this matter wasn’t the
same as what she thought. The matter that Madam Dowager was
poisoned just was revealed. Madam Ling couldn’t wait to wipe out Ning
Xueyan. It seemed that Ning Xueyan was Madam Ling’s most hated
person and Madam Ling wanted to kill her as soon as possible.

Ah, that was a great honor for Ning Xueyan!

It was too strange that Madam Ling always aimed at Ning Xueyan.
Madam Ming had died, Ning Xueyan wouldn’t be superior to Ning
Ziyan and Ning Yuling. But Madam Ling refused to let Ning Xueyan go.
Was it because she hated Madam Ming very much and didn’t want her
daughter to live a good life? But Madam Ling didn’t treat Ning Lingyun,
who was not born by her, like that. It was quite interesting.

Qingyu came back very quickly. When Ning Xueyan came back to the
courtyard, she had inquired about that man.

“Young Lady, he’s a painter. It’s said that he’s good at painting. This
time, he came here with the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.
The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li hasn’t come yet, but he has
already come and lived in the courtyard where the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li will live. I asked several maids about him. They
all look down on him. They said that he lives in a brothel. They didn’t
know how he knew the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and also
didn’t know why the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li brought
him to the Cold Mountain Temple. “

“When did he come?” Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes and asked.

“He came here today. He came at lunchtime today with a young

manservant of the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. After he
settled down, the young manservant said he had to accompany the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and then went back. So he was
left alone.” Qingyu just chatted with an older female servant and asked
for it clearly.

He came here with the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. But the
people came with the Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s
Manor disliked him and looked down on him. He was the friend of the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. He must be another libertine.
Maybe he was a pander. He was good at drawing the portraits of
beauties, the meaning of which was doubtful. Recently, there were many
Young Ladies in the Cold Mountain Temple. What did he want to do?

A painter, the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, the meeting at

night…

An invisible line slowly extended out in Ning Xueyan’s mind and strung
those matters together. Ning Xueyan understood why a painter was here.
She clenched her fists tightly and her fingernails hurt her hands, but she
didn’t care about that.

The painter… the portrait… the portrait that was believed to be a token
of her love… the portrait that became the evidence and Ning Xueyan
couldn’t explain in her Last Life. In her Last Life, Madam Ling and Ning
Ziyan took out a portrait of half-naked Ning Xueyan and said she
secretly dated a man. Thinking of that, Ning Xueyan felt headache, as if
she were pressed in the water now.

Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan planned it in her Last Life. Ning Xueyan
had decided to look for the evidence of that day. Now she found out that
they were right here. Madam Ling wanted to repeat her plan again to kill
Ning Xueyan!

“Madam Ling, since you gave me such a big gift, I should give you a gift
too. I hope you can bear it…”
Chapter 52 Planning, Maid’s
Changeable Words
It grew dark. The maid lowered her head and walked hurriedly through
the courtyard door. She was from the other manor but nobody had seen
her. She looked around, then went straight towards the candle lit room.
Knocking lightly on the door, she heard a voice from inside, “Who is it?
Please come in.”

The maid saw no one around, so she entered and closed the door. From
the shadows outlined at the window, it showed two persons talking and
delivering something. After a while, the door reopened. Again, the maid
looked around furtively, making sure there was no one around, then
walked out and closed the door.

Suddenly a scream came from nowhere just as she was about to leave.
The sound frightened the maids and older female servants who were
working in the courtyard. They raised their heads in confusion, looking
around for the source of the scream. They wondered who could be
making a sound like that. However, an older female servant, who was
standing under the roof, caught hold of the external maid, and asked her,
“Which manor do you belong to? Why are you here?”

When they heard this, all the maids and older female servants looked at
her.

“I…I got the wrong place, sorry, I made a mistake.” The maid explained
hastily in shock and dropped her head because of their close scrutiny.

She walked out quickly before she finished talking.

Someone recalled seeing her going into the candle lit room just now, so
they exchanged weird looks. A few of the older female servants couldn’t
hold back their laughter. Although they didn’t block her way, they judged
her with contempt, thinking that the one inside the room could not be a
good man, since he had seduced the maid in such a short time.
It also seemed the maid wasn’t a good girl. She was enticed to his room
within a mere 4 hours.

They had no idea which manor she was from. But how indecent and
unruly she was!

After all, it had nothing to do with them at all. The only thing they could
do was to regard this as a joke, which would make them laugh. The one
inside the room wasn’t their master. They would let Consort Dowager
know about this because maybe it would make her laugh and they would
get some money as a reward.

Seeing that nobody came out to stop her, the maid felt relieved once she
reached the door. She checked her route and returned hurriedly.

After she left, Ning Xueyan and Qingyu showed up round the corner.
Qingyu held a food basket containing their dinner.

“My lady, how do you know that Xianghong will be asking around
here?” Qingyu wondered. She didn’t believe it before but now she saw it
in person. She admired Ning Xueyan greatly for leading Xianghong to
the monk, after knowing that she would be inquiring about the painter.

The monks dared not say comment on this, especially since the painter
was here because of the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. So they
just indicated the way without saying anything.

“How can Ning Yuling give up such a great opportunity?” Ning Xueyan
turned around and walked back with a cold smile. She was aware that
Ning Yuling’s viciousness was the same as that of Madam Ling. She
would not give up this chance of framing Ning Xueyan. Now Ning
Yuling had mistakened the identity of the person inside so she would
shoot herself in the foot.

When she reached the corner of the cloister, Ning Xueyan stopped to
look around. The view here was great. Even though it was dark, she
could see the other side clearly. On the contrary, nothing could be seen
from the other side.

They waited for a while, standing under the roof, then they noticed Chen
Qing leaving the room stealthily. Chen Qing thought nobody was paying
any attention and was about to leave. Ning Xueyan then gave a signal to
Qingyu. Qingyu rushed out and collided with him on purpose. A gold
hair clasp dropped from Chen Qing’s hands. Qing Yu’s sharp eyes saw
that it belonged to her manor.

Qingyu pretended to be astonished and calmly asked, “My childe, are

you the one whom sister Xianghong is talking about?”

“Is something wrong?” Chen Qing picked up the hair clasp on the
ground and said this with a sense of fake calmness.

“Sister Xianghong is afraid that you will forget so she told me to remind
you again. Please remember it is Second Young Lady. She asks me to
give you this, too.” Qingyu answered politely in response to Ning
Xueyan. She took out a gold head-ornament flower and gave it to him,
then she said with a smile, “We all know it will cost a lot if we want this
to work. I just hope you, my childe, will not forget my lady.”

“Of course I won’t. I can guarantee that. But I was told it was Fifth
Young Lady.” Chen Qing said excitedly. He didn’t expect the beauty
would really choose him. Now that he received the favor, he must do
something worthwhile. He planned to use Madam Ling’s gold hair clasp
to ask for help. It was better that he need not pay for the help anymore.

“My childe, you heard wrongly. It’s Second Young Lady. Please
remember this time.” Qingyu emphasized again.

Chen Qing did not suspect anything. He nodded and said, “Yes, yes, I
won’t forget it anymore. Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor,
I get it! I won’t make the same mistake again.”

When he thought that the beauty would rather be with him, and had
planned all these, Chen Qing’s heart beat faster. He had already forgotten
about the portrait which he had asked someone to deliver to Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

The Chrysanthemum Party, held by Honored Consort Ya, was held

halfway up the mountain, behind the Cold Mountain Temple. There was
a large open space so the party was a magnificent affair. The ground was
filled with all kinds of chrysanthemums. There was also a small man-
made lotus pond on the west. Although it was not time for the lotus to
bloom, the fish inside were very lively.

Groups of red koi carps in the water, showed up leisurely from time to
time.

Several pavilions were beside the lotus pond. Princes, Princely Heirs and
the daughters of aristocratic families stood or sat inside. They chatted.
And they were supposed to choose someone they like. The girls couldn’t
stopping sneaking peeks at the heirs although they were shy. The most
outstanding prince was Third Prince. Fourth Prince was busy today so he
did not come.

Third Prince’s biological mother was Honored Consort Ya and Fourth

Prince’s was Honored Consort Shu. Their mothers held high statuses in
the palace. But Third Prince was the elder and his mother was the
highest-ranking, so he had the upper hand. The girls paid more attention
to him.

Even if a girl couldn’t be his wife, her future would be just as promising
if she became his concubine. Not to mention the fact that Third Prince
was a dashing man.

Compared with noble Third Prince, the Princely heir of Commandery

Prince Min was popular, too. As one of the most handsome man in the
capital, Wen Xueran was born with a pleasing appearance with a pair of
bright, amorous eyes. Any girl whom he had his eye on, would always
blush and try to avoid his attention.

Being watched by such a pair of beautiful eyes would make anyone

drown in its appeal. The romantic feeling it evoked made people’s hearts
beat fast.

Honored Consort Ya chatted and laughed with a few of the elder madams
sitting in the middle pavilion. In the way, she could also observe the
crowd.

Ning Yuling secretly peeked at Third Prince, standing on the other side.
He looked tall and handsome in the sunshine. In his tight finery, Third
Prince showed an extraordinary temperament. His profound eyes, natural
Roman nose, and thin lips with its bright smile seemed warm. His
gentility swept through the crowd and settled on her, too. He looked at
her gently.

“Third Prince is looking at you all the time!” Lin Ziruo, the one who sat
beside Ning Yuling, was the daughter of Imperial Supervisor Lin, said
this ambiguously while nudging her.

“Maybe it’s you he’s looking at, instead of me.” Ning Yuling replied,
blushing. She heard that Imperial Supervisor wanted to let his daughter
marry Third Prince. Lin Ziruo had a purpose in mind and it was obvious
from her actions.

“How can it be? I heard that Lord Protector’s Manor had a marriage deal
with Third Prince. Is it true?” Lin Ziruo asked chuckling. She nudged
Ning Yuling again. And she expressed herself clearly even though she
equivocated.

“You are talking nonsense! How is it possible? It won’t be easy to have a

royal marriage.” Ning Yuling glared at Lin Ziruo. She wouldn’t tell her
the truth.

“Really?” Lin Ziyan looked doubtful.

“Of course!” Ning Yuling said seriously. But she couldn’t stop her
complacency from showing, which was easy to see. Especially since her
eyes were following Third Prince all this while. When she looked into
Third Prince’s eyes, she showed great affection. Her pretty eyes became
soft and beautiful. This made Lin Ziruo even more jealous.

“How can Lin Ziruo dream of marrying Third Prince? She is just a nasty
shrew.” Ning Yuling had this cold thought in her mind.

Suddenly, Lin Ziruo inadvertently witnessed something. She reached out

to pull Ning Yuling’s sleeve after taking a close look and in a mocking
tone, said, “Second Young Lady, it looks like Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li has been staring at you all this while. Look! He’s
been there for a long time, so he must be watching you. And he appears
to be in a trance.”

Ning Yuling looked at the direction where Lin Ziruo’s hand was
pointing. She saw a handsome young man, dressed in finery, staring at
her absentmindedly. There was an undisguised stunned look in his eyes.
Ning Yuling felt complacent about being stared at by a young pretty
noble Princely Heir, but she had to pretend to be unhappy.

“How can he be so rude? How dare he look at me like that? Where are
his manners?” Ning Yuling said coquettishly.

“You can’t say that. He is the beloved one of Consort Dowager of

Commandery Prince Li’s Manor. If he hears you, he will get angry.” Lin
Ziruo said with a smile.

Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li? It reminded Ning Yuling of

the old lady who gave her a pair of bracelets yesterday. She had a good
feeling about the old lady. Thinking of her, she smiled at Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li spontaneously. She felt happy in her heart but
she said coldly, “Why does he keep looking at me? Disgusting!”

“Because you are so beautiful. This heir is too obsessed with you to
remove his gaze. Maybe he will ask Honored Consort Ya later for the
honor of marrying you.” Lin Ziruo teased her and covered her mouth.

“Nonsense!” Ning Yuling said unhappily. She was determined to become

the wife of Third Prince now. Other men were not her choice. Although
it was noble Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, he wasn’t good
enough compared with Third Prince. She was unwilling to marry him
even though she felt satisfied with his adoration.

“I’m telling the truth. See, he is walking towards you.” Lin Ziruo nudged
her, smiling.

Ning Yuling turned around subconsciously and saw Princely Heir

walking straight to her. She frowned a little and turned round, moving off
to another road. Now it was party time, a lot of people including
Honored Consort Ya were watching. She could not have anything to do
with other men. It would make Third Prince and his mother unhappy.
Chapter 53 Chaos, Princely Heir
was beaten
Something had happened the day before yesterday that made Third
Prince and his mother unhappy. So Ning Yuling needed to be more
careful now. She remembered that Honored Consort Ya wanted Ning
Xueyan to be her son’s concubine. Ning Yuling had a cold smile on her
face. She tried to look for Ning Xueyan but could not find her. Where
was the bitch?

Actually, Ning Xueyan was present. She stood in a secluded place, far
away from the crowd, so Ning Yuling did not see her. She leaned against
a tree, leisurely waiting for their next move. Honored Consort Ya and
Lord Protector’s Manor had already decided in secret that Ning Yuling
would be Third Prince’s wife. Now she wondered what Ning Yuling
would do if she became his wife.

Qingyu had appeared earlier but had already excused herself. There was
only Lanning beside Ning Xueyan.

“Are you Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor?” Princely Heir
of Commandery Prince Li asked, looking at Ning Yuling with a smile.
He only reached out to talk to her politely. It seemed his propriety was
less than the dignity of a childe.

He then stared at Ning Yuling lewdly, looking at her from top to toe. He
paid special attention to her buxom breasts. This made him even more of
a disgrace.

From a distance, she thought he was a noble Princely Heir. Ning Yuling
felt something was terribly wrong when he came closer. He seemed like
a scoundrel on the street instead of an heir. It was disgusting. His eyes
seemed to be removing her clothes. This made Ning Yuling feel ashamed
and angry.

He couldn’t be Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. He was a

shameless jerk!
“Who… who are you? Go away!” Ning Xueyan scolded him angrily. She
struggled to pass by using the side road. Several noble girls standing
beside her noticed what was happening. They retreated after discovering
that it was Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Everyone knew his
bad reputation. Getting involved with him would only create problems. It
seemed he was fond of Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor.

The wastrel and the shrew, this should be fun. The girls mocked her, as
they covered their mouths with their hands. They scattered, walking back
a few steps because they wanted to see what would happen next.

Princely Heir seemed satisfied. His eyes fell on Ning Yuling’s buxom
breasts after scanning her face. Sure enough, she was the type of beauty
he fancied. Her pretty face and nice-shaped body made her a rare one.
He had lost sleep ever since Chen Qing delivered the painting to him.

When he heard that she would be attending the party today, he purposely
came early in the morning in order to meet her.

What surprised him most was that she seemed to have a crush on him,
too.

He was looking for her just now. The painter did not give any further
details and had said that it was a lady of Lord Protector’s Manor.
Thinking that the most famous girl in the manor was Second Young
Lady, he believed that the girl in the painting was Ning Yuling.
Furthermore, he heard that Ning Yuling was a beautiful girl with a good
reputation, as soon as he arrived at Cold Mountain Temple. The girl, who
drew the picture, had a good reputation. This made him curious. He had
to see her.

A maid came from the other side, lowered her head and said something
to his servant before leaving when Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li was unable to find Ning Yuling. She said that Second Young Lady
was over there and had asked Princely Heir to come over. It thrilled him
greatly.

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was a dissolute man. His bones

melted when he heard that the beauty had invited him, and he went to see
her in spite of everything. Seeing Ning Yuling, he was overjoyed and
thought she was the mistress of the maid. She must have been aware of
his charm and good looks, so she instructed her maid to tell him that on
purpose. However, he was surprised that Ning Yuling was angry. Then
he believed he understood her.

She knew nothing about him so she thought he was a wastrel who had
accosted her and rebuked him. Luckily, he was a thick-skinned man who
was doing this deliberately. He wasn’t angry with her. On the contrary,
he kept his smile on face and said, “Second Young Lady, I’m Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Nice to meet you!”

After talking, he bowed to her especially. He kept looking at her from

top to toe and smiled leeringly at her.

Ning Yuling’s face turned dark because she was angry. As a noble lady,
she had never been so humiliated by such a person. And she was so
angry that her body trembled. Under his watchful eyes, she didn’t notice
what he said. It seemed that his eyes were undressing her. She felt
ashamed and full of hate for him.

She shouted furiously, “Guards! Kick him out!”

Ning Yuling was the boss in her manor so her older female servants
behind her were good at their jobs. They scrambled to Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li. And the one ahead slapped him in the face.

Although Princely Heir was young, he wasn’t in good shape because he

indulged in women and alcohol. After downing two bottles of wine in
the morning, the only thing he had in mind now was how to get Ning
Yuling in his arms. He didn’t hear what she said. The next moment, he
felt a sudden slap on his face.

He became dizzy and stepped back a little. His servants tried to hold him
so he didn’t fall down. They shouted, “Heir, heir!”

He was the beloved son of Consort Dowager. She would punish the
servants if anything bad happened to him.

The other older female servants tried to rush up to him, when they saw
the one ahead hitting him, but they failed. They knew they could not give
up the chance to show their loyalty because Second Young Lady was
furious now. Seeing Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li’s servants
coming, they didn’t wait and tried to push the servants away, in order to
hit the heir.

The servants stayed with Princely Heir in case the older female servants
hit him again. He was precious. Even his father would be punished if he
beat or rebuked him harshly. Of course, they would protect him until
death. So, they fought back.

The place where Ning Xueyan stood in was a brae. She saw everything
clearly. Putting her fingers slightly on Lanning’s hands, Ning Xueyan
moved her eyes to the south-west corner of the party, from Ning Yuling’s
angry face. She heard voices from there, too. However, it sounded much
lower compared with the ones coming from the fight.

There was a slight smile on her face, but there was no happiness in her
eyes.

Madam Ling wanted to slander Ning Xueyan. But Ning Xueyan played
her back at her game, now her daughter was the one who was being
played.

The older female servants wanted to hit him again as Princely Heir’s
servants tried to protect their master. This caused chaos and attracted the
attention of Honored Consort Ya and the other people who sat on the
other side. A royal maid came over hurriedly. She whispered to Honored
Consort Ya. Honored Consort Ya looked at Madam Dowager of Lord
Protector’s Manor and frowned. Her face turned dark.

“Honored Consort Ya, what’s wrong? Why are they making so much
noise? These days, young ladies and childes can’t seem to behave.”
Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor said unhappily
after seeing what had happened on the other side. She always preferred
quiet places.

“Go! Go and ask what has happened?” Madam Dowager thought

something wrong so she asked Xiangmiao to check. But after thinking
for a while, she said, “Find Second Young Lady first.”

She had a bad feeling.

The noisy crowd moved towards them before Xiangmiao’s could
respond. Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, who was obsessed
with the beauty, had been beaten badly, had just regained consciousness.
He found himself being teased by the noble ladies and childes who stood
beside him. His face darkened after assessing the situation.

Nobody could humiliate him like this. The person he hated most now
was Ning Yuling. She asked the maid to guide him here, but then she
pretended to be lofty and ignored him. Moreover, she asked her servants
to beat him. There was no way he would let her go so easily. He became
instantly angry even though Ning Yuling was a beauty. He played with
beautiful girls every day. There was one, who became haughty because
she was indulged by him and ended up being flogged to death.

“Stop! I am here because Second Young Lady asked me to come over. I

will cut your hands off if you hit anyone again. Ning Yuling! Tell your
servants to stop immediately!” Princely Heir yelled.

He didn’t notice any other stuff now and pushed his servants away and
rushed to slap the older female servant hard. He used all his strength.
The crowd became quiet when they found that he was truly angry and
heard his words clearly.

He had said that Ning Yuling was the one who invited him here and
wrote him a letter, which could be termed as a private relationship. But
she chose to have a relationship with this dissolute Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li. People thought Ning Yuling fancied his status,
so she invited him secretly. She did not expect him to turn out to be a
playboy, so she had put them both in an awkward situation now.

“You are talking nonsense! I never wrote to you!” Ning Yuling’s face
turned red after hearing what he said, “Hit him! Hit him harder!”

“Beat them! You! The slutty bitch! You dare to ask me to come over but
dare not admit it. You even asked your people to hit me.” Princely Heir
of Commandery Prince Li had never been humiliated by a woman
before. He got angrier and stared at Ning Yuling in a rage. And he moved
forward and slapped her on her cheek.

She, the bitch, was the one who wanted him here. How dare she pretend
to be the innocent one now? This pissed the arrogant heir off horribly. He
couldn’t care less about what she was or he needed to exercise more
tolerance when he was really angry. The reality was that he was
embarrassed because of her.

The heirs and childes Ning Yuling saw in her daily life were all elegant.
They talked gently with smiles and were polite. She never saw anyone
like him. Being beaten by Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was
unexpected, so she was confused at that moment. Flowers fell down
from her head and her hair was loose. She fell awkwardly onto an older
female servant.

The noble daughters around watched the drama, pointing at her at the
same time. The heirs looked at them from a distance, with disdain on
their faces. Nobody tried to interfere. She even saw Third Prince, who
was talking to several noble girls facing her just now, turn around after
discovering what happened, and leaving her with a view of his back.

She was ashamed, furious and felt so wronged. She looked at the crowd
and not finding anyone to help her, couldn’t repress her feeling anymore.
She started to cry and turned to run to Madam Dowager. The older
female servants stopped scuffling and ran behind her. They tried to
console Ning Yuling, “Please don’t cry, my Second Young Lady. We will
tell Madam Dowager and she will back you up.”

“My lady, no need to hurry. Madam Dowager is there…”

Chapter 54 Insisting
They showed up in front of the noble madams with tears and much noise.
The Madams already knew what had happened. Consort Dowager of
Commandery Prince Li, who liked Ning Yuling a lot before, talked with
the other madams, while holding a leopard cat in her arms. She just
heard that Ning Yuling had hit her baby grandson.

She was immediately unhappy. Princely Heir was her beloved grandson
who grew up by her side. Even Commandery Prince Li would be
punished if he touched him, let alone a stranger.

Let alone a strange woman.

She knew everything about her grandson. She understood that she had
overindulged him. This made him naughty. It was said that Second
Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor was vixenish so she was satisfied
and hoped that maybe Ning Yuling could change her grandson. It would
comfort her and her son wouldn’t say that she spoiled her grandson too
much.

Ning Yuling was a beauty from a good family, so she was satisfied with
her at the beginning. It would be a good thing if her grandson could
marry Ning Yuling. Although she knew that Lord Protector’s Manor and
Honored Consort Ya wanted Ning Yuling to be Third Prince’s wife, she
still wanted her. Anyway, she was the emperor’s aunt. If she asked for a
lady of Lord Protector’s Manor, Third Prince would have to give her up.

So she gave the bracelets to Ning Yuling on purpose.

But Ning Yuling knew nothing about it and had accepted it, although she
felt a bit confused.

Madam Dowager and Honored Consort Ya were aware of this. But she
was Consort Dowager, so they wouldn’t be against her openly. In the
end, this became unexpectedly feasible. Now she only wanted her
grandson to get to know Ning Yuling. He was a royal heir with good
looks, so Ning Yuling would like him definitely. She could help a little
after, then it would be done.

This was what she had planned, but what happened today was
unexpected. She was furious now and already erased any ideas that she
previously had. Ning Yuling had hit her grandson before their marriage.
Her manor wouldn’t be peaceful anymore if they really got married. Sure
enough Ning Yuling was a heinous shrew. There was no way she would
let the shrew into her manor.

She didn’t want Ning Yuling any longer and sat there with a dark look on
her face, waiting for Ning Yuling’s explanation.

Ning Xueyan walked towards them, mingling in quietly with the crowd.

“Grandmother, grandmother, that… that jerk… where is he from? He

said all kinds of things. Grandmother, please let someone flog him to
death!” Ning Yuling cried piteously. She could get whatever she wanted
in Lord Protector’s Manor and had never been a doormat. Now she
wished she could tear Princely Heir up.

She rushed to Madam Dowager’s arms, crying grievously as soon as she

saw her.

“My baby girl, what’s the matter? You are a noble daughter. Why are you
doing this?” Madam Dowager avoided the topic awkwardly, with a dark
face. The one beside her was the grandmother of the “jerk”, who looked
at her with such a horrible expression. Madam Dowager was cunning so
she did not answer Ning Yuling’s questions directly.

“Second Young Lady, what happened?” Honored Consort Ya had to ask.

Honored Consort Ya was the organizer of the Chrysanthemum Party. As
the highest-ranking imperial concubine of the emperor, the emperor
trusted her, so he asked her to help heirs, princes and ladies with their
marriages and got them acquainted with each other.

Two teams, who were supposed to get along well, had a fight from the
start. This annoyed Honored Consort Ya. Cold light flashed through her
eyes.
The only reason why she agreed to let her son marry the shrew was
because she was interested in Lord Protector’s Manor after Ning Yuling.
But now Ning Yuling had shown up, looking so messy. The rouge and
make-up on her face had been washed off by her tears and her face was
covered with red and black tear marks.

There was no air of a noble lady on Ning Yuling now. She looked like a
crazy, ugly woman who disgusted people.

Hearing Honored Consort Ya’s question, Ning Yuling became sad. She
wiped away her tear marks, then complained tearfully to Honored
Consort Ya, “My royal madam, please help me regain my reputation.
Please let your officers punish the jerk who is bothering the girls.”

Everything happened too quickly so she couldn’t react to this in time

before she got slapped. Now she ran back tearfully without thinking
about who Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was. She only
remembered she needed to pay him back for what he had done. Actually,
her reputation could be ruined by getting slapped by a man and showing
up here in a disheveled state.

Madam Ling had warned her many times that the reputation of a woman
was very important. As a result, she said, in a rage, that she was
determined to get the man killed without any hesitation. Nobody would
dare to hurt her anymore.

“Hum!” A cold snort was heard before Honored Consort Ya spoke.

“As what Second Young Lady says, my grandson needs to pay for your
unnecessary reputation with his life. Isn’t it?” The cold voice came from
Ning Yuling’s lateral side with irrepressible anger in it. Consort Dowager
was really angry. She did not expect Ning Yuling to be not only mean,
but vicious as well. She was the one who started all these. She was the
one who had invited her grandson first, but now Ning Yuling refused to
admit it. How could Consort Dowager tolerate this? So she opened her
mouth.

Ning Yuling felt dizzy and befuddled because she had cried for so long.
Finding someone against her, she retaliated without figuring out who was
the one talking before, “He is an ignoble lecher. He even dares to harass
me. Of course, he need to pay for it with his life. Grandmother, Honored
Consort Ya, please help me. Please kill him!”

She continued crying after finishing her speech.

“Bitch! What did you say? I harassed you? Look at you, do I need to do
that? You will come voluntarily. You asked your maid to lead me to you,
then you pretend to be innocent when I am here. It sounds like I am the
one who came voluntarily.” Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li
arrived and scolded her harshly, after hearing what Ning Yuling said.

He hated her so much. She had made it into such a great issue. There was
really a maid who told him where Ning Yuling was and asked him to find
her. He was conscious now and saw clearly, Honored Consort Ya sitting
above and Consort Dowager’s wink, and wanted to let Ning Yuling take
the blame.

A jerk like him, could turn nothing into anything. And something had
really happened between them just now.

“Nonsense! You, bastard! I didn’t do it. I never asked you to come over. I
don’t even know who you are.” Ning Yuling shouted again tearfully. She
would have kicked his ass if the two older female servants didn’t stop
her. She looked like a mad woman with her crazy looks and actions.
People looked at her with great scorn.

How could this girl be Second Young Lady with the good reputation?
She was a totally mad shrew.

Third Prince, who had just come over, was standing next to his mother,
had a dark expression on his face.

Honored Consort Ya frowned and didn’t know what to say at the

moment. A woman like Ning Yuling could never marry her son and be
the future empress.

“My baby girl, don’t hurry. Talk slowly. It is Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Li in front of you. His grandmother gave you the
bracelets yesterday. Did you forget that due to the grievances today?”
Madam Dowager consoled Ning Yuling and held her hands. Trying hard
to repress her face muscles, she kept a serene look on her face, although
she was so angry with Ning Yuling.

She had tried to hint to her that the man in front of her was Princely Heir
of Commandery Prince Li, instead of a lecher. Especially since Honored
Consort Ya and Consort Dowager were both there. Ning Yuling couldn’t
afford to offend them.

“Madam Dowager, the education of your manor is really good. Your

granddaughter uses words like Lecher, bastard and jerk when she speaks.
Our eyes are truly open now. Luckily we know she is Second Young
Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. If we did not, we would have thought
that she is a disgraceful shrew.”

Hearing Ning Yuling calling her baby grandson a lecher and a bastard,
Consort Dowager couldn’t help saying this. She lost all interest in the
marriage so she stopped being courteous and retaliated harshly against
the shameless shrew.

Not to mention the single girls, even the madams could not take it.

Ning Yuling raised her head in amazement after hearing her words. She
saw clearly now that the one sitting beside her grandmother was Consort
Dowager of Commandery Prince Li, who had been kind to her. What did
she say? Did she scold her just now?

Madam Dowager felt suffocated and almost fainted because of Consort

Dowager’s words. If Ning Yuling’s reputation was tarnished by Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li, her innocent granddaughter would be
unable to marry anyone in the future.

“Heir, you say it is Second Young Lady who asks you to come over. But
she doesn’t know you, how could she invite you here? Enlighten me,
Princely Heir. “Madam Dowager said with great anger, while she used
her cane to knock heavily on the ground. It wasn’t time for tolerance.
She got to the point and asked Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li,
while staring at him.

“She sent a maid to tell me that she was waiting for me there. The maid
emphasized especially it was Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor.” Princely Heir said, with a cold snort, as he held his head up
high.

As for whether the maid emphasized it or not, when she said it was
Second Young Lady, then it must be.

“The maid? Which maid? Ning Yuling only has several maids with her
this time and they are all here. Can Princely Heir recognize the maid?”
Madam Dowager had a surprised look on her face. Looking at Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li, she thought Ning Yuling wouldn’t like
him, so she asked again.

“They all look the same. How can I tell which one is the maid? Just ask
them who the one who informed me earlier was. Anyway, I was invited
by Ning Yuling. It’s expected that she would not admit it in front of the
crowd.” Princely Heir still believed it was Ning Yuling who invited him.

Seeing the situation, his eyes blinked a little. He was conscious now so
he wouldn’t take the blame. He would let Ning Yuling be responsible for
all of it. He was Princely Heir. If he was found to be harassing the
daughter of Lord Protector’s Manor, his father, who had a bad temper,
would break his legs.

He was clearly aware of this.

Ning Xueyan had a slightly cold smile on her face as she stood at the
other side. She knew that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li would
take a bite at Ning Yuling.
Chapter 55 The Evidence,
Beautiful Painting
“Ask the maids to tell which one of them passed the message!” Ning
Yuling wanted to rush over as she gritted her teeth in anger. The two
older female servants tried to stop her under the command of Madam
Dowager.

“You are talking nonsense. How dare you do this? I have no private
relationship with you. Why do I need you here? I am a Young Lady of
Marquis Manor and I will never like a prodigal like you!”

She remembered the kind of man he was, so she spoke without thinking
when she thought of the bad reputation he had.

“Yes, Second Young Lady isn’t that kind of girl who will ask you to
come over. Maybe you made a mistake?“Madam Dowager said, with
great anger on her face.

“How do I know why she is doing this? Fortunately, I have the evidence.
It is from her. I can show you if you don’t believe me. Honored Consort
Ya and madams, please find the truth for me.” Princely Heir shouted
loudly.

Everyone started to whisper. Their eyes filled with doubts, disdain and
unbelievable feelings, were focused on Ning Yuling. People thought it
was Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li who had lusted for her
beauty and was talking nonsense. They didn’t expect him to have the
evidence. Maybe Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor was a
slutty girl. She even tried to seduce him.

Even Madam Dowager turned to Ning Yuling in doubt, signalling her

with her eyes, whether it was real.

Ning Yuling was furious. The evidence? How could she leave any
evidence in his place? She didn’t know why a lot of people trusted his
words.
“Xian’er, tell us. What is the evidence? Take it out and let Honored
Consort Ya comment on it.” Consort Dowager said loudly. She had kept
quiet all along until now, because she wondered whether it was her
grandson’s fault. But she became excited when she heard there was
evidence.

“You have evidence?” Honored Consort Ya asked. Seeing the drama, she
kneaded her temples, and her eyes darkened. She didn’t believe Princely
Heir had the evidence. No matter what, she had made up her mind,
Second Young Lady couldn’t be her son’s wife.

Looking at Ning Yuling now, what did she do? Luckily, the two families
had just discussed about the marriage secretly. It wasn’t officially
decided yet. Otherwise, this would humiliate her son.

“My second sister won’t give you any evidence. You must be talking
nonsense because you want to ruin her reputation. Honored Consort Ya,
please help my sister to safeguard her reputation. Lord Protector’s Manor
will never be humiliated like this!” A cold voice came from the crowd.
People looked back and saw a skinny lady supported by a maid walking
into the area.

Because she was too thin and young, her beautiful face features were not
dazzling. Even so, she looked innocent and calm. She was a young girl
with a decent temperament. Compared with Second Young Lady, she
was much better.

Someone asked who she was, but somebody who saw Ning Yuling
blaming Ning Xueyan said it was Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor.

“Is there a Fifth Young Lady in the manor? Why have I never heard of
it?”

“Is Fifth Young Lady’s mother dead?”

“Is she the first daughter? It is a strange matter in Lord Protector’s

Manor. They hide their first daughter in the backyard. What is this all
about?”
Someone teased, some laughed at Ning Xueyan, and some just wanted to
watch the drama. Madam Dowager’s face turned red when they
whispered among themselves.

Princely Heir was in panic after hearing Ning Xueyan’s words. His eyes
moved quickly because he lied. The evidence maybe wasn’t from Ning
Yuling. When he found this concerned Lord Protector’s reputation, he
thought he was unable to take the responsibility. Lord Protector was a
powerful being, in charge of troops. He wasn’t like the other nobilities
who were paid without having to work.

If he was found to be harassing Lord Protector’s daughter and making

the evidence on purpose, maybe it would need the emperor to handle the
issue in the end. His grandmother wouldn’t be able to protect him. Even
as he thought of the bad result, he was being pushed here. So he said
loudly to his servant beside him, gritting his teeth.

“Take out the painting Second Young Lady gave me. Submit it to
Honored Consort Ya.”

At this point, Princely Heir had insisted that Ning Yuling invited him
here. Or else he would be unable to take the responsibility for this.

The servant behind him went forward and knelt in front of Honored
Consort Ya in the command of him, and lifted the painting above his
head.

A royal maid standing behind took it over and delivered it to Honored

Consort Ya.

The other royal maid came over. Two maids opened the painting
together. Third Prince, who stood behind his mother snorted coldly and
his face turned dark immediately.

“Oh! This… this painting is… so obscene.” Consort Dowager shouted

after moving her head and taking a look at the painting. She sat beside
Honored Consort Ya and wanted to cover her eyes with the handkerchief.
But she swung her hands so hastily that her hands hit one of the royal
maid. The royal maid’s hand trembled, and dropped the painting.
The other royal maid was looking at the painting, together with Honored
Consort Ya. Hearing Consort Dowager’s shout, she let go of the painting,
too.Before she could respond, another shout could be heard. She didn’t
get the chance to pick up the painting so it fell on the ground.

The painting lay on the ground. People focused their attention on it.

Ning Xueyan covered her mouth with the handkerchief. It was so chaotic
that nobody noticed that she was the one who had shouted.

There was a buxom voluptuous woman in the painting with a thin gauze
dress covering her half body. The woman’s body could almost be seen
clearly through the dress. The woman’s shy and charming face looked
exactly like Ning Yuling.

It was private. Nobody could draw this unless he or she saw it. The
meaning on the painting was sultry. Clearly it was…Thinking of it, the
painting wouldn’t have been so vivid if Ning Yuling had not lain down
and dressed like that.

All the madams and ladies turned around almost at the same time, hastily
covering their eyes with their handkerchiefs. It seemed they had seen
something dirty. The painting was obscene so it was reasonable that they
acted like that.

“No, it isn’t me!” Ning Yuling shouted hurriedly, after seeing it.

“Second Young Lady! It is unexpected that you have a relationship with

my Xian’er. I am not against it. But Second Young Lady. You can’t be
his wife. Although my manor is willing to be responsible for this, my
grandson can’t marry you. Our manor isn’t powerful but we act with
propriety and we can’t let you ruin it.“Consort Dowager said calmly.

This meant she wanted Ning Yuling to be Princely Heir’s concubine.

Everyone thought Ning Yuling, as Second Young Lady of Lord

Protector’s Manor, had created the obscene painting herself. She
revealed that she was having a private relationship with Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li. Shame on her!
Ning Xueyan was standing aside quietly. She showed a surprised look
like everyone else. But nothing existed in her black eyes. This was
Madam Ling’s plan for her. Sure enough it was vicious and malicious.

Madam Ling had planned to add Ning Xueyan’s face to the completed
painting of a prostitute’s body. If Princely Heir saw that it was Ning
Xueyan, her reputation would be ruined. People would think she was the
slutty girl. Nobody would care whether her face fitted the buxom body.

Madam Ling wanted to attract Princely Heir’s attention by using the

buxom body. However, it fitted Ning Yuling perfectly. She was only 16.
Exactly the age of the mature body. The painting with Ning Yuling’s face
on it looked flawless. Even though Ning Xueyan knew the truth, she
could believe that the woman was Ning Yuling after taking a look at the
picture.

If Ning Xueyan did such a thing now, especially when Madam Ming
died long ago, Madam Dowager wouldn’t protect her for Lord
Protector’s Manor’s reputation. She would strangle her with a white silk
string. Then Madam Ming’s reputation would be tarnished. Then Madam
Ling and Ning Yuling would take control of everything after Ning
Xueyan’s death.

People would only say that Madam Ming and Ning Xueyan were slutty.
They wouldn’t care about the marriage of Ning Ziyan anymore. Madam
Ling and Ning Ziyan could finally get rid of it.

Ning Yuling was as malevolent as her mother. Now that they started this
vicious affair, Ning Xueyan would let them take care of it themselves.

Ning Xueyan lifted her lips slightly to cover the frosty coldness.

Wen Xueran, who stood beside Third Prince, happened to see this. His
amorous eyes blinked a little when it fell on Ning Xueyan. He sneered a
little, after thinking it over and showed a charming smile on his face. He
had noticed it.

“It’s not me… It’s not me…This isn’t me…” It drove Ning Yuling crazy.
She shouted madly, her face full of shock, swinging her hands around. It
gave her a crazy look, the wide open eyes and loose hair.
“This is not you? Oh, I remember. This maid came to visit Princely Heir
yesterday,” A maid who stood behind Consort Dowager said, pointing at
Xianghong, who was standing behind Ning Yuling.

“Yes, it’s her. She came over yesterday stealthily. We would have barely
noticed her if there wasn’t some sound outside.”

“Yes, it’s her. We thought the maid was seducing someone. It turns out to
be our lady. The maid is just a helper.”

Several older female servants and maids proved it, too. They all spoke
reasonably. It was true that they all saw Ning Yuling’s maid showing up
in the courtyard of Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

“Second Young Lady, how…how can you explain this?” Honored

Consort Ya sighed and asked lightly. She asked maids to pick up the
painting and deliver it to Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager gritted her teeth tightly. She could feel her blood
gushing from her chest and almost coming out from her mouth. She
couldn’t speak a word with her face turning red. She hated her beloved
granddaughter who had humiliated Lord Protector’s Manor and
embarrassed her. She wanted to slap Ning Yuling now.

No… It was wrong. How could it be? It was Ning Xueyan! That bitch!

“What a bold man! Who are you? How dare you intrude into the
Honored Consort Ya’s Party?” The rebuke could be heard, coming from
outside.

Ning Xueyan’s face turned dark. She couldn’t help grasping her
handkerchief. Seeing Ning Yuling in a panic, she turned her surprise into
complacency. And her eyes were dark as the black jade and profound as
the sea.
Chapter 56 The Private Meeting
and the Wrong Person
“The Chrysanthemum Party is held by Honored Consort Ya. How did the
lecher come in easily?”

“Nobody can take the blame if he bothered Honored Consort Ya.”

While talking, the guards took a man over. Although he lowered his head
and couldn’t be seen clearly, it could be told from his body that he was a
man. He was in an ordinary dress instead of fineries, but he wasn’t a
servant.

A lot of things happened during the party. The earlier thing wasn’t
handled yet, now this man came from nowhere. Honored Consort Ya’s
face became darker and darker. The persons here were all from noble
families with honorable statuses. She wasn’t able to take the blame if bad
things occurred. Honored Consort Ya stood up suddenly and said with
great anger, “How dare you sneak here. Take him out and flog him hard
50 times.”

It would kill him after taking 50 times of flogging. Although he was

young and strong, he couldn’t take it.

Two guards who dragged the man in took him aside without thinking
twice. The man started to scream because of fears, “Honored Consort Ya,
please don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me! I was invited here!”

Here it was. Ning Yuling showed a smug face, staring at Ning Xueyan
viciously. She gritted her teeth tightly and only got one thought in her
mind, which was the one who was unlucky today should be Ning
Xueyan… It must be her…

Invited? Again? People showed doubtful faces. Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Li just said he had been invited by Ning Yuling.
Now there was another man saying he was invited.
“Take him back!” Third Prince said coldly. He moved forward.

The guards dragged the man back. Now people saw him clearly. The
young man with good looks was in a mess because his clothes were
untidy. Seeing Third Prince stood high in front of him, he knew this man
was a big shot so he answered hastily.

“A lady sent her maid secretly to give me a letter saying the lady has a
crush on me, so she asked me to see her. I doubt it and come here to have
a look. I’m not planning anything. My childe, please find out the truth.”

The man said as his eyes moved quickly. It meant he was unreliable.

“Who invited you here?” Third Prince asked coldly. Same things kept
happening, which made him so angry. His eye-sight flashed over noble
ladies’ faces one by one. Whoever watched by him, they all dropped
their heads with bloodless faces. Then he looked into a pair of profound
peaceful eyes.

He drew back a little of his harshness in his eyes. He saw exactly a

prince’s wife’s temperament.

“It’s… it’s…” The man could hardly breathe. He was frightened by

atrocious guards beside him.

“Are you going to say or not?” Third Prince threatened him, looking at
him leeringly.

“It’s the Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor.” The murderous
look of Third Prince scared the man so he shouted loudly.

A smug smile froze on Ning Yuling’s face. She looked at the man with
total amazement. How… How could it be? It should be Ning Xueyan!

Madam Dowager clenched her hands tightly. Her face turned dark. She
looked at Ning Yuling, gritting her teeth. It was her again! Everything
happened today was because of Ning Yuling, which made Lord
Protector’s Manor lose all its dignity. But what could she do now? The
only thing in Madam Dowager’s mind was to rush to slap her face
heavily.
“Oh, no wonder the maid told me where Second Young Lady was and
asked me to find her. It turns out I’m the wrong person. He is the one she
wants. Bitch! There are other men she flirted with besides me!” Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li shouted loud passing the buck to Ning
Yuling without hesitation. He pretended to be innocent now.

“A woman like her won’t be accepted by anyone. It’s unexpected that

ethics and moral standards of Lord Protector’s family is …” Consort
Dowager said coldly. She was ashamed of the things her grandson just
did.

Ning Yuling looked at them with a cold smile, feeling ironic. Madam
Ling intended to do harm to her by letting a painter paint the obscene
picture for Princely Heir. So did Ning Yuling. She asked the man to ruin
her reputation. In the end, Ning Yuling took them all.

The situation at present was all their own fault. Madam Ling and Ning
Yuling took it themselves.

Ning Yuling started trembling because she was angry and worried. But
she couldn’t say a word for her lip shivered. How could it be her instead
of Ning Xueyan?

Ning Yuling was shrewish so she pushed away an older female servant
and wanted to abuse the man. She showed a ferocious face, looking at
the man.

Xianghong, who stood beside her, reached out to stop her, whispering to
her ear.

Her words stunned Ning Xueyan immediately. Shock, hatred, and fear
were all on her face.

It was Ning Yuling’s plan. She asked Xianghong to tell the man that
Ning Xueyan had a crush on him but couldn’t be with him, and she
would like to be his concubine because her family wanted to marry her
to someone. Moreover, Xianghong told the man that Ning Xueyan
wanted him to send a servant to ruin her reputation so that he could help
her. In the end, Lord Protector’s Manor would agree with their marriage.
However, instead of ruining Ning Xueyan’s reputation, Ning Yuling
became the victim.

Ning Yuling felt her blood become cold. She could feel the disdain and
disgust in people’s eyes. When she raised her head, she looked into Ning
Xueyan’s profound dark eyes. She only saw the coldness in them. So was
her silent lip.

“It’s you. It’s you. Isn’t it?” Ning Yuling screamed, pointing at Ning
Xueyan in a rage. Her face was twisted.

“My second sister, what are you talking about? I… know nothing at all.”
Ning Xueyan answered calmly with a pair of peaceful eyes. She stood
aside in no hurry. Her beautiful face showed no fear and panic.

“Bitch! It must be you! The shame was on you. You seduced men then
planted it on me.” Ning Yuling was furious. She shouted in a rage. She
wasn’t willing to face the truth that she planned everything, but it turned
out to be her shame.

The rouge and make-up were stacked on Ning Yuling’s face. Tears made
them become colorful marks. Her ugly looks made people hate her more.

“My second sister, please don’t be angry. Someone may frame you up.
Let grandma find the truth. If she can’t, we will tell some officers. All in
all, we won’t let anyone tarnish your reputation for no reason.” Ning
Xueyan pretended to be thoughtful.

This reminded Madam Dowager. She said, “Frisk him!”

Two older female servants did what she asked right now. They searched
all over his body and found a gold head-ornament flower in her arms.
Madam Dowager was in silence when she saw it. Her face was twisted
while she held tightly the same gold flower in her hands. Of course, she
knew what it was. This was a usual ornament in Lord Protector’s Manor.

There was a sign on the top of it, which represented her manor. Besides,
the type of the flower only belonged to Ning Yuling.

Seeing Madam Dowager’s action, people understood immediately that

the ornament was Ning Yuling’s.
Ning Xueyan showed a little shock on her face but she hid it perfectly.
She turned to her angry grandma and said, “Grandmother, my second
sister will never do such a thing. She might think it was funny so she
wanted to imitate the drama. The worst persons are her maids. They
didn’t stop her. When the truth is exposed, they are afraid of punishments
so they frame up Yan’er… Grandmother, please forgive my second
sister!”

Ning Yuling started to rebuke Ning Xueyan after hearing what her maid
said. This made people think Ning Yuling’s maid suggested her to frame
up her sister. The maid was the same as her mistress.

Moreover, Ning Xueyan’s words could prove Ning Yuling’s sins.

“You… you, I…” Ning Yuling’s face was ugly. She couldn’t say a word
pointing at Ning Xueyan. She could do nothing now. All she knew was
what Xianghong said was about last night’s plan. The man ought to be
sent by Princely Heir. Xianghong tried to warn her. But she couldn’t tell
people this.

Madam Dowager’s face became worse. She had no idea what to do,
gritting her teeth. Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, she understood the
situation clearly. She decided to walk towards Ning Yuling and slap her.
Ning Yuling stepped back a little then fell down on the ground. Her lip
was broken and the blood came out.

“Grandmother…” Ning Yuling covered her mouth, looking at Madam

Dowager. She couldn’t believe this.

“Xianghong connived her mistress. Flog her to death!” Madam Dowager

rebuked, staring at Xianghong in rage.

“Madam Dowager…” Xianghong was astonished, she knelt on the

ground and said, “It’s Second Young Lady…”

The whole plan was from Ning Yuling, so Xianghong was unwilling to
take the blame.

Madam Dowager didn’t give her more chance to explain. “Mute her and
flog her hard!”
Xianghong wanted to say more but someone already did what Madam
Dowager asked. She couldn’t say anything anymore.

“Grandmother, how to deal with this man?” Ning Xueyan asked,

pointing at the man.

“Drag him out and flog him hard, too. Then deliver him to the office.”
Madam Dowager rebuked again when she heard Ning Xueyan’s question
because she was in rage now.

The man saw the guards walking towards him, he started to shout in spite
of everything, “My madam, it’s real that Second Young Lady asked me
here. She said she didn’t want to marry a prince or an heir. She just
wanted to be with me. But she was afraid her manor would be against
her so she made the plan. Madam, please let us be!”

“Mute him and drag him out! Now!” Madam Dowager knocked the
ground using her stick in a rage. Even Honored Consort Ya’s and Third
Prince’s faces grew dark.

When two guards saw Third Prince’s horrible look, they muted the man
quickly and dragged him out immediately. Everybody here knew Ning
Yuling and Third Prince were engaged. Now they found out Ning Yuling
had private relationships with other men. This would embarrass Third
Prince.

Being stared by Third Prince’s cold eyes, Ning Yuling dared not to say
more. She started to cry, covering her face.
Chapter 57 Chessman and
Madam Dowager’s Hin
t

After what happened, nobody could enjoy the Chrysanthemum Party.

Ning Yuling was sent away by Madam Dowager. Third Prince wanted
the power of Ning Zu’an. Ning Yuling had such a bad reputation of
dating several men secretly, so Third Prince would not marry her if he
was to get related to Lord Protector’s Manor by marriage.

He was a prince. It would be a joke if she cheated on him.

Ning Xueyan settled down back to her room. Lanning offered a cup of
tea to her and asked after thinking of something, “My lady, how do you
know Second Young Lady would leave Xianghong for abetting the man
to tarnish your reputation?”

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. Her eye-sight fell on a cluster of ordinary

daisies. She answered coldly with her lip lifted, “Ning Yuling only got
one chance. She was too proud to let it go.”

Ning Yuling, who was as vicious as Madam Ling, hated Ning Xueyan so
much. So she wouldn’t give up the opportunity to frame her up. She
made a plan but it mixed up with Madam Ling’s plan. Madam Ling was
so vicious that Ning Yuling was unlucky to take the consequence.

“What will happen to Xianghong?” Qingyu couldn’t help asking.

“After all these things, Xianghong won’t be alive. She may be flogged to
death for abetting her mistress to date other men.” Ning Xueyan
answered peacefully.

Qingyu showed an unhappy face after hearing this. She felt sorry for
Xianghong. Lanning noticed her mood and said with a cold smile, “You
have sympathy for her? If they succeeded today, not only you and I
would be like her, but also our lady will be killed by a white silk string.”
Ning Xueyan wasn’t Ning Yuling. Ning Yuling was under the protection
of Madam Ling, so Madam Dowager wouldn’t kill her. If it was Ning
Xueyan, she wouldn’t be alive.

Qingyu trembled a little after hearing this and stopped her thinking. Ning
Xueyan dropped her eyes slightly seeing Qingyu stopped, there was
some shadow in her eyes.

Qingyu had a soft heart. But if she wanted to stay with Ning Xueyan, she
must know being merciful to their enemies was killing themselves. Ning
Xueyan found out this by her blood in her last life. She wouldn’t make
the same mistake now.

“My lady, will Madam Ling rush to question you because Second Young
Lady takes the blame?” Lanning worried about Madam Ling so she tried
to warn Ning Xueyan. After what happened, Madam Ling would suspect
Ning Xueyan although she had nothing to do with it.

Seeing considerable Lanning, Ning Xueyan smiled a little, and she felt
warm, “Never mind, Madam Ling won’t do that. Now she was in danger
herself. Ning Yuling had private relationships with other men, which was
proved true. People saw the truth, so I won’t get involved.”

People in the party were noble madams in the capital, so Madam Ling
would be unable to turn back again.

“How about marquis? He follows his wife all the time…” Lanning was
still worried. The backyard of Lord Protector’s Manor was in the
command of Madam Ling. Ning Zu’an allowed this.

“He follows her all along?” Ning Xueyan showed an ironic look.
Compared with his power and money, following his wife would be an
alternative. Watch! Her uncle was almost ready. She wanted to know
which one was more important to Ning Zu’an, dignity or Madam Ling…

Some voices came from the yard while their talking. Lanning went out to
check up and brought an older female servant in.

Two maids were behind the female servant. One of them held some silks,
the other had a jewelry box in her hands.
The older female servant bowed to Ning Xueyan with great respectful
smiling.

“Fifth Young Lady, these were from Third Prince. Madam Dowager
asked me to give you after checking up. They were simple but the color
was good, which will fit you perfectly. Madam Dowager asked you to
take them.”

The gifts from Third Prince? Especially picking light color ones, he gave
them to Madam Dowager first then Ning Xueyan took them from
Madam Dowager.

Ning Xueyan never saw the older female servant acted like this. She said
while frowning, “They’re gifts for grandmother, so I can’t take them. Not
to mention they’re useless for me.”

“Fifth Young Lady didn’t hear me clearly. Third Prince gave them to
you. He picked something decent. They’re all silks and satins. I heard
they’re from the national treasury. I never saw anything as good as them
in our manor.” The older female servant flattered.

Ning Xueyan’s eyelash dropped a little. The coldness in her eyes was
covered, but her eyebrow emitted colder mood.

Seeing Ning Xueyan’s reaction, Lanning understood her right now and
rebuked, “What are you saying? Third Prince gave them to my lady? My
lady is noble, so is Third Prince. They won’t have a private relationship.”

“Oh… no, it’s not what I meant…” Being misunderstood, the older
female servant was astonished and tried to explain, but Ning Xueyan
stopped her.

“Now that you said no, why do you take Third Prince’s gifts to me?
People who know the truth think it’s grandmother’s love to me, but
people who don’t will talk about me and Third Prince. After what
happened to my second sister, do you want more troubles?”

The words were harsh, Ning Xueyan even blamed her grandmother. Her
white face showed some cold smiles.
“It’s… it’s not what Madam Dowager meant…” The older female
servant planned to flatter Fifth Young Lady by sending her gifts. It was
unexpected she was misunderstood by the lady. The older female servant
was about to explain with widely opened eyes and mouth, “Fifth Young
Lady, Madam Dowager sent me here and asked me to give you…”

“You still don’t get it. You want Fifth Young Lady to tell it to Madam
Dowager herself?” Qingyu rebuked with unpleasure. She was aware of it
now.

Seeing the situation, the older female servant moved her eyes quickly
and smiled brightly to Ning Xueyan, “Fifth Young Lady, it would waste
Madam Dowager’s kindness if you refuse.”

“The kindness of Madam Dowager or Third Prince?” Ning Xueyan

asked coldly. Her frozen eye-sight scared the older female servant.

“Of… of course the gifts were from Third Prince. Madam Dowager sent
them here.”

“I can’t take Third Prince’s gifts. Please tell my grandmother. I’m the
noble daughter of Lord Protector’s Manor so I won’t take them.” Ning
Xueyan said coldly.

“I…” The older female servant didn’t expect her to be like this so she
didn’t know what to say now.

“Do you really want Fifth Young Lady to say it to Madam Dowager
herself?” Lanning rebuked again.

“No… no. I will tell it to Madam Dowager.” The older female servant
saw Ning Xueyan’s cold face although Ning Xueyan said nothing. She
would put down things and leave directly in her old time. But the older
female servant remembered what Third Prince said, so she dared not to
make it up. So she excused herself quickly.

The older female servant planned to flatter, but now she was kicked out.
This was a shame. She felt angry so she stomped her feet heavily by the
yard door and cursed something. Then she went back angrily to reply to
Madam Dowager with maids, shaking her handkerchief. The little bitch
dared to insult her, so she would say something bad to Madam Dowager.
The servants of Madam Dowager despised Ning Xueyan.

Lanning closed the door after they left and went back to the room. She
asked uncertainly, “Fifth Young Lady, what does Madam Dowager
want?”

Ning Xueyan raised her head with a cold smile on her lip, “She wants to
get on well with Third Prince. Now that Ning Yuling is useless, so her
focus is on me. She even wants to marry me to him in spite of what
happened to Ning Yuling.”

Ning Xueyan was unwilling to be a chessman of Lord Protector’s Manor

for richness and dignity. What she did wasn’t for marrying Third Prince.
Third Prince was obsessed with Ning Zu’an’s power so he wouldn’t
break with Lord Protector, because it wasn’t good for him.

Honored Consort Ya and Third Prince paid attention to her at the

moment of what happened to Ning Yuling. Madam Dowager was willing
to do this. It might be better than Ning Yuling that her unfavored
granddaughter could marry Third Prince.

If Third Prince was the future emperor, Ning Xueyan would earn dignity
for Lord Protector’s Manor as the first daughter of it.

If Third Prince couldn’t be the future emperor, she was a useless

chessman which would be thrown away easily. She wasn’t favored so
marquis and Madam Dowager could handle her in the way whatever they
wanted. So Madam Dowager hurried to send her gifts of Third Prince
and wanted to keep her reputation at the time.

“My lady, what should we do now?” Qingyu understood it and asked

hurriedly, “The older female servant was unhappy when she left. Maybe
she is saying something bad about you in front of Madam Dowager.
What should we do if Madam Dowager blames you for this?”

“She’d better say it. Lanning, fetch my scissors.” Ning Xueyan showed a
cold smile on her lip, standing up. She tried to find a way to get Madam
Dowager here. Seeing the older female servant’s face, she knew she
would definitely say bad things to Madam Dowager which would enrage
her.
Lanning did what Ning Xueyan asked without thinking twice. She put
scissors on the desk.

Ning Xueyan’s cold eye-sight fell on the scissors. She put it under the
loom and smiled. “Qingyu, go to decoct medicine under the roof. Right
under the roof. You need to give me the medicine when Madam
Dowager is here later.”

Madam Dowager wanted to use her to please Third Prince. Third Prince
wanted to use her to build the connection with Lord Protector’s Manor.
But she wasn’t the old her. She would be against them and use them to
deal with some troubles of her own.

An older female servant who was good at medicine followed Madam

Dowager everywhere.

It was said that the servant had checked all the medicine around Madam
Dowager. So madam Dowager only used the things she checked.

As for Madam Dowager, she heard Ning Xueyan didn’t take the gifts and
said impolite words. So she got angry and rushed to Ning Xueyan’s place
with many maids and older female servants.
Chapter 58 There Is Also a
Problem with Ning Xueyan’s
Medicine
“Young Lady, Young Lady, you can’t do that… If Second Madam knew
it, she would have been sad.” The voice of a maid came out of the room,
accompanied by the sound of something falling.

Under the corridor stood a maid who stunningly saw Madam Dowager
coming with anger. The medicine pot in her hand was still steaming. It
seemed that she had just decocted the medicine and was about to bring it
to Ning Xueyan.

“Madam Dowager, you… come and see our Young Lady.” Qingyu
seemed to see the savior when she saw Madam Dowager. She rushed to
Madam Dowager, forgetting to put down the hot medicine pot in her
hands.

“What’s wrong with her?” Madam Dowager asked impatiently.

Originally, she came here with anger to denounce Ning Xueyan and
became unhappier when she found that it was in a mess here.

“Our Young Lady…”

Before Qingyu finished her words, a sudden cry followed by a loud

sound came out of the room, which made Qingyu almost unable to hold
the medicine pot. She rushed into the house in spite of talking to Madam
Dowager who followed up with her servants.

In the room, Ning Xueyan fell to the ground, and on the other side was a
fallen chair. Lanning was also half sitting on the ground, holding Ning
Xueyan’s one hand tightly. What made people nervous most was a pair
of sharp scissors in Ning Xueyan’s hands. Lanning and she were
snatching the scissors.

The two ignored the messy embroidery on the ground.

“What are you doing?” Madam Dowager’s face darkened and she
heavily rapped the ground with her walking stick, making a loud sound.

“Grandma!” Ning Xueyan looked up with surprise as if she didn’t know

why Madam Dowager was here. Then she let go of the scissors she held
tightly, stood up with the support of Qingyu, and saluted Madam
Dowager respectfully, with a dim look on her face.

Her elegant salute was totally different from her radical behavior before.

“Grandma, please sit down!” Lanning grabbed the scissors and threw it
away. Then she picked up the fallen chair, bowed her head, and stepped
back to one side.

Madam Dowager sat down and asked angrily, “What were you doing just
now? Do you think that we haven’t had enough trouble recently so you
make troubles now?”

So many things had happened. Ning Yuling lost the chance to be the
Consort of Third Prince, which made Madam Dowager very angry. So
now she vented her anger on Ning Xueyan.

The Madam Dowager was so biased.

Ning Xueyan glanced at Madam Dowager, hatred flashing in her jade-

like eyes.

Looking at Madam Dowager’s angry look, Ning Xueyan raised her head
and explained, “Grandma, I just want to shave my long hair and worship
it in front of mother’s memorial tablet. From then on, I’ll stay with her to
show my filial piety to her.”

Shaving her hair and staying with her mother forever? Did she want to
be a nun?

Thinking about her previous plan, Madam Dowager was furious and
couldn’t think too much in her mind. She immediately looked sharply at
Ning Xueyan and said, “What do you mean? Are you not satisfied with
the gift that I just sent and deliberately did those things to embarrass
me?”
The Third Prince just talked with Madam Dowager about Ning Xueyan
and said he was very satisfied with Ning Xueyan. But now Ning Xueyan
said she wanted to be a nun. How could the Madam Dowager not be
angry?

And then she began to cough and flush. It was obvious that she really
was angry!

The female physician standing behind Madam Dowager immediately

went to take a cup of water to her.

Ning Xueyan knew that Madam Dowager didn’t like Madam Ming and
her. If not, she would help them in the backyard in the past. Even though
Ning Yuling murdered Ning Xueyan, Madam Dowager still wouldn’t
care too much. Now Madam Dowager cared for Ning Xueyan because
Ning Yuling couldn’t become the Consort of Third Prince. So she was
afraid that Ning Xueyan really wanted to be a nun and couldn’t marry
the Third Prince.

At this time, Madam Dowager wouldn’t allow Ning Xueyan to shave her
hair and become a nun.

“Grandmother, my mother used to accompany me. Now I want to

accompany her in the future. Grandma, please allow me to do so.” Ning
Xueyan looked up and said with calmness on her face. Then she looked
down to cover the hatred in her eyes.

Hearing that, Madam Dowager who leaned on the back of the chair
became more furious. She pounded the table with her hands, saying,
“You only care your mother. Your father and I are your families too. If
you become a nun, how could your father and I face the ancestors when
we die?”

“But, my mother…” Ning Xueyan’s look changed and she hesitantly

said.

“Your mother has died. But you still have father, brothers, sisters, and I.
Isn’t it good for us to live happily in the future?” Madam Dowager
constrained her anger and persuaded Ning Xueyan first.
If Ning Xueyan really shaved her hair and became a nun, the Lord
Protector’s Manor would greatly lose face.

Madam Ming had just died, and then her daughter wanted to shave hair
and become a nun several days later!

Moreover, Ning Xueyan was beautiful and the daughter born of the legal
wife. Madam Dowager was reluctant to allow Ning Xueyan to become a
nun in any case. What was more, the Third Prince had made it clear that
he was fond of her.

Ning Yuling couldn’t marry the Third Prince anymore. Strictly speaking,
Ning Yuling had cuckolded Third Prince. It was considered that the Lord
Protector’s Manor was sorry for the Third Prince. So the Third Prince
should be angry and vent his anger on the Lord Protector’s Manor.

At this time, Madam Dowager should please the Third Prince even more!

Madam Dowager had sent people to greet the Honored Consort Ya. But
the Honored Consort Ya refused to see them. It could be seen that
Honored Consort Ya was angry too!

So in this case, the importance of Ning Xueyan was obvious.

Madam Dowager had seen how fierce Ning Xueyan was when she
snatched the scissors, so now she changed her mind and dared not force
Ning Xueyan anymore.

“Grandmother, my mother will be lonely if I don’t accompany her.” Ning

Xueyan hesitantly said, seeming to be convinced by Madam Dowager.

Seeing Ning Xueyan no longer stubborn, Madam Dowager was relieved.

Now she didn’t dare to vent her anger on Ning Xueyan. She took Ning
Xueyan’s hands and said lovingly, “Xueyan, your mother also wants you
to live well. She also wants you to live in harmony with your sisters and
brothers. Now, you should take care of yourself. If something bad
happened to you, your mother would be sad if she knew that.”

Madam Dowager became sad when she said that. She took up her
handkerchief and wiped around her eyes. “Your mother used to be
obedient. You take after your mother. You’re also sensible. Don’t make
me worry about you anymore.”

Madam Dowager’s statement was sincere as if she really worried about

Ning Xueyan. If Ning Xueyan hadn’t know Madam Dowager’s mind,
she would have regarded Madam Dowager as a good grandmother who
loved her granddaughter.

After hiding the scissors, Lanning came over and also said to Ning
Xueyan, “Madam Dowager is right. Young Lady, Madam Dowager cares
you so much. How could she make you unfaithful and unfilial? It’s all
that older female servant’s nonsense. It must have nothing to do with
Madam Dowager.”

Madam Dowager was stunned by Lanning’s words. She looked back at

the older female servant Lanning pointed at, face becoming gloomy.

“What did she say?”

The older female servant who stood beside was frightened, and her face
suddenly turned pale.

“Madam Dowager, the older female servant who came just now said that
you’re going to give the gifts of the Third Prince to our young lady. She
also said that our Young Lady will marry the Third Prince and be his Co-
consort. Listening to those words, our Young Lady felt indignant and
said she would shave her hair and become a nun. How a daughter could
be engaged after her mother died less than one month!”

Lanning pointed at the older female servant and angrily said.

Then she turned to Madam Dowager and said, “Madam Dowager, how
could she say that? Our Young Lady repeatedly said that the gifts were
given by you. But she said it was the Third Prince who gave them to our
Young Lady. If so, it will become a private deal. The Second Young
Lady’s private deal was revealed. If such a thing happened to our Young
Lady too, it will bring shame to the Lord Protector’s Manor!”

This remark was very sharp. Madam Dowager was angry, but she
couldn’t vent her anger. She felt embarrassed.
She turned around and heavily slapped the older female servant who
stood behind her. The older female servant immediately knelt down,
covering her face. The older female servant had spoken ill of Ning
Xueyan in front of Madam Dowager. Now she was scolded by Lanning
and she couldn’t respond for a moment. Before she could respond,
Madam Dowager slapped her.

Now she didn’t dare to say more, and wonder if Madam Dowager knew
her slander. She only felt frightened and begged for mercy.

“Grandma, don’t be angry. It’s nonsense. I don’t care. You greatly value
propriety and rule. How can you say that?” Feeling that it was her turn,
Ning Xueyan went to Madam Dowager and gently said.

Ning Yueyan’s remark made Madam Dowager more depressed, but she
could say nothing. Madam Dowager couldn’t say that she really wanted
Ning Xueyan to marry the Third Prince. She also couldn’t admit that in
order to please the Third Prince, she sent the gifts of the Third Prince to
her granddaughter who was observing mourning for her mother.

Apart from feeling angry, she still felt regret. Ning Yuling’s reputation
had been ruined. If Ning Xueyan’s reputation was ruined too, there
would be no suitable Young Lady in Lord Protector’s Manor.

It seemed that the marriage between the Third Prince and Ning Xueyan
couldn’t be rushed. This matter should be discussed after at least three
months!

If Madam Dowager was too anxious, she might fail!

“I won’t say that. You’re observing mourning for your mother. How can
I talk about that now? Well, forget that and don’t shave your hair. Is that
your medicine? Take it first. The health is the most important thing. You
have to take care of yourself.” Madam Dowager only wanted to change
the topic now.

She pointed at the medicine pot that Qingyu put aside and asked Ning
Xueyan to take it with concern.

“Ah, the medicine.” As soon as Madam Dowager mentioned, Qingyu

also seemed to remember it. She rushed to the medicine pot, opened it,
and poured the medicine into a bowl. Immediately, the strong smell
suffused the whole room. The smell of it was much stronger than that of
Madam Dowager’s medicine.

Ning Xueyan took the bowl handed by Qingyu and was about to take the
medicine, frowning uncomfortably.

The female physician standing next to Madam Dowager suddenly

changed her look when she smelled something. She looked up slightly
and stared at the medicine bowl in Ning Xueyan’s hands, shouting, “Wait
a minute! There’s something wrong with the medicine.”
Chapter 59 Madam Dowager
Shows Partiality to Madam Ling
and Takes Away All Medicine
There was also a problem with this medicine!

Madam Dowager’s look changed as soon as she heard that!

Madam Dowager had been frightened by the matter of her medicine.

When she heard that something was wrong with Ning Xueyan’s
medicine, she looked at the medicine bowl with gloom and asked,
“What’s wrong?”

“Madam Dowager, it’s poisoned too! And the poison in it is the same as
that in your medicine.” The female physician smelled again and said
firmly.

“Was my medicine material taken from grandmother? It’s impossible. I

didn’t use up my medicine last time. They were directly taken from the
manor.” Ning Xueyan slight frowned and said casually.

But her words made Madam Dowager’s look more sinister!

“Please help our Young Lady!” Qingyu got the hint of Ning Xueyan and
knelt down to the female physician.

Madam Dowager nodded with a gloomy face.

The female physician went to Ning Xueyan and took her pulse. But after
a while, she frowned tightly and took Ning Xueyan’s other hand to feel
her pulse again.

“Am I… unable to be cured?” Asked Ning Xueyan.

“No…” The female physician felt embarrassed and looked around.

Madam Dowager waved her hand, all servants leaving the room except
her two henchmen.

“What’s the matter?” Madam Dowager asked with a gloomy look. She
had to care about Ning Xueyan. The Third Prince had clearly expressed
his like for Ning Xueyan and his wish to marry her. Although Ning
Xueyan only would be his co-consort, she had won the favor of the Third
Prince. The Third Prince gave gifts to Ning Xueyan in person, which
obviously showed his attitude towards Ning Xueyan.

Nothing could happen to Ning Xueyan at this time!

“Madam Dowager, long-term use of this poison will not only lead to
death but also…” The female physician spoke with hesitation and took a
look at Ning Xueyan’s pale face.

Seeing that things went on as her expectation, Ning Xueyan showed

coldness in her eyes. Madam Ling didn’t add too much poison to her
medicine. It was she herself who deliberately add that poison to all
medicine.

In this way, the female physician could distinguish it easily.

“Just say it. I can stand it!” Ning Xueyan calmly said with a faint smile
on her face. She still kept graceful and calm in the face of disasters,
which few men could do. Madam Dowager couldn’t help but attach more
importance to Ning Xueyan.

“Say it!” Madam Dowager said with a serious look.

It could be seen from the female physician’s face that this matter was
quite serious!

“This medicine is only harmful to ordinary people’s body. Long-term use

will lead to death. But for young women, it will also make them…
childless!”

Childless?

“Ah! Our Young Lady will get married in the future. What will happen if
her future husband knows it?” Qingyu was astonished and cried out in
distraction.

Her future husband? Madam Dowager’s face suddenly turned gloomy.

She was very angry and even wanted to kill Madam Ling.

In Madam Dowager’s opinion, Ning Xueyan was now favored by the

Third Prince and would marry him. She was beautiful and sensible. She
would be favored by the Third Prince for a long time after getting
married.

If one day they found that it was Madam Ling who made Ning Xueyan
childless, this marriage would become a misfortune for Lord Protector’s
Manor.

Madam Dowager was very angry and wanted to kill Madam Ling
directly at this time when she thought of the final result of the marriage.

“Can I be cured?” Although Ning Xueyan’s face was pale, she still was
calm and forced a smile on her face. She didn’t ask the reasons, but
directly asked the results.

The matter that Madam Dowager was poisoned was directly related to
Ning Yuling’s a personal older female servant who was Madam Ling’s
henchman. Although there was no evidence that Madam Ling had
poisoned Madam Dowager, people who saw the whole process knew that
it must be Madam Ling’s order. How could an older female servant dare
to poison the Madam Dowager?

Now, this kind of poison appeared again. And Ning Xueyan’s medicine
was taken from the manor too. Everyone could imagine who poisoned
Ning Xueyan.

Besides, the death of Madam Ming was related to Madam Ling. But
Ning Xueyan’s words showed that she didn’t want to hold anyone
accountable.

Ning Xueyan was so generous that Madam Dowager’s face softened.

She also became angrier with Madam Ling. Then she turned her head
and beckoned the female physician to go on.
“Fifth Young Lady has been poisoned for a long time and her body has
been seriously hurt. In the future, she needs to be nursed carefully so that
she might recover.” The female physician frowned and didn’t express her
meaning directly. But her meaning was clearly understood by others.

Ning Xueyan had been poisoned for a long time, and she wouldn’t be
cured in a short time. Whether she could have children in the future was
still a problem. That was to say, it not only relied on her future treatment,
but also depended on her fate.

Madam Dowager had wanted Ning Xueyan to marry the Third Prince,
but now she was hesitant. It was very likely that Ning Xueyan would be
childless. If the Third Prince blamed the whole Lord Protector’s Manor
when he became the emperor, they all would get into trouble.

Moreover, if Ning Xueyan had no child after she married the Third
Prince, she might lose the Third Prince’s love soon and the Lord
Protector’s Manor might not maintain the glory and wealth.

Madam Dowager greatly hated Madam Ling as long as she thought of

the possible future results.

“Xueyan, how much medicine is left?”

“Little of the medicine I brought from the manor is left. There are about
ten doses. When I came to the temple, I brought some with me. Soon
afterward, mother sent some to me. I think she’s afraid I’ve run out of the
medicine.”

Ning Xueyan thought for a moment and replied.

“Take them and show me!” Madam Dowager said.

Ning Xueyan nodded and asked Qingyu to fetch them. After a while, ten
doses of medicine were placed in front of Madam Dowager. The female
physician looked at them one by one, and finally stood in front of
Madam Dowager. She looked up and said, “Madam Dowager, all of the
ten doses are poisoned. Fifth Young Lady is very weak now. If she takes
another month or two, I’m afraid she would have no children.”
Things were very clear. It must be Madam Ling who poisoned Ning
Xueyan. Madam Dowager was livid, and her face darkened and turned
gruesome.

“Xueyan, you take a rest first. I’ll certainly look into this matter.”
Madam Dowager calmed down and conciliated Ning Xueyan.

Even if Madam Ling bore Ning Zu’an a son, Madam Dowager wouldn’t
allow her to be so presumptuous. She turned her head and said to Mother
Qin with a cold look, “Pass on my message to others. Tell them that Fifth
Young Lady is filial and obedient. From today on, she’ll receive the
same treatment as the Second Young Lady’s and all her articles of daily
use will be taken from my place.”

Mother Qin hurried to nod her head.

It meant that Madam Dowager would protect Ning Xueyan in the future.

“Grandmother, thank you.” Ning Xueyan said with gratitude.

“Well, that’s it. The servants in the manor are too cunning. Your mother
should teach them a lesson. Here, pack back all the medicine.” Looking
at Ning Xueyan’s grateful face, Madam Dowager stood up with
satisfaction. Then she went back with her servants, leaving such a
sentence to Ning Xueyan.

Looking at Madam Dowager who left with her servants, Ning Xueyan
sneered in mind. Before leaving, Madam Dowager told Ning Xueyan
that it was servants’ faults and had nothing to do with Madam Ling. This
matter would be dealt with like those matters before. Some servants
would be punished, and Madam Ling would be let off.

Unfortunately, Ning Xueyan would never let off Madam Ling this time.

Ning Xueyan played such a show so that Madam Dowager wouldn’t

casually determine her marriage and had to carefully reconsider. Besides,
one of her purposes was to expose Madam Ling’s evil deeds. How could
she let off Madam Ling easily?

Madam Dowager wanted to cover up the fact, but Ning Xueyan would
disclose it…
Seeing off Madam Dowager in the corridor and seeing her disappear
outside the courtyard, Ning Xueyan returned to the house.

“Young Lady, Madam Dowager is unfair and helps the First Madam. She
even took the medicine away.” Qingqu followed Ning Xueyan to the
house and said with indignation. The medicine was the evidence that the
First Madam framed Ning Xueyan.

Madam Dowager’s help to Madam Ling was too obvious, and she even
took away the evidence.

“Qingyu, don’t worry. Our Young Lady had thought of it before!”

Lanning smiled, took out two doses of medicine from Ning Xueyan’
sundries box, and put them in front of Qingyu.

They were the same as those were shown to Madam Dowager, and also
were sent by Madam Ling. Besides, they had already been added poison
to.

“Fortunately, our Young Lady had thought of it before, otherwise our

efforts would be wasted! Young Lady, what should we do now?”
Thinking of Ning Xueyan’s foresight, Qingyu smiled. Then she turned to
ask Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan sat down on one side, took a sip of tea, and relaxed,
looking at the sky outside the window with a faint smile on her face.
“Lanning, check it for me that whether the Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li is gone?”

Although the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li got rid of that

scandal, his reputation must have been suffered.

Ning Yuling was rakish, but the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
also behaved poorly. He shouldn’t habe held that sort of vulgar picture!

The Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor originally

wanted Ning Yuling to marry her grandson. But after such a scandal,
they wouldn’t get married. And even the Consort Dowager would dislike
Ning Yuling because her grandson was involved in this scandal because
of Ning Yuling. It was heard that this Consort Dowager loved her
grandson very much.
Presumably, Consort Dowager also hoped that Madam Ling and Ning
Yuling would fall on evil days! Moreover, it looked like that the civet cat
was favored by Consort Dowager…

“Yes, Young Lady. I’ll ask now.” Lanning nodded, turned, and left.

“She refused to marry me?” The Third Prince put down the writing brush
and inkstick in his hands, took the towel handed by the maid to wipe his
hands, and asked.

“Yes. I heard that the Madam Dowager of Lord Protector’s Manor went
to see her with anger. Your Highness, you’re the exalted Third Prince.
She’s an unfavored Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. Why did you
want to marry her? How dare she refuse you? Maybe she’ll show off it in
the Lord Protector’ Manor.”

The guard said in indignation.

His master was gentle and cultivated and countless Young Ladies wanted
to marry him. It was Ning Xueyan’s luck that his master liked her. But
this weak woman dared to refuse, which made him angry!

The handsome Third Prince smiled. He would like to help Ning Xueyan,
but why did she refuse? He said, “It doesn’t matter. I just want to know
her family’s attitude. I didn’t expect her to irritate the Madam Dowager.”

Actually, the Third Prince was annoyed. He clearly expressed the

willingness to marry her, but she refused. However, he certainly would
marry the daughter of Lord Protector. He was looking forward to seeing
how she would respond next time!
Chapter 60 A Gift Comes from
Aunt Xiang
Although several young men and women became couples after the
chrysanthemum appreciation grand meeting held by Honored Consort
Ya, it was unexpected that neither of the two most important princes
found a good match. The reasons why they didn’t find a match were that
Ning Yuling had an accident and the Fourth Prince was absent on
business.

Although the chrysanthemum appreciation grand meeting was over, the

Honored Consort Ya didn’t leave, so those madams couldn’t leave first.

Early in the morning, Ning Xueyan went to greet Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager had already got up. She heard that Ning Xueyan had
come and asked her to come in. Before they chatted for a longer time,
Madam Dowager received an invitation from the Honored Consort Ya.
Something big happened yesterday and the two families hadn’t sat down
to have a good talk. So Honored Consort Ya invited Madam Dowager to
have a talk.

Ning Yuling’s scandal apparently brought shame on the Lord Protector’s

Manor. However, all the madams here clearly knew that there was an
agreement between the Honored Consort Ya and Lord Protector’s Manor
that Ning Yuling would marry the Third Prince and be his consort. So
such a thing also brought shame on the Third Prince.

Generally speaking, it was the Lord Protector’s Manor that was sorry for
the Third Prince. There must be an explanation for this matter.

Whatever the reason was, Madam Dowager should go there. So she

decided to go with Ning Xueyan.

The two followed by a group of servants went to Honored Consort Ya’s

courtyard together.
When they arrived at the gate of the courtyard, the eunuchs were already
there. Seeing Madam Dowager coming, a eunuch trotted into the room to
report. When Madam Dowager arrived, an Honored Consort Ya’s older
female servant came out with a smile and respectfully welcomed Madam
Dowager in.

Not only the Honored Consort Ya was in the room, but also the Consort
Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor sat there with a depressed
look.

Ning Xueyan gave a look to Consort Dowager and found that she didn’t
bring her white civet cat. It seemed that the incense she made had
worked.

The Honored Consort Ya smiled all the time as if she didn’t mind the
matter of yesterday at all. When she saw Madam Dowager coming in,
she politely invited her to sit down.

“Madam Dowager, some preserved fruit were sent from the Palace this
morning. I heard they are the new product this year. So I especially invite
you to have a taste.” The Honored Consort Ya pointed at the preserved
fruit in front of her and said to Madam Dowager with a smile on her
face.

The Honored Consort Ya just left the palace for a short time, but His
Majesty in the palace began to miss her and sent something to her. It
could be seen that she was favored now.

Madam Dowager recognized Honored Consort Ya’s power from her

words, so she hurried to stand up and said, “Your Highness, thank you
very much. But I’m too old to eat this sweetmeat. Thank you for your
care.”

Honored Consort Ya didn’t say anything, but actually, she was extremely
unhappy. The Third Prince always had a good reputation. But now he
was cuckolded by Ning Yuling. Everyone would be angry if such a thing
happened to them, let alone the royal family member.

“Honored Consort Ya really cares about Madam Dowager. Look at your

dark circles, didn’t you sleep well last night?” Consort Dowager of
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor coldly said in an impolite way.
Honored Consort Ya’s face darkened when she heard that.

Hearing Consort Dowager’s words, Madam Dowager felt embarrassed.

Yesterday’s scandal also implicated the Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li. It seemed that the Consort Dowager was angry too and today
came here to find fault with Madam Dowager.

“I’m so sorry, Your Highness. I’ve lived for a long time, but I didn’t
expect such a thing to happen. The Second Young Lady usually behaves
well. I really don’t know how she was fooled by her servants. Alas, it’s a
family misfortune!” Madam Dowager sighed with tears in her eyes and
her voice trembled.

Although Madam Dowager wanted to pin that on the maids, she was
really sad!

Honored Consort Ya, whose smile became sort of gentle, turned around
and saw Ning Xueyan standing behind Madam Dowager. She softly said
to her, “Fifth Young Lady, come here, let me see you. You face is really
pale. How about I asking the imperial physician to treat you? How can a
young girl be so weak?”

This scene was similar to the scene that Consort Dowager of

Commandery Prince Li’s Manor cared about Ning Yuling while taking
her hands!

Ning Xueyan smiled coldly. She didn’t want others to think that she
would certainly marry the Third Prince. If the Honored Consort Ya really
cared about Ning Xueyan, she wouldn’t wait until this time and
intentionally showed her concern in front of others. Honored Consort Ya
just wanted others to believe that there was a new agreement between the
Lord Protector’s Manor and her.

Ning Xueyan lifted her head and regained composure. She walked
forward and saluted Honored Ya with cleverness. “Thank you very much
for your kindness, Your Highness. But Grandma has invited a new doctor
for me. The doctor said that I’m only weak and need good care.”

“Yes, there’s nothing serious about her health. It’s inborn. She didn’t pay
much attention to her health so that she’s so weak now. The doctor said
that she should pay more attention in the future. The imperial physician
needn’t come.” Madam Dowager rushed to say after Ning Xueyan.

If the imperial physician checked Ning Xueyan, the matter that she had
been poisoned would be disclosed!

But Madam Dowager’s words showed that there was more distance
between her and Honored Consort Ya.

The Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor, who was

sitting on the other side, stopped finding fault with Madam Dowager,
shrewdness in her eyes. But all her behaviors and expressions had been
seen by Ning Xueyan. It seemed that the Consort Dowager was not as
useless as others said.

“Women should pay great attention to their health. It’s related to whether
they will have children or not. You can’t slight your health.” Honored
Consort Ya didn’t insist on asking the imperial physician to check Ning
Xueyan, but the meaning of her words made Madam Dowager upset.
Actually, Madam Dowager wanted to accept Honored Consort Ya’s
advice and tell others that the Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor
still would marry the Third Prince.

However, she was afraid that the Honored Consort Ya would know Ning
Xueyan’s current physical condition by the imperial physician. And the
issue of child Honored Consort Ya mentioned greatly upset Madam
Dowager.

“Yes, girls do have to pay more attention to their health.” Madam

Dowager reluctantly replied. Then she turned to Ning Xueyan and said,
“Xueyan, you can go to the garden. It’s nice. I’ll talk to the Honored
Consort Ya for a while.”

Madam Dowager wanted Ning Xueyan to leave for a while, because

some topics were not suitable to be talked in front of young girls.

Because of the previous matters, Madam Dowager would never

determine her marriage at random, so Ning Xueyan nodded her head and
left the room.
When she passed the Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s
Manor, she understood why the Consort Dowager of Commandery
Prince Li’s Manor was unhappy and smiled greatly.

The Honored Consort Ya’s courtyard was one of the best in Cold
Mountain Temple and was originally used to entertain important guests.

Behind Honored Consort Ya’s courtyard, there was a garden where there
were many rockery forests and a winding cobblestone path paved with
red maple leaves.

Palace maids and eunuchs were all serving Honored Consort Ya and her
guests, so the garden was quiet. Ning Xueyan strolled along the winding
cobblestone path, feeling soft under her feet. The chrysanthemum
bloomed around the rockery, which was very charming. The layered
petals made them look like pleated skirts, colorful and beautiful.

Ning Xueyan walked slowly forward while enjoying the beautiful

scenery around her. After turning a corner, she saw Aunt Xiang standing
under a big maple tree with her hands clasped behind her back.

Aunt Xiang had helped Ning Xueyan prove that Madam Dowager was
poisoned. But after that, Ning Xueyan had no chance to see Aunt Xiang.
So when she met Aunt Xiang at this time, she hurried to step forward
and cried, “Aunt Xiang!”

“Fifth Young Lady, are you here to see Honored Consort Ya?” Aunt
Xiang didn’t move, but only turned her head to face Ning Xueyan and
asked politely.

“Yes, Grandma is talking to Honored Consort Ya. She asked me to go out

for a stroll.” Ning Xueyan answered with a faint smiled. Then she stood
beside Aunt Xiang and looked up at the maple tree Aunt Xiang had been
looking at. “What’s on the tree? Why are you so absorbed in it?”

“I’m not looking at anything, just thinking of an old friend.” Aunt Xiang
turned and walked to the back of the tree, followed by Ning Xueyan.
After several steps, Ning Xueyan saw a stone table and two stone
benches behind the tree. A teapot and two delicate bamboo-shaped cups
were on the stone table, and one cup was steaming, tea aroma spreading.
“Aunt Xiang, you’re aesthetic. It’s great to drink tea and enjoy the
scenery here!” Ning Xueyan said with a smile.

“Fifth Young Lady, please sit down!” Aunt Xiang smiled and offered a
seat to Ning Xueyan. Then she poured a cup of tea and pushed it to Ning
Xueyan.

It was daytime now and they were in Honored Consort Ya’s courtyard, so
they couldn’t be too close. However, Ning Xueyan could still sense Aunt
Xiang’s sincere and warm smile in her eyes.

“Thanks!”

Ning Xueyan didn’t refuse the tea. She took it handed by Aunt Xiang
and took a sip. Immediately, her eyes brightened and she couldn’t help
but praise it. “Aunt Xiang, it’s really a good tea. I can taste the fragrance
of chrysanthemum. How did you make it?”

There were only tea leaves in the tea, but Ning Xueyan tasted
chrysanthemum. The aroma of chrysanthemum and tea was mixed
together, which was a different flavor.

“This is a favorite tea of an old friend. She made the tea leaves by her
new method. Hasn’t your mother mentioned it to you?” Aunt Xiang
seemed to ask at will, but the corner of her eyes throbbed for one time
unconsciously. From that, Ning Xueyan felt that Aunt Xiang was
nervous when she asked.

“My mother didn’t mention this kind of tea to me. I think your old friend
must be a person of poetic temperament. I really admire her for making
such good tea. What kind of people your old friend was?” Ning Xueyan
asked in a pretended casual way, turning around the cup with her white
fingers.

“She’s just an old friend of mine. But she has passed away.” Aunt Xiang
shook her head with sadness on her face and didn’t want to talk about the
past. Then she stood up and said, “Please enjoy yourself, Fifth Young
Lady. I have work to do and have to go now.”

Then she stretched out her hands and lifted her long sleeves, as if she
was going to pour more tea for Ning Xueyan before leaving.
Aunt Xiang’s long and layered sleeve blocked the sight in the other three
directions, and only Ning Xueyan could see a small note falling in front
of her. Ning Xueyan’s fingers moved slightly, and the note silently fell
into her sleeves.

Ning Xueyan had guessed that Aunt Xiang wouldn’t appear in the
courtyard for no reason. She was waiting for Ning Xueyan here.

Ning Xueyan stood up and said with a smile while keeping her
countenance, “Aunt Xiang, please yourself.”

Aunt Xiang smiled and said nothing more, turning and leaving. But
when she passed the maple tree, she paused and looked up at the straight
maple tree, murmuring something before leaving.

When Aunt Xiang disappeared in her sight, the smile on Ning Xueyan’s
face faded away and she began to meditate.

Just then, Ning Xueyan seemed to hear a footstep. Somehow, she

unconsciously looked to the left and hid behind the rockery on the other
side. She couldn’t help be shocked when she saw a familiar person
coming from another road through the holes in the rockery.

How could it be him!

Chapter 61 The Commandery
Princess Muling from Yunnan
The handsome man coming from afar was the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Min, Wen Xueran.

How could he, a man, be alone in the courtyard of Honored Consort Ya!

Suddenly, another figure appeared in the sight of Ning Xueyan who

frowned when she saw that woman.

Yesterday, Ning Xueyan saw this woman who had been sitting behind
the Honored Consort Ya. At first glance, Ning Xueyan felt she was
arrogant. It was said that she was the daughter of the Feudal Prince of
Yunnan, Commandery Princess Muling.

Since the founding of the country, the Feudal Prince of Yunnan had been
stationing in the southeast of the country. But his daughter was born and
grew up in the capital.

“Elder Brother Ran, why are you walking so fast? Would you like to
have a rest?” The blushed Commandery Princess Muling stepped
forward and delicately asked while pointing at the stone bench and table.

Seeing that their eyes turning to the table, Ning Xueyan felt bad and
shrank more unconsciously. From the two steaming cups, one could
know that there had been two people here.

But the two over there seemed to be unknown.

Wen Xueran gently smiled, eyes smiling too. He sat down on the stone
bench where Ning Xueyan had just sat and turned over the folding fan in
his hands, asking with a smile, “Commandery Prince Muling, why did
you ask me out?”

“It’s not a big deal. I heard you’re looking for a nun. I’ve heard of such a
man and I also found her. But I don’t know if she’s the one you’re
looking for!” The Commandery Princess Muling said with a smile.
Looking for someone? Was Wen Xueran still looking for that person?

Ning Xueyan couldn’t help but be alert. That person seemed to be very
important to Wen Xueran.

On that day, Ning Xueyan didn’t know the nun Wen Xueran was looking
for, but he still pointed at her with a sword and kept asking her with a
murderous look. No one had expected the handsome and gentle Wen
Xueyan to be so fierce.

“Don’t trouble yourself. I’ve found her.” Wen Xueyan smiled, eyes
becoming enchanting. He was originally handsome. So when he smiled
like that at this time, the Commandery Princess Muling who was sitting
opposite him became shier. She pinched her handkerchief, put down it,
and then rubbed it up again.

Hearing that Wen Xueran had found the nun, the Commandery Prince
Muling could not help being disappointed. She thought that she had
finally found an opportunity to please Wen Xueran, so she made an
appointment with Wen Xueran solemnly today.

Ning Xueyan frowned slightly. She was a bystander, so she could see
them clearly. It was not like he had found the nun, but like a random
refusal.

“Ah, you’ve already found her!”

“But if you also find someone, you can tell me who she is. It’s not a big
thing, but still bothers you.” Wen Xueran said with a smile. It sounded
like he was thanking the Commandery Princess Muling, but people could
felt his reluctance and random from his words.

Wen Xueran had found the nun, but he was still willing to sit down and
listen to Commandery Princess Muling. It was because of Commandery
Princess Muling’s enthusiasm!

In this way, it was Wen Xueran who gave a face to Commandery

Princess Muling.

Ning Xueyan praised Wen Xueran in her mind. The Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Min was so smart that he took the initiative in his
own hands by a few words. The Commandery Princess Muling helped
him find people. But it seemed that the Commandery Princess Muling
owed him a favor.

From Wen Xueran’s action, Ning Xueyan was sure that he hadn’t found
that person.

“It seems that the person I found is not what you want. But you can have
a look since I find a nun. Later, I’ll bring her to you by myself.” As soon
as she heard that Wen Xueran was willing to see the people she found,
the Commandery Princess Muling relieved, raised her watery eyes and
said while looking at Wen Xueran.

“That’s not necessary. You just ask an older female servant to send her
over. It’s just an insignificant person.” Wen Xueran casually said,
seeming to stand up and leave.

“Elder Brother Ran, why are you always avoiding me? We grew up
together and played together since childhood. I think we match each
other in the aspect of appearance, family background, and status. What
on earth do you dislike about me? I’ll change it.” The beautiful girl
finally couldn’t bear anymore and asked.

Yesterday, the Honored Consort Ya said she would betroth Commandery

Princess Muling to Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min. But he
was absent. Later, something bad happened. Commandery Princess
Muling’s aunt had no time to care about her and only said that she let the
Third Prince ask Wen Xueran in private and Wen Xueran expressed his
unwillingness to marry her.

How could the proud Commandery Princess Muling accept that?

“Commandery Princess, you are neither as good-looking as I am nor

graceful. Look at my own face, and then at yours… Commandery
Princess, do you really think I need to marry you?” The handsome man
smiled casually, but said cruel words to the beautiful girl in front of him.

The Commandery Princess Muling burst into tears and wiped her eyes
with a handkerchief.
Wen Xueran, however, didn’t care. He looked at her with a smile, stood
up and seemed to be leaving.

Seeing that Wen Xueran was going to leave, Commandery Princess

Muling became anxious.

She had made great efforts to invite Wen Xueran to Honored Consort
Ya’s courtyard and also asked all servants to leave so that she could be
alone with him.

“Elder Brother Ran, don’t go. You’ve made me cry, you have to comfort
me.” The Commandery Princess Muling stood up and pretended to stop
Wen Xueran, but threw herself straight into his arms.

As long as she fell into his arms, their relationship would be unclear. The
Honored Consort Ya who knew what Commandery Princess Muling was
thinking would surely stand on her side. At that time, Wen Xueran, even
if he didn’t want to marry the Commandery Princess Muling, had to
marry her!

Wen Xueran smiled and avoided Commandery Princess Muling. From

the angle of Ning Xueyan, she could clearly see him secretly tripping up
Commandery Princess Muling.

Commandery Princess Muling rushed forward, but suddenly found that

Wen Xueran was missing. She was tripped and rushed forward for
several steps, and then threw herself to the ground, falling heavily in an
extremely indecent position.

“Young Lady, Young Lady, what happened?” Two maids rushed out from
the back of a tree, shouting and rushing to help the Commandery
Princess Muling, who still did not understand the situation.

Wen Xueran smiled and stepped back, the folding fan in his hands
shaking slightly. “Nothing. The sunlight is too strong and your
Commandery Princess feels dizzy so that she fell down. You should pay
attention to it so as not to fall down from time to time.”

Falling down and losing face in front of her sweetheart and meanwhile
being slighted by him, Commandery Princess Muling couldn’t bear
anymore and burst out crying loudly. She pushed aside the two maids
who were supporting her and ran out crying.

It was late autumn. Although there was the sun in the sky, it wasn’t hot at
all!

But Wen Xueran’s look was extremely innocent, making people believe
that the Commandery Princess Muling really fainted because of strong
sunlight.

The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min had no tenderness toward

women. His graceful face was so deceptive!

Commandery Princess Muling had run away, but Ning Xueyan hadn’t
gone out. She was waiting for Wen Xueran to leave.

Previously, there seemed to be only Wen Xueran and Commandery

Princess Muling in the garden. However, as soon as Commandery
Princess Muling fell down, there were maids running out. This matter
was obviously not simple.

Ning Xueyan didn’t want to be involved in such a matter. So she kept

hiding first and then went out when Wen Xueran left.

“Well, haven’t you seen enough yet?” A voice with laughter suddenly
sounded in Ning Xueyan’s ear, which made her unconsciously stepped
back. Then Ning Xueyan saw a magnified face in front of her and
couldn’t help but complain in mind.

She really didn’t want to have any relationship with the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Min!

The scene that he pointed at her with a sword in her Last Life was firmly
imprinted in her mind.

“Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min!” Knowing that she couldn’t

avoid him at this time, Ning Xueyan stood by the rockery and saluted
him.

“It’s destined. I didn’t expect to see you here. Fifth Young Lady, did it
look good?” Wen Xueran seemed to be unsurprised to see her here and
asked Ning Xueyan with a smile.

He was so handsome and graceful. No wonder the Commandery Princess

Muling loved him so much!

“You’re joking. I just passed by accidentally but disturbed you

intentionally. If it’s impolite, please forgive me.” Ning Xueyan gently
said in a low profile, respectful and indifferent.

“Did you see me before you came to Cold Mountain Temple?” Wen
Xueran didn’t answer, but scrutinized Ning Xueyan and asked with
interest.

“I’ve never seen you before!” Ning Xueyan was amazed by Wen
Xueyan’s question. Then she shook her head firmly and answered.

“Then, why did you avoid me when you saw me? Isn’t it that I am too
scary, so that you retreated?” Wen Xueran teased. “Or you’re afraid that
you’ll fall in love with me if you’re too close to me?”

Then he smiled, handsome and charming.

“You’re joking. I’m just afraid of accidentally crashing the ground in

front of you.” Ning Xueyan also calmed down at this time, raised her
eyebrows and said with a smile, her gaze falling on the place where
Muling fell.

“He won’t recognize me! I needn’t be nervous!” Ning Xueyan thought in

mind.

Moreover, Ning Xueyan looked different from Ning Ziying.

“You’re afraid of crashing the ground? It’s really fun!” Wen Xueran
laughed loudly. “I didn’t expect the weak and incompetent Fifth Young
Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor to be so interesting.”

“Princely Heir, I’m in bad health, so I have to go back to rest now.” Ning
Xueyan didn’t intend to stay with Wen Xueran. She took two steps and
came out from the back of the rockery.

They were in the Honored Consort Ya’s courtyard. Although there was
no one, maybe many people were staring at them in private.
“I specially came here, won’t you join me for a cup of tea?” Wen Xueran
pretended to be sad and asked while skillfully flipping the fan in his
hands, cool and rakish.

It was Commandery Princess Muling who invited him, but Wen Xueran
said he specially came here to see Ning Xueyan. It was really difficult to
get rid of him. Fortunately. Ning Xueyan had come up with an idea. She
smiled and said, pointing at the ground, “Princely Heir, the Commandery
Princess just left in a hurry. How about you keeping this gold hairpin for
her. Maybe she’ll come in a minute.”

Ning Xueyan pointed to the place where Muling fell down, and a golden
hairpin was lying there. It must fell from Commandery Princess
Muling’s head when she fell down. That gold hairpin was exquisite. It
must be extraordinary and cherished by its master.

“Er… Fifth Young Lady, I have anything else to do, I’ll leave first.”
Thinking that Commandery Princess Muling would come back, Wen
Xueran frowned. Commandery Princess Muling asked Wen Xueran to
meet her in the living place of Honored Consort Ya, which also be
Honored Consort Ya’s idea. So Wen Xueran couldn’t refuse.

Now he didn’t want to stay here any longer when he thought that Muling
might come back.

Now that she didn’t need to stay with him, Ning Xueyan said goodbye to
him with a smile!

Ning Xueyan strolled in the garden for a while and then went back when
the time was suitable.

When Ning Xueyan arrived at the garden gate, she was hit by a man who
suddenly rushed out. She stepped back for several steps and stabilized
herself by holding on to one side of the door frame, then she saw the
comer.
Chapter 62 The Sick Civet Ca
t

It was an older female servant who came in a hurry. Ning Xueyan saw
clearly that her clothes were the same style and color as that of those
older female servants who stood behind the Consort Dowager of
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor.

“I’m sorry, Young Lady.” Seeing that she had hit a Young Lady, the older
female servant didn’t dare to neglect and rushed to apologize.

Those who could go in and out of the residence of Honored Consort Ya

were not ordinary people.

“It’s all right.” Ning Xueyan faintly said. Seeing the older female servant
going into the courtyard after wiping sweat, Ning Xueyan narrowed her
eyes and smiled.

Ning Xueyan came back in time.

The older female servant rushed to the corridor and stopped. She knew
that the Honored Consort Ya was in the house, so she dared not rush in
and only peeped from the doorway. A maid standing behind the Consort
Dowager saw the older female servant and told the Consort Dowager.
She knew that there must be something serious had happened, otherwise,
the older female servant wouldn’t have come here.

Consort Dowager asked people to call the older female servant in. Ning
Xueyan also came into the room at this time and stood behind Madam
Dowager.

“Consort Dowager, Xue’er is missing and Princely Heir is in a rage.”

The older female servant came in and report, trembling with fear.

Xue’er was the snow-white civet cat!

The civet cat was always kept beside the Consort Dowager, but the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li would take care of it in person
when he was at home. Usually, the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li cared about nothing, except the civet cat. Once, he was very angry
because of the missing of the civet cat and beat several servants to death
in the end.

Remembering the ferocious appearance of Princely Heir, the older

female servant could only come here to ask for help.

Hearing that her grandson was furious again and fearing that he would
make more troubles, Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s
Manor was eager to leave. She stood up and said goodbye to Honored
Consort Ya.

“Grandmother, the Consort Dowager is gone. Should we…?” Ning

Xueyan saw it, smiled, and said in Madam Dowager’s ear.

A scandal just happened to Ning Yuling yesterday so that Madam

Dowager felt shameful and didn’t want to see others. So she wished to
leave early. But the Consort Dowager and Honored Consort Ya made no
mention of leaving, so Madam Dowager didn’t say she wanted to leave
first. Now when she heard Ning Xueyan’s words, she immediately
understood. She stood up and said she also wanted to leave.

Something happened to the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, so

Honored Consort Ya didn’t persuade Consort Dowager to stay. And
Madam Dowager was also agreed to leave.

When Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor and Madam

Dowager went out together, a servant ran to Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li and said they had found the whereabouts of the
civet cat. The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li heard that his
civet cat was found in the courtyard of womenfolk and went there with a
group of servants.

So the two groups happened to meet at the door.

“Xian’er, where are you going?” Seeing that Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Li rushed to the place of womenfolk with some
servants in a fierce manner, the Consort Dowager got angry and asked an
older female servant to stop him.
Although the members of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor were relatives
of the emperor, those madams here also came from noble families and
the Young Ladies came with them were born by the legal wife.
Yesterday, the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li just offended
Ning Yuling. If he offended anyone today, Consort Dowager wouldn’t be
able to help him.

“Grandmother, just now a servant told me that Xue’er is there. I just

want to have a look.”

“You just want to have a look? Then why there are so many people with
you?” The Consort Dowager scolded him, pointed at a large group of
people following the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li with anger.

There was a large group of people, and most of them were men. If they
offended those Young Ladies, they all would get into trouble.

“You all go back.” Following Consort Dowager’s gaze, Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Li suddenly found that there were so many people
behind him. He waved his hands and drove most of them away. He was
in a hurry to find Xue’er. Just now he only said that he would take all the
people with him so that they couldn’t find Xue’er quickly. But he was
not aware that so many people had come.

Most of the people who left were young male servants of Princely Heir
of Commandery Prince Li and only a young male servant and several
maids were left.

“You go back too. I’ll find Xue’er for you.” Looking at so many people
and her grandson who was standing in the middle, Consort Dowager
frowned. In front of her was the womenfolk place, and she was really not
confident of her grandson.

“Grandmother, we have to be fast. Xue’er will disappear again if we’re

late. I’ll leave as soon as I catch the cat.”

Knowing what his grandmother was worried about, the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li said with impatience.

Such a thing happened to him yesterday and he was scolded by Consort

Dowager in the evening. So the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li
felt dull and was in no mood to flirt with women.

When they were talking, suddenly a cry came from ahead. “Ah! How can
there be a wild cat?”

“What, a cat?” Hearing that there was a cat, the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li stopped talking nonsense with the Consort
Dowager and directly rushed to there. Therefore, the Consort Dowager
had no choice but to follow him with servants.

When they turned around and saw the door of the second courtyard, a
maid rushed out with a pale face. She saw the Madam Dowager who was
following the people of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor and rushed over
in a hurry. “Madam Dowager, there’s… there’s a big wild cat.”

“A wild cat?” Madam Dowager also recognized that this was Ning
Xueyan’s courtyard. She rushed forward and asked the maid. Yesterday,
they just antagonized the Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s
Manor. So Madam Dowager hoped nothing would happen to them today.

“Qingyu, calm down. What’s the matter?” Ning Xueyan came out from
the back of Madam Dowager and asked Qingyu softly.

“Young Lady, there’s a big cat. But it seems that it’s going to die… I…
I’m scared to death.” Qingyu calmed down and hurriedly said, pointing
to the courtyard.

“What does the cat look like? What does it mean that it’s going to die?”
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was very worried.

The people who followed him immediately held their breath and dared
not gasp. If it was the civet cat, the Princely Heir wouldn’t let them go.

“It’s a snow-white cat!” Before Qingyu’s words were finished, the

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li pushed her away impatiently
and rushed into the courtyard.

“Where?”

“It’s over there!” Qingyu followed him in and pointed to a tree in the
back right corner of the garden.
The crowd looked over and saw a snow-white civet cat lying there and
struggling painfully. Its white fur was stained and it wasn’t as beautiful
and glorious as before.

But it was not like a dirty wild cat!

Especially, there was blood on its body!

The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was the first to rush over
and asked, frowning and pointing at the dregs under the civet cat.
“What’s this?”

“They are dregs of the medicine that our Young Lady usually takes, and
they were buried under this tree. But I don’t know where the wild cat
came from and why it dug up the dregs.” Qingyu answered with fear.

“How can the dregs make Xue’er so uncomfortable? Is there anything

mixed in them?” Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li squatted down,
looked at the screaming civet cat rolling around, and shouted angrily.

“Princely Heir, they are really my medicine dregs. Is there anything

poisonous in my medicine dregs? However, it’s possible that it ate
something before and felt painful when it came here so that it scratched
around.” Ning Xueyan came out from the back of Madam Dowager and
said, neither humble nor pushy.

“What did you feed Xue’er today?” Princely Heir of Commandery

Prince Li turned to the maid who was in charge of the civet cat’s food.

“Princely Heir, how can I feed Xue’er on other things? It ate as usual. I
even tasted it to check if it was hot before feeding.” The maid cried out
with grievance. “Princely Heir, I’m sure that Xue’er ate as usual today.
After the meal, the civet cat was still all right.”

“Maybe other people of your manor fed the cat!” Ning Xueyan implicitly
reminded.

That sounded like she was shirking responsibility!

Everything was okay if Ning Xueyan didn’t say that. Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li burst into rage as soon as he heard Ning
Xueyan’s words. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the pale and
emaciated girl in front of him, then looked at Madam Dowager.
Suddenly, he remembered that this was the Madam Dowager of Lord
Protector’s Manor and the Young Lady was Ning Yuling’s younger sister.

Remembering that he had been badly scolded by his grandmother

yesterday, the Princely Heir became very angry. Now, something bad had
happened to his beloved civet cat and the Lord Protector’s Manor wanted
to pass the buck. Therefore, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li
became angrier and vented all his anger.

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li hadn’t wanted to take it too

seriously. But he was irritated by Ning Xueyan’s words and decided he
had to figure out this matter!

“Here, go and fetch the doctor of our manor. I’ll figure out what’s in this
pile of residue and what makes my civet cat uncomfortable. If it’s the
fault of Lord Protector’s Manor, you have to explain to me.”

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li angrily said.

It seemed that he would never give up before figuring out this matter.

Ning Xueyan knew that her words had worked. So she stopped talking
and quietly retreated, as if she was frightened by Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li.

“Consort Dowager, how about we sitting down to talk about it? Maybe
Xue’er has eaten something else in the courtyard so that it’s
uncomfortable now.” Madam Dowager had to stand up and persuade
Consort Dowager. Her words, showing a sort of weakness, meant that it
might be the responsibility of Lord Protector’s Manor.

But she also wanted to express that it had nothing to do with the dregs.

Madam Dowager was anxious. She clearly knew what was in the
medicine residue. If it was disclosed, it would be another big scandal to
Lord Protector’s Manor. Domestic shame shouldn’t be made public.
Although Madam Dowager also hated Madam Ling, she was never
willing to make it public that Madam Ling poisoned Ning Xueyan.
“Madam Dowager, since it’s not clear now, we’d better call in the
doctor.” At this time, Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s
Manor calmed down. She waved hands and asked maids to invite the
doctor.

Their neighbors were all disturbed by the noise. Several madams came
curiously with some Young Ladies. When they saw the civet cat rolling
and screaming, some timid Young Ladies covered their eyes and
shivered with fear.

And those madams looked at the medicine dregs with doubts.

How could normal residue make a cat scream like that?

“Consort Dowager…” Madam Dowager was so anxious that sweat broke

out on her head. She also wanted to persuade the Consort Dowager.
However, the Consort Dowager was persistent this time and directly
interrupted Madam Dowager.

“Don’t worry, Madam Dowager. This matter is unclear now. So we just

wait for the doctor to check Xue’er. If it’s the fault of us, I’ll ask Xian’er
to apologize to you.” The Consort Dowager said. Apparently, Consort
Dowager would punish the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. In
fact, she reminded Madam Dowager that if it was the fault of Lord
Protector’s Manor, they had to give a satisfying explanation to
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor.

A scandal happened to both of them yesterday and Commandery Prince

Li’s Manor greatly lost face.

In Consort Dowager’s opinion, it was Ning Yuling who misbehaved and

seduced her grandson so that Commandery Prince Li’s Manor lost face
too.

When they were talking, the doctor had come. He squatted down and
looked at the residue on the ground, face darkening.
Chapter 63 - It Can’t Be a
Coincidence
Everyone knew that something was wrong with the herb residue when
they saw the doctor’s face. Some madams could not help noticing Ning
Xueyan’s pale appearance, which was as white as paper. Coupled with
her fragile body, she did not look well. They thought of the Second
Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor yesterday, who was in good
health with a rosy complexion.

There had to be something wrong.

“Is there anything bad in the herb residue? Did it make Xue’er sick? Tell
me!” the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li said hurriedly because
the doctor remained silent.

This unintentionally got right to the point and Madam Dowager trembled
a little.

“To be honest, Princely Heir, some noxious herbs were put into the
medicine. They have cooling attributes, so it can kill someone if they
drink too much of it, and it can damage fertility…” The doctor suddenly
stopped talking. He raised his head and looked at Consort Dowager
because he knew some private things in the manor would be exposed.

Kill people and cause infertility?

The medicine was for the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor.
Someone in this manor was vicious enough to harm this fragile girl.

“Then what happened to my cat?” the Princely Heir of Commandery

Prince Li asked the doctor without much thought, pointing at his leopard
cat.

“My heir, Xue’er is pregnant so she can’t take it after eating the vicious
herbs with cooling attributes,” the doctor replied.

Coincidentally, the cat’s reaction was because of it being pregnant.

“Doctor, if someone keeps drinking it for a long time, what will
happen?” Qingyu stood out from the crowd and asked hastily.

“It has a high dosage. If someone keeps on drinking it, they will die in
less than half a year…” The doctor was uncertain.

“No wonder my lady is so weak,” Qingyu whispered.

Everyone looked at the skinny Ning Xueyan, who was supported by

Qingyu. And as she stood there, her long feathery eyelashes drooped
slightly making two shadows below her eyes, which made her face look
more bloodless. But she had a kind of poignant beauty. And although she
look tired, she was peaceful. She stopped Qingyu by pulling her hands.

“Qingyu, stop talking!”

At this point, everyone was aware that someone had damaged the Fifth
Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor.

The facts had proven that Lord Protector’s Manor had harmed the
leopard cat, so the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li showed no
mercy and turned around to yell at Ning Xueyan, who stood behind
Madam Dowager. “I don’t care about anything in your manor. Now the
blame is on the residue. How can you explain it?”

This was directed at Ning Xueyan. He was angry by her denial. Now he
would not let her go easily when he had the advantage.

But in the eyes of the others, he was staring at Madam Dowager looking
like he wanted to eat her.

“Xian’er, stop! It’s their family business.” Consort Dowager stopped him
properly, but with a hint of ridicule on her lips.

“It’s nothing to do with me!” The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince

Li lifted up his head.

Consort Dowager was a little surprised. Luckily, she knew that he was
reckless when he was in bad mood. So she said politely, “Xian’er, Lord
Protector’s Manor will definitely find out the truth because their first
daughter was almost murdered. Now what we need to do is save Xue’er
immediately.”

Consort Dowager was afraid of her grandson’s temper because it would

cause chaos. Now that they were here in front of everyone, Lord
Protector’s Manor could not pass the buck anymore.

This reminded Princely Heir. In spite of Ning Xueyan, he rushed to ask

for the doctor’s help.

“Madam Dowager, I heard that the Second Madam in your manor has
just died. And now, her daughter is being treated like this. Doesn’t this
prove that a weak man is calling the shots in Lord Protector’s Manor?”
Consort Dowager turned around to look at Madam Dowager with a
taunting look on her face.

“Go check the Fifth Young Lady’s herb residue and see if the same
ingredients are in it.” Madam Dowager was pushed into asking, while
gritting her teeth. Because she was being watched by everyone, she had
to do it.

Several older female servants went to do what she asked.

Two older female servants beside Consort Dowager of Commandery

Prince Li followed them as well.

Ning Xueyan sneered secretly when she saw Madam Dowager’s great
affectation. She took away all her medicine but acted as if she were a
judge. Fortunately, Ning Xueyan already knew that Consort Dowager
would keep being angry at Lord Protector’s Manor because of what
happened yesterday.

“Grandmother, forget it please. Maybe it’s just a mistake. Perhaps there

were other things where the residue was, causing the mistake.” Ning
Xueyan forced a smile with knit eyebrows, looking like she wanted no
more trouble.

This was the result that Madam Dowager wanted, but now it had come
from Ning Xueyan’s mouth and it blocked her way. This made it difficult
for her to find another reason for this.
“Fifth Young Lady, it can’t be a coincidence. Compared with the Second
Young Lady, you looked much weaker.” It seemed that Consort Dowager
of Commandery Prince Li was joking. But people noticed her sharp
words and Ning Yuling’s actions.

Hitting and cursing at people and making a scene showed Ning Xueyan’s
good health.

Observing the Fifth Young Lady, they found her in poor health and
remembered what happened before in this manor.

“Anyway, Ning Xueyan is not her daughter, so she isn’t favored.

Looking at Ning Xueyan, she was definitely poisoned.”

“Definitely, we never noticed it before. No men can marry Lord

Protector’s Manor’s daughters, they are shrews or sickly. Eh… Madam
Ling is vicious. She grabbed another woman’s husband then wants to kill
her daughter as well.”

This was old business.

Madam Dowager’s expression continued changing. Veins throbbed on

her forehead and her eyes bulged out while her face showed her great
anger.

She had no idea why things had turned out like this. She wanted this to
die down then she could give a lesson to Madam Ling back at the manor.
She did not expect that it would be led to the public because of the
leopard cat.

“Consort Dowager, I’ve found two more packs of medicine in the

corner.” An older female servant of Commadery Prince Li’s Manor ran
over holding two packs of herbs.

“Right on time. Show them to the doctor to discover if there any poison
in them,” Consort Dowager said.

The older female servant brought them to the doctor. He smelt them and
tasted it with his tongue, then he said, “Yes, it has poison, but it was
mixed well. So the murderer must be an expert.”
The murderer had done it many times.

How could this medicine still miss! Madam Dowager’s face grew darker.
She had to ask, “Qingyu, where are they from?”

“My dear Madam Dowager, my lady’s medicine ran out when she
arrived at the temple. So these herbs came from Madam Ling’s
roomkeeper, Mr. Lu. I thought they looked like the old ones so I paid
little attention. It’s unexpected that there’s some poison in them. Please
help my lady,” Qingyu knelt on the ground and said angrily.

Qingyu’s words did not blame Madam Ling directly. However, she said
that Mr. Lu was Madam Ling’s roomkeeper. This made everything clear.
A servant dared not murder the mistress without any support.

Qingyu had not said this yesterday but had done it in front of everyone.
Madam Dowager felt ashamed.

Looking back at Ning Xueyan, Madam Dowager found she was a little
astonished. But there was little panic on her face. So the Fifth Young
Lady had not asked Qingyu to do this. Madam Dowager made sure it
was an accident. Nobody anticipated the leopard cat run over here.

Maybe Qingyu had said that because she wanted to console Ning
Xueyan.

“Nonsense! You, stand up! I will find out the truth,” Madam Dowager
said. Everyone was watching. The medicine and the residue were the
evidence. She had to investigate. Everyone knew that someone in their
manor wanted Ning Xueyan’s life, so she could not let a servant take the
blame as she had planned.

“Princely Heir, I’m so sorry. But your cat… Look, it’s no big deal…”
Ning Xueyan said sorry to the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.
She wanted to calm him down.

Hearing what she said, the Princely Heir was unhappy. The cat was cool
now but it was dirty. Besides, the cat hadn’t moved since being poisoned.
No big deal? Seriously?
“What? You think it’s fine? Come on, my cat seemed as if it would die.
Can you call that no big deal? I happened to be free today so I don’t
mind investigating with you. I need to know who did this to my precious
cat.” The Princely Heir was in a rage.

He wouldn’t let it go easily. Everything that happened yesterday and

today was because of Lord Protector’s Manor. He wanted to see the
manor’s reaction.

Damaging his cat on purpose made Madam Dowager become more

furious. But she couldn’t say no because it was his cat. At his side,
Consort Dowager did not seem to stop him, so the Princely Heir would
really do this.

Madam Dowager felt dizzy, so she said angrily, “Consort Dowager,

Princely Heir, now that it’s related to your cat, of course you can do it.”

The Princely Heir was a jerk, but she couldn’t believe that Consort
Dowager wanted this as well.

“Madam Dowager, thanks.” Consort Dowager wanted to continue the

drama from yesterday. She was willing to see Lord Protector’s Manor be
mocked. So she said yes, pretending to be angry.

Madam Dowager was angry because she did not expect Consort
Dowager to respond like this. So she had to excuse herself from Honored
Consort Ya and return in a rage with her people. The people of
Commandery Prince Li followed behind immediately. Moreover, some
madams who were familiar with Consort Dowager followed as well to
see more drama.

Honored Consort Ya heard that the two manors were about to have a
fight, so she asked the Third Prince to take a look.

Ning Xueyan needed to go with Madam Dowager back to the manor

because she was the victim. Due to her poor health and her staying in the
temple, Madam Dowager showed love to Ning Xueyan. She asked her to
pack up and take her time to return.

After everyone had left the yard, Qingyu and Lanning started to pack up
immediately.
Ning Xueyan put on an unobtrusive dress when they were packing. She
walked along the pathway toward the right-side yard of Cold Mountain
Temple.

There was one more thing that she had to finish before leaving.
Chapter 64 - A Tentative Strategy
about the Medicine
The right-side yard of Cold Mountain Temple and Honored Consort Ya’s
dwelling were the most luxurious places of the temple. Now, Prince Yi,
Ao Yichen, who was one of the most powerful man with a changeable
mood, lived in the right-side yard.

Therefore, the yards around it were empty because nobody dared to live
by his side. It seemed deserted there.

Ning Xueyan was in servant clothes so nobody noticed her along the
road. She passed by two detours, finding that there were two poker face
guards standing upright by the door. They were staring at her
expressionlessly with some sharpness in their eyes, which was
frightening.

Time was tight, so Ning Xueyan did not want to waste any. She stepped
forward, saying with smile, “Please tell Prince Yi that someone from
Lord Protector’s Manor wants to see him.”

The guards looked at her from head to toe, then one opened his mouth
and said, “Wait here!”

He went to ask for permission. After a while, he came back to his

position and waved to Ning Xueyan. “He said yes!”

It seemed that he did not plan to lead her in, so Ning Xueyan walked
inside on her own.

As she stepped inside, Ning Xueyan discovered that Prince Yi’s yard was
much bigger than Honored Consort Ya’s. Several small yards stood there
one by one. It looked magnificent.

Looking around, Ning Xueyan chose to walk toward the middle yard. It
was where Prince Yi obviously was because it was right in the middle
and had four guards standing outside.
The four guards stood upright without moving as they watched her
coming over. They also did not intend to lead her in.

Walking in deeper, she became more surprised. There were paintings and
sculptures everywhere, which did not fit here. They were luxurious and
varied and it could be seen that they were taken good care of. Only one
precious black chrysanthemum had been on display at the
Chrysanthemum Party, but there were two of them here.

Besides that, some flowers present were not shown at the

Chrysanthemum Party. They were colorful and difficult to find, but now
they were planted in the yard, which surprised her even more. This place
was especially prepared for Prince Yi because luxurious ornaments were
everywhere, which did not fit in with the temple.

“Fifth Young Lady, please follow me.” The silence was broken before
she had finished looking around. A shrill voice was heard, then she
turned back to find the lovely face of a eunuch.

“Please!” Ning Xueyan said politely. She was clearly aware that the
reason she was able to be here was that Prince Yi knew who she was.

The little eunuch led her into a luxurious room, serving her with desserts
and tea. He told her that Prince Yi was busy now so she had to wait.
Ning Xueyan nodded then the little eunuch excused himself.

It was so quiet here that there was almost no sound. Ning Xueyan would
have thought it was empty if she had not seen the eunuchs outside. In
this weird room, Ning Xueyan felt danger for no reason. Some wind
blew behind her head, so she turned around.

She only saw cold light come toward her with a voice that said, “Bastard,
die here!”

There was a sword!

Any girl would run away while screaming involuntarily if they saw this.
However, Ning Xueyan did not even try to evade it. Her dark eyes were
as peaceful as the surface of a lake. Her face did not change in the face
of the sword.
The cold light stopped in front of her forehead.

Before she could see clearly, Ning Xueyan heard a beautiful, cold voice
say, “The daughters of Lord Protector’s Manor are all intrepid.”

The door opened and Prince Yi came in with some eunuchs beside him.

The one who had pretended to be an assassin held back his sword and
stepped back with respect.

Some equinox flowers were embroidered on Prince Yi’s clothes. They

were red and stood in the middle of a black color. When he moved, you
could see the flower blossoms. With the dark background, it looked like
blood flowers, which bloomed in hell. Those clothes made him look
more handsome.

Unlike the female beauty of Wen Xueran, Prince Yi was more cold and
enchanting. Not only his delicate eye features, but also his lifted,
amorous lip all had a natural coldness and hegemony. His cold eyes
especially seemed to be filled with a bloody darkness inside.

There was no doubt that if he wanted Ning Xueyan’s life, she would be
unable to run away from him.

Thus, she never tried to flee.

How could anyone assassinate undisguised in his yard and be ignored?

Unless he did it on purpose…

Prince Yi and the emperor were well-matched. This meant he was

extraordinary and noble—he was one of the most powerful men in the
world.

Ning Xueyan’s dark eyes flickered a little. She tried to calm down as she
bowed to him. “Your Highness.”

Ao Chenyi sat down elegantly. Although he showed a handsome smiling

face, the sharpness inside his eyes was easy to see. It could almost
destroy Ning Xueyan’s soul. Nobody could keep calm while being
watched by his eyes. Ning Xueyan tried her best to control her breath
and four words jumped into her mind—evil, tricky, cold, and cruel.
Being the emperor’s brother as Prince Yi but getting no overt objection
from him was the reason why he was extraordinary.

“Yan’er, why aren’t you afraid?” Ao Chenyi drew back his sharp gaze
after raising his eyebrow. His lips moved a little with a slight smile, then
he became languid.

“If your place isn’t safe, there will be no safe place in the world.” Ning
Xueyan raised her head calmly with a smile.

Now that Ao Chenyi tried to test her, he had to have an insight into her
tricks. Even though he did not know them all, he knew most of them.
She had better not try to hide herself in front of him.

“Bold! I didn’t expect you to be brave because you are weak after all.
Weren’t you afraid that I wouldn’t save you in time just now and that the
sword would really stab you? You are too weak to take that blow!” Ao
Chenyi said with an ambiguous smile on his face, although the smile was
not from his eyes.

“If you didn’t save me, then it would be my destiny to die here,” Ning
Xueyan replied sincerely while smiling slightly. “Moreover, nobody
besides me can be used to look through the study room of Lord
Protector’s Manor.”

Ning Zu’an was the beloved marquis of the emperor with military power.
Additionally, the military medallion, which people knew nothing about,
would be hidden secretly by Ning Zu’an if it was important enough. It
would not be found easily.

“Oh, does this mean I have to keep you?” Ao Chenyi waved to Ning
Xueyan suddenly and she stepped forward.

He lifted her jaw suddenly and his fingers pointed against her neck. Ning
Xueyan raised her head and looked into his cold eyes as he said, “Yan’er,
maybe I will agree to help if you seduce me one more time.”

His action was elegant. Ning Xueyan struggled to move her head away
without thinking twice. She wanted to get away from him, but his fingers
glided down her delicate neck. He could easily break her neck anytime
he wanted.
Ning Xueyan tried hard to keep calm and her brain was running fast. A
light smile appeared on her lips, looking like a pure white flower. She
was calm with also a little coldness.

“If you help me, I’ll do whatever you ask.”

Pushing Ao Chenyi’s hands away slowly, she only tried a little this time
and easily freed herself of those beautiful hands.

“Oh, what do you want me to do? I’ve helped you plenty, but I’ve seen
nothing in return,” Ao Chenyi said leisurely while leaning on the chair.

“I’ll get what you want as soon as I’m back in the manor,” Ning Xueyan
answered immediately. It seemed that she was waiting to know his
intention.

“There’s no hurry!” Ao Chenyi shook his head. His gaze was weird and
profound. An evil smile was on his pretty noble face as he said, “I want
you to earn Ning Zu’an’s trust first.”

She felt relieved. Some pressure was removed from Ning Xueyan’s
heart. She had to fight against Madam Ling back at the manor, so she did
not have time to find the military medallion. Besides, earning Ning
Zu’an’s trust would take time.

The military medallion was so important that Ning Zu’an would never
put it away arbitrarily. Even Ao Chenyi could not find out where it was.
It was protected well.

Ning Xueyan had planned to take the advantage first.

“Yan’er, did you come here for my pills?” A cold smile was on Prince
Yi’s lips. His eyes had lights flashing inside them, which looked like
freaky ghost shadows.

“Yes, I’ve been poisoned. It deeply wounded my body. Although I can

deal with it later, I still need some of the same pills that you gave me the
other day. Please help me; otherwise, when I return to the manor, I can’t
even ensure my life, let alone anything else.”
Ao Chenyi laughed. A lazy smile appeared on his face. He picked up a
dessert from the side and took a bite elegantly. “You planned this well.
Will you be unable to serve me if I don’t give you the pills?”

“I don’t dare to deceive you!” Ning Xueyan answered with respect and
was unafraid of his awareness. She smiled slightly and took a bow.

Now that she was here asking for his help, she knew she could not keep
anything from him. She was willing to tell him the truth.

He was too clever to allow his people to deceive him.

“Well, I give you my permission. Remember, you owe me something.”

Ao Chenyi’s lips moved a little, but his eyes were still cold and
profound.

“I will remember!” Ning Xueyan nodded heavily.

She nodded heavily but slowly. Her gaze was solemn, which proved that
she really meant it. Ao Chenyi felt happy suddenly, and somewhat of a
smile was in his eyes. He clapped and a eunuch came in with his head
lowered. There was an exquisite box in his hands.

The box was brought over to Ao Chenyi, then the eunuch excused
himself.

Ao Chenyi pressed a button on the box and opened it. Five light, smooth
red pills were inside. Their special smell came out, which informed
everyone that they were precious.

Only these precious pills could heal Ning Xueyan.

“Here are five. Take one per month. As for your illness, you’ll need at
least 10. When you’ve finished these, you can come and get them from
here.” Ao Chenyi looked at her leeringly and his gaze grew darker.
Chapter 65 - Framed, Mother
Han Got Caugh
t

Qingyu and Lanning had everything well-prepared when Ning Xueyan

returned to her yard. She wrote a letter hurriedly and asked a Cold
Mountain Temple monk to give it to her uncle.

When everything was done, they got in the carriage that had been
waiting outside and went to Lord Protector’s Manor.

“My lady, many madams saw it. Consort Dowager of Commandery

Prince Li is on her way to our manor, so Madam Dowager has to punish
Madam Ling hard this time.” Qingyu was thrilled when she thought
everything had gone as Ning Xueyan had wanted.

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and said, “She won’t.”

“She won’t? Why not? The evidence is clear, so Madam Ling is

definitely the one who should take the blame. Can’t that get her
punished?” Qingyu was astonished.

“Did anyone see her poison me? Did anyone say that it was her? Or did
anyone sell her out?” Ning Xueyan had a little rest leaning against the
carriage wall as she closed her eyes with a cold smile.

“We only need to find Mr. Lu. Under such great pressure, he will… My
lady, will he sell her out?” Qingyu lowered her voice gradually.

Ning Xueyan smiled coldly. “Housekeeper Zhang can’t decide what she
can say and what she should keep to herself.”

Housekeeper Zhang was born into the Ling family and followed Madam
Ling to Lord Protector’s Manor. She helped her with all the housework.
Clearly, Madam Ling trusted her deeply. However, compared with
Madam Ling’s trust, her family, which was under Ning Xueyan’s control,
was more important. Unexpectedly, some of her family were not in the
manor.

Being aware of this, Qingyu was surprised and said, “My lady, what if
Madam Ling starts over? Maybe she will ruin you. Why didn’t you come
over in Madam Dowager’s carriage?”

Lanning knew what would happen and said, “Will it be useful? Madam
Dowager only needs to ask someone to tell Madam Ling first.”

“But, Madam Dowager… she was also poisoned by Madam Ling… Isn’t
she angry?” Qingyu stammered because she did not know how to reply.

“Yes, Madam Dowager is angry and she will punish Madam Ling, but
she won’t let other people mock the manor. So she won’t push her hard
or let others know. At most, Madam Ling’s power will be taken back and
she will be abused a little. However, it’s useless. It is so obvious that our
lady will be with them soon. This will make Madam Dowager suspect
us.” Lanning understood Ning Xueyan better, so she explained it.

Madam Dowager wanted to show her love by asking Ning Xueyan to

return later. If Ning Xueyan followed her, she would be suspected. After
all, she was suspected before.

They fell into silence suddenly.

Ning Xueyan closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep as her she
listened to the words of her maids.

So the best plan was to take advantage of Madam Ling when she was in
trouble.

As Ning Xueyan was arriving, someone was waiting for her. It was
Mother Qin, a servant of Madam Dowager. She ran up to her happily
after seeing her coming. She helped Ning Xueyan get out of the carriage
with respect. “Fifth Young Lady, you are finally here. I’ve been waiting
for you for a long time. Madam Dowager and Madam Ling asked you to
go see them.”

She thought about the last time she left when nobody had said goodbye
to her. Ning Xueyan was surprised that Madam Dowager had now asked
her close mammy to wait here to show her concern. It was totally
different from last time.

But Ning Xueyan knew that Madam Ling saved herself when she heard
what the servant said.

Luckily, Ning Xueyan had already prepared for this. She said gently,
“Thanks, mammy. Is grandmother angry now? I’m so sorry that she has
to worry about me at her age. It’s all my fault.”

After what had happened, Ning Xueyan was worried about her
grandmother first. This made Mother Qin have a good feeling about her.
It was unexpected that Ning Xueyan was a good girl. She had thought
wrongly of her before.

Mother Qin’s face was full of smile-wrinkles while talking. She said,
“What are you saying? My lady, it’s Concubine Ma who was over the
line and did this. You and Madam Ling will be wronged if we don’t
discover it. I can’t believe there is a vicious woman like her in our
manor. You can never know a person by their appearance.”

“Concubine Ma?” Ning Xueyan had a cold gaze again. Madam Ling was
good at telling a story. She could pass the buck to others easily.

Concubine Ma, who was new here, was a beautiful woman. She was
always close to Madam Ling. She probably never thought this would
happen to her.

Ning Xueyan pretended not to care much as she asked while was
walking inside, “Why did Concubine Ma do this?”

“I don’t know why. Isn’t there a Mother Han in your yard? Her son badly
hurt someone outside. The man who was beaten was Concubine Ma’s
brother. At first, it had nothing to do with you, but Mother Han said that
you were the mistress of the manor and Concubine Ma was a servant, so
it was okay that her son hit the concubine’s brother. And she said she
wouldn’t pay any money.

“When Concubine Ma heard this, she was pissed off. She thought you
supported Mother Han to humiliate her, so she poisoned you.”
Mother Qin explained angrily and seemed to be on Ning Xueyan’s side.

“Mother Han?” Ning Xueyan’s face was frozen! She stopped to look at
Mother Qin, who was in a good mood, and a coldness flashed through
her eyes.

Madam Ling was truly cunning. She fought back using Mother Han even
when she was in a panic.

“Where is Mother Han now?” Ning Xueyan stopped smiling and her
cold face and sharp gaze appeared.

Being watched by Ning Xueyan’s cold eyes, Mother Qin felt afraid. She
tried to avoid her gaze but she could feel Ning Xueyan’s indescribable
temperament.

“Mother Han is locked up now, waiting for the buyer to pick her up
tomorrow,” said Mammy Qin slowly while lowering her voice.

Hearing this, Qingyu’s face turned white. She was standing behind Ning
Xueyan and was about to ask something. But Lanning, who stood beside
her, pulled her sleeves telling her not to do so.

“Concubine Ma is also in the woodshed now, waiting for the buyer?”

Ning Xueyan’s face was frozen again.

“No, she’s not. She fell down recently and the doctor said that she was
pregnant, so the marquis said the punishment would need to wait until
after she gives birth.” Mother Qin regained her mood in no time. She
could not be frightened by the weak Fifth Young Lady.

The bad person was safe, but the good one was locked up. Everything
was opposite in the manor.

“Where is grandmother now?” Ning Xueyan could not show her

unhappiness on her face, so she started to walk inside.

Seeing Ning Xueyan letting it go, Mother Qin felt relieved and smiled.
“Madam Dowager is talking with Consort Dowager at Auspicious
Fortune Hall now. Consort Dowager is seldom here. And after what
happened, Madam Dowager needs to explain everything to her.”
“Is the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li here?” Ning Xueyan
asked, seemingly casual.

“Yes, Consort Dowager is here and he said that he will wait for her so
they can go back together,” Mother Qin replied.

By the crossroads, Ning Xueyan stopped to say to Mother Qin,

“Mammy, I need to go back and change my clothes first. I will be there
when I tidy myself up.”

“OK, OK. Madam Dowager isn’t in a hurry. You are weak so you need
to take good care of yourself.” Mother Qin said so, but Ning Xueyan
noticed her smug demeanor.

“I will leave first, Mother Qin.” Ning Xueyan no longer wanted to be

there so she went straight away to Bright Frost Garden.

Seeing Ning Xueyan leaving, Mother Qin went back to tell Madam
Dowager about her. She thought that Madam Dowager was overthinking
it and the Fifth Young Lady was weak and fragile. Hearing what had
happened to Mother Han, Ning Xueyan had just asked routine questions,
showing no extra concern.

When they turned around, Qingyu could not hold it in any longer. She
stepped ahead and said, “My lady, they’re talking nonsense. Mother
Han’s son would never do such a thing. Mother Han told me the other
day that her son became in charge of a shop. Why would he have a fight
with Concubine Ma’s brother?”

Qingyu and Mother Han were always loyal to Madam Ming and Ning
Xueyan. They all trusted each other. Ning Xueyan would not believe
what Mother Qin just said. She met Mother Han’s son before and
thought that he was a good man. He had been asked to buy medicine for
Madam Ming when Madam Ming was ill but nobody cared for her.

Ning Xueyan dropped her eyes slightly and asked, “You don’t believe it,
Qingyu?”

“Of course I don’t. I will never believe that Mother Han’s son would hurt
someone and talk like that.” Qingyu stomped hurriedly. “My lady, I can
make sure he didn’t do it. What they said was to frame Mother Han.”
“Nobody cares whether you believe it or not. They let Mother Han
commit the crime.” Ning Xueyan smiled coldly. Madam Ling had
handled it well. She arranged everything correctly in just a short time.
The fight had to exist.

As for the crime of hitting the other man, this was not up to Mother
Han’s son.

It would be easy if Concubine Ma wanted a new brother. Not to mention

her pregnancy seemed to be right on time. How could it be a
coincidence? Ning Xueyan was unprepared for this.

If Ning Xueyan punished Concubine Ma, everyone would think she was
harsh and mean.

In the end, the blame was on her.

But she did not expect that Concubine Ma would agree to do this.

However, they missed something!

“My lady, what should we do now?” Qingyu fell into a panic after
hearing what Ning Xueyan said. Her face became pale as she said, “They
will sell Mother Han tomorrow, what we can do?”

“Qingyu, would you mind going to Qingrong Courtyard?” Ning Xueyan

asked.

Madam Ling had handed a gift to her, so Ning Xueyan should give
something in return as well.

Ning Yuling lived in Qingrong Courtyard. Ning Xueyan and Qingyu

were bullied a lot by Ning Yuling, so they never went there. Not to
mention the things in Cold Mountain Temple, Ning Yuling would abuse
her. She would not leave Qingyu in peace when she saw her.

“I will!” Qingyu would do anything to save Mother Han. She gritted her
teeth, showing her faith.

“Okay, you need to inquire about the Third Prince and…” Ning Xueyan
whispered into Qingyu’s ear. Qingyu’s eyes suddenly became brighter
and she handed over her bag to Lanning. Then she left in a hurry.
Chapter 66 - The Fight in the
Woodshed
Ning Xueyan dressed Lanning and herself well when she returned to her
yard. Then they left for Auspicious Fortune Hall.

The female servant standing by the door saw her coming and greeted her,
“Fifth Young Lady, you are finally here. Madam Dowager and Madam
Ling asked about you just now.”

Ning Xueyan just nodded and kept going.

The maids by the door lifted the curtain to let Ning Xueyan in.

“Xueyan, you are here. Let Mother see. How could this happen to you?
Why bad person poisoned you? You are such a good girl. The bad
servant did damage to you but you are innocent. You would have been
killed if we didn’t find out…” Seeing Ning Xueyan in, Madam Ling
started to sob. She could not even speak clearly as she wiped away her
tears with a handkerchief.

Ning Xueyan stood to the side and a coldness emanated from her eyes. In
Ning Xueyan’s previous life, she was killed by Madam Ling. So she
would not be tricked by her again. Raising her head, Ning Xueyan saw
Consort Dowager, Madam Dowager, and Madam Dowager Liu sitting
above. Madam Ling was putting on a show for them.

She got close to Ning Xueyan on purpose and opened her mouth first.
She did it all for show. She knew Ning Xueyan would not embarrass her
even though she was unhappy.

“Mother!” Ning Xueyan stepped back and got free from her. It seemed
they were not close at all.

“Ok. Well, I’m happy to see that you’re okay. You are a nice girl with a
bad servant. What a pity…” Madam Ling’s ambiguous looks could not
hide the viciousness in her eyes.
“Thank you, Mother. I will talk to you later after greeting grandmother,”
Ning Xueyan said.

Her grandmother was here so she could not talk with Madam Ling first
because it was impolite.

Ning Xueyan’s words stopped Madam Ling’s show.

She turned around, avoiding Madam Ling’s frozen face, and walked
toward Madam Dowager. “Nice to see you, grandmother and aunt-
grandmother.”

“Okay, okay. This is Consort Dowager,” Madam Dowager said happily.

She glanced at Madam Ling, who stood aside with hatred. The only
reason she let her be was for her grandson’s sake.

“My honor, Consort Dowager.” Ning Xueyan bowed to Consort

Dowager.

“Never mind that. What a polite kid.” Seeing that Ning Xueyan had
acted properly and elegantly, Consort Dowager felt sorry for her.
Although she was not perfect, she thought she could be a big shot if Lord
Protector taught her well.

Although Ning Yuling was the first daughter of Lord Protector, she was a
real shrew.

Consort Dowager was fond of Ning Yuling’s personality at first and she
had wanted her to control her grandson. But she didn’t expect her to be a
slut and cheat on her grandson before they could get married. This did
damage to Consort reputation as well. So, of course she was angry with
her.

So she never stopped her grandson and wanted this to become an issue.

The bigger issue it was, the less that people would care about her
grandson’s fault.

Unexpectedly, it had nothing to do with Madam Ling. It was Concubine

Ma who had done this. But only god knew the truth, what she saw might
not have been true.
Hearing the praise, Madam Ling felt embarrassed. She shook her
handkerchief while walking over elegantly. “Xueyan, you treat your
servant too well for them to respect you. So Mother Han became
arrogant and did that bad thing in the name of your reputation. From now
on, they’ll need discipline.”

It seemed she was worried about Ning Xueyan. But actually, she was
saying that Ning Xueyan was not good enough to take control of her
people. Her servants must be as horrible as she was.

“Mother, where is Mother Han now?” Ning Xueyan’s smile faded away
slowly and her eyes looked gentle on her cold face.

“She is a bad servant! Xueyan, let her be! I will help you clear up your
people in case someone will damage you again.” Madam Ling looked
merciful. People would misunderstand that Ning Xueyan was her
biological daughter because she cared so much.

Ning Xueyan glanced at Madam Ling and stopped talking with her. She
turned to Madam Dowager saying, “Grandmother, Mother Han is the
only servant that my mom left to me. I want to see her so I can ask her
what exactly happened. Whom she was counting on and why she let her
son do such things.”

Ning Xueyan’s words were reasonable. She did not show any bias so
Madam Dowager could not say no. Some older female servants were
about to take Mother Han here by the command of Madam Dowager.

Ning Xueyan’s lips were full of a bitter smile. She made a suggestion.
“Thanks, grandmother. Please allow Lanning to go with them in order to
dress her up. After all, she was my close servant before…”

“That’s so nice of you, Xueyan. A bad servant like her won’t need it. In
my opinion, we must punish her hard. The only reason why she wasn’t
flogged to death is that she’s been with you for a long time.” Madam
Ling followed Madam Dowager immediately when she found herself in
an awkward position.

Madam Dowager stared at Madam Ling ruthlessly. She despised her. She
thought Madam Ling was belittling herself. As the mistress of Lord
Protector’s Manor, she should not be petty. Besides which, Madam
Dowager clearly knew that the poison had nothing to do with Mother
Han. She knew that Madam Ling was framing her. How did she dare to
say so?

Compared with Ning Xueyan, Madam Ling was mean.

“My dear fifth granddaughter, of course your maid can go with them.”

Ning Xueyan had already given her command to Lanning, so Lanning

followed behind the older female servants with respect, lowering her
head. She stepped back and acted carefully. It looked like she was
serving her mistress. Her movements did not belong to a first maid.
Consort Dowager, who sat above, watched with some suspicion in her
eyes.

Lanning followed the older female servant out, walking toward the
woodshed.

An older female servant was ahead of Lanning. Lanning kicked a stone

at her feet and it did not miss.

“Oh!” Hit by the stone, the older female servant screamed and went to
check her feet.

“Mammy, what happened?” Lanning stepped ahead and tried to support

her ostensibly.

“What the hell! Something hit my feet,” the older female servant said
while touching her feet. Lanning kicked it so heavily that the stone had
caused great pain.

“Mammy, you can take a rest if you can’t continue. You need to check
your wound in case it damaged your bones. I heard the Mammy Li, who
was in Madam Ling’s yard, had gotten hurt before because she was
careless when she walked. Her leg got hurt badly so that she is unable to
walk now.”

It would take 100 days to recover if one broke their bones, especially for
older people. If she did not take it seriously, she would be unable to walk
again.
This frightened the older female servant. Her legs became limp right
away, for she was afraid that her bones were broken.

Mammy Li was unable to walk because she had not been paying
attention.

“Lanning, my feet can’t move now, so would you mind taking her here?”
the older servant asked Lanning. She dared not move any farther and she
leaned on a tree holding her feet. The mistresses were waiting inside, so
she could not delay.

“Mammy, they might not let me see Mother Han. Could you do it
yourself? Maybe it’s no big deal.” Lanning shook her head perplexedly.

Maybe it was nothing! On the contrary, maybe it could be something!

The older female servant was so worried, but she could not move until
she found out if her bones were okay. If it was not okay, she would be
disabled because of being delayed. So she said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. You
can go first and tell them that Madam Dowager asked you to take her
away. If they stop you, you can come back to me.”

“Could… could that work?” Lanning frowned and acted like she did not
know what to do.

“Of course, it’s fine. Just a servant. It’s nothing. Go!” The older female
servant only cared about her legs now so she pushed Lanning to do it.

So Lanning had to go first!

The older female servant found a covert place to check her legs. Another
older female servant was eating sunflower seeds when Lanning arrived at
the woodshed, but she ignored her.

Sure enough, she was one of Madam Ling’s people. Lanning had seen
her with Madam Ling more than once.

“Let Mother Han out, I need her.” Lanning was not as gentle as she was
before when she said that coldly. She was standing akimbo and had her
chin raised up high.
“Eh? Who are you?” the older female servant rolled her eyes and asked
disdainfully. She stood up and shook the seeds off her clothes. She knew
her but she despised her.

“I’ve come to take Mother Han. Open the door now and give her to me.
Otherwise, you will be punished hard if you delay the mistress’s
business,” Lanning said while widening her eyes.

“Mistress? Who is Lanning’s mistress? It’s the Young Lady, that

unfavored and cowardly girl.”

Mentioning this, nobody was afraid of her in the manor.

The older female servant did not give a damn. She pushed Lanning away
when she saw her standing in front of her and acting proudly. “Move
away! Now! As for your sick mistress, please leave me alone, I think she
could be dead anytime.”

“How dare you say that!” Lanning screamed.

Her shrill scream startled two maids who walked by. They had an
interest in the drama so they stopped.

“Nobody cares about your sick mistress in the manor! Don’t try to
frighten me!” Seeing her bravado, the older female servant mocked
Lanning.

The two maids started to laugh as well.

Lanning’s face grew dark. She rushed at the older female servant and
thrust her head into her chest. This made the older female servant step
back and fall down on the ground. Her head hit the door of the
woodshed. Then the door opened.
Chapter 67 - Among All the
People in the Manor, Who Doesn’t
Know That the Fifth Young Lady
Is Sickly?
Hearing the sound, Mother Han, who was tied up and thrown to the
ground, tried hard to straighten her back. Upon seeing Lanning, a
pleasant surprise flashed through her eyes.

Lanning silently mouthed to Mother Han: “The Fifth Young Lady is

back”, suggesting that she rest assured.

Mother Han nodded to show that she understood. It could be seen from
her eyes that she was very excited and felt greatly relieved in her heart. If
it were the previous Fifth Young Lady, Mother Han would not have had
so much confidence in her. But now, the Fifth Young Lady was different,
she could certainly clear her of the injustice.

“You little bitch, you even dared to hit me.” The older female servant
became furious because she had been beaten by a maid from Bright Frost
Garden. How could she live with that in the future? Especially the two
maids standing at the door, they laughed while bending forward and
backward, which attracted more maids and older female servants here to
watch the fun. They pointed at her and talked about her, one and all. The
older female servant appeared quite embarrassed.

She climbed up from the ground and rushed at Lanning vehemently.

Lanning neatly flashed back. Then, she pretended to be pushed back two
more steps and fell into the nearby woodpiles. She turned around in the
woodpiles, so her body and her hair were immediately covered with
woodchips. Now her hair fell down and she looked like a terrible mess.
Her face also looked dusty and dirty because she had smeared her face
with a handful of dust that she picked up from the ground.
Nobody except Lanning and the older female servant knew the facts. The
others all thought that Lanning was messed up like this because the older
female servant had knocked her to the ground.

The woman had failed to hit Lanning. Thus, she stumbled two steps
before she finally managed to stand firmly. Seeing that Lanning knocked
herself like this, she could not help swearing at Lanning with her hands
against her sides. “You little bitch, who do you think your mistress is?
You even dared to be unreasonable and make a scene here. You really
didn’t know how little strength you have.”

“You actually dared to disobey the mistress’s order.” Lanning still sat in
the woodpiles and had not gotten up. But she was reluctant to show
weakness, so she also raised her head and cursed her furiously. “You just
wait here. In a moment when Mammy comes here, she will rip your skin
off.”

Being so despised by such a little girl she usually used to look down
upon, how could the older female servant bear it? So she broke out into
curses without thinking. “The mistress? What kind of mistress? There is
actually an older female servant who will come here. Which shameless
servant dares to rip my skin off? I am one of the First Madam’s people.
No one can take her away today without the order from the First
Madam.”

Because of Lanning, she had become so angry that she nearly fainted, so
she tarred all the others with the same brush.

“How dare you disobey an order from Madam Dowager?” said the older
female servant of the Madam Dowager angrily. She was sent by Madam
Dowager. After she found that her feet were fine, she happened to arrive
here to see a group of people gathered around the door. Before she could
see everything clearly, she heard an older female servant shout that only
the people of the First Madam could take Mother Han away, which
instantly made her extremely furious.

Their two mistresses could not get along. Therefore, neither the people in
the courtyard of Madam Dowager nor the people in the courtyard of
Madam Ling would give in.
The crowd was parted in the middle. Lanning’s untidy face was the first
thing the older female servant of Madam Dowager saw.

Seeing the servant come over, Lanning suddenly looked so aggrieved

and she struggled to stand up. “Mammy, she, she won’t let me take
Mother Han away. She also insulted the mistress.”

Lanning spoke in very general terms. She did not clearly say who the
mistress was. However, she came here to take Mother Han away with
Madam Dowager’s people. Thus, her mistress certainly would be
Madam Dowager.

Upon hearing that the older female servant had insulted Madam
Dowager, the face of the personal servant of Madam Dowager was red
with anger. She grabbed the older female servant, who failed to react at
the moment, and made for the door. “Come, let’s go to meet Madam
Dowager and let her decide who is right. Why does the order from
Madam Dowager not work? Why can’t we take the person away? Do we
really need to ask the First Madam for permission to take one person
away?”

“I have been here for a while. No matter what I said to her, she just
wouldn’t allow me to take Mother Han away and she actually spoke ill
of the mistresses. Mammy, now the mistresses must be anxiously waiting
in suspense. We really can’t afford to shoulder the responsibility.” By her
side, Lanning added fuel to the servant’s angry flames.

Upon hearing that she might shoulder the responsibility, the servant was
unwilling to stop. She had someone else bring Mother Han with them.
Then, holding the hand of the servant who guarded the door, she dragged
her all the way to Auspicious Fortune Hall. There was a lot of noise
along the way so she also brought a large group of onlookers there.

After Lanning and the servant had left, Madam Dowager asked Ning
Xueyan to sit down to answer questions. Madam Dowager tenderly
asked her about her body condition. She also planned on inviting a
physician to take her pulse in order to see what kind of medicine was
better for her. Furthermore, she specifically told Mother Qin beside her
to prepare some good medicine for Ning Xueyan, and so on. All these
things showed how much she cared for Ning Xueyan.
At the side, Madam Ling also chipped in on their conversation from time
to time. The scene actually looked quite warm and happy!

When they were acting vigorously, a loud noise suddenly came from
outside. The face of Madam Dowager fell instantly. Before she could
speak, Lanning rushed in with her dirty face. After entering the door, she
immediately knelt down before Madam Dowager with a loud thud. She
burst into tears. “Madam Dowager, please exercise justice for our Young
Lady.”

She mentioned Ning Xueyan at the beginning. Madam Dowager was

stunned and then she looked down at Lanning, whose face was covered
with black and white lines now. For a moment, Madam Dowager failed
to recognize who she was.

Mother Qin standing by her side actually recognized Lanning

immediately. Then she whispered in Madam Dowager’s ear to remind
her. Spotting the surprised look on Consort Dowager’s face, Madam
Dowager really wanted to explode.

“Lanning, what’s the matter? Didn’t you go to bring Mother Han here?
How could you end up like this?” asked Ning Xueyan. She frowned
while looking Lanning up and down. She then asked with an unpleasant
expression, “Is there anything wrong regarding me that needs my
grandmother to get justice for me?”

Because they were just displaying their deep feelings of kinship, Madam
Dowager could not blame Ning Xueyan for speaking first. Moreover,
Lanning was Ning Xueyan’s maid, so it was normal for her to ask
questions first.

“My lady, I went to get Mother Han with the Mammy from Auspicious
Fortune Hall. But when we arrived there, that older female servant not
only didn’t allow us to take Mother Han away, but she also called you a
sickly. And she also said that… She said that you were not the
mistress…” Lanning felt so wronged that she could hardly bring out a
word. She was angry and annoyed. Unconsciously, the rims of her eyes
turned red. It was obvious that she had been bullied badly.

“How dare she do such things? That dog slave, where is she?” Madam
Dowager leaned back angrily. She was performing this deep touching
bond with her granddaughter here to make others think that she was
sincerely good to Ning Xueyan. But she didn’t expect that such a thing
would happen. She felt embarrassed and opened her mouth to scold her.

While they were talking, the people from outside arrived!

Entangled with each other, the two older female servants came in.
Behind them, Mother Han also came in and then knelt at one side.

In the chaos, Qingyu managed to get in and stood in the shadow behind
Ning Xueyan.

The moment Ning Xueyan spotted Qingyu, she knew in her heart that the
things over there seemed to have already been completed!

The older female servant who came in first let go of the other servant’s
hand and knelt on the ground angrily. She reported loudly, “Madam
Dowager, I went there to take someone away, but she spoke rudely. She
even dared to speak ill of Madam Dowager. The entire time, she uttered
insulting remarks without any good words.”

A moment ago, she talked about Ning Xueyan. Now, the person she
talked about was Madam Dowager. Seeing that the eyes of Madam
Dowager had suddenly turned razor sharp, Madam Ling felt really
anxious. She went over and slammed hard on the face of the servant who
guarded the door. Then she said angrily, “You dog slave. How dare you
insult Madam Dowager!”

“I, I didn’t insult Madam Dowager. I, I only said that the Fifth Young
Lady is sickly. I didn’t curse Madam Dowager at all!” The older female
servant was nearly knocked out by Madam Ling. After she heard what
Madam Ling had said, she argued loudly in a hurry.

As a matter of fact, she had never abused Madam Dowager. Now she
was misunderstood and had been pulled here by someone else. Her head
felt all muzzy along the way. Before she could figure everything out, she
had been slapped in the face by Madam Ling. All she could hear were
the few words: “insult Madam Dowager”. She knew that she had been
wronged so she refused to admit to her mistakes and argued loudly.

Seeing that it was almost the time, Ning Xueyan winked at Lanning.
“Why is the Fifth Young Lady sickly?” Lanning growled at the side at
the right moment, glaring angrily at the older female servant.

The woman became angry under her gaze and her attention was
immediately attracted by Lanning.

She had gotten in such big trouble all because of the little bitch in front
of her. Now, she was being beaten and wronged by others. The servant
became wild with rage. Not seeing her surroundings clearly, she
immediately argued back and cursed, “You little bitch, among all the
people in the manor, who doesn’t know that the Fifth Young Lady is
sickly? She may die at any time.”

“You actually dare curse our Young Lady! She is the mistress of Lord
Protector’s Manor.” Lanning was trembling with anger.

Seeing the weakness of Lanning, the servant pressed on and continued

her victorious pursuit. “Why can’t I curse her? What kind of mistress is
she? Among all the people in the manor, no one regards her as the
mistress. How dare she consider herself the mistress!”

No one knew that the servant would actually say something like this. It
was too late for Madam Ling to stop her. Madam Ling went blank on the
spot and her face turned pale.

Seeing the servant froth at the mouth with curses, Ning Xueyan
immediately picked up the cup by her hand and threw it at the servant.
The fine porcelain cup smashed a step away from the servant. It then
broke into pieces. A flying piece sliced across the face of the servant and
left a bloody mark behind.

The servant shut up immediately out of fear!

Ning Xueyan threw a cold look at Madam Ling, who had yet to come to
her senses. Then she turned around and knelt down in front of Madam
Dowager with a loud thud. “Grandmother, I volunteer to guard my
mom’s tomb. From then on, I’ll stay with oil lamps before the statue of
Buddha and I’ll never bring you any trouble!”

Her expression looked firm and indifferent. Her face remained calm.
There was only a glimmer of tears in her eyes, which made her look
stubborn and beautiful.

There was only silence in the room. They all couldn’t help holding their
breath.

“Take her away and beat her to death!” Madam Dowager growled with a
solemn face. She made the decision in an instant.

“Grandmother, don’t bother. There are a lot of people like her in the
manor, so why should we bother to kill her?” Ning Xueyan said serenely.
However, she got a trace of sadness at the bottom of her eyes. She was
the first wife’s daughter of the manor, but she was repeatedly cursed by
an inferior servant. Anyone in her situation would feel frustrated.

“Madam Dowager, I have never thought that the status of the Fifth
Young Lady in the manor is actually no better than an inferior servant.
No wonder that even her medicine was poisoned,” sneered the Consort
Dowager of Commandery Prince Li. Shaking her head, she thought, “All
the people in Lord Protector’s Manor have no standards. They even let a
servant tread on the first wife’s daughter.”

“It seems that the status of the Fifth Young Lady is not as high as Madam
Dowager has shown us.”

“Fifth Young Lady, don’t be upset. Your grandmother will surely help
you vent your spleen. After that, people in the manor won’t dare to look
down on you and bully you.” Madam Dowager Liu could not help
starting to talk. Although she was not in charge of the internal affairs of
Lord Protector’s Manor, she knew that people in the manor treated those
people from Bright Frost Garden with indifference.

She just had not expected that even an inferior servant would dare to
curse Ning Xueyan. Thus, she glared at Madam Ling and spoke to her
angrily.

Although she did not know the whole affair, she knew that servants
dared to treat Ning Xueyan with indifference only because it was exactly
what Madam Ling meant. So she became more unpleasant regarding
Madam Ling.
“I, I didn’t… Guards, take her away and flog her to death!” Madam Ling
wanted to argue but she did not know where to start. It had never
occurred to her that things would end up like this. She was only anxious
to see the servant be beaten to death right now.

The guards had already come in and then they dragged the servant out.

“Young Lady, Young Lady, my poor Young Lady!” Mother Han, who
was nearby, suddenly cried out pitifully with a desolate sound. She
attracted everybody’s attention and all the people turned their heads to
look at her.

It was exactly the moment that Ning Xueyan had been waiting for!
Chapter 68 - You’re Right. We
Must Find out Who Did This!
It was exactly the moment that Ning Xueyan had been waiting for!

Looking up at Madam Dowager with her dark-jade-like eyes, she slowly

dropped the words one by one after clearing her throat. “Grandmother,
how could Mother Han take advantage of my lowly status?”

Madam Ling once said that by taking advantage of Ning Xueyan’s

power, Mother Han encouraged her son to commit violence and he beat
up Concubine Ma’s brother.

This thing that happened to Mother Han was the reason Ning Xueyan
had been drugged. What Mother Han had done annoyed Concubine Ma,
and hence, brought a fatal disaster to Ning Xueyan.

However, if Ning Xueyan was even unable to protect herself, how could
Mother Han take advantage of her power?

In one sentence, Ning Xueyan argued clearly that Mother Han was being
framed by Madam Ling.

Then the entire house fell into a weird silence. Cold sweat was already
forming on Madam Ling’s forehead. It was so unexpected to everyone
that Ning Xueyan would make such a big leap. Originally, everyone’s
attention was focused on the servant who had cursed Ning Xueyan. But
now, all their eyes fell upon Mother Han.

With tears in her eyes, she looked quite sad and her voice sounded
mournful. She looked at Ning Xueyan with kindness and love. How
could she be an arrogant person? Even the woman kneeling beside her
looked much more ferocious than her.

“Madam Dowager, judging by the status of the Fifth Young Lady in your
manor, how could her personal servant take advantage of her power? It
seems that you’ve caught the wrong person!” Off to the side, Consort
Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor saw the farce clearly. She
sneered slightly with her lips rising.

“Consort Dowager, no… How could they take the wrong person? They
all said that it was Mother Han.” When this thing came down on her
head, she had to bite the bullet and explain.

Everything that happened was all linked together. If one of those things
went wrong, then the following things wouldn’t follow. How dare
Madam Ling let others know the inside story!

“Mother, even an inferior servant can humiliate me at will. She rained

down curses on Lanning’s head only because Lanning mentioned me. No
one spoke up for me. In this situation, who would choose to stand on the
side of Mother Han?” Ning Xueyan asked indifferently. She lowered her
eyes slightly to cover the indignation at the bottom of her eyes.

An unfavored mistress with a servant who was despised by others—if

anyone wanted to frame her, it would just be a piece of cake.

“I…” Madam Ling was stumped and was unable to find anything to say.

“Mother, the life or death of Mother Han was decided just by a few
people’s words. Then why can’t the truth we saw before us explain
everything? Does Mother also think that we should find a few more
people to verify it?” Ning Xueyan lifted her lips a little and sneered
slightly. Her eyes fell upon Madam Ling without blinking or avoiding
her.

That kind of deep and hellish aura came at her from all sides. Madam
Ling was so intimidated by this aura that she could not utter a word.

The facts were displayed in front of them. None of those servants who
had come just now had spoken a word on behalf of Ning Xueyan. They
all came here with the attitude of just watching the fun. And judging by
those people’s cavalier attitudes, everyone present could realize the
status of Ning Xueyan in the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor was present, so

Madam Ling couldn’t just turn things upside down, even if she was
eager to do that.
“The rules in the Lord Protector’s Manor are really different. The Fifth
Young Lady was drugged by someone but her personal loyal servant was
punished for it. The daughters in the Lord Protector’s Manor are really
cheap. No wonder that the Second Young Lady was capable of doing
such a degrading thing. Because that was the way she was brought up!”
Unable to watch anymore, Consort Dowager spoke in a voice dripping
with sarcasm.

“Madam Ling, apologize to the Fifth Young Lady.” Upon hearing what
Consort Dowager had said, Madam Dowager made a quick decision.

Madam Ling’s face changed greatly. She turned to look at Madam

Dowager with disbelief, but all she saw was her ice-cold eyes.

She bit her lips and her face turned pale. All the muscles in her face were
shaking. She was a Marchioness but now she was asked to make an
apology to her daughter, which was meant to be a kind of humiliation—a
terrible humiliation!

She would not only make an apology but also lose her dignity as
Marchioness.

Her dignity had already been trampled on once when she was in the
palace. But that was in the palace, and the one who had trampled on her
dignity was the queen, the most distinguished woman in the whole
country.

But now, the one who had trampled on her dignity was the little bitch
that she despised the most…

In that room, there was only silence, a weird silence!

Ning Xueyan had gotten up with someone’s help and now she was
standing beside Madam Dowager. A maid served a cup of hot tea and
brought it to Madam Ling’s side.

Madam Ling picked up the teacup with her trembling fingers and forced
herself to stay calm. Seeing that Ning Xueyan stood still, she had to walk
over to her. She said while gritting her teeth, “Xueyan.”
Ning Xueyan just looked at her indifferently but her fists clenched
unconsciously. She tried hard to restrain herself from slapping the face of
Madam Ling. Her hot blood rushed into a hell of tumult, and finally, her
blood became quiet and deep. “This time, I just taught her a lesson. I’ll
have plenty of opportunities in the future.”

“Madam Ling wanted more than my life.”

“I misunderstood you before…” Madam Ling handed the tea to Ning

Xueyan but her eyes were full of hatred!

“Mother, you indeed had listened to the rumors and misunderstood me. I
hope that you can help me find the person who drugged me. Now that we
know it isn’t Mother Han, who told those rumors to you?” Ning Xueyan
asked naturally and then took the tea from Madam Ling’s hands without
embarrassing her too much more. After this, Madam Ling’s dignity in
the manor would suffer a great loss.

In addition, she still had the following moves.

Madam Ling almost could not hide the hatred in her heart, and she
replied dryly, “Yes, I have misunderstood you. It won’t happen again. I
will find out who is so vicious!”

Ning Xueyan looked at her and said word by word, “Mother, I didn’t
blame you.”

“I will certainly not only blame it on you, but also, I can’t wait to drink
your blood and eat your flesh…

“One day, Madam Ling, you will pay for your vicious deeds.

“Hopefully, you can slowly endure the process until you reach the end. I
hope you can have enough strength to withstand the blows that will come
one after another…”

“Well, well. That will be all for now. Yan’er, since that matter has
nothing to do with Mother Han, it has to be re-examined by your Mother.
Perhaps, Concubine Ma was wronged too,” Madam Dowager stood up
and said.
“Grandmother, what did Concubine Ma say? Did she insist that Mother
Han was the person who drugged me?” Ning Xueyan frowned and asked.
Although Mother Han had gotten out of the trouble by taking this
opportunity, she was not willing to let Concubine Ma go because what
had happened with Concubine Ma was really a great coincidence.

There was no story without coincidences. Ning Xueyan was more likely
to believe that Madam Ling must have planned it for quite a long time!

“The manor always has physicians to treat concubines in each house.

Why didn’t they find out that Concubine Ma was pregnant before? But
immediately after something happened to her, they told others that she
was pregnant. All this must have been specially designed by some
people.

“According to the timeline, this trap could only be used after I was
poisoned to death. That should be in half a year. So they might not able
to use the trap, which is supposed to be used six months later.

“No matter how Madam Ling is exceptionally adept in trickery, she

couldn’t know that I would suddenly challenge her in Cold Mountain
Temple!

“Madam Dowager came back in a hurry, so Madam Ling must have used
the trap she had designed before, but it was just not in the time that she
had planned…

“Now that the situation is reversed, I should first see how Madam Ling
and Concubine Ma will explain it.”

“Concubine Ma has always been living deep in the Lord Protector’s

Manor. Maybe she made a mistake in thinking that person was Mother
Han’s son. I will send people to find out if this thing really happened,”
Madam Ling said with a chagrined look.

It seemed that she was regretting it, but in fact, she helped to exculpate
Concubine Ma from the trouble. She made it clear that Concubine Ma
did not know the truth. Thus, they could just insist that they got the
wrong person.
“Do you mean Concubine Ma got the wrong person, so she gave the
medicine to Yan’er?” Madam Dowager asked quickly because this result
was the best one. If all this was done merely by a concubine, it would not
injure Lord Protector’s Manor’s dignity too much.

“The concubine in Lord Protector’s Manor was really bold. When she
wanted to hurt the daughters in Lord Protector’s Manor, she could do it
without knowing all the facts. Is it because the rules in Lord Protector’s
Manor are quite different from the others?” Consort Dowager always
piped in when Madam Dowager was satisfied. Besides, now she really
wanted to give support to Ning Xueyan.

Her words were extremely sharp. Merely a concubine dared to do such a

vicious thing, but they could do nothing to her now.

“You’re right. We must find out who did this!” Madam Dowager’s eyes
glittered and she finally had to say something.

While they were talking, a maid wearing the clothing of Commandery

Prince Li’s Manor suddenly came in. She walked up to Consort Dowager
of Commandery Prince Li and whispered a few words in her ear. Then
the face of Consort Dowager abruptly changed.

She immediately turned her head. Her eyes glaring, she shouted at
Madam Dowager, “Where is the Second Young Lady in your manor?”

Madam Dowager went blank for a second because she did not
understand what Consort Dowager meant. Frowning, she asked Madam
Ling, “The Second Young Lady, where is she now?”

“Ling… Ling’er is now in Buddha Hall. After returning from Cold

Mountain Temple, she knelt alone in Buddha Hall.” Madam Ling drew
back her neck, defending subconsciously.

In the face of Madam Dowager, how dare she say that she actually acted
to the contrary and let Ning Yuling return to her own courtyard long ago!

“Buddha Hall. Well, what a great Buddha Hall! Madam Ling, please take
me to Buddha Hall to see if your Second Young Lady is really there!”
Consort Dowager stood up, full of hatred. With angry flames burning in
her eyes, she stared at Madam Ling, which really bewildered Madam
Ling.

But how could she agree when she heard that Consort Dowager wanted
to go to Buddha Hall? Because at this time, there was not even a shadow
of Ning Yuling in Buddha Hall.

“Consort Dowager, B-Buddha Hall is the place where Mother prays to

Buddha. You… That’s probably not a very appropriate for you to go,
right?” Madam Ling looked embarrassed and put the blame on Madam
Dowager.

Buddha Hall was indeed the place of Madam Dowager. Usually, Madam
Dowager liked praying to Buddha and copying Buddhist scriptures there,
etc. She valued Buddha Hall so much that she usually did not like others
to go in.

Upon hearing Madam Ling say that, Madam Dowager also felt
somewhat unpleased.

“Grandmother, Consort Dowager has something to do there. Let’s go

find out the truth!” Ning Xueyan said gently in the ear of Madam
Dowager. She lowered her voice further and added, “Grandmother,
where is the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li?”

This question reminded Madam Dowager so that she could not sit still.
“The reputation of Ning Yuling has become so bad now. I was thinking
about marrying her off to a petty official or someone without real power
who only had the title of nobility after three or five years when this thing
faded. As long as Ning Zu’an is there, he can at least give her peace in
her lifetime.

“Nothing more can go wrong at this time!

“The reputation of the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li being a

playboy is well-known. If she gets involved with such a person, then I
really have no way to help her.”

“Let’s go and check it out together!” Madam Dowager was unable to

wait at this time. She stood up instantly and was about to go outside.
“Mother!” Madam Ling’s head was covered with sweat because of
anxiety. She stretched out her hand to stop Madam Dowager. She forced
a smile and said, “Mother, please wait for a moment. Ling’er has been
kneeling for so long that Buddha Hall is already a mess. Let me send
someone to clean it up and then Mother and Consort Dowager can go
there to check.”

At this time, she only wanted to delay them and try to send a message to
inform Ning Yuling.

“Are you trying to send a message to her?” One sentence from Consort
Dowager froze Madam Ling’s smile successfully.

“There is no need. I’m going there now.” Madam Dowager immediately

pushed Madam Ling away. Then she brought her people and walked
toward Buddha Hall with Consort Dowager.
Chapter 69 - That’s How an
Accident Happened
Ning Xueyan was in poor health so she went last, with Qingyu and
Lanning following behind her.

Seeing that there was no one around, Qingyu leaned against Ning
Xueyan and whispered to her, “Young Lady, the Third Prince has gone
back. He left in a hurry so most of the people in the manor don’t know
that. The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li is resting in the
Chinese Flowering Crabapple Pavilion. Then I went to the Second
Young Lady’s courtyard. However, I met Miao’er, the personal servant
of the Second Young Lady before I got to the Second Young Lady’s
courtyard.”

“Oh, what did she say?” Ning Xueyan asked without betraying any
emotion.

“Young Lady, you are so smart. I told her the thing about the Third
Prince. I also told her that the Third Prince was still in the Chinese
Flowering Crabapple Pavilion and was waiting for you to meet him
there.” Qingyu then said with admiration, “I saw that the eyes of Miao’er
lit up, then she immediately turned around and walked away, exactly as
you predicted. You foretold it like a prophet. You motivated her to act on
her own with just one trick.”

Ning Xueyan sneered at the bottom of her heart. “Ning Yuling always
fancies herself. She is ambitious and has many evil intentions. There
have been days that she has been secretly admiring the Third Prince.
Now after such a thing happened, how could she have no plans of her
own? Now upon hearing that the Third Prince asked me out, she would
definitely wish I were dead in her heart.

“If I were the previous Ning Xueyan, I would die sooner or later in her
hands long before Madam Ling made her moves.

“Fortunately, she has no time to torture me now…”

“After that, I didn’t leave. Instead, I stayed by the rockeries. After a
while, sure enough, I saw the perfectly coiffed Second Young Lady hurry
to the Chinese Flowering Crabapple Pavilion with Miao’er. The face of
the Second Young Lady was covered by a veil. She dressed with
simplicity, just like your usual style.” Qingyu chuckled.

“The way the Second Young Lady dressed today was completely
different from her normal dressed-to-the-nines style. She also
deliberately covered her face with a veil. As you had expected, she
dressed herself up like you. Pretending to be you, she went to go on a
date with the Third Prince, which was really shameless. Fortunately, one
was shameless and one was bored. What a good match!”

The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li felt extremely bored!

When the Third Prince was there, they always enjoyed the flowers in the
Chinese Flowering Crabapple Pavilion and had a chat. It felt like nothing
special at that time. But now that the Third Prince was gone and Consort
Dowager was still inside, he felt exceedingly bored alone. Often at this
time, he would have snuggled up with women. Thinking of this, he felt
an itch for the temptation.

“I shouldn’t have any trouble with the Fifth Young Lady.”

Feeling bored, he had all his servants go out. Now he was alone. He
hung a gauze mosquito net and lay down on the couch, closing his eyes
to take a rest.

At first, he just could not fall asleep. Then in a daze, he fell asleep
slowly. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door. Touching his slightly
unconscious head, he said impatiently, “Come in.”

As the door opened, a simply dressed woman with a fascinating body

and a pair of big, beautiful eyes walked in gracefully.

The drowsiness of the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was gone

instantly. He widened his eyes to examine the woman in front of him.
Judging by her figure alone, he could tell that she was a beauty.
Moreover, this beauty was now looking at him with affection. The
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, who was used to dealing with
women—how could he not understand that this beauty in front of him
was obviously interested in him?

It did not occur to him that there such a beautiful woman who knew
about romance and feelings was hiding in Lord Protector’s Manor. In an
instant, his whole body became burning hot with ecstasy in his heart.

“It seems that it’s a beauty that Lord Protector’s Manor has prepared for
me. They must know that I am lonely and bored here,” the Princely Heir
of Commandery Prince Li thought to himself. At this time, he got
increasingly good feelings toward the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Through the gauze net, he reached out his hands and waved at her with a
smile. “Come, come here. You beautiful woman, come here.”

He was not some upright gentleman. Seeing the image of the extremely
coquettish beauty, he had melted long ago. She was radiant and
enchanting and she looked seductive with her well-developed body,
which just happened to be the type he liked.

Shyly, Ning Yuling looked at the bed with the curtains hanging. But in
her heart, she cursed the bitch Ning Xueyan. “Judging by the words said
by the Third Prince, he is quite very familiar with Ning Xueyan. They
should have had an affair early on. I never thought that would I actually
get a great bargain today. When I get married to the Third Prince, I’ll
grind that bitch hard beneath my feet.

“Don’t even think of marrying into the Third Prince’s Manor, you bitch.”

“Yes! I’m coming!” Ning Yuling thought that she was perfectly sound
and able this time. When she entered the door, she left Miao’er outside to
stop Ning Xueyan. Upon hearing “the Third Prince” call her, she
answered in a sweet voice and started to walk over to the bed. Before she
got to the bedside, a hand reached out from within the curtains and
grabbed her hand. Then, Ning Yuling’s entire body fell onto the bed
along with the curtains.

Listening to her voice, all the bones of the Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li became limp. He didn’t expect that the beauty that Lord
Protector’s Manor casually sent out was even much more lascivious than
the famous prostitutes in the brothels.
Since the beauty brought herself over to him and the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li himself was a dissolute person, how could he
refuse her?

Furthermore, he had been so closely watched by Consort Dowager

during these two days that there was no time for him to do anything
romantic. He finally took a fancy to Ning Yuling but it turned out that the
bitch Ning Yuling was a vamp. The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li felt miserable even at the thought of Ning Yuling.

Now that he had gotten a chance to indulge himself, how could he let her
go?

He dragged Ning Yuling over to him, touching and kissing her.

Ning Yuling was shocked first. She did not expect that the gentle and
cultivated Third Prince could be so anxious. She secretly cursed to
herself, what a bitch that Ning Xueyan was. Then her body softened and
she just allowed him to do anything to her. She thought to herself, “No
matter if I make it or not today, with such a beginning, the Third Prince
will have no choice but to marry me.”

With such a distinguished status as the Consort of the Third Prince, no

one would dare to talk about that matter of releasing animals in Cold
Mountain Temple.

“Your Highness… I have long admired you. Today, I came here

especially to see you… In my heart, you are the only real man that I want
to marry.” Puffing and blowing, Ning Yuling could not help expressing
her true feelings when she was touched and kissed by the man.

At the thought of Ning Xueyan coming here and seeing that she was
lying with the Third Prince, Ning Yuling felt quite relieved. “Ning
Xueyan, you little bitch, you even dared to seduce the Third Prince.
However, you can only watch me be the Consort of the Third Prince.”
Thinking of this, Ning Yuling became very excited and her whole body
was trembling because of the excitement.

“That little bitch, I must make her live a life that is cheaper and nastier
than pigs’ and dogs’.”
The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was so tempted that he was
anxious to make further moves. Tearing off the gauze clothes on the
beauty in a hurry, he completely failed to catch Ning Yuling’s words.
Totally concentrating on his own business at hand while gasping, he
nodded casually. “You beauty, rest assured. I will let you know who the
real man is today. Now, let me take care of you nicely.”

“I… Ning Xueyan and me…” Ning Yuling twisted her body, unwilling to
stop. “Your Highness, out of that bitch Ning Xueyan and me, who do
you think is better?”

“You, you are better. Of course, you are the better one. No one can be
better than you. You are my most beloved woman…” With the beauty in
his arms, now the head of the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li
was full of carnal desires. Without considering Ning Yuling’s words too
much, he answered while smiling and pressed Ning Yuling down on the
bed. He was in such a hurry that he did not even pull the veil off her
face…

In Buddha Hall—

Madam Dowager and Consort Dowager pushed the door of the small
Buddha Hall open. The inside of Buddha Hall was very quiet and
nobody was there. Let alone the whole body of Ning Yuling, there was
not even a piece of her clothes there. Madam Dowager was angry on the
spot. She turned back and slapped Madam Ling’s face hard, which
knocked Madam Ling two steps backward and she almost fell off the
steps.

“What happened? Tell me now.” Madam Dowager felt extreme hatred as

she pointed at Madam Ling and scolded her.

It turned out that Madam Ling overtly agreed but secretly acted to the
contrary. All of a sudden, Madam Dowager felt so humiliated. Looking
at the sullen face of Consort Dowager, who was standing at the side,
Madam Dowager really wanted to gulp Madam Ling down. She hated
Madam Ling since the first day she became her daughter-in-law.

“Mother, it’s probably because Ling’er fainted just now so the servants
brought her back. That’s why she… she is not here.” Madam Ling tried
hard to dispute it while sweat dripped from her face.
“Grandmother, don’t worry. Perhaps something really happened to my
second sister. Kneeling from yesterday until today, her body couldn’t
withstand it. Thus, it’s also possible that she passed out!” Ning Xueyan
came over. She supported Madam Dowager gently and said softly to save
Madam Dowager from embarrassment.

Not all the people present were from Lord Protector’s Manor. Hence, at
this time, she mustn’t launch a frontal attack directly. Instead, she should
guide her enemies in the direction she wanted them to go.

It seemed that her words were to rescue Madam Ling and Madam
Dowager from a siege. However, when that thing broke out later, Madam
Ling would shoulder greater responsibilities. Now, Ning Xueyan had set
the trap and then Madam Ling would jump in it herself.

“Yes… Right, it must be because Ling’er is in poor health. Mother, I

remember that the maid of Ling’er had appeared outside just now. I
guess that she must want to report what happened to Ling’er. But I
stayed inside and it was inconvenient to go outside at that time. So I
didn’t know what happened to Ling’er.” Madam Ling nodded
continuously. Upon hearing the reason that Ning Xueyan offered,
Madam Ling accepted it immediately and made up her further
explanations.

“Did the Second Young Lady faint?” Madam Dowager looked coldly at
Madam Ling.

Madam Ling nodded hard. “Yes, yes. Mother, it must be.”

“Are you sure that your Second Young Lady is resting in her own
courtyard?” Consort Dowager asked with a sneer while glaring at
Madam Ling with anger.

Just now, her maid brought back a message from the servant. He said
that he saw a well-dressed woman go to the room of the Princely Heir.
The Princely Heir was resting in the room alone. And the servant could
barely hear the maid call the woman Second Young Lady. Upon hearing
the message, Consort Dowager gnashed her teeth with hatred. That
shameless Ning Yuling! She even dared to seduce her grandson. How
could Consort Dowager not hate her to the extreme?
Consort Dowager swore to herself. “Such a bitchy woman wants to
become my granddaughter-in-law. Don’t even try it.”

“Yes, Ling’er has never been in good health. After kneeling in Buddha
Hall for one night, she just couldn’t support herself anymore and fainted.
She must have been brought back to her courtyard to rest by the
servants.” Madam Ling became increasingly good at making up lies. She
guessed that Ning Yuling had to be in Qingrong Courtyard, and hence,
she had to be resting. Even if Madam Dowager suggested to take a look,
she was not afraid.

Just now, she had already sent a message to the people in Qingrong
Courtyard. She asked Ning Yuling to fake an illness so they could get
away with this thing today.

“Are you sure, Madam Ling?” Consort Dowager followed up.

“Of course!” Although Madam Ling was not clear why Consort
Dowager asked her like this, she still nodded hard and stated
categorically.

Madam Dowager frowned deeply. It was only because Madam Ling

answered with such certainty that it was inconvenient for her to say
anything further. Her eyes fell on Madam Ling, sullen and cold. “Consort
Dowager inquired into the things about Ning Yuling over and over again,
which definitely would not be okay. At this very moment, Madam Ling
didn’t even try to find out the truth but just swore blindly.

“She said everything too absolutely without leaving herself a way out.
She is truly stupid enough!”

“Mother, maybe my second sister isn’t…” Stretching out her hand, Ning
Xueyan pulled Madam Ling and lowered her voice to speak.

It seemed that she wanted to warn Madam Ling. But simply because the
warning came from Ning Xueyan, Madam Ling would not believe a
single word of it. Staring at Ning Xueyan, she said with a skin-deep
smile, “Fifth Young Lady, what do you mean by saying this? Ling’er is
your sister. She certainly would go to rest in the courtyard when she
fainted. Why do you still think that she is not resting in the courtyard?”
By saying this, she implied that Ning Xueyan wanted to frame Ning
Yuling.

“Yes, Mother. You are right!” Ning Xueyan did not argue with Madam
Ling. She stepped back two steps and stayed near Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager heard Ning Xueyan try to help Madam Ling out of the
predicament. However, that idiot not only appeared ungrateful, but she
also blamed Ning Xueyan. Madam Dowager became furious.

“Come on, let’s go to the Chinese Flowering Crabapple Pavilion!”

Consort Dowager no longer hesitated. She was now extremely impatient!
Chapter 70 – Who Is The Victim?
To Madam Ling’s surprise, the place Consort Dowager suggested to go
was not Ning Yuling’s Qingrong Courtyard, but the Chinese Flowering
Crabapple Pavilion, which was used for receiving guests. She felt really
relieved in her heart. This time, without a hint of hesitation, she led them
to the Chinese Flowering Crabapple Pavilion while smiling.

She thought that there had to be something wrong with the unreliable
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

As long as the thing of Ning Yuling was not exposed, what should she be
afraid of? Therefore, she certainly had no psychological burden at all and
walked at the front.

The group of people walked up to the door of the Chinese Flowering

Crabapple Pavilion. Before they arrived at the door, they heard the love-
making sounds of a man and a woman coming from inside. The face of
Consort Dowager changed greatly. She winked at the servant beside her.
Before Madam Ling could react, the servant already went ahead and
kicked the door open. Then, the group of people rushed in together. Only
Ning Xueyan took two steps back.

So many people appeared in the room all of a sudden, which greatly

frightened the two people who were making love on the bed.

As the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was a man, he reacted

faster. He pulled the quilt over himself and left Ning Yuling outside.
Screaming, she tried hard to pull the quilt.

“You little bitch, you failed to seduce Xian’er last time. This time, you
did such a shameless thing again. Do you still want to marry into the
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor in a decent manner?” As expected,
Consort Dowager saw Ning Yuling in the Chinese Flowering Crabapple
Pavilion. She was so angry that she nearly began to vomit blood. She
walked up to Ning Yuling and slapped her violently in the face.
Madam Ling was scared silly. It never occurred to her that the woman
who was entangled with the man in the room would be Ning Yuling.
Seeing her tangled up with the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li
with messy clothes, a mouthful of blood nearly sprayed out of her mouth.
Her hands were trembling and she could not utter a word.

Madam Dowager was so angry that she could only sit torpidly on a chair
nearby. She pressed her crutches hard to the ground with the veins on her
forehead popping out.

With a gloomy face, Madam Dowager Liu stood next to Madam

Dowager, wearing a blank face.

“Ah, who are you? Why is it you, the dissolute dandy?” Ning Yuling was
knocked backward so she hit the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li. Looking back subconsciously, she looked right into the face of the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. She pulled her clothes from the
side and hurriedly put them on her naked white body.

“You… Are you that bitch Ning Yuling?” The Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li was also putting on the clothes by his side. He
widened his eyes and yelled at her.

“You… Did you just call me a bitch?” After shuffling her clothes on,
Ning Yuling pointed angrily at the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li and scolded him in hatred while trembling with a pale face.

“Why can’t I call you a bitch? You even dared to say that I am a dandy.
Even if I am a dissolute dandy, I am much better than you, a
promiscuous woman. I only wanted to take a break here. Then you came
to throw yourself at me. For fear that I would refuse you, you even
covered up your face. Ning Yuling, you are cheap enough.” The Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li threw the veil from the bed and cursed in
rage.

He only believed himself to be a romantic man but could not stand being
called a nasty man. Therefore, he pointed at Ning Yuling and cursed her
sharply. He even threw out the veil as the evidence to prove that Ning
Yuling was a bitch.
Looking angrily at the two half-dressed people, the eyes of Madam
Dowager almost popped out of her head. “You, you…” She failed to
catch her breath and almost passed out because of that. Madam Dowager
Liu was in a hurry to appease her.

“Mother, Mother, it wasn’t me. I didn’t want to come here. It was the
little bitch Ning Xueyan that wanted to date him. I was framed by them.”
Faced with a situation like this, Ning Yuling felt ice-cold from head to
toe. All of a sudden, she threw herself before Madam Ling. Holding
Madam Ling’s hands, she burst into tears.

“Mother, it was the little bitch Ning Xueyan who wanted to go on a date.
I came here to check it out, so I wore a veil. But I didn’t expect that he…
he actually grabbed my… my…” While crying loudly, Ning Yuling
shouted. “Mother, I was set up by that little bitch Ning Xueyan.”

At this moment, Ning Yuling got wise and realized her situation. Miao’er
told her that the Third Prince asked Ning Xueyan out. But why did she
see the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li only but not the Third
Prince? Why it was not the Third Prince? If it was the Third Prince, she
would not be afraid even if they were caught. After all, the Third Prince
had to give an explanation to Lord Protector’s Manor. She simply did not
believe that the Third Prince wouldn’t take the responsibility.

But now, this person was the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.
Thinking of what Madam Ling told her yesterday about the Princely Heir
of Commandery Prince Li when she returned to the manor, how could
Ning Yuling be willing to marry him for nothing? Thus, she surely would
insist that the person who wanted to date the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li was actually Ning Xueyan.

“Second Young Lady, you again tried to blame your fifth sister for a
shameless thing you did. I really don’t know where your brain is!”
Madam Dowager Liu could not help rebuking before Madam Dowager
started to say something.

The other people in the room also showed sarcastic looks on their faces.
Covering their mouths, they all laughed secretly. Even the few servants
in Lord Protector’s Manor could not help eyeing the Second Young Lady
suspiciously because she really made a shameful scene today.
The Fifth Young Lady had just returned to the manor. Later on, she
stayed the entire time with Madam Dowager without leaving. Therefore,
why did the Second Young Lady say that the Fifth Young Lady framed
her? Out of everyone in the manor, who didn’t know what the Fifth
Young Lady’s character was?

“Second sister, are you talking about me?” Ning Xueyan walked in
slowly from the outside. Covering up the coldness in her eyes, she
looked at Ning Yuling, who was now sitting weakly on the ground in
silence.

“You… It is you… It must be you!” Ning Yuling screamed

uncontrollably. She could not conceal her jealousy towards Ning
Xueyan.

Knowing that she could not control her mood now, Ning Xueyan
narrowed her eyes and asked softly, “My second sister, are you really not
sober now? I just went back to the manor. How could I know you
weren’t in Buddha Hall but in the Chinese Flowering Crabapple
Pavilion? Even if I really wanted to harm you, I would have had to know
these things first. Besides, I really couldn’t be in two places at the same
time.”

Her words reminded Consort Dowager, who then turned her head
immediately and said to Madam Ling ferociously, “Madam Ling, you
reassured me again and again that your very well-behaved delicate
daughter fainted in Buddha Hall and then returned to her courtyard to
rest, right? But now, who is this person? Is she a famous prostitute from
some brothel?”

Consort Dowager’s words were extremely sharp. Speaking like that, she
totally took Ning Yuling as a cheap whore.

Previously, Madam Ling had repeatedly said that Ning Yuling was in
poor health, but now Ning Yuling was caught on the spot.

“You… Miao’er, you can tell us. Tell us. Is it this bitch who told you that
the Third Prince was going to meet that little bitchy Ning Xueyan?” Ning
Yuling went mad. Pointing at Miao’er, who stood by the side at a loss,
she shouted loudly.
This time she even mentioned the Third Prince!

The faces of Consort Dowager, Madam Dowager, and Madam Dowager

Liu all became gloomy and cold. Now all of them turned around and
looked at Miao’er.

Being stared at by so many people, Miao’er immediately knelt down

with a bump.

Miao’er was shocked and scared. She only knew that bad things had
happened to the Second Young Lady and it was related to the Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Thus, neither the Second Young Lady
nor Madam Ling would let her go.

“Miao’er, you are the personal maid of Ling’er. The Second Young Lady
was originally resting in her own courtyard. Why did she come here?
Was she framed by someone? Or is it you who deliberately played a dirty
trick and set your mistress up? You must tell us everything honestly. You
must make yourself clear today because Lord Protector’s Manor cannot
tolerate black-hearted people like you.”

After the initial shock, Madam Ling’s mind suddenly clarified. Staring at
Miao’er, she reproached her angrily.

It seemed that she was rebuking Miao’er and she wanted her to tell the
truth. But in fact, she was threatening Miao’er.

Madam Ling gave Miao’er two choices. The first choice was that
Miao’er had been set up by Ning Xueyan. The second choice was that
Miao’er had been framed Ning Yuling. Either way, Ning Yuling was the
victim.

Madam Ling was in charge of the backyard of the whole Lord

Protector’s Manor. So she could easily decide a slave’s life and death as
she wished. Moreover, Ning Xueyan, the Fifth Young Lady, had always
been looked down upon by the people in the manor. Miao’er stayed by
Ning Yuling’s side all the time so she also bullied Ning Xueyan often in
the past. How could she fear Ning Xueyan?

Even the new servants of Lord Protector’s Manor knew which one they
could offend and which one they couldn’t.
ba

Miao’er thought about this a little while and then she made her
judgment. She immediately pointed at Ning Xueyan and said in a
trembling voice, “Yes, I… It was… it was the Fifth Young Lady who had
me lie to the Second Young Lady and lure her here. The Fifth Young
Lady gave me a large amount of money so I became greedy. I just
needed to trick the Second Young Lady into staying in this room for a
while. I thought it was nothing serious.”

Her words caused an uproar!

All the suspicious eyes turned toward Ning Xueyan!

Off to the side, upon hearing what Miao’er had said, the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li learned that Ning Xueyan had instigated Miao’er
to lure Ning Yuling here. With a surge of angry flames rushing up, he
dashed over to Miao’er with big strides and kicked her. Staring at her, he
scolded loudly, “You cheap maid, you got that vamp into my bed only
for a little money and harmed my reputation. Are you looking for
death?”

Miao’er’s body was kicked over. She covered her chest and had a ghastly
pale face. However, she still gritted her teeth and said, “It has nothing to
do with me. The Fifth Young Lady asked me to do so. I dared not
disobey her order.”

Consort Dowager saw that the face of Miao’er changed dramatically

because of the kick. Lest something bad happened to the witness, she
shouted to stop the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. “Xian’er,
stop!”

“Grandmother, Lord Protector’s Manor has bullied me again and again. I

feel really upset and angry.” Now his face was red with anger. With his
face red and his neck swollen, the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li straightened his neck and spoke angrily.

He was not annoyed because he had been caught. He only felt disgusted
as if he had swallowed a fly at the thought that Ning Yuling also had an
affair with that poor man. That bitch Ning Yuling pretended to be bashful
before him as if it was her first time to make love with a man, which
made him cherish her a lot. When he thought of all these things now, he
only felt sick.

This bitch was so good at acting. He had dealt with women for so many
years, but he was also fooled, which was a great shame to him!

“Xian’er, rest assured, Lord Protector’s Manor will certainly give us an

explanation.” Consort Dowager pulled him to sit down. Now the matter
had developed to this point—whether it was Ning Xueyan who had lured
Ning Yuling here or Ning Yuling who had misbehaved herself as an
unmarried girl and had thrown herself at Xian’er, the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li was relatively innocent.

No matter what the facts were, the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor
would not lose.

Seeing that Miao’er spoke in the way as she had expected, Madam Ling
felt overjoyed in her heart. Thus, she turned her head to Madam
Dowager. She cried while wiping her tears with a handkerchief. “Mother,
the facts are in front of us. It was the vicious Fifth Young Lady who
greatly envied Ling’er and lured her here deliberately. She has ruined
Ling’er’s reputation. Mother, you should support Ling’er and shouldn’t
let the Fifth Young Lady go.”

Ning Yuling, who had collapsed to the ground, took the cue from Madam
Ling’s eyes and then she cried louder and louder.

“Grandmother, grandmother, you have to uphold justice for me!”

At this time, she was truly sad because her reputation had been ruined.
But actually, the most important thing was that the person who ruined
her reputation was the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, who she
despised the most. How could she not be sad? For a while, she even
choked with sobs. But she also glanced viciously at Ning Xueyan out of
the corner of her eyes and nearly grinded her teeth to pieces secretly.

She wanted Ning Xueyan to die miserably…

Chapter 71 She Would No Longer
Be Softhearted to Her Foes
Ning Yuling thought about the whole matter over and over again. Even
though she had not been clever enough, she knew that she had been
tricked by Ning Xueyan. How could she forgive her?

“Fifth Young Lady, did you do that?” Madam Dowager’s face turned
black as she shouted angrily at Ning Xueyan.

“Madam Dowager must be planning to sacrifice herself to save Madam

Ling and her daughter since she didn’t even ask anything, as if she had
heard nothing when Madam Ling and her daughter slandered her,” Ning
Xueyan thought with a sneer. “Madam Dowager always protects those
who are treacherous and she’s been partial to Madam Ling and her
daughter from time to time. But what a pity it is today, since Madam
Ling and her daughter are bound to lose face with the whole Lord
Protector’s Manor.

“Madam Dowager has neither done enough surface work nor was she
confident. What else can she do to save face?”

“Grandmother, I was with you just now, so how could I make such a
clever arrangement? You expected that my Second Sister would slip out
of Buddha Hall, but how did you know that she still had the strength to
enjoy the flowers in the Chinese Flowering Crabapple Pavilion? And
Second Sister, why are you here now?”

Ning Xueyan asked them calmly, her eyes looking cold. Faced with
Miao’er’s and Madam Ling’s testimonies, she did not lose her presence
of mind.

She was smiling slightly and looked magnanimous.

Commandery Prince Li’s wife, Consort Dowager, was sophisticated in

her old age. She discovered the holes in their testimonies, while what the
young lady had said in front of her was infallible. If it really had nothing
to do with her, then she had to be extremely scheming. So she suppressed
the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li for his impatience and
watched how the people from Lord Protector’s Manor investigated and
dealt with it.

Ning Yuling was at a loss for words for a while when she was questioned
by Ning Xueyan. Anyway, she could not tell her that she came here to
have a secret date with the Third Prince.

“Stop resorting to sophistry, Xueyan. It was you who incited the maid to
trick Ling’er and bring her here. The maid had clearly explained that she
wouldn’t have done this if it weren’t for you,” Madam Ling said with a
sneer while pointing at Miao’er, who was down on her knees.

Ning Xueyan followed Madam Ling’s finger and looked at Miao’er. She
approached them slowly and smiled. “Miao’er, keep your eyes open and
tell them whether or not I incited you.”

Miao’er had a bellyful of tricks. But now, she had to answer Ning
Xueyan. She looked up at her, clenched her teeth and said, “Yes. The
Fifth Young Lady incited me to do that.”

“What did I say to you? And when? It appears that I went straight to
Bright Frost Garden when I came here and I don’t remember having seen
you.” Ning Xueyan nodded and continued to ask the maid.

Ning Xueyan could not cover up her tracks after she returned to Lord
Protector’s Manor because people would know where she had been as
long as they asked about it.

“It was… Qingyu beside the Fifth Young Lady who ordered me to do
that. She said the Fifth Young Lady had asked her to incite me, and she
even gave me the silver.” Miao’er was determined to make up lies. After
all, she had met Qingyu and exchanged some words with her. When
Miao’er heard from Qingyu that the Third Prince had made an
appointment with the Fifth Young Lady, she rushed to Qingrong
Courtyard and told that to Ning Yuling.

After that, Ning Yuling had changed her clothes and rushed here in a
hurry. In case Ning Xueyan might arrive at that time, she asked Miao’er
to stay outside the door to stop Ning Xueyan.
“Oh? So you listened to me just because Qingyu conveyed my words to
you and gave you some silver?” Ning Xueyan sneered.

Madam Dowager, who sat beside them, adjusted her position uneasily
while everyone in the room cast their eyes on Miao’er looking puzzled.

If the older female servant had not cursed Ning Xueyan in Auspicious
Fortune Hall, they might have believed Miao’er’s words. But since that
had happened, it seemed that Ning Xueyan had merely a low status in
Lord Protector’s Manor. How could she order about the first maid of a
big shot like Ning Yuling?

Why would the first maid listen to Ning Xueyan when even an older
female servant would not take Ning Xueyan seriously? Not to mention,
Miao’er had listened to Ning Xueyan when she did not even order her
herself. Thus, everyone became more and more skeptical about this.

But Miao’er did not know what had happened in Auspicious Fortune
Hall. She still clung to her view and said, “Yes. The Fifth Young Lady
gave me the silver and then I believed her.”

“How much silver did I give you?” Ning Xueyan noded and asked
unhurriedly.

Miao’er thought about this for a long time. She did not have much silver.
It would be worse if she made the amount too high. So she told Ning
Xueyan the amount of the sliver that she had with her now. She put out
two fingers and said, “The Fifth Young Lady asked Qingyu to give me
20 taels of silver.”

“Then, where is the silver now?” Ning Xueyan curved her lips into a
smile.

“I’ve hidden it in Qingrong Courtyard.” Miao’er was chilled with fear

over these questions. Now, she had to continue to make it up.

“Did I give you notes or pieces of silver?” Ning Xueyan continued to ask
her.

“Pieces… pieces of silver!” Miao’er responded quickly. Those pieces of

silver had been saved by herself and were undoubtedly pieces of silver.
“Pfft.” Lanning, who was beside Ning Xueyan, failed to refrain from
laughing. When everyone cast their eyes on her, she stepped back and
stood behind Ning Xueyan with a mocking look on her face.

“20 taels of silver. This is the first time I’ve heard that you need just 20
taels of silver to incite a maid to set up her mistress. It seems that the
mistresses of Lord Protectors Manor are so worthless. And if I were to
set my Second Sister up, why would I ask the maid to bring some pieces
of silver? Did I intend to let everyone see that?”

Ning Xueyan was smiling slightly but her eyes looked cold.

Her words sounded plain but they were sharp and full of and sarcasm.
Everyone present, like Consort Dowager, was calculating enough. Why
would the first maid beside Ning Yuling who was so pampered care
about 20 taels of silver? It would have made sense if Ning Xueyan had
set Ning Yuling up with at least 200 taels of silver.

Furthermore, the silver was given to the maid in pieces. Why didn’t a
mistress like Ning Xueyan bribe her with notes, since notes were more
portable and covert than a pocket of silver pieces?

Everyone understood this. Having been exposed by Ning Xueyan, now

they knew clearly that Miao’er had to be slandering Ning Xueyan.

But Madam Ling would not let Ning Xueyan get away from this and said
hurriedly, “Maybe Miao’er was incited before she got the real benefit.”

“What would be the benefit? Mother, what benefit do you think I can
give to others in my present status?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and
defended herself plainly. She was neither humble nor pushy at the
moment, looking calm and confident.

In Auspicious Fortune Hall, everyone had clearly seen Ning Xueyan’s

status, with which Ning Xueyan would not have been able to order
Miao’er even if she had given Miao’er any benefits, not to mention that
it was just a promised benefit. How dare Miao’er betray her own
mistress without gaining any real benefit?

Ning Xueyan’s words successfully put Madam Ling down.

“It is you. It must be you. Grandmother… I came here because I heard
the slut had a secret date with a man.” Seeing that Ning Xueyan was
getting away, Ning Yuling lost her temper and cursed, crying and
pointing at Ning Xueyan.

“Bullshit! I didn’t have any date with you who are so scrawny.” Hearing
he was about to be dragged into in this matter, the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li glared at Ning Yuling and shouted, “It’s you who
wanted to hook up with me and threw yourself at me. You were so afraid
of being loathed and even wore a veil. You said that you admired me so
much but now you are trying to frame me.”

The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li did not intend to help Ning
Xueyan out, but he was so sick of Ning Yuling. And he had already
understood that Ning Yuling was trying to set up Ning Xueyan through
this whole affair. In addition to that, Ning Xueyan looked calm in spite
of being framed while Ning Yuling acted like a virago and was so
disgusting, so he couldn’t help arguing.

His first words had hit the nail on the head. He and Ning Yuling had just
tangled with each other and he was clear about what she had said by the
bed. Now hearing him say it out loud in front of so many people, Ning
Yuling felt extremely ashamed and embarrassed. She blushed and kept
her head down.

“Ning Xueyan, how dare you have a date with a man in private…”
Madam Ling quickly changed the topic and shouted at Ning Xueyan
when she saw that it was going bad.

“Fifth Young Lady, explain it to me.” Madam Dowager took over

Madam Ling’s topic and shouted at Ning Xueyan with a gleam flashing
in her eyes.

They were trying to put the blame on Ning Xueyan coercively.

Ning Xueyan was bored and fed up with these people in front of her.
“Madam Dowager and Madam Ling, though thinking differently, had the
same purpose. That is, to put me on the spot and take the blame for Ning
Yuling.
“Ning Yuling is vicious and malicious, just like Madam Ling. Madam
Dowager, who looks impartial, had never been impartial actually. She
was so partial to Ning Yuling.

“The so-called mismatching of fate must be describing me and the

glorious Lord Protector’s Manor.”

Anyway, nobody cared about her. She was the one that had to be
sacrificed.

But unfortunately for them, Ning Xueyan, who always treasured her life
so much, would never allow anybody to trick or frame her. Madam Ling
would be her foe forever, and she would no longer be softhearted to her
foes. There would be only one left alive.

“Mother, I’ve heard my Second Sister mention the Third Prince. Was the
Third Prince also involved in this matter? Should we invite the Third
Prince and Honored Consort Ya here to see whether they can make it
clear?” Ning Xueyan sneered with indifference and sarcasm in her eyes.

“The Third Prince?” Madam Dowager did not look good and Consort
Dowager also narrowed her eyes uneasily.

“Involve the imperial family in the scandal? Who would be responsible

for that?”

“Yes, Grandmother. It is the Third Prince…” On hearing the Third

Prince, Ning Yuling thought an opportunity had arisen. So she shouted
hurridly, “Yes. I thought it was the Third Prince. So I…”

“Shut up!” Madam Dowager burst in anger and hit Ning Yuling heavily
with her stick, who leaned over and almost fell to the ground when her
words stopped suddenly.

“Guards! Take this lowly maid away and beat her to death with a stick!”
Madam Dowager had now made up her mind and denounced Miao’er
angrily.

“The Third Prince is His Majesty’s most beloved son who has numerous
secret powers. How can we implicate him so rashly?
“This is the end of this matter of Ning Yuling’s. We can’t play up to the
Third Prince in case we offend him and his powers…”

Two older female servants came up and dragged Miao’er out. Miao’er
went into a frenzy, struggling and trying to scream. But her mouth had
already been covered and she was dragged out of the room.

“Madam Ling, take the Second Young Lady to Qingrong Courtyard and
don’t let her out unless she gets my permission. Ask her to transcribe the
Confucian classics 100 times,” Madam Dowager said angrily as she
glared at Ning Yuling in the harshest tone that Ning Yuling had ever
heard.

“Grandmother, I…” Ning Yuling refused to obey and burst into tears.

Seeing that the whole scheme had come to naught, Madam Ling dared
not say anything and asked the guards to take Ning Yuling out. It was
clear to her that she had to rely on Madam Dowager to save her face.
Even though Commandery Prince Li’s Manor had relatives of the royal
family, they still had to look up to Lord Protector’s Manor and take them
as their backup force.

So she could not go against Madam Dowager’s words.

Chapter 72 Step by Step
Since it had come to this, no one there had any reason to stay. Ning
Xueyan also returned to Bright Frost Garden with her people.

Now it was tranquil in the courtyard. Madam Dowager asked those from
Bright Frost Garden to pick themselves up now that Madam Ling was ill,
and she suppressed those who seemed to always suck up to Madam Ling.
After recovering, Madam Ling also tried to take the opportunity to do
something but was held back by Mother Han, who had always come up
with some ideas to handle her. That was why Madam Ling hated Mother
Han so much and dragged her into the mire.

Back in the courtyard, Lanning and Qingyu were sorting Ning Xueyan’s
items, while Mother Han come to talk to Ning Xueyan after packing her
own things.

“Young Lady. The First Madam and the Second Young Lady paid the
price this time. Now that this has happened, the Second Young Lady
would not be the principal wife even if she were married into
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor. By no means can the First Madam and
the Second Young Lady bully the Young Lady.” Mother Han smiled as
she spoke to Ning Xueyan. She had been delivered from great danger
and had witnessed the course of the incident, so she was in high spirits at
the moment.

But Ning Xueyan was not as delighted as Mother Han was. She lifted the
corners of her mouth and said plainly, “Do you think Ning Yuling will
only be a concubine, Mammy?”

“But things have gone like this… She was caught in bed with the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li before getting married. Won’t
she… just be a concubine?” Mother Han opened her eyes open and asked
in confusion.

“Do you think they will let this get out, Mammy?” Ning Xueyan tittered
indifferently.
No one else aside from the people from Lord Protector’s Manor and
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor had seen the two of them stay together.
To prevent it from getting out, they just needed an order from the
masters.

Though Commandery Prince Li’s Manor had a high status, they had little
real power, while Ning Zu’an was the opposite. How would he allow his
daughter to be someone’s concubine? Now that it had gone like this,
Commandery Prince Li’s Consort Dowager would have to consent to the
marriage whether she liked Ning Yuling or not.

But of course, Lord Protector’s Manor would also have to pay some
price for the marriage.

“Then what should we do, Young Lady? The First Madam will tyrannize
you if the Second Young Lady becomes the consort of a princely heir.”
Mother Han became impatient. She thought that the evil-minded Second
Young Lady had lost her chance, but she never expected that things
would end up like this.

“Take it easy, Mammy. What do you think of the Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Li?” Ning Xueyan raised her head and asked softly.

“It would be interesting if the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li

and Ning Yuling get married.”

“The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, loose in morals, arrogant

and overbearing, seems to be quite unsatisfied with the Second Young
Lady judging by what he has done to her,” Mother Han said after
thinking. She was also a sophisticated old woman and her eyes
brightened after saying this. “Does the Young Lady mean that the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li won’t suffer this loss without
taking any action?”

In the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li’s eyes, Ning Yuling was
just a dissolute jezebel. Everyone knew that he was unwilling to marry a
woman like her. Seeing what she had done today, she was by no means
virtuous.

She hooked up with the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li on her

own accord and tried to pass the buck to Ning Xueyan when she was
discovered, which was apparently to vilify Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan
would have been wronged if she had not been astute enough.

If a woman like Ning Yuling became a householder in the harem, she

would do harm to all other women in the manor. The Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li must have gotten dozens of beauties in his harem
because he was so romantic. Why would he be willing to marry Ning
Yuling?

“Nor was Ning Yuling willing to marry the Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Li,” said Ning Xueyan, smiling slightly.

Ning Yuling loved the Third Prince rather than the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li, and she always posed as the Consort of the
Third Prince. Compared with the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li, the Third Prince was much more handsome and attractive. Most
importantly, the Third Prince had a brilliant future, which was
incomparable to the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, who was
so indolent.

And the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was notorious since he

was often seen in brothels and goofed around.

No virtuous girl would marry him!

Ning Yuling would never fall in love with him because she was so
arrogant.

So their marriage would never be successful. They had hated each other
before their marriage, so who knew what it would be like when they got
married?

Superficially, Lord Protector’s Manor succeeded in saving its face but it

would suffer more disturbances in the future. Even if Lord Protector’s
Manor and Commandery Prince Li’s Manor tried everything to bring
Ning Yuling and the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li together, it
was likely that they would fail in the end since they were both unwilling
to marry each other.

Hearing Ning Xueyan’s words, Mother Han was enlightened. She

stopped frowning and nodded vigorously.
“Mammy, what happened to Concubine Ma?” Ning Xueyan stopped
smiling. The matter related to Ning Yuling had come to an end.
Superficially, at least, Madam Ling did not suffer heavy losses. Now, she
would need to figure out who had put poison in her soup. Knowing that
it was not Mother Han, could it be Concubine Ma?

“Young Lady, I was called by Madam Dowager this morning and went to
Auspicious Fortune Hall. There I saw Concubine Ma kneeling down. She
said in tears that I had been on a rampage in the manor using your power.
And she said that my son hit her brother outside the manor and that my
son was domineering because he didn’t admit to his fault.”

Mother Han got angry when she said this. In Auspicious Fortune Hall,
Concubine Ma cried and complained. Then, Madam Ling asked Mother
Han whether she had only one son and then locked her up, saying that
she would sell her the next day. It took no more than half an hour for the
whole process. Mother Han was sentenced before she could even
explain.

And she asked someone to watch Mother Han without any explanation.

“What’s Concubine Ma’s parentage?” Ning Xueyan asked this after

thinking for a while. Concubine Ma was the key to this matter. Last time,
Ning Xueyan learned that Concubine Ma was new to the manor and was
favored by Ning Hu’an while she got along well with Madam Ling.
Sometimes, when Ning Xueyan was taking a walk in the hall, she could
see Madam Ling accompanying Concubine Ma and seemed to be joyful.

“Concubine Ma is from a humble family and was a peasant. I

remembered that my son did fight with someone the other day, but that
guy was in an opera troupe. Some people in the opera troupe occupied
some land and put up a platform, which blocked the way. My son tried to
discuss it with them but they just wouldn’t listen. So they fought. Is
Concubine Ma’s brother someone from the opera troupe?”

Mother Han recalled this and told Ning Xueyan about the whole affair.

“Though Concubine Ma is from a humble family in the village with a

humble origin, it seems impossible for her to bear any relationship with
someone in the opera troupe.” Ning Xueyan frowned. “There must be
something I’ve missed, otherwise I can inquire about her origin.”
“Then how did they find out Concubine Ma was pregnant?” Ning
Xueyan continued asking.

“I don’t know, either. I just heard from the doorkeeper, an older female
servant, who gloated and said that the masters in the manor wouldn’t do
anything against her because she was pregnant and that I was the one
who would be punished.” Mother Han looked confused because she saw
Concubine Ma still kneeling down when she was dragged out.

How was Concubine Ma found out to be pregnant within such a short

time?

“How was Concubine Ma doing when you were in the hall?” Ning
Xueyan smiled indifferently.

“She was crying when I got there but was not alarmed at all. Her words
were well-organized when she testified against me, and I was stopped
several times when I tried to defend myself. But I didn’t see anything
else strange.” Mother Han shook her head. She did not find anything
abnormal about Concubine Ma.

“Did she look and behave as usual and keep kneeling down when you
left?” Ning Xueyan frowned. She came to realize something.

“Nothing different. Concubine Ma was kneeling down since my arrival

and was still kneeling down when I left. She just spoke with tears. I was
impatient at that time and was eager to defend myself. So maybe I lost
some details.”

“Now that they looked all right, then they must have planned everything.
They planned how to frame Mother Han as well as how to let everyone
know that Concubine Ma was pregnant. That’s why Concubine Ma was
so calm.”

“She kneeled down for half an hour!”

Ning Xueyan sneered. “As expected, they planned everything.

Concubine Ma was fine after kneeling down for so long! She framed
Mother Han and got away with ease. Next, they will do something about
her pregnancy.
“Madam Ling was so malicious. She framed me step by step and I would
have been the one to be killed in the end.”

“Mammy, go out of the manor and ask about Concubine Ma’s family
home, her previous job, and if there is anything special about her.”

“Yes. I was planning to ask about my son and buy some crude drugs for
the Young Lady. Young Lady, these drug stores were yours originally,
but now belong to the First Madam. And I was bullied all the time.”
Tears came into Mother Han’s eyes when she said this.

Mother Han was indignant when she thought that the Second Madam
used to be in charge of those stores.

Superficially, the manor had provided drugs for Bright Frost Garden. But
they did not have enough drugs to offer to two masters at the same time.
And the drugs that Madam Ling sent to Bright Frost Garden were either
fragmentary, of low quality, or had gone bad from moisture. These drugs
could not be used at all.

So Mother Han would buy some drugs for Ning Xueyan every time she
left the manor.

Hearing Mother Han’s words, Ning Xueyan remembered Mother Han’s

son, Da Zhuang, who served in a drug store that his family operated.

The drug store was Madam Ming’s dowry. The shopkeeper was not only
business-minded but also knew some medical skills. That was why the
store was still in his charge. He thus could lend a hand to his previous
master privately. Otherwise, all of Madam Ming’s stores would sooner or
later be taken over by Madam Ling and become her private property.

Madam Ling was from a humble family. She had no dowry when she
married into the manor. But now, all Madam Ming’s dowry was taken
over by her, and the entire staff was also replaced by her people. So she
was indifferent to Mother Han and even teased her.

“Mammy, I have a dowry list from my uncle. You can check it and tell
me the details.” Ning Xueyan went over to the trousseau and opened it.
She took out the list that Ming Feiyong had given her and handed it to
Mother Han.
“It’s so great that your uncle gave the list to you. Take it easy, Young
Lady. I will count it up right away. I didn’t expect that your uncle had
been keeping the list for so many years. The Second Madam’s list had
already been destroyed by the First Madam,” Mother Han said angrily.

666

During that time, Madam Ling pretended to view the list of the Second
Madam’s dowry and sent someone to fetch it for her. Mother Han had
advised her to say that she did not have it but was refused by the Second
Madam. Then she never saw the list again, while the Second Madam’s
stores were taken over by others one after another.

How could Mother Han not feel indignant?

“Don’t worry, Mammy. Sooner or later, I’ll take back what they took
from me.” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly but had a cold look cold in her
eyes.

“I’ll take back everything that belongs to me!

“And I’ll take revenge on whoever framed me!

“I’m just waiting for the opportunity…”

Chapter 73 The Pretty Maid, Yu
Lian
“Young Lady, Sister Yu Lian sent by the First Madam has come. She has
something to say to the Young Lady,” a maid reported.

“Let her in!” Ning Xueyan nodded.

Mother Han put the dowry list into her breast pocket, stepped backward,
and stood behind Ning Xueyan.

The portiere was lifted and a maid came in dressed in a colorful,

embroidered skirt, looking delicate and spotless, elegant and polished.
Ning Xueyan stared at her and recognized that she was the first maid, Yu
Lian, who served Madam Ling. Ning Xueyan cast her eyes on her face
that had been meticulously made up and then noticed her embroidering
shoes, which were decorated with colorful stitchwork of birds and gold.

There seemed to be a faint smile on her face. She was calm as she
stopped looking Ning Xueyan up and down.

“Fifth Youg Lady, the Second Young Lady is betrothed to Commandery

Prince Li’s Manor. The wedding ceremony will be held in half a year.
The First Madam has asked you to embroider some sachets for the
Second Young Lady if you are at leisure in case they don’t have enough
sachets to award the servants.”

Yu Lian shook her aromatic handkerchief and spoke impatiently.

She was not respectful at all. Apparently, she was treating Ning Xueyan
like a maid.

“If the Second Young Lady is to be married, you can turn to the weavers.
The Fifth Young Lady never needs to embroider personally,” said
Mother Han crossly.

“The weavers in the manor are busy now. The New Year is coming and
they have to weave clothes for people in the manor. Now that the Fifth
Young Lady has nothing to do, she can kill time by doing this and make
less trouble,” Yu Lian glanced at Ning Xueyan and said disdainfully.

Her words were becoming more and more bitter.

This was another slave using her mistress’s power for bullying. All the
slaves beside Madam Ling were the same, who always looked down
upon those from Bright Frost Garden. These slaves once even bossed
Ning Xueyan around and never treated her as a mistress. They created all
sorts of obstacles for her and tried to frame her with Madam Ling.

Looking at the well-dressed maid, Yu Lian, Ning Xueyan lifted the

corners of her mouth slightly and sneered. Yu Lian was probably 16 or
17 years old. She was slender and attractive and had been an Eldest
Young Lady. She was not like a maid at all judging from her dressing.

People would take her as a Young Lady if they had not heard of her.

But going by her facial expression, she could not be a serious girl.

Mother Han’s face turned cold when she heard Yu Lian’s disdainful tone.
She was about to flare up but was stopped by a gesture from Ning
Xueyan. Ning Xueyan smiled at Yu Lian, leaned back, and asked
leisurely, “Yu Lian, who will be the next for you to inform of the
marriage?”

“I’ll inform the marquis next. The madam said that this will be a great
event and I should let him know,” Yu Lian answered after a beat, her
eyes moving constantly. She did not expect for Ning Xueyan to ask her
this.

“I’ll tell my father that. You can now go back and report to the madam,”
Ning Xueyan said with an affable smile.

“There is no need for the Fifth Young Lady to do this. I will go there
anyway. So just let me tell him.” Hearing Ning Xueyan was going to
inform Ning Zu’an of the marriage herself, Yu Lian was anxious and she
refused.

“Are you visiting the marquis dressed up like this? Some might know
that you are going to inform the marquis of the marriage, but most
unwitting people will believe you have other purposes,” Mother Han
snorted. She detested Yu Lian for her coquetry.

“What… what else can I do?” Yu Lian blushed and stammered because
Mother Han had hit the nail on the head.

“Who knows what you want to do? There is no festival but you’ve
dressed up so gaudily to visit the marquis. How would others think of
you?” Mother Han never thought much of the maids who always
intended to go to their masters’ beds. Now seeing Yu Lian still being so
stubborn, Mother Han could not help denouncing her.

“Nonsense. I… I’m just informing the marquis of the marriage. Why

would you speak those brittle words? I’ll tell this to the marquis.” Yu
Lian was so ashamed and indignant that she stamped her feet with anger
because Mother Han had guessed her secret.

“It seems that she is indeed in love with Ning Zu’an.”

Ning Xueyan smiled and pretended to glare at Mother Han. She turned
back and said to Yu Lian, “I already knew that, but I have no time to do
needlework for the Second Eldest Sister. You can go back and tell
madam that I have to transcribe the scriptures for my mom to comfort
her spirit since she has passed away.”

Madam Ling and her daughter had always been trying to frame her, so
she would never embroider for Ning Yuling. She did not feel guilty at all
refusing their request.

“Yes. I’ll report to the madam immediately.” Yu Lian realized after the
short conversation that the Fifth Young Lady was quite different from
how she used to be. She dared not act unbridled anymore and instead
responded obediently.

She did not have to worry about what to say to the madam. All she
wanted was to visit the marquis as soon as possible.

The madam was so alert that she seldom had the chance to see the
marquis. Even if the marquis came to the manor, the madam would ask
Hong Lian, who looked much worse than Yu Lian, instead of her to
attend to him. She was extremely annoyed by this.
Therefore, she would by no means give up this golden opportunity to
visit the marquis while having the chance to inform the Fifth Young
Lady of the marriage.

Though the madam had promised a long time ago to marry her to the
First Childe, she never put it into practice. Yu Lian became more and
more skeptical of her promise and thought the madam must have lied to
her. Maybe the marquis had fallen in love with her but the madam was
envious, so she tricked Yu Lian.

Now that Ning Xueyan had asked her not to inform Ning Zu’an herself,
Yu Lian did not run counter to Ning Xueyan’s order and left Bright Frost
Garden for the front courtyard happily.

As she always did, she left without bowing to Ning Xueyan.

“Young Lady, think of her attitude and behavior. As long as they see her
dress, everyone will know that she is about to hook up with someone.
Look, what a coquette she is! She always dreams of going to her
master’s bed.” Mother Han cursed at her figure indignantly.

“Mammy, this isn’t what we need to worry about!” Ning Xueyan lifted
the corners of her mouth with a cold looking in her black eyes.

“That’s rather interesting for Madam Ling to have a maid like this. It
seems that she was compliant outwardly but unsubmissive inwardly. I
wonder how Madam Ling would behave if one day the first maid beside
her went to the marquis’ bed.”

It did not take long before Ning Yuling’s delight was known all over the
manor. Though some people who did not know the truth were confused
by the fact that Ning Yuling would marry the marquis instead of the
Third Prince, they were envious because the Second Young Lady’s
bridegroom was a princely heir from the royal family and they lauded
her for her good blessing.

But no one knew that Ning Yuling had smashed all the porcelain in her
room in Qingrong Courtyard.

The two maids who served her looked at the door in fear and heard
nothing from inside the room. Then they went in holding a cup of tea
with great care. “Young… Young Lady, have some tea, please.”

Ning Yuling opened her eyes, looking wild and ferocious. She would
grind her teeth as long as she thought that she was going to marry the
lewd Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. She took up a cup beside
her and threw it at one of the maids’ heads, cursing, “Bitch! Bitch!
Bitch! I’ll kill you.”

“Ouch!” The maid failed to dodge the cup and she fell onto the ground.
Boiling water spilling on her hands and she screamed out in great pain.

It was the Third Prince who privately dated Ning Xueyan, so why did it
turn out to be the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li? Confused as
she was, Ning Yuling was clear that she had been tricked by Ning
Xueyan. So she grabbed one of the maids in place of Ning Xueyan, took
out an embroidery needle from the basket, and stabbed the other maid
recklessly.

Her brittle scream stunned a group of servants who had just arrived at
Qingrong Courtyard, looking pale and scared.

Everyone knew that no one could be more ferocious than the Second
Young Lady because she would vent her anger on anyone in front of her
at any time and beat them until they were halfway dead. They wondered
who was so unlucky this time.

Madam Ling gestured at those servants and asked them with a cold face
to leave.

She stepped toward the room looking sullen.

The room was in a mess with broken porcelain all over the ground, while
the two maids who had been stabbed were rolling around on the floor
miserably.

“Get out.” Madam Ling scolded them.

Seeing that Ning Yuling said nothing, the two maids left in fear, holding
each other.
“Mother, I won’t marry that swinger. It’s also clear to you that the
swinger is incomparable to the Third Prince. I’ll marry the Third Prince
and become the Third Princess.” Ning Yuling looked wronged and cried
when she saw Madam Ling come in. “I’ll kill that bitch. How dare she
trick me!”

“Ling’er, stop mentioning the Third Prince. You’ll never marry him.”
Madam Ling was more clear-headed than Ning Yuling at the moment.
Even if Ning Yuling and the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li
were clean, they had been found in one bed, not to mention that Ning
Yuling was now unclean.

Ning Yuling would never be the Third Prince’s wife.

“No, mom. You’ll ask my father to think of an idea and have him fully
support the Third Prince. Then the Third Prince will marry me. Honored
Consort Ya had said that she liked me.” Ning Yuling was still not in her
right mind yet and she cried toward Madam Ling, pulling her clothes in
agitation.

In the past, her mother would do everything to satisfy her as long as she
cried.

And now, she was still the Second Young Lady in Lord Protector’s
Manor who would get everything she wanted.

Ning Yuling sighed in commiseration seeing Ning Yuling like this. This
was her most-loved daughter, but now her reputation had been ruined
and had to reluctantly marry the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.
How could she not be so resentful? Ning Yuling would have been
married as a concubine if it were not for Ning Zu’an, who promised to
ensure the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li’s prospect.

Madam Ling became resentful when she thought of this. She reached
out, wiped the tears from Ning Yuling’s face, and said in a peaceful but
cold tone, “Ling’er, take it easy. Do you want to suppress that bitch
forever and decide whether she lives or dies yourself?”

Just like Madam Ming, who used to be high above her, was defeated and
lived in a lower status than hers…
Ning Yuling opened her eyes open and stopped crying when she heard
that they were going to punish Ning Xueyan. She asked hurriedly,
“Teach me what to do, mother.”

The ferociousness in Ning Xueyan’s eyes turned into complacency with

some coldness. She would subdue Ning Xueyan forever once she
managed to suppress her.

Ning Xueyan did not know that Madam Ling and her daughter were
scheming against her for a second time. She was taking a walk alone
after lunch. As she headed for Cloud Reflection Courtyard, she never
thought that she would run into that man at the courtyard’s gate.

She felt an aching pain in her heart instantly, distinct and biting…
Chapter 74 The Closed Courtyard
Door and Slightly Closed Room
Door
“Xia Yuhang… do you know? I wish I could eat your flesh and drink
your blood!”

In the gap between the trees, Ning Xueyan saw Xia Yuhang, who wore a
long snow-white robe, standing in front of the door with his hands
clasped behind his back.

Xia Yuhang, a graceful gentleman, should not be wearing such plain

coarse clothes. However, he stood there at this time in these clothes and
slightly frowned, showing a sense of loneliness.

Xia Yuhang, who had always been elegant and outstanding, had lonely
days too!

Ning Xueyan smiled coldly. The love between her and Xia Yuhang had
already disappeared! That kind of deep attachment, with the drainage of
her blood, had long become a cold and cruel edge, bruising her all over.

How much Ning Xueyan had loved him before, and how much she hated
him now! She saw his hypocrisy at the cost of her life.

After rebirth, Ning Xueyan did not shed a single tear for him. With such
an excellent performance, he pushed her into the abyss and was beyond
redemption.

He was elegant and gentle. Unfortunately, Ning Xueyan had misread

him!

“Who’s over there?” Suddenly, Xia Yuhang turned his head, looked over
at Ning Xueyan, and shouted with furrowed eyebrows.

Even when unhappy, he still kept his elegance and gentleness. He

deserved to be called a gentleman.
“It’s me!” Since she had been discovered, Ning Xueyan stopped hiding
and came out from behind a tree. Ning Xueyan was excited just now so
she had accidentally stepped on some branches on the ground, making a
sound that startled Xia Yuhang.

“You… you’re…” Xia Yuhang looked at Ning Xueyan and could not
help looking into her dark, jade-like eyes with uncontrollable
enthusiasm, and his voice unconsciously shivered.

“Brother-in-law, did you forget who I am?” Ning Xueyan faintly asked.

Only then did Xia Yuhang clearly see the emaciated girl in front of him.
She was so young and pale that no one would think she was beautiful.
But in another year or two, she would be a beautiful woman.

Ning Xueyan, the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor!

“Oh, it’s you, Fifth Young Lady.” Xia Yuhang coughed and cleared his
throat, with a gentle smile on his handsome face and a look of sudden
realization.

Xia Yuhang was just as hypocritical as before.

Xia Yuhang had black hair and wore a white robe, looking elegant and
gentle. But Ning Xueyan’s eyes were full of disgust.

“Brother-in-law, why are you here at this time? I remember… this is

Sister Ziying’s courtyard, right?” Ning Xueyan’s watery eyes fall on Xia
Yuhang’s face, twinkling to hide the hatred in her eyes.

Xia Yuhang was stunned by Ning Xueyan’s question. Then he smiled

lightly and said, “I just have the feeling that this courtyard is different
from others. It’s strange for such a good courtyard to be locked.”

“Sister Ziying’s death is still unclear now. The servants are scared and
said that there were ghosts here. Later, they said that there were servants
missing, so no one dares to come around. Often there are people saying
that they saw Sister Ziying wandering around the lotus pond. Maybe
Sister Ziying doesn’t want to leave here. Brother-in-law, how about
having a look inside?” Ning Xueyan said with a slight smile on her face.
Ning Xueyan calmly looked at Xia Yuhang and invited him.

“No. I’m just curious. Fifth Young Lady, we heard that something had
happened to Lord Protector’s Manor. So, your eldest sister asked me to
come.” Looking at that pair of eyes which showed slight alienation, Xia
Yuhang smiled uneasily, and subconsciously avoided Ning Xueyan’s
eyes.

That pair of eyes should have been full of love, rather than indifference.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. The Second Sister is going to marry the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Only now did the mother
inform the whole family. You can go there now to congratulate her,”
Ning Xueyan said with coldness in her eyes. Then she retreated to one
side and gave way to Xia Yuhang.

“The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li?” Xia Yuhang was stunned
and could not speak for a moment, his eyes widening. Then his face
darkened and did not look good. It seemed that he was surprised by the
news.

“Yes, it’s the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. He and the
Second Sister had a very happy conversation, so the two families decided
on their marriage. They’ll get married in half a year,” Ning Xueyan
smiled and faintly said.

Ning Xueyan had told the truth. Even if Xia Yuhang were to go ask
Madam Ling now, Madam Ling would also say so. It was absolutely
impossible that Madam Ling had told Xia Yuhang about Ning Yuling’s
scandal.

“Wasn’t it said that she would marry the Third Prince? Why will she
instead marry the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li?” Xia Yuhang
muttered, and the changes in his eyes were like the rising wind and
scudding clouds.

Ning Xueyan coldly looked at the handsome face in front of her. She
remembered that she had seen this face through the water when she was
being drowned. Sure enough, this man had other plans.
Only when she came back to life again could she learn what kind of
person he was!

“Maybe the Third Prince doesn’t like the Second Sister, but the Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li does like her. Brother-in-law, I have
something to do. I have to go now!” Ning Xueyan did not want to stay
with Xia Yuhang any longer. So, she saluted him, turned, and walked
toward another path.

“Fifth Young Lady…” Xia Yuhang called Ning Xueyan, frowning.

Ning Xueyan looked back and asked coldly, “Is there anything else?”

“Oh, nothing. There’s no way ahead,” Xia Yuhang explained gently, his
eyes twinkling for a moment.

“Unexpectedly, you’re familiar with such a remote place, brother-in-law.

That makes me think you’ve been here before.” Ning Xueyan’s gaze was
cold and her smile was light. She looked at the road under her feet and
answered casually, “I’m just wandering around. I’ll come back if there’s
no way ahead.”

She could turn around if there was no way ahead in the garden!

What about the road of her life? After rebirth, she could no longer be the
infatuated Ning Ziying!

Ning Xueyan turned around and her gaze was cold and gloomy.

Xia Yuhang helplessly watched Ning Xueyan passing by. For a moment,
he wanted to reach out and hold her, but found that he had no excuse to
do so.

This strange girl gave him a sense of both familiarity and strangeness,
and always reminded him of Ning Ziying, but she and Ning Ziying were
two different people.

Ning Ziying was gentle and pure, but the Fifth Young Lady in front of
him was indifferent and not easy to get close to. Xia Yuhang could even
sense a trace of hostility from her. He had only seen the Fifth Young
Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor a few times. Xia Yuhang did not know
why she hated him.

But now wasn’t the time to figure this out. Xia Yuhang took a deep
breath to suppress his restlessness, turned around, and strode toward
Madam Ling’s courtyard.

When Xia Yuhang left and could not be seen, Ning Xueyan wandered
back from the path and went back to the door of Cloud Reflection
Courtyard.

Ning Xueyan had not been here for half a month, but the doorway of
Cloud Reflection Courtyard was overgrown with weeds. The lower edge
of the wooden door was almost hidden in the weeds. Nobody would
remember Ning Ziying, who once lived here, or anything about her. She
had faded into the past.

Ning Xueyan took a deep breath and felt uncomfortable, as if she still
could feel the pain when she was being suffocated.

Ignoring the discomfort, Ning Xueyan half-circled around the fence and
saw the familiar big crooked tree at the back of the courtyard.

Seeing that there was no one around, Ning Xueyan went to the backside
of the tree. She tied a knot at the hem of her long dress, grabbed the
branches of the tree, and began to climb up. In her last life, Ning Xueyan
also had a happy childhood. She used to secretly climb trees during her
study breaks without her mother’s knowledge.

Now, this crooked tree became Ning Xueyan’s secret.

Even though she trusted Xia Yuhang so much, Ning Xueyan had never
mentioned that to him due to the fear that Xia Yuhang would think she
was not a lady.

After a short time, Ning Xueyan went up to the crooked trunk of the
crooked tree, where there was a small hole. Ning Xueyan searched inside
it skillfully and took out a long ribbon. Then, she walked along a branch
that crossed the fence, crouched down, and tied the ribbon to the trunk.

She fastened the ribbon and let herself down using the ribbon.
No one lived in the yard, so it was lifeless here. The ground was covered
with withered branches and leaves that crunched under Ning Xueyan’s
feet when she stepped on them.

The courtyard was so silent that you could hear someone gasp.

The courtyard was still the same courtyard where Ning Ziyan once beat
her. But now, there was no trace of blood on the ground, just residual
branches and leaves. The wind rolled up the residual leaves and they
gathered by her feet. It was bleak and desolate here.

Ning Xueyan did not think about her past for long. She looked around,
untied her dress, and walked toward the house. She pushed open the door
of the middle room. The dust in the room was blown by the wind and
went toward Ning Xueyan, who closed her eyes subconsciously as she
was about to go inside.

Suddenly, Ning Xueyan stopped.

She looked at the fruit on the table in the house with astonishment.

It was impossible that the fruit had ripened during this season unless they
were produced in the greenhouse. But usually, the amount of fruit that
was grown in the greenhouse was very small. Why would it be put in the
house of a master who was dead?

The candles had been burned up, leaving two candle-holders. The table
was covered with a piece of snow-white cloth, on which fruit was placed.
All of these were sacrifices.

Ning Xueyan of course did not believe that this was done by anyone sent
by Madam Ling. Although there was a greenhouse in Lord Protector’s
Manor, very little fresh fruit was offered to them every day. So, there was
no more fruit to be placed in front of Ning Ziying’s memorial tablet.
Furthermore, Ning Ziying was murdered by Madam Ling and Ning
Ziyan. Why would Madam Ling be so kind to worship her?

“Who did this?” Ning Xueyan pondered.

After she arrived in the capital, she went directly to Lord Protector’s
Manor and then lived there. Aside from Xia Yuhang, she did not know
anyone else. She could not think of anyone who would worship her.
These fresh fruits were not easy to get, so this person worshipping her
could not be an ordinary person.

The closed courtyard door, slightly closed house door, and tidy but dusty
room were all strange. Everything here was full of mystery. And it
seemed that the exact cause of her death became suspicious.

Suddenly, the door opened and gave off a squeaky sound, showing a
sense of decay. Ning Xueyan turned her head subconsciously, her eyes
widening unconsciously…
Chapter 75 The Mysterious
Woman in White
Outside the door stood a woman, a woman Ning Xueyan had never seen
before. She was about 20 years old, wore a piece of white clothing, and
was an elegant beauty. Upon seeing someone in the room, she still
walked in with ease, although she was surprised.

She had a basket in her hand that was covered with a veil. Ning Xueyan
could vaguely see that there was some fresh fruit in the basket.

But Ning Xueyan had not seen her before.

“Who are you?” Ning Xueyan frowned and asked vigilantly. Then she
retreated, keeping a sharp lookout.

“I’m a worshipper.” The woman put the basket on the table with an
indifferent expression, put aside the veil, and replaced the fruit on the
table with the fruit in the basket.

“You do not live here! How did you get in?”

“Why can’t I come in? You also came in without permission. Fifth
Young Lady, how much do you know about Ning Ziying?” the woman
said with ridicule as she gave a look to Ning Xueyan. Then she took her
basket, silently passed by Ning Xueyan, and disappeared from the sight
of Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan was shocked that this woman knew her.

However, Ning Xueyan had never seen her in her last life or this one!

How much did Ning Xueyan know about Ning Ziying? If she did not
know, who else in the world knew?

This woman put fresh fruit in front of Ning Ziying’s memorial tablet to
worship her, showing that she bore Ning Ziying no malice. However, she
was indifferent when she talked about Ning Ziying’s death. Why did she
come here to worship Ning Ziying?

Maybe there were some things that Ning Xueyan did not know in her last
life, such as this woman and some strange things that she had
neglected…

This time, she came here to take the relics left by her mother.

In fact, Ning Xueyan had never carefully looked at these relics in her
previous life. In her previous life, her father died first, and then her
mother got seriously ill. Before she died, she asked Ning Xueyan to go to
Lord Protector’s Manor. So, after her mother died, Ning Xueyan
immediately packed up her luggage and went to the capital. And her
mother’s relics were kept by Mother Wang because she was afraid that
she would greatly miss her mother if she were to see these things.

When they arrived at Lord Protector’s Manor, those things were also
carefully hidden in a certain place.

Ning Xueyan had come here today to take those things.

But now, she decided not to take them.

The woman appeared in silence. Anyway, it was unsafe to take the relics
at this time.

Ning Xueyan had an intuition that the appearance of this woman had to
be related to Ning Ziying.

Ning Xueyan pretended to be curious as she walked around the room,

casually looking around. She did not enter the room where the relics
were hidden. Then she closed the door and returned by the way she
came.

When she returned to Bright Frost Garden, Lanning and Qingyu, who
had not seen her for a long time, were about to go out to look for her.

“Young Lady, where have you been? The First Madam called you over,”
Qingyu approached her and said.

“What’s the matter?” Ning Xueyan kept walking and went inside.
“I don’t know. But it seems to be related to the Second Young Lady’s
marriage.” Qingyu frowned. “Lanning and I thought it would not be
good that the First Madam called you over. So we said you were
uncomfortable and already asleep.”

“Good. As a sister, how can I comment on Ning Yuling’s marriage?

Moreover, others don’t know the truth, but I do.” Ning Xueyan nodded
and sat down. Then, Lanning came over to loosen her hair. Ning Xueyan
prepared to have a bath.

Madam Ling was not satisfied with Ning Yuling’s marriage and was
unhappy now. So it was possible that Madam Ling called her over with
bad intentions at this time.

Today it was Lanning’s turn to keep watch at night, so Qingyu retreated

first. Lanning helped cover Ning Xueyan in a quilt and was about to
blow out the candle before leaving.

“Lanning, can you tell me what kind of person Sister Ziying was?” Ning
Xueyan, who had closed her eyes, suddenly opened her eyes and asked.
Under the light, her dark, jade-like eyes were full of coldness.

Hearing that, Lanning suddenly retracted her hands quickly and knocked
a cup to the ground, making a crisp cracking sound in the silent room.

“Lanning, can’t you say?” Ning Xueyan coldly said, looking at the
flustered Lanning.

“Young Lady…” Lanning, who always was calm, said with hesitancy.
She squatted down and tried to pick up the debris from the porcelain cup.

“I just went to Cloud Reflection Courtyard and saw a woman, a very

beautiful woman. She went into Cloud Reflection Courtyard from the
wall. And I’ve never seen her before.”

Ning Xueyan smiled insincerely.

When Lanning heard Ning Xueyan’s words, her hands trembled and the
porcelain fragments cut her finger and blood rushed out immediately.
Lanning subconsciously looked up into Ning Xueyan’s cold eyes. Next
to the quilt, Ning Xueyan’s delicate, pale face was only as small as one’s
palm. But because of the dim lights, her face made Lanning feel familiar.

“Young Lady!” Lanning subconsciously screamed and felt pain in her

heart and had tears in her eyes.

“Ning Ziying lost her father at the age of 10 and mother at the age of 13.
Then she went to Lord Protector’s Manor for shelter with Mother Wang
and Xiang’er. After that, she lived in the back yard of Lord Protector’s
Manor the entire time. Madam Ling gave you to her when you were 16.
However, she threw herself into the lake with Xiang’er on the eve of
Ning Ziyan’s marriage.” Ning Xueyan looked at Lanning and spoke
softly, but her gaze was cold.

This mood of Ning Xueyan made Lanning dare not look, and Lanning
came to her senses immediately.

She realized that Ning Xueyan was not her former gentle master, but her
new wise and scheming master.

But what made Lanning nervous most was that Ning Xueyan knew so
much about Ning Ziying’s life. The Fifth Young Lady used to live in
Bright Frost Garden and had never seen Ning Ziying before. How could
she know her so clearly? Lanning’s face turned pale in an instant and she
could not help trembling.

“Lanning, others said that Ning Ziying died by throwing herself into the
lake.” Seeing that Lanning’s mood fluctuated, Ning Xueyan continued to
ask.

“Young… Young Lady…” Lanning opened her mouth, as if she could

only say those two words.

“Others say that Ning Ziying died by throwing herself into the river. I
think nobody knows that she was murdered. My eldest brother-in-law,
Xia Yuhang, was Ning Ziying’s fiance. Ning Ziyan not only stole her
fiance, but also killed her.”

Ning Xueyan looked down and smiled lightly. No one knew this better
than she did. After she was reborn, she had nightmares and dreamed
about the scene of her death every night. Now, this hatred was deeply
rooted in her heart.

If she had not been reborn, who would avenge her?

“Young… Young Lady… stop, stop talking, I… I… I…” Ning Xueyan

pressed step by step. And Lanning finally could not bear it anymore, as
she hid her face and cried.

These things also were painful to Lanning, who subconsciously believed

Ning Xueyan. Looking at those familiar dark, jade-like eyes and thinking
that her new master knew the truth, Lanning got the idea that Young
Lady Ziying had told the Fifth Young Lady those things in the Fifth
Young Lady’s dream and wanted the Fifth Young Lady to avenge her, so
Lanning was unwilling to hide anything.

“When did Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan start dating?” In her previous
life, Lanning told Ning Ziying that Xia Yuhang had an affair with Ning
Ziyan. But Ning Ziying did not believe that her best sister and
affectionate fiance would betray her. So she refused to listen to
Lanning’s explanation.

“Sister Ziying and Childe Xia were betrothed when they were children.
Mother Wang said they had been betrothed for at least 10 years. When
Young Lady Ziying arrived at Lord Protector’s Manor, she decided to
observe a mourning period for her mother for three years here and then
marry Childe Xia. Before Young Lady Ziying arrived here, the Eldest
Young Lady and Childe Xia were not familiar with each other. But when
Young Lady Ziying had been here for about one year, Eldest Young Lady
and Childe Xia were familiar with each other without ceremony. I once
saw they hugged behind the rockery.”

Lanning wiped her tears with her handkerchief. She thought about it for
a while before answering.

Lanning had mentioned that matter to Ning Ziying, but Ning Ziying had
blamed her for misreading it.

One year ago, Ning Ziying was 14 years old and Ning Ziyan was 15. At
that time, Xia Yuhang was still very affectionate to Ning Ziying. It
turned out that he had already changed his mind.
A strange sadness hit Ning Xueyan’s heart. No one would think that the
affectionate man had already ceased to be faithful. But she was still kept
in the dark. So, finally she came to such an end.

“Was there anything strange when Ning Ziying was alive?” asked Ning
Xueyan.

At that time, Ning Ziying devoted herself to Xia Yuhang and thus
neglected many things.

“It’s not very clear to me. But I had seen the woman you mentioned a
few days before Young Lady Ziying’s death, and I don’t know whether
or not it’s the same person,” Lanning frowned and said.

“Who is she?”

“I don’t know. Childe Xia also was there when I saw that women. On
that day, Young Lady Ziying went out with him. Then they met Eldest
Young Lady on the way. So the three of them went to the garden
together. I saw off Young Lady Ziying in front of the courtyard gate and
saw the women when I got back to the room. She seemed to be looking
for something. When she saw me, she wasn’t panicked at all, but just
opened the window and then disappeared quickly. I ran after her, but she
already had gone.”

Lanning answered while recalling it.

She was shocked and worried at that time because Zing Ziying and Xia
Yuhang would be holding their wedding ceremony a few days later. Who
was this woman that appeared inexplicably?

Lanning was very upset and had a bad feeling. But when she saw Ning
Ziying’s happy face, she did not want to tell Ning Ziying this matter that
would destroy her happy mood.

The next few days were very calm. So calm that Lanning felt that she
had misread it.

“Did Mother Wang and Xiang’er ever talk about Ning Ziying? Or was
there anything unusual about Ning Ziying’s childhood?” There was no
mistake in Lanning’s words, so Ning Xueyan could not continue to
interrogate Lanning at the moment. The woman who appeared
inexplicably had to be related to Ning Ziying, but Lanning did not know
anything.

“Mother Wang and Xiang’er came here with Young Lady Ziying. I didn’t
think there was anything wrong with them, but there was one thing…”
Lanning hesitated for a moment and equivocated, “there was one thing I
think…”

“Say it!” Ning Xueyan coldly said.

Chapter 76 Lanning’s Doubts
Lanning nodded and expressed her doubts. “Most of the things Mother
Wang told me happened after Young Lady Ziying was three or four years
old. It seemed that she had never mentioned those things that happened
when Young Lady Ziying was younger. I felt strange at that time. She
was Young Lady Ziying’s wet nurse, how could she not know about
Young Lady Ziying’s childhood?”

These words made Ning Xueyan silent for a while.

In Ning Xueyan’s memory, Mother Wang began to take care of her when
she was a child. And Xiang’er was the personal maid her mother gave
her when she was eight years old.

Ning Xueyan could not recall her childhood clearly; after all, she was a
child at that time, but Mother Wang was an adult.

“How do you know that Mother Wang didn’t know about what happened
during Ning Ziying’s childhood?”

“I once asked about the burn mark on Young Lady Ziying’s ankle.
Mother Wang told me that Young Lady Ziying was scalded when she
was a child. But she didn’t know the exact time. She only said that
Young Lady Ziying had been scalded before she had arrived at the manor
to serve Young Lady Ziying. But when I asked her another time, she said
that she had been serving Young Lady Ziying since Young Lady Ziying
was born.”

Such contradictory words made Lanning feel strange and doubtful. So

she tested Mother Wang from time to time. The result of the test was that
Mother Wang was not Ning Ziying’s wet nurse. For reasons unknown,
Ning Ziying’s wet nurse was changed when she was still young.

It was very strict when a big family chose a wet nurse. When the Young
Lady grew up, her wet nurse would stay with her to take care of her.
Generally speaking, the wet nurse would be more loyal to the children
she took care of personally than others would be. So if there was no
specific reason, it was impossible to change the wet nurse in the middle
of her service.

These things were always kept in Lanning’s mind. Now, Lanning trusted
Ning Xueyan, who was lying in bed, so she told her everything.

Lanning gradually calmed down. The girl on the bed closed her eyes.
Under the candlelight, she looked pale and emaciated, which made her
look dangerous. But somehow, she made Lanning feel at ease.

“I heard that Ning Ziying’s wet nurse happened to be absent when she
had an accident. Now she’s come back?” Ning Xueyan asked, opening
her eyes.

“She has come back. But she felt strange when she heard that it was the
Eldest Young Lady who was marrying Childe Xia, so she didn’t come
back to Lord Protector’s Manor. When we went to Cold Mountain
Temple, I saw her outside the gate of Lord Protector’s Manor. So I went
to see her. Now she lives in a house on the east side of the city.”

Lanning had kept this matter in mind for some time and already wanted
to tell Ning Xueyan. So when Ning Xueyan asked her now, she relaxed
and told her.

Seeing that Lanning became relaxed and replied naturally, Ning Xueyan
narrowed her eyes slightly. Lanning was a smart person. And Ning
Xueyan now needed such a smart and loyal person to help her. Lanning
was a good candidate.

One reason was that Lanning was once Ning Ziying’s maid. Ning
Xueyan knew that she was a loyal maid.

The other reason was that Lanning was calm in the face of an accident.
She was intelligent and not rash!

But she didn’t want Lanning to disregard the present because of her
former master. Ning Ziying had become a thing from the past. Now, it
was Ning Xueyan who was alive. Lanning mustn’t question Ning
Xueyan’s decisions and had to firmly carry out any of her orders.

So Ning Xueyan needed to shock Lanning and gain her trust.

Now, Lanning had told Ning Xueyan Mother Wang’s story. So Ning
Xueyan believed that Lanning trusted her wholeheartedly.

“Lanning, don’t alarm Mother Wang at first. Hire a smart maid to take
care of her. Pay attention to whether or not Mother Wang associates with
others and what she has done. Let me know if there’s anything. By the
way, I’ll pay the maid’s wages.”

Ning Xueyan arranged Mother Wang well.

“Well, I needn’t tell Mother Wang that it’s you who asked me to do those
things?” Lanning nodded and asked.

Ning Xueyan looked at Lanning with admiration. Lanning was indeed a

wise woman. “I don’t want her to know yet. I promised you last time that
I would avenge Ning Ziying. When the time comes, Mother Wang will
be needed.”

Since Ning Xueyan and Lanning had talked about Ning Ziying, Lanning
no longer hesitated and told Ning Xueyan everything she knew. So the
two talked for a while. Seeing that Ning Xueyan had to rest, Lanning
blew out the candle, went to the outside room, and was about to sleep.

Bright Frost Garden was quiet all night.

But Madam Ling’s Auspicious Clouds Courtyard wasn’t quiet at all.

Ning Zu’an was in a rage there.

How could Ning Zu’an not be angry at such a scandal caused by his
favored daughter? Originally, the marriage between Ning Yuling and the
Third Prince was certain. Unexpectedly, so many things happened during
their trip to Cold Mountain Temple. Furthermore, the daughter, who
Ning Zu’an had always valued, didn’t help him at all, but would instead
bring many things to Commandery Prince Li’s Manor when she got
married.

Madam Ling, sitting to the side, wiped her tears with a handkerchief with
grievance on her face.

“You just know how to cry. Look at your daughters, all of them are
money-losing propositions!” The more Ning Zu’an looked at Madam
Ling, the more angry he became. He felt very upset and threw the cup
out of his hands, which greatly frightened Madam Ling who then
stopped crying.

“Marquis, this matter… isn’t Ling’er’s fault. Who knew that Ning
Xueyan would do such a thing? She knew that Ling’er would marry the
Third Prince. So she wanted to seduce the Third Prince. Of course
Ling’er had to go and see. Ling’er didn’t expect for such a thing to
happen!” Madam Ling said with grievance, her tears falling one by one.
She wiped them with her handkerchief and choked at the same time.

It seemed that she couldn’t breathe because of sadness and grievance.

“She wanted to see? Who is she? What qualifications does she have to
interfere in the affairs of the Third Prince? And why were she and the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li in the same bed together and
caught by others? I would like to know the reason. Tell me! Why?” Ning
Zu’an scolded, pointing at Madam Ling.

“But… didn’t we come to an agreement that Ling’er would marry the

Third Prince? Honored Consort Ya also agreed!” Madam Ling avoided
the question involving the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li,
trying to exonerate Ning Yuling.

“She… she also wishes to marry the Third Prince?” Ning Zu’an was
extremely angry. “She misbehaved and even pledged to marry a libertine
without our permission. She wants to marry the Third Prince? How can
the royal family accept her?”

Ning Zu’an was so angry that his words were very sarcastic. He didn’t
save face for Ning Yuling at all and described her as a prostitute, which
also made Madam Ling flush.

Besides being ashamed and annoyed, Madam Ling hated Ning Xueyan
even more!

How could Madam Ling forget that she planned to send Ning Xueyan’s
portrait to the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li? She believed that
it had to be Ning Xueyan’s plot to replace the painting with Ning
Yuling’s portrait. But Mother Chen’s nephew, Chen Qing, had already
disappeared since that matter happened.
Now Madam Ling couldn’t find anyone to vent her anger on, which
made her even more angry.

“Marquis, since the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li consented

to the marriage, at least you should pretend to be happy,” Madam Ling
ate humble pie and said.

“What’s the meaning of supporting him? He’s a useless libertine. A few

days ago, people saw that he fought with others in the red-light district.”
Ning Zu’an was angry as soon as he thought that the libertine would
become part of his family. And when he saw Madam Ling’s face, he felt
she was a hypocrite and he hated her.

“Marquis… it’s Ning Xueyan’s fault. But for her, how could Ling’er…
My poor Ling’er, you should have been the consort of the prince, but
now…”

Madam Ling sadly cried and put the blame on Ning Xueyan.

“Don’t just blame Yan’er. At least she is the daughter of Madam Ming.
When you married me and had your own children, Madam Ming never
treated your children unfairly. How could you do such a vicious thing to
her child?” Speaking of this matter, Ning Zu’an raged again.

“Marquis, I have nothing to do with that matter. Concubine Ma admitted

that she poisoned Ning Xueyan. I have to manage the whole family
every day, how could I consider everything? People in Bright Frost
Garden seldom obey my rules. So I seldom interfere with their affairs in
case that something bad would happen. Unexpectedly, someone dared to
poison the Fifth Young Lady.”

Madam Ling spoke with grievance, her tears falling again. Her voice was
full of sadness, as if she really couldn’t take care of everyone in the
manor.

“Did I blame you wrongly?” asked Ning Zu’an.

Madam Ling knew where the problem lay, and also knew that Ning
Zu’an wouldn’t punish her. She had prepared well, so she was not
panicked now. She raised her head and looked at Ning Zu’an sincerely.
“Marquis, you are a man. So naturally you don’t know how complex our
lives are. I really want Lord Protector’s Manor to be better. Don’t you
understand my mind? If Concubine Ma weren’t pregnant, she would
have died for the Fifth Young Lady, but… children are innocent,
Marquis!”

This remark was really sincere. It seemed that she really took Lord
Protector’s Manor into consideration. Furthermore, Ning Xueyan looked
to be healthy, so Ning Zu’an felt that Concubine Ma didn’t need to die
for Ning Xueyan. Thinking of this, Ning Zu’an became less angry.

But he still wasn’t happy with what Madam Ling had done. Looking at
Madam Ling, Ning Zu’an said, “No matter what, Yan’er is my daughter.
Now it’s impossible for Ling’er to marry the Third Prince. You’d better
see if Yan’er can marry the Third Prince and be the Consort of the
Prince. After all, she calls you mother. She will certainly thank you when
she achieves a high position. Don’t make trouble anymore!”

Ning Zu’an’s words were stern. Although he didn’t say what Madam
Ling had done, he already knew what she had done and what had
happened in Cold Mountain Temple.

Madam Ling took a look at Ning Zu’an’s face and knew that he was
determined. So she was aware that she couldn’t retort now. She also
knew that he was not concerned about Ning Xueyan. He just wanted to
form an alliance with the Third Prince by the marriage.

Madam Ling smiled coldly, malice flashing in her eyes, but said gently,
“Yes, Marquis. I’ll arrange everything well to satisfy the Third Prince.”

Of course, she would find a “good” husband for Ning Xueyan.

Chapter 77 Ling Yi Will Thank
Mother Chen Again After He
Succeeds in Seducing Ning
Xueyan
Ning Xueyan carefully smeared the medicine powder on the Malus
halliana Koehne petals. The smell of the medicine powder was light, and
it couldn’t be detected when it mixed with the fragrance of the flower.
After smearing it, Ning Xueyan stretched out, washed her hands, and
asked Qingyu to carry the flower back to the flower room.

Ning Xueyan was able to make some medicine powder. Aunt Xiang gave
her some prescriptions, which made her suddenly gain some insights.
Some things that had been incomprehensible became clear at once. With
not much change, the medicine powder made by Ning Xueyan with the
original prescription would become odorless.

“Young Lady, are you going to greet Madam Dowager now?” after
dressing Ning Xueyan up, Lanning asked softly.

In the past, Ning Xueyan didn’t need to greet Madam Dowager every
morning because Madam Dowager didn’t want Ning Xueyan to greet
her. However, Madam Dowager now needed to show her kindness to
Ning Xueyan in front of others because Ning Xueyan might marry the
Third Prince. She didn’t want to be a biased grandmother in other
people’s minds.

“I’ll go after breakfast!” Ning Xueyan nodded.

Qingyu had already prepared breakfast. After taking a small bowl of

porridge, Ning Xueyan went to Auspicious Fortune Hall with Lanning.

When Ning Xueyan arrived at Auspicious Fortune Hall, she found that
Madam Ling was already there. She was busy preparing Madam
Dowager’s breakfast, just like a filial daughter-in-law. Madam Dowager
paid no attention to her and also didn’t ask her to leave. It could be said
that they got along with each other like this all the time. However,
Madam Dowager was more disgusted with Madam Ling today. So she
asked Madam Ling, the hostess of Lord Protector’s Manor, to serve her.

Ning Lingyun, the Fourth Young Lady, was also in the room and was
asked by Madam Dowager to have breakfast with her. Seeing that
Madam Ling was busy, Ning Lingyun felt upset and looked at Madam
Ling from time to time. When she saw Madam Ling’s smiling face, she
was a little relieved and carefully had porridge.

Ning Xueyan entered the room and quickly looked at all the people in
the room. She smiled and saluted Madam Dowager, who was sitting in
the middle seat. “Good morning, grandmother.”

“You’re here. Sit down!” Madam Dowager smiled and waved to Ning
Xueyan, as if she hadn’t proposed to sacrifice Ning Xueyan yesterday.

“Xueyan, you’ve finally come. Just now, Madam Dowager was worried
that you hadn’t arrived because you were feeling unwell again. Now
you’ve come. You look well today.” Madam Ling walked over to Ning
Xueyan with enthusiasm and was about to take Ning Xueyan’s hands.

These people acted well, choosing to forget that they tried to frame Ning
Xueyan yesterday.

Madam Ling’s words sounded pleasant, but they made Ning Xueyan
uncomfortable.

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly, avoided Madam Ling, and sat down beside
Madam Dowager. The maid hurried to take out a pair of chopsticks and
served Ning Xueyan half a bowl of porridge.

“The rice was given to us by His Majesty. There isn’t much in my

Auspicious Fortune Hall. It just so happens that you two are here. Have a
taste,” Madam Dowager gently said.

“Thank you, grandmother.” Ning Xueyan gently thanked her with a

smile on her face.
Ning Xueyan had already eaten breakfast, but since Madam Dowager
invited her to have a taste, she agreed.

“Xueyan, mother was busy cooking porridge for grandmother this

morning. We’re lucky that we can also try some. So we have to thank
mother also,” Ning Lingyun said, flattering Madam Ling.

Hearing Ning Lingyun’s words, Madam Ling, who was being ignored
just now, activated again. She took a look at Ning Lingyun with
satisfaction and said to Ning Xueyan with a smile on her face, “We’re
family, don’t be so polite. As long as you eat happily, I’m also happy,
even if I’m tired.”

This meant that for the sake of Lord Protector’s Manor, she was willing
to work wholeheartedly.

“Mother, thank you for all the hard work. Grandmother, since the Fourth
Sister said so, why not invite mother to sit down and eat with us?” Ning
Xueyan smiled and asked softly.

Ning Xueyan’s words also meant that Madam Dowager had not
considered Madam Ling’s hard work, and therefore, Ning Lingyun had
to speak for Madam Ling.

Hearing that, Madam Dowager hummed and looked at Ning Lingyun

unhappily. “Don’t worry about her. She has already finished her
porridge. We should mind our own business.”

Thinking of the matter that Madam Ling mixed her medicine with other
medicines, Madam Dowager couldn’t be happy.

What happened afterward was more or less related to Madam Ling. Ning
Lingyun dared to want Madam Ling to sit down and have breakfast with
them, which made Madam Dowager unhappy.

Madam Dowager said that in front of so many maids, which made

Madam Ling lose face. But Madam Ling dared not get angry. She could
only smile and pretend that she had not heard. Meanwhile, she also dared
not go near Ning Xueyan.
Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan had already eaten breakfast this
morning, so they only ate half a bowl of porridge with Madam Dowager.
Then they chatted with Madam Dowager for a while and left.

When they went out of the courtyard gate, Ning Lingyun took two steps
forward quickly and walked out before Ning Xueyan. But Ning Xueyan
had already lifted her foot. Because of Ning Lingyun’s sudden advance,
Ning Xueyan almost fell down and Lanning hurried to support her.

“Xueyan, do you want to go to see the Second Sister? I heard that she
was ill since yesterday and can’t get up now.” When they were outside
the courtyard, Ning Lingyun no longer pretended to be fragile and spoke
to Ning Xueyan disdainfully.

She had always looked down upon the cowardly Ning Xueyan and
bullied her along with Ning Yuling.

“Fourth Sister, you go first. I’ll come immediately after I get the gift for
the Second Sister,” Ning Xueyan smiled and gently said.

“The gift? You brought gifts from the remote Cold Mountain Temple?
Xueyan, did someone send them to Cold Mountain Temple specifically?”
Ning Lingyun spoke sarcastically. The meaning of her words could make
people blush. As a Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor, she shouldn’t
speak like that.

Ning Xueyan looked at Ning Lingyun coldly, sneering in her mind. Lord
Protector’s Manor was doomed to collapse. So many Young Ladies
misbehaved. The Eldest Young Lady stole her sister’s fiance and also
killed her sister. The Second Young Lady was vicious and selfish. And
this Fourth Young Lady was arrogant and rude. There was no need for
such a Lord Protector’s Manor to exist.

“It’s some precious face powder that the Eldest Sister gave me before. I
don’t need it now, so I want to bring it to the Second Sister.” After that,
Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes and turned her back to Ning Lingyun.
She turned and walked toward Bright Frost Garden. It was useless to
treat people like Ning Lingyun mildly.

As soon as she heard that Ning Xueyan had precious face powder, Ning
Lingyun also wanted some. She thought for a moment and said to Ning
Xueyan with a big smile, “May I go with you to take a look?”

Sure enough, Ning Lingyun was attracted by the face powder. Ning
Xueyan sneered in her mind, but smiled and nodded. “Of course you can.
I can’t use it now. You can choose two boxes of face powder and take
them away.”

“I really can take away two boxes?” Ning Lingyun was surprised.

“Yes. Fourth Sister, come with me.” Ning Xueyan looked at Ning
Lingyun, who had been attracted, and nodded.

Since Ning Lingyun was attracted by the face powder and also wanted
some, Ning Xueyan could send some to Ning Yuling with the help of
Ning Lingyun. In this way, others wouldn’t suspect Ning Xueyan in the
future.

“Xueyan, let’s take the way that connects to the garden. There are some
new beautiful Malus halliana Koehne there. We can go and see them.”
Seeing that Ning Xueyan heading for the path, Ning Lingyun stopped her
with an expression that she wanted to make friendly contact with Ning
Xueyan. If she could get benefits from Ning Xueyan, Ning Lingyun
didn’t mind treating Ning Xueyan kindly.

If she could help Madam Ling, Ning Lingyun thought it was worthwhile
to invite Ning Xueyan to the garden. As for Ning Xueyan, she didn’t
care at all.

The path led to Bright Frost Garden and it was quicker to go this way.
Besides, the cobblestone path wasn’t worse than the road over there.

“Fourth Sister, we’d better take a shortcut back. We have to visit the
Second Sister later,” Ning Xueyan suggested.

“Take it easy. Anyway, we’ll take gifts with us later. The Second Sister
won’t blame us. Let’s go and see the flowers first. I heard that they’re
very beautiful, but I didn’t have time before. It’s rare that I have time
today. Xueyan, let’s see them, please.”

Ning Lingyun was overly enthusiastic today. Usually, she looked down
upon Ning Xueyan and bullied her when they met. Today, she treated
Ning Xueyan kindly.

“Fine, let’s go.” Ning Xueyan smiled and looked down. She followed
Ning Lingyun and sneered in her mind.

Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun, each with a maid, walked to the garden
one after the other with different intentions. Ning Lingyun did most of
the talking and Ning Xueyan only nodded with a smile from time to
time. They turned the corner of the courtyard and walked to another
garden.

In a concealed place in the garden, a foppish young man in pink clothes

appeared. At first glance, one would know that he was a libertine.

He was Madam Ling’s nephew, Ling Yi. His father was the Vice
Minister of Justice, Ling Nianhua. He was the only son of Ling Nianhua,
so he was spoiled by all his elders and grew up with many sisters. He had
made no academic achievements. He was just a playboy.

He got along very well with the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li
and flirted with women every day.

“Isn’t our Fifth Young Lady beautiful?” Mother Chen, Madam Ling’s
personal servant, appeared silently and said to him while pointing at
Ning Xueyan.

Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan stood together in the garden. Although
Ning Lingyun was beautiful, she was still inferior to Ning Xueyan. So
Ling Yi couldn’t help staring at Ning Xueyan.

At first, Ling Yi didn’t pay much attention to Ning Xueyan and thought
that she was just a little girl. Compared with the plump Ning Lingyun,
Ning Xueyan was inferior. But when he looked at her carefully, he was
stunned. Although Ning Xueyan was emaciated, she was delicate and
touching.

Unexpectedly, there was such a beautiful woman in Lord Protector’s

Manor! Ling Yi couldn’t move his gaze and didn’t want to leave.

Seeing his expression, Mother Chen smiled proudly. She pulled Ling
Yi’s sleeve to bring him to his senses. “Isn’t she a beauty?”
“Yes. Yes! Unexpectedly, she is the most beautiful one in Lord
Protector’s Manor.” Ling Yi was obsessed, looking at Ning Xueyan’s
backside lustfully. He felt that the beauty in front of him was the most
beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life.

Ling Yi had seen many beautiful women, but he had never seen such a
beautiful woman. This beauty looked so tender, but her gaze was cold
and indifferent. Such a beauty gave people different feelings. How could
Ling Yi not be attracted by her?

“Childe, do you want to seduce the Fifth Young Lady?” Mother Chen
suddenly went up close to Ling Yi and asked him in a low voice.

Ling Yi was frightened at first, but immediately after he was overjoyed.

“Mother Chen, do you have an idea?”

After that, he took some money out from his sleeve and handed it over.
“After it’s successful, I’ll thank you again!”
Chapter 78 The Impolite Visitor
Hearing what Ling Yi said, Mother Chen smiled happily. She took the
money that Ling Yi handed her and nodded vigorously. “Yes. Childe
Ling, you may rest assured. I promise your wish will come true.”

Of course Mother Chen was happy. She not only completed what the
First Madam had ordered, but also received a reward. Looking in the
direction Ning Xueyan was leaving, Mother Chen praised the First
Madam’s wonderful foresight in her mind. Unlike the Second Young
Lady, Ning Xueyan would not be protected by anyone if a scandal
happened to her. At that time, she only would become someone’s
concubine.

Furthermore, the Hostess of Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor was not

kind-hearted. Any woman who Ling Yi did not like anymore would be
beaten to death or sold to the red-light district by the hostess.

Thinking of this, Mother Chen felt proud inwardly and quietly left to
arrange the next matter.

Ning Xueyan walked around the garden with Ning Lingyun for a while
and then went to Bright Frost Garden.

Whey they arrived at Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan took out the
face powders that Ning Ziyan gave her and opened them one by one. All
of them were precious, some in light colors and some in dark colors. As
soon as they were opened, a faint fragrance could be smelled. At first
glance, one could know that they all were treasures.

Ning Lingyun was just a concubine’s daughter. Madam Ling was mean
to those children that she did not give birth to. So they did not have
enough pocket money every month. After buying daily necessities and
rewarding servants, Ning Lingyun could not afford to buy such a high-
quality powder. So when she saw those good face powders, she wanted
them all, the greed showing in her eyes. She stretched out her fingers and
tried them on the back of her hand.
At the same time, she said, “These face powders look beautiful, but the
color isn’t bright enough. The Second Sister might not like them.”

Everyone in Lord Protector’s Manor knew that Ning Yuling liked bright
colors. Her clothes were gorgeous with exquisite decorations.

Qingyu, standing beside them, looked at Ning Lingyun and complained

in her mind. “Aren’t the colors bright?”

Ning Xueyan chuckled and said casually, “They are not bright enough,
but there’s nothing that I can give to the Second Sister now. Fourth
Sister, we’ll just choose two boxes for her, and you can take the rest if
you like.”

This suggestion satisfied Ning Lingyun. She liked them all and wanted to
take all of them, so she deliberately slighted them and said that they were
not very good. When Ning Xueyan said she could take the rest, Ning
Lingyuan immediately agreed and began to choose happily.

But these face powders were so excellent, and the colors and fragrances
were all different. So it was difficult for Ning Lingyun to choose. She
felt that these face powders were better than any she had seen before.

“If only I could take them all away,” Ning Lingyun thought in her mind.

When Ning Lingyun was selecting, Lanning came in a hurry, pale and
panicked. “Young Lady, a maid in the courtyard fainted.”

“What’s the matter?” Ning Xueyan seemed to be frightened as she turned

around and asked urgently.

“I don’t know. That maid suddenly fainted and fell to the ground. Just
now I asked people to take her to her room to rest. Young Lady, would
you like to ask the doctor to see her?”

“There’s no need to call a doctor. A maid merely fainted. I thought

something big had happened. Xueyan, it’s not important. Don’t bother
mother. I heard that the Second Sister is sick now, so how can we ask a
doctor to take a look at a maid?” Ning Lingyun sneered and said with a
strange smile.
“Yes, we can’t disturb mother. She has a lot to do every day. I’ll go take
a look.” Ning Xueyan nodded and was going to leave to see the maid.

Ning Xueyan went to the door and suddenly stopped as if thinking of

something and said to Ning Lingyun with embarrassment, “Fourth Sister,
I can’t visit the Second Sister now. When you go see her, can you bring
my gifts to her and tell her that I’m busy now and will visit her later?”

In Ning Lingyun’s mind, Ning Xueyan was afraid of being scolded by

Ning Yuling so she sent her gifts first to please her!

Ning Lingyun nodded disdainfully with ridicule on her face. She looked
down on Ning Xueyan more in her mind. It was said that Ning Xueyan
had changed. But now, Ning Lingyun thought she was as cowardly as
before and believed that she would surely be much stronger than Ning
Xueyan if she had been born by the Legal Wife.

Ning Lingyun replied while quickly packing up all the face powders on
the table, “You can rest assured. I’ll explain it to the Second Sister.”

Since it was Ning Lingyun who would take the face powders to Ning
Yuling, she would choose the best ones for herself. Ning Lingyun
thought she just needed to take one to Ning Yuling. Anyway, no matter
how much face powder Ning Xueyan sent, Ning Yuling would not spare
her. So Ning Lingyun felt at ease when she took all the face powders.

Looking at Ning Lingyun taking away all the face powders and leaving
with her maid, Ning Xueyan smiled coldly, standing at the door. When
Ning Lingyun could no longer be seen, Ning Xueyan returned to the
room and sat down.

“Young Lady, I just went to inquire about something for you. Today, the
madam and Childe Ling Yi of the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor
came. The madam talked with the First Madam in the First Madam’s
place. But Childe Ling Yi was also in the garden just now. I’m not sure
whether he saw you or not… However, when I left the garden, I saw
Mother Chen and Childe Ling Yi walking together, talking and
laughing.”

After that, Lanning added another sentence.

When they went to the garden, Ning Xueyan asked Lanning to inquire
about it. Sure enough, some abnormalities were found.

This was not the first time that Ling Yi had come to Lord Protector’s
Manor, so he didn’t need to be accompanied by Madam Ling’s
henchman, Mother Chen. It was clear that they were plotting something.
Ning Lingyun intentionally said she wanted to see the flowers, so they
went to the garden. Although Ning Xueyan said she didn’t want to see
flowers in the end, Ning Lingyun said nothing.

It seemed that Ning Lingyun just wanted her to go into the garden!

The garden was the same as usual. The only difference was that Ling Yi,
the libertine, was there!

After thinking it over carefully, Ning Xueyan understood Madam Ling’s

plot. Ning Lingyun was indeed Madam Ling’s lackey. Since they liked
scheming, Ning Xueyan would beat them at their own game.

Ning Xueyan was worried that there would be no opportunity to drag the
Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor into the mire. But now, the opportunity
arrived!

There were two reasons why Madam Ling could be so powerful in Lord
Protector’s Manor. One was that she had an outstanding son, who was
the only son of Ning Zu’an. The other was that she came from the Vice
Minister of Justice’s Manor. Her brother, the Vice Minister of Justice,
had real power in the court.

So it was not easy to overthrow Madam Ling. However, if one of her

props were to collapse…

“Young Lady.” Seeing Ning Xueyan’s indifferent and cold expression,

Qingyu called her feeling scared and uneasy.

“Qingyu, where’s the maid who fainted?” Ning Xueyan suddenly asked.

“She just felt dizzy in the morning. It wasn’t serious. I asked her and she
said that she’s anemic and it’s an old problem. I let her rest in the room.”
Ning Xueyan had already known about this matter before she went to
greet Madam Dowager this morning.
“She’s a newcomer. When Mother Han chose the maids before, the
manager deliberately left out that she’s anemic. So she was chosen by
Mother Han and came to Bright Frost Garden,” Qingyu indignantly said.
There were fewer people in Bright Frost Garden than in other places.
Now the newcomer was sickly. It was clear that those people were
bullying them.

“Investigate that maid for me. You can chat with her when you have
time. If she happens to be sick, you can go to visit her.” Ning Xueyan
suddenly smiled.

In a word, this maid came to Bright Frost Garden by an improper

method. At that time, Madam Dowager was thoroughly investigating
Bright Frost Garden. Madam Ling was injured and had no time to care
about other things. So it wasn’t Madam Ling who sent the maid to Bright
Frost Garden on purpose.

“Yes, we’ll go to see her later.” Lanning and Qingyu understood Ning
Xueyan’s meaning and nodded.

“You go first.” Suddenly, a cold chuckle sounded in Ning Xueyan’s ears.

It was not loud, but it could be heard by Ning Xueyan clearly. Ning
Xueyan was stunned, and then she calmly asked Lanning and Qingyu to
leave first.

Lanning and Qingyu didn’t understand why Ning Xueyan suddenly

asked them to leave, they just looked at each other doubtfully and then
left. Lanning walked behind Qingyu and deliberately closed the door for
Ning Xueyan.

“Your maid is smart.” When the door was closed, a pleasant but cold
sound came from behind her.

Ning Xueyan sighed. She knew that Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi, had appeared
when she heard his chuckle just now. Ning Xueyan didn’t know why he
quietly appeared here at this time, but that cold voice made her know
clearly that it was Prince Yi.

Ning Xueyan calmed down and then turned her head. Although she had
prepared well, she still couldn’t help but be stunned when she saw Prince
Yi.
Today, Ao Chenyi was obviously different from before. He wore
ordinary black clothes instead of a luxurious black robe. There were no
bodyguards or eunuchs following him, but he still gave people a sense of
a strong and powerful momentum.

Ning Xueyan had to admit that some people were born kings, such as Ao
Chenyi.

Ao Chenyi leaned lazily on her bed. The book she had just read and had
leisurely thrown aside was now in his hands. He coldly looked at Ning
Xueyan, which gave her the feeling of being stared at by a poisonous
snake.

There was no doubt that Prince Yi was handsome and beautiful. But he
also was cold and merciless. Although he wore ordinary clothes now, he
still made people feel scared.

“You’re surprised to see me here?” seeing Ning Xueyan staring at him,

Ao Chenyi asked.

Ning Xueyan calmed down and answered softly, “Prince Yi, why are you
here at this time?”

“I can’t be here?” Ao Chenyi elegantly waved to Ning Xueyan and then

pointed to the teapot on the table. It was clear that he wanted Ning
Xueyan to serve him tea. He regarded himself as a master of this place.

Seeing his gestures, Ning Xueyan smiled, went over, and naturally lifted
the teapot. When she was about to pour tea, she found that there was
only one cup on the table. So she turned wanting to fetch another cup
from the outside room.

Ning Xueyan directly ignored his counter-question.

As Prince Yi, he had come to Lord Protector’s Manor with such clothes.
Obviously, he had sneaked in and come to the place of the womenfolk.
Was it really proper?

Ning Xueyan really wanted to tell him that if he were to be discovered,

his reputation would be ruined.
Chapter 79 The Sudden Search
Frightens Ning Xueyan
Of course, Ning Xueyan also knew that Prince Yi had never been
reasonable.

“Just this one.” Seeing Ning Xueyan going out, Ao Chenyi hummed
softly and knocked on the tea table while speaking.

“Your Highness, I’ve used it!” Ning Xueyan was speechless. She turned
around and spoke with a very sincere attitude.

“I don’t care!” Ao Chenyi said lazily. Looking at her delicate face and
slightly depressed look, Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes slightly and felt
somewhat comfortable, his depression fading away.

“But I care!” It was a pity that Ning Xueyan could only say that in her
mind. Ao Chenyi would not listen to her words.

Being stared at by him, Ning Xueyan could not say “no”.

After pausing, Ning Xueyan turned, went over to the table, and poured
some water into the cup. Then, she put down the teapot, pushed the tea to
Ao Chenyi, and watched him stretch out his slender hand with elegance
and laziness as he picked up the cup, drank the tea, and laid down the
cup leisurely.

Suddenly, there was the sound of quick footsteps outside the door,
followed by Lanning’s voice. “Young Lady, Young Lady!”

“What’s going on?” Ning Xueyan asked calmly.

“Madam Dowager’s several stewardesses, together with some guards,

are coming in at the door. They said they are looking for a burglar.
Young Lady, do you need to prepare for it?” Lanning asked carefully

Lanning was clever. Only when Ning Xueyan suddenly let them go out
did Lanning know something was bound to happen. So as soon as she
found the stewardesses coming, she left Qingyu there to deal with them
and returned to report it to Ning Xueyan immediately.

“They are looking for a burglar?” Ning Xueyan looked back, her gaze
falling on Ao Chenyi.

“They’re looking for me? Or I’ll go out to meet them now!” Prince Yi
seemed to be in a good mood and asked lazily while raising his
eyebrows.

“You wanna go out now? What a shameless thing to say!” Ning Xueyan
thought in her mind while gritting her teeth. He could leave Ning
Xueyan’s room naturally and confidently, but Ning Xueyan’s reputation
would be ruined after that!

“Lanning, will they check every room?” Ning Xueyan asked Lanning
calmly.

“Yes, they said that it was Madam Dowager’s order. All of us, including
the Young Ladies, must be checked because it’s of great importance.
They’re afraid that the thief is hiding in the house now and will leave at
night,” Lanning answered. Although she had just come in a hurry, she
still heard what the stewardesses had said to Qingyu.

“Prince Yi, can you go back first?” Ning Xueyan felt embarrassed while
looking at Ao Chenyi, who still was lying on Ning Xueyan’s bed.

“I can’t go out now. What if someone comes in and finds me lying on

your bed?” Ao Chenyi said with interest in his eyes, which had always
been cold. It seemed that he was very willing to give it a try here.

“In order to please Honored Consort Ya and the Third Prince, Ning
Zu’an and Madam Dowager might murder me under the pretext of some
special reasons,” Ning Xueyan thought.

If Ao Chenyi was not strong enough to kill her at will, Ning Xueyan
would like to kick him out directly. She raised her bright watery eyes,
just looking into Ao Chenyi’s cold eyes.

It seemed like it had been a long time. Ning Xueyan stepped forward,
pushed Ao Chenyi onto the bed, and wrapped him up in the quilt. Then
she put down the bed-curtain. After that, she went to the dressing table
and pulled out the hairpin on her head at random, her dark hair scattering
in an instant.

At this time, Ning Xueyan could not hesitate. Since she could not reason
with Ao Chenyi, she could only save herself.

“Lanning, go back and tell those stewardesses that I’ve been in

discomfort since I got back from Madam Dowager’s place and I’m
resting in bed. Tell them that they can come in, but the guards are not
allowed to come in. Otherwise, I’ll commit suicide if my reputation is
ruined. At that time, they’ll also get into trouble.”

After doing all that, Ning Xueyan resolutely got into bed. After thinking
for a moment, she took off her coat and threw it on the screen, then she
sat down on the bed and lay down.

No matter what Ao Chenyi did in Lord Protector’s Manor, he could not

be found here at this time. Otherwise, Ning Xueyan’s reputation would
be completely destroyed.

The reason Ning Xueyan ordered Lanning like that was that she wanted
the stewardesses to understand that if something happened here, they
would never be able to bear it. What happened to Ning Xueyan before
made the people in the manor realize that Ning Xueyan was not the weak
and cowardly Fifth Young Lady.

Of course, the deeper reason was that she wanted to stop those guards
from entering her room. Compared with the stewardesses, these guards
were the most likely people to find Ao Chenyi.

“Yes, I know. I’ll go right there.” Lanning was a clever maid. She
immediately understood the meaning of Ning Xueyan’s words. She
turned and walked toward the stewardesses, who were coming over.

As soon as she lay down, Ning Xueyan found herself wrapped around
her waist. Then she heard a cold voice say with a smile, “Yan’er, I’m
sleeping with you in my arms.”

Ning Xueyan could not help but flush and she took a deep breath to
suppress her anger. Suddenly, she smelled a faint fishy smell. After
thinking for a moment, Ning Xueyan understood. She suddenly turned
around and asked, “You’re injured?”

“Yes, but it’s not serious!” Ao Chenyi raised his head and smiled
unconcernedly. Looking at the girl’s cold and angry face, he chuckled in
a good mood, as if he did not know he was in danger at all.

Outside the door came footsteps and the voices of Lanning and Qingyu,
who were talking about something with two older female servants. From
the voices, Ning Xueyan knew that the two older female servants wanted
to break in with the guards, but were being stopped by the two maids. It
seemed that the people of Madam Dowager’s courtyard still did not take
Ning Xueyan seriously. Of course, Ning Xueyan also was sure that they
would not dare to break in with the guards.

Ning Xueyan glanced over at the embroidering area. Occasionally, she

would embroider some patterns. Now, her unfinished embroidery was
over there. Aside from that, there were needles and scissors. Judging by
the voices outside the door, it seemed that they had made a deal at this
time. The sound of footsteps was getting closer and closer, they had
arrived at the outside room.

Ning Xueyan took a look at the teacup on the table beside the bed, and
then another look at the scissors. She had an idea in mind. She pushed
Ao Chenyi to the inside and covered his face with the quilt. “Prince Yi,
don’t make a sound, unless you’re not afraid of the emperor’s suspicion.”

Ning Xueyan did not care what Ao Chenyi had come here for, but it had
to be of great concern; otherwise, Ao Chenyi would not have come in
person. Ning Xueyan could not guess what was in Lord Protector’s
Manor that was worth Ao Chenyi coming for. But she knew that if he
were to be discovered, he would get into trouble, even though he was
Prince Yi.

Even if he could say that he went to Lord Protector’s Manor to privately

meet with Ning Xueyan, it still would inevitably arouse the suspicion of
the emperor and even spoil his great affairs, which was the reason why
he was hiding here. He could not be discovered by anyone.

If the private meeting with Ning Xueyan would not attract anyone’s
attention, Ao Chenyi would certainly not hesitate to explain to others that
he had come here to privately meet with Ning Xueyan. As for Ning
Xueyan’s reputation, he did not care at all.

Ao Chenyi did not expect that Ning Xueyan would dare to press his head
under the quilt or would not care that he was the powerful Prince Yi.
Therefore, he did not stop Ning Xueyan due to his sudden astonishment.
Although he still had his arms tightly wrapped around her waist, he did
not move anymore. Under the quilt, Ao Chenyi slightly narrowed his
eyes, which were full of interest.

Ning Xueyan resolutely picked up the scissors. When she retracted her
hands, she knocked over the teacup, which fell to the ground, making a
breaking sound. Then there was Ning Xueyan’s cry of pain.

Lanning and Qingyu, who had just arrived at the door, suddenly changed
their faces and rushed in when they heard the sound. The two older
female servants who followed them were also worried and hurried to
come in after Lanning and Qingyu. The two older female servants had
confronted Lanning and Qingyu outside the room just now, trying to
come in with the guards for inspection, but they dared not ask the guards
to come in the end.

If something really happened to the Fifth Young Lady, they would die
before they realized it.

In the room, the teacup was broken and the tea was splashed around.
Ning Xueyan was sitting on the bed with her long hair scattered, holding
the scissors tightly and staring coldly at the two stewardesses, who had
just come to the door. Due to her excitement, her hands were punctured
by the scissors with blood dripping down.

“Young Lady, Young Lady, what’s… what’s wrong with you?” Lanning
and Qingyu were shocked. They reached out their hands, wanting to grab
the scissors. But they were afraid they would hurt her, so they dared not
fully exert themselves.

“Didn’t you say that the guards must come in for inspection? Is it really
grandmother’s order? Or do you intentionally want to pick fault with me
and want to force me to die?” Ning Xueyan stared at the two
stewardesses coldly, gritting her teeth. Obviously, she was very angry.
She held the scissors firmly and refused to let go, despite how the two
maids grabbed and persuaded.

“Fifth Young Lady… Fifth Young Lady, it’s not true. We, we didn’t ask
them to come in. They… they’re all outside.” The two older female
servants did not expect Ning Xueyan to react so violently. They were so
frightened that sweat broke out on their foreheads and they shook their
hands vigorously.

The Fifth Young Lady was so excited that anything could happen. At that
time, neither of them could bear the responsibility. Now the two older
servants felt it was lucky that they had listened to the words of Lanning
and Qingyu and did not ask the guards to break in. Otherwise, it was
highly possible that the Fifth Young Lady would directly hurt herself
with the scissors before talking to them.

It was said that a thief had entered the manor, so the stewardesses only
needed to check the manor according to the rules. Whether the thief
could be found or not had nothing to do with them.

“Young Lady, they didn’t come in. The guards are all waiting outside.
You may rest assured. Be careful, don’t hurt yourself. If you hurt
yourself, we won’t want to live.” Lanning went to snatch the scissors in
Ning Xueyan’s hands while screaming out. Her words made the two
older female servants feel more frightened and sweat even more.

They regretted accepting this task and coming here. And they also
regretted accepting the suggestion of Madam Dowager’s servants to
check the Young Lady’s room with the guards. Madam Dowager had
asked them to check by themselves so as not to destroy Young Lady’s
reputation. Had they known that the Fifth Young Lady was so fierce,
they would not have dared to let the guards search her room.
Chapter 80 A Letter from Ning
Yuling
“Young Lady, Young Lady, we wouldn’t dare! No guards came in.
They’re all outside.” An older female servant hurried to say, even
wanting to swear that they had not asked the guards to come in.

“Did they really not come in?” Ning Xueyan seemed to relax, but she
still looked out and asked incredulously.

“Yes, yes, they really didn’t come in. Fifth Young Lady, your hands have
been injured by the scissors. They need to be treated first.” Seeing that
the situation had eased, the older female servant nodded her head
vigorously to show her sincerity.

On hearing that there was no guard coming in, Ning Xueyan relaxed her
hold and the scissors were carefully taken away from her by Qingyu. On
the other side, Lanning was finding supplies and medicine to cure Ning
Xueyan’s hands. There was a faint bloody smell in the room.

“Since you want to search the room, just hurry up. Our Young Lady’s
hands are injured. I’ll go ask for some medicine from Madam Dowager
if I can’t find any here.” Lanning did not find the medicine right away
and spoke impatiently when she saw the two older female servants
standing still.

It seemed that Lanning would report what happened here to Madam

Dowager. The two older female servants looked at each other, shivering.

“You’d better hurry up. Don’t let our Young Lady wait here, or someone
else will think that there really are thieves here,” Qingyu pointed at the
furniture in the room and said unhappily.

Ning Xueyan’s bedroom was very simple. There was a big bed that was
blocked by a bed curtain. It seemed that Ning Xueyan was taking a rest
just now. When she heard the quarrel between the two older female
servants and her two maids outside the room, she got angry and pierced
herself with the scissors to prove her innocence. And that cup was
knocked down when she took the scissors with excitement.

In front of the bed was a screen on which Ning Xueyan’s clothes were
hung. There was a table near the head of the bed, a soft couch in front of
the window, and a table beside the couch. Besides that, there was nothing
else. From the position of the two older female servants, they could see
that there was no place to hide anyone, except for behind or underneath
the big bed.

“Lanning, show them behind and underneath the bed,” Ning Xueyan
looked at the two older female servants and said indifferently with a pale
face.

“Yes. Come with me. From here you can see if there is anyone behind or
under the bed.” Hearing Ning Xueyan’s order, Lanning pointed to a place
in the room and spoke to the two older female servants.

The two older female servants looked at each other. They had thought
that they had to search carefully since they had come. But after seeing
what the Fifth Young Lady had done, how did they dare to search the
room now? So they quickly took a look behind and under the bed. After
finding nothing, they retreated while apologizing.

On behalf of Ning Xueyan, Qingyu sent the two older female servants to
the gate of Bright Frost Garden and returned after they left. When she
arrived at the door of Ning Xueyan’s bedroom, she saw Lanning coming
out. So she walked over to Lanning quickly and wanted to ask
something, but was stopped by Lanning.

“Let the Young Lady rest for a while. I’ll guard here. You go ask Mother
Han if she has the medicine for the injury.”

“Fine. I’ll go now.” “Isn’t the medicine in the Young Lady’s room? Why
do I have to go to Mother Han’s?” Although Qingyu did not understand,
she also knew that it had to be Ning Xueyan’s order. So she agreed and
went to Mother Han’s room.

Inside the room, Ning Xueyan was struggling to get the medicine that
Lanning had found and put on the table. The wounds on her hands were
not serious. The scissors had cut the skin between her thumb and index
finger. It seemed to be serious, but in fact, it was not. It was only very
painful. The reason why she had cut her hands was to cover up the
bloody smell caused by Ao Chenyi’s wounds.

Although the two older female servants were not as vigilant as those
guards, they had to be shrewd since they could lead the guards to search
the manor. As long as a bloody smell was found here, it would be hard to
avoid causing other troubles. So Ning Xueyan hurt herself to stop the
bloody smell from being discovered. Under the circumstances, the two
older female servants would not dare tell others even if there really was
something wrong.

If Ning Xueyan had not shocked the two older female servants by
hurting herself, they would have searched her bed. Ao Chenyi was thin,
but he, a man, would inevitably be seen as long as someone got closer to
the bed. So Ning Xueyan made a split-second decision. Using this
method, she made the two older female servants dare not search the
room carefully or tell others.

“You are so cruel to yourself. Is the arm injury all right?” Ao Chenyi got
out from under the quilt and let go of Ning Xueyan’s waist, but he
stretched out one hand and put it on Ning Xueyan’s shoulder naturally.
He glanced at Ning Xueyan, smiled in a low voice, and asked her.

“The arm wound?” Ning Xueyan was a little stunned. She turned her
head and looked into Ao Chenyi’s cold but smiling eyes. Then she turned
her head back and looked at Ao Chenyi’s hand on her shoulder. Now
Ning Xueyan could clearly see a dark and wet place on his arm, while a
bloody smell rushed into her nose.

“Prince Yi, doesn’t it hurt?” Ning Xueyan looked up and asked.

“Why don’t you check it for me?” Ao Chenyi smiled and said naturally,
as if this was what Ning Xueyan was supposed to do.

“Well, put your hand down,” Ning Xueyan took a look at his hand and
said. The smell of blood was very strong, so his injury had to be serious.
Ning Xueyan stretched out her hands and pulled his hand off her
shoulder. Then she took the scissors and cut his black cuffs and sleeves
to reveal his wounds inside.
The wound was really serious, which could not be seen from the outside.
It seemed that his arm had been penetrated by something. But now, that
thing was no longer there, leaving a semi-coagulated wound.

If she had not seen the wound, Ning Xueyan could not have known how
badly he was hurt. She looked up at Ao Chenyi, who was still as
lethargic as usual. When Ning Xueyan accidentally touched the wound
on his arm, he still remained lethargic, as if he was not in great pain. He
was a tolerant man.

Ning Xueyan frowned and no longer said anything. She carefully

cleaned his wound and sprinkled medicinal powders on it. When there
was no bloodstain around the wound, she picked up the handkerchief
from before and wrapped the wound carefully for him.

Ao Chenyi said nothing, which was rare. He looked at his wound for a
while and finally laid his gaze on Ning Xueyan.

Her facial features were delicate. Only her profile made people feel she
was beautiful. Because she was pale and young, no one would think she
was beautiful at first glance. But after carefully looking, one would find
that she was very charming. But her indifference made people dare not
get close to her.

But that feeling would disappear when one discovered her charm. Her
indifference and charm, two totally different temperaments, combined
together, attracting everyone’s attention.

This ferocious wildcat-like woman was really different from other

women.

Ning Xueyan did not care about Prince Yi’s scrutiny, but just carefully
bandaged Ao Chenyi’s wound. After finishing, she raised her head and
said, “Now your wound has been treated, can you leave now?”

“What if I don’t go?” Ao Chenyi could not help laughing as he looked at

her.

It seemed like Ning Xueyan had pressed on his arm wound

unintentionally. As expected, Ao Chenyi’s face turned pale and his gaze
became cold and bloodthirsty at once.
“Prince Yi, this is Lord Protector’s Manor. The marquis is absent right
now. But when he comes back and searches the manor by himself, I can’t
protect you at that time,” Ning Xueyan smiled and said softly.

“You dare to threaten me.” Ao Chenyi’s tone was extremely cold and it
could make people feel scared.

“I would not dare! I just believe that you don’t want what I said to be
true!” Ning Xueyan did not look at Ao Chenyi’s face. She pushed his
hands away, got out of bed, put on her coat naturally, and then walked
out of the bedroom.

As soon as Ning Xueyan reached the next room, she heard Lanning
knocking at the door. “Young Lady, someone is here with a letter. Do you
want to see her?”

“Bring me the letter.” Ning Xueyan sat down as she answered. Hearing
Ning Xueyan’s reply, Lanning left to convey Ning Xueyan’s meaning.
After a while, Qingyu arrived with a maid.

The snow-white letter was in a pink envelope. Ning Xueyan narrowed

her eyes when she saw the letter. But she still smiled with coldness in her
eyes. She held the letter in her hands but did not open it, asking the maid
who had sent the letter. “Where is this letter from?”

“I encountered a maid of the Second Young Lady. This is from the

Second Young Lady,” the maid, who was very young, answered
respectfully.

“Is the Second Young Lady still sick and lying in bed?” Ning Xueyan
asked calmly.

“That maid said yes. She also said that you need to go see her, and if you
don’t visit the sick the Second Young Lady, she will be very angry
because you ignore your sisterhood,” the maid replied naturally.

“I see, you may leave!” Ning Xueyan paused for a moment then waved
her hands.

Qingyu looked at Ning Xueyan’s slightly cold look and anxiously said,
“Young Lady, what does the Second Young Lady want to do?”
Ning Xueyan opened the note in her hands, on which there only were
just a few words: “Come on! It’s urgent!”

The words on the note totally showed Ning Yuling’s insolence. It looked
like Ning Yuling was displeased with Ning Xueyan’s absence and had
gotten angry. So she wanted Ning Xueyan to go to her place so she could
humiliate her, which always happened in the past.

“You met the Second Young Lady’s maid at the gate of the courtyard?”
Ning Xueyan put away the note and asked faintly.

“Yes. When I was about to go out, I saw the maid coming over. She
asked me to give this letter to you. She also said that you should hurry up
and not let the Second Young Lady wait too long, otherwise she’ll lose
her temper again,” the maid answered after thinking for a moment.

It would take at least one hour to get to Ning Yuling’s courtyard from
Ning Xueyan’s courtyard. Ning Lingyun just left. So it was impossible
that she had arrived at Ning Yuling’s courtyard.

If Ning Lingyun had not said that, Ning Xueyan would not have known
that Ning Yuling was sick. But the maid who sent the letter was sure that
Ning Xueyan had known Ning Yuling was sick and did not explain it at
all.

Furthermore, this letter was not an ordinary note. It was very popular
among women in the brothel and was not liked by the Young Ladies…

Additionally, why did Ning Yuling call her over?

Ning Xueyan carefully rubbed the paper in her hands. This paper smelled
good and had a different kind of odor than other paper. She smiled and
said to Lanning and Qingyu with sarcasm on her face, “Call more
servants to accompany me. Last time, Madam Dowager said there should
be more trees in my courtyard and asked me to choose them in the
garden when I have time. Today, I happen to have time. Let’s visit the
Second Young Lady together and incidentally choose the trees.”

“Yes!” Seeing that Ning Xueyan was confident, Lanning made a quick
response and went outside to gather some people.
Qingyu was no longer upset. She nodded and asked the little maid to
leave, saying nothing more.

After finishing everything, Ning Xueyan returned to the inner room. As

expected, Ao Chenyi was no longer there and a bottle of medicine was
left on the table…
Chapter 81 Madam, This is Lord
Protector’s Manor
Ling Yi felt restless and walked back and forth in the room, making the
young male servant behind him feel dizzy.

“Childe, don’t worry. The Fifth Young Lady is coming soon. I almost
feel dizzy due to your walking back and forth,” the young male servant
could not help saying.

This was a house facing the water, lying on the way from Bright Frost
Garden to Qingrong Courtyard.

Ning Xueyan would surely pass through this remote place if she came
from Bright Frost Garden. A maid of Ning Yuling was waiting in the
road ahead. When Ning Xueyan arrived, the maid would tell her that
Ning Yuling was here and trick her into coming.

“Go and see if the Fifth Young Lady is here.” On thinking that the beauty
would soon belong to him, Ling Yi was so excited that he could not sit
still.

“Childe, the Fifth Young Lady is coming!” suddenly, the young male
servant shouted excitedly and waved to Ling Yi while peeping through
the door.

Hearing that, Ling Yi quickly went to the door and peeped through it,
immediately fixing his eyes on the woman on the road.

A girl dressed in plain white clothes came into Ling Yi’s view. The
longer he looked, the more beautiful he thought she was. He could not
even look away. From now on, such a beautiful woman would belong to
him, which greatly excited him.

“Childe, we’d better hide first,” the young male servant warned Ling Yi.

Ling Yi was almost dragged behind the screen by the young male
servant.
There was a small side door behind the screen. The young male servant
skillfully went out from the small side door and hid behind it to
eavesdrop.

The door opened. Lanning frowned and asked while looking at the empty
room, “Young Lady, the Second Young Lady had you wait here?”

Ning Xueyan took a look at the room and walked in while Qingyu
guarded by the door vigilantly.

With a few steps, she walked over to the screen, which blocked half of
the layout in the house. It was an ordinary screen. Ning Xueyan pushed it
with her hands and found that it was not heavy.

Ning Xueyan tilted her head and hinted to Lanning. Then the two
forcefully pushed the screen together. The screen fell down, revealing
Ling Yi, who only wore underwear. He was frightened and stepped
backward, leaving the place where he had been hiding.

“Ah, there’s a thief!” Before everyone could see clearly, Lanning

screamed while kicking a chair down on its side, which then hit Ling
Yi’s feet. Ling Yi took two steps askew, fell to the ground, and could not
help letting out a cry of pain.

Ning Xueyan pulled down the curtain and threw it toward Ling Yi while
retreating.

Lanning tucked the letter that she had prepared into Ling Yi’s clothes
before everybody outside came in.

Several older female servants who usually did unskilled work rushed in
when they heard the noise in the house.

“Hurry up, there’s a thief here,” Ning Xueyan said while pointing at Ling
Yi, who was entangled by the curtain and could not get free of it at the
moment. “He dared to try to steal from Lord Protector’s Manor. Beat
him!”

The maids and older female servants did not clearly see what had
happened and only heard the voice of a man. It was a great event for a
male burglar to appear in a courtyard of the womenfolk. So they all
rushed in, afraid of falling behind, and then caught Ling Yi and beat him.

These older female servants and maids were strong. So Ling Yi was
beaten seriously while shouting loudly, “You bitches… stop! I am Childe
Ling Yi.”

The older female servants stopped when they heard Ling Yi’s words and
turned toward Ning Xueyan subconsciously.

“How could Childe Ling Yi dress like this and appear here? Look at
those things, aren’t they the property of Lord Protector’s Manor?” Ning
Xueyan coldly said while pointing at the delicate jewelry box on the
table.

Originally, Ling Yi had intended to tempt Ning Xueyan using that

jewelry box.

But at this time, no one could tell if that jewelry box belonged to the
Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor or Lord Protector’s Manor. Besides, the
Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor used to be a poor family and many
things were taken from Lord Protector’s Manor. An older female servant
even saw a small “Ning” on the jewelry box, so she believed that he was
a thief.

Therefore, she beat Ling Yi even harder at once. Ling Yi was beaten
half-dead and could not even speak a word.

“Stop! He’s Childe Ling Yi!” At first, the young male servant, who had
been squatting by the back door, thought it was nothing serious. Because
he had squatted a little far away, when he heard the sounds, he thought
that they were being caused by Ning Xueyan’s resistance. He tittered
outside the house and believed that the Fifth Young Lady would certainly
give in because his master had some tools they had gotten from the
brothel.

Suddenly, he heard his Childe’s screams and felt that something was
wrong. So he ran to the side door, opened it, and rushed in while
shouting.
He caught those older female servants’ clothes and tried to pull them
away.

In Auspicious Clouds Courtyard—

Madam Ling was talking to her sister-in-law, Madam Qian. Everything

that had happened to Ning Yuling, Madam Ling ascribed it to Ning
Xueyan, making Madam Qian share the same hatred toward Ning
Xueyan. So they were looking for ways to teach Ning Xueyan a lesson.
Madam Qian was giving advice to Madam Ling and repeatedly said that
she would teach Ning Xueyan a lesson when she met her.

Madam Ling was satisfied with Madam Qian’s words and was secretly
happy in her mind.

Madam Ling believed that Madam Qian would certainly deal with Ning
Xueyan after listening to her words.

Suddenly, Honglian rushed in with a pale face. “First Madam,

something… something bad has happened!”

“What happened?” Madam Ling was not in a hurry at all.

Madam Ling thought that Ning Xueyan had been caught having the
affair with Ling Yi. She asked Honglian with a smile on her face because
this matter was part of her plan.

But Madam Qian, sitting at the side, changed her looks.

“It’s Childe Ling Yi… something bad happened to Childe Ling Yi… in
the house over there,” Honglian gasped.

Honglian was in a great panic. The whole matter was arranged by her.
She asked a maid of Ning Yuling to send the letter to Ning Xueyan and
arranged the rest. But now something went wrong. She had a feeling that
the First Madam would seriously punish her.

“What happened to Yi’er?” Madam Qian could not sit still and asked
urgently when she heard that something had happened to her son.

“Childe Ling Yi was resting in the house. Unexpectedly, the Fifth Young
Lady arrived and asked servants to beat him. Now, he’s… he’s…”
“Ning Xueyan gave Ling Yi a beating?” Madam Ling was shocked by
that news and turned pale immediately. She could not help asking,
“Where is Ning Xueyan now?”

“The Fifth Young Lady, together with the maids and older female
servants, is there now, waiting for your arrival…” Honglian was worried
and her forehead was covered in sweat.

Madam Qian had already stood up and rushed out in spite of talking to
Madam Ling.

Madam Ling also looked very unpleasant. Finally, she stamped her feet,
gritted her teeth, closed her fists, and said with a ferocious expression,
“Let’s go and take a look.”

When Madam Ling and Madam Qian arrived, Ning Xueyan was sitting
on a chair in the middle of the room and the half-dead Ling Yi was lying
on the ground.

Hearing the tinkling sound of earrings and bracelets, Ning Xueyan

turned her head and saw Madam Ling coming in with a woman in
similar gorgeous clothes. The woman was not very beautiful, but she
looked fierce. At first glance, one would know that it was difficult to get
along with her.

She rushed over to Ling Yi and hugged him as soon as she saw him lying
on the ground.

“Xueyan, what’s going on?” Madam Ling came in and got angry when
she saw Ning Xueyan leisurely sitting in the chair, her face darkening.
“Come and pay respects to Madam Qian!”

Madam Qian was the wife of the Vice Minister of Justice, but Ning
Xueyan was the daughter of Lord Protector’s Legal Wife. So Madam
Qian’s position was inferior to Ning Xueyan’s.

Madam Ling called her sister-in-law Madam Qian, which meant that she
was the wife of the Vice Minister of Justice. In this way, Ning Xueyan
did not need to pay respects to Madam Qian.
However, Ning Xueyan stood up, stepped back, and saluted Madam Qian
with a smile on her face. “Nice to meet you, Madam Qian.”

Seeing that her son had been beaten half-dead, Madam Qian was very
angry. She stood up and did not return the salute, but snorted and sat
down. Instead of talking to Ning Xueyan, Madam Qian asked Madam
Ling, “Who’s this rude girl?”

Madam Ling smiled and replied, “She has been in Bright Frost Garden
the entire time for so many years and seldom meets outsiders. So her
etiquette has been neglected. Please forgive her, my sister.”

Madam Qian then said with a snort, “No wonder she’s impolite. Fine, I’ll
forgive you.”

Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind and thought that Madam Qian was so
powerful. Madam Qian really took this place as if it were her own place,
the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor, and psyched out Ning Xueyan at
the beginning. In this case, Ning Xueyan decided not to treat her politely
and straightened up.

“Did you ask these people to beat Yi’er?” Madam Qian raised her chin
and asked with disdain.

In recent years, His Majesty paid more and more attention to the Vice
Minister of Justice’s Manor, so Madam Qian became more and more
arrogant. In addition, Ning Xueyan had always been bullied by Madam
Ling and her daughter before. Therefore, Madam Qian looked down on
Ning Xueyan.

“Madam, do you mean him? This is only a thief. I don’t see your son,”
Ning Xueyan answered calmly.

“A thief? He’s the Eldest Childe of the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor.
You dare to insult my son!” Madam Qian was furious. She pounded the
table and spoke aggressively.

“Madam, I really don’t know how this thief is Cousin Ling Yi. Look, the
jewelry box on the table belongs to Lord Protector’s Manor. Why does
Cousin Ling Li have it?”
Ning Xueyan answered in neither a humble nor exalted way while
looking at the jewelry box on the table with sarcasm on her face.

Originally, items like this belonged to Lord Protector’s Manor, but many
of them were transferred to the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor by
Madam Ling. In front of so many people, Ning Xueyan wondered if
Madam Qian and Madam Ling would dare to say that the jewelry box
belonged to the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor.

When Madam Qian saw the jewelry box, her face turned pale at once.
But then she said sharply, “I want to make some decorations according to
your mother’s. This jewelry box is one of them. But you said that this
was stolen by my son. He’s the Eldest Childe of Vice Minister of
Justice’s Manor, does he need to steal these things?”

Madam Qian resorted to sophistry.

There was a small “Ning” on the jewelry box. How dare Madam Qian
say that she made it according to Madam Ling’s jewelry box!

“What’s going on?” Madam Ling turned her fierce gaze from Ning
Xueyan to the maids and older female servants and angrily asked.

Lanning stepped forward and reported, “The Second Young Lady asked
the Fifth Young Lady to come here to meet her. It happened that our
Young Lady wanted to transplant some trees at Bright Frost Garden. So
we came here together. Unexpectedly, we found a person skulking here
as soon as we arrived here…”

“Does Yi’er need to skulk here?” Madam Qian was furious and scolded
Lanning while pointing at her.

“I’m not lying. I wasn’t the only one present at that time. Madam, if you
don’t believe me, you can ask the others.” Lanning had been prepared for
it, so now she answered calmly.

Madam Qian was so angry that she was about to slap Lanning.

Ning Xueyan walked forward and took Madam Qian’s hands. She said
with a cold smile on her face, “Madam, this is Lord Protector’s Manor!”
Chapter 82 Madam Ling and
Madam Qian Act so Well
“So what? Can’t I teach a maid a lesson?” Being offended repeatedly by
Ning Xueyan, Madam Qian was furious. She pulled back her hand and
pounded the table while speaking with great anger.

The maids and older female servants saw she got angry and dared not
raise their heads, trembling with fear.

“Take this bitch away and give her a rough beating.”

Everyone was shocked by Madam Qian’s words. Was she going to beat
Lanning to death?

Seeing Madam Qian’s dominance over Ning Xueyan, Madam Ling

showed a faint smile on her face, but still said, “Sister, forget it. Just flog
her 50 times, or she’ll die…”

Lanning would certainly be disabled after the flogging.

“No way. She spoke without evidence. If she isn’t punished severely,
everybody in Lord Protector’s Manor will do the same as her.” Madam
Qian insisted on severely punishing Lanning.

Madam Ling was seemingly embarrassed but was happy in her mind.
Anyway, she had persuaded Madam Qian. In fact, Madam Qian insisting
on punishing Lanning severely was exactly what Madam Ling had
wanted. That was because Lanning not only was Ning Xueyan’s maid
and helper, but also had been Ning Ziying’s maid. If Lanning was dead,
Ning Xueyan would lose one helper and Ning Ziying’s matter would not
be known to others.

Several older female servants behind Madam Qian came over to grab
Lanning.

Ning Xueyan stood in front of Lanning and stopped those older female
servants while coldly saying, “Madam Qian, this is Lord Protector’s
Manor, not your Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor. You’d better think it
over, or you’ll pay a double penalty.”

Having been disdained by Ning Xueyan, Madam Qian was very angry.
“How impolite you are! You’re as ill-bred as your natural mother. You,
grab that maid. I don’t believe that I can’t punish a maid of Lord
Protector’s Manor today.”

“Madam Qian, I respect you because you’re the sister-in-law of my

Mother, Madam Ling. But how dare you scold the Second Madam of
Lord Protector’s Manor! Are you ill-bred too?” Ning Xueyan asked with
a serious expression.

Ning Xueyan said that Madam Qian was ill-bred in front of so many
servants, which made Madam Qian extremely angry. She could not
control her anger anymore and shouted angrily, “How dare you! You’re
just an uncultured bitch. Your natural mother was a misbehaving woman
and her family is uncultured, so you’re so impolite.”

On hearing that, Madam Ling went into a panic and hurried to stop
Madam Qian. “Sister!”

Unfortunately, it was too late. Then they heard someone angrily say,
“What do you mean that the Ming family had no upbringing? You’re a
butcher’s daughter. Are you well-bred?”

This remark was very harsh. They all turned back to see Madam
Dowager standing at the door with her maids, looking coldly into the
room.

“Grandmother!” Ning Xueyan stepped forward and saluted Madam

Dowager.

Madam Qian came to her senses as soon as she encountered Madam

Dowager. She wanted to explain, but found that she did not know how to
say.

She could only salute her. “Madam Dowager!”

“Madam Qian, I didn’t expect that the Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor would need to be taught a lesson by you. It’s my negligence.”
Madam Dowager, surrounded by the maids and older female servants,
came in and sat down in a chair in the middle of the room. Then she
coldly spoke to Madam Qian. Today, accidents had happened not only in
the place of the menfolk but also in the womenfolk’s, which made
Madam Dowager unhappy.

Madam Qian was born into a humble family, which had been exposed by
Madam Dowager just now. Now she looked pale and realized that she
had gone too far before.

“Mother, it’s the matter of Xueyan and Ling Yi. My sister got angry and
spoke without thinking because she suddenly found that Xueyan was
with Ling Yi. She doesn’t want to discipline the Young Lady for Lord
Protector’s Manor.”

Madam Ling spoke up to break the ice. She knew that what Madam Qian
said had offended Madam Dowager, so she explained to Madam
Dowager, turning aside from the topic under discussion.

She only said that Ning Xueyan was with Ling Yi, as if the two were
caught doing something against the rules.

Madam Dowager narrowed her eyes and asked with displeasure, “Since
things like that happened, why did you argue over it here instead of
figuring it out through investigation?”

“Madam Dowager, we are here to visit my sister-in-law, but now my son

has been beaten half-dead. Madam Dowager, you have to give us a
satisfying explanation,” Madam Qian said with grievance on her face.

“A satisfying explanation?” Madam Dowager frowned.

“Xueyan, look at what you’ve done. I can’t help you now. Bring Childe
Ling Yi’s servant over,” Madam Ling sincerely said, as if she really was
giving thought to Ning Xueyan.

Hearing that, Madam Dowager turned her eyes toward Ning Xueyan,
who stood there with a calm look.

The young male servant soon arrived. He kneeled down and kowtowed
as soon as he saw the crowd in the hall.
“Why is your Childe here?” Madam Dowager asked coldly.

“Our Childe received an invitation from the Fifth Young Lady, so he

came here to wait for her. Unexpectedly, the Fifth Young Lady refuses to
admit it now,” the young male servant answered while pointing at Ning
Xueyan.

“You mean Xueyan asked your Childe to come here?” Madam Ling said,
seeming to have realized it suddenly.

“Yes, Childe Ling Yi had an appointment with the Fifth Young Lady
here. Otherwise, why would he wait here?” the young male servant
answered decisively.

“Mother, what should we do? The… the love between a man and woman
is… is inevitable…” Madam Ling sighed and could not go on. She
turned to Ning Xueyan and said, “Xueyan, if you really like Yi’er, your
father and I will let him marry you. Why did you make so many troubles
and ruin your own reputation? Do you think you can still marry him?”

“We won’t accept such a woman. There’s no way for her to marry my
son. Even though she agrees to be my son’s concubine, we have to think
it over,” Madam Ling raised her head and said with a snort, putting on an
act.

“Sister, please don’t do that. Anyway, Xueyan has always been a Young
Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. If she can’t marry Yi’er and becomes
his cohabiting partner, it will bring shame to Lord Protector’s Manor. For
my sake, please accept her and consent to their marriage.”

Madam Ling pretended to sigh and persuade Madam Qian, as if she

really felt pity for Ning Xueyan and cared about Lord Protector’s Manor.

Madam Qian sneered and said, “She not only misbehaved, but also beat
Yi’er. No one will accept such a woman. Don’t persuade me. I won’t
consent to her marrying my son.”

Madam Qian felt that Lord Protector’s Manor had to beg her to accept
Ning Xueyan now, so of course she would not agree casually.
Madam Ling and Madam Qian spoke one after the other and acted really
well. Ning Xueyan said with a cold smile on her face while looking at
them, “I came here because the Second Sister asked me to come. How
did it become a private meeting between me and Childe Ling Yi? If it
was really a private meeting, why didn’t I come alone?”

“Moreover…” Ning Xueyan paused for a moment and continued,

smiling ironically, “Mother, I have never seen Childe Ling Yi before, this
is the first time. How could I have a love affair with him? Or do you
think that I had a love affair with him years ago?”

In the past years, Ning Xueyan had stayed in Bright Frost Garden all the
time and seldom went out. Her first trip was to Cold Mountain Temple.
Besides that, she only showed up at the funeral of Madam Ming while
Madam Ling was absent and only sent a housekeeper to come. This
really was the first time Ning Xueyan had met Ling Yi.

“Who knows? Maybe you fell in love with Cousin Ling Yi at first sight.
What’s more, if you have never seen Cousin Ling Yi before, why does
his servant know you? Fifth Sister, did you have a love affair with
Cousin Ling Yi in private without mother’s and grandmother’s
knowledge?” said another voice, which came from outside.

It was Ning Yuling in gorgeous clothes. She appeared at the door with
her maids and disdainfully looked at Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes and hid the sneer in them. As Ning
Xueyan expected, Ning Yuling could not help coming. Yesterday, she
was caught having adultery and became a laughing stock. How dare she
show up today!

“Second Sister, are you mad at me because of what happened yesterday?

So you want to damage my reputation today?” Ning Xueyan raised her
eyebrows and calmly asked.

Ning Yuling could not stand Ning Xueyan’s words anymore. But before
she counterattacked, Ning Xueyan added one more sentence, “Or, it was
you who invited him. If not, why did you come so fast?”

“I… why would I ask him over?” Ning Yuling felt guilty from Ning
Xueyan’s questions. She gritted her teeth and stared at Ning Xueyan
angrily.

She originally had come to watch Ning Xueyan be suppressed. But she
did not expect that Ning Xueyan had the gift of gab and would shift the
blame onto her. How could she not be angry?

“I heard that you are extremely dissatisfied with marrying the Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Cousin Ling Yi and you grew up
together, so your relationship is naturally different. This should have
been… normal… But now you’re engaged!”

Ning Xueyan’s words were as sharp as a knife. She stared at Ning

Yuling, who hardly dared to look back. The deep darkness in Ning
Xueyan’s eyes seemed to drag Ning Yuling into hell. Ning Yuling was so
frightened that she stammered, “I… I… I’d never do such a thing!”

Her original intention was to denounce Ning Xueyan. However, she lost
her imposing manner in the face of Ning Xueyan and seemed to be very
guilty. Madam Dowager looked at Ning Yuling with suspicion.

“What you’ve done recently is not what the Second Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor should do. I didn’t know you felt so lonely…” Ning
Xueyan smiled slightly, with an odd expression. Her eyes were full of
mockery, which made the arrogant Ning Yuling extremely angry.

“Ning Xueyan, you’re slinging mud at me!” Ning Yuling roared loudly.

“We’ll soon know if I am slinging mud at you!” Ning Xueyan smiled

slightly and looked at Ling Yi, who had fallen to the ground. At this
time, he leaned weakly in the chair with torn clothes.

A pink envelope peeked out from under his cuff.

“Second Sister, do you dare show us that envelope?” Ning Xueyan raised
her eyebrows and asked Ning Yuling while pointing at the exposed
envelope.
Chapter 83 If She Is Innocent,
Who Is Not?
“Show it to me!” Madam Dowager asked the servants to take the
envelope to her with an unhappy expression before Ning Yuling could
say anything.

Immediately, the note in the envelope was delivered to Madam Dowager

which said: “Come! It’s urgent!” The signature on it said “Ling”. People
who were familiar with Ning Yuling knew that she normally signed
“Ling” to represent herself.

“It was found on Cousin Ling Yi, and the signature is…” Ning Xueyan
smiled and said with a look of deep significance.

On hearing that, Madam Dowager’s expression changed greatly and her

gaze became gloomy.

“You arrived here first. Maybe you put that note on Yi’er. How can it be
evidence?” Madam Ling became flustered, but she still made a good
point.

“Mother, everyone saw that the note was taken from Cousin Ling Yi just
now. What’s more, Cousin Ling Yi wasn’t dead. Wouldn’t he have
stopped someone from putting a note on him?” Ning Xueyan calmly
asked, her expression unchanging.

“Enough! Today, Childe Ling Yi was drunk and took a rest here, but was
mistaken for a burglar by the servants. That’s what happened. Madam
Qian, you can go back and treat your son first. Yuan’er hasn’t been at
home recently. Therefore, there’s no male host in Lord Protector’s Manor
to entertain our guests.”

Madam Dowager spoke coldly while looking at them with a fierce gaze.

In the end, Ning Yuling was involved again. How could Madam
Dowager not get angry by her repeated failure? She even hated Madam
Qian and her son after this matter and wanted them to leave. Domestic
shame should not be made public. Ning Yuling would marry the Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor. If this matter was exposed to
others, her engagement might be cancelled.

Hearing that Madam Dowager drove her away, Madam Qian was
unhappy and disagreed with leaving now. She snorted and wanted to say
something, but was stopped by Madam Ling.

Now Madam Qian also realized that this matter had something to do with
Madam Ling. Seeing that her son had been beaten half-dead, Madam
Qian was also annoyed with Madam Ling. So she directly ignored
Madam Ling and left in a rage with her servants.

Behind her came the voice of Ning Yuling anxiously explaining.

“Grandma, I didn’t do that. You must believe me. How could I like Ling
Yi? He’s a libertine.”

Hearing what Ning Yuling had said, Madam Qian became so angry that
she almost tore up the handkerchief in her hands. Being stared at by
Madam Ling with a fierce and gloomy gaze, the maids and older female
servants bowed their heads one by one.

“Let’s go!” Now Madam Qian hated Ning Yuling as well.

Ning Yuling did not know that her words were heard by Madam Qian
and also provoked her anger. At this time, she arrogantly said while
pointing at Ning Xueyan, “Grandmother, it’s clear that she was caught
having a private meeting with Cousin Ling Yi. But she shifted the blame
onto me.”

Ning Yuling dared to loudly talk about such a big scandal in front of so
many people, making Madam Dowager very angry.

“Mother Qin, have them leave!” Madam Dowager coldly said.

“Yes!” Mother Qin nodded her head in understanding. Then she drove
out all the servants and closed the door, only leaving several henchmen.
“You… kneel down!” Madam Dowager shouted angrily while pounding
the ground with her walking stick.

Ning Yuling had always been spoiled and had never been abused by
Madam Dowager in her life. She was stunned on the spot when Madam
Dowager scolded her and reacted until Madam Ling pushed her down
onto her knees.

“Mother, Ling’er is innocent. She didn’t know about this at all. Someone
deliberately framed her. It was chaotic just now and someone put that
envelope into Ling Yi’s clothes while we were not paying attention.”
Madam Ling stood at one side and pleaded for Ning Yuling while
shooting Ning Yuling a warning glance.

“If she is innocent, who is not?” Madam Dowager angrily said, “I

remember you said this morning that she was ill. Look at her face, does
she look sick? Today I have to teach her a lesson, otherwise others will
really think that there are no rules in Lord Protector’s Manor!”

Ning Yuling could not clearly explain the matter of the note. There was
no evidence to prove that the note was not written by her. Furthermore, it
had her signature on it. Madam Ling also could not explain it for her.
What happened yesterday as well as today made Madam Dowager
unhappy with Madam Ling. She thought that Madam Ling had not taught
Ning Yuling well.

In Madam Dowager’s opinion, how could Madam Ling manage the

whole family well if she could not teach her own daughter well?

“Mother, it’s all my fault, please punish me alone. Ling’er will marry the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Nothing can happen to her.
Xueyan is really not sensible and has caused us so much trouble.”

Realizing that Madam Dowager would punish Ning Yuling, Madam Ling
knelt down and pleaded for her daughter, her voice full of grievance.

She reminded Madam Dowager that Ning Yuling was getting married
soon.

“Xueyan, persuade your grandmother. Do you really want to see Lord

Protector’s Manor lose face because of you?” Madam Ling finished her
words and turned to look at Ning Xueyan fiercely.

Suddenly, there was silence in the room.

Madam Dowager, who was sitting on the chair, took a look at them all
and finally looked at Ning Xueyan. But Ning Xueyan was looking down
with a calm look, which surprised Madam Dowager.

Ning Xueyan was very timid when she was a little girl. Neither Ning
Zu’an nor Madam Dowager liked her. Madam Dowager even thought
she was inferior to a maid and did not want to see her. So she asked Ning
Xueyan not to greet her every morning. In recent years, nobody paid
attention to Bright Frost Garden.

A girl who did not dare to leave Bright Frost Garden for several years
did not attract anyone’s attention.

Unexpectedly, Madam Dowager found that Ning Xueyan was no longer

cowardly when she saw her again. She felt that Ning Xueyan was calm
and graceful and was better than Ning Yuling, who had been carefully
cultivated by her.

Madam Dowager was not sure whether such a granddaughter was good.
At this time, she frowned and waited for Ning Xueyan’s answer.

“Grandmother, please punish me.” Feeling the attention of the public,

Ning Xueyan looked up without hurrying.

“What did you do wrong?” The silence of the room was broken. Madam
Dowager looked thoughtfully at Ning Xueyan.

“If I hadn’t listened to my Second Sister and come here, this would not
have happened, and you would not have gotten angry. It was my fault,”
Ning Xueyan said with gentleness on her face.

What did Ning Xueyan do wrong? Her mistake was to listen to Ning
Yuling and come here, on which everything that followed was based. It
could be said that the cause of this matter was Ning Yuling. In other
words, Ning Yuling had framed Ning Xueyan and deliberately asked her
to come here.
Maybe that note was the evidence of Ning Yuling’s conspiracy with Ling
Yi.

Madam Ling looked terrible and could not say a word!

Ning Yuling was furious. She did not expect Ning Xueyan to have the
gift of gab. Ning Yuling had a very bad life these days because
everything that had happened recently involved her. But she could not
explain it clearly. At this time, she shouted, while staring at Madam
Dowager with anger in her eyes, “Grandmother, you are too biased! She
framed me. Why don’t you punish her?”

After that, she struggled to try and stand up, but two older female
servants immediately came and held her down.

“Take the Second Young Lady to Ancestral Hall. She can’t leave without
my permission.” Madam Dowager was extremely furious. At this point,
Ning Yuling dared to offend Madam Dowager. She was really spoiled at
ordinary times.

“Mother, Commandery Prince Li’s Manor…” Looking at the struggling

Ning Yuling, Madam Ling felt distressed and could not help speaking.

“If they knew what has happened today, there would be no future
marriage,” Madam Dowager said unhappily. And the more she looked at
Madam Ling, the less satisfied she was with her. Ning Yuling was not
well educated by Madam Ling. Fortunately, her grandson was not
brought up by Madam Ling, and otherwise Lord Protector’s Manor
would be screwed up by her.

At Madam Dowager’s command, Mother Qin and several servants took

Ning Yuling to Ancestral Hall.

Madam Dowager talked with Ning Xueyan for a while and then left with
her, leaving Madam Ling kneeling there. As the hostess of Lord
Protector’s Manor, Madam Ling was directly ignored by them and
greatly lost face.

Madam Ling held Mother Chen’s hands and stood up while looking at
Ning Xueyan with a gloomy and fierce gaze.
“First Madam…” Mother Chen called Madam Ling carefully.

All of sudden, Madam Ling fiercely slapped Mother Chen, who then
covered her mouth subconsciously.

“What did you do? I asked you to keep watch here. How did this
happen?” Madam Ling gloomily stared at Mother Chen, who could not
help lowering her head before explaining cautiously, “I… I didn’t know
how this happened either. It was not until Childe Ling Yi told me that
everything was okay that I left. I didn’t expect the Fifth Young Lady to
be so shrewd.”

“Didn’t you know that she’s shrewd?” Madam Ling viciously cursed.

They had planned to frame Ning Xueyan in Cold Mountain Temple, but
in the end, it was Ning Yuling who was involved. Although there was no
evidence that Ning Xueyan did it, Madam Ling believed it had to be
related to Ning Xueyan. Madam Ling intended to figure the whole matter
out, but Mother Chen’s nephew escaped.

“First Madam, it’s… it’s my fault…” Faced with such a gloomy Madam
Ling, Mother Chen had to bow her head and take the responsibility.
“But, First Madam, what about the Second Young Lady? She has never
been punished before. How can she survive? Does Madam Dowager
mean that the Second Young Lady should kneel in Ancestral Hall all the
time…”

Speaking of Ning Yuling, Madam Ling was sad and worried. She loved
her little daughter very much. Ning Yuling was beautiful and
distinguished. She was expected to marry into the royal family and be
the empress in the future. So everyone in Lord Protector’s Manor spoiled
her very much.

But now, she could not marry the Third Prince. Furthermore, she could
marry the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li on the condition that
Ning Zu’an promised he would help the Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li in the future. Even though, the Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li was now the only one Ning Yuling could marry. Thinking of
this, Madam Ling became extremely furious.

She almost vomited blood because of anger.

Her beautiful girl’s bright future was destroyed. How could she be
satisfied?

“How is Concubine Ma?” Madam Ling asked coldly.

“You may rest assured, First Madam. I’ll arrange everything well. Since
Concubine Ma admitted to poisoning the Fifth Young Lady, she can not
get rid of this matter. Now, she and the Fifth Young Lady have become
enemies. What will happen to Concubine Ma next will have nothing to
do with us. She poisoned the Fifth Young Lady, so it’s normal that the
Fifth Young Lady wants revenge.” Mother Chen curried favor with
Madan Ling as she replied.

“Will there be any mistakes this time?” Madam Ling looked at Mother
Chen coldly.

“First Madam, I promise that I won’t make any mistakes this time. No
matter how shrewd the Fifth Young Lady is, she won’t know about
Concubine Ma. You can rest assured,” answered Mother Chen.

“Good. I don’t want things to change again.” After Madam Ling said
that, her expression became fierce and bloodthirsty, as if she were going
to eat somebody. Seeing Madam Ling’s face, Mother Chen was so
frightened that she lowered her head and did not dare look at her again
while she nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter 84 Ming Feiyong Visits
Lord Protector’s Manor
When Ming Feiyong came to visit Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Zu’an
met him at the door.

He went down the steps and welcomed Ming Feiyong with great
enthusiasm. “Brother, I knew you were back, but I’m so sorry that I had
no time to visit you.”

Ming Feiyong took a cold look at the smiling Ning Zu’an and snorted,
“Do you still know that I am your brother?”

“How could I not know? Brother, you’re my lifesaver. If it weren’t for

you, I would already have died.” Ning Zu’an ushered Ming Feiyong into
the house while smiling and talking.

Ning Zu’an was raised in the Ming family when he was a child and had a
good relationship with Ming Feiyong. When he was about 10 years old,
Ning Zu’an climbed a tree and fell into the river. At that time, no one
was around him. It was Ming Feiyong who saw that and rescued him. So
Ning Zu’an said that Ming Feiyong was his lifesaver.

“If I had known what was going to happen, I wouldn’t have saved you at
that time!” looking at that hypocritical face, Ming Feiyong coldly said.

At Ming Feiyong’s words, Ning Zu’an almost could not maintain his
smile. But he still was able to do so as he ushered Ming Feiyong into the
hall, then they sat down together.

“How did my sister die?” Ming Feiyong directly asked.

“Brother, she had been unhappy ever since she was downgraded to the
co-wife on her own initiative and seldom left Bright Frost Garden with
Yan’er. I was shut out every time I went to see her. She would only say
that she was in a bad mood and didn’t want to see anyone. She also
stopped contacting you, brother. She died because of depression. We
couldn’t help her.”

Ning Zu’an sighed and answered with sadness in his eyes while forcing a
smile.

Although Madam Ming was poisoned to death, the servants concerned

either were dead or had left Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Zu’an
believed that he had left no trace. Ming Feiyong also knew that his sister
was stubborn and never changed her mind. If it were not for that, Madam
Ming would not have been out of touch with him for so many years.

Zing Zu’an believed that Ming Feiyong would never find out the truth.

“My little sister died, but that woman became the marchioness. Ning
Zu’an, do you need to give me an explanation?” Ming Feiyong put the
cup in his hands on the table heavily, making a loud sound.

“Brother, it… it has nothing to do with her!” Ning Zu’an coughed to

clear his throat before explaining.

“It has nothing to do with her? My sister wouldn’t have been so angry if
you hadn’t had an affair with that woman and had an illegitimate son and
an illegitimate daughter with her. If that woman hadn’t knelt outside the
door with her two children when she was pregnant, my sister wouldn’t
have been so disappointed with you. Ning Zu’an, if it hadn’t been for our
Ming family, you wouldn’t have everything you have today!”

Ming Feiyong spoke coldly.

The murderous look of Ming Feiyong fell on Zing Zu’an, making him
uncomfortable all over.

“Brother, things were not just like that. You also know what happened.
Madam Ming felt sorry for me and was voluntarily downgraded. It was
not Madam Ling and I who forced her to do that.” Being satirized by
Ming Feiyong repeatedly, Ning Zu’an also got angry. But when he
looked at Ming Feiyong’s face, he felt guilty again.

“Speaking of that, I still don’t understand what happened. How could

such a thing happen to my little sister? And that woman benefited the
most from the whole thing. Shall we make a further investigation into
what happened?” asked Ming Feiyong. In fact, how could they find out
what had after so many years?

It sounded like he was joking, but there was no smile in Ming Feiyong’s
eyes.

“Brother, you’re too humorous. Those things are disgraceful and Madam
Ming is dead. So we’d better not bother her anymore! Just forget about
it!” A fierceness flashed through Ning Zu’an’s face as he spoke. But
facing the aggressive Ming Feiyong, Ning Zu’an had no imposing
manner at all.

If someone else was there, it would be beyond their expectation that this
weak person in front of them was the powerful official Ning Zu’an.

“Didn’t that woman frame my little sister?” Ming Feiyong reluctantly

asked, ignoring what Ning Zu’an said.

“How could she frame Madam Ming? If she did, I would be the first to
deal with her.” Ning Zu’an promised him.

Madam Ming’s death was weird. But Madam Ling had explained that
she had nothing to do with Madam Ming’s death. So Ning Zu’an directly
made several maids pay for Madam Ming’s death to protect Madam
Ling. No matter what, Zing Zu’an would never admit that Madam Ling
had any connection with Madam Ming’s death.

“What if she killed my little sister?” asked Ming Feiyong.

“If, if she framed Madam Ming… I’ll directly kill her.” Ning Zu’an
swore with a serious expression. At this time, he just wanted Ming
Feiyong to leave. In his opinion, the matter of Madam Ming having a
private affair with a man had been solved, and she had already died, so
Ming Feiyong could not find anything out.

“Ning Zu’an, remember what you said today.” Ming Feiyong grinned
coldly. All of a sudden, he asked, “Is that man still here?”

Ming Feiyong did not believe that it had happened this way. How could
his younger sister have an illicit relationship with a man? They were
found to have been in correspondence with each other all the time and
those letters fell into the hands of Ning Zu’an. Because the Ming family
had helped him, Ning Zu’an did not punish Madam Ming. But Madam
Ming felt sorry for Ning Zu’an and gave up her position as the Legal
Wife on her own initiative.

This matter was really weird. But Madam Ming did not allow him to
investigate and admitted that she had a personal relationship with that
man.

Ming Feiyong was so angry when he learned what his sister had done
that he left the capital. It had been 10 years since he left the capital.
During the past 10 years, he had not written a letter to Madam Ming.
Unexpectedly, he found that the lovely little girl had died when he came
back. Ming Feiyong’s eyes were full of tears as soon as he thought of
that.

If Ming Feiyong had known what was going to happen, he would not
have agreed with his sister to marry Ning Zu’an in any case.

“No, he’s not here. When their relationship was exposed, I also tried to
find him. But I didn’t find him. Maybe he ran away as soon as their
amour came to light.” Speaking of this, Ning Zu’an was embarrassed. In
any case, it was not a pleasure to talk about his wife’s betrayal with
others.

“Give me the information of that year, and I’ll have it checked out,”
Ming Feiyong indifferently said.

“Okay, I’ll give it to you later.” Ning Zu’an nodded his head while
feeling relieved. At that time, he increasingly liked the delicate Madam
Ling and disliked Madam Ming, who always ignored him. However,
although he disliked Madam Ming, he still could not stand her betrayal.

He almost killed Madam Ming when he learned of her betrayal. But

Madam Ling begged him to forgive Madam Ming. Madam Ling said that
Madam Ming was his wife and they also had a child. After comparing
the gentle and considerate Madam Ling to Madam Ming, who betrayed
him, Ning Zu’an liked Madam Ling more.

And he also increasingly disliked Madam Ming’s child, Ning Xueyan.

Later on, Madam Dowager learned of this matter and intervened. Madam
Ming volunteered to become the co-wife and Madam Ling became the
Legal Wife. Everything went on naturally. To others, they declared that
Madam Ming felt sorry for Ning Zu’an because she did not give birth to
a son for Ning Zu’an, so she volunteered to be the co-wife and suggested
that Madam Ling should be the Legal Wife so that Ning Huaiyuan would
no longer be an illegitimate son.

This result was also compensation for Ning Zu’an because his son, Ning
Huaiyuan, would always be an illegitimate son even though Madam Ling
was the co-wife.

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Ming Feiyong stood up and said,
“I’m going to visit Madam Dowager.”

“Okay. Knowing that you’re coming, mother has been waiting for you in
the backyard.” Seeing that Ming Feiyong stopped questioning him, Ning
Zu’an was relieved and ushered him into the backyard.

Madam Dowager’s family name was Ming, and she was Ming Feiyong’s
aunt.

After speaking with Madam Dowager in Lucky Garden for a while,

Ming Feiyong went to Bright Frost Garden.

Ning Xueyan had already received Ming Feiyong’s letter, so she had
been waiting for Ming Feiyong at the gate of Bright Frost Garden for a
while. When she met Ming Feiyong, she was very sad and almost cried.
Then she ushered him into the hall and asked the other servants to leave.
Only Qingyu was asked to stay to serve them.

After offering tea to Ming Feiyong, Ning Xueyan sat down and asked
calmly, “Uncle, did you find out what happened?”

Madam Ming was found to have been passing ambiguous letters with a
man, which was the key reason she was downgraded. Then, Madam Ling
became the Legal Wife and her children’s status became known to
others. The greatest beneficiary here was Madam Ling.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan could almost be sure that Madam Ling must
have been involved in framing Madam Ming!
So she wrote to Ming Feiyong before to discuss this matter!

In order to defeat Madam Ling, they had to investigate how Madam

Ming died.

“At that time, your mother didn’t allow me to investigate and also said a
lot of harsh words to me. I was very angry with what she had done to me.
So I left the capital. It can be said that I barely looked into what
happened. Therefore, I’m here today to ask your father for information.
No matter what happened, he must give me an explanation. So he must
be keeping something,” said Ming Feiyong.

666

“How are you doing in Lord Protector’s Manor? Do you need me to take
you to my house?” Looking at the emaciated Ning Xueyan, Ming
Feiyong felt distressed and spoke in a soft voice.

“Not yet. I will ask you to help me when you are needed. Uncle, you just
need to concentrate on investigating what happened to my mother.” Ning
Xueyan shook her head while smiling.

At this time, how could Ning Xueyan leave Lord Protector’s Manor? The
peace of Lord Protector’s Manor had been broken by her, and more
things would surface then. If she did not take this opportunity to get
revenge now, when would she? Furthermore, she needed to restore
Madam Ming’s innocence. How could Madam Ming, a proud woman,
have an affair with others?

“Uncle, you investigate outside Lord Protector’s Manor and I investigate

inside. Although many years have passed, there certainly must be some
traces as long as Madam Ling participated. If I leave, no one will be able
to find out what happened in Lord Protector’s Manor. What’s more, the
dowry of my mother has been taken away by them.”

She certainly would not let her enemies go!

She would take back what belonged to her.

“Okay. Now that you have decided, I won’t force you to leave with me.
But, you have to be careful in Lord Protector’s Manor.” Ming Feiyong
also knew that there might be no clues outside. After all, many years had
passed. It would be better to investigate in Lord Protector’s Manor. Then
it would be easier for them to find out the truth when they united.

But he was worried about the safety of Ning Xueyan. Fortunately, her
place was remote but quiet. After thinking about it, Ming Feiyong agreed
that Ning Xueyan should stay.

The two talked for a while and set a place to meet later. Then Ming
Feiyong left.

After Ming Feiyong left, Lanning went over to Ning Xueyan and said to
her in a low voice, “Young Lady, Mother Han is back!”

Mother Han had been out for three days. In order to investigate
Concubine Ma, she took three days off on the pretext of her son’s
accident. It seemed that Mother Han had learned something since she
came back now. Thinking of this, Ning Xueyan smiled coldly. It looked
like it was time to expose Concubine Ma’s lie.
Chapter 85 Is This the Concubine
Ma Who Poisoned Me?
Ning Xueyan unexpectedly encountered Concubine Ma on the road.
Looking at the delicate Concubine Ma saluting her, Ning Xueyan
stepped back with a cold smile on her face and said, “Is this the
Concubine Ma who poisoned me? She looks quite delicate!”

Mother Qin, who accompanied Ning Xueyan to Bright Frost Garden to

fetch some things, also stepped back carefully while frowning.

Ning Xueyan’s words were harsh and made Concubine Ma feel

humiliated. She looked up at Ning Xueyan in disbelief. Concubine Ma
had never met Ning Xueyan before. But, she had seen Ning Xueyan
twice from afar by chance and felt that Ning Xueyan was an emaciated
girl. She did not expect Ning Xueyan to humiliate her directly as soon as
they met.

“Fifth Young Lady, I made a mistake with your medicine so that…

Please forgive me.” Concubine Ma stood up while holding her maids and
saluted Ning Xueyan again, keeping a low profile.

“I dare not receive your apology. Because of a misunderstanding, you

dared to put poison into my medicine, which almost killed me. If I
carelessly offend you next time, you may poison the entire Bright Frost
Garden.”

Ning Xueyan showed sarcasm on her face and her eyes fell on
Concubine Ma’s beautiful face. Being stared at by Ning Xueyan,
Concubine Ma felt that she was almost drowned in the endless darkness,
and immediately looked away subconsciously.

“Fifth Young Lady, it’s… it’s my fault. Please forgive me. If you do not
forgive me, I… I’ll kneel here forever.” Concubine Ma suddenly threw
herself down on her knees, bowed her head in tears, and knocked her
head on the ground heavily.
Anyway, everybody would think that Ning Xueyan had gone too far if
they saw the pregnant Concubine Ma kneeling here with her head bowed
and sincerely asking for Ning Xueyan’s forgiveness.

Seeing that, Mother Qin slightly frowned.

Ning Xueyan hid the coldness and indifference on her face. She went up
to support Concubine Ma with a slight smile on her face. “Concubine
Ma, what are you doing? You overwhelmed me with more than I
deserve.”

Although Ning Xueyan said this with a smile, Concubine Ma dared not
regard her words as a joke. She stood up, grabbed Ning Xueyan’s hands,
and said with tears in her eyes, “Fifth Young Lady, I… I was a fool.
How… how could I think that you asked servants to humiliate me? I…”

Concubine Ma was very sad and sobbed while covering her face with her
handkerchief.

“Concubine Ma, take care of yourself. No matter what you’ve done, now
your body is the most important.” Mother Qin could not help coming
over and supporting Concubine Ma while comforting her.

Ning Zu’an only had one son, so Madam Dowager paid great attention to
the pregnant Concubine Ma and even pardoned Concubine Ma for
murdering the Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. It showed that
Madam Dowager was eager to have another grandson.

“Concubine Ma, your health is very important. Take care of yourself and
don’t run around. If something happens, who can afford it?” Ning
Xueyan showed her concern to Concubine Ma while quietly pulling her
sleeves away from Concubine Ma’s hands.

“Fifth Young Lady, my birthday is in five days. First Madam will hold a
birthday party for me. I hope to see you then.” Concubine Ma stopped
crying, put down her handkerchief, and sincerely invited Ning Xueyan,
as if she really wanted to dispel her former enmity with Ning Xueyan.

“Oh, mother will celebrate your birthday. No wonder a stage is being set
up in the garden recently. Is a theatrical troupe going to sing there?”
Ning Xueyan asked with a smile.
Ning Xueyan encountered some outsiders along the way and deliberately
avoided them. The maid told her that they were setting up a stage. Ning
Xueyan did not remember the happy event that they were going to
celebrate, but now she knew that they were going to celebrate Concubine
Ma’s birthday. A concubine’s birthday should be celebrated like that. It
seemed that Concubine Ma was valued by the whole manor.

“Yes. The First Madam said I should be happy every day because I’m
pregnant and forget the unhappy things of the past. So she invited a
theatrical troupe to make me happy,” Concubine Ma explained softly
while looking at Ning Xueyan through her watery eyes. Concubine Ma
was really beautiful. No wonder Ning Zu’an was so fond of her recently
and stayed in her courtyard almost every day.

And he even directly ignored the fact that Concubine Ma had poisoned
his daughter.

“Has the Spring Theatrical Troupe been invited? I’ve heard that some
actors of that theatrical troupe are very good at singing,” Ning Xueyan
asked casually.

Concubine Ma’s smile suddenly became stiff and her hands

unconsciously shuddered as she held her handkerchief. And there was
panic in her eyes. But then she said while moving to hide her mistake,
“Yes… You also know the Spring Theatrical Troupe.”

“I didn’t know them. But Mother Han went to the countryside and found
out some interesting things about the Spring Theatrical Troupe. I didn’t
know it was anything interesting until she told me…” Ning Xueyan said
in a soft voice while looking at Concubine Ma’s face. “If you’re free one
day, we can have a talk.”

Since Concubine Ma wanted to bury the hatchet, it was normal that they
would have a talk one day.

But instead of being happy, Concubine Ma became scared and her face
turned pale. She hurried to say, “Fifth Young Lady, I’m going to thank
Madam Dowager now. So I don’t have time to accompany you. In five
days, I’ll invite you to come and have a talk with me.”
“My mother is so kind to you. In this manor, no one gets the same
treatment as you. Not only does my father like you, but also my mother
likes you very much.” Ning Xueyan slightly smiled. She did not stop
Concubine Ma from leaving, but took two steps back and said those
meaningful words.

Hearing that as she was going to leave, Concubine Ma stumbled and

almost fell.

“What’s wrong with you?” Mother Qin urgently asked. Madam Dowager
attached great importance to the baby that Concubine Ma was about to
give birth to. So nothing was allowed to happen to Concubine Ma.

“Nothing. I just tripped. Fifth Young Lady, I’ll leave first!” Concubine
Ma explained. Then she hurried to Bright Clouds Garden with her maids,
as if there were people chasing after her. Seeing Concubine Ma walking
so fast, Mother Qin worried that she would fall.

Looking at Concubine Ma’s back, Mother Qin asked with doubt, “What’s
wrong with Concubine Ma?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she thought of something important and wants to

tell my mother, so she’s in a hurry. Alas, how can she walk so fast now?
What if she runs into someone by chance?”

Ning Xueyan smiled casually and went to her Bright Frost Garden with
Mother Qin.

A few days prior, Ming Feiyong had asked for some old objects of
Madam Ming. So today, when Ning Xueyan greeted Madam Dowager in
the morning, Madam Dowager remembered and asked Mother Qin to
fetch some from Bright Frost Garden.

“Yes, Concubine Ma is indeed a reckless person. Otherwise, how could

she make so much trouble? Fortunately, you’re all right. The doctor said
that you’ll recover as long as you rest more and take in more nourishing
food.” Mother Qin smiled wide and spoke good words for Concubine
Ma.

But was Ning Xueyan all right? If this Ning Xueyan had been the former
Ning Xueyan, she would have already died!
Madam Dowager and her henchmen were getting better and better at
lying through their teeth.

Fortunately, she was not in a hurry now. Since Madam Ling wanted to
show her importance to Concubine Ma, Ning Ziyan should return home
on Concubine Ma’s birthday. Were Madam Ling and Concubine Ma
trying to frame Ning Xueyan in five days?

Unfortunately, there was no perfect plan and Madam Ling’s mistake was
right in front of her eyes.

“Madam Ling, I hope you can bear what’s going to happen,” Ning
Xueyan thought in her mind.

“Yes, Concubine Ma seems to be straightforward. It’s not unreasonable

that my mother likes her so much. People will think they are sisters if
they don’t know their relationship!” Ning Xueyan said with a smile on
her face.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan smiled when she talked about Concubine Ma,
Mother Qin thought that Ning Xueyan had forgiven Concubine Ma.
“Yes. But anyway, she did something wrong and hurt you. After she
gives birth to the child, she will be asked to apologize to you. We can’t
slight you.”

Mother Qin saw what Ning Xueyan had done recently, and clearly knew
that the girl in front of her was no longer the submissive Fifth Young
Lady. Mother Qin used to be Madam Dowager’s maid and came here
when Madam Dowager married into Lord Protector’s Manor. Later on,
she became one of the stewardesses. Mother Qin had been here for many
years, so she knew Ming Feiyong well. Now Ming Feiyong had returned
to the capital, and the Fifth Young Lady was no longer helpless.

So she began to curry favor with Ning Xueyan.

“There’s no need to punish her. It’s just a misunderstanding,” Ning

Xueyan said with a smile on her face while waving her hand.

A few moments later, they arrived at Bright Frost Garden. Ning Xueyan
asked Mother Han to pack up some old jewelry and clothes of Madam
Ming and then asked Mother Qin to bring them to Ming Feiyong.
When Mother Qin left, Mother Han could not help crying while holding
the open jewelry box.

Only a few pieces of jewelry were left in the jewelry box, and most of
them were silver. Who could believe that Madam Ming, who was born
into a noble and rich family, did not leave any precious jewelry?

“Young Lady, it used to be full of jewelry ornaments. Later… some were

taken away by Madam Ling and some were exchanged for medicine for
you.”

Mother Han spoke sadly while stretching out her hands to wipe away the
tears on her face.

How could she not get angry when her respectable and magnificent
Young Lady came to such an end?

“Mother Han, don’t cry. They’ll return everything they took away. It’s
not the right time yet.” Standing in front of the window and looking at
the cloudy sky, Ning Xueyan spoke calmly. But no one saw the coldness
and blood-thirst in her ink-like eyes.

Looking at Ning Xueyan’s thin back, Mother Han suddenly felt

sorrowful. Who would have thought that the Fifth Young Lady was the
only daughter of the Legal Wife, and that the Eldest Young Lady and
Eldest Childe just were illegitimate children?

“Mother Han, don’t feel aggrieved. They’ll give back everything soon!”
Ning Xueyan chuckled and comforted Mother Han, as if she could see
Mother Han’s expression.
Chapter 86 The People around
Concubine Ma
“Young lady, is the First Madam planning a grand feast for Concubine
Ma’s birthday because she wants to return that concubine’s favour?”
Mother Han said anxiously.

“No!” Ning Xueyan said that with a smile. Then she turned around and
sat by the table. Having poured a cup of tea for herself, she took a sip
and said thoughtfully, “If she wants to give thanks to Concubine Ma, she
will do it secretly and won’t plan so many things.”

Mother Han spoke out her guess, “Young lady, I think it is not that
simple.”

Of course it was not that simple. It was actually a series of plots which
targeted at her. These women had really regarded her as a weak girl by
setting her up with insidious tricks over and over again.

“Lanning, how’s your relationship with the maid of Concubine Ma?”

Ning Xueyan asked Lanning who stood by her side.

Lanning’s acquaintances in the manor were much more than Qingyu.

Lanning pondered for a while, then she said, “I have worked with
Qiufang who works for Concubine Ma. We are quite familiar with each
other.”

Ning Xueyan nodded. Then she called Lanning over and whispered to
her ears. Lanning nodded while giving a smile on her face.

In the evening, Lanning ran into Qiufang at the door of the kitchen. They
held hands intimately and went to the corner of the kitchen to chat.

“Qiufang, did Concubine Ma go out today?” As they were talking about

daily events, Lanning suddenly pulled Qiufang over and put a piece of
sliver in her hand with a smile.
Qiufang was stunned. Then she understood Lanning’s intention right
away. With her eyes staring at Lanning, she said hesitantly, “Lanning,
that’s… not appropriate!”

Having sensed Qiufang’s struggle, Lanning smiled and put another piece
of silver in her hand. She knew that Qiufang had a poor family. With her
mother being ill at home, Qiufang always lived on a tight budget.

“I won’t ask you too many things. It’s only about the Concubine Ma. Our
young lady heard that Concubine Ma had some misunderstandings with
her and got a bit depressed about that. So she wanted to know who do
Concubine always meet and what have they talked about?” Lanning said
that with a smile.

“I, I still feel uncomfortable to tell, tell you things about my mistress.”
Qiufang hesitated.

“We are just chatting. It’s not like our Young Lady would really do
something to Concubine Ma. Your mistress is the favoured one in the
Lord Protector’s Manor. So our Young Lady won’t provoke her,”
Lanning said that and put another two pieces of silver in Qiufang’s hand.

Those silver that Lanning had presented were nearly equal to six months’
wages of Qiufang. Then Qiufang made up her mind while stamping her
feet, saying, “Fine. I’ll tell the Fifth Young Lady everything about
Concubine Ma… in the future.”

“Does Concubine Ma go to see the First Madam very often lately?” After
Qiufang had agreed to her, Lanning got relieved secretly while asking a
seemingly casual question.

The thing she had just asked was not a secret. All the people could see
that.

“Yeah, I know that Concubine Ma has always tried to curry favour with
the First Madam, but their relationship was even closer than before.
These days, the First Lady is always happy to see our mistress, unlike
before,” Qiufang said.

Before, Concubine Ma always had often got sneered by the maids and
older female servants of the First Madam when she had fawned on the
First Madam. Also, the First Madam had also given the cold shoulder to
Concubine Ma. And a maid like Qiufang could only stay in the lowest
status in Auspicious Clouds Courtyard where anyone was able to
command her.

However, things were completely different right now. The First Madam
was really kind to Concubine Ma right now, which made the maids and
older female servants in the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard changed their
attitude toward Qiufang and became politely. But this only made the
maids of Concubine Ma get nervous because they felt insecure about the
change.

The people who stayed in the Lord Protector’s Manor for a while all
knew what kind of a person the First Madam was and why she treated a
concubine so nicely.

That was another reason for Qiufang to risk everything to work for Ning
Xueyan.

“I heard Concubine Ma was pregnant. Have you heard her talk about it
before?” Lanning asked.

“We are quite surprised about her pregnancy actually. There was no sign
of her getting pregnant, but…“Qiufang paused, looking around to see if
there was anyone near them. Then she approached Lanning and said in a
low voice, “Our mistress always has an irregular period. She has taken
the medicines before. But lately she stopped the medications.”

Irregular period and the sustained medication?

Lanning already got what she wanted while nodding. After having a
chitchat, they came back to their own places.

The manor was very lively on the day of Concubine Ma’s birthday.

As the new favoured one in the Lord Protector’s Manor who was
appreciated by the First Madam and got pregnant, Concubine Ma really
had reached the peak of her life. And now there was a huge feast in the
Lord Protector’s Manor being held for her.
Although a concubine didn’t have a noble status, the people still came to
congratulate her birthday since the Lord Protector and Madam Ling had
already given orders.

The feast was held in the eastern garden where there was a stage being
set up.

Of course, this kind of invitation was not qualified enough to be sent to

the Prince Yi’s Manor. Luckily, Prince Yi was never used to turning
down these invitations.

Therefore, after the invitation had been sent to him, he took it over in his
hands while looking at the words on it with interest. Then he smiled and
said, “Should I go to congratulate to the Lord Protector?”

His words made the eunuch who waited upon trembled. Even the
birthday of Madam Dowager might not be able to get the Prince Yi there,
today it was just a concubine’s birthday. It was so strange that the prince
was willing to go.

“Prince, if you send someone there to congratulate, that concubine of the

Lord Protector’s Manor might have the equal position as the First
Madam.” The eunuch advised carefully, not knowing if the prince was
meant for real or thinking of something else.

A concubine like that would be so grateful even if the prince sent

someone there to congratulate her birthday instead of himself.

With his eyes squinted, Ao Chenyi held the tea up gracefully and took a
sip, saying, “I heard this new concubine of Lord Protector had some
issues with that girl. That girl was so lucky to still be alive after being
poisoned a lot. Since she’s not dead, I feel that I need to give her a
present.”

“Prince, do you want to use giving present to the concubine of the Lord
Protector as an excuse to send the gift directly to the Fifth Young Lady?”
The eunuch who stood by Ao Chenyi’s side was his henchman. Thus the
eunuch did know some details about the prince and Ning Xueyan.
However, he was still not able to get what the prince really meant, so he
couldn’t help asking that.
“No, I don’t want to give her a gift on someone else’s birthday! I won’t
do it. Ask that girl tomorrow if she needs my help to raise this
concubine’s position to a madam,” Ao Chenyi said that lazily, with a
mysterious smile in his cold eyes.

Co-wife, that was a madam indeed!

Then his eyesight fell on his arm which was hurt before. He was
surprised about that the effect of that little cat’s medicine. Though it still
couldn’t compare to the medicine he had left there, the wound still
healed faster than he thought. He hadn’t planned to take anything from
Ning Zu’an’s study at that time when he had broken in there, he had
merely wanted to test the defense there.

Actually, he didn’t need to do these kinds of things by himself. However,

he had suddenly been in the mood of bringing two secret guards there.
After getting injured, he hadn’t walked out of the manor. Instead, he had
headed straightly toward the inner yard, which made the two secret
guards helpless. Nevertheless, the two secret guards had been confident
that they were able to bring the prince out of there even if they were
discovered by somebody else. So the secret guards had decided to let
Prince Yi do whatever he wanted.

“Yes, prince, I’ll send someone to ask early in the morning tomorrow.”
They had that conversation so fluently as if going to find a lady
straightly was not an inappropriate thing for them.

“Those women who have been sent here, have you finished the
investigation of them?” Ao Chenyi said that in a slight but scary voice,
with the corner of his bloody red mouth hanged up.

“We are still investigating the ones which were sent by the Third Prince.
There are so many things that need to be dug out. And the words from
the regions south of the Yangtze River are still on the way.” The eunuch
said that reverently in a low voice. It was not that he didn’t want to speed
up the investigating process, he just couldn’t. It was not easy to dig out a
person who had shown up dozens of years ago in a short period.

What was more, the thing he was looking into was very secret. So the
people who knew about this was very few.
“Since it’s hard to figure it out in a short time, just stop the investigation
and send someone to get rid of those women. It doesn’t deserve our
manpower. I need my guys to do something else.” Ao Chenyi said that,
with a gruesome smile on his gorgeous face. He uttered those words in a
fierce tone as if he was about to get rid of some flowers of plants instead
of human lives.

“Prince, if it is real…” The eunuch asked that raucously.

“The reason why Ao Mingyu sent so many people to me is that he was

sure that I’ll look into it. If he finds anything wrong, he will come to take
these people back. But, I’m not a fool. If I have time, I’ll do the
investigation. If I don’t, I’ll just kill those people. Remember to give
those people back to Ao Mingyu after you killed them in case he keeps
thinking about them.”

Ao Chenyi crooked his fingers at ease, with coldness and gloom in his
eyes.

“Yes, prince!” The eunuch understood the prince right away, then he
asked, “What if the Third Prince keeps sending people to us?”

“Just let him! Since they are so eager to send people here to amuse me,
I’ll have to make some new inventions. Use some body parts to make
some articles. It’s better than sending the corpses alone.” Ao Chenyi
leaned on his chair after giving this order. Under the light, his beautiful
and bloody red lips made him look like a powerful monster which was
stepping forward on the blood.

No one dared to doubt the possibility of his words.

“Yes, I’ll tell them at night to make delicate articles. I can’t let your
reputation be ruined, Your Highness.”

“Fine, just go. Work hard on it.” Ao Chenyi waved his hand while the
smile on the corner of his mouth turning to a murderous look. Some
people had really considered his place as some kind of waste treatment
plant. They wanted him to deal with the fake ones and take away the real
ones. However, no one who was sent here could walk out of his place
alive.
Of course, since that was his nephew, Ao Chenyi wouldn’t treat Ao
Mingyu randomly. That was why he would send some body parts to Ao
Mingyu in case his nephew would complain him for bullying the
younger ones and disgracing the royal family. Thinking of this, Ao
Chenyi flashed a deep sneer in his deep eyes.

“Yes, Your Highness,” the eunuch answered and planned to leave.

“Wait, I also have a letter for that girl. Don’t wait until tomorrow, tell
someone to throw this letter into the yard where she lives tonight. Don’t
all the people choose to do those things such as meeting in private,
writing letters secretly or eloping at night when nobody’s watching?!”

As the eunuch was about to leave, something suddenly popped in Ao

Chenyi’s mind and he stopped the eunuch.

Meeting in private, writing secretly, eloping? The eunuch showed a

reluctant look on his face and thought, “Are you really talking about
yourself, my prince? When did you have this kind of interests? You can
have anyone you want by simply asking. Why do you bother to do these
sneaky things?”

“Prince, well… I did have heard of that.” The eunuch murmured that.
But how much did he know about dating a woman as a eunuch.
Chapter 87 The Birthday Feast
for Concubine Ma
As soon as Ning Xueyan went to bed, Lanning woke her up. Seeing the
letter in Lanning’s hand, Ning Xueyan got speechless for the moment.

It was just an anonymous letter. After Ning Xueyan had opened the
delicate envelope and taken out the letter, she only saw the beautiful
handwriting, “Make the concubine become madam.”

Make the concubine a madam, make the concubine a madam? Ning

Xueyan frowned and folded the letter in her hand, with a meaningful
expression in her eyes.

“Lanning, where did you find this?”

“I was planning to have a rest in my room after I had cleaned up

everything on the outside, then this letter laid on my bed straightly.” As
Lanning was talking about this, she gave another small note to Ning
Xueyan.

The handwriting of the note was different from the one on the letter. And
there were more words on it, “Please write back quickly. Tie your young
lady’s letter with stone and throw them out of the wall.”

And that was everything on the note!

Tonight Ning Xueyan got a strange letter and a strange note. However,
she still managed to figure out the hints inside those words. The only
person she knew who was able to do this was none other than that
bloodthirsty monster, Prince Yi. What was more, if he wanted to know
the issues between Concubine Ma and Ning Xueyan, the secret guards
under his command could easily get that information for him.

However, Ning Xueyan only felt weird that Prince Yi would mind other
people’s business.
“Lanning, pass me the paper and the writing brush.” Although she didn’t
know why this prince was doing this, Ning Xueyan still asked Lanning
to prepare the ink and paper for her. Lanning moved quickly and brought
her the thing she needed. Having lifted the writing brush, she thought for
a moment and wrote something down. Then she folded the paper and put
it into the envelope which had been sent to her while asking Lanning to
tie the letter to a stone and throw it out of the wall.

She already had a plan to deal with Concubine Ma, so she wouldn’t like
anyone else to step in her business. She was pretty confident of herself
when coping with the dirty tricks of other women. As for this moody
Prince Yi, she didn’t dare to get too close to him. After all, there was a
great identity gap between them.

It was just business between them. Ning Xueyan didn’t even know if she
could still be alive at last. However, that was enough for her. Having him
as her backup force would definitely make her revenge plan succeed. She
didn’t care about her own destiny.

As long as she could have her revenge and protect the people around her.
She did not mind dying again.

So she had to be strong and took care of her personal affairs calmly.

Only by doing that could she revenge for herself.

Ning Xueyan didn’t think that this ruthless Prince Yi would make a deal
with her if she couldn’t even handle a minor issue like this. Moreover,
she also didn’t believe that Ao Chenyi would help her for nothing.
Therefore, she wouldn’t ask him for help when she was capable of
dealing with the issues right now. But she also wouldn’t hesitate to get to
him when she had no other options.

When she had closed her eyes and died in that beautiful lotus pond, she
had broken off all her relations with all the weakness in her previous life.
She had believed and trusted Xia Yuhang with all her heart. And what
was the outcome? She had only pushed her self in the misery.

On the day of the birthday of Concubine Ma, the Lord Protector’s Manor
got bustling early in the morning. There were carriages stopping in front
of the door constantly. After the carriage had stopped, the young male
servants who wanted to curry favor with the big shot would run out of
the manor and serve. Some led the horse, some pulled the cart. The lively
scene made the passengers think that it was the birthday of the madam in
the manor.

Ning Zu’an entertained the guests in the front yard while Madam Ling
greeted them in the back yard.

Ning Xueyan got up early on purpose. After giving her regards to

Madam Dowager, she was sent back by the old lady.

“Young lady, Eldest Young Lady was here.” Lanning came in to

announce that right as Ning Xueyan just sat on the chair.

Ning Ziyan, you were quick!

Ning Xueyan snorted. Then with her eyes squinted, she nodded and said,
“Let my eldest sister in.”

The maid passed her word. Then Ning Ziyan walked in shyly with the
support of a maid. She wore a red dress which had some floral design at
the bottom. Her dress looked elegant, just like her appearance, which
always let people have a good impression on her.

That was why Ning Xueyan had been fooled by Ning Ziyan until her
death. She had believed that Ning Ziyan really regarded her as a sister. It
had never occurred to Ning Xueyan that this sisterhood would kill her.

“Sister Ying, we are like real sisters. You can regard this place as your
own home. Everything you want to eat or do, just tell me. Even if I don’t
have them, I’ll figure out a way to find them for you.”

“Sister, let’s go out together with Brother Xia, all right? I’m familiar
with the capital city.”

“Sister Ying, do you know that all the girls in the capital city envy you?
They all think that you have married a perfect guy who is from a decent
family and loves you so much. You are so lucky.”

Those words were still echoing in Ning Ziyan’s head. However, Ning
Ziying’s body had already vanished. Her ‘good husband’ and her ‘sister’
had plotted together to murder her. Come to think about it, when she had
heard Ning Ziyan praising Xia Yuhang, she had been really joyful and
expected to have a happy life with Xia Yuhang forever.

Unfortunately, that was only her innocent thought. She had only died in
the lotus pond forever. She clenched her hands. All of her sharp
fingernails stuck into her palm fiercely, which brought a stab of pain.
Then her eyes turned red.

“Eldest Sister.” Seeing Ning Ziyan coming in, Ning Xueyan stood up
and hid the bloodiness and coldness in her eyes. She smiled and saluted
Ning Ziyan. Of course, she would welcome Ning Ziyan. How hard it was
to pretend to be nice?

Ning Ziyan still wore a simple white dress today. However, there were
some tiny yellow flowers being embroidered on the collar of her dress.
With her slender waistline and her fancy hairstyle, she looked graceful
and charming in that dress. After being dressed up, her pretty face now
looked even more attractive and enchanting.

‘Since when did Ning Xueyan become so beautiful?’

Ning Ziyan considered that while staring at Ning Xueyan’s face. She
found that Ning Xueyan had turned more and more beautiful, even more
beautiful than her sister. No wonder why her mother couldn’t stand Ning
Xueyan. Ning Ziyan had heard that the troubles her mother and her sister
had during this period were all because of Ning Xueyan.

But after today, she would grind Ning Xueyan beneath her knees once
again.

“How dare you want to compete with me and Ning Yuling? Don’t you
remember your menial identity,” Ning Ziyan thought.

Ning Ziyan already forgot about her identity as an illegitimate daughter

when she had been a child. Now she believed that she was superior to
Ning Xueyan in every way. When she heard from her mother that her
father planned to marry Ning Xueyan to the Third Prince, she got so
jealous. She felt so unfair that a girl in a low status could marry a finer
man than her husband. She had also wished to marry the Third Prince
before.
However, at that time, her mother had told her that her father and her
grandmother all intended to let Ning Yuling marry the Third Prince.

Ning Ziyan was not able to change the decisions of the elders.

While Ning Xueyan was standing there, she didn’t miss any of the
jealousy in Ning Ziyan’s eyes. With a trace of smile on the corner of her
mouth, she fell her eyesights on the maid beside Ning Ziyan.

That was a sweet girl. She had a delicate appearance which looked even
more delicate than her mistress!

She was Chen Hexiang. The one who had come back to the manor with
Ning Ziyan last time.

The lover of Xia Yuhang.

Ning Ziyan only brought this maid with her everywhere in order to
prevent the maid from meeting Xia Yuhang privately.

It seemed that Ning Ziyan had disciplined her maid well these days.
Chen Hexiang stood tamely by Ning Ziyan’s side, looking obedient.
However, after dealing with Chen Hexiang for a few times, Ning Xueyan
knew that she must have illicit relations with Xia Yuhang. Ning Xueyan
could sense that judging from that expensive vest that Chen Hexiang was
wearing now.

She didn’t believe Chen Hexiang could afford that.

“I have heard that the design in your room is delicate. So I come here
today deliberately to have a look. Actually, it’s even elegant than I
thought.” After getting into Ning Xueyan’s room, Ning Ziyan said that
gently while looking around the room randomly.

Ning Ziyan was really good at flattering people by calling her room
which were full of simple and crude decorations a delicate place. The
people of the Bright Frost Garden had been out of sight for a long time.
No one ever got any new pieces of furniture. So the furniture Ning
Xueyan had right now were all the old ones which had been used by
Madam Ming.
Some of the furniture even had one part missing from the legs. So she
had placed something under the short legs and kept them.

“That’s so nice of you to say that. I only have the things my mother has
left for me. It’s a pity to throw them away. Those things remind me of
her.” Ning Xueyan drank the soup beside her while saying that smilingly.
Then she acted as if something echoed in her mind and said to Qingyu
who stood beside her, “Qingyu, prepare a bowl of soup for my Eldest
Sister.”

The soup smelt really good which gave people appetite. Qingyu served
the soup to Ning Ziyan. However, Ning Ziyan only glanced at it and
didn’t touch it at all.

The lite soup had some oil blooms and a few chopped green onions on it,
which looked tasty.

“Sister, what is this?” Ning Ziyan asked that with doubt.

“This is the soup was made in our kitchen. I heard that they had stewed it
for a night. It can maintain beauty and keep young. They said it’s perfect
for women’s health. Qingyu has taken it from the kitchen. She said that
lunch would be late so it is better for me to eat something first. I actually
like the flavour. Do you want to have a taste, sister?” Ning Xueyan
wiped her mouth with her towel and said that.

“I’ll pass. Not that hungry now. I’ll let someone serve me the soup when
I am starving. You can have it all for yourself.” Although Ning Ziyan
was interested in the effect of maintaining beauty, keeping young and
recovering women’s health, she still pushed away the bowl in front of
her while giving out an even gentler smile.

Madam Ling had already told the things that had taken place in the Lord
Protector’s Manor to her. From the description of her mother, Ning Ziyan
had already known that Ning Xueyan was not that cowardly girl who
never fought back. Now even Ning Yuling’s marriage was about to be
ruined by Ning Xueyan. “What an insidious b*tch!” Ning Ziyan thought.

So Ning Ziyan didn’t have the gut to drink anything from the Bright
Frost Garden.
She touched her belly subconsciously. Although she didn’t look
pregnant, she had already had some symptoms of pregnancy. So she had
to be very careful of the things that would come into her mouth.

“Since you don’t want to have it, I’ll let Qingyu take it away.” Ning
Xueyan said that with a slight smile and stopped insisting. She knew that
Ning Ziyan wouldn’t eat anything that was given by her now. However,
what if Concubine Ma who was also pregnant drank the soup afterwards
and was perfectly fine…

After Qingyu had taken away the bowl, Ning Xueyan looked at Chen
Hexiang with her eyebrows knitted.

“Sister, your maid looks familiar to me. Is she the one who used to serve
you before? She does dress up decently. Look at the high-quality cloth
on her. Now I see the difference between the Minister of Justice’s Manor
and our manor, even the maids at your place dress up more properly than
the maids of ours.”

As she mentioned Chen Hexiang, Ning Ziyan also pay attention to the
clothes that Chen Hexiang was wearing. Then Ning Ziyan got sulky right
away…

“That b*tch, how dare she wears clothes of that material…” Ning Ziyan
finally realized that.
Chapter 88 The Hairpin and Ning
Ziyan’s Personal Maid
The vest on Chen Hexiang looked no different from the green ones on
other maids if someone didn’t watch it carefully. However, after taking a
good look at the material of the green vest, Ning Ziyan found that it was
actually made by silk. Although it wouldn’t need too much cloth to make
a vest, it was still luxury for a maid to wear something made by silk.
Even Ning Ziyan only had two pieces of the silk cloth.

And she had already used them up after making only two pieces of
clothes.

That silk cloth was a gift from one of Xia Yuhang’s friends. He had told
her that this rare cloth was a tribute to the royal family, which was even
hardly to be seen in the palace.

So why was this maid’s vest made of silk?

Ning Ziyan clenched the handkerchief in her hand and then loosen it up.
Then with the stiff smile on her face easing, she said breezily, pretending
not to care, “I got the extra cloth and gave it to her to make a vest. I
didn’t realize that she would wear it today. Don’t ridicule me for that,
sister.”

Although there were still smile on Ning Ziyan’s face, the malevolence in
her eyes was not able to be hidden. Ning Ziyan determined to torture her
maid when she came bakc to her manor. “You b*tch, you have seduced
Xia Yuhang all day long. And you still claimed there’s nothing between
the two of you? I’ll marry you to the ugliest and the most disgusting old
night watchman. Let’s see how you are going to lure my husband,” Ning
Ziyan thought.

Meanwhile, Chen Hexiang was also having a bad feeling. So she raised
her head to look at Ning Ziyan with fear, then she lowered her head
timidly, looking cowardly. However, she was thinking that she couldn’t
wait anymore and she had to let Xia Yuhang admit her position. Today
was a perfect day to accomplish her plan. So Chen Hexiang had worn
this vest on purpose today.

Seeing Chen Hexiang’s delicate look and the craft expression that was
flashed in her eyes, Ning Xueyan snorted secretly. It seemed that so
many people were plotting something on today’s feast. That was even
better, the more chaotic the situation became, the more likely her
enemies would make mistakes. Ning Xueyan was wondering if Madam
Ling and Ning Ziyan would be able to extricate themselves this time.

“Sister, your makeup today is too simple. After all, it’s Concubine Ma’s
birthday, you should at least add some powder on your face. Don’t let
Concubine Ma think that we look down on her.” Ning Ziyan said that
with a grin.

“My, my mom had just died for…” Ning Xueyan said that with a
reluctant look on her face.

“Although your mom were dead, it has already been a month. Concubine
Ma seldom has the chance to have a birthday feast like this and all the
people in the manor now are having a good time now. Don’t have the
guests’ spirits dampened. “Ning Ziyan said that as if she was really being
thoughful for Ning Xueyan. Then she took out a ruby tassels hairpin,
which was particularly pretty.

When Chen Hexiang saw Ning Ziyan taking out the hairpin, she couldn’t
help raising his head while looking at the hairpin with a greedy look.
Then she lowered her head instantly. If Ning Xueyan hadn’t been
observing Chen Hexiang the whole time, she wouldn’t notice this maid’s
facial expression.

“Sister, this hairpin will look so beautiful on you. Just look at the color, it
suits you perfectly. You are the daughter of the Lord Protector, don’t let
other people sneeze at you. You should wear this hairpin! This one
belongs to me, I’ll give it to you!” Ning Ziyan said that generously. Then
she took over the hairpin and tried to put it on Ning Xueyan’s hair.

“Thanks a lot, sister. But I don’t think my outfit could match such a
pretty hairpin!” Ning Xueyan declined that with a troubled expression
while holding Ning Ziyan’s hand to let her sit down. Then Ning Xueyan
stared at the ruby hairpin with light flashing in her eyes, showing great
interest.

“What are you talking about? Sister, you are so beautiful to fit all the
nice things. Have you just said those things deliberately because you
dislike my hairpin?” Being rejected by Ning Xueyan, Ning Ziyan
showed a sullen look on her face.

“Sister, you misunderstood me. Look at the color of my face, I can’t

wear something so bright…” Ning Xueyan pretended to be hesitating,
with her eyes fixed on the hairpin. After that, she still pushed the hairpin
toward Ning Ziyan.

Her acts made Ning Ziyan believe that she really liked the hairpin but
she had to push it away.

Then Ning Ziyan looked at Ning Xueyan’s face doubtfully and found
that it was true that Ning Xueyan had a paler face than ordinary people.
That bright-colored hairpin was surely not suitable for her. It would be a
huge mistake for a woman to wear a piece of jewelry which had a
brighter color than her face.

However, Ning Ziyan had to give this hairpin to Ning Xueyan today!

Then Ning Ziyan found a perfect reason to give the hairpin away.

She found that Ning Xueyan was quite fond of the hairpin, so she said,
“Sister, I see your pale face. It doesn’t matter. Don’t you remember that I
have presented you some powder and blusher? Come here, I’ll do the
makeup on you. Then you can wear the hairpin. Trust me, you’ll look
like a fairy by then.”

Hearing her words, Ning Xueyan was persuaded. Then she stopped
pushing the hairpin away.

Ning Ziyan put on an even brighter smile after seeing that Ning
Xueyan’s hesitation. Then Ning Ziyan said, “Sister, what are you waiting
for? Half of the guests who came here today haven’t seen you before. I’ll
take you to greet them afterwards. You just have to dress up to see those
people. Come on, it’s not like I am asking to wear red or green colored
clothes. No one will care about a little hairpin.”
“But Fourth Sister said that she liked the powder and blusher and has
taken them all away!” Ning Xueyan said that with her eyebrows knitted.

“That’s OK. I have some with me. You can use these,” Ning Ziyan said
while showing her generosity. Then she told Chen Hexiang who was
standing behind her to take out the powder.

Now Ning Ziyan was very careful with her body. So she always brought
the powder and blusher with her in order to refine her makeup anytime
she wanted.

Chen Hexiang then came over instantly, pulling out the powder and
blusher from the bag.

“Eldest Young Lady, thank you. I’ll do the make up for our Young Lady
then.” Lanning took over the powder in Chen Hexiang’s hands and said
that politely.

Since Lanning already said that, Ning Ziyan couldn’t insist on letting
Chen Hexiang doing the make-up. Having nodded, Ning Ziyan sat
behind Ning Xueyan and watched Lanning primping Ning Xueyan.
However, it seemed that Lanning was not very familiar with the make up
procedure according to her slow movements. After Ning Ziyan had sat
there for a while, she only saw Lanning finished the foundation for Ning
Xueyan.

Since Ning Ziyan was pregnant, she always felt uncomfortable with her
body. She already felt a bit tired now after sitting there for a short while.
She leaned to the left at first then she leaned to the right. However, no
matter what kind of posture she had, she only felt more and more
exhausted and couldn’t bear to stay there anymore.

So she held Chen Hexiang’s hand to get up, saying, “Sister, I’ll go to the
garden to see who has come. Then I’ll introduce them to you
afterwards.”

“Fine, you can go first, sister. I’ll be there in a minute.” Ning Xueyan
nodded while saying that smilingly, with darkness flashing in her eyes.
What she had guessed was right, Ning Ziyan had already colluded with
Madam Ling to set her up.
“I hope you won’t cry so hard afterwards!” Ning Xueyan thought that.

“Young Lady, what are we going to do about this hairpin?” Lanning

stopped doing make-up for Ning Xueyan right after Ning Ziyan had left.
Having walked to the table, she picked up the ruby hairpin and asked
Ning Xueyan that.

Although Lanning couldn’t see what was wrong with the hairpin, she
still knew that it must be something that could hurt Ning Xueyan
according to Ning Ziyan’s willingness for Ning Xueyan to have it. Back
to the old days, the Eldest Young Lady had also treated Young Lady
Ziying with the same attitude. And what had happened next only showed
the Ning Ziyan’s evil intentions toward Young Lady Ziying. However,
all the evil intentions had been hidden behind that smiling face of Ning
Ziyan.

And Young Lady Ziying never managed to see Ning Ziyan’s true colors.
That was why she had died in the lotus pond strangely.

Ning Xueyan had already smelt the fragrance on the hairpin. The smell
was easy to be ignored because it was too light. If it had not been for her
knowledge about the drug, she would never realize that this hairpin had
drug on it. And the kind of drug was…

Ning Ziyan and Madam Ling were both malicious women. They had
tried everything to destroy Ning Xueyan. However, Ning Xueyan would
only disappoint them. “How desperate are you two that you already
made a move before I have done anything!” Ning Xueyan sneered
inwardly.

“Lanning, find a way to drop the hairpin in front of Chen Hexiang.”

Ning Xueyan curved her lips and smiled coldly while staring herself in
the mirror. She knew that Chen Hexiang had worn that vest today for a
reason. Then Ning Xueyan felt obliged to give Chen Hexiang a hand.
When she had seen Chen Hexiang’s greedy eyes on the ruby hairpin just
now,

she knew that Chen Hexiang must be eager to have this hairpin. Perfect,
then she would give Chen Hexiang the thing she wanted.
When Ning Xueyan arrived at the garden, she was totally dressed up.
With the light make-up on her, her face looked brighter. Now she looked
even more beautiful. The ruby hairpin with wobbling tassels made her
look like an impeccable jade.

The feast was set in the garden. The male guests were all seated on the
left while the females were on the right. There was a gauze curtain
between them. So the males and the females could hear each other’s
voices but couldn’t see each other’s figures clearly.

A drama stage had been set up and there were already some people
performing opera on it. The audiences were giving applause and there
were waves of laughter coming from the crowd from time to time.

Most of the people who had been invited already arrived before the feast
began. However, the Lord Protector still had to wait until all the guests
came here in order to show courtesy.

Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan sat in the crowd with a bunch of madams
and ladies around them. They were chatting and laughing.

Suddenly, Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan saw Ning Xueyan coming over
with the ruby hairpin on her hair. Then they looked at each other and
smiled evilly. After that, they both turned their head and stopped paying
attention to Ning Xueyan.

Meanwhile, Ning Xueyan found a chair in the corner and sat, not
intending to come over to them.

This was a perfect spot for her to observe everyone without being
noticed.

Concubine Ma came here hastily. It seemed that she was in a hurry

because she was wiping the sweats on her forehead. When she arrived at
the place, she looked around and found nobody noticed her. Then she let
out a sigh of relief. After pushing away Qiufang who was beside her,
Concubine Ma walked quickly toward Madam Ling.

Seeing Concubine Ma coming over, Madam Ling glanced at her with

disdainful expression in her eyes. However, Madam Ling still showed a
genial smile on her face and pulled Concubine Ma over favorably,
saying, “Where have you been? How come you just show up? I almost
tell the maid to look for you.”

Hearing that Madam Ling had planned to look for her, Concubine Ma
trembled subconsciously. But she gave out a smile at once and answered,
“I was in the kitchen just now. I heard that they had made delicious soup
there. I thought that the lunch would be late and I might get hungry by
then. So I drank the soup first.”

Concubine Ma had actually been to the opera troupe just now. But she
had no guts to tell Madam Ling that. Then something popped in her
mind. She remembered two older female servants had told her about the
soup on her way there. So she had chosen to use a story to cover for
herself. She had even gone to the kitchen to taste the soup in order to
have a perfect excuse.

“Soup. I’m a bit hungry as well. Do you still have some, Concubine
Ma?” Ning Ziyan had a good appetite these days. Now she really was
starved. She hadn’t dared to drink the soup at Ning Xueyan’s place.
Since Ning Ziyan saw that Concubine Ma was fine, she really wanted to
have a taste of that soup now.

“Of course. I was thinking that you should try this delicious soup. Then I
have let someone bring a large bowl of it on purpose. Eldest Young
Lady, if you want to have a taste, I can take you to the room there to
have a rest and drink it.” Seeing that Madam Ling didn’t find anything
wrong with her story, Concubine Ma breathed a sigh of relief while
pointing at a room out of the crowd.

She had let someone served the soup to that room in order to make her
story sound more believable and fawn upon Madam Ling.

“Fine. You can lead the way.” Ning Ziyan stood up. She had sat there for
too long and became a little tired. So she wanted to relax her body by
walking for a short while.

Madam Ling knew about her daughter’s condition, so she didn’t suspect
anything else. Then she nodded…
Chapter 89 The Wife and the
Concubine Both Got Pregnan
t

Concubine Ma went out of the room soon. Now she was wiping her
mouth with a handkerchief. And there was only one maid following her.
Meanwhile, Ning Ziyan was still staying in the room. It seemed that she
wanted to have a rest in the room after drinking the soup.

In the meantime, Chen Hexiang, the maid of Ning Ziyan, sneaked out
from the room. After looking around for a while and finding nobody
seeing her, she walked straightly toward her left. This path she was
walking on could lead her to the male guests. She had already
acknowledged that the path was very long because the Lord Protector
had wanted to separate the male guests and the female guests completely.

Seeing Chen Hexiang’s move, Ning Xueyan winked at Lanning. Having

understood her mistress’s intention, Lanning followed Chen Hexiang
right away.

After Ning Ziyan finished drinking the soup, she commanded Chen
Hexiang to massage her legs. Then she took a nap on the bed. Pregnant
women always got sleepy, not to mention that Ning Ziyan had got up
very early this morning. And there had been people coming around to
chat with her. So she fell right into asleep when she finally got a chance
to relax.

When Chen Hexiang found that Ning Ziyan was asleep, she stopped
massaging her legs. Then she stood up and looked at Ning Ziyan
viciously. Then she turned around and walked outside quietly. She was
determined to let Xia Yuhang marry her no matter what. She couldn’t
bear being a menial maid anymore. Otherwise, she would definitely die
in the hands of Ning Ziyan who always plotted something behind
someone’s back.
Chen Hexiang had been Ning Ziyan’s puppet the moment she had
entered the Xia Manor! How could a proud girl like her live with that!

Before when Xia Yuhang had come to her place, they had made out
freely with passion. Now with Ning Ziyan keeping a close eye on her,
Chen Hexiang couldn’t even wink at Xia Yuhang.

She was pregnant. So she couldn’t wait anymore!

If Xia Yuhang couldn’t take her as his concubine, she was not able to
keep the baby.

She had already felt something wrong about her at the Cold Mountain
Temple. However, her period had only delayed for a day or two. So she
hadn’t been certain about that. What was more, she had planned to
become a co-wife of Xia Yuhang by giving birth to his baby. After all,
the woman who had been engaged with Xia Yuhang before Ning Ziyan
was a weak person.

And she had thought that Xia Yuhang would agree to give her a position
as a co-wife for the sake of the baby in her belly as long as she begged
him.

She had planned to let Xia Yuhang repudiate that stupid woman after her
baby was born. Then she would find an opportunity to kill the woman or
destroy her reputation. Then she could be the only wife of Xia Yuhang!

However, her plan was not able to keep up with changes. It never
occurred to her that Xia Yuhang didn’t marry that stupid woman. Instead,
it was Ning Ziyan who married him. Chen Hexiang had known that Ning
Ziyan was the same person like her who looked gentle on the surface and
acted evilly on the sly from the first glance at Ning Ziyan. That was why
Chen Hexiang was anxious right now.

She would definitely be murdered once Ning Ziyan found out about her
pregnancy.

Nevertheless, she didn’t even have a chance to talk with Xia Yuhang in
Xia Manor. Everywhere she went, there was a maid following her. She
couldn’t run away with that. If she still failed to speak to Xia Yuhang and
let him marry her as his concubine, she would end up with a miserable
life.

So she took a detour from the left in a hurry when Ning Ziyan was
sleeping. She had noticed clearly that there were young male servants
sending things from there.

However, she had to stop at an intersection, not knowing which path led
to the male guests.

She didn’t have much time. The longer she waited, the more dangerous
she would become.

“Are you heading somewhere?” As she was hesitating there, she heard
someone asking her from behind.

She looked back in fright and found that it was not the maid of Ning
Ziyan. Then she couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief with lots of
sweats already on her back.

“Are you lost? Do you want to find where the female guests are?” The
pretty maid walked toward Chen Hexiang while saying that with a grin.
Chen Hexiang found the maid look familiar. Then she watched the
maid’s face carefully and found that it was the maid of the Fifth Young
Lady who she had just visited.

“I wasn’t planning to go to the female guests’ seats. Our lady has told me
to find our master. But I was lost when I got here. Sister, do you know
which way I should go?” Chen Hexiang smiled and explained that with
awkwardness.

“Do you need me to send the message for you to your master? There are
so many people here and you might bump into someone else!” Lanning
said that politely.

“No, no, our mistress has urged me to do it by myself. Don’t bother,

sister!” Hearing that Lanning wanted to help her, Chen Hexiang got
restless immediately. Then she waved her hands and refused Lanning.

“Don’t worry. I happen to be free right now. I’ll have to go there anyway
afterwards. I’ll do it for you, sister!” Lanning insisted while stepping on
the path on her right. It looked like she was really intending to send the
message for Chen Hexiang.

“It really is not necessary, sister. Our mistress will punish me for being
lazy.” Chen Hexiang pulled Lanning subconsciously in a moment
desperation while still explaining that.

Then Lanning staggered about and almost tumbled. After standing still,
Lanning showed a sullen face and said, “Walk this way. You’ll see the
female guests after a short while. If you can not find your master
momentarily, just ask a young male servant. There were lots of guests
there. Be careful not to offend any important guests.”

“Yes, yes, yes. I won’t offend anyone there. Don’t worry, sister.” Chen
Hexiang nodded without a break while saying that.

“All right, I’ll leave now!” Lanning nodded while walking toward
another path.

Seeing Lanning being out of sight, Chen Hexiang was overjoyed. She
had just learned a few helpful information from Lanning. Not only did
she know the way to the male guests, she also learned that the young
male servant would help her to find Xia Yuhang. What was more,
Lanning had also told her that there would be important guests in the
front.

That was awesome for her. As long as those important guests saw Xia
Yuhang admit her as his concubine, Ning Ziyan then couldn’t do
anything about it after waking up. With a crowd of people staring, even
Madam Ling couldn’t ruin her plan. Then Chen Hexiang felt assured
completely and planned to head there.

However, her eyes were caught by a sparkling red object.

When she looked closer, she found a ruby hairpin in the grass. Then she
squatted down and picked it up, feeling extremely happy.

That was the ruby hairpin she had coveted just now. Without thinking too
much, she looked around and found nobody nearby. Then she put the
hairpin in her arms and walked on the path on her right.
This hairpin must have been dropped from the maid who she had met
during their tugging back and forth.

As far as she denied having taken the hairpin, no one would know that
she was the one who had it.

As Chen Hexiang was rushing to the male guests with joy, Lanning had
already come back to Ning Xueyan. There were also a few young ladies
having a pleasant talk with Ning Xueyan now.

Lanning nodded to Ning Xueyan while Ning Xueyan also gave a nod
implying that she knew that Lanning had done her job successfully. Now
it was up to Chen Hexiang if Ning Xueyan’s plan could be successful.
She believed that clever woman Chen Hexiang could absolutely find Xia
Yuhang.

After that, Ning Xueyan could watch the fun.

“What are you doing here, Fifth Young Lady? Our mistress has been
looking for you. She has wanted to ask you how’s the soup taste. But she
couldn’t see you anywhere. It took me a long while to find you.”

An older female servant in the crowd saw Ning Xueyan and laughed
right away.

That older female servant was the servant of Concubine Ma.

“Our Young Lady is kind of busy now. Please tell Concubine Ma that the
soup tastes great. Thank the concubine for making soup deliberately for
our Young Lady.” Qingyu stopped the older female servant with a grin
and pulled her out of the crowd. Then Qingyu pointed at Ning Xueyan
who was among the ladies, saying, “It’s unnecessary to call our Young
Lady over there because of such a small thing! She is talking with other
Young Ladies right now and doesn’t have the time.”

“Qingyu, it’s not me who has insisted to invite Fifth Young Lady. It’s
Concubine Ma who has said that the Fifth Young Lady has a fragile body
and has to be fed well. She also claimed that Fifth Young Lady must be
clear about what should be eaten and what shouldn’t. Now she really
wants to know what has Fifth Young Lady thought of the soup. So she
has sent me to ask.”
The old female servant said that humbly, with a friendly look.

Qingyu was a bit moved by her genial posture. What was more, it
seemed that Concubine Ma now looked upon on Ning Xueyan and tried
to show a friendly gesture. After all, due to what had happened before, it
was reasonable for Concubine Ma to want to flatter Ning Xueyan.

“All right. Give thanks to Concubine Ma for our Young Lady. Tell her
it’s unnecessary, our Young Lady doesn’t mind about these things.”
Qingyu declined with a smile.

“But Concubine Ma was waiting for Fifth Young Lady. She will
absolutely scold me if I can’t bring Fifth Young Lady there. Qingyu,
please help me. It won’t take long. And Fifth Young Lady can come back
right away. Fifth Young Lady won’t miss anything here. Please,
otherwise Concubine Ma may get angry, and I, I can’t take the
responsibility.” The older female servant begged Qingyu persistently.

Due to her pregnancy, Concubine Ma was being spoiled right now. If she
was irritated right now, even Ning Xueyan couldn’t handle the
consequences.

“Where is Concubine Ma?” Qingyu appeared to be persuaded. So she

frowned and asked that.

“There’s a rockery by the kitchen which has a pavilion on it. The place is
near the lake and is very quiet. Our mistress assumed that Fifth Young
Lady should like a tranquil place like that. So she went there.” Hearing
Qingyu’s words, the older female servant pointed a direction for her
affably.

Everyone in the manor knew about the rockery by the kitchen. That was
a place which was deadly quiet, with lake on the one side and mountain
on the other side. It was also a ‘good’ place where someone could do
anything without being noticed.

“Our mistress has already told the servants to prepare a hot stove there.
Fifth Young Lady can chat and enjoy the view with our mistress. It is
warm in the pavilion now. Also, our mistress has also prepared a few
dishes. Fifth Young Lady has a delicate body so she could eat something
first. It’s good for the stomach.”
The old female servant said those words with an expressive look. She
tried her best to let her words sound persuasive after seeing Qingyu
being influenced by her.

“Then you come back first. I’ll bring Fifth Young Lady there. Tell
Concubine Ma not to worry.” Qingyu nodded and agreed to her.

“Fine, I’ll tell Concubine Ma.” The older female servant was overloaded
with joy. Hearing Qingyu’s answer, she came back to inform Concubine
Ma at once.

Ning Xueyan who was in the crowd had paid close attention to them the
whole time. Seeing the older female servant disappeared, she excused
herself to those ladies and left with Lanning.

“Young Lady, Concubine Ma has sent someone to pass her words as you
have expected!” Qingyu said that with anger.

“Lanning, go to Mother Han. Tell her to invite the people.” Ning Xueyan
remained calm. She looked at Madam Ling who was standing not far
away from her and snorted. Then she clenched her fists. “You did have a
thorough plan, Madam Ling. However, it’s still a waste of time,” she
thought cynically.

She expected to see how Madam Ling would make up for what would
happen today…
Chapter 90 Pregnancy, Surprise
Or Scare
There were already a few plates of sunflower seeds, some preserved fruit
and tea being prepared in the pavilion. The windows on both sides were
closed. With a burning stove in the center, this was surely a perfect place
for chatting. What was more, the pavilion faced the lake and was situated
on the rockery, which made it a fairly tranquil place. People who didn’t
live in the manor wouldn’t even find such a secluded place.

Right now, there were only Concubine Ma and a maid in the room.

Concubine Ma was feeling like sitting on pin and needles. She walked to
the door from time to time, then she stopped out of fidget. She had
already made a thorough plan. However, she just felt restless for no
reason while having a bad feeling for what was about to happen.

Suddenly, she heard someone talking on the outside. However, the

expression on her face was not joyful but scared.

“Mistress, you need to drink the tea now. Or the effect won’t be shown in
a short while.” The maid who stood by the table pushed the tea on the
table toward Concubine Ma and said that.

“I…” Concubine Ma hesitated a bit.

“Concubine Ma, do you want the marquis to know that you are not
pregnant at all?” The maid looked at Concubine Ma with a cold
expression in her eyes.

Concubine Ma was frightened by the maid’s eye sight. Then with her
teeth gritted, she walked over and drank off the tea in the cup.

Then she started to cough because she had drunk too fast.

Right at this moment, someone knocked on the door lightly with

hesitation. And Concubine Ma finally stopped coughing. She used her
towel to cover her mouth.
Meanwhile the maid took a few steps back and stood in the shadow of
the corner of the pavilion.

“Come in!” Having sat down on her seat, Concubine Ma cleared her
throat and said that. She gritted her teeth secretly and thought, “Since
I’ve already drunk the drug in the tea, I shouldn’t think anything else
now. After all, I have drugged Ning Xueyan. And that thing has to come
to a close. Fifth Young Lady was not an easy one to handle too.”

Concubine Ma was regretting right now. She shouldn’t have married to

Lord Protector. All the high position and great wealth she had expected
to have were at the cost of being other’s puppet. Now she had no way to
back down. Since she had already agreed that she would help set up Ning
Xueyan in order to curry favor with First Madam, she had to play along
with this false pregnancy thing!

After ten months of pregnancy, she wouldn’t give birth to anything

because she was not pregnant at now. By then she would definitely be
punished severely!

So she had to abort the baby who she had never had. And the ‘baby’ had
to die because of Ning Xueyan. She had drugged Ning Xueyan before, so
people might find it reasonable for Ning Xueyan to drug her and kill her
baby!

It was the scheme which was plotted by First Madam and Concubine
Ma. Now Concubine Ma had already drunk the tea with the drug in it.
The drug only had one effect, which was to bring forward the date of her
period. However, Concubine Ma suddenly had a sense of foreboding
when she saw the door open slightly.

Until now, everything went so smoothly, even too smoothly.

But Concubine Ma still felt perturbed now! And her forehead was
covered with sweats.

Would A girl who was able to make First Madam scared walk into the
trap so easily?

“Caiyun!” A cheerful voice came through from the door. The familiar
voice drew Concubine Ma back to the earth. She stood up abruptly,
showing a frightened rather than delighted look on her face. She pointed
at the fair-skinned man in front of her with terror, saying,

“You, you… what are you doing here?” She couldn’t even stand still due
to her panic while still feeling vague pain from her belly as if it was
drooping.

“What? You didn’t call me over here? Caiyun, how are you doing…
Have you missed me?” The young man was stunned at first. Then with a
sad look on his face, he didn’t go out. Instead, he closed the door and
looked at Concubine Ma while asking that.

“I’m fine. How can I not be? You should go now, now!” The pain from
her belly kept welling up, which made Concubine Ma hardly able to utter
a word. Cold sweats were covering her forehead right now. She bore the
pain very reluctantly and walked toward the man to push him out of the
room.

The person who came here was not Ning Xueyan. It was the man from
the opera troupe, also her past lover, whom she had tried so hard to cover
up. And now he just stood right in front of her. No wonder Concubine
Ma would be overspread with cold sweats and nearly faint.

“What happened to you? Are you sick… What’s wrong?” However, that
man has already born Concubine Ma in his mind. When he saw
Concubine Ma turned her face pale and stood unsteadily with sweats on
her forehead, he really thought that she was ill.

Then he stepped forward and supported Concubine Ma who seemed

groggy.

“Stay away.” Before he stood still, someone pushed him violently from
the side of him. The man who was holding Concubine Ma’s hand tightly
didn’t pay attention to other people, so he backed up while falling down
to the ground along with Concubine Ma.

They both rolled on the ground and neither could stand up at the
moment.

“Go away!” The maid got into a flap, knowing that something must be
wrong. So she dragged Concubine Ma in a hurry and tried to pull
Concubine Ma out of that man’s arms. However, that man wouldn’t let
go of his hands. And Concubine Ma was back to the ground due to his
powerful tug.

As the three of them were in a complete tangle, the door was opened
suddenly. Ning Xueyan along with a few maids and older female
servants stood at the door, watching what was happening in the room in a
shock.

Concubine Ma was holding hands with a man on the ground. What was
the story?

Deadly silence filled in the space inside and outside the door.

“Blood, blood, Concubine Ma is bleeding?” A sharp-eyed maid shouted

that while pointing at the bottom of Concubine Ma’s dress, from where
red blood was flowing out.

Concubine Ma almost pushed away the man beside her subconsciously

in no time. Then she started to hold her belly and shouted miserably,
with cold sweats on her forehead.

“My belly, my belly!”

“Go find a doctor. Tell him there’s something wrong with Concubine
Ma.” Ning Xueyan ordered that to Qingyu.

“Sure. I’ll go right away.” Having nodded, Qingyu ran away from there
in a flash.

At the same time, Ning Xueyan told the maid to hold Concubine Ma up
while sending someone to inform Madam Dowager and First Madam.
Now the pavilion became a scene of chaos. No one paid attention to that
man who had run away secretly under the hint of Concubine Ma except
Ning Xueyan.

The maids and older female servants who had guided Ning Xueyan there
were startled by the accidents.

Madam Dowager and Madam Ling came here fast. Lanning was the one
who had invited Madam Ling and they came a bit later than Madam
Dowager. So Madam Ling thought that everything went as she had
planned. When she entered the room, she saw Madam Dowager sitting
there with a sullen face. Meanwhile, Concubine Ma was lying on the
bed, holding her belly and rolling back and forth due to the pain. And
Ning Xueyan was standing there with her head lowered and the
expression on her face unable to see.

“Ning Xueyan falls into the trap,” Madam Ling thought.

“Mom, what happened?” Though Madam Ling was complacent about

herself secretly, she didn’t show any sign of it. Instead, she asked with
concern.

“Mom, don’t ask first. We should call a doctor to check on Concubine

Ma at once.” Ning Xueyan raised her head with terror in her eyes. It
seemed that she was shocked by what had happened.

“What do you mean by telling me no to ask? How can I keep silent now?
Xueyan, what are you doing here? Don’t tell me you are the one who has
hurt Concubine Ma!” Madam Ling looked at Ning Xueyan with a
doubtful look.

“Mother, I, I didn’t!”

Hearing that, Madam Ling found Ning Xueyan’s explanation quite

feeble. And she saw Madam Dowager remaining silent with a gloomy
face. Then Madam Ling was even more certain that her plan had worked
out.

Come to think about it, when Madam Dowager found that her
granddaughter had killed her grandson, she must have been heart-broken.
Nevertheless, she couldn’t tell others about this. Otherwise, she would
only bring embarrassment to the Lord Protector’s Manor.

But Madam Ling had no intention to let Ning Xueyan get away with this.
She wanted to blow up the affair. The more significant this matter
became, the better Madam Ling felt. By then, even Madam Dowager was
not able to protect Ning Xueyan.

Then Madam Ling raised her voice as if she got a huge fright. “Oh my
gosh, my Fifth Young Lady, you are… Even if Concubine Ma has
misunderstood you and drugged you, you are completely fine now. How
can you murder the child in her belly! That is your brother!”

Madam Ling put on a deep grieved look on her face while scolding Ning
Xueyan.

Madam Ling was standing at the door right now, and she had raised her
voice on purpose because she wanted to draw people’s attention. As
expected, there were several madams who just passed by this place
looking up to this place and finding Madam Ling who was standing at
the door. They all stopped and looked over, wanting to know what had
happened!

“Mother, it’s not like that…” With her face turning pale, Ning Xueyan
explained hastily. However, she paused a bit when she had tried to
explain. And Madam Ling caught the chance and continued.

“Not like that. Are there any other possibilities? “That was a little human
being. However, how can you be so ruthless to a child as his sister? That
is my son whom you have just killed. Xueyan… how can you be so
malicious at such a young age!”

Madam Ling said that loudly with righteous words as if she really
wanted to uphold justice for Concubine Ma.

And she just kept claiming that Ning Xueyan was the one who killed
Concubine Ma’s child on purpose.

In the meantime, Concubine Ma who was lying on the bed kept winking
at Madam Ling regardless of the terrible pain from her belly. However,
Ning Xueyan stepped forward and block Concubine Ma’s eyesight along
with the maid which had been in the room with Concubine Ma.

“Mother, how can you be so sure that it is me who has done that?” Ning
Xueyan, having wiped off her scared look, said that calmly.

“It… isn’t it obvious? You are the only person who was here. That makes
you the most possible one to have done that… Xueyan, have you
forgotten what I had told you before? Why are you becoming so vicious
now?” Madam Ling still pestered Ning Xueyan in a loud voice.
Those madams who were at the bottom of the rockery could hear clearly
of Madam Ling’s words because the rockery was not high even if they
didn’t come up. They looked at each other with their eyes flickered.
According to the voice they had heard, the people who were on the
rockery now were First Madam and Fifth Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor. And they concluded from the conversation that Fifth
Young Lady was a malicious girl who had just killed someone. Then
they all got a bit curious.

So they simply decided to stand at the bottom of the rockery, waiting for
the follow-up of what was happening above.

“Mother, you call me a malicious person only because I am standing

here. What if my Eldest Sister or my Second Sister is in my place right
now. Will you still charge them straightly without even asking?” Ning
Xueyan refuted Madam Ling with a sneer on the corner of her mouth.

“I, I… Your sister would never do something like this.” Madam Ling
was startled by Ning Xueyan’s words, but she retorted reflexively at
once.

“My sisters wouldn’t do something like this, and I would? Mother, am I

really that vicious in your eyes that I would kill someone without
blinking? Or maybe you have already known what would happen in the
beginning?”

As she was saying this, Ning Xueyan smiled and approached Madam
Ling who was already speechless due to Ning Xueyan’s words.

Madam Dowager looked at Madam Ling with a sullen look, with a

spooky smile on the corner of her mouth, saying, “Madam Ling, aren’t
you the one who’s gonna benefit the most if Concubine Ma lost her
child? Why are you blaming Xueyan right now? She was just trying to
help Concubine Ma. Why are you calling her a malicious girl? What if
she hasn’t done the thing you just said?”

Hot steam was rising in the pavilion. Ning Xueyan had opened the
window deliberately in order to let Concubine Ma have some fresh air
just now. So what Madam Dowager had said reached to the ears of those
madams from the window.
“It’s, it’s not Xueyan who did this?” Madam Ling was completely
confused right now. Then she blinked her eyes and asked that.
Chapter 91 It Was the Imperial
Physician
“Grandma, Concubine Ma told someone to invite me here. She said that I
must tell her if the soup I had drunk was delicious or not. She also said
that she didn’t want to let me be wronged and had to ask my opinion. I
didn’t want to come at first. But the older female servant who came to
invite me just pestered me unceasingly. So I agreed to come here.”

“I was caught up by something else on the way here. However, when I

got here, I saw Concubine Ma sitting on the ground covered with blood.
Now come to think about it, if I came earlier, I would be regarded as a
malicious girl like what mother said for sure!” Ning Xueyan said that
orderly with a smile.

Though she was stating the truth, she still managed to hide the fact that
there had been a man in the room at that time.

Mixed feelings filled in Concubine Ma’s heart at the moment, and she
didn’t know what to do next!

She never thought that Ning Xueyan would make no mention of that man
as if she had never seen him. If Ning Zu’an knew about this, Concubine
Ma would be doomed. Though Ning Zu’an favored her a lot, he still
wouldn’t tolerate this kind of thing. And her end would be miserable.

Thinking of this with fear, Concubine Ma couldn’t help but rest her eyes
on Ning Xueyan. She didn’t know why Ning Xueyan had helped her to
cover this up!

Then she suddenly looked right into Ning Xueyan’s dark jade-like eyes
intentionally. That girl was even smiling to her, which made Concubine
Ma’s heart tremble. She lowered her head subconsciously, not daring to
look right into Ning Xueyan’s eyes. Now she only felt the skinny girl in
front of her was so unfathomable. Without the protection of her mom,
Ning Xueyan still managed to fight Madam Ling. What a tough girl!
Since things had already come to this point, Concubine Ma was totally
helpless now.

She wondered if she should keep framing Ning Xueyan with Madam
Ling…

As they were talking, a doctor over his fifties showed up at the door with
a medical kit. It was clear to see that he was not an ordinary doctor.

“Wait, you are not the doctor from our manor.” Madam Ling reacted fast
this time and held the doctor back.

Although she didn’t know where this doctor came from, she was still
aware that she couldn’t let anyone find out about the false pregnancy of
Concubine Ma, let alone the real effect of the drug. Therefore, she didn’t
care about the fact that she had already failed to set Ning Xueyan up.
The more important thing for her was to prevent people from knowing
that Concubine Ma had not been pregnant at all.

Since she had failed this time, she would still come up with something
new. “I will destroy you, you little b*tch!” Madam Ling thought that.

“What, you don’t want me to see the patient?” The doctor snorted while
raised his head to glared at Madam Ling’s hands, saying that in anger.

“First Madam, just let him check on Concubine Ma. When I looked for
the doctors in our manors, they were all rushing toward the place where
Eldest Young Lady stayed. They said that Eldest Young Lady also didn’t
feel well. When I was in anxiety, someone told me that this doctor was
very skillful. So I invited him here specially.” Qingyu showed up from
the doctor’s back and explained fretfully.

“You stupid maid. How dare you invite this quack into our family! You
think you could take the responsibility if anything happens?” Under no
circumstance would Madam Ling let the doctor pass. So she didn’t let go
of her hands which were holding the door while curing Qingyu with her
eyebrows knitted.

“A quack?” The doctor roared that with an imposing manner on his face.
Then he leered at Madam Ling and continued, “No one has ever called
me that. I have even treated the emperor. Tell me why I can’t treat a
concubine in your manor and couldn’t take the responsibility!”

When they had quarreled, Madam Dowager finally recognized that the
doctor was the imperial physician from the royal palace. So she glared at
Madam Ling fiercely and came over with a smile on her face, saying,
“Imperial physician Wang, you are here. I’m terribly sorry that my
daughter-in-law hasn’t recognized you. Excuse her ignorance. Please
come here and take a look at the concubine. Is the child in her belly still
alive?”

After Madam Dowager had said that, Madam Ling’s face went
completely stiff and turned green. She couldn’t believe the man in front
of her was an imperial physician! And she finally released her hand.

“I don’t know if I am qualified to be an imperial physician. Just don’t

regard me as a quack! Madam Dowager, I only didn’t leave just now for
the sake of the marquis.” Imperial Physician Wang snorted at Madam
Ling and then turned his head to talk to Madam Dowager.

“Yes, yes, yes, she is too inexperienced to know your face, imperial
physician Wang. Please have a look now!” Madam Dowager knew that
imperial Wang was best at gynecology and it never occurred to her that
he would agree to come at this critical moment. Being overjoyed right
now, she cast a complimentary glance at Qingyu and leading imperial
Wang toward Concubine Ma’s bed in a hurry.

Now Madam Ling had no choice but to wait there. She felt in a state of
feverish like ants on the hot pan. “Why did Ziyan call all the doctors in
the manor over at this moment!” she thought.

How terrified was Madam Ling right now!

Seeing Concubine Ma whose face turned pale and lost all the color due
to the pain, imperial physician stopped talking and sat down right away.
After that, he took Concubine Ma’s pulse with his eyebrows wrinkled.
He seemed to be hesitating about something. Madam Dowager who was
looking at him became even more nervous. Her reaction was quite
understandable. After all, Ning Zu’an had never had a son for all these
years. And finally, Concubine Ma was pregnant with a boy this time.
Madam Dowager really didn’t want to lose this grandson.
All the people became quiet all of a sudden. There’s only the sound of
groan from Concubine Ma.

Imperial physician Wang put down one hand of Concubine Ma and took
the pulse of the other one. Then his eyebrows knitted tighter and tighter.
He looked at the Concubine Ma’s pale face with a light sneer flashing in
his eyes. Being surprised by the things she had done to strive for her
husband’s favor, imperial physician Wang only felt that this woman was
too bold to risk her own body. “Won’t she regret this?” he thought.

“Madam Dowager, this concubine in your manor was not pregnant at all!
I haven’t sensed any sign of pregnancy from her pulse.” After putting
Concubine Ma’s hand, the imperial physician said that coldly.

Concubine Ma was not pregnant!

He said that lightly. However, his words were like a clap of thunder
which stroked all the people in the room.

Madam Dowager wobbled and couldn’t even stand still. Then she
pointed at Concubine Ma with her trembling finger in extreme anger.

“Doctor, maybe you have got it wrong. Concubine Ma was in great pain
now and looked exactly like being suffered from abortion. Is possible
that you didn’t find her pregnant because the child had already been
dead?” Madam Ling was anxious now. So she stepped forward and
offered an explanation with sweats on her forehead.

“Madam, please be responsible for your words. I have practiced

medicine for so many years. Do you think I could be an imperial
physician for so long if I am not able to diagnose whether a woman is
pregnant or not?” With light flashing in his eyes, imperial physician
Wang looked Madam Ling up and down. Then he said that slowly while
twiddling his mustache.

His words were very sharp. He tried to tell them that he was the superior
imperial physician who could even treat the queen in the royal palace.
Now there was someone who dared to question him. So, was Madam
Ling trying to imply that a concubine in the manor was even more
delicate than the queen?
“Doctor… I didn’t mean that. I just want to ask if her pulse appears a bit
different from other pregnant women because she has just suffered the
abortion.” Seeing imperial physician Wang getting angry, Madam Ling
also realized she had said something inappropriate. Then she apologized
and explained for herself immediately.

After she had admitted her mistake, imperial physician Wang finally
softened the expression on his face.

“Doctor, then why does Concubine Ma in such great pain. Is she going to
be all right?” Ning Xueyan said that and managed to draw everyone’s
attention back to Concubine Ma who was trembling due to the ache and
couldn’t spit a single word.

Sweats were keeping dropping from the forehead of Concubine Ma. If it

were not for imperial physician Wang who was from the royal palace, no
one would suspect that she had an abortion.

Her reaction was just like miscarrying.

“The pain is not a big deal. She will be fine after that. However,
afterwards…” Imperial physician Wang stopped there and looked at
Concubine Ma pitifully.

“Afterwards… What will happen? Doctor, please finish your words!”

Concubine Ma gritted her teeth and asked word by word.

At this moment, Concubine Ma clenched the corner of the quilt with

terror in her eyes, having a bad feeling in her heart.

“Mistress… You can not be pregnant anymore. The drug you have used
has such a strong effect…” The imperial physician shook his head and
said that with a meaningful look.

“Drug? Strong effect?” Concubine Ma almost fainted. Without any

scruple, she struggled to get up with the support of the maid. After that,
she knelt down on the bed heavily, crying out, “Doctor, please save me.
As long as you can cure me, I’ll pay you everything I have!”

She was only a concubine. If she didn’t have a child, the adoration her
husband had for her meant nothing. After she got older, she would
definitely be forgotten and lived even poorer than a maid.

“The drug…” Imperial physician Wang still shook his head under the
hopeful stare from Concubine Ma. He sighed and said, “It’s not that I
don’t want to save you. But the drug is too poisonous. I’m sorry that you
can not have any child in your lifetime. I’m powerless about that.”

“Doctor, there really is no way to cure her? If Concubine Ma couldn’t

give birth to a child, her life… in the future…” Ning Xueyan asked the
doctor for Concubine Ma with faintly discernible sadness in her eyes,
showing a strong pity for the woman who had drugged her before.

Imperial physician Wang didn’t say anything but only shook his head
firmly. Having stood up and packed up his medicine kit, he left there.

Ning Xueyan’s words hit the sour spot of Concubine Ma. Moreover, the
imperial physician had kept shaking his head and given an affirmative
answer. By then Concubine Ma knew that there was no hope for her. She
covered her face and began to weep bitterly.

“Concubine Ma, stop crying. What have you drunk to sterilize yourself?”
Ning Xueyan comforted her softly.

What she had said shocked everyone in the room. Since Concubine Ma
had faked her own pregnancy, why had she taken the drug which
prevented her from having a child ever again? It just did not make sense!

Now seeing Concubine Ma’s distraught state, everyone was even more
certain that this woman had no intention to cut off her own retreat!

Madam Ling was worrying now. As the conversation getting deeper and
deeper, people in the room already ignored Concubine Ma’s false
pregnancy and shifted their focus to the tea that Concubine Ma had
drunk. She knew exactly what was inside that cup of tea. Because she
was the one who used the drug to sterilize Concubine Ma. Madam Ling
had envied Concubine Ma for a long time because of Ning Zu’an’s
preference toward her. So Madam Ling had decided to destroy
Concubine Ma’s ability to have children.

No matter how much Ning Zu’an favored Concubine Ma, he would still
find a new sweetheart. By that moment, Concubine Ma would die very
miserably.

Little did she know that her plot would be exposed at the critical
moment. What was more, the one who had said that Concubine Ma
couldn’t pregnant again was an imperial physician, which made her hard
to deny. She saw Concubine Ma looking at her because of Ning
Xueyan’s words, then she came over to comfort Concubine Ma with her
towel at once, saying, “Sister, don’t worry. Maybe it’s because of
something you have eaten. Actually, we have an opera troupe here. And
the manor is bustling. Sometimes we might be careless when everything
is in a mess. We can find a way to nurse your health latter.”

She brought up the opera troupe on purpose in order to warn Concubine

Ma. After all, Madam Ling had something on Concubine Ma. Moreover,
after threatening her, Madam Ling also coaxed Concubine Ma that she
would cure Concubine Ma in the future.

After saying that, Madam Ling let out a sigh of relief. She believed that
Concubine Ma was clever enough to understand the meaning of her
words. As long as Concubine Ma didn’t give her away, Madam Ling
would definitely figure out a way to reverse the situation!

She wouldn’t let herself be involved in this!

Chapter 92 The Baby Was
Already Two Months or Three
However, Madam Ling was too optimistic. If the man in the opera troupe
hadn’t been here and Ning Xueyan hadn’t found out about his existence,
Concubine Ma wouldn’t dare to say anything no matter how much she
hated Madam Ling!

But the problem was there had been more than one person who had seen
that man. Perhaps Ning Xueyan was planning something else by keeping
quiet about this thing.

At this moment, Concubine Ma could risk anything as long as she could

get her revenge.

She rested her eyes on the teacup on the table with the corner of her eyes
turning red and went mad. Then she, having pointed at Madam Ling,
suddenly pounced on Madam Ling and shouted, “Madam Ling, you evil
woman. You will rot in hell!”

The direction Concubine Ma rushed at was Madam Ling’s face. So

Madam Ling turned her head to dodge, which presented her ear right in
front of Concubine Ma. Meanwhile, the embittered Concubine Ma who
saw Madam Ling’s ear approach bit down without any hesitation. Then
Madam Ling uttered a heartrending cry and the people in the room all
freaked out.

They all came forward to separate them. Concubine Ma was frail now so
she was pulled back easily. But she was too weak to stand still, only a
single pull already made her faint.

Then the maids and older female servants all got panicky again.

Someone went to look after Concubine Ma, others checked on Madam

Ling’s wound. Though Concubine Ma was weak now, she still managed
to bite off a piece of flesh from Madam Ling’s ear. Madam Ling’s face
was covered with blood right away, which made her look like a demon.
There were someone screaming and someone getting flustered.
Meanwhile, there was also someone who wanted to fawn on Madam
Ling and pressed the wound for her. However, Madam Ling was hurt
again due to the pressing, so she slapped the person who tried to please
her…

Seeing the absurd scene in front of her, Madam Dowager was trembling
all over out of anger. She was clear that what was happening now must
be caused by Madam Ling again. She pounded the teacup toward Madam
Ling violently. Suddenly, Madam Ling who was screaming due to the
pain was startled and didn’t have the guts to make any sound.

“You, you wicked woman!” Madam Dowager almost hit Madam Ling
with her walking stick.

“First Madam, Madam Dowager, something bad happened, happened to

Eldest Young Lady!” An older female servant dashed in totteringly
before the thing happened in the pavilion finished.

“Eldest Young Lady, what, what have happened to her?” After the
constant strike today, Madam Dowager also felt shortness of breath. But
she had to ask the situation of Ning Ziyan after seeing Madam Ling’s
crumpled shape.

“Eldest Young Lady, Eldest Young Lady is losing her baby now!” After
catching her breath, the older female servant shouted that.

Losing her baby?

“Go, let’s go have a look now.” Madam Dowager couldn’t give any
thoughts to Madam Ling and Concubine Ma right now. After giving the
order, she rushed over to where Ning Ziyan stayed along with all the
people. Meanwhile, Madam Ling who heard that something had
happened to her daughter was unable to take care of her wound. She
followed Madam Dowager with one hand covering her ear and went to
the garden.

Those madams who had been waiting at the bottom of the rockery felt
embarrassed to go up there but they never left the place either. They had
almost heard all of the conversations. Though they were still puzzled
about what had happened before, now they had heard clearly of the thing
about Eldest Young Lady. So, the Eldest Young Lady, who had insisted
on getting married regardless of one of her father’s concubine’s death?

They stared speechlessly at each other and couldn’t get what was really
happening right now. Seeing Madam Dowager and Madam Ling getting
out, those madams also followed after them.

Ning Xueyan walked by Madam Dowager’s side. She looked worried on

the appearance; however, she was actually snorted secretly. “Madam
Ling, Ning Ziyan, you two think you can set me up? Now you just
become the victim of your own cleverness,” she thought.

That imperial physician Wang who was good at gynecology was sent by
Ao Chenyi to give birthday congratulations after she had written a letter
to him deliberately.

Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Ziyan would occupy the doctor in the
manor if she felt uncomfortable. Since the doctors in the manor were all
unavailable, they would have to find a doctor outside the manor. And
imperial physician Wang who was in the feast was the best choice. As
long as Qingyu mentioned Concubine Ma’s condition to Ning Zu’an in a
panic, he would invite imperial physician Wang to treat Concubine Ma
for sure.

Then Concubine Ma’s false pregnancy would be revealed!

Also, Ning Ziyan had already foreseen that Madam Ling would drug
Concubine Ma. For all these years, there were too many concubines in
the Lord Protector’s Manor, and none of them had given birth to a child.
Those who had been favored by Ning Zu’an had rather died at a young
age or fallen into disfavor without a child.

Since Concubine Ma was becoming more and more dominant and Ning
Zu’an favored her a lot, Madam Ling would definitely grab the chance to
eliminate this threat!

The Spring Theatrical Troupe had used to perform in the area where
Concubine Ma’s family lived for a long while. Concubine Ma had been a
frequent visitor of their show. As time went by, she fell in love with the
actor of the Spring Theatrical Troupe. They had even pledged to marry
without parental consent and already slept together. The two young
adults had thought that they would be with each other happily forever.

However, one day, Ning Zu’an had seen Concubine Ma on the street and
got tempted. So he had sent someone to her home to inquire about her
marital status. Being fancied by Lord Protector was such a great honor.
Concubine Ma’s parents had been intrigued, as well as Concubine Ma.
So she had gone back on her previous words with that actor. After
packing up her simple luggage, she was sent to the Lord Protector’s
Manor that night.

The relationship Concubine Ma had with that actor should have ended
after that. However, Ning Zu’an was no longer a young man, which
made Concubine Ma miss her previous young lover again. So she had
sent letters and some silvers to the actor from time to time. In the course
of their contact, not only hadn’t broken up with each other, they had even
become closer.

Their affair had been known by Madam Ling. So she had decided to use
this to threat Concubine Ma.

As for the matters with her cousins was actually a little dispute between
Han Dazhuang (Mother Han’s son) and the Spring Theatrical Troupe and
was not a bit deal. But Madam Ling had managed to make this thing
bigger, which had given a motive for Concubine Ma to drug Ning
Xueyan. And of course, the false pregnancy of Concubine Ma had been
plotted by Madam Ling.

Ning Xueyan had asked Mother Han to inquire who Han Dazhuang had
argued with. Then she found the existence of the Spring Theatrical
Troupe. At last, she had followed up the clue and found Concubine Ma’s
affair. The reason why Ning Xueyan had found out about that so easily
might because Concubine Ma had been unguarded because Madam Ling
had already learned this.

So Concubine Ma had even written the letters more frequently than

before. Her maid Chunfang who had paid close attention to her
discovered that easily.

“Mother, mother!” Seeing Madam Dowager and Madam Ling coming in,
Ning Ziyan screamed to Madam Ling. She was covering her belly with
one hand while crying loudly.

Madam Dowager saw that with her face turning sullen. With her
displeased expression replacing her worried look on her face, she went
back to the chair next to her and sat tight.

The reason why Madam Dowager became unhappy was that when
Madam Dowager and Madam Ling had entered the room together, Ning
Ziyan had simply ignored her grandma and kept calling Madam Ling.

“Ziyan, what happened? Are you all right? What’s the matter with her?
Why has the servant said that she lost her baby?” Madam Ling rushed to
Ning Ziyan immediately. Her ear had been bound up hastily, so she
looked better than before although she was still in a mess. After that, she
shouted to the doctor of the manor angrily.

She blamed the doctor of the manor for what had happened to her today.
So she scolded him on purpose.

“Eldest Young Lady… has eaten something cold. She, she shouldn’t
have eaten that when she’s pregnant!” The doctor of the manor jabbered
that with his head lowered under Madam Ling’s glower.

“You b*stard. What you have prepared for Ziyan? How can she have a
miscarriage!” Madam Ling got furious and slapped the maid who was
standing by the bed fiercely. She had lost all of her impatience right now
and only felt her chest moving up and down with anger welling up.

Madam Ling now looked at everyone with a ferocious look! Her brutal
nature showed out completely!

“I, I have never prepared anything cold to the Young Lady.” The maid
fell on the ground while explaining for herself.

“You haven’t? Then why would Ziyan lose her baby? I know she has a
strong body!” Madam Ling got even angrier. She pointed at that maid
and started to curse.

“Grandma, why has my Eldest Sister had a miscarriage? Is there

anything wrong with the diagnose?” Ning Xueyan asked Madam
Dowager in a low voice.
Her words enlightened Madam Dowager and the other madams who
were there.

Ning Ziyan had just been married for only a month. Even if she had been
pregnant, it would be hard to diagnose. So it was unreasonable for her to
lose a baby. Now judging from the expression on Ning Ziyan and
Madam Ling’s faces, they seemed to have already known about her
pregnancy.

Madam Ling who had also heard of Ning Xueyan’s seemingly

unintentional words flew into a rage immediately. She considered Ning
Xueyan’s words a provocation. “What did she mean by there is
something wrong with the diagnose? Was this little b*tch trying to imply
that Ziyan also pretended to be pregnant like Concubine Ma? She must
have said that to irritate me!” After thinking of that, Madam Ling just
couldn’t get a hold of herself anymore.

She was caught unprepared by all the things that had happened today.
Even Concubine Ma had changed sides and bitten her. Madam Ling was
already in a muddled state. And now that Ning Xueyan still provoked her
and doubted if Ning Ziyan’s pregnancy was fake. So Madam Ling glared
at the doctor of the manor with her teeth gritted, saying,

“Have you made a mistake? Was Ziyan pregnant or not?”

There was no doctor who would like to be questioned about their

expertise. Although the doctor of the manor was afraid of Madam Ling,
he still refuted with his head raised, “First Madam, although I am not the
best doctor, I can still tell if a girl is pregnant or not. What’s more, Eldest
Young Lady has already been pregnant for two or three months, you
think I wouldn’t find out?”

For two or three months?

Ning Ziyan had only been married for a month but had already been
pregnant for two or three months! After learning about that, all the
people in the room were shocked.

“Hasn’t she just been married for a month?” Madam Dowager asked that
doubtfully.
When all those women had rushed across the garden in a hurry including
the wounded Madam Ling, they managed to draw more people’s
attention. So right now there were even more people coming to watch the
fun.

“Being pregnant before getting married. What about the rules in the Lord
Protector’s Manor? That is so…”

“No wonder why she was so eager to get married. It turned out that she
was pregnant. What have her parents taught her?”

“She must have a love affair stealthily. After all, the reason why she was
born was because of her mother’s affair. That might be the tradition of
her family.” A madam sneered that while laughed with her hand covering
her mouth.

Now everyone was looking at Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan cynically
with a bit taunt in their eyes.

Madam Ling had already had a sinking feeling when she had listened to
the doctor of the manor talking. Before she was able to stop him, the
doctor had already told everything. And she got flustered right away. She
and Ning Ziyan had tried so hard to cover this up. It never occurred to
her that it had still been exposed in front of everyone. No wonder
Madam Ling would be panic-stricken.

“Madam, my Eldest Sister was a self-disciplined girl and would never do

anything that would humiliate our family. Every time her husband was
here, my Eldest Sister went to see him with Sister Ziying. So they have
never had a chance to meet privately.” Ning Xueyan explained to those
madams who were gossiping there politely.

With her pleasant voice and elegant behavior, Ning Xueyan showed an
imposing manner when she talked, which made people admire deeply.
She was still defending Ning Ziyan at this moment. It must because she
had a close relationship with her sister. Those madams had already heard
that Madam Ling had tried to set her up all the time. However, Ning
Xueyan didn’t take advantage of Madam Ling’s perilous state. She was
surely a virtuous girl!

Those madams all thought that in their hearts!

Chapter 93 Truth, or Scandal
Meanwhile, Madam Ling was gritting her teeth and got chilled in her
heart. She was unable to argue anything now. What Ning Xueyan had
said had already declared Ning Ziyan’s guilty. What was more, Ning
Xueyan had also mentioned Ning Ziying who had already been dead.
There might be someone who began to doubt about the cause of Ning
Ziying’s death. What was worse, if anyone wanted to dig out the truth of
that girl’s death, Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan would be doomed.

So Madam Ling had to keep her mouth shut. Otherwise she would sound
more suspicious!

A few madams looked at Ning Ziyan with a doubtful look. Xia Yuhang
always had a good reputation of being a decent man. It was true that he
didn’t seem like a shameless person.

“Since she didn’t have a love affair with Xia Yuhang, is it possible that
the baby’s father was not him?”

“Anyway, it is true that she was pregnant. Has she cheated on her
husband?”

Ning Ziyan was in great pain right now. Those women’s talks made her
also feel ashamed and angry. They said that as if she was a dissolute
woman. Then with a fit of extreme anger rushed to her brain, she
struggled to get up and stormed Ning Xueyan, “What the hell do you
mean? This child’s father is none other than Xia Yuhang! If he followed
all the rules, then who do you think my child’s father is!”

After losing the baby and being suspected of cheating on Xia Yuhang,
Ning Ziyan couldn’t keep calm and gentle like the ordinary times
anymore with thunder rage. So she uttered those words with a vile
visage.

Madam Ling was overwhelmed with sudden accidents right now. No one
in the room had expected that Ning Ziyan would have raked up her own
fault except Ning Xueyan.
Ning Xueyan knew Ning Ziyan so well. After being suspected of
cheating on Xia Yuhang, that poor woman would definitely let rage alter
her mind.

“Ziyan, what are you talking about!” Xia Yuhang who had been
informed of what had happened by the servant spoke angrily after
hearing Ning Ziyan’s curse.

He was going to take the imperial competitive examination. So his

reputation was the most important thing for him right now!

People who were blocking the door stood aside at one. Then Xia Yuhang,
having shown up at the door with Chen Hexiang, winked to Ning Ziyan
to tell her not to speak randomly.

“Nice to meet you, my eldest brother-in-law. Isn’t she the personal maid
of my Eldest Sister? Why isn’t she serving my sister and staying by your
side? Don’t you know what has happened to my Eldest Sister?” After
saluting Xia Yuhang, Ning Xueyan watched Chen Hexiang who was
standing beside Xia Yuhang with her eyebrows wrinkled and said
sullenly.

Hearing her words, Ning Ziyan also rested her eyes on Chen Hexiang
and found the latter following Xia Yuhang closely. Then Ning Ziyan was
steamed up. Now she realized why Chen Hexiang had not been here
before. It turned out her maid had left here to seduce her husband when
she had been sick.

Seeing her ferocious eyesight falling on Chen Hexiang, Xia Yuhang

pulled his lover to his back gently. However, this movement just was like
adding fuel to the fire, Ning Ziyan now was simmering with rage.

“I didn’t say anything wrong. It is the truth. What now, you want to deny
that you are the father? And what are you doing with that b*tch! Is she
trying to lure you again?!”

Ning Ziyan was filled with anger and hatred right now. When she saw
Xia Yuhang having no intention to defend her but protecting her maid as
if he was afraid that she would hurt Chen Hexiang, she just couldn’t bear
it. As a result, she threw the thing in her hands without knowing what it
was.
The china was smashed on the ground in front of Chen Hexiang heavily
and broke into pieces immediately. Then she, as shocked as she was,
took a few steps and stood behind Xia Yuhang tremblingly. At the same
time, she also looked at Ning Ziyan with terror, saying, “Mistress, I, I
just happened to meet Master Xia. I wasn’t intended to find, find him in
the front.”

“Hey! Isn’t this the maid who was looking for Master Xia just now? She
has also asked me the way to the male guests’ seats. She told me that
Eldest Young Lady had told her to find Master Xia because of something
important. So… she was telling a lie?”

Chen Hexiang and Lanning were speaking at the same time. Although
Lanning was merely murmuring to herself in a low voice, all the people
still focused their eyes on this maid who wore showy clothes. Some of
the madams already found that the material of the clothes on this maid
was quite expensive.

How could the clothes of a maid be made of such expensive material?

Unless there really was something stealthy between her master and her.

Moreover, what Chen Hexiang had said to explain for herself

contradicted what Lanning had said. Seeing Chen Hexiang blushing right
away and Xia Yuhang showing an awkward face, all the people there
realized instantly that this maid really had some bad intentions by having
abandoned her own mistress and meeting her master secretly at her
master’s father-in-law’s manor.

So, was this Xia Yuhang really a gentle and cultivated person as what
people had said?

“How come I don’t know about asking you to find him! Anyone! Drag
her out and beat her to death!” How Ning Ziyan wished to tear Chen
Hexiang apart right now! Since she had just suffered the miscarriage and
felt ashamed now, she then vented all her anger to Chen Hexiang due to
Lanning’s words.

She said that severely while patting the bed board.

Though she hadn’t brought any older female servant with her, there were
still two older female servants who had received the order from Madam
Ling showing up right away and dragged Chen Hexiang. After all, this
was the Lord Protector’s Manor where servants were everywhere.

It was beyond Chen Hexiang’s expectation that Ning Ziyan would lose
control in front of everyone! She pulled Xia Yuhang’s robe with fright,
begging for help pitifully, “Master, help me!”

“Ziyan, just forget about it. We’ll discuss this maid after we got home.
Don’t make a scene in the Lord Protector’s Manor.” Having given a
nervous cough, Xia Yuhang approached Ning Ziyan and said that in a
low and displeased voice.

What he meant was talking about this in front of everyone at this

moment was clearly inappropriate!

“Eldest Sister, just let it pass. I believe my brother-in-law didn’t try to

defend her on purpose. You two should discuss it until you go back
home. Anyhow, it is just about a maid. Do you think my brother-in-law
will let her tread on you?” Ning Xueyan comforted Ning Ziyan gently.

However, those words hit the sour spot of Ning Ziyan again. Judging
from Xia Yuhang’s attitude, he was determined to protect Chen Hexiang.
After all the things she had been through today including losing her
baby, not only did Xia Yuhang refuse to comfort her, he even showed an
intimacy to her maid.

Ning Ziyan felt like she was stabbed right into the heart.

“Beat her. Beat her to death!” She thumped the bed with full hit and
ignored Xia Yuhang. Now both her eyes turned red and the blue veins in
her forehead kept jumping. And she nearly uttered those words with her
teeth crunched.

“Ziyan, don’t act recklessly! Let go of Hexiang!” Xia Yuhang saw that
there were more older female servant pulling Chen Hexiang while the
latter was screaming and struggling, he couldn’t restrain the anger either.
Then the expression on his face turned cold.

“Recklessly? I did have been reckless. Otherwise, this kind of thing

would never happen. How could I let a maid climb on the top of me! I
could turn a blind eye when I was in the Xia Manor. Now we are in the
Lord Protector’s Manor! And this barefaced maid just couldn’t wait a
second to sneak out and meet you secretly! Do you know how humiliated
I feel right now?!”

It seemed Ning Ziyan had gained some power from her extreme anger.
She suddenly sat up straightly and pointed at Chen Hexiang while
cursing in rage.

Those harsh words also pointed at Xia Yuhang. Now everyone knew that
not only had this man flirted with his wife’s maid in his own manor, he
also couldn’t control himself in his father-in-law’s manor. It seemed that
Xia Yuhang’s moral character was not as good as they had heard.

Some madams who had doubted the father of Ning Ziyan’s child all
came to realize that this couple must have had an illicit sexual
relationship before their marriage. And they had only got married
because Ning Ziyan had been pregnant. No wonder why they had even
covered Second Madam’s death. Because they had to, due to the
disgraceful thing they had done.

What a scandal it was! And now even the cause of hiding the Second
Madam’s death was exposed!

The Eldest Young Lady and the Childe of the Xia Manor had claimed
that they knew nothing about Second Madam’s death. But actually, it
was clear that they had illicit intercourse at first and hidden the Second
Madam’s death in order to get married. And they had shown others that
they had been kept in the dark. How hypocritical and dishonest they
were!

The color of Madam Dowager’s face had turned from green to purple,
then green again. Now she really couldn’t stand sitting there. She stood
up abruptly and said to Xia Yuhang with a gloomy look, “We won’t step
in the affairs of your home. Go back to your own manor please.”

She had just ordered Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan to leave!

“Mother, how could Ziyan move being like this! We should let her rest
for a while. She can leave after she got better!” Madam Ling was
anxious about Madam Dowager’s order. Ning Ziyan couldn’t move a bit
right now. After taking the medicine which was prescribed by the doctor
of the manor, she finally got a little better. However, the doctor had also
instructed that she couldn’t make any movements right now.

“Grandma…” Seeing Madam Dowager really got mad, Ning Ziyan

stared at her grandma and said that.

“Servants, take this coarse maid away first.” Madam Dowager looked at
Ning Ziyan’s face and found her granddaughter in a weak state indeed.
So she waved her hand depressingly and ordered the older female
servants that.

As long as this maid was here, the situation would only get worse. The
reason why Ning Ziyan hadn’t been able to control herself was because
of this maid. And that Xia Yuhang was totally senseless by defending
that maid till this time. What Madam Dowager planned was dragging the
maid down and kill her secretly.

After all, that was just a maid who had slept with her master. This kind
of maid could be seen in every manor. When Madam Dowager had been
young, she had dealt with more than one of these maids. She had always
managed to get rid of these girls before things went bigger.

There was no need to be held to ridicule as it was now.

“Yes!” Two older female servants came up to drag Chen Hexiang down.

As Chen Hexiang saw Madam Dowager’s scary face, she knew that she
was done. Now those older female servants were really trying to drag her
down, so she could only grasp Xia Yuhang’s robe and said, “Master, you
cannot let them take me away… I, I am pregnant with your child now.
My death is not to be regretted. But what about the child?”

Her words caused a great disturbance in the room…

So this maid was also pregnant…

This, this childe of the Xia Manor who was famous for his high morality
was actually a libertine. Those madams who had wanted to marry their
daughter to him before because of his good reputation all felt lucky now.
Fortunately, it was not their own daughter that Xia Yuhang had married.
He had already had an affair with his wife’s maid within a month of his
marriage and even got the maid pregnant. What a mess in the Xia
Manor! The madam and the maid both got pregnant from adultery!

“So you two have already had an affair with each other behind my back.
How many times have you two slept with each other?! And you, Xia
Yuhang told me that she only stayed in our home for a while and let me
take care of her.” Ning Ziyan thought that bitterly.

“You, you two have already…” Ning Ziyan was trembling due to the
anger with her face turning green. She said that while pointing her finger
to Xia Yuhang’s embarrassed face, then to Chen Hexiang. After that, she
swayed and fainted…
Chapter 94 I’ve Only Taken You
in for Half a Month
After Ning Ziyan fainted, she attracted everyone’s attention.

Ning Ziyan’s current situation was not very good. Everyone in the house
was sent out; only Madam Ling and Madam Dowager were left. Basins
of blood were taken out one after another and many female servants
shuttled in and out in a flurry. Ning Xueyan stayed outside and could not
help pulling an older female servant and asking her about it.

The older female servant only said that the Eldest Young Lady would
lose her baby and was in danger now!

After that, she ran back in a hurry.

Chen Hexiang was frightened pale. She held Xia Yuhang’s clothes
tightly with panic on her face. Although she wanted Ning Ziyan to lose
her baby, she did not want to be involved with it. Even though she was
scheming, she was still in a great panic now.

“Eldest Brother-in-law, couldn’t you talk about that when you go back?
Did you have to stimulate my Eldest Sister at this time?” Ning Xueyan
turned around and coldly spoke to Xia Yuhang while looking at Chen
Hexiang’s hands, which were holding Xia Yuhang tightly.

As Ning Ziyan’s sister, Ning Xueyan could defend Ning Ziyan against
this injustice!

Hearing Ning Xueyan’s words, all the madams turned their eyes to Xia
Yuhang and saw Chen Hexiang holding Xia Yuhang tightly. They could
not help sighing in their minds that Xia Yuhang was really not good!

In their view, Xia Yuhang still flirted with a maid while his wife was in
danger, and such a person did not deserve to be an official!

Xia Yuhang already felt disgraced when his amour with Chen Hehiang
was exposed in front of so many people. At this time, after listening to
Ning Xueyan, Xia Yuhang pushed the sobbing Chen Hexiang aside and
said coldly, “My child? Is there any relationship between your child and
me? I’ve only taken you in for half a month. How can this child be
mine?”

“Childe, you…” Chen Hexiang was pushed to the ground and felt a pain
in her stomach. She could not help raising her head and looking at Xia
Yuhang in disbelief. She could not believe that he had gone back on his
word. Xia Yuhang had promised that he would marry her and cherish her
and her child from then on, and would also protect them from being
bullied by Ning Ziyan.

But he had gone back on his word after just a short time!

“Take her down and give her some money, and then see her off!” Xia
Yuehang was no longer tender, and he waved his hands with a look of
indifference on his face.

It meant that she would be driven out of the Xia Manor, which Chen
Hexiang could not bear. In order to become the hostess of the Xia Manor,
she racked her brains in scheming. To achieve her goal, she had framed
Ning Ziying before and told Xia Yuhang about the baby in front of Ning
Ziyan today.

But she did not expect that Xia Yuhang, who had always been gentle to
her, would drive her away.

“Childe, you… you can’t abandon me. I’m pregnant! It’s yours! We
spent so much time together in Cold Mountain Temple. How could we
only know each other for half a month…”

Thinking that she would lose everything, Chen Hexiang was unwilling to
give up. She rushed over to Xia Yuhang, held his legs, and started crying.

The two had had sex in the temple, which greatly shocked everyone, but
Xia Yuhang looked sanctimonious. Unexpectedly, he dared to have sex
in a temple. Wasn’t he afraid of offending the Buddha?

“Cold Mountain Temple? The Cold Mountain Temple that Sister Ziying
had visited before?” Ning Xueyan raised her head and asked while
frowning, as if she really had been shocked.
Ning Xueyan’s words reminded Chen Hexiang of the past. At this time,
she would tightly grab onto it, even if there was only one life-saving
straw there. Xia Yuhang did not admit to their amour. But Ning Ziying
knew that she had been taken in by Xia Yuhang at Cold Mountain
Temple.

“Yes. Young Lady Ziying can prove that I didn’t lie. She became aware
of me when she came to see you at Cold Mountain Temple… Young
Lady Ziying…”

Before she had finished, Chen Hexiang suddenly felt a pain in her waist
and found that she was being kicked out by Xia Yuhang. Chen Hexiang
flew out and hit a tree so hard that she spit out blood as she fell down.

“Take this bitch away! She dares to slander me!”

Now Xia Yuhang was not gentle at all. He shouted with a gloomy and
angry look and regretted that he had not asked the older female servants
to take Chen Hexiang away and beat her to death just now.

Chen Hexiang not only irritated Ning Ziyan, but also destroyed Xia
Yuhang’s reputation. Now, she even dared to talk about Ning Ziying. If
the secrets about Ning Ziying were exposed, the Xia Manor could not
afford the consequences.

“She… she seems to be bleeding!” One madam was shocked by Xia

Yuhang’s sudden brutality and shouted while pointing at Chen Hexiang’s
skirt.

Needless to say, she would lose her baby as well!

But she used to be the maid of the Xia Manor, and the Eldest Young
Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor fell into danger because of her, so no
one stood up to take care of her. In the end, Xia Yuhang asked two older
female servants to take her away. The fainted Chen Hexiang was dragged
away, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

Those madams standing aside covered their mouths and noses with their
handkerchiefs while looking at Xia Yuhang with disdain, ridicule, and
suspicion, while thinking in minds, “Who is Ning Ziying? It seems that
she also comes from Lord Protector’s Manor. When did Xia Yuhang
have a relationship with another Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor?”

Ning Xueyan looked down with her head hanging low. Her ink-like eyes
were full of tranquility and coldness, as if they were filled with darkness.

This was Xia Yuehang. He would listen to you and was willing to do
anything for you when you had a good relationship with him. But when
it came to his own interests, he would be fierce and merciless. Chen
Hexiang had thought that she was Xia Yuhang’s beloved and believed
that Xia Yuhang would listen to her, so she was so indulgent today.

Xia Yuhang was extremely good to Chen Hexiang before, so she dared to
say that she was pregnant in public. However, this man was unreliable.
Maybe now at the end of her life, she would understand that Xia Yuhang
could give up anything for his own future.

Would he marry a powerless orphan girl instead of a Young Lady of

Lord Protector’s Manor?

For his own fame and future, it was almost inevitable that Xia Yuhang
would abandon Chen Hexiang.

Unfortunately, he was caught up in such a scandal. After today, how

could he keep his reputation? And his rich knowledge would be useless!

With a bad reputation, how could Xia Yuhang become an official and
achieve his career success?

Ning Xueyan lowered her head and coldly smiled.

The birthday banquet hosted in Lord Protector’s Manor for the

concubine of Lord Protector became a farce in the end, the news of
which was soon spread out.

First, it was found out that the concubine of Lord Protector was not
pregnant. Then, it was discovered that the concubine had been poisoned
with acyeterion. After that, the Eldest Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor, who had married into the Xia Manor, had a miscarriage. And it
was found out that she had been pregnant for about three months, which
meant she was pregnant before she had gotten married.
They also knew that the Eldest Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor
and Xia Yuhang had premarital sex, so that the Eldest Young Lady was
pregnant and Lord Protector’s Manor concealed the Second Madam’s
death from others in order to hold a wedding for the Eldest Young Lady
and Xia Yuhang.

Later, it was exposed that Xia Yuhang had carried on a clandestine love
affair with a maid in Cold Mountain Temple before he married Ning
Ziyan. It was also rumored that Childe Xia had a close relationship with
a female relative who had lived in Lord Protector’s Manor and they met
in both Lord Protector’s Manor and Cold Mountain Temple.

After that, it was said that the Young Lady had died on the eve of Xia
Yuhang’s marriage. How could it not be suspicious?

It was chaos in Lord Protector’s Manor and the host had no time to
entertain the guests. Therefore, the guests gathered in twos and threes to
gossip.

Ning Xueyan was not married yet and this was the first time that she
showed up in front of others, so she could not make any judgment. A few
moments later, Madam Dowager asked her to return to her own
courtyard.

Mother Han had already returned to Bright Frost Garden. When she saw
Ning Xueyan coming back, she immediately reported to Ning Xueyan in
a low voice, “Young Lady, Madam Dowager invited a doctor to treat that
woman. She has stopped bleeding. But she will lose her child. One
reason is that she was kicked. The other reason is that she has been
poisoned. The poison was smeared on her hairpin and will lead to an
abortion.”

“Ning Ziyan will never show mercy when she poisons others!” Ning
Xueyan sneered as she turned to the bookcase. She picked up a brush pen
and started drawing. She liked drawing and her pictures were quite
different from those of ordinary women, which was due to her mother’s
cultivation.

Ning Ziyan put the hairpin on her head because Concubine Ma had asked
her out. If something happened, the first person to be checked was her.
As long as the hairpin was found on her, she would not be able to clarify
even if she had more mouths.

Madam Ling made the plan and Ning Ziyan carried out the place. They
fit together perfectly as usual. They had conspired together to kill Ning
Ziying beside the lotus pond before and they tried to frame Ning Xueyan
now. But Ning Xueyan was no longer cowardly!

She would not only save Chen Hexiang, but also make her hate Ning
Ziyan. Actually, Chen Hexiang was a scheming and cruel woman. She
failed today because she did not realize her weight in Xia Yuhang’s
heart. Ning Xueyan hoped that Chen Hexiang could give her a bigger
surprise the next time.

Why was there poison on that hairpin? Why did it fall into her hands?
Ning Xueyan could figure it out easily!

At lunchtime, Madam Dowager organized in the inner courtyard while

Ning Zu’an organized in the outer courtyard. But no one was in the
mood for dinner. So they finished lunch quickly and left!

Such things happened in Lord Protector’s Manor one after another, so

nobody had the mind to take care of Bright Frost Garden. Originally, no
one paid attention to Bright Frost Garden. So at this time, no one cared
about Ning Xueyan. She secretly changed into a young male servant’s
costume and went out of Lord Protector’s Manor alone.

Today, there was still one last important step to go!

Otherwise, what she had done would all have been in vain!

In other people’s opinions, Ning Xueyan was an emaciated girl who

never went out. But Ning Ziying was not. She was a guest in Lord
Protector’s Manor, so they seldom stopped her from going out.
Therefore, she went out many times when she was Ning Ziying and
knew the layout of the street outside.

And now she was about to look for that man!

Chapter 95 Prince Yi’s Favorite
Concubine
Ning Xueyan went through the gate of Lord Protector’s Manor, turned
left toward the main street, and then passed by the most prosperous street
in the capital. Finally, she went to a capacious intersection, where eight
horses could pass side by side. She turned at this intersection and arrived
at a street where all of the buildings on both sides were owned by one
person.

That was Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi!

Standing in front of the gate of Prince Yi’s Manor, Ning Xueyan

frowned. She had passed through this intersection before, but she had
never been to Prince Yi’s Manor. Only then did she find that she could
not enter Prince Yi’s Manor! Ning Xueyan was in a hurry when she got
here and did not think about it, so now she could only stand outside in
despair.

While Ning Xueyan was trying to find a way to enter, several horses
suddenly rushed out of the manor. The guards at the door almost
unconsciously flashed away and respectfully knelt on the ground.

Did Ao Chenyi happen to come out?

However, before Ning Xueyan could move, the one who rushed out first
wielded a long whip in his hand and then she was pulled toward him
before she could respond.

Anyone would be frightened if they suddenly experienced that. Ning

Xueyan subconsciously held Ao Chenyi’s waist to prevent herself from
falling down from the horse. The horse kept running rapidly and did not
stop. If Ning Xueyan had not reacted quickly, she would have flown out
and died when Ao Chenyi took the whip back!

The wind blew so furiously that her hat was blown away. Immediately,
her long black hair was scattered. Several strands of her hair slapped her
on the face and it was painful.

Ning Xueyan heard Ao Chenyi’s malicious and cold laughter, which

made her very angry and firmly believe that he had done that on
purpose!

Suddenly, the horse stopped. Ning Xueyan could hardly hold onto Ao
Chenyi and was about to fly off due to inertia. Ao Chenyi wielded his
whip again and looped it around her waist to hold her in his arms.

“Uncle, she is?” Suddenly, Ning Xueyan heard a surprised voice. It was
the Third Prince!

How did they encounter the Third Prince?

Ning Xueyan did not dare to move at this time. She hugged Ao Chenyi
motionlessly and buried her head deep in his arms. At this time, her face
could never be seen by the Third Prince.

“She’s my girl. She’s very naughty. I don’t know how she got such an
outfit. She usually stays in the manor and seldom comes out. So today I
especially took her out. But she is too timid. Turn around and salute the
Third Prince,” Ao Chenyi said drowsily while tapping Ning Xueyan on
her back with his whip.

So Ning Xueyan had to turn around. She slightly tilted her head while
not looking at the Third Prince on the opposite horse, bent slightly on the
horse to salute the Third Prince, and said delicately, “Your Highness!”

Ning Xueyan’s long hair was scattered, covering a large part of her face,
so the Third Prince only saw a little of her face and lips. Although he
could not see clearly, he also realized that the woman in front of him
should be very beautiful. So the Third Prince could not help but say with
a smile on his face, “I didn’t expect there to be such a beauty in your
manor. My father worries about your emotional life every day. It seems
that all his worrying is in vain!”

“She is not exceedingly beautiful, but just happens to be my type. As for

other beauties, they’re not my cup of tea.” Ao Chenyi stretched out his
hands to touch Ning Xueyan’s long hair and held her closer while
laughing.
Ao Chenyi had never been so tender to a woman before. Therefore, all of
them were shocked and widened their eyes when they saw the gentle Ao
Chenyi. They wanted to know how beautiful this woman was so that Ao
Chenyi was attracted by her and brought her to this important occasion.

“My father would be sad if he heard what you said. Uncle, you’re Prince
Yi. Ordinary women do not deserve you. The hostess of Prince Yi’s
Manor must come from a noble and exalted family.” Once again, the
elegant voice of the Third Prince came to Ning Xueyan’s ears. It sounded
like he was very concerned about Ao Chenyi and wanted him to marry a
suitable woman.

The Third Prince was really hypocritical. In his mind, he wished that
Prince Yi would marry an ordinary woman. However, in front of Prince
Yi’s concubine, he deliberately said that Prince Yi should marry an
exalted woman. This was to make Prince Yi’s concubine jealous and
cause Prince Yi trouble. After all, if Ao Chenyi’s Legal Wife came from
a powerful family, the pressure on the Third Prince would be greater.

If Ning Xueyan really was Ao Chenyi’s beloved concubine, she would

be jealous and cause him trouble. Unfortunately, Ning Xueyan was not.
Ning Xueyan unconsciously smiled and appreciated the performance of
Third Prince while leaning into Prince Yi’s arms.

Anyway, it looked like she would not be able to leave now!

The two groups slowed down, headed by Prince Yi, and ran all the way
to the Third Prince’s manor outside the city.

The wind was very strong, Ning Xueyan felt cold in her flimsy dress. So
she subconsciously got closer to Ao Chenyi. Ning Xueyan was in poor
health. She would be seriously ill if she were to be blown by the strong
wind the entire way.

But now, she had a wolf by the ears and could not leave.

Suddenly, Ning Xueyan felt warm, as if she had been wrapped in

something. She got a glimpse of the pure-white fox-furred edge.
Unexpectedly, it was Ao Chenyi’s cloak.
It seemed that he was afraid that Ning Xueyan could not pretend to be
his favorite concubine due to being frozen!

Since it was beneficial to both of them, Ning Xueyan did not refuse Ao
Cheyi’s cloak. She tucked into the cloak and was wrapped in his chest
and cloak. It was really warm, and she unconsciously relaxed.

Then she began to think about where they were going!

Ning Xueyan raised her head, pulled Ao Chenyi’s clothes on his chest,
and asked in a low voice, “Where are we going, Prince Yi? What should
I do?”

She did not believe that Ao Chenyi had taken her without a purpose.

Feeling that she was talking to him, Ao Chenyi looked down and saw a
small head peeking out above the snow-white fox-furred cloak. Her dark
hair fell back, making her look charming. Ao Chenyi answered with a
smile on his face, “You don’t need to do anything, just dress up as my
favorite concubine.”

“But the Third Prince knows me!” Ning Xueyan hesitated and said.

The Third Prince did not recognize her just now because she was on a
horse and her face was half-covered by her flying hair. However, when
she got off the horse later, she would be clearly seen by the Third Prince
and might be recognized.

“Don’t worry, I have my own way. You just have to lie in my arms.” Ao
Chenyi slightly narrowed his eyes and smiled, but Ning Xueyan could
hardly feel his warmth.

The man was completely indifferent. He showed no warmth even when

he was smiling and always made people feel like they were in the cold.
Ning Xueyan sighed and said nothing more. She closed her eyes and
rested in the cloak.

Fortunately, his body was warm and she did not feel cold.

Not knowing how long the horse had been running, Ning Xueyan
became sleepy on the horse. Suddenly, she felt the horse stop. She
opened her eyes and blinked. Ning Xueyan raised her head
unconsciously and looked into a pair of cold eyes. Then she blinked
more before she remembered where she was.

“Prince Yi, here we are?” Ning Xueyan wanted to sit up.

“Hmm!” Ao Chenyi drew back his gaze, tossed away the whip in his
hands, and got off the horse while holding Ning Xueyan by one hand.
Ning Xueyan was still half wrapped in the fox-furred cloak, with the top
of her head exposed in the air. Her eyes were bright and beautiful,
making Ning Xueyan look enchanting.

Since she could fascinate Prince Yi, how could she not be a stunner?

Those who followed Ao Chenyi also got off their horses. Ning Xueyan
secretly scrutinized them while still leaning into Ao Chenyi’s arms.
Besides the Third Prince, they also seemed to be extraordinary. But they
were totally unrelated with Ao Chenyi. Why were they together?

Ning Xueyan frowned and had a feeling that something unusual would
happen!

Suddenly, Ning Xueyan looked into a pair of smiling eyes, whose owner
deliberately winked at her. It was the Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Min, Wen Xueran. “Why is he here?” Ning Xueyan was very
surprised. She always felt that Wen Xueran was dangerous.

Ning Xueyan tried to calm down and quietly turned to another person.
Then she turned back and buried her head in Ao Chenyi’s arms.
Compared with the Third Prince, the Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Min was more difficult to fool. Ning Xueyan did not want to see
him.

“Uncle, please come in!” The Third Prince jumped off the horse, took
two steps forward, and made an invitation gesture at the door!

Ao Cheyi nodded and strode in while holding Ning Xueyan!

The rest of them followed, only Wen Xueran stopped in place and
thoughtfully looked at Ao Chenyi with a faint smile on his face.
“She is Prince Yi’s favorite concubine? When did Prince Yi have a
favorite concubine? This is a piece of news that’s worth looking forward
to,” Wen Xueran thought.

“Don’t they say that Prince Yi has no concubine? Where does this
woman come from? She should dress in a young male servant’s clothes.
As Prince Yi said, she is naughty.

“It’s interesting that the cold-blooded Prince Yi would allow a woman to

be mischievous and doesn’t punish her.”

“Xueran, why don’t you come in?” A childe of a noble family ahead
looked back and cried when he saw that Wen Xueran had not moved.

“I’m coming!” Wen Xueran responded and entered the house after them
with a smile on his face while spinning the folding fan in his hands.

Out of fear of being recognized by the Third Prince, Ning Xueyan was
more careful in peeking this time. She grasped the fox-furred cloak and
secretly peeked while the Third Prince and Ao Chenyi were talking.

This courtyard was a richly ornamented building. Carved beams and

painted rafters were everywhere. Lord Protector’s Manor was well-
known in the capital for its grandness. But it still was inferior to this
building.

Surrounded by the crowd, Ao Chenyi, holding Ning Xueyan, walked

through the corridor and stopped at a waterside pavilion.

One could see the rockery in the lake and the gurgling water. The view
was open and excellent!

Ao Chenyi sat on the first couch in the middle, while the Third Prince
and the others sat on both sides. Ning Xueyan sat on the couch near Ao
Chenyi. Her face was still half-covered by the cloak. The cloak, along
with her scattered long hair, made her face indistinct.

Everyone sat down and began to drink while talking and enjoying the
scenery. All of a sudden, the Third Prince came to the center and clapped
three times. Then the door was opened and two teams came in…
Chapter 96 If It Is Good, You Just
Keep Watching
It was two groups of female dancers in flowing dresses. They entered the
house in two teams and then started dancing face to face.

The team on the left was led by a beauty in a pink dress, who was
slender and adorable.

The team on the right was led by a beauty in a green dress, who was sexy
and enchanting!

Both of them were stunners!

The two beauties moved to the center as they danced. Then they bent
down in front of Ao Chenyi and looked at him with shyness.

“Prince Yi, you are looking at… dancing?” The singing and dancing
were still going on. Those beauties took a look at Ao Chenyi from time
to time. But he was not moved. He held a glazed glass that was full of
blood-like wine and indifferently looked at those beauties. Ning Xueyan
felt uneasy and asked him in a low voice.

For fear of being recognized by the others, Ning Xueyan had to stick
tightly to Ao Chenyi. The strong masculine atmosphere rushed at Ning
Xueyan from all directions, making her blush. And because of the blush,
she looked even more enchanting than usual.

Ao Chenyi looked down at her while supporting his chin with one hand
and touching her earring with the other hand, and vaguely said, “Hmm.”

Suddenly, he asked Ning Xueyan while looking at her with a faint smile
on his face, “Do they dance well?”

“Yes!” Ning Xueyan nodded sincerely. They feasted their eyes on the
flying ribbons and dancing beauties. Furthermore, these dancers did their
best to dance. It was cold and they wore thin clothes, but none of them
felt cold and their faces became red due to being so hot.
“Then keep watching.” Hearing Ning Xueyan’s answer, Ao Chenyi
smiled and said a meaningful word.

While they were talking, the music was no longer soft and had become
fast. The dancers also moved fast, looking a little bit fierce. From the
place where she was, Ning Xueyan could see several dancers looking at
her with tears in their eyes when they passed by her.

Yes, there were pleading. Their eyes were full of entreaty!

No man could bear the plea of a poor beauty. However, the one beside
her was not moved at all. He still watched them dancing while holding
the glass, as if he knew nothing. It was him who was so gloomy and
cold-blooded!

It was easier to ask him to directly kill someone than hope that he could
have compassion for women.

“Prince Yi, you don’t like any of them? All of them are well-known
beauties and were carefully selected, especially the leading ones. They
are more charming than the others.” A man sitting on Ao Chenyi’s right
could not help speaking first.

He said those harsh words while looking at Ning Xueyan, who was held
tightly by Ao Chenyi, with disdain.

Ao Chenyi drank the bloody wine and then looked sideways at the man
who just spoke with a slight smile on his face. Instead of paying attention
to him, he turned to the Third Prince and said, “Mingyu carefully chose
these beauties for me. They are indeed beautiful, but not my cup of tea.
So, kill them all.”

Hearing what Ao Chenyi said, Ning Xueyan sighed helplessly in her

mind! Sure enough, he could easily determine those dancers’ destinies.

And those dancers became disordered and their faces turned pale
immediately.

Obviously, Ao Chenyi turned his nose up at these beauties, or at anyone

else here. He glanced over the crowd and stopped when he saw the
smiling Wen Xueran, and then he showed a strange and gloomy smile.
From her position, Ning Xueyan found that Ao Chenyi’s smile was more
like a ghost hand that silently caught her neck!

It was creepy!

The childe who had been directly ignored like dust by Ao Chenyi did not
dare to say a word. Ning Xueyan even saw his cup-holding hand
unconsciously trembling. The wine in the cup spilled onto his hand, as
red as blood.

The others who did not speak also turned pale and lowered their heads.

The Third Prince clenched his fists in his sleeve and felt a sharp pain in
his fingertips. He could almost not keep his elegant smile at this time. He
looked down to hide the murderous look in his eyes.

He was the favorite son of the emperor, and his status was enough to
become the Heir Apparent. If not for Ao Chenyi, he would not have been
the Third Prince at this moment and a powerless Imperial Prince in the
future.

It was not clear to the Third Prince how binding the last words of the
former emperor were, but he felt that it was a great shame that his father
did not confer the title of Heir Apparent onto him and let Ao Chenyi take
control of the court.

He even controlled the emperor’s…

Someone had opposed that, but they and their families had been
decapitated!

Today, those childes who came here with the Third Prince were not only
exalted, but also arrogant. However, Ao Chenyi’s simple words
frightened them all.

“Uncle, these are excellent beauties. Even though you don’t like them,
you needn’t kill them all. For this dance, I searched many places to
assemble them.”

The Third Prince regained his elegance when he looked up again. He

advised Ao Chenyi not to kill them while looking at those dancers with a
gentle smile on his face.

Hearing the Third Prince’s words, those dancers looked at him gratefully
with tears in their eyes.

“Since Mingyu said so, I’ll let you off. Guards, bring them all to my
manor where there is a shortage of women.” Ao Chenyi leaned back
lazily and nodded his head as if he were very satisfied with what the
Third Prince had said. “After hearing what you said, I find they are
indeed beautiful when looking again. Since they dared to seduce me, I
have to give them a chance to try it!”

What he said was very flippant. He described the noble Third Prince as a
procurer of a brothel, making all the people present bow their heads in
shame and indignation.

They all followed the Third Prince’s head!

Blue veins stood out on the Third Prince’s cup-holding hand, but he still
gently smiled, as if he did not feel there was anything wrong in Ao
Chenyi’s words.

Ning Xueyan had been secretly paying attention to the Third Prince the
entire time. Seeing his behavior, she could not help think that the Third
Prince was quite tolerant!

“Prince Yi, since you like Lianyue and Xiyue, how about marrying
them? There is no such a beautiful woman in the world. I’m afraid that
they are much better than the one in your arms! Moreover, the two girls
come from a scholarly family. I think they deserve to be your co-
consorts.”

There always were people in the world who were not afraid of death.
When they got the Third Prince’s hint, another childe stood out and
suggested that Ao Chenyi should marry the two leading beauties.
Although his face was pale, his behavior was normal.

How dare the Third Prince suggest that Ao Chenyi marry the two
dancers! Ning Xueyan frowned when she heard what the man said. The
Third Prince should not have done such a silly thing!
As the powerful Prince Yi, what kind of beauty had he never seen? How
could he fall in love with a beauty given by the Third Prince?

“Want to see how my girl looks?” Ao Chenyi suddenly looked askance at

the young man. His deep eyes, like the eyes of a ghost, were full of
gloom and fierceness, making people feel chilly and cold.

He was both extremely beautiful and gruesome!

The two images were contradictory, but could be seen in Ao Chenyi

simultaneously, forming a unique effect. The childe who tried to be calm
turned pale as if he saw a ghost and teetered.

“Unfortunately, you don’t deserve to see her!” Ao Chenyi coldly said

while staring at that man.

As soon as Ao Chenyi finished, the man fell heavily to the ground and
trembled. The wine in the cup was all splattered on him. Those with
sharp eyes saw that the hem of his clothes had been wet.

He pissed his pants in horror!

The Third Prince’s face clouded over at once.

Ning Xueyan did not expect that the man who was arrogant and spoke as
raised his head would suddenly become like this. It really made people
feel humiliated.

“Mingyu, this is the man you invited.” Ao Chenyi chuckled as he tossed

away the cup in his hands. The cup pounded on the man’s head and the
wine inside it spilled on him. The wine stain on his body looked like
peach blossoms. The man immediately lost his breath before he could
say more.

Was that how he died?

Ning Xueyan subconsciously bit her lips, and forcefully resisted the
coldness and fear gushing from the bottom of her heart!

There was nothing to be afraid of. Ao Chenyi and the Third Prince were
destined to be enemies and they would confront each other sooner or
later. Although the two people seemed to be in harmony, this must have
happened many times before.

Of course Ning Xueyan had seen blood. After her rebirth, she understood
many things. At most, death was the worst!

So what she had to do was not be afraid, but stay close to the man.
Anyway, she was on the same team as him now!

The Third Prince was very angry. He was angry not only with his useless
people, but also with Ao Chenyi’s direct killing of his man!

His hands inside his sleeve shivered slightly!

However, he had no ability or confidence to overthrow Ao Chenyi. He

had to submit to Ao Chenyi before his father made a clear decision.

“Uncle, later I’ll ask people to send these beauties to your manor.” The
Third Prince smiled and changed the subject as he swallowed his anger.
“Uncle, do you want to see the next?”

“Do you want to have a look?” Ao Chenyi nodded, but did not directly
answer the Third Prince’s question. He turned his head and looked at
Ning Xueyan’s half-hidden face with interest. Ning Xueyan was no
longer blushing. Her face was still a little pale but her eyes were calm.

She looked as if she hadn’t seen death here!

“She’s quite interesting!” Ao Chenyi thought.

“The next? How many beauties has the Third Prince prepared for you? I
don’t want you to look at them!” Ning Xueyan said as she moved closer
to Ao Chenyi. Since she was Prince Yi’s concubine now, Ning Xueyan
pretended to be jealous even though she did not know what Ao Chenyi
wanted to do. Although her voice was gentle, others could tell that she
was unhappy now.

“Are you unhappy?” Ao Chenyi burst into laughter, stretched out his
hand, and patted her on the back. In front of those surprised people, he
coaxed Ning Xueyan as if there were no one around them. “Since you
don’t like it, I won’t see them!”
The last sentence was for the Third Prince! After that, Ao Chenyi waved
his hands lazily.

Then, the waterside pavilion suddenly quieted down and the atmosphere
became strange…
Chapter 97 So, I Helped You,
Prince Yi
Ao Chenyi refused the Third Prince’s suggestion because of his
concubine, which clearly showed Ao Chenyi’s disdain for the Third
Prince.

Ning Xueyan suddenly became nervous. Although she could not see
their expressions, she could sense the tense atmosphere. And what made
her more nervous was that Ao Chenyi had called her Yan’er just now.
Would Ao Mingyu recognize her by the name?

“Uncle, you must be joking. Since you don’t want to see them today,
we’ll talk about it next time!” After a long time, Ning Xueyan heard the
gentle laughter of the Third Prince.

This man could not be underestimated!

Unexpectedly, he could endure it being despised like that. He deserved to

be Ao Chenyi’s opponent!

“Fine, let’s go. I have something to do,” Ao Chenyi said with a faint
smile on his face while looking at those depressed childes.

Immediately, theirs faces turned pale and stiff!

“Uncle, you haven’t chosen the right beauty yet. Why are you going
back so soon? There still are some beauties from the regions south of the
Yangtze River who are 16 years old. Uncle, you really don’t want to see
them?” the Third Prince asked again. He did not believe that Ao Chenyi
would not like those beauties.

In his opinion, Ao Chenyi was playing cat and mouse with him and the
woman in his arms was his prop!

“No, I don’t want to see them. I already have a beauty. As for any other
beauties, we’ll talk about it later.” Ao Chenyi stood up, wrapped Ning
Xueyan with the cloak, and was about to leave.
“Goodbye, uncle. Later, I’ll ask my people to send Lianyue and Xiyue to
your manor.” The Third Prince stood up with respect and bowed with his
hands folded in front of his chest.

Ao Chenyi nodded, and then left the waterside pavilion while holding
Ning Xueyan.

Behind him, the Third Prince turned gloomy and veins bulged on his
cup-holding hand. He was a prince, but had been slighted like that. How
could he not be angry?

“Your Highness, those two beauties…” A man came up and whispered to

the Third Prince. Seeing all the people look at him, the Third Prince
concealed the coldness in his eyes and changed the topic with a smile on
his face.

“My uncle seldom accepts beauty. Since they’re accepted, they can’t be
too shabby. Later on, send all their luggage along with the clothes and
jewelry I have prepared for them to my uncle’s manor. Then send more
jewelry to them. Tell them it’s the dowry I give them.”

“Your Highness, remember to send along their family information to

Prince Yi, so that Prince Yi can learn about their origins. Otherwise, you
may get in trouble when something happens,” said Wen Xueran, who
came over while shaking the folding fan in his hand.

The Third Prince nodded with an unhappy expression. “Xueran, I’ll

leave that to you. Make sure that there’s nothing left. I don’t want to be
hurry-scurry one day.”

“Your Highness, rest assured. Nothing will happen. Prince Yi has the
ability to learn everything about the two beauties. We needn’t bother!”

Wen Xueran spoke with a smile on his face as he shook the folding fan in
his hands, the peony pattern on the folding fan flickering.

“But, their origins are still unknown to us, if they are…” The Third
Prince hesitated. He looked in the direction Ao Chenyi disappeared and
suddenly remembered something.
It took him a long time and so much effort to find them. If they were
really found by him, but fell into Ao Chenyi’s hands in the end, it would
be too late to regret it.

Knowing what the Third Prince was worried about, Wen Xueran smiled
and comforted him. “Your Highness, don’t worry. Although they’re
about the same age as the person we’re looking for and also come from
the regions south of the Yangtze River, they’re not necessarily the ones
we’re looking for. We have checked that there’s nothing wrong them!”

“But this is the first time that he has accepted a beauty. Maybe they
are…” The Third Prince felt uneasy. And the more he thought about it,
the more doubtful he felt. Ao Chenyi had never accepted any beauty he
had sent before, so why did he accept the two today?

Of course, the Third Prince did not believe that Ao Chenyi accepted
them because of their beauty!

“Your Highness, even if they’re the people we’re looking for, we needn’t
be afraid. Aren’t those people they care about under your control? If they
really are, maybe we’ll have unexpected harvest then.” Wen Xueran
shook his head and rejected the Third Prince’s guess. And the smile on
his face was as warm as a spring breeze.

After listening to Wen Xueran’s explanation, the Third Prince relaxed.

He thought about it and felt what Wen Xueran said was reasonable, and
nodded at the moment.

Outside the manor, Ning Xueyan got on the horse with Ao Chenyi.
Although there was no one around them, Ning Xueyan still hid herself in
Ao Chenyi’s arms cautiously.

“What’s wrong? You think that someone is keeping an eye on me?” Ao

Chenyi reached out a hand and gracefully touched the top of her head.

Ning Xueyan subconsciously avoided his hand. Anything he said or did

gave people a sense of great oppression.

“Prince Yi, I’m looking for you because of Xia Yuhang. I believe that
you already know what happened in Lord Protector’s Manor today.”
Ning Xueyan raised her head in his arms and directly spoke with a
serious look on her face. She had been out for a period of time, and it
would be terrible if she was discovered.

Madam Ling was worried that she had no chance to deal with Ning
Xueyan. If she knew that Ning Xueyan had sneaked out and had the
suspicion of having a private meeting with a man, she would
immediately deal with Ning Xueyan.

Ao Chenyi lazily picked the hair from Ning Xueyan’s face and said with
a faint smile on his face, “Yan’er, do you have a grudge against Xia
Yuhang?”

He already knew what had happened in Lord Protector’s Manor today.

He did not expect such a little girl to be so scheming and expose what
had happened in the past. Meanwhile, he also found something
interesting, which was that this girl seemed to pay too much attention to
Xia Yuhang.

As far as he knew, Ning Xueyan had never seen Xia Yuhang before.
Why did she hate Xia Yuhang so much and want to destroy him? It could
be seen that her eyes were full of fierceness when he mentioned Xia
Yuhang, which made Ao Chenyi feel a little uncomfortable. What kind
of man was Xia Yuhang to make her care so much about him?

“Prince Yi, if I said that I wish I could eat his flesh and drink his blood,
would you believe it?” said Ning Xueyan. The hatred in her eyes was too
much to be concealed.

“I believe it. Why wouldn’t I believe it? Do you want me to have him
captured and kill him directly?” Ao Chenyi said naturally, as if he had
just said that he would take her to look at flowers.

“Thank you, Prince Yi. But I don’t want him to die. Sometimes, living is
more painful than dying. I want him to stay alive and suffer from pain!”
Ning Xueyan smiled insincerely. She showed a cold smile on her face
and her eyes were full of hatred.

She just looked up at Ao Chenyi without shyness on her face. Ning

Xueyan’s face was delicate and beautiful, but she said such cruel words
coldly, which made her attractive!
She was a Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor and was so young.
Unexpectedly, she was so vicious!

Unexpectedly, Ao Chenyi did not ask why Ning Xueyan hated Xia
Yuhang so much. Instead, he nodded and said with interest in his eyes, “I
can stop Xia Yuhang from taking the imperial examination and becoming
an official. But you and I only had one deal. Now it seems that you owe
me one. Why should I help you?”

In this way, Ning Xueyan was in the wrong!

Ao Chenyi indeed had helped her several times. But she had not stolen
what she should have. So he meant that he suffered a loss and did not
like the deal, and he was unwilling to help Ning Xueyan this time even
though he had the ability to do so.

Hearing that, Ning Xueyan said without hurry, “Prince Yi, I helped you
once today. Shouldn’t you express your gratitude to me?” Ning Xueyan
did not think that the matter she had helped Ao Chenyi with in Lord
Protector’s Manor that night could be used as a bargaining chip. At that
time, he didn’t look like he couldn’t escape.

Ao Chenyi raised his eyebrows and said, “I don’t think you helped me
today.”

He refused to admit it!

Fortunately, she had strung together what happened just now and figured
out the whole thing.

But she felt uncomfortable being stared at by him. What did he mean?

Ning Xueyan seemed to be interested and asked, “Prince Yi, did you
gamble with the Third Prince today? If I hadn’t been there, would you
intend to finish or not?” She was held tight by Ao Chenyi and clung to
his chest, which almost made it unable for her to breathe. But Ning
Xueyan was quite aware of the situation and did not struggle.

“Gamble? What did Ao Mingyu and I gamble on?” Ao Chenyi smiled

and loosened his grip, letting her be able to breathe.
“I don’t know exactly what you and the Third Prince gambled on, but it
must be related to the beauties. It seems that the Third Prince is
unwilling to give you the two beauties. Prince Yi, why don’t you return
them to the Third Prince? In this way, he won’t suffer a lot when he
misses the two beauties.”

Just now, she had been secretly observing the Third Prince when she hid
in Ao Chenyi’s arms.

The expression of the Third Prince had been mild the entire time and he
kept smiling. It seemed that there was no change to his expression. But
Ning Xueyan had observed him very carefully. She saw his clenched
fists in his sleeves and bulged veins on his cup-holding hand. The Third
Prince had been trying his best to control himself.

After the dancers appeared, the Third Prince had been paying attention to
Ao Chenyi’s expression the entire time. When Ao Chenyi wanted to kill
the dancers, the Third Prince became very nervous. It could be seen that
he cared about those dancers. Then when Ao Chenyi accepted the two
beauties, the Third Prince’s expression became strange again.

It seemed that he did not want to give the two beauties to Ao Chenyi.

All in all, his expression was vivid!

Ning Xueyan of course knew that it had a great deal to do with Ao

Chenyi’s acceptance of the two women.

Ao Chenyi did not answer Ning Xueyan’s question, but asked with a
treacherous look in his eyes, “Does Ao Mingyu like the two women?”

“The Third Prince does not like those two women. But from my point of
view, there must be something that the Third Prince wants to know from
them. In the past, you never accept any woman. But today, you suddenly
accepted the two beauties. How can Third Prince not suspect it?”

Ning Xueyan strung together what had happened and roughly understood
the psychological process of the Third Prince.

“Prince Yi, you never accepted a woman before. You accepted them
today just because I was there!” Ning Xueyan summarized in the end and
expressed her point again. She smiled happily and her pale face became
ruddy instantly. She was full of confidence, as if everything was under
her control.

“So, I helped you today!”

Chapter 98 Who Do You Think
You Are?
“So, I helped you today!”

What she stated was a fact!

Facing the fierce Ao Chenyi, Ning Xueyan was still confident. No one
would think that she was only a young girl who used to stay in her own
courtyard all the time.

However, Ning Xueyan also had her own plans. She believed that her
guess was right!

Ao Chenyi’s attitude was quite different from what it was before. That
was why the Third Prince felt unprepared today.

Maybe the Third Prince had not thought about whether or not to give the
two beauties to Ao Chenyi when he suggested to Ao Chenyi that he
should accept them. That was because it was impossible for Ao Chenyi
to accept the two beauties according to his past behavior.

That was what Ning Xueyan wanted to say. From this point of view,
Ning Xueyan was useful to Ao Chenyi, at least she helped him this time.

What secret did the two beauties from the regions south of the Yangtze
River have?

“You’re a clever girl. I’ll help you this time.” Ao Chenyi agreed to help
Ning Xueyan then suddenly burst into laughter with a cunning look in
his eyes.

Ning Xueyan responded quickly, and thanked him immediately. “Thanks

a lot, Prince Yi!”

“Don’t thank me, I have a condition.” There was coldness in Ao

Chenyi’s beautiful eyes. “Yan’er, since you’re my favorite concubine,
you have to come to Prince Yi’s Manor to play the role from time to
time. Don’t let my favorite concubine lose my favor!”

He was threatening Ning Xueyan with a condition!

But Ning Xueyan had to accept the condition!

Sure enough, Ao Chenyi did not allow himself to suffer losses!

“Prince Yi, as long as you need me, I’ll surely help you.” Ning Xueyan
promised without hesitation.

Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, Ao Chenyi nodded and showed a

satisfied smile on his handsome face.

Suddenly, Ning Xueyan said with embarrassment on her face, “But, I’m
the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. If I leave the manor
frequently, I will be discovered.”

Ao Chenyi said with a snort, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you be found.
Later on, I’ll send you a person to help you.”

“Your person?” Ning Xueyan was stunned by Ao Chenyi’s words. She

raised her head and blinked while looking at Ao Chenyi.

Her confused look made him smile. Immediately, his eyes became as
enchanting as equinox flowers opening in the River Lethe. Suddenly, the
horse stopped and raised its two front hoofs while neighing. Because of
that, Ning Xueyan almost fell off!

“Get off!”

Ning Xueyan was directly pulled down by Ao Chenyi. The sudden

change made her involuntarily stagger. Then she stabilized herself by
pulling on the corner of the saddle.

She raised her head and looked at Ao Chenyi, who was on the horse. His
black clothes and beautiful face made him appear noble and beautiful.

He stood high and overlooked all living beings!

Looking at the surroundings, Ning Xueyan frowned and couldn’t help
asking, “Where are we?”

In front of Ning Xueyan was a courtyard, which was not big. It could
never be Prince Yi’s Manor, which occupied a whole street. Ning
Xueyan had not been paying attention to the road, so now she did not
know where they were.

Ao Chenyi did not get off the horse and suddenly laughed while looking
at Ning Xueyan. “This is my courtyard. You can come here to see me in
the future.”

This could prevent them from being found by others. Ning Xueyan
agreed and asked, “Prince Yi, how long does it take me to get to Lord
Protector’s Manor from here?”

“Two hours!” Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan and suddenly laughed.

Two hours! This courtyard was farther away than Prince Yi’s Manor. It
was not easy for Ning Xueyan to leave Lord Protector’s Manor every
time. How could she stay out for so long?

Hearing that, Ning Xueyan asked while frowning, “Prince Yi, do you
know what will happen if I leave Lord Protector’s Manor for more than
two hours?”

“So what? That’s for you to think about!” Ao Chenyi said sarcastically
with a smile on his face, “Who do you think you are?”

His extremely ruthless words, in line with his lofty attitude, made her
feel embarrassed and humiliated.

She had so gotten dizzy with success that she said that.

Ning Xueyan thought their deal was equal. However, in Ao Chenyi’s

mind, Ning Xueyan was just a pawn, a pawn that could be used. Who
would care about the safety of a pawn?

“I’m just a dispensable pawn.”

Ning Xueyan took two steps back, respectfully saluted, and said with a
calm face, “You’re right. I overstepped my bounds!”
Ao Chenyi seemed to find her attitude interesting. He smiled and said
lazily while looking at her, “I’ll help you deal with Xia Yuhang. You also
have to remember your duty. You needn’t come to my place every day.
You just need to show up when I need you.”

Then he bent slightly, lifted her chin with his slender fingers, and looked
down at her face. “If you are useful, I won’t give up you!”

After that, he smiled and left.

That flying black dress, along with the flickering manjusaka on it, made
him look extraordinary. The clothes flew with the wind from time to
time, looking like the clouds in the sky. No one could read his mind!

He warned her against talking too much!

Ning Xueyan looked at his back thoughtfully and lost her mind for a
moment.

“Young Lady, please come with me.” Hearing the voice of a woman
behind her, Ning Xueyan turned her head in dismay and saw a maid
standing at the gate of the courtyard. The maid was 16 or 17 years old,
wore an ordinary maid’s dress, and was looking at Ning Xueyan with a
smile on her face.

“You work for Prince Yi?” After hiding the surprise in her eyes, Ning
Xueyan calmly turned back and walked toward the half-open door.

There had to be a reason Ao Chenyi had brought her here. The courtyard
in front of her and the maid had to be the reason.

“Young Lady, my name is Xinmei. I’ll serve you in the future.” Xinmei
had a sweet smile and two dimples. She looked harmless.

Ning Xueyan did not believe that the people left by Ao Chenyi would be
so harmless. After scrutinizing her for a few minutes, Ning Xueyan
nodded with a slight smile and said, “Xinmei, I wanna sneak back now.
Do you have any idea how?”

Ning Xueyan had been gone for a period of time. If she did not go back
now, something bad would happen in Bright Frost Garden.
Xinmei was not worried about Ning Xueyan’s problem. She answered
without hurry while leading the way ahead, “Young Lady, don’t worry.
I’ve got a carriage ready. It’s at the backdoor. You can leave after
changing your clothes.”

Knowing that it had been arranged, Ning Xueyan breathed a sigh of

relief.

The whole courtyard was not very big. It consisted of three rows of
rooms, and there also were not too many rooms in each row. But after
she entered it, Ning Xueyan found that everything inside was exquisite.
The exquisite embroidery on the chair could only be used in the palace.
Maybe none of the consorts in the palace could have as much luxury as
this.

They entered the main room and opened the wardrobe inside it. Ning
Xueyan found that most of the clothes were black robes. They had to be
Ao Chenyi’s. Ning Xueyan hurried to change into a plain dress that
Xinmei found in the corner of the wardrobe. Then she was brought to the
carriage, having no time to ask why there were woman’s clothes here.

After a short time, the carriage stopped. It took Ning Xueyan less time to
get back than she had expected.

Xinmei and Ning Xueyan got out of the carriage. There was a high wall
in front of them. Seeing that there was no one around them, Xinmei
jumped over the wall while holding Ning Xueyan.

After looking around carefully, Ning Xueyan found they were in the
small forest outside of Bright Frost Garden. At this time, there was no
one in the forest. Looking far in the distance, Ning Xueyan saw there
were several people at the gate of Bright Frost Garden and it was in
chaos.

Had something happened?

After saying goodbye to Xinmei, Ning Xueyan went back while

frowning.

Before Ning Xueyan got to the door, she heard a maid’s loud voice.
“Lanning, you said the Fifth Young Lady is not comfortable and has
been resting. Do you think she can get away with it? Our Second Young
Lady said that the Fifth Young Lady has to go to explain. Is the Fifth
Young Lady hiding because she is afraid of being discovered that she
had framed others?”

“Madam Dowager doesn’t allow the Second Young Lady to leave the
Ancestor Hall. What does she want to do? Today, many things happened.
And my Young Lady is uncomfortable due to those things and is having
a rest now. If there’s anything wrong, the Second Young Lady can tell
Madam Dowager. Whether my Young Lady has framed someone or not
is not up to the Second Young Lady.”

Lanning stopped the maid from entering the house at the door while
staring at her with anger. But she was very anxious now. Lanning had
thought that no one would pay attention to Ning Xueyan since many
things had happened today. Unexpectedly, the Second Young Lady had
targeted her Young Lady and wanted to see her now. How could she not
be anxious at this time?

Lanning was just a maid. She could not stop the Second Young Lady if
the Second Young Lady insisted on breaking into the house.

“Lanning, you dare to disobey the Second Young Lady!” The maid
opposite Lanning scolded her while standing akimbo. Ning Yuling’s
maids were as high-handed as Ning Yuling. In Lord Protector’s Manor,
everybody knew that the Second Young Lady was the most favorite
Young Lady and they all fawned over her.

If Ning Yuling had not been involved with many things and lost her two
First Maids, the maid would not have talked to Lanning now and would
already have rushed in directly.

“My master is the Fifth Young Lady!” Although Lanning’s words were
polite, the meaning of the words was not polite at all.

Ning Yuling was not her master. So Lanning’s behavior was not
disobeying.

“You…” Ning Yuling’s maid had never been despised like that. She
roared with anger and was about to slap Lanning.
“What happened?” Suddenly, a soft and cold voice came from the
courtyard, and the quarrel at the door ended immediately. Ning Xueyan
came slowly with a maid and stood at the gate of the courtyard, coldly
looking at the maid who was about to slap Lanning.

Being stared at by Ning Xueyan coldly, the maid became afraid and did
not dare to raise her hands, feeling that the Fifth Young Lady was
imposing.
Chapter 99 They Want to Cover
up the Scandal Again!
“Young Lady, she’s the Second Young Lady’s maid. She said that the
Second Young Lady wants you to go and see her immediately.” Seeing
Ning Xueyan coming out of the inner courtyard, Lanning breathed a sigh
of relief and told her what had happened.

Ning Xueyan glanced at the maid and said, “So many things have
happened today. What does the Second Sister want to do? I’m going to
see Madam Dowager now. If the Second Sister wants to come, she can
come along with me.”

Then, she went to Auspicious Fortune Hall with Lanning.

The maids and older female servants who were looking on stepped
backward and lowered their heads when they saw Ning Xueyan coming
out and then dispersed after Ning Xueyan had left. The Fifth Young Lady
was obviously not the same Fifth Young Lady from before.

Was Ning Xueyan going to Madam Dowager’s place?

Ning Yuling’s maid did not dare to follow them. She turned pale and felt
bad. So she rushed back to Qingrong Courtyard to report to Ning Yuling.

The atmosphere in Auspicious Fortune Hall was serious. Before Ning

Xueyan reached the gate of the courtyard, she heard loud sounds coming
from the room. It seemed that something had been smashed. Then a cry
of pain came out from the room. The voice from Madam Ling’s. Hearing
that, Ning Xueyan coldly smiled.

Then she raised her head and concealed her smile, regaining her
calmness.

The maid guarding at the door saw Ning Xueyan coming and reported to
Madam Dowager with caution.
After a moment, Mother Qin came out and said to Ning Xueyan, “Fifth
Young Lady, please go back first. Madam Dowager is busy now. I’m
afraid she won’t have time to see you.”

It seemed that Ning Xueyan did not expect that she would not be allowed
to enter the room. She was stunned and softly asked, “What happened in
there?”

“Nothing. Many things happened today, so Madam Dowager has to deal

with them.” Mother Qin frowned. One thing after another had happened
in the manor today. And all were scandals regarding Lord Protector’s
Manor. It would have been strange if Madam Dowager had not gotten
angry.

It was the marchioness who was kneeling on the ground and being
scolded. Besides that, she was an elder. It was not suitable for juniors to
see that.

That was why Ning Xueyan was stopped at the door.

“Is grandmother dealing with what happened today? The Second Sister
asked a maid to tell me that it has something to do with me, so I rushed
over. Please tell my grandmother that it’s regarding my innocence and I
must make it clear to her face to face.”

Ning Xueyan spoke with a serious look on her face.

Ning Xueyan was afraid that she might not get in. Unexpectedly, what
Ning Yuling had done provided an excuse. After Ning Xueyan jumped
over the wall and heard the quarrel at the door, she felt that she came
back just in time.

Mother Qin was speechless due to Ning Xueyan’s words. Then she
uncomfortably said, “Er… Fifth Young Lady, the Second Young Lady
spoke nonsense. Don’t mind what she said.”

“Please tell my grandmother that there are many doubts about today’s
affairs. And the matter about Concubine Ma is also strange. Moreover,
we knew that Concubine Ma was pregnant because I was poisoned!”
Ning Xueyan said implicitly. But the meaning made Mother Qin unable
to refuse.
As a matter of fact, Concubine Ma owed Ning Xueyan a statement.

“Er, Fifth Young Lady, wait a minute. I’ll ask Madam Dowager first!”

After that, Mother Qi turned around and went back into the room
helplessly and then whispered in Madam Dowager’s ear.

Madam Dowager’s face became gloomier after she listened to Mother

Qin. She nodded and said, “Since Yuling asked her to come, let her come
in and listen to it together. We have to give her an explanation about the
matter of her being poisoned.”

Madam Ling, who stood aside, changed her face greatly when she heard
Madam Dowager’s words.

It was Ning Yuling who put the cat among the pigeons again. At this
time, Ning Zu’an wished that he could slap her.

Ning Xueyan followed Mother Qin in. First, she saluted Madam
Dowager, who was sitting in the middle. Then she saluted Ning Zu’an
and Madam Ling, who were standing on one side respectively. Finally,
she stood near Madam Dowager’s right hand and looked down.

Madam Dowager was satisfied with Ning Xueyan’s cleverness and

politeness. She hummed to her as a greeting.

Ning Xueyan also knew that Madam Dowager had no time to care about
her. Anyway, her aim was Madam Ling.

“Tell me what happened to Ziyan. When did she and Xia Yuhang do such
a thing?” Madam Dowager was so angry today that she almost fainted.
At this time, she angrily scolded Madan Ling while pointing at her even
though Ning Xueyan was also there.

“Mother, this… er… Yan’er… I…” Madam Ling could not say a word
and sweat broke out on her forehead. Suddenly, she calmed down and
said, “Mother, do you remember what happened at the banquet that day?
Yuhang was drunk, and you specifically asked Yan’er to go to see
him…”
Madam Dowager wanted to get rid of this matter and put the blame on
Madam Ling. However, she also approved of Ning Ziyan’s marriage.
Once, Madam Dowager had told Madam Ling that Ning Ziying did not
deserve Xia Yuhang, which showed that Madam Dowager was satisfied
with the Xia family.

Since then, Madam Dowager also facilitated the marriage. Would she
now put the blame on Madam Ling?

“What?” Madam Dowager seemed to understand something and her face

changed greatly.

Ning Xueyan’s eyes became cold when she clearly saw Madam
Dowager’s face. Sure enough, Madam Dowager knew how Ning Ziying
died.

How could the scheming Madam Dowager know nothing about

something that had happened in Lord Protector’s Manor?

“It happened two or three months ago. Mother, have you forgotten?”
Madam Ling became confident and her words became more and more
fluent. She even said to Madam Dowager with pride, “Mother, that day,
they… I also couldn’t do anything about it. Originally, I thought this
matter couldn’t be exposed and I had to maintain the reputation of Lord
Protector’s Manor.”

Madam Ling spoke with grievance on her face while wiping her tears
with her handkerchief.

Ning Zu’an frowned and said in a deep voice, “Mother, forget it. Yan’er
and Xia Yuhang love each other and they also got engaged before Yan’er
got pregnant. They just made a mistake after drinking before marriage.
It’s no big deal.”

Ning Zu’an tried to cover up the big scandal with the excuse that they
were drunk. Hearing that, Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind.

Ning Zu’an actually said that Ning Ziyan and Xia Yuhang had been
engaged before Ning Ziyan got pregnant and they had made a mistake
after drinking. He was so biased!
Ning Xueyan’s natural mother was murdered. But he did not care about
the truth and only punished several maids to avenge her.

Ning Xueyan had been poisoned. But when he heard that the concubine
who poisoned Ning Xueyan was pregnant, he immediately forgave the
concubine and did not care about his daughter’s safety. No wonder
Mother Han said that her mother had made the wrong choice.

In his heart, Ning Xueyan and her mother were inferior to a single hair of
Ning Ziyan or Madam Ling.

Such a man did not deserve to be a husband and a father.

In Ning Xueyan’s memories, her mother always sat alone by a lamp and
made clothes for her while coughing. Who could believe that a Young
Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor had not gotten any new clothes in a few
years?

Those people in front of Ning Xueyan also lived in Lord Protector’s

Manor. It was impossible for them to not know that Madam Ling had
treated Madam Ming and Ning Xueyan badly.

Now they wanted to cover up the scandal again!

Ning Xueyan’s gaze became as cold as ice.

She would not let them succeed!

Hearing what Ning Zu’an said, Madam Ling became ecstatic. She turned
her head and affectionately looked at Ning Zu’an with a blushed face,
and delicately said, “Marquis!”

“Grandmother, let bygones be bygones. Let’s not talk about these past
events. Today, there were many people present. Maybe someone will
impeach father in the court tomorrow morning. We have to think about
countermeasures.”

Ning Xueyan turned around and spoke to Madam Dowager in a gentle

voice.

Ning Xueyan’s words not only warned Madam Dowager, but also
warned Ning Zu’an. Immediately, their faces changed suddenly.
All the people present at the banquet today were dignitaries. What
happened today would inevitably be known by the emperor. If the
emperor asked about it tomorrow, it would not be easy to answer.

There had to be an outcome to this matter, otherwise Ning Zu’an would

greatly lose face in court.

Madam Dowager immediately made a decision and said in a deep voice,

“Take the First Madam to the Buddha Hall to kneel. No one can let her
out without my permission.”

“Mother, I…” Madam Ling was anxious at once.

Ning Zu’an stared at Madam Ling with his bloodthirsty eyes and coldly
said, “Don’t talk nonsense. Take the First Madam to the Buddha Hall so
that she can calm down there.”

It was the first time that Ning Zu’an was so fierce to Madam Ling. She
was frightened and knew that he was really angry!

Knowing that she could not oppose him directly, Madam Ling
immediately changed her expression to a delicate one. Madam Ling was
beautiful. At this time, her beautiful face and aggrieved look made her
pitiable.

“Yes, marquis… I won’t say more. As long as you and Lord Protector’s
Manor won’t be blamed by others, I’m willing to shoulder the
responsibility.”

It seemed that she took the responsibility for the sake of Ning Zu’an and
Lord Protector’s Manor.

Looking at her aggrieved expression, Ning Zu’an felt that she really
cared about Lord Protector’s Manor. His face softened and he said as he
nodded, “Cultivate yourself in the Buddha Hall in order to avoid such
things from happening again.”

This was telling her that she would leave the Buddha Hall one day,
which reassured Madam Ling.
Immediately, Madam Ling smiled and nodded vigorously. Then she
respectfully saluted Madam Dowager before she turned around to leave.

However, both Ning Zu’an and Madam Ling neglected Ning Xueyan, the
victim. Madam Ling did not mention her intentionally, and Ning Zu’an
did not care about her at all. A daughter who was disliked by him was
certainly less important than his lover.

Both of them were disgusting!

“Xueyan, this matter has passed. Last time, your mother was punished by
the empress and couldn’t get up for a period of time. We can’t punish her
twice for one thing. Furthermore, she’s the hostess of Lord Protector’s
Manor,” Madam Dowager had adjusted her mind and kindly said to Ning
Xueyan.

“Grandmother, it’s up to you!” Ning Xueyan nodded her head

obediently, as if she would agree with whatever Madam Dowager
decided.

“You’re indeed sensible. Look at your dress, it’s too plain. Fetch my
jewelry box and select some accessories for the Fifth Young Lady. The
young girl should be beautiful in her manner of dressing.”

Madam Dowager spoke with a smile on her face.

“Madam Dowager is really good at implementing the stick and the

carrot. In your opinion, my life is less valuable than a few pieces of
jewelry!

“Madam Ling, don’t think that you can escape this time with the support
of Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an…”
Chapter 100 I Will Fulfill Her
Wish
In the study of Xia Manor, Xia Yuhang said while going in circles
impatiently with a gloomy face, “Father, what should I do now?” He was
not as gentle as usual.

Xia Tian, the Minister of Justice, did not expect such a thing to happen.
He frowned and asked, “Can her child survive?”

“Of course the child won’t survive. Father, will my scholarly honour be
taken away after such a thing?” Xia Yuhang concerned his scholarly
honour most, so that he felt ill at ease. This matter upset all his plans,
which made him very angry. After years of effort, he was about to
succeed, but failed at the last moment.

Xia Yuhang wished he had killed the baby in Ning Ziyan’s belly as soon
as he thought that the child made him like a drowned mouse. If it hadn’t
been for this child at that time…

After this matter, Xia Yuhang could imagine that there inevitably would
be some people attending the court tomorrow impeached him. The
Spring Metropolitan Examination would be held a few months later, and
Xia Yuhang was very sure that he would succeed in this examination.

One reason why Xia Yuhang had never taken the exam before was that
he felt that he was not ready, and the other reason was his marriage with
Ning Ziying. Now everything was ready, and his official career would be
smooth with the help of his father and Ning Zu’an as long as he
succeeded in the Spring Metropolitan Examination. Unexpectedly, such a
thing happened at this time.

How could Xia Yuhang not be angry?

Xia Yuhang bit his teeth and cruelly said, “Father, how about telling
others that Ning Ziyan seduced me when I was drunk?”
Ning Ziyan was worried that she would not marry Xia Yuhang, so she
deliberately entered Xia Yuhang’s room after drinking. Then the two had
sex at that night.

“No.” Xia Tian was a crafty man and much calmer than Xia Yuhang.
“Hang’er, you’re smart all the time, how can you put forward such a
foolish suggestion at this time? If you say so, you will surely irritate
Ning Zu’an. Ning Ziyan is already your wife, can she be downgraded to
a concubine?”

The words warned Xia Yuhang and sobered him!

Usually Xia Yuhang was calm and confident. This time, he could not
keep calm because all the things were related to him and happened
suddenly.

As a matter of fact, he had no way to get rid of these things. The matter
that he had premartial sex with Ning Ziyan was wrong. And the matter
that he had carried on a clandestine love affair with Chen Hexiang also
was wrong. The two matters were exposed together, which greatly
influenced his reputation. He could not explain well by himself.
Furthermore, the Lord Protector’s Manor was also be involved.

The amour with Chen Hexiang had already upset the people of Lord
Protector’s Manor. If Xia Yuhang dumped the blame on Ning Ziyan,
Ning Zu’an would stand in opposition. Then things would be totally
different from Xia Yuhang’s original intention. He would never do such a
foolish thing.

“Father, who is going to deal with us?” After thinking about this, Xia
Yuhang calmed down.

He did not believe that the two unrelated things would suddenly be
exposed together. It was impossible to be so coincident. There must be
someone who did that on purpose.

“I can’t reason it out yet. I asked the maids who accompanied Ning
Ziyan all the time. They all said that Ning Ziyan had visited her mother
and the Fifth Young Lady before she showed up at the party. After that,
the Concubine Ma of Lord Protector’s Manor appeared and talked about
the soup with her. Then she drank some and rested. Finally, she
miscarried.”

Xia Tian had interrogated the maids and summarized what Ning Ziyan
had done the whole day.

The one who poisoned Ning Ziyan must be someone she had seen on
that day. But it was a secret that Ning Ziyan was pregnant. In Lord
Protector’s Manor, only Madam Ling knew Ning Ziyan was pregnant.
Who poisoned her step by step?

“It won’t be marchioness. She’s Ning Ziyan’s biological mother. The

Fifth Young Lady was a young girl and I heard that she’s cowardly. Is it
Concubine Ma?”

Xia Tian thought and guessed.

Concubine Ma took Ning Ziyan to drink the soup, and then Ning Ziyan
had an accident. It seemed logical. But Xia Yuhang felt there was
something strange. Suddenly, he remembered the dark jade-like cold
eyes. Was the Fifth Young Lady really cowardly and incompetent?

Xia Yuhang coldly said with a gloomy face, “Father, we have to ask
someone to investigate the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor
and Concubine Ma. Anyway, it must be one of them.”

How could he not be angry that he had suffered such a big loss this time?

Xia Tian nodded and asked, “What about tomorrow?”

“Father, you’ll talk about it with Lord Protector later and then contact
some old friends. Tomorrow, there will be someone impeach me. As long
as you and Lord Protector insist that I was drunk at that time and Ziyan
was asked to take care of me by her mother, then this problem will be
solved.”

Xia Yuhang had had an idea and said to his father with a serious look.

He and Ning Ziyan had been engaged. And it was normal that Ning
Ziyan took care of him when he was drunk in Lord Protector’s Manor. In
this way, it was reasonable that they had sex that night. At most, it was a
mistake they made after drinking.

A mistake was much better than immorality!

Now only this explanation made sense, so Xia Tian nodded and agreed.
Suddenly, he remembered another woman and asked while frowning,
“But what about that woman?”

At this time, Xia Yuhang had calmed down. He calmly said with a smile
on his face, “Father, don’t worry. She’ll change her mind.”

Although Chen Hexiang was also a trouble, only Xia Yuhang and she
knew what had happened between them. As long as Chen Hexiang
changed her mind, no one would know.

Didn’t Chen Hexiang always want to be his concubine? He would fulfill

her wish!

Seeing that Xia Tian was about to leave, Xia Yuhang, who had already
regained his calmness, specifically warned his father again, “Father,
remember to tell the Lord Protector to block the whole Lord Protector’s
Manor and decontrol it after tomorrow’s morning meeting.”

Since Xia Tian could become the Minister of Justice, he was not foolish.
He immediately understood the meaning of his son and nodded before
leaving. They must block the Lord Protector’s Manor before the news
was spread.

If this was not a coincidence, there must be something to come.

Xia Yuhang did not care who wanted to deal with Lord Protector’s
Manor and Xia Manor. Now what he had to do was to control the spread
of the events happened in Lord Protector’s Manor. Although he was very
angry before, he still remembered to ask people to keep watch on Lord
Protector’s Manor. His subordinates had reported to him that no
suspicious people came in or out.

But Xia Yuhang still felt that there was something wrong…
Qingyu came back from the outside with anger and stamped her feet as
soon as she entered the door. She took a cup of cold water and hurried to
drink. Ning Xueyan looked at her and asked with a smile on her face.
“What’s wrong? You can’t go out?”

“Young Lady, I told them I have to go out to buy medicine for you, but
the doorkeepers didn’t let me go out. What’s more, they said that you
only care about yourself and are indifferent to Lord Protector’s Manor.”

Qingyu angrily said.

“What can we do then? The woman asked us to fetch some important

things from Cold Mountain Temple. What if we can’t get out?” Lanning
always was calm, but also was in a hurry at this time.

“If the doctor hadn’t left just now, he wouldn’t be able to leave now. The
older female servant who guards the gate said that it’s Madam
Dowager’s order that no one is allowed to go out. If someone wants to
go out, they must be permitted by Madam Dowager.” Qingyu almost
stamped her feet in a hurry.

Ning Xueyan was quite unmindful. She took the handkerchief and saw
the embroidered flowers on it by the light while casually asking, “Did
Madam Dowager order after someone of Xia Manor arrived?”

“Yes. I inquired about it deliberately. It was said that no one can go out
and come in at will since someone of Xia Manor came. Those who
purchase daily necessities every day are not allowed to go out, either.”

Qingyu had asked just now. She had thought that the doorkeeper only did
not allow her to go out. Then she went to other gates and found that no
one was allowed to go out.

“Unexpectedly, Xia Yuhang was so fast!”

“I had seen that he became very angry and lost his mind. Unexpectedly,
he became sober after such a short time.”

“Sure enough, he’s not as honest as he looks!”

“I have been engaged with him for ten years and we have been together
for three years. But I still didn’t know what kind of person he is. I trusted
him so much and finally came to such an end.”

Ning Xueyan faintly said to them, “Lanning, bring Xinmei to Cloud

Reflection Courtyard. Xinmei, you can go out there. You’ll go to Cold
Mountain Temple to take things out and then send them to Xia Manor at
night with your mask on. Remember, don’t tell Chen Hexiang who you
are. You just say that you’re a passer-by and happened to hear what she
said to the old female servants, and you want to defend her against the
injustice.”

Ning Xueyan did not want to be so cautious, but she could not trust Chen
Hexiang. Fortunately, she did not ask her servants to invite the doctor for
Chen Hexiang. She only asked people to gossip that Chen Hexiang was
going to die. Then it happened to be heard by Madam Dowager who then
asked people to invite a doctor for Chen Hexiang. The doctor of Lord
Protector’s Manor was busy treating Ning Ziyan and had no time to treat
Chen Hexiang, so Madam Dowager’s servants had to go outside to invite
a doctor.

The doctor Ning Xueyan prepared was waiting at the back door. Sure
enough, he was invited to treat Chen Hexiang. Then he deliberately
exaggerated Chen Hexiang’s injury when he treated her. Chen Hexiang
was weak because she was pregnant. Besides, she carried a hairpin
which was poisoned by Ning Ziyan and kicked by Xia Yuhang. It was
not strange that she was seriously injured.

Xia Yuhang could never know that how terrible the blow that she would
never be pregnant was to a woman.

Chen Hexiang had nothing left now, so she could only risk danger in
desperation.

After the doctor left, Mother Han went in to comfort Chen Hexiang. She
brought Chen Hexiang a bowl of porridge and asked her to have some
first with concern. Then she deliberately said to Chen Hexiang that Xia
Yuhang had almost killed Ning Ziyan’s maids when he knew that Ning
Ziyan’s child could not survive and promised that he would give a
satisfying explanation to Lord Protector’s Manor.
Chen Hexiang immediately understood what kind of explanation Xia
Yuhang would give to Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Ziyan lost her child
because she knew the amour between Xia Yuhang and Chen Hexiang.

So, Ning Ziyan would not let her go. Therefore, Chen Hexiang would be
killed by either Xia Yuhang or Ning Ziyan!

Although Chen Hexiang was willing to compromise and give up, Ning
Ziyan would not forgive her and would murder her. It would be easy for
Ning Ziyan to cover up the fact that a concubine died in Xia Manor.

When Mother Han enlightened Chen Hexiang, she also gave an example
which could help Chen Hexiang make a decision.

They forced Chen Hexiang to make a decision…

“What Chen Hexiang hid in Cold Mountain Temple may be related to

Ning Ziying. If Chen Xexiang carries that with herself, I can use it when
I need.”

“Love can make people pay for everything!”

“And hate can destroy everything…”

“Xia Yuhang, Ning Ziyan, and Chen Hexiang, I’ll let you hurt each
other.”
Chapter 101 Your Majesty, Do
You Want to Investigate This
Matter Thoroughly?
The hall was magnificent and could accommodate hundreds of people. A
large red and gold carpet covered the ground and dragons were carved on
walls and pillars.

The emperor was sitting in the middle of the hall and Ao Chenyi was
sitting on another chair near the emperor. He still wore a black robe, on
which bloody equinox flowers were embroidered. Ao Chenyi was
looking at Xia Tian and Ning Zu’an who were kneeling with a faint
smile on his face. He was looking forward to what was about to happen.

“Your Majesty, my son and daughter-in-law had already been engaged.

And the date of their marriage had been fixed. So they were allowed to
meet, so that they made a mistake after drinking. It’s my duty. Your
Majesty, please punish me!” Xia Tian explained in a natural tone while
kneeling there and lowering his head with respect.

Xia Tian did not pass the buck, but said that Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan
made a mistake because they were drunk and it was not a big deal
because they had been engaged.

“Your Majesty, my mother saw Childe Xia was drunk that day and asked
my daughter, his fiance, to take care of him. Unexpectedly, they… I’m
also responsible for that. Your Majesty, please punish me.”

Ning Zu’an also confessed his fault and did not pass the buck.

Their words made the emperor and others feel that both of them were
responsible. Many people also felt that this was really not a big deal.
Since they were going to get married, such a mistake could be
understood.

It had nothing to do with immorality.

“Your Majesty, Childe Xia and the Eldest Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor misbehaved after drinking. Then the First Madam of
Lord Protector’s Manor concealed the death of Second Madam of Lord
Protector’s Manor. I think the reason is the misbehavior of Childe Xia
and the Eldest Young Lady. According to what Lord Protector said just
now, he knows this matter. But I remember that Lord Protector said he
didn’t know before.”

An official who had a bad relationship with Ning Zu’an at ordinary times
stood out and said.

This official directly contradicted what Ning Zu’an said both just now
and before. Immediately, the whole hall became quiet. The emperor
sitting on the hall coldly looked at Ning Zu’an with a dignified look.

“Your Majesty, I really don’t know. My wife was afraid that this matter
would be known to many people, so she even didn’t tell me.” Ning
Zu’an paused for a moment and then said what he had already prepared.
“This is all my fault. Please punish me.”

Ning Zu’an and Xia Tian had discussed this matter yesterday. They made
an agreement that they had to say that they didn’t know this matter.
Anyway, Madam Ling had been punished last time and would not be
punished for the same thing.

Ao Chenyi, sitting on one side, suddenly turned his head elegantly and
asked curiously, “Lord Protector, are you really the host of Lord
Protector’s Manor?”

His question made Ning Zu’an blush and sweat!

Would others believe that the Lord Protector knew nothing about such a
big matter happened in his manor?

As the saying goes, to regulate the country and the world rightly, one
must regulate his family first. How could Lord Protector regulate the
country and the world rightly when he could not regulate his family?

Ning Zu’an had thought that the emperor could not do anything with him
as long as he insisted that he did not know this matter. But now he
realized that something was wrong. He raised his head and looked at the
emperor who was sitting in front of them and coldly looking at him. But
before he explained, the emperor spoke directly.

“Ning Zu’an, since you’re too busy with family affairs, I think you
should deal with your own family affairs first. Is a three-month vacation
enough for you?”

The emperor was going to suspend Ning Zu’an from his duties, which
was unexpected to Ning Zu’an. Hearing that, he became anxious and
hurried to say, “Your, Your Majesty, I do not dare to bother you with my
family affairs. I will do my best to deal with this matter.”

Ning Zu’an was an official with real power. Suspension of three months
was equivalent to being demoted. How would Ning Zu’an accept?

Ao Chenyi asked with interest while putting his one hand on the armrest
and resting his head on it, “Lord Protector, your family affairs are not
troublesome. I heard that the Second Young Lady is also quite special.”

What happened to Ning Yuling in Cold Mountain Temple had already

been spread. At least half of the people in the court knew that she had
misbehaved and seduced other men in the chrysanthemum appreciation
grand meeting where some Princes and Princely Heirs showed up. No
matter how the people of Lord Protector’s Manor explained, it still was
humiliating.

Although people of Lord Protector’s Manor explained that it was caused

by a maid and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was willing to
marry Ning Yuling, people of the influential and privileged families
already knew the real truth.

The Eldest Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor misbehaved, and the
Second Young Lady misbehaved, too. Many people wondered if Lord
Protector’s Manor really was okay?

“Enough!” The emperor who was sitting in front of them was reluctant to
say anything anymore.

Ning Zu’an dared not say a word. He stood up and stood aside in
disgrace. Ning Zu’an also felt aggrieved. His daughter had made a
mistake, and he was punished together.
“Official Xia, I heard that not only the Eldest Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor was pregnant, but also an orphan girl. Instead of
marrying the orphan girl, Childe Xia regarded her as a maid. Yesterday,
Childe Xia kicked her so that she lost her baby. Does such a fierce and
immoral man deserve to be an official?”

Huai Yuming, the Regional Investigating Censor which was

admisnistered by Left Censor-in-chief, stood up and asked Xia Tian with
a serious look. He asked that for emperor, so Xia Tian did not dare to
slight.

Censor-in-chief was in charge of supervision, impeachment and

suggestions. Censor-in-chief supervised all officials and could impeach
anyone. There were Left Censor-in-chief and Right Censor-in-chief. And
the lower positions were Regional Investigating Censor and Chief
Investigating Censor.

“Official Huai, it’s a misunderstanding. That maid is indeed an orphan

girl. She came here and sought refuge with her relatives. When she was
at the end of her rope, my son met her and brought her to my manor to
help her. My son said she would be sent to her relatives’ place when he
found her relatives for her. Unexpectedly, she has already been pregnant.
My son didn’t know that and got angry when she talked irresponsibly.
Therefore he kicked her so that she lost her baby.”

Hearing Xia Tian’s explanation, Huai Yuming asked with a smile on his
face, “You mean her child isn’t Childe Xia’s?”

“Yes. My son has only known her for a few months. How can her baby
be my son’s? Official Huai, if you don’t believe it, you can go to my
manor to inquire about it. Everyone in the manor knows her and how she
came to my Xia Manor.”

Xia Tian stated positively.

Ao Chenyi sitting on the side coldly looked at Xia Tian. People in the
court knew that those who were targeted by Prince Yi almost would
come to a bad end.

Ao Chenyi’s gaze made Xia Tian panic. Although he knew that his
explanation was watertight, he still felt nervous!
This should have nothing to do with Prince Yi.

Xia Yuhang had promised Chen Hexiang that she would become his
concubine as long as she helped Xia Manor successfully settle this
matter. Chen Hexiang agreed with that. And there was nothing unusual.

“Official Xia, that’s your explanation, but what I heard is different. This
is the letter I received last night. Your Majesty, please make a judgment!”
Huai Yuming took a letter from his arms and presented it respectfully.

An eunuch came, took away the letter, and placed it on the emperor’s
table.

After reading the letter, the emperor immediately changed his face. He
shouted at Xia Tian with great anger, “Xia Tian, your son dared to
disrespect the Buddha. Show him this letter! I wonder how he can
explain this time.”

Before the letter was shown to him, Xia Tian had already felt bad. He
picked up the letter and read it while his hands were trembling.

It was Chen Hexiang’s statement. She clearly said how she and Xia
Yuhang knew each other. She and Xia Yuhang had sex in the Buddha
Hall, then she got pregnant. After that, Ning Ziyan met them when they
were together. In order to separate them, she was deliberately brought to
Xia Manor by Ning Ziyan and became Ning Ziyan’s personal maid.

The letter was very detailed. Chen Hexiang also specifically mentioned
the monks in Cold Mountain Temple, and the specific days when Xia
Yuhang spent the night with her.

These matters mentioned in the letter could not be concealed from

others. They could be easily checked out.

“Official Xia, I went to Cold Mountain Temple on purpose after I

received the letter. And I found that everything is true. Official Xia, how
do you explain for that?” Huai Yuming asked, “Do you need to confront
that woman now?”

Although Xia Tian had prepared well, his words were based on Chen
Hexiang’s cooperation. At this time, Huai Yuming asked him one
question after another, which was unexpected to Xia Tian. So he could
not say a word and sweat broke out on his head immediately.

It seemed that Huai Yuming was asking Xia Tian, but in fact he was
stating facts. Was there any need for confrontation?

Now that this woman had sent her letter to Huai Yuming, it meant that
she had decided to tell the truth. If Xia Tian chose to confront with her, it
would bring shame on himself!

Looking at the silent Xia Tian, the emperor who was sitting there
realized the problem and his face darkened immediately.

“What else do you want to say, Official Xia?” Huai Yuming gave him a
heavy blow.

“Your Majesty, the woman deliberately frames my son. It’s true that it
has been some time since my son saved her. She was allowed to stay in
the temple because she was poor and had no place to go. The temple is a
sacred place. If my son really had a relationship with her, why did he
place her there? Why didn’t he place her in a secret place?”

Xia Tian showed resourcefulness in an emergency and explained loudly.

Huai Yuming asked while frowning, “Official Xia, do you mean that the
woman deliberately frames your son?”

“Yes. The Spring Metropolitan Examinations is coming soon. And my

son has scholarly honour. In order to concentrate on study, he usually
goes to Cold Mountain Temple to study. This is not a secret. Why did the
woman happen to appear in Cold Mountain Temple? Why did she
happen to be saved by my son and was placed in Cold Mountain
Temple? And why did she happen to be pregnant? Your Majesty, my son
wasn’t the only one in Cold Mountain Temple!”

Xia Tian not only defended his son, but also hinted that someone had
framed Xia Yuhang.

Ao Yun, the present emperor, ascended the throne by many foul means.
So he was the most suspicious one. After listening to Xia Tian, he started
to suspect the whole thing and gloomily looked at several officials with
anger on his face.

The hall was so silent that the gasp could be heard.

Suddenly, a cold voice came to their ears. Ao Chenyi lazily said, “Your
Majesty, do you want to investigate this matter thoroughly? I happen to
be free these days. I’m willing to help you investigate this matter.”

His slightly narrowed eyes were bloodthirsty. He showed a faint smile on

his face, but the smile was not warm at all.

Xia Tian who was kneeling suddenly felt cold from the bottom of his
heart and his face instantly turned pale.

In the past, Prince Yi had brought casualties when he investigated every

case!

And a few families were exterminated in the end. So neither XiaTian nor
Ning Zu’ang wanted Prince Yi to interfere in this matter?

Xia Tian said with an embarrassed smile on his face, “I don’t dare to
trouble you, Prince Yi!”
Chapter 102 No Matter Which
Way Concubine Ma Chose, She
Would Not Survive
“No trouble at all. Anyway, I have nothing to do recently. Everyone
involved in those cases are dead. I’m very bored!” After saying that, Ao
Chenyi tried to show a gentle smile.

But in Xia Tian’s eyes, the smile was treacherous and cold.

Almost instantly, Xia Tian made his decision. He said in panic while
kowtowing, “Your Majesty, in any case, that woman lost her baby
because my son kicked her. So it’s normal that she hates my son. He
made the mistake on impulse. He will be responsible for that. Your
Majesty, please punish him.”

At this time, Xia Tian did not insist that his son was framed by someone
and his attitude also softened.

This meant that there was no need to investigate this matter and Xia
Manor was willing to take full responsibility. Meanwhile, Xia Tian also
flattered the emperor by what he said.

In times of danger, Xia Tian remembered what Xia Yuhang said last
night. Xia Yuhang had told Xia Tian that he could say those words to
admit mistake if something happened unexpectedly.

When the present emperor was still a prince, he once beat his brother
half-disabled on impulse. Because of that, he was almost murdered by
the former emperor. Although he was framed, at last he had to admit this
mistake. It was almost the same with Xia Yuhang.

So this time, Xia Yuhang asked his father to imitate what the emperor
had done.

Sure enough, the emperor’s angry face softened a little.

Ao Chenyi nodded and said while slightly tapping his fingers on the
table, “Official Xia, you’re right. If I act on impulse next time, I wonder
if I also won’t be punished.”

Ao Chenyi’s words made the emperor changed his face greatly, and
people could almost clearly see the bulged veins on the emperor’s
forehead.

The two ranks of officials standing below were all frightened. Only the
Prince Yi seemed to have no idea that he had said something wrong, and
still showed a cold smile with great interest.

After a while, the emperor regained his calmness. He pounded his chair
and said to Xia Tian while sharply looking at him, “The son’s
committing mistakes should be blamed to his father’s failure to teach
him. Xia Tian, you will be fined half a year’s salary, and Xia Yuhang
won’t be allowed to participate in the Spring Metropolitan Examination.
This also is a warning to others.”

The emperor made the final judgement.

The Spring Metropolitan Examination was held once three years. Xia
Yuhang lost the chance this time and had to wait for another three-year,
which was a great blow to him who wanted to be the very best this time.

Xia Tian was bitter, but he had to thank the emperor!

Compared with that matter, this was much less serious.

Qingyu rushed in, carefully closed the door, and said with a smile on her
face, “Young Lady, I have inquired. The emperor doesn’t allow Childe
Xia to participate in the Spring Metropolitan Examination and gives
marquis a three-month vocation to deal with family affairs. Madam
Dowager was very angry and scolded the First Madam just now.”

It was a happy news to them. The Auspicious Clouds Courtyard was in a

mess, which made people in Bright Frost Garden very happy.

Ning Xueyan put down the brush pen in her hands, took the towel
Lanning handed over to wipe her hands. Then she turned her head, took
a deep breath, and asked, “Did you get some news about Xia Manor?”
“The Eldest Young Lady sent someone to look for the First Madam, but
the First Madam was shut up in the Buddha Hall by Madam Dowager. So
the people sent by the Eldest Young Lady didn’t see the First Madam.
The servant was anxious and directly asked an older female servant of
the First Madam. I happened to be there and heard what they said.”

Qingyu widened her eyes and showed an exaggerated expression,

making Ning Xueyan and Lanning laugh.

Ning Xueyan smiled and said, “Tell me, what happened?”

“What that maid said was a mess. So actually I didn’t hear clearly. I only
heard that Xia Manor is in disorder now. Childe Xia can’t take part in the
examination the next spring and there’s one more concubine. The Eldest
Young Lady is arguing with Childe Xia and the Madam of Xia Manor is
scolding the Eldest Young Lady. So the maid wanted to invite the First
Madam to mediate.”

Qingyu said that happily, but then she felt confused. In her opinion, some
things were irrelevant.

“But, I still don’t understand, Young Lady. That woman informed against
Childe Xia, why did he still marry her?”

Qingyu was loyal, but sometimes she could not understood these matters
as quickly as Lanning. When they heard Qingyu’s question, Lanning
smiled first. Then she slightly pushed Qingyu and explainced to her,
“The more people know about this matter, the less they dare murder
Chen Hexiang. The reputation of Childe Xia is bad now, so he dares not
deal with Chen Hexiang. If the Eldest Young Lady wants to harm Chen
Hexiang, Childe Xia had to stop her.”

They did not expect Chen Hexiang to be so clever.

Mother Han talked about a similar thing when she comforted Chen
Hexiang.

In terms of strength, Chen Hexiang was no better than Ning Ziyan. In the
past, Chen Hexiang believed that she was beloved by Xia Yuhang. But
being kiked by him so heavily, she had realized she was not!
Chen Hexiang was a very cruel woman. She had figured out the whole
matter and chose the best way for herself. As long as she did not
compromise and informed against Xia Yuhang, people of Xia Manor
would ask Xia Yuhang to marry her and prevent Ning Ziyan from
harming her.

The bigger this matter was, the better it was! That was why she asked
Xinmei to throw the letter at righteous Official Huai’s door.

Chen Hexiang indeed planned to met Xia Yuhang and have a relationship
with him. But Xia Yuhang was also a playboy. So Chen Hexiang did not
spent much effort on this matter.

Therefore, Xia Yuhang could not clarify!

In addition, Chen Hexiang also knew something about Ning Ziying. But
she did not mention it in her letter. It meant that she did not want to
destroy both Xia Yuhang and herself.

However, these were also what Ning Xueyan needed. The more cunning
Chen Hexiang was, the greater pressure Ning Ziyan would have, and the
more Xia Yuhang dared not kill her.

Chen Hexiang and Ning Ziyan were equal, so the fight between them
was fierce.

Both of them were heartless and cruel. Ning Xueyan wondered who
would win in the end.

Since both of them wanted to marry Xia Yuhang and be his Legal Wife.
So Ning Xueyan would let them fight with each other…

Qingyu still did not understand. She asked while touching her own head,
“Oh, I see. But Young Lady, there still are some things I don’t
understand. Why did Chen Hexiang trust Xinmei and give the letter to
her?”

Ning Xueyan said while showing an ironc smile on her face, “We didn’t
ask her to believe Xinmei. She believed Xinmei on her own initiative. At
that time, no one in Xia Manor could help her. So Xinmei was her only
hope. She had no other choice but to believe Xinmei!”
A woman like Chen Hexiang would absolutely do so when she was in
such a situation. She did not care who the masked man in black was. If
she wanted to survive, she had to ask Xinmei to help her.

Lanning carried the well-prepared hamper in her hands and softly asked,
“Young Lady, everything’s ready. Are we going to see Concubine Ma
now?”

“Yes, let’s go.” Ning Xueyan nodded and stood up.

The meal that Madam Ling sent should happen to arrive at this time…

After they found that Concubine Ma was not pregnant, so many things
happened. Both Ning Ziyan and Chen Hexiang lost their babies, and it
was exposed that Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan had a premarital adultery.
So nobody cared about Concubine Ma and all forgot that Concubine Ma
had pretended to be pregnant.

However, Ning Xueyan did not forget.

Concubine Ma had been very popular in the past few days, so the
courtyard she lived in was relatively close to the middle. However, her
courtyard which used to be very busy was desolate now.

When Ning Xueyan entered the room, Concubine Ma suddenly sat up in

panic. To their surprise, Concubine Ma who was still beautiful yesterday
had been very thin and old. She looked like a totally different person.

Everyone knew her current situation was bad!

Concubine Ma showed a timid expression as soon as she saw Ning

Xueyan. She said with a tremulous voice, “Fifth Young Lady!”

“Concubine Ma, how are you doing? Is there any food you want to eat? I
brought some food for you, but I don’t know if you like it or not.” Ning
Xueyan smiled and sat down in a chair near the bed, as if nothing had
happened between her and Concubine Ma.

Lanning, who was behind Ning Xueyan, put the hamper on the table in
front of Concubine Ma. There happened to be another exactly the same
hamper in which the dishes were very delicious. All of the hampers were
bought by the servants of the manor, so they were all the same.

“Thank you, Fifth Young Lady. I… I’m all right.” Concubine Ma

answered in a hoarse voice. Following the hamper put down by Lanning,
Concubine Ma looked at the other one with scare.

Ning Xueyan said with a smile on her face, “Anyway, you’re a member
of Lord Protector’s Manor. Even if mother can’t tolerate you, she’ll
allow you to be full before dying.” Ning Xueyan’s deep gaze fell on
Concubine Ma, which chilled her.

Concubine Ma felt scared!

Concubine Ma felt that the thin Fifth Young Lady in front of her had a
kind of inenarrable imposing manner. It seemed that her eyes could suck
out people’s soul, making Concubine Ma dare not look back.

Concubine Ma turned her head and forced a smile. “Thank you, Fifth
Young Lady. I’ve come to such an end, how can the First Madam not
tolerate me?”

“Oh, I guess wrong. I wanted to show you a way to survive. Since you
needn’t, I’ll leave now! Please enjoy your meals!” Ning Xueyan
emphasized ‘meals’ when she spoke. Then she stood up with a cold
smile and was about to leave.

On seeing that Ning Xueyan was going to leave, Concubine Ma was in a

great hurry.

In fact, Concubine Ma was disturbed. This matter was caused by Madam

Ling, but it was she who took the responsibility!

Who would believe it if she said it all?

Concubine Ma extremely hated Madam Ling, because Madam Ling had

poisoned her and made her infertile. Therefore, Concubine Ma was so
impulsive at that time and rushed to bite Madam Ling.

Unfortunately, when she calmed down, Concubine Ma found that she

could not spoke out this matter. Madam Ling had the evidence that
Concubine Ma had had a love affair stealthily with her lover. If Madam
Ling told Ning Zu’an, Concubine Ma and her family would fall into
danger.

Concubine Ma had thought about it all night, but she still did not come to
a conclusion. If Concubine Ma admitted that she was not pregnant, then
she would be accused of poisoning the Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor. If she said it was Madam Ling’s order, her secrets would be
exposed by Madam Ling, then Ning Zu’an would be angry and vent his
spite upon her and her family…

No matter which way Concubine Ma chose, she would not survive. She
did not know how she would end up!
Chapter 103 The Way for
Concubine Ma
“Concubine Ma, when I came here just now, I heard that the First
Madam had asked someone to send you meals even if she’s in the
Buddha Hall. She’s really generous. In my opinion, if something happens
to you in the future, it must have nothing to do with the First Madam.”

Lanning glanced at Concubine Ma and spoke slowly while picking up

the hamper.

This hamper was prepared by Madam Ling! After knowing that,

Concubine Ma became shocked and grabbed the handkerchief in her
hands. First Madam always returned evil for good. Concubine Ma had
bit her and this matter had come to a deadlock, so the First Madam
would not let go of Concubine Ma.

This was a threat to Concubine Ma!

“Fifth Young Lady, don’t go. Please do me a favor!” Concubine Ma

could no longer control her fear, and couldn’t help asking for help in a
tremulous voice.

Ning Xueyan stopped, but did not turn around. She directly said,
“Concubine Ma, if you need anything, why don’t you call my mother?
Although she isn’t allowed to leave the Buddha Hall, fortunately, all of
the people in Lord Protector’s Manor listen to her. If you really need
something, she can help you.”

Hearing that, Concubine Ma looked paler and could not help imploring,
“They all say that Fifth Young Lady is clever and kind-hearted. Please
help me, Fifth Young Lady.”

Hearing what Concubine Ma said, Ning Xueyan could not help turning
her head with a smile on her face. This Concubine Ma was really naive.
She had poisoned Ning Xueyan before, but now said Ning Xueyan was
kind-hearted and asked for help. Did she think that Ning Xueyan was the
Madonna?

Seeing Ning Xueyan smiling and turning her head, Concubine Ma

thought Ning Xueyan would help her and hastily promised, “Fifth Young
Lady, I will pay back and risk any danger to do my duty as long as you
save me this time…”

Ning Xueyan coldly said, “Concubine Ma, I don’t need your thanks.
Now that my mother has sent you food first, it will make her angry if I
send you food again. As a daughter, I can’t do anything against my
mother.”

“Fifth Young Lady, as long as you save me, I’ll tell you who secretly
framed you.” Seeing Ning Xueyan did not want to help her, Concubine
Ma was anxious. Now Madam Ling would not support her anymore, she
needed to find another strong person to rely on. A drowning man will
catch at a straw. Concubine Ma forgot that the one in front of her had
been poisoned by her.

Seeming to be surprised, Ning Xueyan asked, “You know who framed

me and poisoned me?”

As soon as she found that Ning Xueyan’s voice softened, Concubine Ma

thought there was hope and said urgently at the moment.

“Yes, as long as you can help me escape from Lord Protector’s Manor, I
will tell you everything.” It was the only way Concubine Ma could think
of. She would certainly die if she stayed. Leaving here might bring her a
different end.

Ning Xueyan coldly said with an ironic smile on her face, “I know what
you want to say, so I can’t help you leave.”

Concubine Ma had thought she could bargain with Ning Xueyan. In fact,
her so-called secrets, including her lover, had already been known to
Ning Xueyan.

“You knew that?” Concubine Ma was shocked and looked at Ning

Xueyan with her eyes wide open in horror.
Ning Xueyan coldly said without expression, “I also know that you were
good at singing and had stayed in Spring Theatrical Troupe before you
entered Lord Protector’s Manor. You and a man played lovers so well.”

Concubine Ma did not expect that Ning Xueyan would know all of this.
She was so shocked that could not say a word. Suddenly, she forced
herself to get out of bed, up, threw herself at the foot of Ning Xueyan,
and held Ning Xueyan’s leg in her arms. “Fifth Young Lady, please save
me. As long as you save my life, I’ll do whatever you ask and never
disobey your orders.”

Ning Xueyan pulled back her leg while coldly looking at Concubine Ma.

“Concubine Ma, did you want to say these to my mother? Now my

mother is in the Buddha hall, how about visiting her with me and making
it clear to her?” Concubine Ma was so scheming. She actually wanted to
exchange a changeable promise for Ning Xueyan’s help.

How dared Concubine Ma see Madam Ling now?

“Or do you want to see that man? If my father knows that you were
dating with a man in the pavilion at that time, will he be angry and
drown you?”

Ning Xueyan spoke that with a smile on her face while looking down at
Concubine Ma, as if she was looking at a dead man.

“Fifth Young Lady, you… how do you know that?” Concubine Ma’s lips
trembled so that she could not speak fluently. She looked at Ning
Xueyan in horror. At that time, the man only showed for a second, and
then left. How did Ning Xueyan know?

“Do you still think it’s a secret? My mother won’t forgive you for biting
her. Even if my mother isn’t allowed to leave the Buddha Hall, my
Second Sister can come here to beat or kill you for her. At that time, no
one will say a word for you. After all, you offended my mother.”

Ning Xueyan spoke with a smile on her face. Then she winked at
Lanning who immediately understood and dragged Concubine Ma back
onto the bed.
In Lord Protector’s Manor, no one was more unruly than Ning Yuling!

Many maids and older female servants have been beaten to death by her.

Remembering how fierce Ning Yuling was, Concubine Ma looked paler.

Ning Yuling would really do that. In the past, Concubine Ma was
protected by Ning Zu’an, so Ning Yuling did not hurt her.

But now, Concubine Ma had to thank God if Ning Zu’an did not punish
her when something like this happened!

Lanning said to Concubine Ma with a smile on her face while tucking

her up, “Concubine Ma, do you think that our Young Lady doesn’t want
to save you? In fact, the whole manor is strictly controlled and no one
can go in or out at will. If you want to survive, you have to rely on
yourself.”

“I… what should I do?” Concubine Ma cried out, as if she had grabbed a
life-saving straw.

No one was allowed to leave Lord Protector’s Manor now. How could
she not be depressed?

“The cause of your current situation is my mother, so you have to look

for solutions from her. I heard that the Eldest Brother-in-law married a
woman today who had informed against him. But he had to marry her for
fear that something bad will happen to her and then his reputation will be
worse.”

Ning Xueyan smiled and lazily said while giving a meaningful look at
Concubine Ma.

Xia Yuhang married that maid at this time, which shocked Concubine
Ma. Concubine Ma also heard about what had happened to Xia Yuhang.
They all said that a maid had had sex with Xia Yuhang and got pregnant,
but lost her baby for being kicked by furious Xia Yuhang when Ning
Ziyan knew their relationship and lost her baby.

In order to defuse the anger of Lord Protector’s Manor, the little maid
must be murdered!
How did she survive? And why did Childe Xia marry her and Lord
Protector’s Manor have no complaint?

“Concubine Ma, no one can take responsibility if more people know this
matter. Lord Protector’s Manor is in the troubled times. The Eldest
Sister, Second Sister and mother have had accidents, and the reputation
of Lord Protector’s Manor is getting worse and worse. Grandmother is
very worried,” Ning Xueyan said that with a slight imperceptible sneer.

How could Madam Dowager not be in a hurry? The Lord Protector’s

Manor almost lost all face because of Madam Ling and her daughter.

“Lanning, there already are dishes for Concubine Ma, so we’ll take back
the dishes we brought so as not to waste them.” Before Concubine Ma
responded, Ning Xueyan stood up and walked outside. “By the way,
Concubine Ma, do you still think that my father doesn’t know your
secrets?”

This was the last sentence left by Ning Xueyan, but it helped Concubine
Ma make her decision.

“Yes, I’ll do it right away.” Lanning nodded. Then she came to

Concubine Ma and whispered to her. After that, she walked to the two
hampers and looked at them in confusion. It seemed she could not tell
which one was brought by herself. In the end, she picked up one at will
and left.

“Hey, this hamper…” The maid who was standing beside Concubine Ma
couldn’t help calling Lanning. The one on the right was the one she
brought jus now, why did she take the one on the left?

“Shut up!” Concubine Ma’s cold rebuke sounded in the maid’s ear. She
turned her head in perplexity and was startled by Concubine Ma’s cold
and crazy gaze.

Since this maid could get into the house, she naturally was Concubine
Ma’s henchman.

“Concubine Ma, what’s wrong with you?”

Concubine Ma said with a gloomy face, “Show me those dishes.”

The maid went over and gave the hamper to Concubine Ma who then
took out a silver needle from the bed and inserted it to the food.

When the silver needle was pulled out, its tip had become black. This
half-black needle made people feel chilling.

“They’re, they’re toxic!” The maid was so frightened that she staggered
and almost fell down. She angrily said, “Concubine Ma… unexpectedly,
the Fifth Young Lady is so vicious. She wants to kill you! “

“No… She doesn’t want to kill me! She’s helping me.” Looking at the
black on the tip of the needle, Concubine Ma forced an ugly smile on her
gloomy face.

The food Madam Ling prepared was not poisonous, just because she
wanted to be seen as virtuous. In this way, no one would believe she
would murder Concubine Ma. So she would not poison Concubine Ma at
this time.

However, when it quieted down, Concubine Ma would certainly be a

scapegoat. Maybe she even would die painfully.

Concubine Ma was unwilling to give up. The words of Ning Xueyan and
the food sent by Ning Xueyan gave her a hint. Ning Xueyan had
provided her a solution. If she wanted to survive, she had to accept Ning
Xueyan’s suggestion.

She could only trust Ning Xueyan!

Maybe this was the only way for her!

“Xia Yuhang’s new concubine should have died. Since she can survive, I
can as well…”

Ning Xueyan walked back with Lanning who carried the hamper she
deliberately changed. After they turned, they suddenly saw Madam
Ling’s maid Yu Lian passing by in gorgeous. Ning Xueyan immediately
made a gesture to Lanning, then the two hid behind the bushes quickly.

Yu Lian, who always wanted to be a concubine, dressed like that at this

time. Was she going to seduce Ning Zu’an again?
But, Yu Lian could not get to Ning Zu’an’s place from that direction. Yu
Lian’s road led to two places. One was the back door, and the other was
Ning Xueyan’s Bight Frost Garden. Ning Xueyan remembered nothing
had happened between her and Yu Lian.

Yu Lian stopped and walked, seeming to be very careful along the way.
She stopped several times to see what was going on behind her. She was
much more alert than usual.

Only when she turned to the path in front of her right, Ning Xueyan
came out with Lanning.

“Young Lady, why does Yu Lian go to our courtyard? Shall we go and

have a look?” Lanning asked Ning Xueyan.

“No. Xinmei is in Bright Frost Garden!” Ning Xueyan shook her head
and said a meaningful word. Then she picked up a leaf at hand. The leaf
had turned yellow and lost its vitality. And so did other leaves which
were falling one by one.

How could the leaves survive when the tree was dead?

The Lord Protector’s Manor looked grand, but in fact its root had already
deeply rotted…
Chapter 104 Ning Lingyun’s
Marriage
“Look, it’s Fifth Sister. Why are carrying a hamper at this time?
Grandma has already eaten. Don’t you think it’s too late for you to send
her food now?” Ning Xueyan and Lanning encountered Ning Lingyun
who was on the way to Lucky Garden. Ning Lingyun saw the hamper in
Lanning’s hands and could not help but mock Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan did not take Ning Lingyun’s sarcastic ridicule seriously.
Ning Lingyun, the daughter of a concubine, always followed Ning
Yuling’s lead and curried favor with Madam Ling in order to have a good
marriage in the future. But Ning Xueyan knew well that Ning Lingyun
would eventually become a stepping stone for Madam Ling’s children.

Ning Xueyan glanced at Ning Lingyun and asked, “Fourth Sister, who
made you so angry?”

“Great wits have short memories. Fifth Sister, you made Second Sister
angry and didn’t dare to see her. So you requested me to see her and face
her anger. You’re a coward.” Remembering what had happened on that
day, Ning Lingyun felt hot and pain on her face.

Originally, Ning Lingyun visited Ning Yuling and sent her two boxes of
face powder in her own name, and Ning Yuling was also very happy!

But as soon as Ning Yuling heard that Ning Lingyun came from Bright
Frost Garden, she changed her look on the spot and ran out in a hurry.

Because of what happened afterwards, both Ning Yuling and Madam

Ling were scolded and punished. Ning Yuling did not ask Ning Lingyun
to leave when she went out, so Ning Lingyun did not dare go.

When Ning Yuling came back, Ning Lingyun came up and wanted to
greet her. But she was slapped and kicked by Ning Yuling before leaving.
Ning Yuling was extremely angry when she beat Ning Lingyun. So Ning
Lingyun was beaten seriously and knocked down. In the end, she left
Qingrong Courtyard with the support of her maid and had been lying in
bed for a few days because of discomfort.

Ning Lingyun dared not hate Ning Yuling. Instead, she vented all her
anger on Ning Xueyan. So she was very angry when she saw Ning
Xueyan now.

Ning Xueyan said indifferently, “Fourth Sister, you provoked Second

Sister, does it have something to do with me? The Second Sister became
angry because you didn’t recognize the situation clearly.”

“What? I provoked Second Sister? It was because of you! You framed

me. You’re a hoodoo. Since you came out of Bright Frost Garden, so
many things have happened in this house. It’s your fault!” Ning Lingyun
almost jumped up because of anger. She stretched out her hands and
almost poked Ning Xueyan’s nose with arrogance.

Ning Xueyan did not move. She calmly looked at Ning Lingyun and said
with sarcasm on her face, “What wrong with you, Fourth Sister? Mother
just had an accident. Why are you doing now? Do you think it’s not
messy enough in the manor?”

What Ning Xueyan said alerted Ning Lingyun. She immediately looked
around and unconsciously lowered her voice, keeping talking, “You have
made Lord Protector’s Manor look like this. If you stay in Bright Frost
Garden all the time, how can it become so? You’re a pest!”

Feeling that she was provoked by Ning Xueyan, Ning Lingyun became
angrier and cursed Ning Xueyan.

“Am I a pest?” Ning Xueyan thought and smiled. Ning Lingyun had
been beaten by Ning Yuling, but she did not dare to avenge and vent her
anger on Ning Xueyan, just because she thought Ning Xueyan’s status
was inferior to hers.

“Fourth Sister, do you want to please mother and Second Sister by doing
this? Unfortunately, I heard that mother had already chosen a man for
you. He’s Marquis of Ping’an. Have you heard about him? That’s what
mother prepared for you. Fourth Sister, you should go to Buddha Hall to
thank mother!”

Seeing it was time to leave, Ning Xueyan did not want to waste more
time with Ning Lingyun and smiled coldly.

Marquis of Ping’an?

Ning Lingyun was frightened by the news and suddenly turned pale. She
looked up at Ning Xueyan in panic.

“Fourth Sister, I think you’d better think about how to please Marquis of
Ping’an. I heard that his grandsons are older than you. After you marry
him, you will directly become the grandmother. In order to thank you for
your service in the past years, mother considered a lot and chose a good
man for you.”

Ning Xueyan’s dark smiling eyes looked strange and frightening. It

seemed that her gaze which fell on Ning Lingyun came from the hell.

Such a look should not belong to a girl. Being stared at by Ning Xueyan
with such a look, Ning Lingyun could not help shivering and almost fell,
and subconsciously reached out to hold the tree. She felt frightened by
Ning Xueyan’s gaze.

Ning Xueyan did not take another look at Ning Lingyun, and elegantly
left with Lanning. She was not affected by Ning Lingyun at all.

The maid Caiyun, who was standing beside Ning Lingyun, could not
help asking, “Young Lady, will First Madam really ask you to marry
Marquis of Ping’an?”

Marquis of Ping’an was very famous in capital. He was very old, but he
still flirted with women. He was the only one in capital. He already had
eighteen concubines and every one of them was young and beautiful. But
he still was not satisfied and married new women from time to time. In
his manor, there were many women whose family background was bad.

Furthermore, his sons and grandsons also misbehaved. Those concubines

in his manor had relationships not only with him, but also with his sons
and grandsons. His manor was the dirtiest one.
No girl came from a good family was willing to marry into such a
family. If they married, death would be their only end.

“No, that won’t happen. Mother won’t do that.” Ning Lingyun gritted her
teeth and said that. But it sounded more like boosting her courage. “Let’s
go and see my mother!”

Although Ning Lingyun did not know whether Ning Xueyan’s statement
was true or not, she dared not gamble, so she had to inquire about it.
Thinking that old playboy and those young playboys in his manor, Ning
Lingyun could not help trembling with fear.

However, Ning Lingyun had an intuition that Ning Xueyan was telling
the truth and Madam Ling really intended to do so…

Was what Ning Xueyan said true?

After walking for a while, Lanning could not help asking carefully,
“Young Lady, how do you know that?”

“Ning Ziyan said that.” Ning Xueyan turned her head sideways and gave
a look at Lanning while smiling slightly.

That really was what Ning Ziyan said, but Ning Ziyan said that to Ning
Ziying at that time.

Once, Ning Ziying and Ning Ziyan went to pick up Xia Yuhang together
and saw the matchmaker passing by when they walked to the gate of the
garden. Ning Ziying was curious and asked Ning Ziyan. Ning Ziyan said
casually that the matchmaker came here due to the marriage between
Ning Lingyun and Marquis of Ping’an.

Lanning was nervous and subconsciously asked while staring at Ning

Xueyan, “The Eldest Young Lady said that… where did she say that?”

When Ning Ziyan said that, Lanning was also there. But Ning Xueyan
was not there and all the people present at that time had nothing to do
with Bright Frost Garden.

Ning Xueyan answered with a slight smile on her face, “Don’t care how
I know that. I’ll tell you when the time is right. It’s not the right time
yet!” She knew what Lanning suspected.

Now, it was really not the right time. Ning Ziying’s death was certainly
caused by Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan. But now Ning Xueyan found
that things were complex. So she did not want new problems to crop up
unexpectedly until she found out the truth.

Some things would be seen more clearly from an outsider’s point of

view.

Ning Xueyan had been looking for an opportunity to tell Ning Lingyun
her marriage with Marquis of Ping’an. Although Ning Lingyun was born
of a concubine, she was never willing to marry Marquis of Ping’an.
Because of Madam Ming’s death, Ning Lingyun’s marriage had not been
publicized so far.

How could Ning Lingyun be willing to marry Marquis of Ping’an?

She heard that Marquis of Ping’an also had a daughter!

In Auspicious Fortune Hall, Ning Xueyan respectfully saluted Madam

Dowager and Ning Zu’an and then stood aside.

Madam Dowager sat on the couch with a gloomy face and sharply
looked at Ning Xueyan. After a while, she slowly asked, “I heard you
sent food to Concubine Ma, is that true?”

“Yes. I visited Concubine Ma and asked her something,” Ning Xueyan

answered in a natural and graceful way while facing Madam Dowager’s
gaze.

The matter between Concubine Ma and her could not be concealed!

In order to weasel out, Concubine Ma pretended to be pregnant, which

was related to Ning Xueyan. So it was normal that Ning Xueyan asked
Concubine Ma something.

Madam Dowager’s face softened when she saw that Ning Xueyan
directly confessed and did not hide anything. She pointed to a chair on
one side and asked her to sit down.
“Xueyan, our Lord Protector’s Manor also lost face because of what your
Eldest Sister had done. Your mother had been punished by the empress
before, and now is cultivating herself in the Buddha Hall. All of this
because of her own moral defect. The reputation of Lord Protector’s
Manor can’t be ruined again.”

Madam Dowager’s words sounded like a sigh. After that, she took a
sidelong glance at Ning Xueyan.

Ning Zu’an, who was sitting on the side, nodded and said gently, “You
mother had made a mistake, and she has been punished. Let it pass.
Yan’er, you’ll be the hostess in the future. What you should pay more
attention to is the reputation of the whole family.”

Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind. She already knew what the two
people wanted. They wanted her to forgive Concubine Ma and stop
investigating Concubine Ma.

If Ning Xueyan did not investigate Concubine Ma, Madam Ling’s

mistakes would not be exposed!

They threatened Ning Xueyan with the reputation of Lord Protector’s

Manor and tried to stop Ning Xueyan pursuing Madam Ling’s
responsibility!

Anyway, Ning Xueyan was the Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor.
But in their minds, her life was inferior to Madam Ling’s reputation. No
wonder in Ning Xueyan’s memory, Madam Ming had never had hope for
Ning Zu’an. Every time Mother Han persuaded her to dress up and leave
Bright Frost Garden, Madam Ming would never listen.

Who would have hope for such a man?

Ning Xueyan gently bit her lips and hid the coldness in her eyes before
raising her head. She still said with a faint smile on her face, “Grandma,
Concubine Ma’s story is being spread outside. The day before yesterday,
my uncle said he’ll ask about it in person. Maybe he’ll come in a few
days.”

Ning Zu’an asked with an unhappy face, “You’ve said that to your
uncle?”
“Father, there were so many people in Cold Mountain Temple at that
time, and many of them came to our manor later. At the banquet
yesterday, some madams asked servants about it from time to time. And
this matter has already been spread among servants.”

Ning Xueyan pretended to advance along one path while secretly going
along another. Since they paid attention to this matter, Ning Xueyan was
willing to attract their more attention, so that they would not find her true
purpose.

“Do you want your mother to apologize to you?” Ning Zu’an did not
intend to let go of Ning Xueyan. He aggressively asked Ning Xueyan
while staring at her sharply, as if he wanted to read her mind.
Chapter 105 Concubine Ma
Admits Her Error and Asks for
Punishment While Kneeling at the
Door
Ning Xueyan frowned and said in confusion, “Father, does this matter
have anything to do with mother? Concubine Ma said that this matter is
not what I thought. She also said that she would tell me later when she
had the chance.”

Concubine Ma did not say anything. Knowing that, Madam Dowager

and Ning Zu’an looked at each other. They felt shocked, but also
relieved.

Madam Dowager finally smiled and euphemistically said, “This matter

naturally has nothing to do with your mother. The womenfolk’s
courtyard is under your mother’s control. When something like this
happened, she is also sad and should take the responsibility. Since
Concubine Ma isn’t pregnant, I’ll let her tell the truth. She dared to lie to
me. It’s detestable of her!”

Madam Dowager dumped the blame on Concubine Ma, even though she
knew Madam Ling was behind this evil. In such a big manor, no one
really cared about Ning Xueyan.

For the people of Lord Protector’s Manor, kinship meant nothing. In this
glorious Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Xueyan felt cold every time she
breathed, as if she was in the hell. If those people who were murdered
really had the power to revenge, the Lord Protector’s Manor would have
been ruined long time ago!

“Madam Dowager, Madam Dowager, something bad happened!

Something bad happened to Concubine Ma!” An older female servant
cried out in panic before she entered the courtyard.
Looking at the rushing older female servant, Ning Zu’an asked with an
unpleasant face, “What happened?”

“Concubine Ma was poisoned. She was poisoned after eating the food
sent by First Madam! What, what should we do? There are so many
people watching at the gate.” The older female servant gasped and spoke
incoherently. It was obvious that she was very anxious.

“Calm down! What’s going on?” Madam Dowager did not understand
what the older female servant said. She snorted and heavily pounded at
the ground with her walking stick.

“Concubine Ma was ill, so First Madam asked people to prepare a good

meal for her. Concubine Ma ate some and then said she was poisoned.
Now, she is kneeling at the gate and asking for justice.”

The older female servant stopped gasping and urgently answered.

Concubine Ma dared to make trouble at the gate of Lord Protector’s

Manor, which greatly angered Madam Dowager. She stood up while
trembling and said, “Follow me to see what’s going on. Events come one
after another!”

Madam Dowager, together with most of the servants of Lucky Garden,

went to the gate of Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Xueyan stood beside
Madam Dowager and held her. It was in a mess, so nobody noticed that
Lanning returned to Bright Frost Garden with a hamper.

At the gate of Lord Protector’s Manor, a large number of people were

gathering there and talking about Concubine Ma who was kneeling there.

Concubine Ma was gaunt and pale with hair disheveled and bleeding on
her mouth. She looked extremely miserable!

Madam Dowager asked in a deep voice while looking at Concubine Ma,

“Concubine Ma, what are you doing?”

“Madam Dowager, please bring fair back to me. Although I am of low

status, I still have the right to live. How can the First Madam kill me at
will? Even if I’ve done something wrong, I have to know my accusation
before dying. I won’t die for nothing!”
“What do you don’t understand? What are you doing now? Get up first
and let’s talk about it inside. You’re in poor health. Don’t make your
health worse.” Then, Madam Dowager asked two older female servants
to help Concubine Ma up and take her inside.

What Madam Dowager meant was that Concubine Ma was making

trouble out of nothing. She completely ignored the blood on Concubine
Ma’s lip.

If Concubine Ma was taken inside, her life would be up to Madam

Dowager. Since Concubine Ma dared to make noise here, she was ready
to risk everything and was unwilling to be drawn away by the two older
female servants. She pushed them away and turned to Ning Zu’an with a
sad smile on her face.

“Marquis, I know my life is of no value. We’re destined to meet but not

fated to be together. If there is an afterlife, I hope we can be long-term
husband and wife. I hope there will be no harm from the First Madam
and our love will last forever.”

Then she stood up, put her sleeve over her head, and was about to hit the
stone steps.

Madam Dowager and others did not expect Concubine Ma to commit

suicide and failed to stop her in time. But Ning Zu’an was a military
officer and his reaction was much quicker than others. He moved quickly
and stood in front of Concubine Ma who then directly fell into his arms.

If a concubine said something equivocal and then committed suicide, it

would bring shame on Lord Protector’s Manor.

“Marquis… you, you’d better let me die… in case that First Madam…
can’t rest assured!” Concubine Ma pulled Ning Zu’an’s clothes and wept
while her shoulders shaking slightly. She cried so sadly, which made
Ning Zu’an pity on her.

Even heroes fall for beauties. Furthermore, the beauty was so

affectionate. Which man would not like such a beauty? Even though he
did not like, he also would be proud of that.
Ning Zu’an asked while frowning, “Why did you make trouble here
instead of speaking out?”

Seeing that Madam Dowager, who was standing by, wanted to stop her,
Concubine Ma spoke first.

“Marquis… you, you’d better not ask!”

That was how curiosity worked. The less you let them ask, the more they
wanted to know.

“Why can’t I ask? Did you do something wrong to me?” Seeing that
Concubine Ma refused to speak out, Ning Zu’an began to suspect her.
Suddenly, he remembered what Madam Ling had said to him yesterday,
and his face turned cold.

On seeing his cold face, Concubine Ma knew her guess was right.
“Madam Ling really told him my secrets. She wants to dump shame on
me and forces me to die.”

“Marquis, I was sick and lay in bed today. The First Madam asked
servants to send me food before I had a meal. I was very happy. Because
I was uncomfortable, I only ate a few. Fortunately, I only ate a few…
otherwise, you, you won’t see me now!” Then Concubine Ma cried
again.

The blood on her lips and tears fell down together. How pitiful she was!

“The First Madam wants to kill a concubine. She’s so poor!”

“Isn’t the marchioness said to be kind-hearted? Why can’t she tolerate a

concubine like that now?”

“Your news is out-of-date. The marchioness is malicious. Some time

ago, the marchioness covered up the death of Second Madam and held a
wedding ceremony for her daughter. I heard that the death of Second
Madam was related to the marchioness. It was said she also poisoned the
daughter of Second Madam…”

“How could there be such a vicious woman? The Lord Protector should
have abandoned her long ago!”
“Nonsense! How could she harm you? It’s you…” Ning Zu’an stared at
Concubine Ma with anger and did not speak out her story in the end. No
man was willing to say that he had been betrayed by a concubine in front
of so many people.

“Marquis, what have I done? Did I do anything that First Madam

misunderstood? So she sent me poison and wanted to kill me? Marquis,
tell me what I did wrong. I’ll go to die by eating up these dishes after
you tell me what I did wrong.”

After hearing Concubine Ma’s words, they all looked at the ground and
saw a hamper at Concubine Ma’s feet. There was blood on the top dish,
beside which there was a silver needle whose tip was black. It was
obvious that the food was poisonous.

Concubine Ma was clever. She did not ask why Madam Ling poisoned
her. She just kept asking what she did wrong.

“What are you talking about?” Ning Zu’an was angered by Concubine
Ma’s question. He kicked over the hamper which flew towards the
crowd. The food inside fell to the ground and was in a mess. A man took
out a silver needle to test the food and it was found that all were
poisonous.

“It was poisoned!”

“That woman is so malicious that she can’t tolerate a concubine.”

“It is said that her two daughters are as ill-behaved as she is. The Second
Young Lady had sex with her fiancé before getting married. It is said that
she lost her baby yesterday. I wonder if her baby really is Childe Xia’s!”

The fact was in front of them. And their words became more and more
unpleasant to hear.

“Concubine Ma, calm down. Let’s get in and talk about it. We’ll be a
laughing stone to others if we go on talking here.” Ning Xueyan came
out of the back of shivering Madam Dowager to hold Concubine Ma,
and persuaded her with a smile on her face.
Her words comforted Madam Dowager who nodded at the moment and
looked at Ning Xueyan satisfactorily. And her face also softened.
“Concubine Ma, let’s get in to talk about it. If you are innocent, we’ll
protect you.”

“Marquis…” After Madam Dowager persuaded her, Concubine Ma also

recognized the facts of the situation. She turned to Ning Zu’an and
looked at him with grievance and sadness and love in her eyes. Being
looked at like that, Ning Zu’an could not get angry for a moment.

Ning Zu’an gruffly said, “Come in!”

When the two older female servants saw Concubine Ma stopped taking a
tough stance, they immediately came over to hold Concubine Ma on both
sides and went inside with her.

This time, a group of people entered Lord Protector’s Manor smoothly,

leaving those passers-by outside.

They entered Lord Protector’s Manor, closed the door, and went to
Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden. Most of the servants were asked to
leave, leaving a few henchmen. Madam Dowager also called over Biyun,
the maid who followed Concubine Ma yesterday. Madam Ling was also
brought in.

They were going to confront face to face and figure everything out.

Concubine Ma felt somewhat terrified and subconsciously gave a look at

Ning Xueyan who was slender and stood there with a calm face. Feeling
Concubine Ma’s gaze, Ning Xueyan turned her head and looked back.
Her eyes looked like black jade and her gaze was as cold as ice.

Ning Xueyan showed a meaningful smile to Concubine Ma.

Ning Xueyan was so delicate and beautiful, but also made people feel
treacherous. It reminded Concubine Ma of a spider that she had heard
before. It was said that the spider could only spin web in its whole life,
but it could easily kill human being.

Concubine Ma suddenly trembled with fear!

It seemed that everything was under her control. Was such a girl really
the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor who used to be
cowardly and ignored by others for so many years…

The weak are the prey of the stronger. The Fifth Young Lady looked like
a hunter. Whoever wanted to invade her would die under her sharp
claws…
Chapter 106 A Maid’s Confession
Madam Ling arrived soon after. She looked a little bit old, although
pious, in a simple cloth gown without any makeup on her face, instead of
wearing her fineries as usual. The bandage wrapped around her ears, in
particular, made her appearance inferior to that of the young and
charming Concubine Ma.

“Madam Ling, yesterday you said that Concubine Ma had an affair with
another man, and was seen by a maid, so she caused the blame of the
abortion to shift onto you. Is that true?” Madam Dowager asked.

“Mother, I heard all this from Biyun. I’m also not sure. I was about to
ask more yesterday, but had no time since you told me to go to Buddha
Hall. Why don’t you ask her yourself now?” On her way here, Madam
Ling had learned about Concubine Ma’s farce. She was startled at first.
Now she was staring at Concubine Ma with cold eyes, leaving the
judgment to Madam Dowager and deliberately avoiding the fact that
Concubine Ma had once been poisoned.

Luckily, she was prepared!

Anyway, it was reasonable to disclose earlier issues first.

Biyun was the maid beside Concubine Ma when the affair had taken
place.

“What happened yesterday, Biyun?” Madam Dowager turned to the girl

who was kneeling on the ground and asked.

“I also didn’t know about it yesterday. Concubine Ma said she wanted to

take a rest in the back. But when we reached the pavilion, she said it’s a
good place up there to meet the Fifth Young Lady. She had me prepare
the furnace and some other things. I was quite busy. When I wanted to go
up after finishing everything, I saw a man entering the pavilion.”

“What! A man?” A mixed expression of anger and shock appeared on

Madam Dowager’s face. Ning Zu’an had once mentioned this, but just a
word.
“Yes, a man. He talked with Concubine Ma intimately. I was standing at
the door, daring not to go in. Then Concubine Ma said… said…” Biyun
stopped, casting a glance at Ning Xueyan purposely, as if she were afraid
to continue.

“Go on. What did she say?” Madam Dowager reproached her.

“She said… said that the Fifth Young Lady would help her elope with
that man. That’s why she met with him in private with the excuse of
having a talk with the Fifth Young Lady,” Biyun continued cravenly, her
voice becoming lower and lower.

“Nonsense. You mean the Fifth Young Lady would help them elope?
What’s the matter with the Fifth Young Lady? She has never been close
to Concubine Ma. Why would she do that?” Madam Ling rebuked her
angrily when hearing the words, as if she were defending Ning Xueyan.
This was really effective when she saw the blackening face of Madam
Dowager.

Ning Xueyan stayed aside, silently watched Madam Ling’s acting, and
sneered in her mind.

“I… saw… it. But I am not sure… Then the Fifth Young Lady arrived
with some servants. The cup of tea that I brought to Concubine Ma was
put beside the Fifth Young Lady by chance. I don’t know why that
happened after Concubine Ma was drinking it. Then Concubine Ma
blamed the First Madam and bit her!”

Biyun spoke out the whole thing vacantly as if she were really
uninformed.

But all the clues in her statement went against Ning Xueyan, even the
motivation was contained in it. Ning Xueyan did all of this to frame
Madam Ling by misleading Concubine Ma into the thought that Madam
Ling had intended to hurt her, so she bit off a piece of flesh from Madam
Ling’s ear.

The clues were so closely connected to each other that even Madam
Ma’s meeting with Ning Xueyan earlier had turned into Ning Xueyan’s
excuse to frame Madam Ling.
For her to be able to make such a story in such a short time, Madam Ling
was really a person to be reckoned with!

Even Concubine Ma was slack-jawed, forgetting to continue her own

acting.

“You will be beaten to death with rods if you frame your mistress. Don’t
you know that?” said the First Madam in a cold voice.

Biyun shivered. Suddenly she pointed to the crowd and said, “I am not
the only one who saw Concubine Ma and the man tugging back and
forth. They all saw it.”

Those who were pointed to looked rather frightened, and had to walk out
from the crowd. They had followed Ning Xueyan to enter into the
pavilion by chance.

“You all saw it?” Ning Zu’an couldn’t help asking.

“Y… yes. We saw Concubine Ma lying on the ground and a man

hugging her… The… the other things, we don’t know about either.”

Madam Ling was so crafty that she could even make use of such a scene.
But this plan was too perfect to be made by her. Not only Concubine Ma,
but also Madam Ling herself was trapped. Even her own behaviors had
been exposed in the plan rationally.

It looked as if everything had been pre-arranged!

If Ning Xueyan had guessed right, this plan had to be from that person. It
was really a perfect plan to blame Ning Xueyan for the scandal of Lord
Protector’s Manor, and to protect the reputation of Madam Ling, or
perhaps, of Ning Ziyan, by sacrificing the lives of Ning Xueyan and that
of Concubine Ma.

Unfortunately, since the plan was carried out by Madam Ling, it was
doomed to not have good results.

“You unfilial wretch. Did you plan it with this bitch?” Ning Zu’an
excoriated her with both anger and resentment, his face showing
unspeakable embarrassment. He stared at Ning Xueyan and Concubine
Ma ferociously, as if he would strangle them if either of them said yes.

He was a man, a noble Lord Protector. How could he stay calm when
such a scandal came from his manor?

“Father, do you really believe I would do such a thing to frame mother? I

am wondering since when have I been so exceptionally adept in trickery
like mother. Father, will you convict Concubine Ma and me just from a
maid’s words?” Ning Xueyan laughed abruptly and looked coldly into
the fierce eyes of Ning Zu’an.

Did Madam Ling really understand her husband? Would it be okay to let
him lose face as a man in front of so many people?

If Concubine Ma really wanted to elope, who was that man? Besides,

Ning Xueyan was only the fifth daughter of Ning Zu’an. Few respected
her within the whole manor. And no one was more exceptionally adept in
trickery than Madam Ling. Moreover, Concubine Ma had always been
favored by Ning Zu’an.

Her words were more powerful compared with those from the impotent
Ning Xueyan.

Why would she ask for Ning Xueyan’s help to elope with another man?

Madam Ling’s face hardened. A trace of suspicion showed in Madam

Dowager’s eyes. Even Ning Zu’an turned his head to Madam Ling.
These simple words had changed everyone’s thoughts abruptly.

“Father, you blamed Concubine Ma for her private meeting with another
man, and me for my collusion. But father, has Concubine Ma treated you
wholeheartedly since she came to this manor?” Ning Xueyan continued.

“Marquis, even the sun and moon can bear witness to my love for you. If
I didn’t want to marry you, I would have told you at that time. Why
would I follow you to come here? You are always so kind to me,
wouldn’t I regret it after receiving your love?” Concubine Ma had a
sudden realization and started to sob bitterly with her face hidden behind
her hands.
Her words made sense. She was the latest to marry Ning Zu’an and was
the most favored by him. Ning Zu’an considered himself to be quite fair
to her. Why would she plot to elope with another man? It was really
beyond reason. Besides, Concubine Ma was a sophisticated woman. She
flattered Ning Zu’an all the time as if he was the only person she cared
for.

In this way, it was indeed impossible for her to run away with another
man.

Back then, when Ning Zu’an had been fascinated by her and sent
servants to seek a marriage alliance, it was she herself who had agreed to
his proposal and married him willingly.

“Father, I didn’t want to talk about this. But now since I am involved, I
have to do so to clarify myself, even if there is a wedge between
Concubine Ma and me,” Ning Xueyan continued, “They did see
Concubine Ma lying on the ground yesterday with a man. It looked as if
they were hugging. But the fact is, Concubine Ma was having a rest
inside the pavilion. When she noticed that a man was coming, she rushed
out and fell down by accident. The man followed and ran into her.”

Ning Zu’an was puzzled at first, and then he turned to Madam Ling with
a weird expression on his face.

Madam Ling felt something wrong intuitively and showed a sense of

panic when seeing such expression.

“Father, if there were someone who is unable to order the servants in this
manor, that someone must be me!” Ning Xueyan finished her words with
a wry smile. Her helplessness could be easily felt by everyone.

Though she was a daughter of the principal wife, Ning Xueyan could not
even order the servants, let alone frame the marchioness, a matron of the
manor.

This would be likely to happen if their roles had changed!

“As for her?” Ning Xueyan pointed to Biyun and said insipidly, “If
father doesn’t believe me, you can make an investigation about who she
serves!”
“Marquis, you… you must find out… She was the little bitch who killed
my child with a cup of toxicant. How dare I bite the First Madam at the
risk of my life if it were not for her.” The last words of Concubine Ma
dispelled the last doubt of Ning Zu’an.

Concubine Ma was very sophisticated. She had obeyed Madam Ling all
the time. But yesterday, she should rush at Madam Ling and bite her. It
was clear that she had hated Madam Ling to the utmost degree. The
reason for her desperate hatred, as Ning Zu’an had thought, had to be
due to what Madam Ling had done to frame her, leaving her no way out.

Just seeing a man and a woman lying on the ground after an accidental
collision could prove nothing.

A similar situation had once happened when Ning Zu’an was young and
was a guest in a manor. When turning a corner, he ran into a beautiful
woman, likely to be a concubine, and was nearly beaten for being
considered her adulterer.

He would have lost his entire reputation if Madam Ming hadn’t stood out
to testify for him!

Ning Zu’an would never tell others, including Madam Ling, about such a
humiliating thing. But Ning Xueyan had once heard it by chance from
Madam Ming.

Everything made sense. A similar situation, a similar thing, and the same
misunderstanding. How well-reasoned it was! There had always been
estrangement between Concubine Ma and Ning Xueyan. In no case
would the two of them work together to plot against Madam Ling. On
the contrary, it was Madam Ling that was likely to pass the buck to them.

It made more sense that Madam Ling had poisoned Concubine Ma,
intending to murder her to silence her.

Ning Zu’an’s face darkened. He had done nothing wrong, but was
deceived by Madam Ling to think that Concubine Ma had betrayed him.
If this were heard by those outside the manor, how could he raise his
head in front of others? He stared at Madam Ling, Biyun, and those who
had borne witness, saying nothing for a good while.
Biyun and the other maids were all frightened and flustered. If Ning
Xueyan and Concubine Ma had been set up, they had been set up by
them.

This added to Ning Zu’an’s suspicions.

Chapter 107 The Concubine Wins
in the Wife-concubine Infighting
“You are so…” Ning Zu’an glared at Madam Ling with the two fire-fork
shaped veins on his forehead swelling.

Madam Ling had sensed the danger already but was unable to interpose
Ning Xueyan’s spouting statement or to keep up with her thoughts.
When Madam Ling finally took a tumble, it was already too late.
Subconsciously, she cried with an affectedly effeminate voice,
“Marquis!”

Then she went limp and fell onto the ground weakly, her head colliding
against a column beside her and blood bleeding profusely.

Mother Chen went forward to hold her without delay and shouted to the
crowd, “Hurry up! Hold Madam back to the yard right now and call a
physician. My goodness, she was so seriously hurt. What shall I do?”

Seeing this, Ning Zu’an knitted his brows slightly. He hesitated for a
while when hearing the words of “back to the yard”. After all, they had
been couples for years and he felt a little bit sympathetic for her.

“Marquis,” Concubine Ma made two steps forward and with a sound of

plop, she kneeled in front of Ning Zu’an, her eyes filled with tears.
“Marquis, please leave me a chance to live. I didn’t bring anything to
this manor, and will not take anything with me either when I leave. In the
remaining of my life, I will put an oil lamp before the statue of Buddha
and pray for both you and Madam Dowager day and night.”

When saying this, she had been choked with sobs.

The beautiful aggrieved eyes, as well as the pale face and a string of
blood at the corner of her mouth, generated Ning Zu’an’s deep
compassion for her and greater fury against Madam Ling. He reached out
a hand to pull Concubine Ma up and said to her tenderly, “Why did you
say so? You are the concubine of this manor. How can you be a nun?
Since it’s not your fault, I will sure to send you a good physician to cure
you.”

“No. Marquis. I dare not to live here anymore. I am afraid, afraid that
someday, First Madam will make up another story like this,” Concubine
Ma said resolutely and decisively with tears rolling in her eyes. The
string of blood at the corner of her mouth added to her fragility and
wretchedness.

“Father, it’s better not to bewilder Concubine Ma,” said Ning Xueyan in
a soft voice.

“Bewilder?” Ning Zu’an was puzzled and then fixed his eyes on Madam
Ling, who was still staying on the ground.

“Father, the truth is that Concubine Ma is completely wronged, but still,

she is nearly killed without any chance to clarify herself. Yesterday, a
cup of toxicant killed her child. Today, her food was… If this goes on,
how can she struggle to survive? It’s better for her to leave via this
opportunity. At least she can have a chance to survive if she faces the oil
lamp before the statue of Buddha.” Ning Xueyan let out a sigh. It seemed
that she was persuading Ning Zu’an, but only to fuel his flames of fury.
As a noble marquis, he should be unable to protect a woman.

“Marquis. I am only a crestless woman. I had even acted in a theatrical

troupe before. In no way do I have a good family background. If there
are rumors about some man and me again, how can I have the face to
live? Now, I’ve already had no obsession for anything.”

After saying this, Concubine Ma turned her head to Ning Xueyan, bowed
deeply and cried, “Fifth Young Lady, I’m so sorry for wronging you
poisoning me. First Madam required me to say so. I thought I could still
serve Marquis if I pleased her. Moreover, she told me that everything
would be all right and I could conceal it as long as I made use of my
pregnancy. Even the thing happened at the physician’s was manipulated
by First Madam. But I had never thought she is planning to kill both you
and me!”

What Concubine Ma said, no matter true or fake, made sense. All the
clues were now interconnected after her confession.
Ning Zu’an was more than furious now. Even the face of Madam
Dowager, who was sitting up there, turned extremely black.

“Marquis, it is indeed my fault to occupy your favor. First Madam can’t

stand me and wants to kill both Fifth Young Lady and me. Fortunately,
Fifth Young Lady is a broad-minded girl. Otherwise, I could not have a
clean death and would ruin your reputation…”

Hearing this, Ning Zu’an turned his face purple with anger and nearly
roared out. He stared at Madam Ling coldly, who was still supported by
the servants, and said, “She wants to worship Buddha in the Buddha
Hall, doesn’t she? Why don’t you pull her there? What are you waiting
for?”

The maids and old female servants around Madam Ling were all stunned
while Madam Ling was still keeping her eyes closed, her heart being hurt
badly. How could he incarcerate her in the Buddha Hall regardless of
their husband-wife affection, leaving her no face to meet the others in
future?

“Get out of my sight!” Roared Ning Zu’an with a malicious and

insidious expression on his face never seen before.

This time, no one dared to hesitate. Having no time to deal with the
wound on Madam Ling’s head, the servants carried her in her fake faint,
half holding and half lifting, out of the room towards the Buddha Hall
hurriedly, daring not to mention going back to the Auspicious Clouds
Courtyard any more.

“Marquis…” Concubine Ma said pathetically, “Marquis, she is First

Madam. Any way, I can’t put you in such a dilemma all the time…”

“Rest assured. I will never believe any rumor about you again!” Ning
Zu’an promised.

That was to say, Ning Zu’an would not believe Madam Ling again even
if she made use of people from the theatrical troupe as a threat. Thinking
of this, Concubine Ma let out a silent sigh unconsciously.

“Mother, I need to take her back and call a physician.” Ning Zu’an
turned around to Madam Dowager. A sense of guilt appeared in his eyes
when he looked at Concubine Ma. She had suffered so much yesterday,
but he had still suspected her and even paid no visit to her just because of
Madam Ling’s words.

“Go!” Madam Dowager stroked her thick-skulled head and waved her
hand. She felt both mentally and physically exhausted and got a bad
headache after going through what had happened yesterday and today.

Too worried about Concubine Ma, Ning Zu’an left with her immediately,
giving no notice to the unpleasant expression on Madam Dowager’s face
at all.

Ning Xueyan watched the scene freezingly. She moved to Madam

Dowager’s back in light steps after Ning Zu’an had left, and started to
malaxate her on her temples both sides. In the past, Madam Ming had a
headache now and then, and Ning Xueyan would always malaxate her
softly.

Being massaged comfortably, Madam Dowager opened her eyes slightly

and let out a light sigh when seeing Ning Xueyan. “Yan’er, do you blame
me for wronging you?”

“No, I don’t blame you!” Ning Xueyan replied in a low voice, smiling
faintly.

Of course, she didn’t blame her. She hated her!

Madam Dowager was pleased with her reply and showed a smile. “Your
Mother’s brother is the Assistant Minister of War. He is favored and
trusted by His Majesty. It’s said that he will soon be promoted as the
Minister of War. Though your Mother was outrageous these days, she
did this for her daughter. Yan’er, be assured, this won’t happen again.”

Was that a promise to her?

The price of believing it would definitely be a death without a burial

place.

Madam Ling’s brother was favored by His Majesty at present, so in no

way would Lord Protector cut off this relation by marriage. It sounded
that Madam Dowager was just sighing with emotion, but the fact was she
was warning Ning Xueyan to stop where it should stop!

And there was even a trace of threat.

Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind. Madam Dowager was still protecting
Madam Ling even at this time. By blood, Madam Ming was her actual
niece, but she had been so indifferent to her even on the day she died. As
for the things happened in the backyard, how was it possible that this
experienced and astute Madam Dowager be utterly ignorant?

Unless she hoped this to happen!

The Bright Frost Garden had been isolated for many years. Madam Ming
and Ning Xueyan had always lived a hard life in the manor. They had
been subjected to endless bullying and humiliation, but Madam Dowager
had never lent them a helping hand. Now Madam Ling was only lightly
punished, but Madam Dowager beat around the bush to warn Ning
Xueyan. How could this not chill her?

What on earth made Madam Dowager so unjust?

There must be a reason that Madam Dowager favored Madam Ling

instead of loving her own niece!

“I appreciate it very much, Grandmother. How is the situation of the

Eldest Sister?” asked Ning Xueyan with a half-smile, her hands still
kneading for Madam Dowager.

Since Ning Xueyan had stopped to ask for an explanation, Madam

Dowager nodded in mind. Obviously, Ning Xueyan was a clever girl.
But when thinking of Ning Ziyan, a feeling of depression came to her
again. “Your eldest brother-in-law can’t take the Spring Metropolitan
Examination next year. The child in Ziyan’s belly had gone, along with
the manor’s reputation…”

“Grandmother, I heard something about sister Ziying from the maid of

Xia Manor. Didn’t sister Ziying need to avoid arousing suspicion when
she met eldest brother-in-law?” asked Ning Xueyan in a seemingly
casual voice.
She could feel the jump of veins on Madam Dowager’s forehead when
the words came out.

“It might be… that your elder sister had a good relationship with Ning
Ziying… So there was no need to avoid suspicion.” Madam Dowager’s
eyes dodged slightly.

“Then why sister Ziying killed herself so unexpectedly. Why would she
jump into the lotus pond? People in the manor say sister Ziying was
murdered. Someone even heard a miserable shriek from the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard that night,” Ning Xueyan said with her hands still
rubbing Madam Dowager’s forehead gently. A cynical look crept to the
corners of her eyes, but was not seen.

“Who made such irresponsible remarks?” Madam Dowager pushed away

Ning Xueyan’s hands abruptly, turned her head and asked harshly.

“I, I didn’t notice. It was the day before yesterday. When I passed the
gate of a courtyard, I heard some maids and old female servants talking
about this on the other side of the wall. When I walked around over
there, they had already gone.” Ning Xueyan seemed to be scared. She
paused and cleared her mind before replying.

“If you heard servants talking nonsense next time, don’t hesitate to pull
them out and beat them to death by rods!” Madam Dowager said
mercilessly.

If the truth about Ning Ziying’s death was revealed, the whole Lord
Protector’s Manor would be slaughtered. How could Madam Dowager
be not anxious or angry when hearing this. She was even more anxious
than knowing Ning Ziyan’s accident and that the truth of Madam Ling’s
death was surfaced. The wrinkles at the corner of her eyes trembled.

Her voice was as cold as ice.

“Grandmother, can’t we talk about sister Ziying?” Ning Xueyan showed

a gormless look deliberately.

Madam Dowager fell her sharp eyesight on Ning Xueyan, only to find a
frank, upright and ignorant look on her face. Ning Xueyan had stayed in
Bright Frost Garden for years and had never come out in the past. She
was unlikely to know Ning Ziying or to trap the words. Thinking of this,
the expression on Madam Dowager’s face softened.

“Yan’er, you should not ask about Ning Ziying. She was only living
under our manor. Her own business had nothing to do with us. If
someone asks you about this, you just need to reply that you have never
seen Ning Ziying before because you have always lived in the Bright
Frost Garden. After all, it was she who brought those trivial matters
here.”

“I had no families after the death of my parents, and no one asked about
me since I came to live in Lord Protector’s Manor. Why now I am told
that someone may ask about me?” At this moment, Ning Xueyan
realized that her death was not that simple.

“What trivial matters on earth did I neglect in my previous life?”

“Madam Ling, her daughter, and Xia Yuhang didn’t murder me until the
night before my wedding. Did they put up with me till the last moment
just because of my dowry? Did they wait until my dowry had been
brought into the gate of Xia Manor before them showing their vile
nature?”

“It was valuable but was still nothing if compared with that of Madam
Ming’s. They have already had deep pockets after taking possession of
Madam Ming’s dowry. Why did they still keep me alive until the last
moment at the risk of letting the truth of the marriage be found?”

“The longer I lived, the more suspicious that thing was. Though I had
always kept a low profile in my previous life, Xia Yuhang still visited my
Cloud Reflection Courtyard quite often to obtain my trust, which had
been witnessed by many in the manor. The more people, the more
diverse voices were. Did he take this risk just for my dowry?”

“The answer was definitely ‘No’!”

Chapter 108 Suspicion to the Pas
t

Back to the Bright Frost Garden from Madam Dowager’s courtyard,

Ning Xueyan picked up a book at will, flipped it through, and then sat by
the window in a daze. Images of her previous life slid by in her mind as
flowing water.

Madam Ling had treated her so warmly like a true mother since she
came to the Lord Protector’s Manor, and Ning Ziyan also took her as a
blood sister and sent to her courtyard all the delicious food and
interesting playthings, making her believe that she had chosen the right
persons to depend on. Later on, Xia Yuhang came to visit them.

He didn’t avoid her since she was so close to Ning Ziyan like a sister of
her.

What happed later was well-reasoned. But now, when thinking back, she
always felt that she had neglected something important.

“Young Lady.” Lanning came in with a cup of tea. She put the cup down
and said to Ning Xueyan with a smile, “Young Lady, I have had the food
shared by some maids of the courtyard. Now, even the bowls and
chopsticks have been washed clean and sent to the kitchen.”

In this way, even if they came to investigate, they could find nothing!

Those dishes looked very similar. But in fact they were slightly different.
However, no one would notice the difference since they had been pigged
out by so many people.

The food basket in Concubine Ma’s hands was knocked onto the ground
at that time and the food was mixed together. Now it had been cleaned
up and even the basket, bowls and chopsticks had been thrown away.

Two portions of food, one was poisoned, one not, were now both
obliterated!
Nothing could be found even if someone still wanted to investigate!

Lanning admired her Young Lady from the bottom of her heat, especially
for the last words she had left to Concubine Ma, which made Concubine
Ma follow her steps and cooperate with her wholeheartedly.

Those last words were the name of that young man from the theatrical
troupe!

“Lanning, find a time to pay a visit to Mother Wang.” Having a sip of

tea, Ning Xueyan lowered down her eyelids and showed the hard-to-
recover fatigue in her eyes.

After so many strikes, Madam Ling was unable to dispose of her at will
like before. Mother Wang had so many clues about her previous life, so
she worried about her. If Mother Wang was found and harmed by
Madam Ling’s servants, she would be too far away to help her.

So she must find a way to bring her into the manor. Now the thought had
come to being, she needed only an appropriate chance.

For some of the things, she had no clue at all no matter how hard she had
tried to think back. Had she really neglected so much during her previous
life, or had Xia Yuhang concealed from her so tightly that each time she
found something suspicious, he would give her a perfect explanation?

She obeyed Xia Yuhang completely and thought he would be kind to her
and treat her wholeheartedly since he was her future husband. Never had
she realized that he was cheating her all the time and his heart had
changed long ago.

He had sworn to love her forever and to grow old with her!

At last, he left her only a pool of blood and an ending of drowning after
making full use of her…

“Young Lady, the manor must be managed strictly at this moment. I

heard that the husband of the Eldest Young Lady had come this morning.
He paid a visit to the Buddha Hall to see First Madam particularly, and
also had a talk with Madam Dowager. Then Madam Dowager ordered
that servants could only enter into or go out of the manor with access
card these days. Otherwise, we will be punished as committing private
escape.”

Xia Yuhang? So he was unwilling to give up.

Xia Manor was also in a troublous situation these days, but Xia Yuhang
still had the mood to pry into the Lord Protector’s Manor. Obviously, he
was suspecting people from the Lord Protector’s Manor.

She had really looked down upon him during her previous life and
mistaken him as a graceful and gentle son of a high official, who was
well-educated and reasonable without knowing any trickery. His
righteousness and deep affection to his fiancée, an orphan girl, had only
been illusions to cheat her.

Now she finally realized that he was the smartest one!

“It was him who taught Madam Ling to make up such a consummate
story!”

“He had intended to save Madam Ling from this scandal by making
Concubine Ma and me as the scapegoats.”

“I was so lucky to foresee that Madam Ling would not be willing to let
go and take actions before her thanks to Concubine Ma’s being poisoned.
Moreover, Ning Zu’an has always doted on Concubine Ma and is willing
to listen to her, which helped me to get through this crisis!”

“And to undermine the plot!”

“In the past, was Xia Yuhang good for Ning Ziying?” Ning Xueyan
leaned back against a soft mat.

“Yes, he was very good to Young Lady Ziying. He would send Young
Lady Ziying whatever she wanted, so, so, Young Lady Ziying had never
expected that he, and he was cheating her all the time and married the
Eldest Young Lady at last.” Thinking of Ning Ziying, Lanning replied
with grief on face.

Lanning did not know the details of that case, but looking at the vicious
Madam Ling and her daughter, she knew that Ning Ziying must be
murdered by them instead of jumping into the pond to end herself. She
was going to marry her beloved man soon. Why would she do that for no
reason at all?

Lanning would never believe such words!

“What did Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziying usually talk about in the past?”
Ning Xueyan frowned and asked.

Those closely involved cannot see clearly. She hadn’t noticed anything at
that time, so now she needed Lanning, a bystander, to remind her.

“They usually talk about…” Perceiving Ning Xueyan’s confusion,

Lanning also tried hard to recall the past. Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziying
were just unmarried couple, and Ning Ziying was conservative, she
would let a maid follow her each time she met Xia Yuhang. Lanning was
stable and clever, so Ning Ziying would take her most of the time.

“I remembered it, Young Lady. In the last days, he usually asked Young
Lady Ziying about her stories during her living in the regions south of
the Yangtze River, and her childhood, or someone or something
interesting that she had met in the past! He seemed quite interested in
that!”

Childhood, someone or something interesting?

A ray of light flashed across Ning Xueyan’s brain. Her memories were
ignited abruptly by Lanning’s words. It was true that Xia Yuhang liked to
inquire about her memories of the past. He even asked it repeatedly
without feeling bored even though she had already told him before, as if
he was really very interested in her childhood.

She had felt it strange once, but Ning Yuhang explained to her soulfully
that he loved her and wanted to know all about her. Even he was not
involved in her past, he still wanted to listen to it again and again so he
could share her previous happiness and sorrow with her.

She was so moved at that time and considered him as the best gift God
had provided her with!
Since then she gave him all her heart and believed his simple explanation
even when she was pushed into the pond by Chen Hexiang, a woman he
had an affair with, and nearly got killed.

Ning Xueyan just had a vague memory about her childhood. The things
she had told were simple and repeated without any feeling of freshness.

With a tremble in her heart, she suddenly recalled one thing. Xia Yuhang
was not only interested in her childhood at that time. There was
something he had asked more than once. She had considered it as his
curiosity, but now realized it was more than curiosity due to his
meticulous mind…

“The backyard is in charge of Madam Dowager now, isn’t it?” A trace of

melancholy flashed from Ning Xueyan’s eyes. She might need to see
Mother Wang first before she could make sure of something.

“The First Madam is incarcerated in the Buddha Hall and Madam

Dowager doesn’t feel well. All the matters of the backyard are in charge
of Concubine Xu. It’s said this will not last for a short time, and now is
more assured after such things happened today. The First Madam has
hurt herself on the head badly, but Marquis still let servants take her to
the Buddha Hall. All the maids say the First Madam will have to spend
the rest of this year there!”

Lanning had just inquired about the changes in the manor.

“Does anything happen to the Fourth Young Lady?” asked Ning Xueyan
in a slow and orderly way.

“The Fourth Young Lady went to the courtyard of Concubine Xu directly

after parting you, and then returned to her own courtyard. She didn’t go
to the Buddha Hall,” Lanning replied. She had also inquired about the
reaction of the Fourth Young Lady, knowing that Fourth Young Lady
was quite shocked by her Young Lady’s words.

It was unexpected that the Forth Young Lady should show no trace of
abnormity at all. Everyone knew it was like jumping into a fire pit to
marry Marquis of Ping’an, but the Fourth Young Lady, who had always
emphasized her marriage very much, seemed very indifferent now.
No one had expected Ning Lingyun to be so tolerant. Was it because the
backyard was now in charge of Concubine Xu?

“Lanning, sent the news out about the coming marriage between Marquis
of Ping’an and the Fourth Young Lady.” Ning Xueyan laughed
unemotionally. Concubine Xu had once been a maid of Madam Ling.
However harsh Madam Ling was to her maids about their appearance,
Concubine Xu was still able to steer by Yu Lian’s monitoring and climb
onto the bed of Ning Zu’an, even giving birth to Ning Lingyun at last.

This manifested that Concubine Xu was clever enough!

And a clever person can always find the most beneficial way!

Uncle was unable to find out the truth about that thing because nearly all
the people knowing that had gone. He could even find no one to inquire.
But how about this Concubine Xu? She must be there at that time. The
more mixed the water was, the more favorable was to Ning Xueyan!

As for Madam Ling, she never behaved herself!

Ning Xueyan might need Madam Ling to “live” longer in the Buddha
Hall…

“I knew. Young Lady.” Lanning was a clever girl. She got Ning
Xueyan’s intention immediately. She nodded and started to leave, but
stopped at the door suddenly, said, “Young Lady. Yu Lian came furtively
for Qing’er, the sick maid, today, and brought her some medicine as it
seemed to be. Xinmei said they two looked quite intimate. But Yu Lian
left soon after a simple chat at the door. It seemed that she didn’t want
others to know.”

“Then find out who Qing’er’s families are! We are going to have a trip
out of the manor the day after tomorrow,” Ning Xueyan said in an insipid
voice, her eyes fell onto a tree outside the window. Leaves were falling
in succession, and then rising with the wind, and falling again, having
nothing and nowhere to depend on…

Buddha Hall
Madam Ling was sitting in front of a bed with a sour look on her face.
Her head was wrapped with a bandage. In this narrow room, there was
only one bed and one table, totally different from that of her Auspicious
Clouds Courtyard.

“First Madam, I have comforted the Second Young Lady by telling her
that everything will be fine and there is no need for her to worry. I have
told her to obey Madam Dowager and Marquis these days and not to do
anything wrong to distract you.” Mother Chen appeared from nowhere
and reported to Madam Ling.

“Very well. How about Marquis?” asked Madam Ling, her expression
was sullen and her face looked bluish white and bleak under the lamp
light, making her more ferocious and terrifying!

“I have sent the old garments of Marquis that you have preserved during
those years to him. Marquis didn’t say anything, but his attitude
softened. He took those garments. Anyway, you and Marquis loved each
other at that time and the garments were made by you personally stitch
by stitch.”

Madam Ling let out a sigh of relief and nodded. It meant she still had a
chance since Marquis had accepted the garments.

Mother Chen comforted her, “Rest assured, Madam. Now that Marquis
had accepted the garments, we can still turn the situation around.
Besides, the Eldest Childe will come back in a few days. At that time,
Marquis will be sure to let you out. But…”

Mother Chen hesitated. She wished to continue but stopped on a second

thought.
Chapter 109 Madam Ling Wants
Ning Xueyan to Marry Marquis
of Ping’an
Madam Ling coldly asked with an unhappy face, “What’s the matter?”

“Although marquis has pity for you, he went to Concubine Ma’s

courtyard and asked people to invite a doctor for Concubine Ma as soon
as I left.” Mother Chen said indignantly, “This b*tch had promised to
you, but eventually she helped Fifth Young Lady deal with you. She’s an
ungrateful person.”

Madam Ling gritted her teeth and asked again, “What about that little
b*tch?”

Mother Chen knew that Madam Ling was asking about Ning Xueyan.
She answered while pointing to Bright Frost Garden, “I’ve already
inquired about it. I heard that nothing had happened to Fifth Young Lady
and Madam Dowager had rewarded her a lot of things and asked maids
to send them to Bright Frost Garden. The servants said that the Fifth
Young Lady is preferred by Madam Dowager and no one will dare to
slight her and she will certainly get a good marriage.”

“A good marriage!” Madam Ling snorted coldly. Mother Chen’s words

aroused her anger.

In Madam Ling’s opinion, both Ning Yuling’s marriage and reputation

had been ruined by Ning Xueyan so that she had to marry the useless
libertine, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

“My Ling’er won’t marry a good man, can she marry a good man?”
Madam Ling would definitely choose a normal family for Ning Xueyan,
so that she would be inferior to Ning Yuling for her whole life.

“Bring me the matchmaker who was invited by Marquis of Ping’an’s

Manor last time. Just tell her that I have something to ask.” Madam Ling
made a decision in a moment while maliciousness flashing in her eyes.

In Madam Ling’s mind, Ning Xueyan wanted to marry the Third Prince.
How could she allow that to happen? She would not let her daughter be
inferior to Ning Xueyan. So she would choose a “good family” for Ning
Xueyan!

Mother Chen asked hesitantly, “Yes, but Madam Dowager…” She did
not think that Madam Dowager would agree to the marriage that Madam
Ling would arrange for the Fifth Young Lady.

“Doesn’t Marquis of Ping’an have a daughter who is His Majesty’s

consort? It’s said that her position is not high, but she’s favored by His
Majesty.” Madam Ling smiled gloomily. Her swollen forehead, together
with her gloomy face, making her treacherous.

“I understood. Do we need to tell Madam Dowager? If Madam Dowager

agrees, the Fifth Young Lady has to get married even though she doesn’t
want to.”

Mother Chen reminded Madam Ling with a look of disinclination. The

Third Prince wanted to marry the Fifth Young Lady. It was better for
Lord Protector’s Manor that if the Fifth Young Lady became the co-
consort of Third Prince than marrying Marquis of Ping’an. Madam
Dowager always attached great importance to the reputation of Lord
Protector’s Manor. How could she allow the Fifth Young Lady to marry
Marquis of Ping’an?

Madam Ling bitterly said with a cold smile on her face, “At the
beginning, Madam Dowager didn’t want me to be marquis’s Legal Wife,
but she had to agree in the end!”

Mother Chen became nervous when she heard what Madam Ling said.
She asked in a low voice with a serious look, “Madam, are you talking
about those things?”

Madam Ling proudly said, “With those things, she has to agree with me
about Ning Xueyan’s marriage.”

“But, madam, you, you want to give those things to Marquis of

Ping’an?” Mother Chen was shocked and her face turned pale
involuntarily. She said with worry, “What if this is known by Marquis of
Ping’an…”

“Don’t worry, I’ve had a plan!” Madam Ling said while fiercely looking
at the direction of Lucky Garden, “You’re old enough to die, why you
still firmly control the womenfolk place of Lord Protector’s Manor?”

Concubine Xu sneaked in Buddha Hall at dusk. The light in Buddha Hall

was always on, and the figures inside were sometimes together and
sometimes separated. Mother Chen, who was guarding outside, looked at
the surroundings cautiously, but did not notice the dark shadow on the
trees in the courtyard.

In the Bright Frost Garden, seeing that Ning Xueyan was leaning on the
bed and reading a book carefully when she came in, Lanning advised,
“Young Lady, you should stop reading now. It’s time to rest!”

Ning Xueyan had taken a bath, now her black long hair casually
scattered on her shoulder. The pills given by Prince Yi were indeed good.
After taking, Ning Xueyan’s face became ruddy. Although it was still
paler than a normal face, it was much better. Under the light, her
indifferent face looked gentle and charming. Young as she was, she was
already pretty.

Her long eyelashes cast a shadow on her jade-white face. Hearing

Lanning’s words, Ning Xueyan did not raise her head. She nodded,
yawned, and closed the book. Lanning took over the book and placed it
under her pillow.

Ning Xueyan closed her eyes and softly said, “Lanning, you go out, I’m
going to sleep!” She really was tired.

Seeing Ning Xueyan lie down, Lanning tucked her in and said to her,
“Yes, I’ll go out. The tea is on the table. I’ve wrapped it with cotton
sheath. If you’re thirsty at night, you can drink it.”

Ning Xueyan did not like anyone sleeping in her room. This habit was
almost the same as Ning Ziying’s. Lanning, who used to serve Ning
Ziying, sometimes felt that Ning Xueyan was Ning Ziying. If not, why
did she feel that she was serving Ning Ziying when she served Ning
Xueyan?
However, they did not look alike.

Lanning shook her head with a bitter smile on her face to get rid of this
unrealistic idea. “I’ve been thinking too much. How could this happen?”
Then she blew out the lamp and walked out quietly.

Lanning went outside and took a long sigh. “Young Lady Ziying has
died. The one in front of me is the Fifth Young Lady. They’re completely
different. How can they be the same person?”

“Is it because I miss Young Lady Ziying too much so that I see the Fifth
Young Lady as Young Lady Ziying?”

The wind in winter was very strong, but it was quiet in the room. There
was a foot-warmer prepared by Lanning beside Ning Xueyan’s feet. The
warmth extended from the sole of the foot to the body, making her whole
body warm. Ning Xueyan was in a bad health, so Lanning had already
prepared the foot-warmer.

Ning Xueyan closed her eyes and the pictures of her dying appeared in
her mind again. She subconsciously tightly held her hands. It seemed
that the warmth under feet subsided gradually and coldness spread from
her heart. That night when she waited to become a bride became her last
night.

Suddenly, she touched something hard, soft and warm. She immediately
woke up. But before she spoke, her mouth was tightly covered by a big
hand.

“Don’t make a noise!” said a familiar voice in Ning Xueyan’s ear. Even
though she was dizzy now, she still could recognize who it was.

It was Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi. “He always haunts here. What’s his
business with me today?”

Hearing that voice, Ning Xueyan relaxed. She reached out one hand and
pushed his hand, telling him to remove his hand. She could not clearly
see Ao Chenyi’s face in the dark. She could only saw his profile.

Ao Chenyi stopped covering her mouth when he sensed that she was no
longer resisting. Ning Xueyan gasped for a moment and then curiously
asked in a low voice, “Prince Yi, is there anything I can do for you?” Ao
Chenyi never came here for nothing. Of course, Ning Xueyan had to
ignore his unruly coming.

Ao Chenyi asked lazily, “I heard that someone of Lord Protector’s

Manor is going to marry Marquis of Ping’an?” His voice was gloomy
and cold.

“Yes, Madam Ling has this idea.” Ning Xueyan turned to Ao Chenyi
with curiosity. She did not understand what this matter had to do with
him.

“Who will marry him?” It sounded like Ao Chenyi was laughing.

Ning Xueyan indifferently said, “Originally it was Ning Lingyun who

was going to marry him. But now… I guess that Madam Ling wants me
to marry Marquis of Ping’an and be his concubine.” After that, she
casually yawned with sarcasm on her face. But then the sarcasm on her
face turned into embarrassment and she flushed. When people were in
the dark and could not see clearly, the sense of touch would be extremely
sensitive.

The changeable and decisive Prince Yi also lay with Ning Xueyan in the
same quilt and Ning Xueyan leaned on him. No wonder she felt strange.

Ao Chenyi asked while looking at her beautiful little face, “You’re not
going to fight?” Ao Chenyi had not seen her for several days. Now he
found her face was no longer pale. Her ruddy face made her eye-
catching. Her dark long hair scattered on the snow-white pillow. Even
though it was dark, she was still charming.

Ning Xueyan was no longer the cowardly Fifth Young Lady who almost
died in the hands of the Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor!

Ao Chenyi had asked people to investigate Ning Xueyan and found

nothing unusual. It was impossible that she was not the Fifth Young
Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. But why could a person’s personality
change so much?

Did this little girl who looked weak but was fierce change so much that
she became so different from the past because of her natural mother’s
death?

What an increasingly interesting little girl!

Marquis of Ping’an wanted to marry this little girl. If this happened in

the past, she would not say something and not dare resist. But now, she
had stretched out her claws, so she would not let others bully her. It
could be seen from the matter that she exposed that her natural mother
was poisoned with the help of him.

“Will you help me?” Ning Xueyan took a deep breath and secretly
pushed Ao Chenyi away a little from herself.

Ao Chenyi was not angry. He directly lay down and lazily said, “No! I’d
like to see you do it by yourself!”

“So you’re here especially for the show? But now it has not started yet.
You came too early!” Ning Xueyan sat up and reached for the coat on the
bedside. She had pretended to be his concubine on that day and was held
tightly by him.

But it was because there were some audiences at that time. It did not
mean that she was willing to do that when there was no one around!

“You needn’t get up. I’ll leave in a minute.” Ao Chenyi stretched out one
hand to put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms. “You
have to pretend to be my concubine in the future. If you can’t accept this,
how can you make people believe the intimate relationship between you
and me?”

Ao Chenyi looked down at Ning Xueyan. He directly looked at Ning

Xueyan’s black jade-like eyes with his black and cold eyes. He saw the
indifference in her eyes. If he had guessed right, she only blushed for a
moment just now and now she was no longer shy. She looked more like a
wild cat who was waiting for a chance.

In order to better attack, she had endured for many years!

Was this tender girl in front of him really only fourteen years old? She
had taken full advantage of her limited resources to deal with Ning
Yuling and Madam Ling. Who could expect that such a beautiful and
tender girl was fierce and manful?

How could a girl who always stayed in her own room be like that?
Chapter 110 I Will Wear the Dark
Blue Clothes
He was looking forward to her performance more and more…

“Prince Yi, you can rest assured. I will be “close” with you when I
pretend to be your favorite concubine, but not now!” Ning Xueyan faced
Ao Chenyi’s gaze and did not conceal the coldness and anger in her eyes.
She looked straight into Ao Chenyi’s beautiful but oppressive, tyrannical
eyes, and said with courage, “Please behave yourself.”

A little girl dared to not only look at him directly, but also disobey him
and ignore his fierceness and cold murderous look. None of the officials
in the court dared to do so!

Ao Chenyi showed a slight smile on his cold face. Then he jumped up

from the bed, stood at the head of the bed, and quietly looked at Ning
Xueyan with his back to the moon. An extremely cold smile appeared on
his beautiful, evil face. Even the room was also full of gloomy
atmosphere.

“Yan’er, you must remember that you’re my favorite concubine. You

belong to neither yourself nor anyone else. You only belong to me.”

“That’s true only when you need me to pretend to be your concubine. At

other times, I am the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor and
have nothing to do with you.” Ning Xueyan did not want to bow her
head and admit defeat. She had a presentiment that concession at this
time would lead to complete annihilation. Ao Chenyi was never a kind-
hearted one.

She indeed had a deal with him and was subject to him, but she must
have freedom! However, she felt powerless when she struggled now.
How could domineering people like Ao Chenyi listen to her suggestions?

“Good, you’re very good!” Ao Chenyi coldly sneered in the dark. Ning
Xueyan watched him turn around and saw his slender and indifferent
back. Then she watched him take his robe from the screen, slowly put it
on, give a cold look at her, walk to the window, and jump out.

Before leaving, he left one last sentence to Ning Xueyan. “Don’t let me
find you had something to do with Marquis of Ping’an!”

Ning Xueyan knew that this was Ao Chenyi’s warning to her. She could
not get married before she fulfilled her promise to him.

Fortunately, that was also what she thought.

Ning Xueyan got up, walked to the window, and closed it with calmness.
Then she went back, lay on the bed, and closed her eyes, looking
unperturbed. “Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor? Madam Ling, if you like it,
you can keep it by yourself…”

Although Ning Xueyan stayed up late last night, she was called up by
Lanning on time the next day.

Nowadays her treatment was different. Ning Xueyan had to greet

Madam Dowager every morning, which represented the courtesy of
Madam Dowager.

Two maids dressed up Ning Xueyan quickly and skillfully while Qingyu
coming with a plain white dress which Ning Xueyan usually wore in
daily life. Although this dress was plain, it was embroidered with a circle
of light pink flowers on the hem. It was very elegant and would highlight
Ning Xueyan’s beauty together with Ning Xueyan’s delicate little face.

Madam Dowager did not like Ning Xueyan to wear plain clothes. So
after Ning Xueyan returned to the manor, Madam Ling pretended to be
generous and asked people to make these clothes for her.

Because Madam Ling treated Ning Xueyan and Ning Yuling equally
when she asked people to make clothes for them, Madam Dowager
praised her.

Ning Xueyan stood in front of the makeup mirror, glanced at the clothes,
and said, “I don’t want to wear this one. I’ll wear the dark blue one.”
Qingyu asked in confusion while widening her eyes, “Why? This dress
suits you. You will be very beautiful if you wear it. And its material is
better than that of the dark blue one. That dress is too old and its color is
not beautiful. You won’t look spirited if you wear it.” Then she shook the
clothes in her hands and looked at Ning Xueyan.

“Young Lady has always been the most knowledgeable, why did she
choose the dark color which is more suitable for older people?” Ning
Xueyan’s face was not ruddy. If she wore dresses of dim color, she
would be paler and her beauty would not be shown.

Ning Xueyan said with indifference, “I’ll wear that dark blue one. It was
made for me in person when my mother was alive. She specially made it
bigger at that time. Now it suits me.”

“Yes!” Although Qingyu was puzzled, she said nothing since Ning
Xueyan insisted on wearing that one. She folded the dress in her hands
and found the dark blue dress in the corner of the suitcase.

Madam Ming had chosen good materials specially when she made it. But
Bright Frost Garden had been ignored for many years. The best materials
they had were also not wanted by others. Ning Xueyan, the Young Lady
of Lord Protector’s Manor, looked shabby when she wore this dress.

At that time, it was rare to have extra cloth, so Madam Ming made it
bigger specially. Now although the cloth was old and the color was dim
when it was taken out, its size was also suitable.

Ning Xueyan specially asked Lanning to do her a hairstyle with heavy

bangs which immediately blocked most of her forehead. The hairstyle
and old blue dress made the beautiful Fifth Young Lady very normal.
She would not attract anyone’s interesting.

Ning Xueyan asked Lanning, “Did Mother Han go out to talk to her old
sister?”

Lanning understood Ning Xueyan’s meaning and answered, “Yes,

Mother Han went out early in the morning. She chose a good place and
also brought some melon seeds with her.” Lanning smiled when she
remembered what Mother Han brought with her in the morning. “Our
Young Lady is prophetic. She accurately predicted those trifles.”
Qingyu could not help asking while she dressing Ning Xueyan, “Will
Third Prince really come to Lord Protector’s Manor today?”

“Yes, he will come.” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and nodded with
certainty. Then she calmly looked at herself in the mirror. The people in
the mirror was not outstanding at all and even inferior to some decent
maids in the Lord Protector’s Manor where there were many beauties.

Of course the Third Prince would come!

Because today was a special day!

The reason why Ning Xueyan knew was that Xia Yuhang had once said
something to her in the last life!

The Third Prince came here on this date every year because of that
woman. She was not simple!

After combing Ning Xueyan’s hair, Lanning and Qingyu helped she put
on clothes.

Xinmei stayed to guard the courtyard and Ning Xueyan went to Lucky
Garden to greet Madam Dowager with Lanning and Qingyu. Sure
enough, they encountered Ning Lingyun who dressed well on the way.
Ning Lingyun wore a splendid dress and several jewelry hairpins. She
looked more outstanding than usual and walked lightly with a shy look.

“Fifth Sister, your dress is really beautiful. Why didn’t you wear it
before? Is it because it was made out of good cloth by your mother and
you were unwilling to wear?” Ning Lingyun swung her handkerchief and
mocked Ning Xueyan while scrutinizing her. And the two maids
followed her also laughed at Ning Xueyan.

“Fourth Sister, your dress is so splendid. It makes you beautiful. If

people don’t know you, they may regard you as the Second Sister.” Ning
Xueyan counterattacked with a cold smile on her face.

“You…” Ning Lingyun was contradicted by Ning Xueyan and became

anger. She shrieked, “What are you talking about?”
Ning Lingyun always imitated Ning Yuling. But because she was the
daughter of a concubine, she was inferior to Ning Yuling all the time.
And Ning Yuling also hated Ning Lingyun to imitate her. Every time
when she found that Ning Lingyun imitated her, she would scold her and
sometimes slap her.

So far, Ning Lingyun was really afraid of the tyrannical Ning Yuling. At
this time when she heard that she looked similar to Ning Yuling, she
immediately vented her anger on Ning Xueyan. Of course, this was also
because Ning Xueyan was vulnerable. If she faced Ning Yuling now, she
would only be beaten.

“Fourth Sister, your clothes are so beautiful. I feel like I’ve seen it before
somewhere.” Ning Xueyan’s gaze fell on Ning Lingyun’s gorgeous
clothes. It was unexpected that Concubine Xu was a scheming woman.
Ning Yuling had only a little of this kind of cloth, while Ning Lingyun
had a piece of clothing made out of this kind of cloth.

Being looked at by Ning Xueyan with a smile on her face, Ning Lingyun
felt guilty. It seemed that she had felt the disdain in Ning Xueyan’s
words and seen the irony on her face, so Ning Lingyun burst into anger.
She came over, stretched out her hands to push Ning Xueyan heavily,
and said with hate, “Fifth Sister, hurry up. Grandmother has got up and is
waiting for us.”

Ning Lingyun wanted to knock down Ning Xueyan so that she would
break her arm or leg!

It was clear that Ning Lingyun touched Ning Xueyan, but she felt that
she did not touch Ning Xueyan’s back.

No one had expected that Ning Lingyun would suddenly push Ning
Xueyan. Although Lanning and Qingyu were standing beside Ning
Xueyan, Ning Xueyan was pushed out before they reached out. In front
of them was a turning fork. And a rockery happened to be the place
where Ning Xueyan rushed to.

If Ning Xueyan bumped into the rockery, she would disfigure even
though she survived!

The two maids cried out in a hurry, “Fifth Young Lady…”

All of a sudden, a man rushed out of the corner and grabbed Ning
Xueyan. Then he turned around quickly and stopped her from rushing
out. After that, he stabilized while holding Ning Xueyan’s sleeve.

“Young Lady, you… are you okay?” Qingyu rushed to Ning Xueyan and
almost burst into tears because of worry. She held Ning Xueyan and
checked her.

Lanning angrily said while pointing to Ning Lingyun, “Fourth Young

Lady, you… how can you push the Fifth Young Lady like that? Fifth
Young Lady is in bad health, if she bumps into the rockery, she will die!”

Ning Lingyun sulkily said, “I didn’t mean to. Why did she walk so
slowly? I was in a hurry to greet grandmother.” She was also shocked
just now. Ning Xueyan was certainly not favored, but if she died because
of bumping into a rockery, Ning Lingyun would also get into trouble.
Concubine Xu had said to her that she was not allowed to make any
trouble today.

Ning Lingyun came here today with purpose, so she would not make any
trouble. She dressed so beautifully because of one person. If Ning
Xueyan had not deliberately provoked her, she would not have been
angry and pushed Ning Xueyan.

“Speaking of this, Ning Xueyan is so lucky. She wasn’t hurt at all.” Ning
Lingyun’s gaze turned from Ning Xueyan to the man who saved Ning
Xueyan. She became surprised and happy as soon as she saw the man.
The handkerchief in her hands almost was rolled into a ball. And the
sarcasm on her face immediately became shyness.

Ning Lingyun immediately became a polite Young Lady from a

respectable family who wanted to speak with a man, but was too shy to
do that. However, because she could not avoid the man, she had to come
over and salute.

Ning Lingyun took two steps forward and crouched down to salute the
man, “Your Highness. I don’t know you’re here. Please forgive my
impoliteness.” Her behavior was elegant and her voice was delicate.

Ning Lingyun changed her attitude so quickly, which made people

speechless.
Ning Xueyan, who was leaning on Lanning, could not help but sneer in
her mind. The Third Prince was indeed a favorite and both Ning Yuling
and Ning Lingyun liked him. Ning Yuling had lost the chance to marry
him. Ning Lingyun, who had been eager to try, finally found the chance
to know him. How could she not dress up beautifully and show up in
front of the Third Prince?

Ning Xueyan had glanced at a light yellow robe which showed at the
corner opposite. Not everyone dared to embroider dragons on the robe.
So Ning Xueyan thought it must be the Third Prince who came to Lord
Protector’s Manor. Therefore, Ning Xueyan intentionally said to Ning
Lingyun that she looked like Ning Yuling in order to annoy her just now.

Since Ning Lingyun always thought highly of herself and despised Ning
Xueyan, Ning Xueyan would let her lose face at this time.

Hearing Ning Lingyun’s delicate voice, Ning Xueyan showed a

malicious smile on her face. “Ning Lingyun, don’t you want to show up
in front of the Third Prince? Don’t you want the Third Prince to marvel
at your beauty? Now your opportunity comes. I wonder whether your
Third Prince will be surprised by your beauty. Or will someone else fall
in love with you?”

And more importantly, that man happened to come from another path.

A good show was coming…

Chapter 111 The Third Prince
Has Been Here on This Day for
the Last Three Years, Rain or
Shine
“Your Highness!” The comer was a fat old man. Because of obesity, he
shook while he was walking. On hearing the noise here, he turned his
head and saw the Third Prince. Then he immediately hurried to come to
salute Third Prince. The Third Prince was the favorite son of His
Majesty, how could Marquis of Ping’an not immediately come to flatter
him?

“Marquis of Ping’an!” The Third Prince waved his one hand and his
gaze fell on Ning Xueyan who was not recover from the fright and
leaning on her maids. When he held her hands just now, he felt that her
hands were thin and soft, as if something was attracting him so that he
could hardly let go of her hands.

“Third Prince, thank you for saving me!” Ning Xueyan seemed to
recover from the fright. She pushed aside Qingyu, respectfully walked to
the Third Prince and saluted him.

Her blue dress was very old, and its material was also not very good. It
could be seen that it was made years ago. Seeing her dress, the Third
Prince unconsciously frowned. When his gaze fell on her face, he
frowned more greatly. Her delicate face was blocked by the heavy bangs
so that she looked very normal.

If he had not observed her carefully, he would surely have thought that
she was not as beautiful as the maids around him.

All her beauty was covered up by her bangs and clothes.

The color of her lips was as light as ever, but her face was better than
before. Although she was still weak and pale, but looked ruddier. The
Third Prince suddenly thought that her delicate face under the heavy
bangs should be more beautiful and charming!

Suppressing the inner impulse, the Third Prince turned to Ning Lingyun
and asked, “What happened just now?”

“Your Highness, we were playing just now. But unexpectedly, I didn’t

control myself and accidentally pushed Fifth Sister. Fortunately, you
saved her. Otherwise I would be guilty if she was injured.” Hearing that
the Third Prince was talking to her, Ning Lingyun became excited and
her voice became more delicate.

“It’s clear that she pushed our Young Lady. But now she actually said
that they were playing.” Qingyu was unhappy when she heard what Ning
Lingyun said and was about to refute. But she was stopped by Lanning
and was unwilling to stand aside while pouting and looking at Ning
Lingyun with hatred.

Ning Lingyun answered in a delicate voice, which only made Third

Prince frown with displeasure, but attracted Marquis of Ping’an who
stood beside the Third Prince. He thought that the woman in front of him
was really nice. She wore a light pink gauze skirt and a belt of the same
color was around her slender waist, which made her slim and graceful.

Then he looked at Ning Lingyun’s face which was snow-white and

delicate. Her cheeks were pink and her watery eyes were full of shyness.
Marquis of Ping’an thought he was attracted only by her one look.
Marquis of Ping’an was originally lecherous. Now when he suddenly
saw such a beautiful woman, he instantly indulged himself with her
beauty with mouth opening and lust in his eyes.

“Is this the Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor?” Marquis of
Ping’an had already heard that the Second Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor was extremely beautiful. And he wondered whether
the girl in front of him now was the Second Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor.

Ning Lingyun was not as beautiful as Ning Yuling. However, she

specially dressed up and pretended to be shy and feminine today.
Anyway, she was the Young Lady of a respectable family, and had
learned the etiquette. At this time, her shy expression and delicate voice
greatly attracted Marquis of Ping’an.

He did not expect that there was such a beauty in the world. He believed
that everyone would envy him if this beauty belonged to him.

As for Ning Xueyan who looked normal, Marquis of Ping’an had not
seen her face clearly so far and directly neglected her.

Again, someone mistook Ning Lingyun for Ning Yuling, which made
Ning Lingyun angry. On hearing that, she immediately winked at the
maids standing beside her. Then a maid took a step forward and said
while holding her head high, “The Second Young Lady? This is the
Fourth Young Lady!”

Ning Lingyun was so excited to see the Third Prince that she did not hear
his address to Marquis of Ping’an at all. At this time, she could only saw
the handsome Third Prince.

Usually, Ning Lingyun was suppressed by Madam Ling and Ning

Yuling. So she had never seen an honored guest before. She only once
saw the Third Prince in the distance and fell in love with him at that
time. However, Ning Yuling was supposed to marry the Third Prince. As
the daughter of a concubine, Ning Lingyun had to hide her love to Third
Prince in her heart. If Ning Yuling knew that she liked the Third Prince,
she would lose her life.

Ning Yuling would never allow others to covet her things, not to mention
the Third Prince. In the past, if Ning Lingyun touched Ning Yuling’s
things, Ning Yuling would beat Ning Lingyun first, and then tore up
those things so that Ning Lingyun would not get them.

Therefore, Ning Lingyun never dared to do anything when faced Ning

Yuling!

Ning Lingyun had thought that there would be no chance for her to
marry the Third Prince. Every dog has his day. Unexpectedly, the
marriage between Ning Yuling and the Third Prince had failed and the
always arrogant Ning Yuling finally had to marry such a playboy as
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.
This result made Ning Lingyun extremely happy and she might laugh
from her sleeping!

Ning Yuling did not have the opportunity to marry the Third Prince,
which meant that Ning Lingyun got the opportunity. People of Lord
Protector’s Manor would not miss the opportunity to ally with the Third
Prince by marriage. Madam Dowager would tightly grasp the Third
Prince. As for Ning Xueyan, Ning Lingyun directly ignored.

In Ning Lingyun’s opinion, herself was slender and in good shape and
the skinny Ning Xueyan could not win her. No man would be interested
in such a skinny woman.

Ning Lingyun was different from Ning Xueyan. Although she was the
daughter of a concubine, she lived in a spacious room, wore clothes of
good quality, and ate delicious food. There also were many servants
served her. Although her life was not as good as Ning Yuling’s and Ning
Ziyan’s, she was indeed regarded as a Young Lady. In order to have a
good reputation, Madam Ling had never mistreated her.

So Ning Lingyun was well-proportioned. In addition, she was very

young. She was only 15 years old. Therefore, she was certainly different
from Ning Xueyan who had been malnourished and sick.

Madam Ling was not allowed to leave the Buddha Hall. Concubine Xu
took charge of the housekeeping power. So she knew that the Third
Prince would come today. Ning Lingyun also got the good news. How
could she not dress up well? This would be the first time she appeared in
front of the Third Prince. So it was necessary for her to dress up well so
that the Third Prince would marvel at her beauty and fall in love with
her.

So Ning Lingyun took out the dress Concubine Xu had secretly made for
her and put it on. When people noticed her, she would certainly tell
others who she was.

The Third Prince did not look at Ning Lingyun. He turned to Ning
Xueyan and asked her in a soft voice, “Fifth Young Lady, were you just
playing?”
Ning Xueyan had already got up after saluting the Third Prince. Hearing
his question, she smiled slightly, lowered her head and nodded, as if it
was not her who almost bumped into the rockery just now.

However, she slightly bit her lips, leaving a light mark on her lips which
then disappeared. This exactly showed her grievance. At this time, Ning
Xueyan did not want to be showy, so she did not want to talk to the Third
Prince

In Third Prince’s opinion, Ning Xueyan’s performance meant that she

did not dare to voice out her discontent even though she was angry and
aggrieved. He remembered that Ning Yuling had stopped her and asked
servants to beat her. And today Ning Lingyun had pushed her and she
also did not dare to revolt. Thinking of those things, the Third Prince
became unhappier and her gaze fell on her slender neck and the corners
of his eyes shivered unconsciously.

“Your Highness, we’re in a good relationship, how could I hurt her?”

Seeing that the Third Prince ignored her, Ning Lingyun was embarrassed
and stared at Ning Xueyan fiercely. Then she made eyes at the Third
Prince with a more charming smile on her face. The Third Prince was
clever. He would certainly receive Ning Lingyun’s hint.

On seeing the seductive, unrestrained Ning Lingyun, the Third Prince

became unhappier and avoided looking at her. He had already known
that the Fourth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor was the daughter
of a concubine, but he did not expect that she dared to seduce a man in
public. She was so misbehaved that she did not look like a Young Lady
of a decent family.

“Ning Zu’an’s daughters were fierce, except for her!”

The Third Prince glanced at Ning Xueyan’s face once again. He still
could not see her expression and only saw the heavy bangs. So he
hummed helplessly in his mind. He wanted to help her, but she did not
say anything. Therefore, he had no excuse to help her.

The Third Prince was unhappy with Ning Xueyan’s silence. He casually
greeted Ning Lingyun, turned around and went to Auspicious Fortune
Hall.
Today the Third Prince came here because of something important.
Every year on this date, he would come to Lord Protector’s Manor. To
others, he had claimed that he came here to visit Madam Dowager. The
relationship between the Third Prince and Lord Protector’s Manor was
good, and the Third Prince had visited Lord Protector’s Manor from time
to time. So it was not clear to anyone that the Third Prince had been here
on this date for the past three years regardless of the weather.

Ning Lingyun became embarrassed and angry when she saw that the
Third Prince greeted her casually and then directly went to Lucky
Garden without saying anything. After the Third Prince left, Ning
Lingyun had to turn around and followed him while holding the maid’s
hands. Anyway, the Third Prince would surely stay longer once he met
her grandmother. At that time, she would have a chance to talk to him
again.

“I didn’t expect that there’s such a beauty in Lord Protector’s Manor.

You’re exceedingly beautiful. They all said that the Second Young Lady
of Lord Protector’s Manor is beautiful. But in my opinion, only Fourth
Young Lady is a beauty.” The Third Prince did not like Ning Lingyun,
but Marquis of Ping’an fell in love with her. At this moment, he quickly
walked to Ning Lingyun and praised her while narrowing his eyes.

Ning Lingyun was startled by the unexpected sound. She looked back
and saw Marquis of Ping’an. When she saw that he looked at herself
with lust in his eyes as if he was going to take off her clothes, Ning
Lingyun felt disgusted and subconsciously moved to avoid him.

However, he still came alongside and went on praising, looking like a fly
which stared at a piece of stinky meat.

Although this man was old and ugly, what he said satisfied Ning
Lingyun, especially when she was ignored by the Third Prince walking
ahead. At this time, Ning Lingyun felt very dignified when Marquis of
Ping’an flattered her.

So she smiled at him and said, “Thank you for your praise!”

Her smile and words fascinated Marquis of Ping’an more. Marquis of

Ping’an was lecherous and those girls from respectable families had
never smiled at him like that. So he immediately became fascinated
when he saw Ning Lingyun’s smile and stared at Ning Lingyun. He only
felt that the girl in front of him was his right girl.

Those women in the red-light district were naturally inferior to the girls
from respectable families. Seeing that Ning Lingyun had gone far,
Marquis of Ping’an walked quickly to catch up with her. He believed that
Ning Lingyun attractively smiled at him just now because she had been
fascinated by his handsome demeanour.

Marquis of Ping’an paid all his attention to Ning Lingyun and

accidentally stepped on a stone, so that he teetered. Seeing that Ning
Lingyun was in front of him, he directly threw himself to Ning Lingyun
with open arms. He fell because the road of Lord Protector’s Manor was
not smooth. It was not other people’s fault. Furthermore, he and the girl
in front of him had fallen in love with each other at first sight!

So it was natural that they could not help themselves…

Chapter 112 I Walked Too Fast So
That I Bumped into the Fourth
Young Lady
Marquis of Ping’an only felt that Ning Lingyun had already fallen in
love with him, so he was very proud since then. Although he was old, he
was usually flattered by those women in his manor. So he really thought
that he was still romantic and more charming than those young men!

“The Fourth Young Lady is delicate. She wishes to speak to me but stops
on a second thought. She must have fallen in love with me at first sight.
She’s a girl, and I am a man. I have to be active.”

So Marquis of Ping’an directly rushed to Ning Lingyun when he stood

unsteadily.

Although Ning Lingyun had been paying attention to the Third Prince in
front of her, she was a clever one.

Hearing the sound behind was strange, Ning Lingyun rushed to move
aside. She saw fat Marquis of Ping’an rushing towards her and frowned
in disgust. Then she looked at the Third Prince who was walking in front
of her and her eyes suddenly became bright.

When she avoided Marquis of Ping’an, Ning Lingyun pretended to

stagger and rushed straight to the Third Prince. She held the same
purpose as Marquis of Ping’an. Whether she would bump into the Third
Prince, or the Third Prince would support her just like he supported Ning
Xueyan just now, Ning Lingyun believed their relationship would be
closer.

If she could directly bump on the Third Prince and fall into his arms,
maybe the Third Prince had to be responsible for her.

Ning Lingyun thought so and also did what she thought.

Ning Xueyan, standing behind them, stopped and showed a slight smile
on her face.

Unexpectedly, Ning Lingyun’s reaction was quite fast. Unfortunately,

although there was no romantic affair about the Third Prince for so many
years, he had encountered many women who threw themselves on him.

Sure enough, the Third Prince reacted quickly. He slightly moved aside
and successfully avoided Ning Lingyun who was rushing to embrace
him. He raised his eyes and looked into Ning Xueyan’s delicate black
jade-like eyes and saw the sarcasm in her watery eyes. However, her
sarcasm was mixed with girlish innocence.

Ning Xueyan slightly smiled. Even though part of her face was covered
by her bangs, she still made people feel amazed, as if they had seen
thousands of flowers blooming together. In addition, she was childlike
naughty and childish, as if she had seen something interesting and
secretly felt happy…

One had to admit that Ning Xueyan was not only beautiful, but also cute!

The Third Prince’s gaze became deep.

Seeing that the Third Prince looked at her, Ning Xueyan hastily
restrained her smile and avoided his gaze with a serious look. Then she
turned her attention to the two people who were rushing forward with
respective purposes.

It must be said that Ning Lingyun was unlucky. She had avoided
Marquis of Ping’an. But she suddenly had other purposes and paused for
a second. Unfortunately, Marquis of Ping’an trampled on her skirt during
the second. In addition, she was rushing forward and the Third Prince
avoided her. Therefore, she could not stand up and fell down.

More coincidentally, the fat Marquis of Ping’an rushed to her at that

time. The two coincidentally collided and fell to the ground together.
Fortunately, Marquis of Ping’an fell down first and Ning Lingyun fell on
him, so that Ning Lingyun did not make a fool of herself.

The maid who followed Ning Lingyun also responded quickly. She
pulled up Ning Lingyun quickly while screaming, “Young Lady, Young
Lady, are you okay? Need I to invite a doctor?”

“I’m, I’m fine!” Ning Lingyun gritted her teeth and looked
contemptuously at Marquis of Ping’an who was holding his young male
servants and could not stand up a while. Ning Lingyun hated him very
much.

“How come I didn’t fall down with the Third Prince, but bumped into the
ugly old man?” The ugly old man’s pouch was obvious, which meant
that he had had excessive sex and would die soon. How dare he look at
her with lust in his eyes and bump into her?

Ning Lingyun bumped into the Third Prince with her own purpose. So
she naturally thought that Marquis of Ping’an also had other intentions
when he bumped into her.

Marquis of Ping’an finally got up. Regardless of the dust on his body, he
turned to Ning Lingyun and said with a serious look, “Fourth Young
Lady, are you okay? Just now… I walked to fast so that I bumped in
you… I have to be responsible for you.” It seemed that he really felt
guilty about what had happened to Ning Lingyun.

But his opaque eyes under which there was obvious pouch were full of
lust.

Ning Lingyun, though she did not know where this old man came from
and wanted to beat him, still pressed her anger and answered in a delicate
voice, “It doesn’t matter. I’m fine!”

The Third Prince was still standing on one side. She could not be rude in
front of him!

“You wanna be responsible? For what?” If she bumped into the Third
Prince, Ning Lingyun would try her best to have a relationship with him.
But it was an ugly old man who had bumped into her. How could Ning
Lingyun want him to be responsible for it? She just wanted him to leave
as soon as possible.

“How come you’re okay? I heard your cry of pain. Let me see whether
you’re injured. Young girls are tender. I can’t let you get hurt because of
me.” Now that Marquis of Ping’an had believed that Ning Lingyun was
interested in himself, he felt that Ning Lingyun was pretending to hate
him when she stared at him.

“Woman need to be coaxed!”

So he stretched out his one hand, and was going to touch Ning Lingyun’s
hands, as if he was going to check whether her hands were injured.

His rude behavior in front of the Third Prince made Ning Lingyun
tremble in anger. She almost could not control herself and slapped him.
“Who’s he? Where’s he from? How could there be such a nasty and
shameless person who dares to casually touch a girl?”

The maid stood in front of Ning Lingyun in time, and stopped Marquis
of Ping’an from touching Ning Lingyun while angrily saying, “Sir, our
Fourth Young Lady is fine. We dare not trouble you.”

Seeing that, the Third Prince coldly asked, “Marquis of Ping’an, did you
came here to see the Fourth Young Lady?”

The Third Prince was not helping Ning Lingyun. He asked Marquis of
Ping’an because he thought that he did not take him seriously. Marquis
of Ping’an was so lecherous that he dared to molest the Young Lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor in front of Third Prince.

“Yes… er, I came to see Madam Dowager.” Seeing that the Third Prince
was angry, Marquis of Ping’an came to his senses immediately. They
were in the Lord Protector’s Manor, and the girl in front of him was the
Fourth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. Moreover, the Third
Prince was standing by. Even though he was unruly, he still knew that he
had to be patient.

So he dared not be brusque at the moment. He immediately stepped back

and explained to the Third Prince.

The Third Prince gave a cold look at him, turned around, and went on
walking.

“Why did you come to see Madam Dowager today?” asked the Third
Prince.
“There’s something important to discuss with Madam Dowager.”
Marquis of Ping’an took a particularly nasty look at Ning Lingyun when
he said that. Then he followed the Third Prince while laughing.

Ning Lingyun felt worried and had a bad feeling when she was so
glanced at by Marquis of Ping’an. But it was obviously impossible for
her to leave at this time. Looking at the tall and handsome Third Prince
in front of her, Ning Lingyun gritted her teeth and followed. She seldom
had such an opportunity to get close to the Third Prince, so she would
not leave anyway.

So she also followed the Third Prince to Madam Dowager’s Lucky

Garden.

“Young Lady, Marquis of Ping’an…” Qingyu cried in a low voice while

looking at Marquis of Ping’an who was flattering the Third Prince.

“Don’t ask, just follow them.” Ning Xueyan showed a slight smile on her
face and followed them with a calm look. The show had just begun. Of
course, she would go on watching.

Several people arrived at Lucky Garden together. Madam Dowager had

been informed that the Third Prince would come today, and she had been
waiting at the door.

Seeing a group of people led by the Third Prince coming, Madam

Dowager immediately let go of the maid’s hands and was about to salute.

The Third Prince took several steps forward and hurried to hold Madam
Dowager. Then he said with a gentle smile on his face, “Madam
Dowager, don’t need to be so polite. Today, I just happen to have spare
time and come to visit you for my mother.”

“How kind of your mother. She always cares about me, but I’m unable to
make any recompense. Please express my thanks to your mother.”
Madam Dowager did not insist on saluting. She made a bow in the
direction of the imperial palace and got up.

The Third Prince elegantly said, “If it weren’t for you, my mother
wouldn’t have had what she owns today. You deserve our thanks.”
Madam Dowager smiled and replied, “Honored Consort Ya is too polite.
This… is not a big deal at all. She’s supremely fortunate. She deserves
that.”

When they finished greeting each other, Marquis of Ping’an came from
the back of Third Prince and respectfully saluted Madam Dowager.
“Madam Dowager, how do you do!”

Honestly speaking, Marquis of Ping’an and Madam Dowager were about

the same age and was a marquis, so he did not need to salute Madam
Dowager. In addition, his salute looked like a salute that the young
generation made to their elders. It was neither fish nor flesh.

Madam Dowager calmly said, “Marquis of Ping’an, you’re so polite!”

But Ning Xueyan did not miss Madam Dowager’s anger. Her veins
bulged on her forehead. It could be seen that Madam Dowager was
extremely angry.

But what made Madam Dowager dare not express her anger?

“I should be polite to you. The First Madam has already told me. How
can I not salute you when I see you? Others will think that I’m arrogant
if I don’t salute you now!”

Marquis Ping’an thought himself was handsome when he said that and
gave a look at Ning Lingyun who was ashamed as well as angry by his
looking. Madam Dowager also could not control herself and showed
anger on her face. The Young Ladies of Lord Protector’s Manor,
including those who were born of concubines, could not be humiliated
by such an old playboy.

Thinking of what Ning Zu’an had told her, Madam Dowager darkened
her face and her joy of seeing the Third Prince disappeared at once.

Madam Dowager glanced at Ning Lingyun who looked at the Third

Prince with a shy face from time to time as well as Ning Xueyan who
was standing behind them and dressed up improperly. And then she
indifferently said, “Xueyan, Lingyun, you two go in first with the Third
Prince. I’ll say something to Marquis of Ping’an before coming.”
“Yes, grandmother.” Ning Lingyun was very happy. She walked quickly,
went to the Third Prince, and said, “Your Highness, please come with me
to the courtyard to have a rest.”

Ning Lingyun became excited and blushing and fell in love with him
when she only saw the figure of the Third Prince. Such a handsome man,
even if he was not the Third Prince, would also attract many women.
Hearing that she could be close to the Third Prince, Ning Lingyun was
very happy.

The Third Prince subconsciously gave a look at Ning Xueyan who was
standing in place, and then looked at blushing Ning Lingyun. He nodded
and said nothing while frowning slightly. Then he turned around and
went inside. Ning Lingyun hurried to follow him.

Ning Xueyan was not in a hurry and slowly walked inside with two
maids.

It seemed that Madam Dowager purposely asked others to leave and

wanted to say something to Marquis of Ping’an…
Chapter 113 Marquis of Ping’an
Is Fascinated by Ning Lingyun
Seeing that the Third Prince behind her had gone further, Madam
Dowager said in a low voice, “Marquis of Ping’an, what Madam Ling
promised you can’t be discussed now. We’ll discuss it when she comes
out of the Buddha hall.” It could be inferred that Madam Dowager was
angry from her voice, who narrowed her eyes and looked at the Marquis
of Ping’an in front of her.

Marquis of Ping’an was different from Lord Protector. He had no real

power. And everyone knew that none of his manor was somebody. On
thinking that such a person wanted to marry her granddaughter, Madam
Dowager got angry. An old playboy who was nobody dared to marry the
Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. He should know who himself
was first.

“Don’t worry, Madam Dowager. This was put forward by the

marchioness of Lord Protector’s Manor first. I was still thinking about
whether to agree. After all, the woman I’m going to marry will be my
marchioness. I have to be very cautious. Now, I’ve already made up my
mind. Lord Protector’s Manor and Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor are
matched for marriage. Such an important event should be up to you. It
doesn’t matter that marchioness is in the Buddha Hall.”

Marquis of Ping’an reluctantly took his eyes back from Ning Lingyun.
What he said sounded like that it was an honour to Lord Protector’s
Manor that he married the Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor.

Madam Dowager’s angry face became gloomier, and she almost bit her
teeth while saying, “Marquis of Ping’an, you really shouldn’t have. We’d
better discuss it when Madan Ling comes out of the Buddha Hall.”

Madam Ling still could make trouble while she was in the Buddha Hall.
Madam Dowager just wanted to shut her up for a long time until this
matter was ruined. She actually wanted the Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor to marry this good-for-nothing Marquis of Ping’an.
Madam Dowager wondered how stupid she was.

Yuan’er would take charge of Lord Protector’s Manor in the future. If his
sisters married into noble or powerful families, he would receive great
help from them. Madam Ling was shortsighted as well as senseless. She
actually wanted to ally with Marquis of Ping’an by marriage. Everyone
knew that Marquis of Ping’an and his family members had no bright
future. If it were not for his one daughter who had married the emperor,
his family would have already collapsed.

Marrying to Marquis of Ping’an was no better than marrying a promising

official, at least he would not make trouble and influence the Lord
Protector’s Manor in the future.

Hearing that Madam Dowager found pretexts for not agreeing him to
marry her granddaughter, Marquis of Ping’an darkened his face and
unhappily asked, “Madam Dowager, do you want to repudiate the
marriage?”

Ning Xueyan had already passed the corner. Suddenly, she gave a low
cry of pain and bent down to cover her feet.

Lanning immediately held her and asked in a low voice, “Young Lady,
what’s wrong?”

“It’s all right. It’s just the sprain of ankle,” Ning Xueyan whispered while
slightly frowning. She bit her lips, lowered head, and winked at Lanning
while people did not pay attention to them.

“You two go to serve the Third Prince, we’ll come after I massaging our
Young Lady’s feet.” Lanning immediately received Ning Xueyan’s
meaning and said to the two maids of Lucky Garden who was standing
aside.

The two maids gave a look at Ning Xueyan and then at the Third Prince
and Ning Lingyun who had gone far away. After thinking about it, they
went on walking and followed the Third Prince.

They were asked by Madam Dowager to serve the Third Prince, not the
Fifth Young Lady.
Although the Fifth Young Lady’s situation was not as bad as before, she
still was less important than the noble Third Prince.

Lanning supported Ning Xueyan and Qingyu massaged her feet, and the
three squatted down and quietly eavesdropped.

On the other side of the wall was the gate of Lucky Garden where
Madam Dowager and Marquis of Ping’an were talking. Both of them
were angry now and their voices were loud. So Ning Xueyan could hear
clearly in this position.

Madam Dowager impatiently said, “I wanna repudiate the marriage?

Marquis of Ping’an, your words are so unpleasant. We haven’t decided
yet. This matter is still under discussion.”

Being so rudely refused by Madam Dowager, Marquis of Ping’an got

angry on the spot and coldly said while staring at Madam Dowager, “The
marchioness of Lord Protector’s Manor has promised me that I can send
betrothal gifts at any time as long as I agree. You wanna break your
words?”

Madam Dowager did not expect Madam Ling to be so foolish. She

became very angry and shouted at Marquis of Ping’an with great anger,
“She has promised you? When?”

Marquis of Ping’an said with a gloomy face, “One month ago,

marchioness told this to me and we have been discussing it all the time.
If it hadn’t been for the funeral of your Second Madam and my serious
consideration, it would already have been settled. Madam Dowager, do
you want to say that you know nothing of it?”

Originally, he did not believe what Madam Ling had secretly sent to him
yesterday. Now it seemed that what she said was true. The old lady
wanted to go back on her words.

If Marquis of Ping’an had not seen Ning Lingyun, he might have thought
about what Madam Ling told him. But now, he had no doubt. He did not
expect that Ning Lingyun was so beautiful and fell in love with him at
first sight. When she was asked by her grandmother to leave, she
helplessly looked at him with a delicate and touching gaze. She was
asking for help.
Marquis of Ping’an thought that he was saving Ning Lingyun, as if the
hero saved a beauty. He was full of heroic courage and did not take into
account the consequences.

It was strange and unknown to others that how he felt Ning Lingyun’s
love to him from her disgusting gaze.

As for the Fifth Young Lady Madam Ling had chosen for him, he had
already forgotten. Such an unimportant and bony Fifth Young Lady who
also dressed like an old-fashioned woman was certainly inferior to the
charming and affectionate Fourth Young Lady.

He had settled on the Fourth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor and
determined to marry her.

He had been controlled by his lust and consciously neglected Madam

Ling’s warnings to him.

“It’s all Madam Ling’s work. I really don’t know, so let’s discuss it after
Madam Ling comes out.” Madam Dowager refused with a serious look.

Of course, Madam Dowager was not protecting Ning Xueyan. She just
felt that if the Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor who was born of
the co-wife married into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor, not only Ning
Xueyan, but also the whole manor would lose face.

Marquis of Ping’an suddenly grinned gloomily and pulled out a jade

pendant from his arms. “Madam Dowager, marchioness has already sent
me some betrothal gifts. I feel that this jade pendant must be made many
years ago and of high value. So I deliberately asked people to investigate
it. Unexpectedly, they found out something interesting. The item coming
from the imperial palace is indeed unusual!”

The jade was glittering and translucent. It must be of high value. The silk
ribbon had been knitted in a complex way, but it was also very beautiful!

The knitting technique was created in the previous dynasty, but it had
been lost. In the past, it was prevalent in the imperial palace. However, a
fire burned the whole imperial palace and those people in the palace
were all died. Then, this complex knitting technique faded out of the
public’s sight.
This jade was a sharp warning to Madam Dowager. On seeing it, she felt
a spasm in her fingers and could not conceal the shock in her eyes.

“Madam Dowager, the next time I go to the imperial palace to see my

daughter, I’ll ask her when this jade pendant was made!” Seeing Madam
Dowager changing her look, Marquis of Ping’an said some meaningful
words while proudly swinging the jade pendant in his hands in front of
Madam Dowager’s face.

Beautiful Lady Liu was his daughter who had married into the imperial
palace. Although she was only ranked the Beautiful Lady, it was said that
the emperor also doted on her and visited her from time to time.

Marquis of Ping’an was threatening Madam Dowager with his daughter.

Hearing Marquis of Ping’an’s words, Madam Dowager turned pale. She

blinked and slowly said in a deep voice, “Since you insist on discussing
it, please come back another day. Today, the Third Prince has something
important to discuss here!” Her attitude had softened.

Since Marquis of Ping’an wanted to marry Ning Xueyan and took out
this jade pendant, Madam Dowager agreed with reluctance. She felt that
other secrets could not be exposed because of this little matter. Anyway,
Ning Xueyan was not her favorite granddaughter.

Madam Dowager, who had always been uncompromising, actually

softened because of a jade pendant. It appeared that Madam Ling knew
something about Madam Dowager. Otherwise, how could Madam
Dowager protect Madam Ling again and again? However, Madam Ling
finally irritated Madam Dowager this time by giving this jade pendant to
Marquis of Ping’an who then showed it in front of Madam Dowager…

“I’m all right. It doesn’t hurt. Let’s go!” Realizing that the conversation
was about to end, Ning Xueyan stood up and tried to walk while leaning
on Qingyu.

“Yes, I’ll hold you.” At this time, Qingyu also understood. She and
Lanning looked at each other, reached out to hold Ning Xueyan’s wrists,
and helped Ning Xueyan walk inside.
“Since you have something to do today, I won’t bother you. I’ll come
another day.” Marquis of Ping’an showed a complacent smile on his fat
face. He knew that today was not a good day for discussion since the
Third Prince was here. He turned around, and left Lucky Garden to find
Ning Zu’an while laughing. He intended to talk to Ning Zu’an for a
while to finalize this matter before leaving.

Thinking that he would soon get what he wanted, Marquis of Ping’an

could not help smiling. “The jade pendant Madam Ling gave is useful. I
just casually said some words and that old lady agreed as we expected.
Will Ning Zu’an listen to me in the future as long as I take out the jade
pendant and say something to him just like what I did to that old lady
just now?”

Marquis of Ping’an knew that his manor was weakening day by day. But
he could rely on Lord Protector’s Manor as long as he married the Fourth
Young Lady. How could he not be overjoyed? He would not only marry
a beauty, but also ally with Lord Protector. He did not care whether his
future marchioness was born of a concubine. “As long as I have this jade
pendant, Ning Zu’an has to listen to me.”

Marquis of Ping’an had already forgotten what Madam Ling told him!

Madam Ling had told him that Lord Protector’s Manor would help
Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor as long as he married the Fifth Young Lady
of Lord Protector’s Manor. After all, the Fifth Young Lady was the
daughter of the co-wife. Marrying her would not bring shame on
Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor. As for the Fourth Young Lady mentioned
earlier, she was born of a concubine and did not deserve him…

“Hmm, she deliberately said that the Fourth Young Lady doesn’t deserve
me. Clearly she had changed the bad one for the good one.” Marquis of
Ping’an had seen the two Young Ladies of Lord Protector’s Manor and
knew who was better. How could he listen to Madam Ling and marry
Ning Xueyan? He would choose the best for himself.

“Haha, Madam Dowager has agreed. The beauty will belong to me

soon!” Marquis of Ping’an strode out while thinking.

Marquis of Ping’an was proud and in a good mood while he walking to

Ning Zu’an’s study with his young male servants. An older female
servant was leading the way. Suddenly, he heard several older female
servants were talking behind the rockery and mentioned the Third
Prince. He could not help but stop and eavesdrop.

“Will the Third Prince stay for lunch today?”

“Of course he will. Marquis had already asked people to prepare the
lunch. The Third Prince is the son of His Majesty, he might be… It’s our
honour that the Third Prince stays for lunch. Those who want to see the
Third Prince have to queue up outside Third Prince’s Manor, but they
still can’t see the Third Prince.”

“That’s true. The Third Prince is the emperor’s favorite son. He is noble.
Not everyone can see him.”

“If someone can have a relationship with the Third Prince now, he will
be free from punishment in the future after making mistakes as long as
the Third Prince puts in a good word for him.”

“If I curry favour with the Third Prince now, he will help me in the
future when I commit a crime?” Marquis of Ping’an was confused first,
but suddenly he understood and his eyes became bright. “Yes! How can I
miss such a good opportunity?”

When Madam Dowager arrived at the hall, the Third Prince, Ning
Lingyun, and Ning Xueyan had already been present! They did not ask
what Madam Dowager had said to Marquis of Ping’an. Soon, maids sent
over the tea and Madam Dowager said with a smile on her face.

“Third Prince, please enjoy the tea.”

“Thank you, Madam Dowager!” The Third Prince stopped scrutinizing

Ning Xueyan and elegantly drank the tea while slightly smiling. Then he
put down the teacup, turned to Madam Dowager, and directly asked with
a smile on his face.

“Is there a letter from her this year? Mother asked me to come and fetch
it.”

Who was he asking about? According to the Third Prince’s tone, it

seemed that she was not a normal people. Ning Lingyun could not help
looking sideways and focused on what the Third Prince was saying.
Although Concubine Xu had told her that the Third Prince would come,
she did not say why he came.

Ning Xueyan looked down at the teacup in her hands to conceal a trace
of meditation in her eyes. The Third Prince had not forgotten that woman
for three years. She was indeed not simple!
Chapter 114 Who Is the Third
Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor?
There were five Young Ladies in Lord Protector’s Manor. The Eldest
Young Lady and Second Young Lady were born of Madam Ling. Both of
them were the most prominent in front of people and presented at most
of the banquets. So they had a good reputation in the capital. Fourth
Young Lady was born of a concubine and was not qualified to attend
some banquets. Fifth Young Lady was the daughter of the co-wife, but
she was timid and seldom left her courtyard, let alone go out to meet
visitors.

In many people’s minds, there was no Fifth Young Lady at all!

This was all Ning Ziying knew in her last life! She just had lived in Lord
Protector’s Manor for three years. She was not very clear about many
things and had not met the Third Young Lady. Combining with the
situation of two lives, she only knew something about the Third Young
Lady three years ago.

It was said that the Third Young Lady was quiet and beautiful since
childhood. When she grew up, her reputation was better. She was
adopted by Madam Ming. So her identity was the same as Ning
Xueyan’s. Both of them were the daughters of co-wife.

But she was different from Ning Xueyan. It was said that she was very
smart. Although she was not Ning Zu’an’s biological daughter, she was
favoured by Madam Dowager very much. Even Ning Yuling, who had
always been arrogant, dared not bully her. Her status and treatment in
Lord Protector’s Manor were not worse than Ning Ziyan’s and Ning
Yuling’s, who were the daughters of Legal Wife.

Although Madam Ming lived in Bright Frost Garden and did not leave
her courtyard all year round, the Third Young Lady lived in Lord
Protector’s Manor like a duck to water.
At that time, Ning Xueyan was still young, and the most famous one in
Lord Protector’s Manor was the Third Young Lady, Ning Qingshan.
Everyone praised her when they mentioned her. They all said that she
was not only outstanding in appearance, but also smart and sensible.
Young as she was, she was so outstanding. She must be better when she
grew up.

At that time, both Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling were neglected by others
because of her.

When she was thirteen years old, she suddenly said that she wanted to go
to the nunnery to pray for Madam Dowager, Madam Ling and Madam
Ming, and would return in two years.

How could people not be moved by such a filial daughter? Immediately,

everyone praised her, so that the emperor in the imperial palace was
shocked by that. He specifically asked Honored Consort Ya, who then
was Consort Ya, to inquire about her. It was said that the emperor wanted
to confer an honor, Commandery Princess, on her. But it had not been
carried out, and the reason was unknown to others.

Because Honored Consort Ya liked her, Ning Qingshan had lived in the
imperial palace for two or three months before going to the nunnery.

But two years later, she still did not come back. She said that she wanted
to pray for Lord Protector’s Manor for another year. This year was her
last year!

Originally, Ning Xueyan only knew these things. But at this time of her
last life, Ning Ziying saw the Third Prince and curiously asked at the
moment when Xia Yuhang accompanied Ning Ziyan and her wandering
in the garden.

Ning Ziyan, who was eager to please Xia Yuhang, hastily explained. She
said that Ning Qingshan had recognized the Honored Consort Ya as her
aunt, so that she would also send a letter to Honored Consort Ya when
she wrote to Lord Protector’s Manor at this time every year.

Xia Yuhang also spoke highly of Ning Qingshan at that time.

Ning Ziyan also said that Ning Qingshan usually stayed in Bright Frost
Garden and never met outsiders and be involved in other affairs. People
of Lord Protector’s Manor still could not see her when they sent things to
her. However, she wrote a letter to her family on the first day into the
nunnery, which was a filial behavior.

Two years was not enough, and she prayed for another year. It was
impossible for ordinary people to do!

In all people’s minds, Ning Qingshan was a model of Young Lady!

In the last life, Ning Xueyan would only envy her good luck.

But one would feel strange if he or she thought about it now. A Young
Lady who had no blood relationship with members of Lord Protector’s
Manor had such a good reputation and enjoyed the favor and praise of
everyone in Lord Protector’s Manor. It was obvious that she was not a
simple person.

Furthermore, the gentleness in the eyes of Third Prince could not be

hidden. At that time, the Third Prince was only fourteen or fifteen years
old. But he had been keeping thinking about Ning Qingshan for three
years. How scheming the thirteen-year-old little girl was!

“Shan’er should be back this time. I have sent a letter to her today. She
has spent three years there living a simple and hard life. She’s just a little
girl… I feel sad whenever I think of it.”

Madam Dowager sighed and said with tears in her eyes. She actually
showed her true feelings that she had never shown before.

“Madam Dowager, does she agree to leave the nunnery this time?” There
was a glimmer of surprise in the Third Prince’s eyes.

Madam Dowager said while looking at Ning Xueyan, “She should have
agreed. She has been there for three years and has to come back. She is
sixteen years old now. Ling’er is engaged, and she’s next. There’s no
such a principle that younger sister gets married before the elder sister.”

Ning Xueyan’s dress today was worse than usual. Her clothes looked so
gaudy and her hairstyle was so ugly. She did not look like the Young
Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor and even was worse than a maid. This
made Madam Dowager very unhappy. She felt that she was not
promising when she saw Ning Xueyan’s appearance.

Originally, Madam Dowager hoped that the Third Prince would marry
Ning Xueyan. But now she found that even she did not think Ning
Xueyan was outstanding. How could the Three Princes like her?

“If she doesn’t know how to dress up, her delicate and beautiful face is
of no use. And how can she attract the Third Prince? Since Marquis of
Ping’an want to marry her, just let him marry her. Anyway, she’s in a
poor health and doesn’t know how to dress up. She’s useless to the Lord
Protector’s Manor.”

Madam Dowager had made up her mind while looking at Ning Xueyan.

Hearing that Ning Qingshan would come back, the Third Prince was
happier. He nodded and said, “Since you’ve said that she’ll come back
this time, I’ll tell my mother later. My mother hasn’t seen her for so
many years, and said that she misses her very much. If she comes back,
let her go to the imperial palace to see my mother.”

“Naturally she’ll visit your mother. It’s also her good fortune that
Honored Consort Ya likes her. After she comes back, we wish that your
mother will pay more attention to her marriage and choose a good man
for her!” Madam Dowager was also in a good mood and nodded.

The Third Prince immediately agreed with what Madam Dowager said.
Since they had made an agreement, the Third Prince decided to leave. He
stood up and said goodbye. At this time, Ning Lingyun seized the
opportunity and said that she would see off the Third Prince on behalf of
Madam Dowager.

Looking at delicate Ning Lingyun whose behaviors were too gentle and
lovely, Madam Dowager frowned, but still nodded her head. Anyway,
she was better than the silly Fifth Young Lady.

The Third Prince gave a look at Ning Xueyan and followed Ning
Lingyun to walk outside.

Seeing that everyone had gone, Ning Xueyan finally said goodbye.
However, she went out of the courtyard gate and soon saw the Third
Prince and Ning Lingyun who were slowly walking in front of her after
walking for a short time.

Ning Xueyan did not want to walk with them. She gave a look at a fork
nearby and wanted to go there. But the Third Prince stopped and turned
around when he heard sounds behind them. He looked at Ning Xueyan
and smiled elegantly. “Fifth Young Lady, are you going back to your
courtyard? Let’s go together!”

He went on walking as soon as he finished that!

Ning Xueyan could not but follow them since the Third Prince had
invited. Ning Lingyun kept giving fierce looks at Ning Xueyan, but Ning
Xueyan could only pretend that she could not see her fierce looks.
Anyway, after passing the rockery which was not far away, Ning Xueyan
would arrive at the path to her courtyard. At that time, the Third Prince
could not say anything.

“Fifth Young Lady, your hairstyle is quite special.” The Third Prince
looked sideways at Ning Xueyan with a slight smile on his handsome
face, a trace of curiosity and gloom flashing through his eyes.

Ning Xueyan was not a foolish woman. But why did she cover up her
brilliant face with bangs? Thinking of what Marquis of Ping’an and
Madam Dowager had said, the Third Prince understood the reason.

“Yes, my maids are not good at it. Please don’t laugh at it.” Ning Xueyan
smiled and pretended to be embarrassed.

Being disturbed by Ning Xueyan, Ning Lingyun unhappily said in a

sharp voice, “Fifth Sister, I think you should drive away the maid who
made the hairstyle for you. Look at yourself, you look so terrible. Your
face is pale and too thin, and such a hairstyle makes you so ugly!” She
gave a sarcastic look at Ning Xueyan and then squeezed into the middle
between Ning Xueyan and the Third Prince.

It was hard for Ning Lingyun to get a chance to be alone with the Third
Prince, but now this chance was destroyed by Ning Xueyan, which made
Ning Lingyun very angry. So she was certainly not satisfied with
everything of Ning Xueyan.
Ning Lingyun was really interested in the Third Prince and feared that
others would attract his attention.

Ning Xueyan gave a cold look at Ning Lingyun, and slightly moved
aside. She did that because she did not want to have too much contact
with the Third Prince, not because of Ning Lingyun. She was not Ning
Lingyun who could not see the Third Prince’s shrewdness and dislike.
She had been harmed by Xia Yuhang in last life, so she now just wanted
an equal marriage.

Otherwise, others would despise her!

The Third Prince slightly smiled and elegantly said while looking at
Ning Lingyun, “Fourth Young Lady, your hairstyle is also good. There
must be some maids who are good at it!”

The Third Prince’s stare made Ning Lingyun flush, who thought that she
had successfully attracted the Third Prince. It was helpful that she got up
so early and dressed up for two hours. So she was not angry with Ning
Xueyan anymore and said shyly, “Thank you for your praise!”

“What happened to the right side of your head? Is it a new hairstyle? I

haven’t seen it before. I’ll certainly mention it to my mother when I
return to the imperial palace.” The Third Prince smiled more gently
while looking at the right side of Ning Lingyun’s hair, as if he really
liked her hairstyle today.

“The right? What happened to the right?”

Ning Lingyun was at a loss because of the Third Prince’s praise. She
subconsciously reached out for a touch, and immediately touched her
back hair. A hairpin hung on her hair loosely and suddenly fell down
because of Ning Lingyun’s touch. Immediately, her hair disorderly
scattered on her shoulder.

“Ah, Young Lady, your hair is in disorder!” The maid standing on her
side immediately reminded her.

Ning Lingyun always wanted to keep a beautiful image in front of the

Third Prince. How could she tolerate such an embarrassment? Her face
turned pale first, and then red. Finally, she rushed away with tears in her
eyes while covering her hair of right side before saying something to the
Third Prince.

Her two maids looked at each other and then followed up.

Ning Lingyun had spent so long in dressing up in the morning and even
actively saw off the Third Prince, regardless of a Young Lady’s
reservedness. However, she became ashamed and rushed away because
of the Third Prince’s one sentence in the end!

Ning Xueyan wanted to laugh. But when she saw that the Third Prince
looking at her, she immediately concealed her smile and regained
indifference. Although she was glad that the mean Ning Lingyun had
gone away, she still was unwilling to walk with the Third Prince.

She did not want to be targeted by other women because of the Third
Prince!
Chapter 115 The Third Prince’s
Gentleness
The road to her courtyard was closer. Ning Xueyan tidied up her clothes
and was about to say goodbye. But a man in the white robe stood in front
of her and blocked her way.

Ning Xueyan looked up and saw the gentle and elegant face of the Third
Prince who asked gently, “Why did you make such a hairstyle?”

“Is it really because your maid is not good at it?” The Third Prince
insisted on asking for the reason, which was unexpected to Ning Xueyan.
She turned her head to Lanning who was standing beside and wanted to
dump the blame on Lanning. She really did not want to have any private
involvement with the noble Third Prince.

“I, I’ll make a better hairstyle for our Young Lady next time,” Lanning
answered the question in fear while bowing her head, looking like she
really had done something wrong.

The Third Prince asked with a smile on his face while quietly looking at
Ning Xueyan. “I heard that you refused to marry me?” At first glance,
the Third Prince would think that the clothes did not suit the girl in front
of him and her hairstyle was also ugly so that she looked terrible and was
worse than the maids in his manor.

But if he looked carefully, he would see how beautiful she was. Even
though her clothes did not suit her and her hairstyle was ugly, she still
made people feel surprised. Young as she was, she was so beautiful. And
she would only be more beautiful when she grew up.

The Third Prince could not help being attracted by her and was unwilling
to look away.

This question was extremely brusque. No one would ask such a question
to a girl. Moreover, they had no affection for each other in private.
“Should all women act like Ning Yuling and Ning Lingyun when they
see you?” Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind, but she did not show it on
her face. She answered while lightly pulling the handkerchief in her
hands, “The Third Prince’s Manor is very good. But I still cannot protect
myself. I don’t want to die for such a thing.”

When she was speaking, the breeze blew and her bangs parted slightly so
that the Third Prince clearly saw the indifference in her bright watery
eyes.

It was the same person and she did not change her clothes. But now she
gave the Third Prince a different feeling. She just stood there and
directly told him the reason, neither shy nor shamed. She was so honest
and did not conceal the truth.

When they were in Cold Mountain Temple, Ning Yuling humiliated her
so much and her medicine was poisoned, from which we could see how
difficult her situation was in Lord Protector’s Manor. Just now he saw
with his own eyes that she was pushed by a Young Lady who was born
of a concubine and her face was almost disfigured. All these things told
the Third Prince that she was telling the truth!

She did not play hard to get, which those girls from respectable families
liked to do. She was only stating a fact. So her eyes were clear and firm.

She did not want to lose her life, so she dared not marry him!

Her answer was simple, but was accurate!

It was the first time for the Third Prince to see such a wise and incisive
woman. She already was in a difficult situation in Lord Protector’s
Manor and might have a greater crisis because of him, which made the
Third Prince feel guilty.

“Or I’ll directly tell my mother and we get married as soon as possible.
In the future, you’ll be my wife and I won’t allow others to bully you!”
The Third Prince said that naturally and subconsciously reached out to
pick up a withered and yellow leaf that had fallen on her hair.

The man’s slender fingers slipped through her hair, which shocked Ning
Xueyan. Her eyes immediately became cold. She subconsciously stepped
back to avoid his hands and could not help but blush.

Ning Xueyan was a little angry. How could the Third Prince be so
frivolous and impolite?

But in the eyes of the Third Prince, the blushing Ning Xueyan was as
beautiful as flowers…

Ning Xueyan concealed the anger on her face and indifferently said,
“Thank you for your kindness. But my grandmother said that younger
sisters have to get married after the elder sisters!” Then she saluted the
Third Prince and said with a cold look, “We’re almost at the intersection
and I have to go back to my courtyard. I can’t accompany you anymore!”

After that, she walked to the other side with her maids before the Third
Prince could speak.

She walked away without hesitance!

She was a weak woman, but was so decisive and sober. The Third Prince
certainly knew that what he just said was empty. Madam Dowager had
made it clear that Ning Xueyan’s two older sisters had not gotten married
and it was not her turn. If he rashly said that he wanted to marry her, it
would only cause great disaster to her.

It was the best choice for her to get rid of and refuse him now. But that
was what attracted him more. What he proposed just now was empty.
But now he had a different feeling and really wanted to marry her and
protect her.

What kind of situation made such a beautiful girl to be alert step by step
and dare not make a mistake? Looking at Ning Xueyan walking away,
the Third Prince unconsciously showed gentleness in his eyes.

But Ning Xueyan did not have so much time to be sentimental. As soon
as she returned to Bright Frost Garden, she asked Lanning and Qingyu to
inquire about information.

Soon, Lanning and Qingyu came back one after the other.
“Young Lady, Marquis of Ping’an and the Third Prince did not leave.
They’re in the front yard, and accompanied by our marquis. Now they
should be chatting in the study. And servants are preparing lunch in the
kitchen!” Because she had run quickly, Qingyu told Ning Xueyan what
she was asked to inquire by Ning Xueyan while gasping.

“I also inquired what you asked me to. First Madam’s personal servant,
Mother Chen, is indeed in the Second Young Lady’s courtyard. Now, the
Second Young Lady is particularly quiet in her place. No one of
Qingrong Courtyard knows that the Third Prince is in the manor.”
Lanning was much steadier than Qingyu. When inquiring about things,
she also paid attention to some other things.

Originally, she felt strange that why the Second Young Lady did not
show up when the Third Prince was here. It turned out that she was
guarded by Madam Ling.

Qingyu asked while blinking her eyes, “Young Lady, the marriage
between the Second Young Lady and Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li has been determined. Does the Second Young Lady still want
to marry the Third Prince?”

Young Ladies from respectable families attached great importance on

reputation and integrity. It was believed that the Second Young Lady and
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li had had sex. Did the Second
Young Lady still think that she could marry into the Third Prince’s
Manor and be the Third Prince’s consort?

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly, carefully picked up a small pastry on the

table, and gently bit it. Others would feel hopeless and drop the idea
forever. But Ning Yuling was different. She was arrogant and had always
been self-centered. In addition, she also was the favorite Young Lady in
Lord Protector’s Manor. How could she think that she did not deserve
the Third Prince?

“Is anyone else in the Buddha Hall?”

“No one else. I’ve been there. Madam Dowager only allows Mother
Chen to serve the First Madam when she was in the Buddha Hall.
Mother Chen is in the Second Young Lady’s Qingrong Courtyard now.
So there’s no one serving the First Madam now. The female servant who
guards the door is old and will take a nap every afternoon. Besides, few
will visit the Buddha Hall. Actually, there’s no need for her to guard the
door at all.”

After listening to Ning Xueyan’s command, Lanning even inquired about

the information about Buddha Hall.

The Buddha Hall was usually closed, and only Madam Dowager went
there occasionally. The female servant guarding the Buddha Hall was old
and could not hear clearly. But as long as one spoke loudly, she still
could hear.

“Qingyu, you go to the kitchen again and ask them to make my favorite
nut pastry. Just tell them that I need to eat it when I take medicine and
ask them to make it with care. Then you needn’t come back. Just stay
there and watch them do it. Bring some money with you and reward
them.” Ning Xueyan took a sip of tea and showed a cold smile on her
face.

It was very complex to make nut pastry. The cook not only needed to
place four or five kinds of nuts on it, but also had to knead the dough
with great care. The nut pastry was sweet and delicious. There was one
cook in Lord Protector’s Manor who was good at making it. But it would
take much time.

“Yes, I’ll see them do it later. I won’t be lazy!” Qingyu reached out and
touched the item in her sleeve. Then she nodded her head firmly and
promised without hesitation.

Although she did not quite understand why her Young Lady was so
foresighted, she still knew that her Young Lady was no longer the
incompetent Fifth Young Lady. When she thought that so many people
had bullied her Young Lady before and no one had shown up to say a
word for her Young Lady, Qingyu felt very angry. Fortunately, now no
one could bully her Young Lady at will!

This change was certainly good. Qingyu was relieved and did not persist
in wondering why Ning Xueyan became like this!

“Lanning, I heard that the Second Sister asks people to make some
snacks for her at noon every day. But today is so busy. I’m afraid that
people in the kitchen can’t make snacks for her. The Second Sister has to
be informed of that, so as not to disturb father’s banquet!” After that,
Ning Xueyan slightly looked down with coldness in her eyes.

Ning Xueyan mentioned Ning Yuling here, while Ning Yuling’s place
was not quiet.

In the room, Ning Yuling threw away the brush pen in her hands angrily
and looked at the words on the paper. The more she looked at them, the
more she was angry. She picked up the paper and tore it hard, and the
paper immediately was torn in two.

Mother Chen came over, picked up the paper, and said, “Oh, my Second
Young Lady, who are you angry with? You’ve written a few words. It’s a
pity that they all were ruined!”

“I don’t want to write. Why do I have to practice calligraphy here while

that little b*tch is comfortable and has nothing to do?” Ning Yuling said
with anger. On thinking that the reason why she had to marry Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li was Ning Xueyan’s plot, Ning Yuling
wished that she could kill Ning Xueyan!

Mother Chen comforted Ning Yuling, saying, “Second Young Lady, you
can rest assured. The Fifth Young Lady will be uncomfortable soon. She
will live a bad life after she marries into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor!”

Ning Yuling said with resentment in her eyes, “Marrying into Marquis of
Ping’an’s Manor and becoming the marchioness are not punishment. I
really don’t know how mother thought about it. She should kick her out
and sell her to the red-light districts in the end. In this way, I can vent my
hate.”

Mother Chen said while smiling, “Second Young Lady, you can rest
assured. The Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor is not a good place. All men in
Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor are shameless. If a girl from a good family
marries into there, she’ll die soon. If she survives, she will become a
shameless woman.” Her words were meaningful.

Mother Chen’s statement was very obscure, and also contained

something dirty. But Ning Yuling understood. She immediately was very
happy. But then she gritted her teeth and said, “Mother Chen, tell my
mother that I want her to manage to save me from punishment. I also
want to laugh at that little b*tch and see how she dies.”

All men of Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor were libertines. Women were to

them what honey was to bee. They would certainly torment her.

“Second Young Lady, so you have to be obedient and must not offend
Madam Dowager. First Madam is not allowed to leave Buddha Hall, how
can she save you from punishment?” Mother Chen advised Ning Yuling
in earnest, but sighed in her mind. The Second Young Lady had always
been arrogant. How could she take into account Madam Ling’s present
situation?

Were it not for the fear that she would make trouble if she knew that the
Third Prince was in manor, Mother Chen would not have come here to
guard her at this time.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open behind her, and a girl rushed in with
happiness while shouting, “Young Lady, Young Lady…”
Chapter 116 Marquis of Ping’an
Is Drunken and Enters the
Womenfolk Courtyard by
Mistake
Being interrupted by the maid, Ning Yuling turned her face with anger,
stared at the maid who was rushing in, and shouted angrily, “What’s the
matter?”

“Young… Young Lady,” The maid trembled and realized that Ning
Yuling would not let go of her if she did not provide some useful
information when she was stared at by Ning Yuling. So she immediately
said after gasping, “Second Young Lady, the Third Prince is in Lord
Protector’s Manor now.”

“The Third Prince?” The anger on Ning Yuling’s face disappeared at

once. She took the maid’s hands and asked in surprise.

Seeing that something bad was going to happen, Mother Chen

immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Ning Yuling to stop
her. “Second Young Lady, First Madam said that you have to practise
calligraphy in your courtyard. If you make Madam Dowager angry
again, she can’t protect you.”

“Mother had never protected me. I still have to rely on myself. Mother
Chen, don’t worry. I have a sense of propriety.” Ning Yuling impatiently
pushed aside Mother Chen, who was standing in front of her to stop her.

Because she was pushed by Ning Yuling, Mother Chen stepped

backward and almost fell down. After taking several steps backward,
Mother Chen stabilized herself by holding a chair and her face had
turned pale.

Ning Yuling asked the maid, “Where is the Third Prince now?”
“How dare you! First Madam ordered that no one can talk about the
Third Prince in front of the Second Young Lady, otherwise…” Just as the
maid was about to speak, Mother Chen’s gloomy voice came from
behind. The maid was so frightened that she dared not say again. She
shook her head in fear while covering her mouth, afraid to say anything
more.

She only remembered that the Second Young Lady had said that they
would be rewarded if they report to her immediately when they got the
news of the Third Prince. She forgot that the First Madam had said that
they would be beaten to death if they talked about the Third Prince in
front of the Second Young Lady.

Although the maid wanted a reward very much, she dared not say
something about the Third Prince in front of Mother Chen. She would
lose her life if First Madam knew this matter!

“Speak now!” Seeing the maid covering her mouth and shaking her head,
Ning Yuling got angry and directly slapped her heavily, who then stood
unsteadily and fell to the ground.

“Say it! If you don’t tell me, I’ll sell you to the worst brothel.” Ning
Yuling said that with fierceness.

“Young Lady, I…” The maid was very regretful now. She regretted that
she had come back to tell the Second Young Lady as soon as she got the
news of the Third Prince in the kitchen in order to get the reward.
Unexpectedly, she did not receive the reward, but was punished. On
thinking the life in the worst brothel, the maid immediately knelt straight
in front of Ning Yuling.

“Young Lady, the Third Prince is in the manor now. Marquis invited him
to have lunch. Now people in the kitchen are busy preparing lunch and
don’t have enough time to make the pastries you want.”

The maid directly said all she knew in a trembling voice, ready to risk
everything.

The maids who served Ning Yuling knew that they really would be sold
to the worst brothel by Ning Yuling if they did not obey her. The life
there was worse than death.
“Did the Third Prince really come to Lord Protector’s Manor? My father
also invited him to have lunch here?” Hearing the maid’s words, Ning
Yuling was very happy and her eyes brightened. She did not care about
the maid anymore and immediately walked inside while asking other
maids to choose beautiful clothes and to send to her. “I have to dress up
well so that the Third Prince will marvel at my beauty and be unwilling
to give up me. Then he will propose marrying me. Will my grandmother
oppose at that time?”

At this time, all she was thinking about was the Third Prince. She did not
realize that the Third Prince had not fallen in love with her when she was
innocent, let alone now.

“Second Young Lady, you can’t go out. You’re grounded now. If you go
out now, Madam Dowager will be angry.” Mother Chen followed her
and urgently advised.

Ning Yuling rolled her eyes and carelessly said, “So what? If I become
the Consort of the Third Prince, she will be thrilled. How can she blame
me at that time?” She sat in front of the dressing table while the maids
were dressing up her.

“Second Young Lady, the First Madam is still in Buddha Hall…” Mother
Chen also wanted to persuade her, but Ning Yuling was tired of it. She
said to the two maids standing behind the door, “Stop her mouth. If I
hear her nonsense again, I’ll beat you together.”

The two maids dared not disobey Ning Yuling’s order. One came and
pressed Mother Chen’s hands, and the other stuffed a cloth towel into her
mouth. Mother Chen was old and could not stop the two maids. She was
dragged aside and could only watch Ning Yuling going out after dressing
up.

Last time, the Third Prince just stayed for a short time. So this time Ning
Zu’an invited the Third Prince to have lunch in Lord Protector’s Manor.
Fortunately, the Third Prince agreed to stay for lunch. However, the fly
in the ointment was that they could not get rid of Marquis of Ping’an
who was as sticky as sticky candy.

Marquis of Ping’an had come to talk about the unity by marriage, but
Ning Zu’an ignored him and directly asked him to talk about it with
Madam Dowager. Everyone knew that Madam Dowager was powerful
and could defeat ten people like Marquis of Ping’an together.
Unexpectedly, Madam Dowager asked people to tell Ning Zu’an that
Marquis of Ping’an had a jade pendant of Lord Protector’s Manor, which
made Ning Zu’an very angry.

“It must be Madam Ling’s work, otherwise it is impossible for Marquis

of Ping’an to have this jade pendant!”

The meaning in Marquis of Ping’an’s words made both Madam Dowager

and Ning Zu’an nervous. So Ning Zu’an talked to Marquis of Ping’an for
a while when he came out of womenfolk courtyard to look for him. But
he wished that Marquis of Ping’an could leave as soon as possible.
However, Marquis of Ping’an moved ahead with ten-step-forward when
Ning Zu’an moved one-step-backward and did not leave.

He also said that he would leave with the Third Prince. The Third Prince
stayed for lunch, so did he.

Fortunately, Marquis of Ping’an knew how to behave in a delicate

situation. When Ning Zu’an and the Third Prince were talking, he
seldom spoke and only smiled. If one did not look at his fat face, he or
she would not be very uncomfortable. Ning Zu’an directly ignored him
and toasted to the Third Prince.

Marquis of Ping’an was in a good mood today. He not only saw his
favorite beauty, but also hit on the way to stay for lunch with the Third
Prince. This was a great fortune. The Third Prince was supported by
many officials. If he became the emperor in the future, it could be said
that Marquis of Ping’an would put himself under the patronage of a
higher-up.

When he saw Ning Zu’an toasted the Third Prince, he also came to toast
the Third Prince. His daughter was a Beautiful Lady in the imperial
palace, so the Third Prince could not refuse him and had to drink, which
greatly aroused his enthusiasm. He, together with Ning Zu’an, proposed
toasts again and again. In the end, the Third Prince did not get drunk, but
himself was drunk.

Ning Zu’an asked servants to take him to the guest room to rest.
The Third Prince was also a little drunken, so he got up and said
goodbye.

Ning Zu’an respectfully accompanied the Third Prince to the gate, and
then returned to the study. He had drunk a lot before, so he also was
somewhat drunk. So he directly lied down in the study to have a rest.

Marquis of Ping’an was sleeping in the guest room that lied near the
second door. His young male servant, who had helped his master lie
down, was guarding outside the door. He felt bored and was napping.
Suddenly, he saw the face of a little maid coming out of the second door,
who waved at him and then hid behind the courtyard wall.

The young male servant did not understand for a moment. So he went
out and stretched out his head to look. But before he could see it, he was
knocked on his head and fell down involuntarily. Xinmei, who was at the
corner reached out to hold him and then dragged him to the back of a
tree inside the courtyard and let him sit behind the tree.

The tree was thick while the young male servant was only an eleven or
twelve years old boy. No one would see him when he sat behind the tree
while leaning against it.

After dealing with the young male servant quickly, Xinmei entered the
room through the slightly closed door. As soon as she entered, she smelt
the strong smell of liquor. She saw a big fat man lying in bed, who was
loudly snoring with his mouth open. Seeing that, Xinmei involuntarily
wrinkled her nose.

Knowing that the time was limited, Xinmei took out the sobering
medicine given by Ning Xueyan from her arms and picked up a cup of
cold tea on the table. Then she pinched Marquis of Ping’an’s nose with
one hand and made his mouth wider, and threw the medicine into his big
mouth and poured cold tea into it with the other hand.

Marquis of Ping’an swallowed it subconsciously, and the medicine went

into his throat immediately. Then cool water rushed down. After that,
Marquis of Ping’an coughed sharply and loudly.

The drunken Marquis of Ping’an woke up because of choke. He sat up

while covering his head, only feeling that everything in front of him was
unclear. He heard somebody was saying to him, “Marquis, don’t lie here.
This is the womenfolk courtyard. I’ll bring you to the menfolk courtyard
and rest there.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Marquis of Ping’an thought it was his young male
servant who was talking to him. So he nodded his head and got up while
coughing.

He still remembered that this was the Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning
Zu’an was powerful and influential, so he could not make any trouble
here. Although he was dizzy, he still had a clear mind. After taking
medicine and coughing for a while, he had become somewhat sober and
staggered to his feet.

“Go. Let’s… let’s go to menfolk courtyard!”

He staggered all the way, and did not see the road clearly. So he did not
know that he was taken to those paths where there were no people.
Xinwei would stop and let him rest as soon as she found that there was
someone far away. After several times, the medicine worked. Marquis of
Ping’an could see more and more clearly, but his brain was still not clear.

Marquis of Ping’an felt that his young male servant was unpleasant. He
was staggering, but the servant did not come to support him. At a corner,
Marquis of Ping’an could not walk anymore. He stopped, closed his
eyes, and scolded, “You bastard, come to help me!”

Xinmei said to Marquis of Ping’an on the outside of the corner in a low

voice, “Marquis, walk a little further ahead and you’ll see the house.
Then you go straight in. I’ll go somewhere to find hot water for you.”

“Go!” Hearing that it was not far away and the young male servant was
about to find hot water for him, Marquis of Ping’an forgave him. He
narrowed his eyes and saw there really was a house not far away. Then
he staggered forward.

Xinmei guarded outside alone and sneered when she saw Marquis of
Ping’an staggering into the house. It was exactly what her Young Lady
had thought. She was looking forward to her Young Lady’s next step…
Ning Yuling did not expect that she could not come out of the floral-
pendant gate. As soon as she left the Qingrong Courtyard, Madam
Dowager knew it. Madam Dowager was very angry and asked people to
stop her. So before she arrived at the floral-pendant gate, Mother Chen
had come with some servants and stopped her directly.

She said to Ning Yuling that Madam Dowager was asking for her!

Although Ning Yuling was not happy, she dared not disobey Madam
Dowager’s order. So she had to follow Mother Qin to Madam Dowager’s
Lucky Garden with unhappiness. On the way, she suddenly saw Ning
Xueyan passing by her with a pot of black chrysanthemum in hands.
Ning Yuling stopped at once when she saw the pot of black
chrysanthemum.

Ning Yuling recognized this potted black chrysanthemum, which was her
favorite one. The reason why she liked black chrysanthemum was that
the Third Prince liked it.

“Ning Xueyan, do you want to die? How dare you touch my flowers!”
After giving a look at the direction Ning Xueyan was going and the
black chrysanthemum Ning Xueyan was holding, Ning Yuling was very
angry. She could not pass the second gate. But Ning Xueyan dared to
please the Third Prince with her flowers. How could Ning Yuling not be
extremely angry?

Ning Yuling got angry at once. She stopped and reproached Ning
Xueyan while pointing at her.
Chapter 117 One Show after
Another
Hearing Ning Yuling’s questions, Ning Xueyan stopped and faintly said
with a slight smile on her face, “Second sister, I’ll show this flower to
grandmother. Don’t you want to show it to grandmother?”

“Show it to grandmother? Is this the way to Lucky Garden?” Ning

Yuling unconsciously sneered and scolded while making an akimbo
gesture, “You little bitch, how dare you lie to me!”

“Some parts of this flower are not good-looking. So I want to trim it in

the front garden before sending it to grandmother. Second Sister, what
are you suspicious of?” Ning Xueyan slightly raised her chin to point to
the right front place. There was a garden house where there was some
equipment used to trim the flower.

Ning Yuling found what Ning Xueyan said was reasonable. She still
wanted to make unreasonable noises, but she also knew that this time
was not appropriate. Besides, Mother Qin also was there. But she was
unwilling to give up in front of Ning Xueyan who she despised most,
especially when she saw the anxiety in Ning Xueyan’s eyes. She was
sure that Ning Xueyan had a plan.

The Third Prince had not left at this time, and Ning Xueyan was in such
a hurry. Ning Yuling thought that Ning Xueyan must want to try to
seduce the Third Prince with the black chrysanthemum. How could she
allow it to happen?

“What’s wrong with my flower? Does it humiliate you? I think it’s

beautiful. If you really want to show it to grandmother sincerely, come
with me to see her now. Don’t talk so much nonsense!” Ning Yuling
glanced at Ning Xueyan with an angry face.

“Little bitch, you want to seduce the Third Prince when I’m absent.
There’s no way!”
Ning Xueyan turned to Mother Qin and said with embarrassment on her
face. “Mother Qin, is it appropriate for me to go at this time?”

The reason why Madam Dowager called Ning Yuling was that she was
going to teach her a lesson. It would be very inappropriate for Ning
Xueyan to go at this time. One would not disturb Madam Dowager at
this time as long as he or she was foresighted.

“Why would it be inappropriate? Is it appropriate for you to go out and

seduce the Third Prince now?” Ning Yuling scolded mercilessly!

Ning Yuling wanted to seduce the Third Prince, so she thought that Ning
Xueyan had the same idea. Seeing hesitant Ning Xueyan, Ning Yuling
believed that her guess was right. Immediately, she glared at Ning
Xueyan and shrieked.

Almost half of the people in the garden could hear the scream. Some
maids and older female servants passed by looked over and then fled in
fear when they saw the Second Young Lady.

Her words were more and more unpleasant to hear. If people heard two
Young Ladies of Lord Protector’s Manor had no shame and talked about
seducing man, how would they think about Lord Protector’s Manor?

“Fifth Young Lady, come with us!” Mother Qin felt distressed. Now she
just wanted to take the Second Young Lady to Madam Dowager’s place
without causing any more trouble.

“Well… okay!” Ning Xueyan ignored Ning Yuling. She nodded, turned
around, and followed Mother Qin and others to Lucky Garden with the
flower in her hands.

Nobody noticed that Ning Xueyan had sneered when she turned around!

How could Ning Yuling let go of Ning Xueyan when she saw her
walking to the second door with black chrysanthemum…

When they arrived at the Lucky Garden gate, Xiangmiao, Madam

Dowager’s maid, was standing in the courtyard and waiting for them.
Seeing Ning Yuling coming, Xiangmiao loudly said while pointing to the
corridor, “Second Young Lady, Madam Dowager asked you to wait
here.”

It was the severity shown by Madam Dowager to Ning Yuling.

“You also want to stop me? Grandmother asked me to come, why should
I wait outside?” Ning Yuling refused to obey. She had been spoiled by
Madam Dowager and Madam Ling and always was domineering. She
could ask people to wait outside. But she could not be asked to wait
outside.

She directly poked Xiangmiao’s head with her one hand on which
fingernails were red.

Several red prints appeared Xiangmiao’s head, which made her

somewhat angry. She was the First Maid of Madam Dowager. And
Madam Ling had to respect her at ordinary times. “Second Young Lady,
this is Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden. Even though First Madam is
here, she also has to wait for Madam Dowager’s permission to enter.”

But she was slapped by Ning Yuling as soon as she finished that. “Little
bitch! You dare to threaten me with my mother and grandmother!”

Ning Yuling usually beat and scolded her maids at will. Even some had
been beaten to death or sold to private brothels. Now she was not in a
good mood, so she would certainly vent her anger on Xiangmiao.

Xiangmiao was the powerful First Maid serving Madam Dowager, and
she had never suffered this kind of humiliation. She covered her face for
a while and almost fainted. Her lips were trembling, and she could not
say a word.

“Let her in!” Madam Dowager’s cold angry voice came from the room.

Ning Yuling sneered while glancing at the Xiangmiao with pride. Then
she pushed the crowd away and went inside.

Ning Xueyan hesitated for a second and followed Mother Qin in.

“Grandma!” Ning Yuling entered first, and saluted Madam Dowager. But
she directly straight up before Madam Dowager responded. Seeing that,
Madam Dowager darkened her face more.

Ning Yuling asked with unhappiness, “Grandma, why did you call me
over at this time?” If it had not been for Madam Dowager, she would
have met the Third Prince.

Madam Dowager coldly said while looking at Ning Yuling, “Why didn’t
you stay in your own courtyard? What are you going to do? Now you
even make noise here. It’s outrageous!” Her face became worse and
worse.

Seeing Madam Dowager’s gloomy face and hearing her harsh words,
Ning Yuling felt guilty. She looked around and saw Ning Xueyan who
was standing respectfully on one side with the flower in her hands.
Immediately, she had an idea. She reached out to point to Ning Xueyan
and angrily scolded, “Grandmother, it’s her fault. She wants to seduce
the Third Prince with the potted flower as soon as she heard that the
Third Prince would have lunch in Lord Protector’s Manor today. Look at
her, how terrible she is. Does she deserve to have such an idea?”

Ning Yuling slandered Ning Xueyan and dumped the blame on her. The
more she said, the more she felt that Ning Xueyan was shameless and
low. She was even more furious to see Ning Xueyan standing there
indifferently.

“If I knew that you have this in your mind, I should have asked my
mother to send you to a brothel to serve men.”

Hatred of Ning Xueyan, for old and new wrongs, welled up in Ning
Yuling’s heart. For momentary pleasure, she spoke without thinking. She
had already forgotten that this is Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden.

“Pa!”

Ning Yuling’s curse stopped abruptly. She looked at Madam Dowager in

disbelief while covering her face with one hand.

“Enough! You’re the Second Young Lady, how could you say those
bestial words? How did your mother teach you? You look like a shrew of
ill-breeding. How can you marry into Commandery Prince Li’s Manor if
you behave like that?” Madam Dowager slapped Ning Yuling and
scolded her fiercely. She was so angry that her face turned livid.

For the first time, she heard her spoiled granddaughter scolding people as
a shrew. Although she knew that Ning Yuling was vicious in private, she
still spoiled Ning Yuling because she was beautiful and always pleasing.
Madam Dowager also thought that a woman would be bullied if she was
too weak in womenfolk courtyard.

But she had never thought that Ning Yuling’s behaviors were worse than
those of a shrew.

Ning Yuling was beaten by Madam Dowager for the first time so that she
was shocked at the moment. She immediately cried in a grievance,
“Grandma!”

… Madam Dowager was exasperated at Ning Yuling’s failure to make

good. She pointed at Ning Yuling and scolded, “Shut up! If you’re as
one-tenth clever as of your Fifth Sister, I won’t slap you today. Look at
what you said and did, are you still the Second Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor? You not only slapped my maid, but also scolded your
sister. You’re sisters, but you call her bitch again and again. Do you still
know that I’m here?”

Ning Yuling ruefully said with tears in her eyes, “Grandma…”

“Apologize to your Fifth Sister!” Madam Dowager rebuked coldly.

Ning Xueyan had been standing on one side to look at them. However,
she was suddenly mentioned, so she had to say, “Grandmother, it’s my
fault. I thought that the black chrysanthemum is beautiful, so I decided to
bring it to you. Unexpectedly, I made Second Sister misunderstand.”

Madam Dowager said with a gloomy face, “She misunderstood? I think

that she wanted to seduce the Third Prince, but now dumps the blame on
others. She’d better know who she is. If it weren’t for your father,
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li wouldn’t agree to marry you.
How dare you seduce the Third Prince now? If you go on like that, you’ll
be hated by Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li after you marry into
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor!” Her words were harsh, which made
Ning Yuling dare not say a word.
Ning Yuling was scolded by Madam Dowager so much that she could
say nothing. And her expression was aggrieved and pitiful. But her look
at Ning Xueyan was more and more malicious.

“Grandmother, Second Sister and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince

Li are in love with each other. I believe that Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li won’t treat Second Sister like that.” Ning
Xueyan comforted Madam Dowager with a smile on her face, as if she
did not see Ning Yuling’s fierce look.

“Only Xueyan is sensible. Inform Concubine Xu of taking some money

from my pocket-money to Xueyan every month.” Madam Dowager
sighed, took Ning Xueyan’s hand, and let her sit down. “The Lord
Protector’s Manor looks decent, but it’s actually seeming decent. We
can’t ally with the Third Prince by marriage, which makes many people
laugh at us. Look at your Second Sister, and she’s not foresighted. I can’t
depend on her.”

Madam Dowager became sadder as she said, and her eyes turned red.
She took the handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes. It seemed that
she really was sad, and there were tears in her eyes.

Mother Qin came to comfort Madam Dowager in due course. She stood
beside Madam Dowager and said to her in a soft voice, “Don’t be sad,
Madam Dowager. Isn’t there the Fifth Young Lady? The Fifth Young
Lady is clever. She will certainly understand your meaning and won’t go
against your meaning. If our Lord Protector’s Manor becomes better and
more powerful, they will receive more support from us and won’t be
bullied.”

“But Yan’er is still young, and she just lost her mother. I… I love her
dearly. The Lord Protector’s Manor is sorry for her!” Madam Dowager
sighed and looked at Ning Xueyan with benevolence. It almost made
people believe that Madam Dowager really loved Ning Xueyan. Looking
at this, Ning Yuling became jealous and angry. She wished she would
tear Ning Xueyan.

“Madam Dowager, Fifth Young Lady will understand you. You can rest
assured!” Mother Qin comforted Madam Dowager while winking at
Ning Xueyan. She wanted Ning Xueyan to comfort Madam Dowager as
well.
Madam Dowager acted in front of Ning Xueyan again. Looking at her
performance, Ning Xueyan showed coldness in her black jade-like eyes
for a second. Marquis of Ping’an threatened Madam Dowager with a
jade pendant and she agreed his request as expected.

Sure enough, Madam Ling knew Madam Dowager well. She knew that
Madam Dowager would sacrifice Ning Xueyan without hesitance!

Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind, but she did not show it on her face.
She gave a look at Madam Dowager, and then at Mother Qin with a
blank expression, as if she did not know what they were talking about.
“Grandmother, what happened?”

Of course, she would act with them. Otherwise, good play would not
come…
Chapter 118 Ning Yuling Speaks
Without Thinking and Falls into
the Trap Step by Step
When Ning Xueyan asked what had happened, Madam Dowager
immediately said, “Yan’er, Marquis of Ping’an came to Lord Protector’s
Manor today to propose a marriage!”

Ning Xueyan asked innocently with a blank face, “Propose a marriage?

To Third Sister or Fourth Sister?”

Ning Xueyan’s question stunned Madam Dowager who then could not
answer. The Third Young Lady and Fourth Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor were not married yet. So generally speaking, Ning
Xueyan had nothing to do with Marquis of Ping’an’s proposal of
marriage.

Mother Qin immediately said with a smile on her face, “Fifth Young
Lady, if it were the Third Young Lady and Fourth Young Lady, Madam
Dowager wouldn’t have felt embarrassed. But Marquis of Ping’an said
he wants to marry you. You’re still young. Madam Dowager doesn’t
want you to get married at a young age.”

Mother Qin just said that Madam Dowager wanted to keep Ning Xueyan,
but did not mention that Marquis of Ping’an was old enough to be her
grandfather. They actually wanted Ning Xueyan to marry an old man.

Furthermore, Marquis of Ping’an liked going to brothels and flirting with

women, which should be made clear to Ning Xueyan. But Madam
Dowager did not mention it at all and regarded her as a weak girl who
knew nothing and fooled her. Madam Dowager was Ning Xueyan’s
grandmother, but she never had any family affection towards Ning
Xueyan. And Ning Xueyan had never sensed any warmth in Lord
Protector’s Manor. She only smelt the smell of rot…
“Why does the Marquis of Ping’an want to marry me?” Eventually, Ning
Xueyan could not contain herself any longer. She asked Madam
Dowager in confusion with her big eyes blinking.

Madam Dowager was unable to answer again. “Maybe he heard that you
had a good reputation!”

“I’ve been in Bright Frost Garden all the time in recent years. Even the
people in Lord Protector’s Manor don’t know me. It’s unexpected that
people outside Lord Protector’s Manor know my good reputation!” Ning
Xueyan looked very surprised.

Madam Dowager, whose face always was calm, became blushed by Ning
Xueyan’s words.

Ning Xueyan had been in Bright Frost Garden all the time. People
outside did not know there was a Fifth Young Lady in Lord Protector’s
Manor. How could there be a good reputation of Ning Xueyan? People
of the noble families in the capital only knew that there were four Young
Ladies in Lord Protector’s Manor. Apart from the Fourth Young Lady,
the other three were born of Lord Protector’s Legal Wife and Co-wife.
They also knew that all of them were beautiful and the Third Young
Lady was the most filial and knowledgeable.

If it hadn’t been for this incident, even Madam Dowager herself would
have forgotten that there was another Young Lady in Bright Frost
Courtyard.

“Maybe Marquis of Ping’an heard that you had fainted because of

sorrow in front of Madam Ming’s temporary memorial tablet. Then he
knew that you’re a filial daughter. So he specially came today to propose
a marriage.” Madam Dowager had experienced a lot. She quickly
thought of an explanation and then explained to Ning Xueyan with a
calm face.

“Because of what had happened in my mother’s funeral?” Ning Xueyan

did not ask any more questions, but repeated what Madam Dowager said.

“Yes, it must be at that time. I was wondering why Marquis of Ping’an

mentioned the Fifth Young Lady and wanted to marry you. It turned out
that he had taken a fancy to the Fifth Young Lady at that time. Fifth
Young Lady will be the marchioness after she marries into Marquis of
Ping’an’s Manor.”

Mother Qin seemed to be enlightened suddenly. She clapped her hand

forcefully and said with a smile on her face.

“Yan’er, Marquis of Ping’an is a little older than you, but fortunately he

really likes you. After you marry him, you’ll be the hostess of Marquis
of Ping’an’s Manor and the marchioness with grade. Your future life will
be happy.” Madam Dowager also smiled and said something nice, as if
Ning Xueyan really would live a happy life in Marquis of Ping’an’s
Manor in the future.

Ning Xueyan looked down to hide the sarcasm in her eyes. How could
Madam Dowager say that? Was it good for a fourteen-year-old girl to
marry an old man of seventy or eighty? They went on too far in bullying
Ning Xueyan.

But now she wanted to lead Madam Dowager to say. The better and
spoonier Marquis of Ping’an was in her description, the more disgraceful
the things that were going to happen would be and the harder it would be
for her to justify herself. And Ning Xueyan also wondered the origin of
the jade pendant…

Listening to Madam Dowager’s description of her future happy life in

Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor, Ning Xueyan pretended to show happiness
and shyness on her face. She also deliberately gave a proud look at Ning
Yuling.

“Marquis of Ping’an… Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li…” Ning

Xueyan blushed when she said that. Although she did not express her
meaning clearly, her meaning was understood by all the people present.

A trace of displeasure flashed through Madam Dowager’s eyes. Neither

Marquis of Ping’an Hou nor Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li
was her ideal grandson-in-law. Ning Yuling had been supposed to marry
the Third Prince. Allying with the Third Prince by marriage would bring
great benefits to Lord Protector’s Manor.

Madam Dowager’s eyes landed on Ning Xueyan’s face. Today, Ning

Xueyan’s makeup was not outstanding, especially her heavy bangs which
almost covered half of her small white jade-liked face. But Madam
Dowager knew that the face under the bangs was the most beautiful in
the manor.

When Madam Ming died, Ning Xueyan was still thin and weak. At that
time, she looked pale and was just a child who had not grown up. After
months of conditioning, she looked better. Although her face was still a
little pale, everyone could see that she would be a beautiful woman in the
future.

If such a beauty could be sent to noble families, Lord Protector’s Manor

would get lots of help in the future. Unexpectedly, Marquis of Ping’an
had taken a fancy to her. The more Madam Dowager thought about it,
the more regretful she was. It was a treasure of great value, but it could
only be sold as a counterfeit. Therefore, Madam Dowager was very
depressed.

Madam Dowager was unhappy, but she did not show it. However, there
was somebody directly vent her anger!

Ning Yuling could not control herself anymore. In Lucky Garden, she
was always the center. However, today, Madam Dowager ignored her.
She only talked with Ning Xueyan and also said that Ning Xueyan would
be the marchioness as soon as she got married. In addition, Ning Xueyan
glanced at Ning Yuling from time to time, which Ning Yuling thought
was a provocation to her.

At this time, Ning Xueyan also mentioned Princely Heir of Commandery

Prince Li. Ning Yuling thought she was showing off in front of her.
Immediately, she got angry and forgot that she had been scolded by
Madam Dowager just now. She stepped forward and shouted while
pointing at Ning Xueyan, “Marquis of Ping’an is just a useless old man
who only knows beer and skittles every day. Does he deserve praise?
Everyone in his manor, old and young, women and men, is filthy. After
you marry into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor, I wonder whether you’ll
serve the old or the young, or you’ll sever them together. Everything is
possible.”

Ning Yuling blurted out what Madam Ling had said to her. She just
wanted to humiliate Ning Xueyan at this time, and did not think about
the consequences of saying these words.
The shyness on Ning Xueyan’s face disappeared at once. She turned
pale, as if she had been frightened. She said while shivering, “Second
Sister… are you… are you talking about Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li?”

“Bullshit! Unlike Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor, Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Li’s Manor is clean. I heard that Marquis of
Ping’an’s last wife had had amours with his sons. After you get
married…” Looking at Ning Xueyan’s face, Ning Yuling became more
and more exciting, as if she wanted Ning Xueyan to die of shyness.

“Enough!” Madam Dowager pounded on the table heavily and her face
was livid. Hearing that Ning Yuling’s words became more and more
unpleasant to hear, she could not help shouting angrily, “What are you
talking? Apologize to your Fifth Sister!”

“Grandmother, this is true. Mother said that woman will be filthy as long
as she marries into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor. No one can survive if he
or she wants to keep innocent. But as long as they survive, they will
become filthy!” Ning Yuling was stimulated by the fear of Ning
Xueyan’s face and forgot that she was talking to Madam Dowager.

Ning Yuling lost herself in abusing Ning Xueyan while pointing to her.
She thought that she had been framed by Ning Xueyan so that she was
scolded by others recently and could not go to the menfolk courtyard to
see the Third Prince. And she was relieved when she saw Ning Xueyan’s
pale face.

“Servants, come here! Take her away and put her into Buddha Hall to
lock her up with her mother!” Madam Dowager angrily pounded the
ground with her walking stick.

“Grandmother, don’t punish the Second Sister to the Buddha Hall,

please. It’s just a dispute between sisters. It’s not a big deal. I… I heard
that it’s extremely cold in the Buddha Hall. How could Second Sister
tolerate that?” Ning Xueyan persuaded Madam Dowager with fear. It
seemed that she was worried about Ning Yuling.

But no one saw that there were no tears in her black eyes. There was
only a cold smile.
Ning Yuling was scolding Ning Xueyan. But Madam Dowager said that
it was just an argument between sisters. So it was little possibility that
Madam Dowager would punish Ning Yuling. Maybe Madam Ling and
Ning Yuling would frame up Ning Xueyan and charge her with
deliberate provocation. Therefore, Ning Xueyan had to get rid of this
matter first and it was necessary for her to persuade Madam Dowager.

Two maids came and were about to take away Ning Yuling who was
unwilling to leave. She struggled with anger and her eyes turned red
because of anger. “Grandmother, you’re partial. You’re partial to this
little bitch. Mother said that she would be a plaything after she marries
into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor. Why are you partial to her?”

If she did not go on scolding, she would be taken to the Buddha Hall
where Madam Ling was by maids at most. Madam Ling was her
biological mother and had always spoiled her. So Madam Ling would not
do anything to her. But now, she was facing the dignity of Madam
Dowager and challenging her prestige. She actually dared not listen to
Madam Dowager in front of so many servants.

How could Madam Dowager not be angry? Furthermore, Ning Yuling,

who was so foolish that she still could not see the fury in Madam
Dowager’s eyes, pushed aside the two maids and shouted while staring at
Madam Dowager with red eyes and stamping, “Grandmother, you’re
partial. You’re partial. I’ll tell my mother!”

Ning Yuling had always been arrogant and spoiled by Madam Ling. She
was domineering in Lord Protector’s Manor. Usually, Madam Dowager
and Madam Ling were partial to her. At this time, when she saw that
Madam Dowager was not partial to her, she subconsciously turned to
Madam Ling. She felt that Madam Ling would definitely stand by her
wholeheartedly to deal with Ning Xueyan.

Her words undoubtedly irritated Madam Dowager. It turned out that

Madam Dowager was no better than Madam Ling who came from a
normal family in Ning Yuling’s mind. Madam Dowager, who had always
considered herself noble, could not endure that and became very angry.
She pushed away Mother Qin who was about to support her and stared at
Ning Yuling with great anger.
“Take the disobedient and unfilial girl to the Buddha Hall. I want Madam
Ling to explain how she raised her daughter!”

Madam Dowager was extremely angry this time, and thought it was
Madam Ling’s fault. Ning Yuling said that it was Madam Ling who told
her. Madam Dowager originally did not want her granddaughter to marry
Marquis of Ping’an. If Madam Ling had not agreed and given that jade
pendant to Marquis of Ping’an, how could Madam Dowager accept
Marquis of Ping’an’s demand?

Madam Dowager had not persuaded Ning Xueyan to marry Marquis of

Ping’an, and Ning Yuling unexpectedly jumped out and made it worse.
Madam Dowager vented all her anger on Madam Ling. She only felt that
Madam Ling had not taught Ning Yuling well so that she was unruly.

Seeing that Madam Dowager was really angry, two older female servants
came over and held Ning Yuling’s arms to stop Ning Yuling from
struggling. After that, someone came over and whispered in Ning
Yuling’s ear. Only then did Ning Yuling stop talking with a red face.
Seeing that, Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind. It seemed that there were
more than one of Madam Ling’s people in Lucky Garden.

Unfortunately, all of them were of low grade and could not speak in front
of Madam Dowager. So they could only watch Madam Dowager,
together with a large group of people and Ning Yuling, walking to
Buddha Hall with a stick.

Ning Xueyan smiled and followed them with her maids!

Chapter 119 The Unexpectedness
in Buddha Hall
Madam Dowager arrived at Buddha Hall with a group of people. When
they got there, she found that no one could be seen at the entrance of
Buddha Hall and the door was slightly closed. She did not think much
about it and asked Mother Qin to open the door at the moment.

The door was pushed open heavily and the maids who stood ahead
immediately screamed while covering their faces. Madam Dowager was
standing in the middle and could not see it at first. After the maids
scattered, the scene inside was immediately presented in front of
everyone.

There was a man, a fat and ugly old man, lying on the ground in Buddha
hall. He was sleeping while holding Madam Ling in his arms.

“This… this… Go… go to separate them quickly.” Seeing that, Madam

Dowager was so shocked that she almost fell down. The muscles on her
face trembled and her fingers shook unconsciously. She gritted her teeth
and whispered to Mother Qin, asking her to separate them quickly so that
no more people could see it.

The Marchioness lay in Buddha Hall while holding a man. If this were to
be spread out, everyone from Lord Protector’s Manor would lose face.

Mother Qin knew Madam Dowager’s intentions immediately. She

entered Buddha Hall quickly and was about to close the door.

“What happened to mother?” Ning Xueyan muttered because she stood

behind them and did not see it.

She stood quite close to Ning Yuling. Both of them were behind the
crowd and could not see the front.

Ning Yuling only heard the maids ahead scream, and later Madam
Dowager said something she did not hear clearly. When she was trying
to figure out what it meant, she heard Ning Xueyan mutter. Immediately,
she became startled and pushed aside the two older female servants in
front of her while screaming, “Mother, mother, is something wrong with
her?”

No one expected that she would suddenly rush out. And Madam
Dowager, who was standing ahead, was almost pushed down. The maids
and older female servants around her were in a hurry to help her. It was
instantly in chaos. Some were squatting, some were standing, and some
were half-squatting. All kinds of gestures could be seen.

Mother Qin, who wanted to close the door to deal with the incident
inside, was knocked down by the door, which was opened suddenly. She
held her waist while groaning in pain and could not get up for a moment.

When the door was totally opened, Ning Yuling suddenly stopped calling
Madam Ling. Without the person in front, the people outside
immediately saw the two people who were hugging each other inside.
Furthermore, Madam Ling happened to open her eyes and look around
blankly. Then she looked at the startled Ning Yuling. She still did not
know what was going on.

Madam Ling stayed in Buddha Hall all the time. At noon, she enjoyed
the meal taken from the kitchen. After that, she got bored and fell asleep.

She did not expect to see so many people when she woke up.

“Ling’er, what happened?” Madam Ling became serious and asked Ning
Yuling with an unhappy face. She thought that Ning Yuling had caused
trouble again.

Before Ning Yuling could answer, a hand was stretched out suddenly
from Madam Ling’s back and she was pulled into the man’s arms. A
drunken man muttered behind her, “Beauty, what happened?”

Madam Ling heavily bumped into a strong and soft chest. She
subconsciously pushed backward and felt it was soft. Only then did she
realized something wrong. She turned around in shock and saw a man’s
old and fat face. Immediately, she screamed with alarm and
subconsciously struggled to push the man away.
Unfortunately, she was too shocked to get up for a while. Furthermore,
she was pulled by the man so that she fell into his arms again. But in
other people’s eyes, it was she who deliberately threw herself on the
man.

Seeing that her always holy mother was hugging an ugly old man and
that the two had no shame and misbehaved in front of so many people,
Ning Yuling stood there with changing expressions. She could not
endure it anymore. She pushed aside the people behind her and rushed
out while covering her face.

“Ling’er…” Madam Ling subconsciously cried out while pushing aside

the man. When she saw Madam Dowager’s fierce face, her face
immediately turned pale, as if her head had been splashed with cold
water.

Madam Ling turned around, reached out, and slapped the man’s fat face
severely. “Mother, Madam Dowager, I… I don’t know what’s going on.
I… I don’t know this man. How… how could he be here?”

She was in a hurry to prove herself innocent and did not see the man’s
face clearly. The man beside her was the Marquis of Ping’an. How could
she have never seen him before?

Madam Dowager took a long breath to suppress her anger. Then she said
to Mother Qin, who had made great effort to stand up, with a gloomy
gaze, “Go to… go to invite the marquis over and ask everyone else go
out.” Domestic shame should not be made public. So she could not vent
her anger now.

Mother Qin immediately drove the people out and asked someone else to
invite Ning Zu’an.

Ning Xueyan took a step forward, held Madam Dowager’s cold hand,
and said with concern, “Grandma, sit here first. I’ll call someone in to
serve you!”

“I don’t need that. Don’t go out. Help me sit over there.” Today, Madam
Dowager was so frightened that she was limp and could not walk. But
she did not want more people to see the scandal of Lord Protector’s
Manor. So she had to let Ning Xueyan support her. Anyway, Ning
Xueyan also saw it and was her granddaughter, who was closer to her
than others.

“Yes, Grandma!” Ning Xueyan agreed. She and Mother Qin supported
Madam Dowager on both sides and helped her walk to a chair on the side
of the small Buddha Hall.

The Marquis of Ping’an, who had been neglected, was woken up by

Madam Ling’s fierce slaps. Immediately, he turned to Madam Ling with
a dizzy mind and angrily shouted at her while covering his face, “Who?
Who dares to slap me?” At present, Madam Ling was the closet to him.
It seemed most likely that Madam Ling had slapped him.

“Who are you?” The Marquis of Ping’an was still in a daze now and had
not recovered his senses.

“You… you. Who led you here? This is the Buddha Hall of Lord
Protector’s Manor. Not everyone can come in!” Madam Ling recognized
the Marquis of Ping’an at this time and was very frightened by that. She
never expected the Marquis of Ping’an to be here. At present, both of
them were in an awkward situation. So she hastily gave a hint to the
Marquis of Ping’an.

“The Marchioness of Lord Protector’s Manor?” The Marquis of Ping’an

touched his dazed head and sensed that something was wrong. He looked
around and saw a small Buddha statue that always could be seen in the
Buddha Halls of some manors. Although he was not aggressive, he also
knew that something had happened and hurried to explain.

“I don’t know why I’m here. Someone brought me here to rest!”

“Marquis of Ping’an, tell me who led you here?” Madam Dowager’s face
was gloomy and her sharp eyes fell on the Marquis of Ping’an. But she
still was calm when she asked the Marquis of Ping’an. She had
suppressed her anger.

In order to prevent this matter from being spread, Madam Dowager had
driven out all maids and older female servants. Now there only were
Mother Qin and Ning Xueyan, who would certainly not gossip about this
at random.
“I… I can’t remember because I was drunk at that time… It seemed to be
a maid. Yes, it was a maid!” The Marquis of Ping’an did not dare say
that it was his young male servant who led him here. After thinking
about it, he decided to dump the blame on a maid of Lord Protector’s
Manor. After all, only women were allowed to enter the womenfolk
courtyard of Lord Protector’s Manor freely.

The Marquis of Ping’an did not know the truth and could only speak
casually. Ning Xueyan, who was standing aside, looked at Madam Ling,
who was tidying up herself in a hurry, with a cold smile on her face.

This kind of matter could not be clarified if there was no reliable

witness!

Similarly, they could not say that the Marquis of Ping’an and Madam
Ling had a personal relationship for the same reason. But that was
enough…

“You can’t remember? Marquis of Ping’an, would you like to call over
all the maids of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard? I wonder if you can find
out who it was if all of them are here.” Madam Dowager gave a sneer.

Madam Dowager’s remark was extremely unpleasant to hear. She stared

at the Marquis of Ping’an and Madam Ling and almost believed that they
had a private relationship.

It was no wonder that Madam Dowager suspected them. Although the

two did nothing when they were lying together, Madam Ling had given
the Marquis of Ping’an a jade pendant before and the Marquis of Ping’an
could not explain why he was here. Madam Ling had the ability to send
such a secret item as a jade pendant to the Marquis of Ping’an, who then
could threaten Lord Protector’s Manor with it. How could Madam
Dowager believe that it was a misunderstanding?

“Mother, it’s really not me… I, I don’t know why. I was so sleepy after
lunch today that I leaned over here to nap. I didn’t expect to see this after
I woke up. I… I don’t know why the Marquis of Ping’an is here… He,
isn’t he supposed to have left already?”

Madam Ling was shocked and turned pale. “Mother, I really know
nothing!”
“You were sleepy after lunch and you didn’t know what happened
afterward? Do you mean that someone deliberately drugged in your
food?” Madam Dowager coldly hummed and pounded the table angrily
while looking at Madam Ling with fierceness. Her eyes were full of
disgust for Madam Ling. There were no outsiders, so she did not need to
pretend to like Madam Ling.

“Mother Qin, bring in the older female servant who delivered food
today.”

“Yes. She works in Lucky Garden and happens to be here now. I’ll ask
her to come in.” Mother Qin nodded, went out, and soon brought in an
older female servant.

On seeing the angry and gloomy Madam Dowager, the older female
servant was very scared and knelt down as soon as she came in.

Madam Dowager asked her slowly, “You delivered Madam Dowager’s

food today. Is there anything wrong today?”

“I… I carried the food over. As usual, I guarded the food prepared for the
First Madam all the time and did not leave for a while,” the older female
servant answered while trembling. If it was caused by the food, she could
hardly absolve herself of the blame.

“Bullsh*t. There must be something wrong with the food. I never felt so
sleepy after eating. But today I lost consciousness after eating it. There
must be something wrong with the food.” The more Madam Ling
thought about it, the stranger she felt it was. She believed that there had
to be something wrong with the food.

“Did you come across anyone unusual who came to talk to you on
purpose?” Madam Dowager continued to ask.

“Did someone talk to me?” Madam Dowager’s words reminded the older
female servant. Her eyes brightened suddenly and she hastened to reply,
“Yes, Madam Dowager. Today someone deliberately talked to me. She
hasn’t spoken to me in the last few days. But today, she came to talk to
me for a long time. At that time, First Madam’s food was ready and I
was putting it into baskets.”
“Who?” Madam Ling did not expect that the path would wind along
mountain ridges. She immediately seized the hands of the older female
servant with excitement.

If Madam Ling could find out that it was someone who framed her today,
she would get rid of this matter. Moreover, she had an intuition that the
person who framed her was Ning Xueyan. Although she was standing
behind Madam Dowager and said nothing, Madam Ling could clearly
see mockery in Ning Xueyan’s eyes when she occasionally raised her
eyes.

“The maliciousness in your eyes can’t be hidden. Little bitch, how dare
you frame me? I’ll make you come to a bad end.”

“Mother, don’t hold her too tight. Otherwise, she’ll die!” Seeing Madam
Ling’s hateful eyes fall on her, Ning Xueyan smiled softly and reminded
her gently.
Chapter 120 A Beauty Is Still Less
Important Than Wealth and
Honor
Only then did Madam Ling find that she was too excited. She had pulled
the older female servant’s collar so tight that the older female servant
rolled her eyes and could not speak. Seeing that, Madam Ling
immediately let go and hastily asked, “Whose maid poisoned my food?
Tell us now!”

The older female servant coughed violently while covering her throat
forcefully as soon as Madam Ling let go. She did not expect Madam
Ling to hold her collar so tightly. Fortunately, the Fifth Young Lady had
reminded Madam Ling. Therefore, the older female servant bowed
slightly to Ning Xueyan to express her thanks while coughing.

But in Madam Ling’s eyes, the older female servant’s behavior convicted
Ning Xueyan of sin. She grabbed Madam Dowager’s sleeve with
excitement and said while pointing to Ning Xueyan, “It’s her, it’s her! It
was she who asked someone to poison my food and to lead the Marquis
of Ping’an into here. She wants to ruin my reputation. Mother, please
exercise justice for me.”

Madam Ling was in a state of great rejoicing and was overjoyed. She
only felt that Ning Xueyan had gone out for wool and come home shorn.
How could she not be overjoyed? At last, she found an opportunity to
deal with Ning Xueyan, which made her very happy. She even forgot
that what had happened between her and the Marquis of Ping’an in
Buddha Hall would certainly become a thorn in the side of Ning Zu’an
and Madam Dowager.

“Mother… what… what does that mean?” Ning Xueyan looked

frightened. She gave a look to Madam Dowager, whose face was
gloomy, and then to Madam Ling. She felt wronged and was at a loss. It
seemed that she really did not understand Madam Ling’s meaning.
“Mother, you see, she still denies it. She dares to frame me. Mother, you
have to exercise justice for me.”

Madam Ling cried out while pointing at Ning Xueyan. She was pretty
sure that it was Ning Xueyan who had framed her today.

Seeing that Madam Ling was so sure, Madam Dowager could not help
suspecting Ning Xueyan. She looked sideways at Ning Xueyan’s face
and asked coldly, “Xueyan, did you really do this?”

Even if Madam Dowager did not like Madam Ling, she still believed
what Madam Ling said and suspected her granddaughter. “Sure enough,
they won’t hesitant to dump the blame on me if there’s any possibility.
This is the so-called loving grandmother.” Ning Xueyan sneered in her
mind.

At last, the older female servant stopped coughing and stammered in a

hoarse voice, “Madam Dowager… it… it was the Second Young
Lady…”

Madam Dowager frowned and asked, “The Second Young Lady? Isn’t it
the Fifth Young Lady?”

“It’s not the Fifth Young Lady. It was the maid of the Second Young
Lady who stopped me and talked about the Third Prince with me. She
asked if the Third Prince was having lunch in the menfolk place. I didn’t
want to talk to her. But she kept asking me.” At that time, the people in
the kitchen were busy and it was in a mess. People from different
courtyards and marquis’s servants shuttled in and out of the kitchen.

The older female servant could easily remember Ning Yuling’s maid
because the maid had talked to her for a long time, which had made her
almost late to take food to Madam Ling and got her scolded by Madam
Ling.

“It’s Ling’er’s maid!” Madam Ling was very shocked and almost fell
down. “How could it be Ling’er’s maid? Isn’t it Ning Xueyan’s maid?

“How could it not be Ning Xueyan’s maid? There must be a

misunderstanding! No, I can’t let Ning Xueyan be free from this. There
must be some other clues.” But before she mentioned Ning Xueyan
again, Ning Xueyan acted first.

Ning Xueyan directly knelt down on one side and knocked heavily on
the ground. When she raised her head again, her face was full of
grievances and bewilderment. “Grandmother, I was wrong. I shouldn’t
have asked maids to take food from the kitchen when mother was going
to have lunch so that it aroused mother’s suspicion. Please punish me.”

“Bullsh*t. People of every courtyard went to the kitchen to take food at

noon. Do you mean that I also asked someone to poison you?” Madam
Dowager was furious. She pounded on the ground heavily with her
walking stick. Her gaze was cold and her voice came at Madam Ling like
a sharp sword.

Just before lunch, the master of every courtyard would ask people to
fetch food from the kitchen, which happened every day. Both people
from Ning Xueyan’s Bright Frost Garden and people from Madam
Dowager’s Lucky Garden were asked to fetch food at that time.

“Mother, I… I didn’t mean that!” Madam Ling was so anxious that she
tightly grasped the handkerchief and almost tore it.

“What else do you mean if you didn’t mean that? Ling’er’s maid talked
to your servant for a while, that is to say, Ling’er wanted to poison you!”
Madam Dowager asked Madam Ling with a cold look.

“No, I…” Madam Dowager made Madam Ling lose face, but she still
wanted to explain.

“Enough! You made such a mistake, but want to dump the blame on
Xueyan. What did she do to make you so unhappy that you try to frame
her again? Look at yourself, you should behave so improperly. Have you
ever considered the feelings of me and your husband?” Madam Dowager
said with anger while pulling up Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan took advantage of this opportunity to stand up while

holding Madam Dowager’s hands. Then she gently pulled Madam
Dowager’s sleeve and asked, “Grandmother, don’t blame mother first.
What should we do with him?”
Ning Xueyan was not in a hurry to deal with Madam Ling now because
she had not called off the marriage between her and the Marquis of
Ping’an, which was proposed by Madam Ling.

Madam Ling could not clarify today’s matter anyway. Qingyu first
mentioned the matter of the Third Prince with Ning Yuling’s maid, but
she did not talk about it in detail. She only said that people from Madam
Dowager’s Lucky Garden knew about it, then she did not talk to the
maid. How could the maid who was trying to please Ning Yuling not ask
the older female servant of Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden when she
saw her?

The food was still beside the basket and had not been put in it. And the
two were talking happily and did not notice that Qingyu had sprayed
powder on it when they did not pay attention to the food.

That powder was just some Chinese medicine powder with no odor. The
prescription provided by Aunt Xiang said that the medicine powder was
not real poison and would only make people feel sleepy. So a doctor
could not discover it.

Being reminded by Ning Xueyan, Madam Dowager immediately

returned to her senses. She turned to the Marquis of Ping’an, who was
trying to sneak away secretly, with a gloomy face and coldly said,
“Marquis of Ping’an, what’s your explanation?”

“I… I’m not… I really have no personal relationship with the

Marchioness. I just wanted to have a rest when I was drunk. I didn’t
expect that someone would lead me here.” The Marquis of Ping’an
stopped with embarrassment on his face and was at a loss for words
because of Madam Dowager’s question. He also could not clarify this
matter, but could only deny it.

“Do you think that you can be free of this just by saying that you’re not
clear about it? Since the Marquis of Ping’an is unwilling to give us an
explanation, I’ll go to the Imperial Palace and talk it to His Majesty,”
Madam Dowager said with anger. Then she stood up with her walking
stick and was about to walk outside.

“Mother, please don’t…” On seeing that trouble was imminent, Madam

Ling rushed over and reached out to stop Madam Dowager. She directly
knelt down with a pale look, teetering.

Now Madam Ling could not clarify it. If this matter was spread to the
Imperial Palace, her reputation would be totally ruined. After all, she
really had hugged a man in Buddha Hall regardless if there was a private
relationship between them. At that time, how could she live?

“Madam Dowager, you… don’t be impulsive. I… I’ll definitely give you

a satisfying explanation.” The Marquis of Ping’an was also in a great
hurry. Defiling someone’s wife was an extremely serious matter. Besides,
she was Ning Zu’an’s wife. How could Ning Zu’an let him off? Maybe
he would lose his title this time because of this matter.

Madam Dowager stopped and asked coldly, “A satisfying explanation?

Marquis of Ping’an, how will you give us a satisfying explanation?”

“How can I explain it?” The Marquis of Ping’an had said that on the spur
of moment. After that, he realized that it was hard to explain, and sweat
began dripping from his face.

“Marquis of Ping’an… I heard that you want to marry me. Is that true?”
Ning Xueyan asked him at the right time.

“No. How can I marry you? The one I want to marry is the Fourth Young
Lady. The Marchioness said that I should marry you, but I like the
Fourth Young Lady.” When he heard that it was Ning Xueyan who was
asking him, the Marquis of Ping’an subconsciously refuted. After that, it
seemed that he suddenly remembered something. Immediately, he
widened his mouth and his two ugly eyes stared, which looked like dead
fish’s eyes.

“Jade pendant… yes, the jade pendant. Madam Dowager, I’ll give it back
to you. The Marchioness said that the jade pendant is very important and
the Fourth Young Lady will certainly marry me if I propose marriage
with it.” The Marquis of Ping’an suddenly realized it now. In order to
please Madam Dowager, he told her everything Madam Ling had told
him. A beauty was good, but the Marquis of Ping’an knew that his
wealth and honor were much more important.

If this matter was spread out, he and Ning Zu’an would become enemies
of each other. Compared with the high-ranking and powerful Ning
Zu’an, the Marquis of Ping’an was a nominal marquis and was no match
for Ning Zu’an. The reason why he wanted to marry the Young Lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor was that he wanted to ally with Ning Zu’an.
Unexpectedly, instead of being relatives by marriage, they would
become enemies at this time.

The Marquis of Ping’an felt very regretful in his mind. If he had known
what would happen today, he would not have come to Lord Protector’s
Manor.

After that, he took out the jade pendant from his breast pocket and
handed it to Madam Dowager.

He just wanted to solve this problem at this time and had no time to care
about Madam Dowager and Madam Ling. Because of his words, Madam
Dowager was very angry and her face turned livid while Madam Ling
directly collapsed to the ground with a pale look and could not say a
word.

How could Madam Dowager not be embarrassed? She had told Ning
Xueyan that the Marquis of Ping’an loved her very much and insisted on
marrying her. She also said to Ning Xueyan that she would be the
Marchioness after she married the Marquis of Ping’an. Unexpectedly, in
order to get away, the Marquis of Ping’an had said everything out loud.
Most importantly, he did not like Ning Xueyan. The one he liked was
Ning Lingyun. Allying through marriage had nothing to do with Ning
Xueyan.

But what made her more upset was Madam Ling. This jade pendant was
of great importance. But Madam Ling gave it to an outsider and that
outsider threatened Madam Dowager with it, which Madam Dowager
could not endure. Even though there were other people here, Madam
Dowager hit Madam Ling on her shoulder with her walking stick, who
then fell to the ground and could not stand up for a while.

Mother Qin took the jade pendant to have a look and then nodded to
Madam Dowager.

“Madam Ling, I left the womenfolk courtyard in your hands. When there
were problems between you and Madam Ming, I did not interfere
because I thought they were not serious. After all, you’re the
Marchioness. The Marchioness must be powerful enough to hold her
place. But now in order to frame Yan’er, you dared to give the jade
pendant to an outsider and told him its meaning. You’re too unruly!”

Madam Dowager’s face looked very livid and she stared at Madam Ling
with anger. She said that word by word while gritting her teeth. It was
obvious that she was extremely angry.

Ning Xueyan looked at Madam Dowager with coldness in her eyes. It

was impossible that Madam Dowager did not know that Madam Ling
had killed Madam Ming. It turned out that the lives of Ning Xueyan and
Madam Ming were not serious in Madam Dowager’s mind and she did
not punish Madam Ling at all. Now, when it came to her own affairs, she
got very angry and almost wanted to kill Madam Ling. Madam Dowager
was so selfish.

For a moment, all the people kept silent, and the atmosphere in the room
was frightening.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open and Ning Zu’an appeared at the
door with a ferocious look on his face. Madam Ling, who had struggled
to stand up, immediately collapsed again.
Chapter 121 Like It or No
t

In front of the opened door, Ning Zu’an redirected his gaze from Madam
Ling to glare at Marquis of Ping’an. Blue veins were protruding on his
forehead.

The Marquis of Ping’an turned pale upon seeing his murderous rage. He
was so frightened that his legs were shaking and his soul was close to
flying out of him. He nearly joined Madam Ling in collapsing to the
floor. Forcing a fawning smile on his face, he said, “Lord… Lord
Protector… I swear it’s all a misunderstanding. I had too much to drink. I
don’t know how… I end up running here and… There’s nothing between
me… and Madam!”

He had always been a useless fool. This time, he suffered such a bad
fright that he couldn’t even form full sentences!

A miserable silence shrouded the interior and exterior of the building.

Ning Zu’an’s eyes were bloodshot. He was exuding such an icy air that
there was nearly no warmth at all. “You… dare do something like this?”

“No… You misunderstood us. There’s nothing between us, I swear!”

Thinking that Ning Zu’an didn’t believe him, the Marquis of Ping’an
was so panicked that his hands went flailing. The fleshy fat in his arms
shook with his every movement.

He was the only one at the scene who had mistaken what Ning Zu’an
meant.

Frowning, Ning Xueyan quietly stood in Madam Dowager’s shadow. No

one noticed the cold glint reflected in her dark pupils. It seemed that the
jade pendant was of great significance, so much so that it became Ning
Zu’an and Madam Dowager’s priority in this incident.

But all the better for her.

To be frank, the “affair” between Madam Ling and the Marquis of
Ping’an couldn’t stand up to scrutiny. Madam Ling couldn’t have fallen
for the old and hideous Marquis, who was no match for the middle-aged
but manly Ning Zu’an. Anyone with a working pair of eyes wouldn’t
betray Ning Zu’an for the Marquis of Ping’an.

Moreover, the Marquis of Ping’an made it clear that Madam Ling had
chosen him to be Ning Xueyan’s husband. Coupled with what Ning
Yuling said earlier, it couldn’t be more obvious that Madam Ling was
sabotaging Ning Xueyan. Since the Marquis of Ping’an was clearly no
favorable match, why would she get herself involved with him?

Thus, there must be a conspiracy behind all these.

Even though no one knew why Marquis of Ping’an was at the Buddha
Hall or why Madam Ling was sleeping in his embrace, it was evident
that they had fallen for someone’s trick. Madam Ling was sure it was
Ning Xueyan, but Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an were entertaining
other thoughts.

Regardless, it was an indisputable fact that Madam Ling privately

handed the jade pendant to the Marquis of Ping’an. It was likely that the
two of them had agreed to meet at the side room of the Buddha Hall to
discuss the pendant, only to fall into someone’s trap. Following this line
of thought, one would wonder if other people have found out about this
pendant as well.

How could Ning Zu’an not be angry after considering this?

Madam Ling’s face had turned a frightening shade of white. She raised
her head to see her husband, who had typically been kind to her, glaring
daggers at her. Immediately, she crawled over and kneeled in front of
him. She tugged at his sleeve and raised her face, revealing a pair of eyes
welled up with tears. She began crying tragically. “Marquis, I married
you in my teen years and have devoted myself to you since. It was an
accident that the jade pendant was sent away with other objects. I didn’t
expect… something like this would happen. Surely, someone is trying to
sabotage me and pin the blame on me. Marquis, you… you must uphold
justice for me!”
She rubbed her tears as she spoke. A crystal-like tear cascaded down her
delicate face.

Ever so subtly, Ning Zu’an’s face turned rigid. Madam Dowager was
shaking all over. Unable to control herself, she pointed to Madam Ling
and said, “How dare you make up lies! Now that things have come to
this, you still dare to say that someone is sabotaging you! If you have
refrained yourself, you wouldn’t have fallen for this! In this manor, who
would have the ability to sabotage you?”

Looking like the world had wronged her, Madam Ling looked at Madam
Dowager and sobbed, “Mother, please have mercy. Take the Lord into
consideration and refrain from such piercing words. No matter what, I’m
still his wife. If the household isn’t doing well, I won’t be doing well
either. Do I look like I lack so much judgment that I’d put the entire Lord
Protector’s Manor at stake? If something happens to the Marquis, won’t I
be in trouble as well?”

While speaking, she knocked her forehead on the floor loudly as she
kowtowed to Madam Dowager. By the end of it, a bruise had already
formed on her forehead.

Ning Zu’an’s expression inadvertently relaxed.

In the corner, Ning Xueyan rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help sneering
on the inside. It was no wonder that Madam Ming was no match for
Madam Ling. Even though Madam Dowager didn’t like her, she still had
to give her permission to make Madam Ling the Marchioness and was
even subdued into the housekeeper position. Sure enough, Madam Ling
had her set of wits and tricks with her.

With just words, she was able to overturn what was a blatantly obvious
situation and claim that she was framed instead.

Ning Xueyan gently tugged on Madam Dowager’s sleeve and tried to

speak up for Madam Ling. She whispered, “Grandmother, I believe
Mother is innocent. Someone must have framed her. Think about it. Even
though Fourth Sister and I aren’t her biological daughters, she has treated
us all the same.”
Even though she seemed to have said nothing of importance, that wasn’t
the case for Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an. Both their expressions
changed.

Madam Ling would never be sincere to Ning Xueyan. First, she killed
Madam Ming. Then, ill at ease even after Ning Xueyan left the Bright
Frost Garden, she poisoned the former’s medicine and even arranged
such an awful match for her. Worried that the family wouldn’t agree with
the marriage, she even gave away such an important jade pendant as a
betrothal gift.

Just because no one talked about it, didn’t mean no one knew about it.

What made Madam Dowager even angrier was that all it took was a few
words from Madam Ling to soften her son’s heart. That woman was bad
news, indeed! Moreover, she kept insisting that she was framed. In the
entire manor, Madam Dowager was the only one who could do this.
Evidently, Madam Ling was trying to pin the blame on her.

Had she known this would happen, she would near allow this woman to
marry into her family back then and cause so much trouble. Right now,
she was stewing in so much rage and resentment that her face was taking
on a purple sheen. She nearly fainted out of anger.

Seeing this, Mother Qin massaged Madam Dowager’s hand. Ning

Xueyan swiftly poured a cup of water and handed it to Mother Qin.
Mother Qin accepted the cup and helped Madam Dowager drink it. Only
then did Madam Dowager regain some calm.

“Mother Qin, let me take care of Grandmother,” Ning Xueyan said,

accepting the empty cup from Mother Qin.

Mother Qin nodded. She was an old mammy in the manor, as well as one
of the maids who came here as Madam Dowager’s wedding entourage.
Having gotten through some tribulations together in the past, her
relationship with Madam Dowager was naturally different. She was, of
course, livid to see Madam Ling angering Madam Dowager half to
death. Holding back the urge to step forward, she told Ning Zu’an,
“Marquis, may I ask First Madam a few questions?”

Ning Zu’an nodded.

“First Madam, I’m but an ignorant servant. Yet I know one has to speak
with proof. First Madam, you say someone is trying to frame you. Before
this, you claimed that it was Fifth Young Lady’s subordinate but we later
found out it was Second Young Lady’s servant. They insisted that it was
someone else and yet couldn’t explain themselves. If someone didn’t
bring the Marquis of Ping’an here, how would he know where this
secluded Buddha Hall is?”

The moment these words left her mouth, Madam Ling wasn’t the only
one who went pale. Even Ning Zu’an’s expression changed.

Mother Qin had been serving Madam Dowager in the inner courtyard for
many years and was well aware of the strife within. She knew how
Madam Ling insisted that Ning Xueyan was the culprit, only to let it up
when it was revealed to be Ning Yuling’s servant and even claim that
Ning Yuling was framed. Then came the jade pendant incident and the
Marquis of Ping’an’s quiet appearance in the Buddha Hall.

The Marquis claimed it was a maid who took him here, but couldn’t
point out who it was.

In the entire inner courtyard of the manor, there were only two people
who could most likely bring someone in without notice. Since it wasn’t
Madam Dowager, then it could only be Madam Ling.

Ning Zu’an looked at Madam Ling with a cold gaze filled with
disappointment. Panicked, Madam Ling tried to explain herself but
Mother Qin raced ahead of her to ask, “First Madam, you insist that
someone is trying to frame you. In the inner courtyard of the manor, the
only other person who can order people around without your knowledge
is Madam Dowager. The one Madam Dowager cares for the most is her
son; she chooses to accept it even when you do things that disgrace the
family name. And yet you accuse her of framing you. Don’t you think
you’re wronging Madam Dowager and the Marquis?”

The eloquent Mother Qin intentionally mentioned Ning Zu’an, making it

so that Madam Ling couldn’t say a word in retort.

Mother Qin’s words were so reasonable that Madam Ling panicked.

Putting on a pained look, she said, “Mother, the Marquis of Ping’an and I
are truly innocent. You may investigate if you please. I know nothing, I
swear. If you really discover an affair between us, I’d rather slam my
head on the wall and die inside the Buddha Hall to prove my innocence.”

Madam Ling wailed loudly. She climbed up from the floor, about to hit
her head on a nearby pillar.

Subconsciously, Ning Zu’an pulled onto her hand. She went with the
flow and leaned into his embrace. She sobbed even louder, looking
wronged.

Madam Dowager was so furious that she grabbed the cup in Ning
Xueyan’s hand and threw it to the floor. The crisp sound of shattering
glass gave everyone a fright. The Marquis of Ping’an kept his head even
lower still as he hid in a corner, not daring to even open his mouth.

Ning Xueyan stepped forward and rubbed Madam Dowager’s back. In a

placating tone, she said, “Cease your anger, Grandmother. You must pay
attention to your health.” She then turned to Ning Zu’an and said,
“Father, words won’t be able to settle this matter. Since things have come
to this, let’s all make a little compromise. It’s our family business, after
all. It wouldn’t be pleasant if this turns into gossip.”

Her words sounded like a piece of advice from a daughter to a father, and
yet when it reached Madam Dowager’s ears, it was like adding fuel to
her fire. How could Madam Ling demand an elder like her to
compromise after committing such a shameful act? Moreover, there was
some other conspiracy in play here!

She scoffed and said angrily, “Xueyan, there’s no need to advise your
father. We must investigate this or there’ll be no end to this calamity!”

Seeing such a determined Madam Dowager glaring at Madam Ling,

Ning Zu’an pushed away his wife with a darkened expression.

“Father, then let us follow Grandmother’s suggestion. We must not let

others find out about Mother’s emotional blackmail. Something like
this… is unfilial!” Ning Xueyan said.

Ning Zu’an’s heart sank after hearing this. It was a government servant’s
great taboo to commit an unfilial act. Even if the Emperor was unwilling
to name Prince Yi his heir, he must still acknowledge the latter’s status as
his royal brother. It was all because filial piety was the supreme law of
this world. Considering this, a deep coldness filled his gloomy
expression.

He looked so standoffish that Madam Ling, who tried to lean onto him
once again, dared not to step forward anymore.

“There’s an outsider here too…” Ning Xueyan didn’t have to finish her
sentence to prompt Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an to direct their gaze
to the Marquis of Ping’an, the only outsider in this place.

“Mother Qin, First Madam will stay in this temple and reflect on her
mistakes. She’s not to leave without Madam Dowager’s permission. As
for the Marquis of Ping’an,” Ning Zu’an said, promptly making his
decision. “Marquis, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s have our
conversation outside.”

Regardless of whether there was truly an affair between Madam Ling

and the Marquis, it was still a fact that the two of them were laying in the
same bed. Any man would feel a stab of pain. His heart had softened
because of Madam Ling’s tears earlier, but Ning Xueyan’s words
instantly sobered him.

Watching the Marquis of Ping’an trembling as he followed Ning Zu’an,

the corner of Ning Xueyan’s mouth lifted to form a subtle smirk. This
incident was much more severe than Madam Ling’s past deeds, to the
point that it was Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an’s taboo. Madam Ling
wouldn’t be in charge of the household until the end of the year, at least.
This was exactly what she needed.

Madam Ling wanted to be in-laws with the Marquis of Ping’an, didn’t

she? Now, like it or not, she had no other choice…
Chapter 122 Madam Ling Isn’t
an Easy Opponen
t

“Marquis…” Madam Ling called out for her husband affectionately. But
seeing Ning Zu’an leave without paying her any heed, her heart sank into
a pool of icy water. Knowing that she was in deep trouble this time, she
glared at Ning Xueyan in resentment. The most suspicious person in this
sudden affair was her.

Ning Xueyan wore a little frown, but her gaze was filled with aloof
mockery. Madam Ling had always wanted to tear her apart. Since that
was the case, she must give Madam Ling a great gift…

Madam Ling’s actions prompted Madam Dowager to say sternly,

“You’re the First Madam of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Do you think
you’re a concubine, to be making so much noise? Which madam in this
capital acts like you, to dare seduce her man after an episode like this?
What a wench.”

After signaling Mother Qin, she ignored Madam Ling and left while
holding onto Ning Xueyan’s hand.

“Grandmother, don’t be mad anymore. What families don’t have worries

in this capital? We should try and preserve peace in our family whenever
possible,” Ning Xueyan said, trying to comfort Madam Dowager as she
walked.

There was a faint smirk on her face. Never mind Madam Dowager, even
Ning Zu’an would despise Madam Ling following this incident. No man
would be able to stay above this. Even knowing that nothing had
happened between the two, it was still a fact that they had embraced each
other in the bed in the light of the day.

The biggest factor for Madam Ling’s rise from a concubine to First
Madam was Ning Zu’an’s affection for her. Now that this affection had
changed, how much longer could she keep her position?

Perhaps Madam Ling would never imagine that Ning Xueyan wasn’t
trying to make it look she had an affair with the Marquis of Ping’an, but
to make Ning Zu’an and Madam Dowager doubt her. Even without
evidence, some things could linger in one’s consciousness. Moreover,
Ning Xueyan’s biggest goal was having Madam Ling confined in the
Buddha Hall.

Sure enough, Mother Qin stayed behind to warn the older female servant
guarding the door. She even arranged for a few more servants to make
sure Madam Dowager’s order that no one was to see First Madam would
be well-executed. Only then did she left, walking behind Madam
Dowager.

When Ning Xueyan returned to the Bright Frost Garden, she found
Mother Han welcoming her with a bright smile. Her joyous expression
dimmed when she sensed Ning Xueyan’s cold gaze, and she immediately
shed away her grin. Then, she led Ning Xueyan into the house with the
proper conduct of a servant.

“You’re right, Young Lady. The Marquis wouldn’t forgive First Madam
so easily in a matter like this. Even if Eldest Young Lady and Second
Young Lady plead with the Marquis, it’ll be some time before First
Madam is released. Moreover, she’ll have lost the Marquis’ favor. It
won’t be as easy for her to harm you in the future.”

With quick steps, Qingyu served Ning Xueyan a cup of tea. Ning
Xueyan picked up the cup and took a sip. She said with a faint smile,
“Mother Han, it’s too early to celebrate. Madam Ling isn’t an easy
opponent.”

Ning Ziyan had her own troubles to sort out while Ning Yuling had lost
Madam Dowager’s favor. However, there was still Madam Ling’s son,
Ning Huaiyuan.

He was the hope of the entire manor. In her memories, this older brother
of his had always been very cold to her. When he saw Ning Yuling
bullying Ning Xueyan in the distance, he would turn around and walk
away as if he saw nothing. In several instances where Ning Yuling
ordered the servants to beat and scold her, and he happened to pass by,
she had looked at him hoping he would save her. Yet he had simply
ignored her each time.

Never mind any brother-sister affection. Like Madam Ling and her
daughters, Ning Huaiyuan considered her even less important than a
maid.

However, she couldn’t deny that the Eldest Young Master of the Lord
Protector’s Manor was quite the character. He studied abroad with his
teacher, a great scholar, at a young age and had quite the reputation in the
capital. Now that the year-end was closing in, he ought to be home soon.
He wouldn’t just leave it be once he learns that Madam Ling was
confined in the Buddha Hall.

Upon second thought, Mother Han found Ning Xueyan’s words to be

reasonable. Her smile faltered, and she started frowning instead. She
asked anxiously, “Is First Madam still targeting us? Should we do
something?”

Madam Ling had been managing the household for so many years. It
wouldn’t take more than a few instructions from her to deal with a young
lady with so few servants. This made Mother Han deeply worried.

“That won’t be necessary. She won’t have the time to deal with us when
someone else’s targeting her!” Ning Xueyan chuckled. Concubine Xu
might be obedient to Madam Ling as her former maid, but now that her
only daughter was going to marry an old pervert because of Madam
Ling, how could she bear no resentment…?

Ning Lingyun was sharp-tongued and mean. Concubine Xu schemed

with Madam Ling to sabotage her marriage. How could she let them
have their way? So, she decided to select a good match for Ning Lingyun
and turn them against each other.

Sunlight filtered through the window to land on her pale face, and yet
was incapable of melting the coldness in her eyes. Mother Han, Qingyu,
and the rest were stunned to see her. It was as if they were staring at a
demonic flower, a bewitchingly beautiful flower that would gradually
devour the preys that dare to infringe on her. Nothing would be able to
escape her clutches…
They ought to fear her, and yet she made them feel at ease instead. Only
a young lady like her could protect everyone here in the dog-eat-dog
environment of the inner courtyard.

Even the strong-willed Xinmei couldn’t help wondering just what kind
of experience had shaped Ning Xueyan’s coldness and apathy. It was as
if the previously childish Fifth Young Lady had crawled out of the hell
itself.

Fifth Young Lady wasn’t unlike an ordinary person. It was no wonder

that her Master left her with Ning Xueyan!

In the end, no word about Madam Ling and Marquis of Ping’an leaked.
The servants who saw them received stern warnings to keep their mouth
shut. The marriage between the Lord Protector’s Manor and Marquis of
Ping’an’s Manor was also nailed down, with the bride being the
concubine-born Ning Lingyun. However, as Ning Lingyun had
unmarried elder sisters, the two families did no more than the exchange
of betrothal gifts. The official wedding would be held at a later date.

This time, the Marquis of Ping’an had essentially tied himself to the fate
of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Zu’an thought it was a worthwhile
deal to buy his silence with a concubine-born daughter. It was just a
concubine-born daughter anyway.

Ning Lingyun’s position had always been lower compared to Ning

Yuling, who bore a far heavier responsibility.

Marquis of Ping’an was, of course, delighted to marry the beautiful lady

of his dreams. He had already tossed the matter about the jade pendant to
the back of his mind; it was something Madam Ling instructed him to
say, anyway. He was grateful enough that he achieved his goal without
suffering consequences from the incident with Madam Ling. On the
other hand, Ning Zu’an felt frustrated to be addressed as “father-in-law”.
Looking at such a plump face, he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy.

With a wave of his hand, he sent the Marquis of Ping’an away.

That night, Ning Lingyun’s courtyard was noisy with commotion, so

much so that it nearly alerted Madam Dowager. Concubine Xu had to
spend the night there to placate her daughter.
Ning Xueyan went to bed as soon as the lamps were lit for the evening.
Lanning stared at the bulging quilt inside the house and closed the doors
helplessly. After informing the other servants that their Young Lady had
fallen asleep, she returned to the house, closed the doors, and slept
outside the room.

Her eyes were closed, but she remained awake. That was because the one
sleeping inside wasn’t Ning Xueyan but a bundled quilt.

Ning Xueyan had followed Xinmei to sneak out of the Lord Protector’s
Manor. This was what she had promised Prince Yi.

Tonight, Prince Yi had some affairs that required Ning Xueyan’s

presence. Lanning didn’t know if it was a good thing for her Fifth Young
Lady to get involved with Prince Yi. However, Ning Xueyan had so few
supporters that her path was still treacherous despite her intelligence.
Today’s incident was a good example. If Xinmei wasn’t around, the
Marquis of Ping’an wouldn’t have fallen for their trap so easily.

If it was someone else, they would be discovered even if they were able
to lure the Marquis of Ping’an over.

Ning Xueyan was a smart one; she must have her reasons to get involved
with Prince Yi. This thought made Lanning feel a little calmer.
Compared to Ning Ziying, Ning Xueyan appeared even smaller and
frailer. The truth was that she was even more formidable, enough to
make Lanning trust her. Her Young Lady would surely have her reasons;
all she had to do was trust her.

Even so, she was still worried, and it kept her awake. She carefully
listened to the sound of activity inside the courtyard…

This time, Ning Xueyan was dressed as a maid. Instead of leading her in
through the front door, Xinmei jumped over the wall while carrying her.
The Bright Frost Garden was located in a remote corner of the manor, so
jumping across the wall would directly take them outside. Outside, a
horse carriage was waiting. Ning Xueyan entered the carriage with
Xinmei following suit behind her.

In the cover of the night, the carriage made several turns down the road
before arriving at the courtyard from before. They entered through the
backdoor. Once she closed the doors, Xinmei stood there and carefully
listened for any noise. Ning Xueyan stood beside her quietly, looking
indifferent. Her calmness made Xinmei nod to herself. This Fifth Young
Lady might be young, but she was garnering more and more of her
respect.

“Young Lady, allow me to dress you in a new set of clothes!” They

entered a room, where a lamp was illuminating a set of ornate clothing
made of snow-white cotton yarn. It was a gorgeous piece with an elegant
design of blood-red butterflies and looked even better with a jadeite head
ornament. With her cool expression, Ning Xueyan looked even more
bewitching dressed in it.

Xinmei combed Ning Xueyan’s fringe once again. Even though it was a
little on the short side, she still managed to press it down with a butterfly
hairpin. It was rather astonishing how alluring her delicate brows and
eyes could look if she put a little effort into her appearance. With such
temperament, behavior, and appearance, she would fully blossom in just
two years.

Xinmei couldn’t help complimenting this girl inside her mind. Her
Master was the most bewitchingly beautiful person that she knew, but the
Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor wasn’t inferior to him
by any means.

“Xinmei, is the Prince going somewhere? Or is he receiving a guest?”

Ning Xueyan asked placidly, as she took in the calm expression of the
gorgeous lady in the mirror.

“I’m in the dark myself. The Prince’s letter only says that you must come
here tonight. I’m thinking that perhaps the Prince is putting on a show to
meet a few people,” Xinmei answered as she combed Ning Xueyan’s
hair. Since she was away from Prince Yi recently, she wasn’t sure about
the exact details.

Ning Xueyan frowned and asked confusedly, “Doesn’t the Prince have
concubines?” Considering his status, Prince Yi could have any woman
that he wanted. Why did he ask her to pretend to be his favored
concubine?
“There are concubines in the manor, but they’re all bestowed by the
Emperor and the royal consorts. The Prince doesn’t like any of them and
settles them in some corner of the inner courtyard. He forbids them from
leaving on most days,” Xinmei explained, seeing as this couldn’t be
considered a secret.

Everyone knew that the Emperor and Prince Yi didn’t get along. There
was no way Prince Yi would want anything to do with the concubines
that the Emperor sent. Moreover, all those women tend to shiver when
they saw him. They couldn’t even get proper sentences out of their
mouth. It was incredibly displeasing to him.

She didn’t mention the reason was also Ao Chenyi’s bloodthirstiness.

Several of his concubines were beaten to death just days after entering
his manor. Who wouldn’t be obedient after seeing this?

“What’s the matter with the Third Prince and Prince Yi’s fight?” Ning
Xueyan asked calmly. That day, the Prince had sent over his people as if
he couldn’t be bothered it. It was truly strange!

Xinmei didn’t dare to answer that question, so she carefully explained,

“I’m not so sure myself. If you’re curious, you’ll have to ask the Prince.”
Chapter 123 The Beauties from
the Palace
It was obvious that the tall, elegant ink-black carriage embedded with
jade and gold carried an esteemed guest.

The breeze swept the half-rolled pearl necklace, causing it the pearls to
emit a crisp rustling sound. One could faintly see the man sitting on the
soft couch covered in golden silk. Leaning on him was a woman with a
slip of white silk covering her face.

Prince Yi lay on the jade couch on his side. His face was so delicate and
gorgeous that it looked like it was carved out of jade. There was a small
smirk on his lips, making him look even more bewitching. Yet no one
dared to look straight at him.

His eyes were ice-cold. His jet-black pupils emanated a startlingly

bloodthirsty air. In the spacious and empty courtyard, he appeared sly
and frigid. No one dared to meet his eyes. His nefarious aura seemed
capable of dragging a person down to the nine levels of hell.

Everyone’s faces looked stiff. Prince Yi had always been a rebellious

sort, known for his ruthless bloodthirstiness. He might be smiling now,
but he could plunge you into purgatory in the next second. The several
beautiful ladies kneeling on the ground were trembling with fear. They
didn’t even dare to raise their head.

On the contrary, the white-clothed woman leaning against him calmly

reached for a grape on the table. She peeled off the skin of the grape with
her slender fingers and brought it to Prince Yi’s thin, beautiful lips. Her
action demonstrated her calm. Now and then, she would turn around to
reveal a lovely pair of eyes. Her gaze was so penetrating that she seemed
capable of reading anyone’s heart.

Ao Chenyi opened his mouth ever so subtly, biting the purple grape
imported from the Western Region that Ning Xueyan fed him. His dark
red lips glistened thanks to the juice from the grape, making him look
even captivating.

He narrowed his eyes. Reflected in his beautiful, jet-black eyes was a

demonic coldness, so cold that it stifled the air around them. He said,
“Behead them.”

“Prince, please spare our lives!” The two adorable-looking beauties who
kneeled at the forefront immediately collapsed on the ground. Their jade-
white faces were wet with tears. They raised their head, giving Ao
Chenyi a pitiful, pleading look.

Most people wouldn’t bear to behead such beautiful ladies, but none of
the imperial bodyguards dared to say a word. Two guards came forward
to drag the flirtatious-looking beauties away without mercy.

Suddenly, a court eunuch standing on the side recovered his senses, and
hastily stepped forward. With flailing hands, he said, “H… Halt…
Prince… These are gifts from… the Emperor… If you do this… the
Emperor will…” His face was so pale that it looked almost lifeless. The
ladies that he delivered here today were all gorgeous, and these two even
more so.

Moreover, they were daughters of officials. If they were beheaded the

minute they were sent to Prince Yi’s Manor, the Emperor would surely
behead him in retaliation.

“Just because the Emperor sent them here, does that mean they can
offend my beloved?” Ao Chenyi looked at everyone in disdain. His
beautiful eyes emanated an insidious and ruthless gaze.

Right on cue, Ning Xueyan played the role of a well-pampered

concubine. She lowered her voice and said affectionately, “Prince, those
two insulted me!” Ao Chenyi reached out and pulled her into his
embrace.

“Prince… They didn’t… It’s just that these two beauties… got into a
little argument with your… beloved concubine… I… I’ll make them
apologize now,” the eunuch explained, stammering. He was as anxious
as he was angry, but there was nothing he could do about it when he had
no backing.
He had no idea how those two managed to offend Prince Yi’s favorite
concubine. He had told them in advance that Prince Yi had just wedded a
concubine that he doted on dearly. Not only did he allow her to live in
the Garden of Irises and Orchids, the courtyard closest to his, but he also
assigned her multiple guards. Most days, she wouldn’t even show up in
front of others.

He had warned them not to offend her!

Yet in the short time where he stepped away, the two beauties ran into
Prince Yi’s beloved concubine and even got into a quarrel with her. He
heard that those two were so agitated that they pushed her off the rock
garden platform, nearly killing her. Fortunately, Prince Yi returned right
then and saved her just in time.

Prince Yi was the one who took lives, never the other way around!

“Tell the Emperor that I thank him for his royal grace.” Ao Chenyi
looked at the eunuch. Noticing him shivering, a smirk gradually
appeared on his peerlessly handsome face.

Even though the eunuch was afraid, he knew he must plead for the two
beauties’ lives. He pointed in the direction where the ladies were dragged
away and said, “But…”

Suddenly, he heard two screeches coming from the distance. It was

obvious that the ladies were screaming while struggling.

“I ought to be taking care of them since they came from the Emperor,
and yet… they provoked someone they shouldn’t.” Ao Chenyi seemed to
be commenting on the two screeches earlier. His voice carried peculiar
darkness that made people feel like they were suffocating.

Did he truly behead the beauties that the Emperor sent without mercy?

Under the veil, Ning Xueyan subconsciously bit her lip. Looking like she
was frightened, she trembled as she leaned into Ao Chenyi’s embrace.
No one saw that she was sneering.

Today, she came here to find a chance to start an argument with the two
beauties. Those two ladies from the palace had always been the proud
sort. Since it was the Emperor who sent them here, they became even
haughtier. They were cruel, too. Just because of a few words of dispute,
they worked together to push her off the rock garden platform.

Fortunately, Ao Chenyi had seen this coming. Had the victim been a
woman without any backup whatsoever, she would really be dead. Sure
enough, ladies hailing from the palace were ruthless.

“Prince, they… they…” Hearing the screeches coming from outside, the
eunuch felt his legs weaken. He pointed outside, unable to even get his
words out.

“They’re about to be beheaded. Eunuch He, please relay to the Emperor

that I’m very pleased with the playthings he sent over. What a pity that
the playthings aren’t that good and are quickly broken.” Ao Chenyi
flashed a bright smile. He looked like he was in a good mood.

The eunuch’s face turned as white as a piece of paper upon hearing that
the two beauties were about to be headed. He couldn’t say anything in
response.

The other beauties at the scene were so frightened that their teeth were
clattering noisily, all of them wrestling feelings of regret. With two of
them dying in the first meeting, just what kind of perilous road lie ahead
of them? To them, Prince Yi and his bewitchingly good looks were
equivalent to the blood-thirsty Asura from hell.

Who would still dare to seduce a man like him…?

Two guards entered through the moon gate, with one holding a tray
dripping with blood. When they passed by one of the beauties, she
subconsciously looked up and saw a seductive face stained with blood.
Once, she was deeply envious of that face. Now, it brought her nothing
but fear.

She screeched. With a turn of her head, she fainted.

Her screeching seemed infectious. One after another, all the beauties
collapsed.
“Prince, please examine the outcome of the punishment!” The two tall
guards ignored them and walked up to the carriage.

On the way back, the carriage entered through the main entrance. Before
Ao Chenyi even exited the carriage, he saw Ning Xueyan being pushed
off the rock garden platform. Thus, he remained inside.

“Look, Yan’er. I vented your anger for you,” Ao Chenyi said breezily.
The corner of his red lips curved to form an amused smirk. He reached
out to grab Ning Xueyan’s face and pulled her close, so that she was
facing the frightened faces of the beauties before their death on the tray.

“Thank you, Prince!” Ning Xueyan replied cutely, in neither servile nor
overbearing tone. Shocked as she was, she didn’t let it show.

“Don’t you find them pitiful, Yan’er?” Suddenly, Ao Chenyi frowned

and turned his head to stare deep into Ning Xueyan’s eyes. Under her
long lashes, her beautiful and dark-as-ink pupils were laced with shock
but not fear.

“Prince, the two beauties wanted to take my life earlier. If you were even
a step later, the one lying here would be me. I don’t think I should pity
people who tried to harm me.” Ning Xueyan glanced at the beauties’
heads emotionlessly.

In her new life, she would never show mercy to those who harmed her.

River of Forgetfulness, red spider lilies, Old Lady Meng’s soup, Asura’s
Hell—all these had preordained her ruthless character!

Likewise, the women sent here by the Emperor were destined to suffer
such a fate. The competition for affection in the inner courtyard was like
a battlefield without smoke. It was a dog-eat-dog world. The two
beauties in the rock garden reached a tacit understanding to push her off
the mountain after just an exchange of looks. It was obvious how cold-
blooded they were. Moreover, they worked very well together.

There was no way an ordinary upbringing could produce such character.

“Prince, are these… the unparalleled beauties earlier?” the eunuch asked
as he pointed to the beauties’ heads on the tray, unable to accept the
truth. He was nonetheless had stronger mental fortitude than the other
women.

Never mind ordinary men, even a eunuch like him couldn’t help feeling
his heart face after seeing the two beauties. He refused to believe that
Prince Yi would be affected, much less go so far as to behead them.

“Hearing you put it that way makes me think that they’re, in fact, quite
pretty. Let’s do it this way then. I heard there’s a medicine in the palace
that can preserve the dead’s looks. Why don’t you find some?” Ao
Chenyi said, looking amused. However, his cold eyes carried no joy
whatsoever as his gaze landed on the eunuch.

“I… I’m not… These two offended you, I… I’ll report this to the
Emperor straightaway.” The eunuch shivered under Ao Chenyi’s intense
gaze. Immediately recovering his senses, he hastily bade farewell and
carried his shaking legs back to the place.

That was the tyrannical Prince Yi, after all. He knew that if he dared to
nag the prince, he might not be able to see the sunrise tomorrow. He saw
very clearly the killing intent glinting in the prince’s eyes earlier.

Ao Chenyi straightened his body and got up from the couch. He adjusted
his gorgeous but peculiar ink-black robe before stepping on the back of a
eunuch on all fours under the carriage door. When his feet reached the
ground, he supported Ning Xueyan with his hand and carried her off the
carriage. After wrapping her in a long, wide black cloak, he clasped her
under his arm and led her into his residence.

“Send them to the inner courtyard!” He shot the group of beauties

sprawled on the ground an indifferent glance and smirked. It was such a
beautiful smirk, and yet it carried no warmth.

“Yes,” said a housekeeper, long on standby. He came over and dragged

the beauties without care to the inner courtyard, one in each hand.

Prince Yi could be as unbridled as he wanted to be. The Emperor had

declared him the heir presumptive and the title of Crown Prince would
be his as long as he didn’t plot a rebellion. Even so, was this situation
alright…?
“Yan’er, are you scared to be bound to me?” Next to Ning Xueyan’s ear
was Ao Chenyi’s bewitching, amused voice and hints of warmth. Yet
what she felt was a trembling deep within her
Chapter 124 Open Targe
t

Just because Prince Yi could be unbridled, it didn’t mean that he would

inherit the throne in the end. The Emperor wasn’t happy, just as his
princes were. The former Emperor’s edict wasn’t absolute sometimes.
The frequent delivery of beauties represented the Emperor’s fear of him.

This didn’t mean Ning Xueyan regretted her decision.

Her purpose had always been revenge. The future wasn’t within her
scope of consideration.

She calmly lifted her head. Under the veil, the beautiful lady’s eyes were
filled with startling coldness and tranquility. She looked nothing like a
fourteen-year-old lady. She looked up at him icily. “If you don’t abandon
me, I’ll never abandon you.”

She didn’t want to ponder on what the future would bring. Her
consideration right now was her immediate benefits. She wanted to take
every step to ensure her survival and keep going on.

To her, the future was too distant… Perhaps, she might not even have a
future!

Her jet-black, feathery eyelashes trembled twice. One could see her
delicate and beautiful face under the muslin. Reflected in her fairy-like
looks was her tragic solemnness and determination to never look back,
making her resemble a warrior about to charge into the battlefield.
Despite knowing she was charging on a path of no return, she continued
to advance bravely!

The handsome man with a nefarious glint in his eyes turned even colder
still. However, an undetectable trace of warmth flitted across his pupils.
He stopped trying to make things difficult for Ning Xueyan. Hugging her
thin and weak shoulders, he urged her forward. The others that flanked
his side lowered their head and excused themselves.
The residence was tastefully decorated. Inside the bedroom, a couch was
placed by the window overlooking the south. There was an intricate
fragrance stove on the side table that looked like it would emanate the
fragrance of a hundred blossoming flowers. However, the fragrance that
permeated the room was merely a mild sweetness. Behind the couch was
a court lady’s screen with nine sections. On the side was a curtain of
pearls partially covering up a spacious bed with a canopy of muslin
behind it.

Ning Xueyan looked around as she walked inside. “This is for ‘me’?”
she asked.

“Yes. This is the new residence I built for my favorite concubine.” Ao

Chenyi walked in and sat on a spacious chair carved out of Chinese
cedar with ease. Calmly and contently, he started peeling the grapes
placed on the table with a faint smile on his thin lips.

“Prince, is this how you scare away all the beauties that the Emperor
sends? If he sends so many each time, do you have space in your inner
courtyard to house them all?” Ning Xueyan asked curiously as she
settled down on the chair on the opposite.

“Do you think I’d worry about whether or not they’re properly housed?”
Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan with a haughty expression. Suddenly,
he smirked. His bewitching, long, and narrow eyes emitted coldness as
he said, “If there’s not enough space, we can make enough space by
beheading a few of them.”

What a classic response from Prince Yi!

Ning Xueyan sighed. No wonder the guards looked like the beauties like
they were looking at the dead. Considering the way the Emperor sent
beauties over, the manor would sooner or later run out of space. Others
wouldn’t dare to slight the beauties for fear of the Emperor, but this
prince had no need to consider this at all.

He was, after all, Prince Yi who overturned authority at all levels. It was
said that he had been following the previous Emperor to the battlefield
since young. His character was also cold-blooded and ruthless. Those
who offended him even in the slightest would suffer a terrible fate. If he
didn’t want the beauties that the Emperors sent him, killing or skinning
them was just a matter of words to him.

He wouldn’t pay any mind to insignificant beauties from the palace.

“Then why did you summon me here?” Ning Xueyan asked, smiling.
“Since you have your ways, you wouldn’t need to invent this tale of a
favorite concubine and make me an open target!”

She had the feeling that this man knew all of her thoughts, so she
decided to be frank with her unhappiness. In front of a man like him,
frankness might be even more effective at gaining his favor.

“You’re very bold. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll want your life after you
discover my intentions?” Ao Chenyi wiped his hands with a
handkerchief. He reached out and grabbed Ning Xueyan’s wrist with his
slender, powerful, and wide hand. There was a faint smile on his face.
Target, indeed. She was indeed clever to be able to guess his plan.

When he exerted just the barest of strength, Ning Xueyan felt like her
wrist was about to break. The pain shot through her heart. This man was
indeed temperamental. Suppressing her pain, she looked up calmly at
him with her jet-black eyes. “Prince, we’re on the same boat now,” she
said sincerely.

She was informing him about her stance. The truth was that she had no
choice but to take his side since the moment she received help from him.
She had no other stance to turn to. That was why she obediently executed
his order of pretending to be his favored concubine and provoking an
argument with the two beauties until they tried to push her so heavily.

What an intelligent and daring girl indeed. Ao Chenyi relaxed his hand
but continued to hold onto her wrist. He looked at the back of Ning
Xueyan’s tender, graceful hand and saw the two bloodied wounds. Those
were the scratches the two beauties left when they pushed her earlier.
They were now showing signs of inflammation.

The wounds were particularly conspicuous against a backdrop of soft,

fair skin. It was like a discord in an otherwise harmonious picture.

It was indeed bothersome to look at!

He fished out a jade bottle from his bosom and reached over in a graceful
movement. Before Ning Xueyan could recover her senses, he tugged on
her wrist and pulled her into his embrace. She looked up, alarmed, and
met a bewitching pair of eyes. She swallowed her yelp of surprise.

With quick movements, he smeared the milky, translucent ointment

inside the jade bottle onto the injured back of Ning Xueyan’s hand. She
felt a refreshing coolness instantly soothing the hint of scorching pain
earlier.

“If someone discovers your injured hand, you’ll ruin the entire plan,” Ao
Chenyi said with a quiet scoff. He let go of her hand and calmly wet his
hands with his handkerchief. Ning Xueyan understood from his wicked,
savage smile that he wasn’t joking. If she truly ruined his plan, her
outcome was inevitable death.

To Ao Chenyi, people were divided into just two categories: useful and
useless. If he considered her useless, she would suffer the same fate as
those beauties. She wouldn’t dream of asking him to treat rubbish any
differently.

“What do you want me to do?” Her cold eyes regained their calm. Ning
Xueyan returned to her seat, ignoring the flirtatious atmosphere when Ao
Chenyi pulled her into his embrace. They were the only ones here, so
there was no need for him to put on ointment for her.

“Who would find out that you’re injured?” Ao Chenyi leaned on the
chair with a smile playing on his thin lips. He could acutely feel her
attention on him.

“Those in the palace,” Ning Xueyan answered after some thought. Even
though the attack happened some distance away from the others, where
they were cunning enough to gather in a secluded area, this didn’t mean
that the eunuch and the other beauties weren’t paying attention to their
actions.

Her wounds wouldn’t escape the notice of those who pay attention.

“What will happen next?” Ao Chenyi asked softly. His eyes were
unreadable as he looked through his eyelashes at Ning Xueyan’s reserved
face.
“No woman in your inner courtyard has ever received such favor from
you, to the point that you’d kill two beauties from the Emperor for her. If
they can manipulate such a woman who can control your mood, they’ll
surely be able to affect you.”

Ning Xueyan gave an earnest analysis after some thought.

Ao Chenyi might look rampant and impetuous, but he was in truth a

shrewd person. Coupled with the fact that he had the capital’s guards
under his control, he met little opposition in the court. No minister dared
to openly contradict him. Not even the Emperor could do anything about
him. He could only try and sabotage Ao Chenyi through his harem.
However, all the beauties that entered his manor would end up leaving as
corpses.

So what if they sent so many?

The Emperor couldn’t reprimand Ao Chenyi just because of the

beheading of a few beauties.

When the Emperor who had reached the end of his rope heard that Ao
Chenyi had fallen for a woman, he would surely focus on her. So, Ning
Xueyan had become an open target for everyone. Whether they would
try to kill his beloved concubine to disturb his peace or try to control her
to cause problems for Ao Chenyi would be up to their intention.

Thus, considering the situation, Ning Xueyan had placed herself in great
danger by playing the role of the beloved concubine.

“Aren’t you afraid I’d abandon you so the others think it’s a ruse and
make their move?” Ao Chenyi raised an eyebrow and put on a wicked
smirk as if he was discussing the weather, not Ning Xueyan’s survival.

“You wouldn’t.” Ning Xueyan looked at him with her pair of jet-black
eyes, meeting his languid eyes.

“Oh, do enlighten me. Do you think it’s because I can’t bear to let you
die?” Ao Chenyi looked at her, smiling as he waited for an explanation.

“If you’re dealing with any of those ministers, all you have to do is send
your imperial guards. I heard the imperial guards are equipped with the
mastery of eighteen different martial arts. You need not thrust me into
the open. If you’re dealing with others, it’s even more useless to do that.
I’m just your favorite concubine, not your royal consort. They won’t
have a need to deal with me and incur your attention. Considering your
character, you don’t look like someone who’d risk your ambition for a
concubine.”

Ning Xueyan was fluent as she explained herself with an unwavering

gaze at him.

Ao Chenyi turned his head subtly to fix his cold gaze, filled with wicked
killing intent, on her. Suddenly, he reached out to touch her face. Light
was flickering in his unfathomable pupils as he gradually narrowed his
eyes. “Yan’er, are you looking to be the only first wife’s daughter of the
Lord Protector’s Manor?”

“No. I want to bring the Lord Protector’s Manor to ruins,” she said
sharply. Something changed in her eyes. She looked away, avoiding his
slender fingers.

There was no need for such a ruthless place to exist.

“Sure. I await the day you bring the Lord Protector’s Manor to ruins,”
Ao Chenyi said softly. For the first time, a joyful smile appeared on his
handsome face.

“Then what should we do now? How do we deal with the palace if my

beloved concubine disappears from time to time?” Ao Chenyi retrieved
his hand, looking unperturbed by Ning Xueyan’s resistance.

“Prince, if you don’t mind, I can give something a try,” Ning Xueyan
said in a saccharine voice. She abruptly reached out to grab Ao Chenyi’s
large hand.

Ao Chenyi smiled wickedly. Before he could reply, she pulled his hand
to her mouth and took a large bite out of it. Blood gradually spilled out
from the wound on the back of his slender, fair hand…
Chapter 125 But Remember, Just
This Once
“How dare you?” Swords and sabers flew out from eunuchs and guards
who stood on their side. In an instant, the two sabers and two swords
already lay across Ning Xueyan’s throat.

Of course, those people Ao Chenyi carried with him must be experts.

Now with the killing intent permeating in the air, they pointed their
swords at the vital spot of her throat and placed their sabers across her
jade-like neck. Such a beauty like her would perish immediately if they
pressed a little harder.

“You really have guts!” Ao Chenyi instantly waved the swords and
sabers away with the other bare hand. His pair of evil pupils that others
dared not to look at was filled with dense dark bloody color, which fixed
steadily at Ning Xueyan. He looked as if his next step was to break the
slender neck of Ning Xueyan.

His appearance was more like the bloody equinox flowers that bloomed
in hell. He was now as mysteriously beautiful and glamorous as Xiuluo,
who ate human souls…

The several guards gazed at each other. Although they retreated, they
still stared at Ning Xueyan with vigilance because they were afraid that
she would hurt their noble master again.

Ning Xueyan looked up, and a touch of red color appeared on the gauze
kerchief by her lip corners. Slowly, the blood dripped down from her
mouth corners, which brought her a weird and sad aura. At this time, her
jet-black eyes became even clearer. She seemed unaware of the
bloodthirsty light at the bottom of Ao Chenyi’s eyes. Then, she smiled
gently and looked at Ao Chenyi, neither cringing nor arrogant.

“Prince, did you just ask me how to handle all of this? Well, I guess this
is the best way!”
“Do you dare to hurt me?” The thin lips of Ao Chenyi lifted up, and he
sneered with rage. It seemed that the fire of hell was burning in his eyes.

“In this world, who can hurt you without your permission?”
Indifferently, Ning Xueyan gently wiped the gauze kerchief by her
mouth corners with her white hand, and the blood there froze between
her delicate fingers.

“If your favorite concubine hurts you, you will certainly flare up because
of your temper. Then, it will be a normal thing if you hurt your favorite
concubine.” With this, Ning Xueyan picked up a celadon vase at hand
and threw it hard to the ground without casting a glance at it.

In the crisp and loud voice, the two guards and eunuchs looked very
surprised.

“You guessed that I would do this!” Ao Chenyi glanced at the wound

that was still bleeding on the back of his hand, and his long and narrow
eyes looked as limpid as colored glass.

“It doesn’t matter if you will do it or not, as long as others think that you
will do it!” Ning Xueyan said with tongue in cheek. Then, she tossed
another pure white jade bottle to the ground without changing her
expression.

Hence, what she meant was that Ao Chenyi wanted others to see this
scene so that he would tolerate her behavior.

She knew that it was dangerous to do so. But still, she made the choice
for Ao Chenyi even before he made up his mind. Because it would be
more dangerous for her if she didn’t do that, she was actually trying to
save herself. Ning Xueyan didn’t want to be the target in the open
because then she wouldn’t even know how she died. However, she had
no other choice!

Everyone knew that Prince Yi was brutal, bloodthirsty, and moody. If

someone became haughty because of his indulgence and hurt him, this
person would come to no good end even if the person were his beloved
concubine…
From time to time, crushing sounds of the porcelain came out from the
room. Even those servants passed by the outside of the courtyard could
hear the sounds clearly. One after another, they hunched over and softly
walked past the gate with fear and trepidation, and none of them dared to
look back.

A slightly meaningful expression suddenly revealed on Ao Chenyi’s cold

face. His thin lips started to hang up, and he said, “Little girl, you are
really bold. But remember, just this once.”

Unexpectedly, the “toy” he bumped into could be so bold and smart. The
girl was getting more and more interesting, and so Ao Chenyi was
increasingly expecting her growth!

Presumed on being a favorite, Prince Yi’s concubine became so spoiled

that she cried and screamed in the courtyard because the emperor had
given Prince Yi several Beautiful Ladies. She even bit Prince Yi’s hand
and provoked him. Prince Yi then left the courtyard named Zhilan House
in a rage and let others seal the yard. Also, he didn’t allow the people
inside to come out and only offered them only one meal a day. It seemed
that he became really furious.

“Did he shut his favorite concubine up?” Standing in his study, Third
Prince was watching a picture of peony he drew. Upon hearing the report
from the guard, he frowned a little. Then, he sat down on the chair and
asked.

“Yes, Your Highness. I heard that there was an obvious bite mark on the
hand of Prince Yi. He asked some people to apply medicine for him as
soon as he left the yard. Later on, he sent someone there to lock the
door,” the guard replied, respectfully. He was the henchman of Third
Prince, so he knew Ao Mingyu, the Third Prince, now concerned about
this matter.

“Did she truly bite uncle’s hand? What a bold woman! I really didn’t
expect that she survived after that. It seems that my uncle likes her.” A
trace of gloom emerged on Ao Mingyu’s gentle face. His brows slightly
loosened, and he sneered and said, “Continue to focus on the affairs of
Zhilan House, but remember not to make any move in case my uncle
notices anything.”
Third Prince was increasingly curious about that woman. He could not
see her face last time they met. But judging by her figure, the woman
should be a beauty. Third Prince also sent Prince Yi two teams beauties
at that time, the two leaders of the two teams were still in Prince Yi’s
Manor now. However, the woman did not say anything at all, and it
seemed that she behaved very appropriate to the situation.

“But now, what was the reason that irritated her so much that she even
bit uncle’s hand? What exactly does that mean?”

“When you withdraw, send the jade ointment that His Majesty rewarded
me to my uncle’s manor.”

It was challenging for Third Prince to place his person in Prince Yi’s
Manor such that he didn’t dare to ask the person to do too many things
for him. Now he only asked the person to check whether or not the
wound on his uncle’s hand was true!

“Yes!” The guards answered and then retreated. But he returned halfway.
Once again, he bowed down and replied, “Your Highness, it is said that
Lord Protector’s Manor is about to ally itself to Marquis of Ping’an’s
Manor by marriage. In previous, it was the Fifth Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor would marry Marquis of Ping’an. But later, they
replaced the Fifth Young Lady with the Fourth Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor for some unknown reason.”

“The Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor?” A trace of surprise

flashed across the Third Prince’s eyes. He seemed to see an
incomparably lucid and attractive face with indifferent eyes. “Was Ning
Zu’an crazy or stupid? He actually prepared to marry such a delicate
daughter of his co-wife to the notorious Marquis of Ping’an. I really
don’t know what his purpose was.”

“Behind the hair fringe, she looked tedious and dull; in Cold Mountain
Temple, she was intelligent but indifferent. Which one is the real her?”

For the first time, he was curious about a woman, and he would like to
see what kind of appearance she would show next.

“Has anyone sent the invitation card of the Plum-blossom Party to the
Lord Protector’s Manor?” A faint smile appeared on the Third Prince’s
handsome face, and he tapped on the table with his fingers.

“Honored Consort Ya has already sent the invitation there at an earlier

time. I heard that Honored Consort Ya especially sent three invitation
cards to Lord Protector’s Manor.” Although the guard did not understand
the meaning of the Third Prince, he answered honestly.

“Three invitation cards. Now that Eldest Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor is already married. Then the three cards should be sent to Second
Young Lady, Third Young Lady, and Fifth Young Lady. Sure enough,
parties in the palace will only invite the co-wife’s daughter. My mother is
indeed thoughtful. But will she come?”

A pretty smiling face flashed in his mind. She looked so tender and
lovely. And she was as soft as water when she kept the Third Prince
company in his most difficult time, which he always recalled.

“So many years had passed, everything must be alright about her!”

Ning Xueyan left Prince Yi’s Manor from a secluded side door. She
finally felt relieved when she saw Xinmei, who was waiting for her in
the carriage outside. Sitting quietly before the window, Ning Xueyan felt
the carriage slowly started to move. She could faintly hear the
heartrending screams from the two beauties before their death. But on
the surface, it seemed that it was Prince Yi that killed the two beauties
who obviously had evil intents by taking advantage of her favorite
concubine identity.

Ning Xueyan certainly would not think that Prince Yi would not kill the
two beauties without her.

In previous, a lot of beauties were sent from the palace, and it was
unknown how many of them had died in the hands of Prince Yi.
However, Prince Yi cared nothing about that. But this time, the reason
why Prince Yi wanted her to come forward this time was that he needed
such a favorite concubine to stay in Prince Yi’s Manor.

Just now, she bet on the right horse, so she could leave Prince Yi’s
Manor, safe and sound!
“Young Lady, did the master embarrass you?” With concern, Xinmei
inquired in a low voice. Since Xinmei became Ning Xueyan’s servant,
she was totally impressed by Ning Xueyan’s wisdom. So she certainly
did not want to see her die in the hands of her previous master.
Therefore, she feared for her safety ever since Ning Xueyan went in the
manor.

Feeling Xinmei’s genuine concern, Ning Xueyan smiled lightly. She

shook her head and said, “I’m fine. Prince still needs me to be his
favorite concubine.”

“The purpose that Ao Chenyi used me as a shield or a target is certainly

not just to deal with those beauties in the backyard of his manor. He has
stayed in a high position for such a long time such that he must know
very well what others are thinking about and good at playing politics. He
is definitely not someone that others can make use of with ease. If I
showed even the slightest hesitation when I answered him just now, I
might end up like the two beauties.”

“Young Lady, when we arrive at the courtyard later, will we go directly

back to the manor or go to Splendid Pavilion?” Seeing that she looked
natural, Xinmei let out a sigh of relief and asked.

Splendid Pavilion was one of the largest jewelry stores in the capital. It
was located in the most prosperous place in the capital, and it had
occupied the place of several stores on that road. Usually, those young
ladies and madams in the capital came here one after the other to order or
buy jewelry. Because each item in this store was a piece of beautifully
designed jewelry, and there was a wide selection of colors and designs.
So, the price of each piece was high. A great many daughters from noble
families were proud of having the jewelry of Splendid Pavilion.

It was also Ning Lingyun’s favorite place.

Ning Lingyun was only a concubine’s daughter, so she certainly didn’t

have so much money to buy the jewelry here. But even if she could not
afford the jewelry, she might as well look at them. Therefore, Ning
Lingyun would pay a visit to Splendid Pavilion from time to time. She
would come to look at the new varieties and patterns of the jewelry. In
this way, she could still be knowledgeable about the jewelry wearing on
other girls, which would make her feel proud.
Early in the morning, Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Lingyun had gone
out again. Of course, her destination was Splendid Pavilion. Again and
again, bad things happened to Lord Protector’s Manor, and at this time,
those entrance guards were a little relaxed. Moreover, now that
Concubine Xu was in charge of Lord Protector’s Manor. So it was much
more convenient for Ning Lingyun to go out than before.

“After returning to Lord Protector’s Manor, let’s go to Splendid

Pavilion.” Ning Xueyan lifted her lips, and a faint smile appeared on her
face. She then instructed calmly.

She had planned to follow Ning Lingyun to Splendid Pavilion. So this

time, how could she not do that?

Madam Ling promised Concubine Xu to make her marry Marquis of

Ping’an, but now it was Ning Lingyun who would marry him. Neither
Ning Lingyun nor Concubine Xu would feel satisfied. And Ning
Lingyun was a particularly vainglorious woman. What a coincidence…

“Well, I will make arrangements.” Xinmei nodded. She knew that Ning
Xueyan had her judgment, so she immediately poked her head out and
said something to the coachman.

The carriage stopped in front of the door of the previous courtyard, and
Xinmei helped Ning Xueyan get out of the carriage. Ning Xueyan went
to the main courtyard and changed her clothes. Then she took another
carriage which waited for her at the back door. The carriage went all the
way smoothly and stopped by a sidewall of Lord Protector’s Manor.
Xinmei climbed over the wall with Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan changed her clothes in Bright Frost Garden and took a little
break. She asked someone to inform Concubine Xu, and then get on the
carriage of Lord Protector’s Manor with Xinmei and Qingyu. All of them
headed to the street.

On the other side, Lanning also went out of the door of Lord Protector’s
Manor, on the excuse of seeing her sick aunt.

After the carriage going along the road for a little while, they arrived at
Splendid Pavilion.
Qingyu handed Ning Xueyan a curtained hat, and Xinmei helped Ning
Xueyan get off the carriage. Before they stood still, they heard a sarcastic
voice from the front. “Yo, aren’t you Fifth Sister? I’m so surprised to see
you here. How come you also come to this luxurious place?”
Chapter 126 Is It Second Sister
Who Let Grandmother Reward
You
“It is true that when thinking of someone, she is sure to appear,” Ling
Xueyan thought to herself.

After covering the trace of sarcasm in her eyes, Ning Xueyan raised her
head. Wearing a faint smile, she looked at Ning Lingyun, who was
standing at the front door of Splendid Pavilion, neither cringing nor
arrogant. “Fourth Sister, why are you here? Do you also want to buy
some jewelry here? Is the jewelry here expensive?”

Ning Lingyun was used to treat her meanly. Just when they met, she
sneered that Ning Xueyan had seen little of the world. She was utterly
unlike the fawning Ning Lingyun when she met Madam Ling and her
daughter. Some people were just like this. They were like dogs wagging
its tail ingratiatingly before those people who were superior to them.
However, when they faced those persons who were inferior to them, they
would insult them in every possible way.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan stayed calm and indifferent, Ning Lingyun
went blank for a while and failed to answer her for the moment.

“Fourth Sister, what a coincidence! Why are you also here?” Without
taking Ning Lingyun’s words seriously, Ning Xueyan smiled, dropped
Xinmei’s hand, and went up to her. “Are you choosing your jewelry for
the wedding now?”

Ning Xueyan meant that Ning Lingyun was so anxious to marry that she
finally made the thing about Marquis of Ping’an happen. At this time,
Ning Lingyun was filled with anger. If Concubine Xu had not warned
her for such a long time, she would have made a terrible scene at Madam
Dowager’s place this early morning.
“I am not so anxious to pick up jewelry for myself. But Fifth Sister, you
may need those ornaments now. Mother told me to choose some for you
in advance. Perhaps, you can use them before long.” Ning Lingyun
raised her head. She looked back, pointed at those exquisite headdresses
in the cabinets inside, and said with a false smile.

Her attitude was extremely arrogant, and her words showed that she
firmly believed that Madam Ling would marry Ning Xueyan to Marquis
of Ping’an. It seemed that Ning Lingyun had got Madam Ling’s
guarantee.

Her words sent Qingyu into a rage. She was going to quarrel against
Ning Lingyun, but Ning Xueyan stretched out and pulled her back. Then,
Ning Xueyan said to Ning Lingyun. “Now that we have met. Let’s find a
place to sit down lest others think that sisters in Lord Protector’s Manor
cannot get along well with each other.”

Many people were coming and going at the entrance of the door. But
Ning Lingyun stopped Ning Xueyan in the doorway to speak with her.
Thus, only after a short while, they had caught the attention of others.
Some people were already pointing to them and talking about them,
wondering what had happened between them.

Ning Lingyun did not yet dare to spot the reputation of Lord Protector’s
Manor. Instantly, she snorted, turned around, and went to the upstairs.
There were private rooms on the upper floor, which opened specially to
those ladies and madams from noble families as a place to rest. Those
rooms were screened off from each other by some simple screens.
Refreshments were served with extremely exquisite teacups and small
plates. This store was indeed a famous one in the capital.

The store had not only exquisite jewelry but also a place to rest, which
was prepared with meticulous care!

Ning Xueyan sat down and took off her curtained hat. Then there were
maids in the store who sent each of them a cup of tea. In Ning Xueyan’s
previous life, she would sneak out sometimes. Back then, Ning Ziying
had enough money, so it was not an unfamiliar place to Ning Xueyan.

“Do you have any fashionable jewelry?” Qingyu walked forward and
asked the maid, who brought the tea to them.
“Young Lady, we have just got a batch of jewelry with new styles today,
and there are hairpins, earrings, headdresses, and so on. Which kind of
jewelry would you like to see?” The little maid was smart enough to
know that Ning Xueyan was from either a wealthy family or a noble one
once she saw her extraordinary bearing. So she replied obsequiously.

“Do you have any sets of head-ornaments?” Qingyu asked.

“There are not many new sets of head-ornaments newly arrived today.
Which style do you prefer, Young Lady?” The eyes of the little maid
were kindled with joy because anyone who could afford sets of head-
ornaments must be a big customer.

“Send two or three sets of the newly arrived head-ornaments up here for
our lady to choose. We prefer more exquisite and sophisticated ones.”
Qingyu told her.

The little maid withdrew delightedly.

“Yo, I didn’t know that you have some money in your hands. It turns out
that Second Madam really left you her private savings.” Looking at Ning
Xueyan’s posture, Ning Lingyun could not help exclaiming jealously.
Most of the time, Ning Lingyun only came to watch the jewelry in
Splendid Pavilion. Yesterday, Concubine Xu especially handed some
banknotes to her to appease her. Concubine Xu told her that Madam Ling
gave her those banknotes and Madam Ling wanted her to stay calm
because this matter had not yet ended.

They would eventually marry Ning Xueyan to the old and ugly Marquis
of Ping’an.

Getting Concubine Xu’s guarantee and Madam Ling’s banknotes, Ning

Lingyun finally quieted down. And early this morning, she came to
choose jewelry in Splendid Pavilion with some people in high spirits.

However, she felt quite helpless because the jewelry here was too
expensive, and no matter how she chose, she could only buy one or two
pieces of jewelry with the money in her hands. The price of sets of head-
ornaments was far beyond her reach. Now she already felt jealous to the
extreme when she saw that Ning Xueyan was so generous.
“Grandma rewarded me with the money. I don’t have any other places to
spend the money, so I am here to pick a few pieces of jewelry.” Ning
Xueyan laughed kindly.

“But Grandmother hasn’t ever liked you, has she? So why would she
reward you?” Ning Lingyun immediately felt dissatisfied when she
learned that it was Madam Dowager who gave Ning Xueyan the money.
Lifting her eyes corners, she said with anger. And the corners of her eyes
twisted out of anger, which made her look even more wicked.

Ning Xueyan picked up the teacup and took a sip gracefully. Then, she
said gently. “Grandmother rewarded me only because of Second
Sister…”

Speaking of which, she seemed to realize something all of a sudden. She

subconsciously covered her mouth with her handkerchief and swallowed
the latter part of her words.

Ning Lingyun strained her ears to catch Ning Xueyan’s words, but she
did not quite understand.

It could be the most unbearable and annoying thing if the other side
broke off in the middle of the sentences during a conversation.
Moreover, what Ning Xueyan had said seemed to be related to Ning
Yuling. “How can Ning Yuling have something to do with the money
Madam Dowager reward Ning Xueyan?” Feeling extremely anxious,
Ning Lingyun was only eager to make Ning Xueyan talk.

However, Ning Xueyan did not look like someone who could tell the
truth easily!

“Fifth Sister, why does it have anything to do with Second Sister? Is it

Second Sister who let Grandmother reward you?” Rolling her eyes, Ning
Lingyun put on a false smile and pretended to ask in disdain. She knew
that Ning Yuling hated Ning Xueyan to the extreme so that she
deliberately asked in a reverse way to make Ning Xueyan talk.

“Fourth Young Lady, you… How did you know that?” Before Ning
Xueyan opened her mouth, Qingyu, who was always outspoken and
impetuous, stared at Ning Lingyun with great surprise and blurted out the
question. But immediately after that, Qingyu noticed that she said
something wrong. So she zipped her lips right away and smiled at Ning
Lingyun awkwardly.

“Qingyu, shut up!” With a cold face, Ning Xueyan reproached her and
explained to Ning Lingyun apologetically. “Fourth Sister, Qingyu was
talking nonsense. Don’t believe her.”

If it were Ning Xueyan who told her that Madam Dowager rewarded her
because of Ning Yuling, Ning Lingyun would never believe it. But it was
said by Qingyu, a straightforward and outspoken maid. In this case, Ning
Lingyun would have to think it over.

Upon seeing the nervous expressions of Ning Xueyan and her servants,
Ning Lingyun suddenly felt that there might be a plot behind this even if
she thought that it was almost impossible.

Her smile faded. Then, with some sincerity, she deliberately pushed a
fruit bowl toward Ning Xueyan. “Fifth Sister, we are sisters. Please don’t
treat me as a stranger. You should let me know that Grandmother
rewarded you money. Perhaps, I can also get some reward money from
Grandmother and buy a few pieces of jewelry to wear.”

“Fourth Sister, you misunderstood. It was nothing, really.” Ning Xueyan

shook her head. Without batting an eyelid, she pushed the bowl away
and said with a smile.

Ning Xueyan didn’t want to her, but Ning Lingyun was unwilling to give
up. Just in time, carrying two sets of head-ornaments, the maid walked
up to them. Both of the two sets were extremely exquisite, and they
seemed to attract all Ning Xueyan’s attention instantly. Then, the maid
said that there were a few more sets downstairs, but it was inconvenient
for her to bring them here because some people were watching them.
After hearing what she said, Ning Xueyan immediately got up and went
downstairs.

“Fourth Sister, I am going to see the jewelry first. Please sit here for a
while.”

“Fifth Sister, just go ahead. But the maid beside me is not as clever as
yours. Can I borrow Qingyu from you? She can help me check whether
the hairpin I brought is good or not.” With a smile, Ning Lingyun
stopped Qingyu who went last. Seeing the chance, the maid beside Ning
Lingyun immediately held Qingyu’s hand affectionately and didn’t let
her go downstairs.

“Then, Qingyu, you stay to help Fourth Sister check the hairpin.” Ning
Xueyan nodded while smiling. Right after that, she turned around and
went downstairs with Xinmei.

“Qingyu, come here to see the hairpin of Fourth Young Lady. Is it

beautiful?” asked Caiyun, Ning Lingyun’s maid. Smiling, she took out
an exquisite gold hairpin from the box she carried.

“It’s pretty, Fourth Young Lady. But I am really not good at choosing
ornaments. You’d better let sister Caiyun pick them for you. I want to see
the sets downstairs with my lady.” Qingyu looked helpless, and she
begged drily while frowning. From time to time, she looked out of the
door. It was apparent that she also wanted to follow Ning Xueyan
downstairs.

Ning Lingyun tipped Caiyun a wink.

“Why are you in such a hurry? It is okay just to look at it. Fifth Young
Lady has left you to us, anyway. If you disobey Fifth Young Lady’s order
and go to find her at this time, you will upset her.” While smiling,
Caiyun pushed the box in her hand toward her. “Take a closer look. Our
lady also thought it was good when she brought it. But now, she doesn’t
like it very much.”

Caiyun pushed the box to her. Subconsciously, Qingyu stretched out her
hand to pick it up, but Caiyun released the box at the moment. The box
suddenly slipped from their hands and fell heavily on the ground, and
then the hairpin with pearls hanging on fell out of the box.

“Qingyu, how dare you? Even if you are reluctant to stay here, you
cannot break Fourth Young Lady’s hairpin!” When Caiyun saw
something falling, she flared up and shouted loudly with her finger
pointing right at Qingyu.

“I, I am not… I didn’t…” Qingyu was quite shocked and waved her
hands anxiously.
“Who else could do it? I will wait and see what your punishment will be
when your lady returns the manor and tells others about this thing,”
Caiyun said ferociously.

“I… It was not me. I didn’t…” Qingyu was so anxious that she could not
make a clear explanation now, and her face became quite pale.

At this crucial moment, Ning Lingyun reached out to stop Caiyun, who
was dragging Qingyu’s clothes. “Well, it is not a big deal. Qingyu didn’t
do it on purpose.”

“Yes, yes, I didn’t mean it.” Seeing Ning Lingyun come to her aid,
Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly added.

“But whether you did it deliberately or not is all up to me.” Ning

Lingyun smiled insidiously. She meant that she could easily decide
whether Qingyu was guilty or not at her will.

“Fourth Young Lady…” Qingyu immediately looked at Ning Lingyun

pathetically.

“Why would Grandmother reward Ning Xueyan? How is it connected to

Second Sister? You can tell me the answers. If I am satisfied, then the
thing that you broke my hairpin will no longer be a big thing.” Ning
Lingyun threatened Qingyu. When she knew that her plan worked, Ning
Lingyun leaned back against the back of the chair, picked up a piece of
cake on the table and put it in her mouth.

She made such a scene only because Qingyu was always a frank and
outspoken person, and she was a little timid. Compared to another maid
who looked quite smart, Qingyu seemed to be much easier to deal with.

“Second, Second Young Lady…” Qingyu stammered with a colorless

face, and it seemed that she swallowed back the words on the tip of her
tongue.

“Sure enough, it is related to Ning Yuling.” Ning Lingyun was more

curious about the answer. She gave Qingyu a black look at once.
“Qingyu, think it twice. You broke the master’s jewelry, which can never
be considered as a minor offense! In the Second Sister’s place, there is a
precedent.”
Ning Yuling had a maid who dropped her pair of earrings and was beaten
to death.

Her words helped Qingyu make her determination. She went to the door
and specially checked the situation outside. She closed the door again
when she saw no one outside. Biting her teeth, she told Ning Lingyun,
“The reason why Fifth Young Lady could get the reward from Madam
Dowager was certainly because of Second Young Lady. My lady made
an appointment with Second Young Lady, and she fulfilled the
agreement. Certainly, Second Young Lady should thank my lady for that.
To escape the notice of others, they made Madam Dowager come
forward.”
Chapter 127 Two Unsatisfactory
Marriages
Did Ning Xueyan and Ning Yuling have an agreement? Ning Lingyun
didn’t believe it because she knew how much Ning Yuling hated Ning
Xueyan. Last time, she got beaten by Ning Yuling because of Ning
Xueyan. How was it possible that they would make an appointment?

“How dare you talk nonsense?” Ning Lingyun’s face became cold.

“It is real. I don’t dare to lie to you, Fourth Young Lady. It was true that
Second Young Lady don’t like my lady. But in this case, she indeed
benefited because of my lady. Hence, Second Young Lady had to
compensate her. Otherwise, where could my lady get the money? In the
past few years, if Bright Frost Garden had any money, it would all be
used to buy medicine for Second Madam and Fifth Young Lady.”

Seeing that Ning Lingyun still didn’t believe her, Qingyu argued
excitedly, and her face turned red with anger.

“Then, what happened? Tell me clearly.” Seeing her act like that, Ning
Lingyun could not help asking her, half seriously and half skeptically.

“Fourth Young Lady, do you know the thing about Marquis of Ping’an?
He originally planned to marry the daughter of the principal wife in Lord
Protector’s Manor.” After taking a brief break, Qingyu asked.

“The daughter of the principal wife in Lord Protector’s Manor, if there is

one, it will be Ning Xueyan.” Ning Lingyun nodded, signaling for
Qingyu to continue.

“At the beginning, First Madam prepared to marry my lady to Marquis

of Ping’an. However, it turned out that Marquis of Ping’an took a fancy
to Second Young Lady and he told others that he must marry Second
Young Lady. But at that time, Second Young Lady had already engaged
with Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Marquis of Ping’an was an
unreasonable man. If he really wanted to do something wild and spread
the thing about Second Young Lady throughout the capital, it would ruin
the reputation of Second Young Lady. If that happened, Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li would break off his engagement to her.”

More than half of what Qingyu said was the fact, which was almost the
same with what Ning Lingyun already knew. Hence, she somewhat
believed it. The fact was there, even if she didn’t believe it. Although
Ning Lingyun was rather confident about her appearance, she was not as
pretty as Ning Yuling. Marquis of Ping’an was the most sensual of all
lechers. After he saw Ning Yuling, he would probably announce that he
must marry Ning Yuling.

Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor was a shit hole. Even Ning Lingyun was
reluctant to marry Marquis of Ping’an, how would Ning Yuling be
willing to marry him?

“But so what?” asked Ning Lingyun, puzzled.

“First Madam wanted to marry my lady to Marquis of Ping’an, but he

refused because he only wanted to marry Second Young Lady. The most
important thing was that Marquis of Ping’an held something important in
his hand so that First Madam had no choice but to assent to their
marriage. But how could Second Young Lady agree? Of course, she went
to argue with First Madam. First Madam felt helpless, so she, she, she
specifically asked my lady for help…” Speaking of which, Qingyu cast a
timid look at Ning Lingyun.

The look of Qingyu made Ning Lingyun felt so nervous that even her
hairs stood up. She thought that it must have something to do with her,
and then she pricked up her ears to listen.

“That day, First Madam invited Marquis of Ping’an to come to the

manor. At that time, you were all dressed up, but my lady was dressed in
a stupid manner. With my lady served as a contrast, you instantly looked
as pretty as a fairy in the eyes of Marquis of Ping’an. Therefore, he
decided to marry you later.”

“My lady dressed up like that only because Second Young Lady told her
to do so. After that, Second Young Lady just needed to wait until the
date of the wedding was set and sent you to the bridal sedan chair.
During this waiting period, she also was afraid that my lady would tell
you something and you might trouble them again, so she gave my lady a
sum of money in order to let her keep it a secret. But Second Young
Lady just said it was the reward money from Madam Dowager.”

Lowering her head, Qingyu timidly told her almost everything without a
break. Sitting at the table, Ning Lingyun was trembling all over. She only
felt that her hands and feet were as cold as ice as if she had fallen into an
ice cellar. Ning Lingyun bit her lips so hard with her white teeth that her
lips were nearly bleeding. She had thought that the thing that happened
that day was an accident. But she had never thought that it was a trap set
by Madam Ling and her daughter. No wonder the servant would secretly
tell her that Third Prince would come to their manor that day.

“Madam Ling is in charge of all the things in Lord Protector’s Manor. If

she didn’t want to reveal the information to me, how could I possibly
know that? I would not dress up so nice, either.”

After Ning Lingyun had suspected one of the things, she started to doubt
all the other things. Once again, Ning Lingyun remembered that day. In
order to dress beautifully, she especially went to the garden and picked a
few flowers. The maid there specially chose several flowers that Ning
Yuling usually didn’t allow others to touch. So obviously, it was Ning
Yuling who told the maid to do so.

Now, she fully believed the words of Qingyu. Grinding her teeth, Ning
Lingyun hated Madam Ling and Ning Yuling so much that she was very
anxious to tear them to pieces. “And that explains why they sent me the
message that Third Prince would come and let me dressed up to meet
him. Clearly, they asked Marquis of Ping’an to our manor instead. In
order to make that old goat choose me, they were even willing to let go
of their resentments to Ning Xueyan and let her dress up that ugly to
serve as a foil to me.”

At this time, the more she recalled the past things, the more clues and
evidence she found among them. Tightly clenching her teeth, Ning
Lingyun felt that her hatred was growing.

“Concubine Xu also told me that Madam Ling wanted Ning Xueyan to

marry into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor. She also told me not to worry or
cause any trouble, which was obviously a stalling tactic. If I followed her
words, I would possibly not see the trap until I was in the bridal sedan
chair. Poor Concubine Xu must still have been kept in the dark up until
now.”

“Fourth Sister, what’s wrong with you?” When Ning Lingyun hated them
so much that she was going to spit blood, someone knocked at the door
lightly, and Ning Xueyan appeared at the door with a gentle smile.

Ning Xueyan changed her hair to the usual style, and she had combed
her thick forelock aside long before. Just as Ning Lingyun had expected,
Ning Xueyan did the ugly hairstyle that day especially to make Ning
Lingyun look better.

Ning Lingyun stood up abruptly and stared viciously at Ning Xueyan.

Pointing right to her, Ning Lingyun said with hatred, “Ning Xueyan, you
are so… You actually dealt with me together with Ning Yuling. ”

“Fourth Sister, what were you talking about? Why I could not
understand?” Ning Xueyan fluttered her long eyelashes and looked at
Ning Lingyun blankly. But Ning Lingyun felt that there was a touch of
sarcasm on her face, and she didn’t know why she would have such a
feeling.

“You b*tch, don’t you understand? I will beat you until you understand.”
Ning Lingyun had spit out some blood, and her eyes became all red.
Rushing up to Ning Xueyan fiercely, she was about to blow Ning
Xueyan direct in her face. She was going to vent all her resentments
toward Madam Ling and her daughter upon Ning Xueyan because she
had secretly helped them to do harmful things to her.

Unexpectedly, just when she rushed forward, someone grabbed her and
rolled her over. Ning Lingyun could not stand still while going forward,
and then her stomach hit right on the tea table aside. In great pain,
covering her stomach, she bent down and could not utter even a word.

After she completed the series of actions fluently, Xinmei neatly clapped
her hands and went to stand by Ning Xueyan’s side while looking at
Ning Lingyun coldly.

Ning Xueyan’s face had cooled down. A trace of deep and dark cold
light flashed across her dark-jade like eyes and the gentle smile her lips
formed became sharp. “Fourth Sister, you are not in Lord Protector’s
Manor. Please consider taking care of the dignity of Lord Protector’s
Manor, Fourth Sister. If you annoyed Grandmother, perhaps you would
get into your bridal sedan chair and marry Marquis of Ping’an
tomorrow.”

“You, you…” While covering her stomach, Ning Lingyun pointed to

Ning Xueyan, but she was unable to say a word. She only felt that right
after Ning Xueyan’s eyes swept across her, a chill feeling popped up in
her heart. She didn’t dare to look at the pair of deep dark eyes of Ning
Xueyan. Nervously, she swallowed her saliva and didn’t know what she
should do next.

And now, she also completely realized that she was in Splendid Pavilion
where there were many ladies from official families. If they spread the
news that she made a scene in public, how could she behave herself in
the future?

“What happened to me? Since you have already known everything, I will
just make a clear statement here. It was not me who set your marriage
with Marquis of Ping’an. If you cannot figure out a way, the bridal sedan
chair will come to get you soon.” Ning Xueyan looked at Ning Lingyun
with a sneer hanging at her mouth corners.

Ning Lingyun, who liked bullying the weak but feared the strong,
definitely didn’t dare to make a big scene outside.

“I, I… What should I do?” Being overwhelmed by Ning Xueyan’s

imposing manner, Ning Lingyun said drily.

“Fourth Sister, how can I know what you should do? Now Second Sister
is unhappy about her engagement, and so do you. How about changing
your fiancé? Perhaps, both of you will feel satisfied!” Ning Xueyan
curved her lips and said meaningfully. After that, she put on a serious
look. “Fourth Sister, it’s getting late. You’d better go back earlier!”

Without waiting for Ning Lingyun, Ning Xueyan took the curtained hat
Qingyu gave her and turned to go downstairs after she finished the talk.
Ning Lingyun, who lost her wits, was left alone upstairs.

“Young Lady, how are you?” Just now, Ning Xueyan also frightened
Caiyun a lot. She had never thought that Fifth Young Lady, who was
little and always been amicable, would have such an imposing manner.
Caiyun didn’t even dare to get a bit more breath. She came to support
Ning Lingyun after she saw Ning Xueyan go out.

“I am fine. Go back to the manor!” Clinching her teeth, Ning Lingyun

dropped the words one by one.

At this moment, Ning Lingyun hated Ning Xueyan very much, but she
hated Madam Ling and her daughter even more. On the one hand, they
told Concubine Xu that Ning Xueyan must be the one who would marry
into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor in the end. On the other hand, they laid
the trap for her together with Ning Xueyan. What was worse, they even
sent her banknotes to appease her right after they set her marriage with
Marquis of Ping’an.

But what she was thinking about now was another thing: the last words
Ning Xueyan said enlightened her. Although the marriages with
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor and Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor were
wholly inappropriate, the marriage with Commandery Prince Li’s Manor
would be much better. Ning Lingyun thought that she still got a
chance…

Ning Lingyun sat in the carriage, and her eyes looked vicious. In a hurry,
she went back to discuss with Concubine Xu in the manor!

“Young Lady, Fourth Young Lady has gone!” Xinmei regained her gaze
that fell outside and lowered her voice to say to Ning Xueyan.

“Humph.” Ning Xueyan nodded and said, not to say yes or no. “Ning
Lingyun’s response was normal. She tried hard to please Madam Ling
because she wanted Madam Ling to marry her into a good family. But
now, instead of finding a good family for her, Madam Ling is going to
marry her to the notorious Marquis of Ping’an. According to Ning
Lingyun’s temper, how can she accept that? I have mentioned Ning
Yuling’s marriage just now. I believe that she will understand as long as
she is not hopelessly stupid.”

While speaking, Ning Xueyan walked up to a counter filled with jade

ornaments with Xinmei. In this counter were all ornaments made of jade.
Since she was here already, she could buy two pieces. As for the money,
she didn’t have much money, but it was enough for her to buy two
pieces. Ming Feiyong left her the money when he came to visit her last
time.

“Young Lady, look at this hairpin. It is light and elegant, which goes very
well with you.” A shop assistant came over to greet her. He could not see
Ning Xueyan’s appearance under the curtained hat, but he was sure that
she could not be someone from a poor and humble family because she
took two maids with her outside.

The hairpin was indeed very nice and was engraved with a white lotus. It
looked crystal clear in an elegant style, which happened to hit her fancy.
When Ning Xueyan was about to take it, a hand flashed out sideways
and grabbed the hairpin all of a sudden.

“Young Lady, look at this hairpin. It looks clean and elegant and it is just
right for you. There will be no better match hairpin here for you!” A
maid chirped. Ning Xueyan and others tilted their heads and saw a
woman wearing the same curtained hat with Ning Xueyan standing on
the other side of her. Now, she was holding the same hairpin that Ning
Xueyan looked just now.

A pretty maid followed her.

“It is the hairpin that we first found.” Qingyu was not happy. “They are
robbing openly,” she thought.

“You found it, but have you paid for it? If you haven’t, how can it be
yours? Look at you, do you deserve such a beautiful hairpin?” It turned
out that the pretty maid was a rude and unreasonable person. She turned
around, cast a disdainful glance at Ning Xueyan and others, and argued
with her hands against her sides.

Their voices attracted other guests who were looking at the jewelry in the
house. The maid not only grabbed the jewelry in front of so many
people, but she behaved so aggressively and extremely insolently. Ning
Xueyan slightly frowned. The face of the maid’s master was behind the
curtained hat, so Ning Xueyan could not clearly see her face. But Ning
Xueyan could tell that she was a young lady.
Chapter 128 The Arrogant Maid
“Xia’er, don’t make troubles. Give the hairpin back to the Young Lady,”
the girl in the hat ordered in a low voice. Her voice was gentle and
sweet, and from the way she spoke, everyone could tell that she was
well-bred in a rich family. However, there seemed to be a domineering
air about her.

In a low voice, she properly expressed her displeasure.

“Yes, miss!” The maid called Xia’er took the jade hairpin reluctantly and
put it on the counter with a snort, as if she was giving something to a
beggar.

“You’re just a maid. How dare you turn your nose up at others in front of
your master? Didn’t your master teach you to be polite?” A girl of about
15 years old snorted, looking at Xia’er from the corner of her eyes. She
and her maid stood on the other side of Ning Xueyan.

She was a beautiful girl with bushy eyebrows and big eyes; such an
appearance was pleasing to people.

The girl in the hat turned to her maid and ordered, “Xia’er, apologize to
this Young Lady!”

“Miss, I’m sorry. I’m just a maid, not worth your anger. Please forgive
me. I didn’t notice that you were also fond of this hairpin,” Xia’er said,
glaring at the beautiful girl. Being cursed by her master, she was angry,
but she didn’t dare to disobey her master. She bowed slightly to Ning
Xueyan to express her regret. However, from her pursed lips, everyone
could tell that she was unwillingly to do so.

Moreover, she was hinting that as a daughter from a rich family, Ning
Xueyan was being so narrow-minded to argue with a maid.

“We can’t afford your apology. Our master won’t care about such trifles.
Since this hairpin matches your master so well, we will give it to her!”
Qingyu was also a sharp-tongued girl. She took several steps forward
and bowed slightly to Xia’er’s master to show her respect. Making no
concession, she retorted sarcastically.

“Hey, how dare you speak that way?” Xia’er shouted angrily with one
hand on her hips, pointing at Qingyu. In her opinion, her master was the
most honorable person. It was normal for other people to take things that
her master left, but she had never expected that someone would have
dared to ask her master to take things that other people had left.

“Wow, you’re really aggressive!” The beautiful girl who stood beside
Ning Xueyan smiled and began to size Xia’er up. She had seen many
noble young ladies and their maids in the city, but she couldn’t recall
having seen anyone like Xia’er.

Hearing what she said, Xia’er wanted to protest again. Ning Xueyan
looked at her master in confusion.

“Xia’er, let’s go.” The calm and gentle voice rang out again. Xia’er kept
her anger down and walked out with her master, holding her master’s
arm. She snorted with a disdainful expression while walking.

Seeing them leave, the beautiful girl murmured in confusion, “It’s said
that servants always behave in much the same way as their masters. This
master seems quite well-bred, but why is her maid so aggressive?”

“Maybe her master is not as tender as we saw, but we have no

opportunity to find out,” Ning Xueyan answered. She was very much
disposed toward this girl who had spoken for her.

“That sounds reasonable. My name is Heng Yuqing, and my father is

Lord Guardian. Can you tell me something about yourself?” She seemed
to like Ning Xueyan as well, so she immediately introduced herself after
sizing Ning Xueyan up.

“Oh? She is Heng Yuqing, the daughter of Lord Guardian?” Ning

Xueyan thought. Heng Yuqing was famous among the imperial and
noble ladies in the city, and Ning Xueyan had heard that she was a
straightforward person. Although she hadn’t seen her before, Ning
Xueyan had heard Ning Yuling talk about her, saying that she was an
arrogant and rude girl and nobody would dare to marry her in the future.
A person who annoyed Ning Yuling wouldn’t be ordinary.

“I’m Ning Xueyan from the Lord Protector’s Manor,” Ning Xueyan said
with a smile.

“Lord Protector’s Manor?” Heng Yuqing was surprised. She sized Ning
Xueyan up again and asked, “What’s the relationship between you and
Ning Yuling?”

“She is my Second Sister. I’m the fifth daughter of the Lord Guardian,”
Ning Xueyan explained with a smile.

She knew that Heng Yuqing wouldn’t have heard about her because she
had been staying at home in recent years and she had never attended
parties. Moreover, Madam Ling seldom mentioned her in front of
outsiders, so very few people knew that there was a Fifth Young Lady in
the manor.

“Oh! You’re the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor whose
mother has just died!” Heng Yuqing blurted out, but immediately, an
awkward expression appeared on her face, as she had realized her slip of
the tongue.

Bad news travels fast. Many people had heard about the news that the
Lord Protector’s Manor would hold the wedding ceremony shortly after
the death of the Second Madam. Not until people heard about the news
did they know that there was a Fifth Young Lady in the Lord Protector’s
Manor. Although Heng Yuqing was a straightforward girl, she knew that
she shouldn’t have mentioned the things that made others sad.

“Yes, my mom has just passed away. She’ll take care of me only in
heaven in the future,” Ning Xueyan said, with sadness in her eyes. Then
she smiled gently, without a trace of reproach. Looking at her starry eyes
and gentle smile, Heng Yuqing liked her even more.

Her kindness eased Heng Yuqing’s embarrassment. Heng Yuqing nodded

hard and said, “Your mom would definitely bless you in heaven.” With
that, she held Ning Xueyan’s hand and continued, “Let’s go over there
and have a look. The boss just replenished some new jade ornaments,
and they are much more beautiful than this hairpin.”
Attracted by her straightforward and generous personality, Ning Xueyan
smiled and walked forward with her.

Although she was no longer unknown, Ning Xueyan hadn’t really

integrated into the circle of the noble ladies yet, so the appearance of
Heng Yuqing was a good opportunity for her.

They had not been wandering long when an older female servant from
the Lord Guardian’s Manor came and asked Heng Yuqing to go home.
Her voice was low when she spoke. Obviously, she had something secret
or private to tell Heng Yuqing. Ning Xueyan moved to aside to keep a
distance from them. Heng Yuqing looked at her gratefully and then
turned to the older female servant.

Heng Yuqing turned pale when she heard what the older female servant
said. She turned around and squeezed out a smile. “Fifth Young Lady,
something’s happened in our manor. I can’t stay with you any longer,”
she said.

“All right,” Ning Xueyan answered with a smile. Heng Yuqing walked
out with the older female servant in a hurry. Due to her haste, she almost
stepped on her skirt. Thankfully, her maid held her up. Otherwise, she
would have fallen to the ground.

Seeing that Heng Yuqing was in a panic, Qingyu said in surprise, “Miss,
it seems that something bad has happened to the Lord Guardian’s
Manor.”

“Maybe something bad happened to her mother,” Ning Xueyan answered

with a little sadness. If she remembered correctly, the Lord Guardian’s
wife had been sick these days. She overheard the news when Ning Ziyan
and Xia Yuhang talked about it. She didn’t take it seriously at that
moment because she had never expected that she would meet Heng
Yuqing.

After seeing Heng Yuqing off, Ning Xueyan walked around in the shop
for some time and bought another two jade ornaments. Then she left the
shop and got into the carriage that was waiting outside.

On their way back home, Qingyu couldn’t help asking, “Miss, do you
think that the Fourth Young Lady will believe me?”
What she had done just now had been arranged by Ning Xueyan. She
knew that the Fourth Young Lady would force her to tell the “truth”.
What she needed to do was pretend to be a timid and outspoken maid
and leave the rest to Ning Xueyan. However, Qingyu still felt unsure.

“I guess Ning Lingyun is probably losing her temper now. She might
have swallowed Madam Ling and her daughter if she could,” Ning
Xueyan snorted. She put the gauze curtain down and leaned against the
back of the seat. She seemed to be in a good mood.

Ning Lingyun used to be loyal to Madam Ling and her daughter, but now
she would definitely become their opponent. Besides, Concubine Xu had
gotten involved, so the matter couldn’t be over so easily.

“Having been deceived and betrayed, now maybe Ning Lingyun hates
Ning Yuling more than she hates me!” Ning Xueyan thought.

Ning Lingyun didn’t dare to make trouble in front of Ning Yuling, but it
didn’t mean that she wouldn’t do this behind her back. Obviously, they
knew what was waiting for them was to marry someone from the
Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor, so neither Ning Lingyun nor Concubine Xu
would be willing to do so.

No matter how close Concubine Xu and Madam Ling were, they

wouldn’t be friends anymore after hearing what she said.

Seeing Ning Xueyan so calm, Qingyu heaved a sigh of relief. Although

Ning Xueyan had told her to talk and act as she usually did, she still did
not feel assured that the Fourth Young Lady would believe her. Everyone
knew that Ning Xueyan and the Second Young Lady hated each other so
much, so it would be unconvincing to tell someone that these two had
joined hands to deal with another person.

“Miss, what shall we do next?” Xinmei asked.

That was what Ning Xueyan was thinking about. She opened her eyes
and looked at Xinmei with admiration. Xinmei had been trained, so she
looked deeper than Qingyu did. Ning Xueyan had mentioned Ning
Yuling’s marriage today, and Ning Lingyun would think that way as
well, but without an essential prerequisite, the marriage wouldn’t
happen.
“You can get out at the corner ahead, and then spread the news about the
marriage of the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li to both the
Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor and Lord Protector’s Manor,” Ning Xueyan
ordered in a gentle voice.

“Got it. I will get out soon.” Xinmei nodded. Although she didn’t know
why Ning Xueyan had asked her to do this, after a long period of special
training, she knew that she had to obey her master’s instructions
unconditionally. She then went out of the carriage and told the driver to
stop at the turn ahead because she needed to buy some osmanthus
candies for Ning Xueyan.

Seeing the driver nod, Xinmei went back into the carriage.

Since Xinmei was so obedient, Ning Xueyan decided to tell her the
reason. “Ning Yuling and Ning Lingyun were engaged shortly after my
mom’s death. It will cause trouble if that news gets out. To prevent any
trouble, the two manors would do something. They might either say that
the young ladies had been engaged for a long time or that they had never
been engaged at all. Anyway, they would do something,” Ning Xueyan
explained, hatred flashing in her eyes.

“So the Fourth Young Lady would get a chance when these two manors
made a move at the same time?” Qingyu still felt confused. On the
contrary, Xinmei’s eyes lit up and she seemed to have understood part of
Ning Xueyan’s plan.

“If people from the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor and Marquis of
Ping’an’s Manor don’t do anything, no matter how hard Ning Lingyun
struggles, her engagement can’t be canceled. On the other hand, if people
from the two manors visit the Lord Protector’s Manor openly, they can
tell the others that they have long been engaged with the Lord Protector’s
Manor, and because the Lord Protector’s wife just passed away, they
can’t hold wedding ceremonies at this moment.

Now someone must spread the news to the public to set the stage for the
wedding.”

Hearing Xinmei’s explanation, Qingyu nodded. She understood Ning

Xueyan’s plan as well now.
Soon after, they had arrived at the turn. The carriage stopped and Xinmei
got out swiftly. She then walked into the crowd. Spreading rumors was
simple for her.

The carriage moved on. Qingyu handed Ning Xueyan a cushion so that
she could rest more comfortably. Seeing Ning Xueyan close her eyes,
she sat beside her quietly. She didn’t want to disturb her master’s rest
because she knew that Ning Xueyan was tired. Since the Second
Madam’s death, Ning Xueyan had to handle everything on her own. She
was like a child who grew up overnight.

To her surprise, before they moved on very far, the carriage suddenly
stopped. Seeing a person stand in their way, the driver pulled the reins in
a hurry and the carriage was jolted twice. Ning Xueyan fell to the left.
Fortunately, the cushion that Qingyu had given her slipped to her left
side before she hit the wall of the carriage.

“What happened?” Qingyu asked the driver angrily while holding Ning
Xueyan up.
Chapter 129 An Old Lady Was
Knocked Down
“I… I knocked someone down.” The coachman quivered with anxiety.

“I’m fine. I’ll go and check it out.” Ning Xueyan stayed poised and gave
Qingyu a knowing wink.

Taking the hint, Qingyu got out of the carriage.

The coachman was sure that there had been no one down the road before
this happened. He really had no idea where the old lady sprang out from.
How did his carriage hit the old lady in the twinkle of an eye, even
leaving unconscious from the crash?

At this, he jumped from the carriage to see if the old lady was hit hard.
Fortunately, there was no blood around.

Qingyu also came up around the old lay who lay on the ground, noticing
that the old lady was clothed in plain rags, with a bale in her hand. She
did not look like a local and she had a small stature and seemed to be
about in her 50s. Lying there with a pale face, one could not tell if her
fainting was caused by the crash or by her poor nerves.

“A crash on the road! Someone was hit!” The loud whinny of the horse
drew a great crowd. Seeing an old lady being hit and lying unconscious
on the ground, people started gossiping. Some observant eyes noticed the
emblem of the Lord Protector’s Manor on the carriage.

“The carriage of the Lord Protector’s Manor has hit someone.”

“Lying there motionless, is she already dead?”

“Could it be the Second Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor
sitting in the carriage again? It is said that her carriage had knocked
people dead before.”
“Exactly! It was a child last time. What a crime! Obviously, it was her
carriage that hit the child. How could she have the face to claim that the
child had popped up from nowhere?”

While the onlookers were talking loudly about how the Lord Protector’s
Manor knocked people down, two older female servants squeezed their
way through the crowd. After figuring out what exactly had happened on
the spot, they were taken aback. One winked at the other, and the latter
immediately fled from the crowd.

The Lord Protector’s Manor was only one block away. The servants
would sometimes pass by. Moreover, there was a preserved fruit store on
this street, a favorite of Madam Dowager, who would send people to buy
some every few days. And today, a servant from Lucky Garden
happened to be running the errand for Madam Dowager.

Ning Xueyan heard snatches of people’s discussions, and a smile lifted

the corner of her mouth.

She barely knew about that thing before. Two years ago, Ning Yuling
was galloping on the street in order to catch up with the Third Prince,
and a petrified child, standing by the road, was trampled dead. She had
denied the fact and insisted that the child had suddenly shown up. The
accident ended up with her giving some money in compensation.

Somebody had recognized the horse was from the Lord Protector’s
Manor’s, and the dead child’s parents had cried loudly outside the manor.
People had gathered together and swore loudly so that Ning Zu’an had to
deal with it himself by way of apology and compensation. It was a big
deal.

It occurred to Ning Xueyan that her chance presented itself now.

Ning Yuling set a precedent for her and there was a large group of
witnesses. Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an would certainly accept her
conditions.

“Hey, old lady, wake up.” Qingyu squatted down and held the old lady in
her arm and jolted the old lady with her anxious call.
There was no arrogance or imperious air on her face, which left a good
impression on the crowd. Some even took a few steps back to clear room
for her.

After a while, the old lady finally opened her eyes under the earnest gaze
of the onlookers. She looked blankly at the people around her, apparently
not knowing what was going on here.

“How do you feel? Do you want to see a doctor?” Qingyu asked with
concern.

“Yes, there is a clinic over there. Now that the young lady offers help,
you should take a look!” Someone in the crowd gave a sympathetic
suggestion.

“No… not at all…” The old lady seemed to have understood the
situation. She tried to get herself up with the help of Qingyu, but it was
in vain. She fell again, but fortunately, Qingyu kept her hands on the old
lady all the time so that she did not flop on the ground.

“Evidently, you are hurt badly. It is all right. Let’s just check it out at the
clinic. My Young Lady orders me to treat you well until you are fine.”
Qingyu stood on one side of her and the coachman stood on the other
side. They worked together to help the old lady get up again.

Being badly hit, the old lay groaned in great pain and her face whitened
when she felt her legs on the ground.

“Your bones must be hurt. It is something serious. You may want to take
a look.”

“Exactly right! Otherwise, you will spend the rest of your life in bed.”
No one expected the old lady to be hurt so badly, not even being able to
stand up, even though there was no blood at all. The onlookers also had a
good opinion of the Young Lady inside the cart. It seemed that the one
inside the cart was not the Second Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s
Manor.

“I am sorry to bring you trouble.” Fearing the possibility of a lifelong

disability, the old lady nodded her head to accept the advice.
Qingyu was trying to help her up to the carriage, but the step was a little
too high. Even though the coachman lent a hand, two of them were still
unable to get the fragile old lady on the carriage.

“Put her on my back! It is just a stone’s throw away after all.” A kind
young man stepped forward, ready to carry the old lady while pointing to
somewhere nearby.

Seeing that it was just a short distance, Qingyu nodded and then went
into the carriage. The coachman also sat back in his place and started
whipping the horse to follow the young man. In an instant, they arrived
at the clinic.

Under her veiled cap, Ning Xueyan, escorted by Qingyu, got down from
the cart and they went into the clinic.

At the sight of her little figure, those who followed began to gossip about
who this young lady was. She seemed to be a benevolent girl with a
graceful demeanor, totally different from the Second Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor.

Despite all kinds of guesses, they could not figure it out. Some
inquisitive guys even walked up to the coachman and fished for clues. It
turned out that the little girl was the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord
Protector. They could not help exclaiming how they were different in
way of style even though they came from the same family. What a nice
girl she was!

Ning Yuling’s style departed from the Fifth Young Lady’s graceful
manner, and their upbringing immediately became the heart of the public
discussion.

“Doctor, please try your best to treat this old lady, I will cover all the
cost,” Ning Xueyan said in all earnest. She glanced at the old lady, and
her eyes flickered with a touch of compassion without any changes on
her face.

The doctor nodded and walked up to check out the old lady. He frowned
and touched her legs. Each time, the old lady would cry out in pain with
a pale face. It was true that her bones were badly hurt.
“She may have hurt her legs. As the saying goes, it may take one
hundred days to recover from broken bones. Given her advanced age, it
will take her at least more than half a year to recover before she can
stand up,” the doctor straightened up and said to Ning Xueyan.

He meant that the old lady could not get up in the coming days and
should have someone around to take care of her.

“Old lady, do you have any relatives?” Ning Xueyan put her chin down
slightly and looked at the old lady, who was trying to sit properly.

“I… I am not a native here.” The old lady gave a wry smile. Beads of
sweat were oozing from her forehead as she was exerting herself to get
up. Seeing this, Qingyu gave her hand until she finally did.

“You are not a local here, so what are you doing here in the capital city?”
Qingyu asked with her big eyes blinking in curiosity.

“I…” The old lady held her tongue and let out a sigh. She began to wipe
her tears with a handkerchief.

“Do you have troubles? Just tell me. I will do anything I can to help
you.” Ning Xueyan comforted her with her soft tone. Obviously, her
words tugged at the old lady’s heartstring.

During their conversation, two older female servants from the Lord
Protector’s Manor walked in and then saluted Ning Xueyan. They
whispered in a low voice, “Fifth Young Lady, Madam Dowager asked
you to handle this matter well and not to cause more troubles.”

Though in a roundabout way, Ning Xueyan understood it all. She smiled

and nodded.

The Lord Protector’s Manor was going through a stormy patch right
now, and Ning Yuling’s scandal had spread all over the city. Of course
Madam Dowager did not want to make it worse at this point and lose
face, which meant that Ning Xueyan had to deal with it peacefully at all
costs.

“We have hurt the old lady’s bones. She has no kinfolk in the capital and
has to rest for at least half a year or more. What are we supposed to do?”
Ning Xueyan asked, pretending to be at a loss.

“No kinfolk?” The two older female servants gave a start and felt
embarrassed by the unexpected situation.

Madame Dowager had told them to appease the victim, if she was not
dead, with compensation so that rumors could be reined in. But she
failed to anticipate that the victim had no family here and now had
difficulty moving around. Abandoning this solitary old lady would only
discredit the Lord Protector’s Manor.

The two older female servants gave each other a knowing look and then
made up their minds. They had been sent here by the Madame Dowager
because they were believed to be able to handle this well.

“Fifth Young Lady, in that case, how about first bringing her to the Lord
Protector’s Manor and taking care of her there until she recovers, or until
her family comes to fetch her?”

“Will my grandmother mind…” Ning Xueyan was a little concerned.

“Please rest assured. I will explain it to Madam Dowager, and you won’t
feel awkward.” The two older female servants added, knowing that Ning
Xueyan did not want to displease Madam Dowager. As seniors in Lucky
Garden, they were acute enough to notice that the Fifth Young Lady was
no longer her past self. They had better treat her nice.

“Thank you, Mammies. How about taking her to Bright Frost Garden
then? I caused this and I shall not brother my grandmother with it
anymore.” Ning Xueyan insisted.

Her words sounded reasonable and brought home to the people around
her sense of responsibility and her wishes not to bother Madam
Dowager. The two mammies gave their tacit approval. Under the same
situation, the Second Young Lady denied it while the Fifth Young Lady
faced up to it fair and square. It was obvious which one won favors.

“All right. I will then tell Madam Dowager that you insisted on
accommodating the old lady in Bright Frost Garden. I assure you that
Madam Dowager would appreciate your thoughtful arrangement.” The
two mammies nodded. The issue was finally clinched.
As long as the victim was accommodated and served well and then given
some money a year later, the aftermath of this could eventually be
minimized. After putting a good seal on this matter as Madam Dowager
had told them, the two mammies smiled. Then, when the mammy looked
around at the old lady sitting in bed and their eyes met, they were both
startled.

“You… you are…” The older female servant, while pointing at the old
lady, looked stunned and said with a tremor in her voice.
Chapter 130 Worrying about the
Disclosure of the Conspiracy
Everyone had come back to the Lord Protector’s Manor. Under the
instruction of Ning Xueyan, Qingyu led several servants to carry Mother
Wang into the Bright Frost Garden. Then Ning Xueyan went to the
Lucky Garden to visit Madam Dowager. The two older female servants
had reported Madam Dowager about Ning Xueyan’s coming in advance.
Nobody had expected that the injured old woman was Mother Wang, the
wet nurse of Ning Ziying. Ning Ziying was the cousin of Ning Xueyan
and she was already dead.

“What? The wet nurse of Ning Ziying?” Madam Dowager was drinking
tea while she heard the news. She was so astonished that the tea cup
slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

“Yes. It’s exactly her. We have seen her several times in our manor
before,” the two older female servants answered, trembling.

“How could it be her?” Mother Qin was surprised as well. She asked a
maid to clean the floor while asking the two older female servants about
the details. She felt a little relieved when she knew that it was the two
older female servants who had made the decision to bring Mother Wang
to the manor.

If it wasn’t Mother Wang, it would be much easier.

“Why did Fifth Young Lady take Mother Wang to the Bright Frost
Garden?” Madam Dowager asked with a serious look.

“Fifth Young Lady said that since Mother Wang was injured because of
her, she should take responsibility. She wouldn’t bother Madam
Dowager and would arrange the servants and maids from the Bright
Frost Garden to take care of Mother Wang. Besides, she would pay for
Mother Wang’s daily expenses.” The two older female servants evidently
felt that Madam Dowager was not very pleased, so they dared not
conceal a thing, but told her exactly what Ning Xueyan had said.
“Did Fifth Young Lady know that it was Mother Wang before you came
here?” Madam Dowager asked to make sure. It was abnormal. Why had
Ning Xueyan been out of the manor without anything special? How
could the person who had been knocked down by her carriage happen to
be the wet nurse of Ning Ziying?

“When we arrived there, the doctor had just diagnosed for Mother Wang
and was telling Fifth Young Lady about her injuries. The maid Fifth
Young Lady took out with her today was Qingyu. She always stayed in
the Bright Frost Garden with Fifth Young Lady and never left our manor
before,” the two older female servants answered after thinking for a short
while.

Everyone in the manor knew that Ning Xueyan used to be timid. She had
always hidden in the Bright Frost Garden and refused to see any visitors.
Her personal maids had acted the same way.

Before Ning Ziying came to the Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Xueyan
had hidden herself in the Bright Frost Garden. It was not until the death
of Ning Ziying and Madam Ming that she walked out from the Bright
Frost Garden, so she and Ning Ziying wouldn’t have communicated with
each other before and it was impossible for Ning Xueyan to have known
Ning Ziying’s wet nurse.

Madam Dowager felt something wrong, but she couldn’t tell what it was.

She gestured the others leave except for Mother Qin. Then she asked
with a sigh, “Did you find anything wrong?”

Madam Dowager would be happy if the Nings and the Xias could tie the
knot by marrying Ning Ziyan to Xia Yuhang. When Ning Ziying just
came to the Lord Protector’s Manor, Madam Dowager heard that she had
been engaged to the elder son of Minister Xia and she sighed in front of
Madam Ling, saying that a powerless orphan like Ning Ziying didn’t
deserve Xia Yuhang who was so talented, noble and would have a great
future.

Although she didn’t ask Madam Ling to murder Ning Ziying, she turned
a blind eye to Madam Ling’s inappropriate behavior.
Lord Protector’s Manor would get great benefits from the marriage if
Ning Ziyan could marry Xia Yuhang.

So she had never asked what Madam Ling was going to do. She allowed
Madam Ling to make the final decision for everything in the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard, without reporting to her.

After some time, Madam Dowager told her that Ning Ziying was
dissolute and had an affair with another man. Madam Ling was happy
secretly at the news, because no man would tolerate his fiancée to have
an affair with other men. Thus this marriage was bound to be a non-
success.

Since Xia Yuhang wouldn’t marry Ning Ziying, Minister Xia would
consent to his son marrying Ning Ziyan if the Lord Protector’s Manor
arranged someone to propose the marriage.

Madam Dowager had never cared about the destination of Ning Ziying.
Therefore, although Madam Dowager hadn’t ordered someone to murder
Ning Ziying, she had given a hand to the murderer. Nobody tracked
down why Ning Ziying and her personal maid Xiang’er died in the lotus
pond.

But to everyone’s surprise, Ning Ziying’s wet nurse appeared at such a

moment. Madam Dowager couldn’t help being nervous.

“Madam Dowager, don’t worry. Nobody could tell how Young Lady
Ziying died. She was too narrow-minded, so it was normal for her to
commit suicide. If Mother Wang wants to know about this, you can ask
her to ask First Madam. It’s said First Madam still kept some “evidence.”
Mother Qin knew what Madam Dowager was worrying about, so she
tried to comfort her.

“Does First Madam still have the ‘image’ of Ning Ziying having an
affair with another man?” Mother Qin wondered.

“How to explain the marriage between Ziyan and Xia Yuhang? Xia
Yuhang was Ning Ziying’s fiancé. I’m afraid Mother Wang will make
trouble when she knows that it was Ziyan who have married Xia
Yuhang,” Madam Dowager said in worry. She felt unassured, as a person
who shouldn’t have appeared in the manor had shown up.
“That’s easy. We can tell her that Childe Xia shifted his affection to
Eldest Young Lady after knowing that Young Lady Ziying had an affair
with another man. Since the wedding ceremony between him and Young
Lady Ziying was approaching, and everything had been ready, if he
didn’t get married, his reputation would be ruined, so he married with
our Eldest Young Lady, instead. The consequence was caused by Young
Lady Ziying herself! As her affairs were known by us, she committed
suicide. We don’t have anything to do with her death.”

Mother Qin was very flexible. Hearing her explanation, Madam

Dowager felt a little relieved.

“That sounds reasonable.

“No regulation says that a man can’t marry another girl after he broke off
his former engagement!”

Madam Dowager thought for a short moment and then nodded. Ning
Xueyan had knocked Mother Wang down in public, so she wouldn’t let
Mother Wang die in the Lord Protector’s Manor. Otherwise, the Lord
Protector’s Manor would get into trouble. At least, what Mother Qin said
made sense, so maybe Mother Wang would believe it.

“Madam Dowager, Fifth Young Lady is coming,” a maid reported

outside the room.

“Let her come in,” Madam Dowager ordered. Then Mother Qin stood
behind her again.

A maid lifted the door curtain and then Ning Xueyan came in with a
guilty look on her face.

Seeing the two older female servants went back to the Lucky Garden in a
hurry to report the accident, she had told Qingyu to find several servants
and carry Mother Wang to the Bright Frost Garden. That was why she
had just arrived at the Lucky Garden.

“Greetings, Grandmother! I’m so sorry that I have made the trouble,”

Ning Xueyan said regretfully in a gentle voice the moment she walked
into the room.
“Are you going to keep her in the Bright Frost Garden? Madam Dowager
asked after observing Ning Xueyan’s expression and finding nothing
abnormal.

“Yes. Since it was me who has knocked her down, I shouldn’t ask you to
take the consequences for me. Or the outsiders will say that the Young
Ladies from the Lord Protector’s Manor are irresponsible,” Ning Xueyan
explained sincerely. As if she had thought of something, her face turned
red with shame. “Someone mentioned Second Sister when we were on
the street. He said that all the Young Ladies from the Lord Protector’s
Manor were arrogant, rude and irresponsible.”

Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, Madam Dowager recalled something

about Ning Yuling. Ning Yuling used to knock someone down before
because of her arrogance, and this news had been spread over among the
city. The Lord Protector’s Manor had had a hard time to put the matter to
rest. Because of the impact of this accident, the wedding ceremony
between Ning Yuling and the son of the Honored Consort Ya had to be
postponed and eventually canceled. If Ning Yuling hadn’t been that
arrogant, she would have become the concubine of the Third Prince.

Such kind of things shouldn’t happen again!

Now Madam Dowager had made her decision. Since Ning Xueyan
would like to take the responsibility, just let her do it. She didn’t want the
Young Ladies’ reputation to be ruined again.

“Alright. I agree to keep her at your place. Although she got injured
because of you, you’re the Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor,
so you shouldn’t take care of her in person. Just ask the servants and
maids to do that. Otherwise, people from other manors will look down
upon you.” Madam Dowager reminded Ning Xueyan.

Although she looked amiable when she spoke, there was a note of
warning in her words.

Worrying that Mother Wang might say something to Ning Xueyan

secretly, Madam Dowager didn’t want Ning Xueyan to be close with her.

“Got it. I will have done my duty by bringing her home and asking my
maids to look after her. How could I serve her in person?” Ning Xueyan
said with a smile.

Seeing her so obedient and considerable, Madam Dowager nodded with

satisfaction. She then asked about the health status of Ning Xueyan and
gave her some high-class medicinal materials. She told Ning Xueyan to
make herself stronger so that she could enjoy the endless prosperity in
the future.

“It seems Madam Dowager is still thinking about marrying me to the

Third Prince to be his co-consort!”

Ning Xueyan snorted inside, but she didn’t express her disdain. She
thanked Madam Dowager and then took leave of her. Since she had
come in a hurry, she didn’t take any maids with her. Madam Dowager
arranged a young maid to send her back.

“Did any outsiders visit Madam Dowager today?” Ning Xueyan

pretended to ask casually. When she was on the way close to the
courtyard, she saw an older female servant walked out from the
courtyard with a smile. She seemed to be familiar with everyone in the
manor and when she saw someone on the way, she would have stopped
and talked to them for a short while, and all of those people looked
happy while talking with her. Obviously, she was a smart and an artful
person.

But Ning Xueyan had never seen her before.

“No outsiders have been here. But Mammy Luo, a female servant of
Third Young Lady has come to take a message. Third Young Lady is so
kind. She was supposed to be back in a few days, but because she saw a
sick child who had nobody to take care of on her way back, she decided
to stay there and take care of the child. Then she can only postpone her
return to our manor.”

The maid answered with a smile.

“Mammy Luo seems to be a smart person and she is familiar with

everyone in our manor. I guess Third Sister must be a smart girl as well,”
Ning Xueyan said with curiosity. She felt puzzled, because her mother
was Ning Qingshan’s mother in name, but why did Ning Qingshan seem
to be closer with Madam Ling?
Ning Qingshan had only shown her respect on the surface to Ning
Xueyan’s mother. But when everyone looked down upon people from the
Bright Frost Garden, this kind of respect won admiration for her.

As she thought about it, Ning Xueyan couldn’t find a trace of warmth in
this kind of respect. Ning Qingshan had always paid attention to etiquette
very much in front of her mother in name, but she had never had a real
affection for her.

“Mother Han told me that mom was very kind to Ning Qingshan, just
like she treated me, but why was Ning Qingshan nicer to Madam Ling
than to mom?” Ning Xueyan wondered. She had asked Mother Han the
same question before, and Mother Han looked like she wanted to tell her
the reason, but she couldn’t. This made Ning Xueyan more skeptical.

“I don’t know. I only heard that Third Young Lady was a nice and gentle
person. She was kind to the maids and servants in the manor and she had
never beaten and scolded the maids and servants,” the maid answered.
She didn’t know what Ning Xueyan’s intention was. She thought that
Ning Xueyan was happy because Third Young Lady would come back
soon, so she wanted to know more about Third Young Lady so that she
could please her when she was back.

“Fifth Young Lady, since you are interested in Third Young Lady, I will
collect more information about her when I’m free and then I’ll tell you
about it,” the maid said.

“People in Lucky Garden will definitely know more about Ning

Qingshan. That will be great if someone is willing to act as my eyes and
ears!” Ning Xueyan thought.

“Fine. Take it seriously.” Ning Xueyan smiled but she didn’t explain
more. When they arrived at the Bright Frost Garden, she asked Qingyu to
give the maid two taels of silver pieces.

The maid had never expected that she would have gotten so much money
just by sending Fifth Young Lady back, so she left with excitement.
Chapter 131 Is There Anything
Special about the Brocade?
“Where did you put Mother Wang?” Ning Xueyan asked Qingyu as soon
as she returned to the Bright Frost Garden.

“I put her in the room next to Lanning’s. Lanning said it would be

convenient for her to take care of Mother Wang,” Qingyu answered,
pointing to a room on the right wing. “Miss, you’d better have a rest
before visiting Mother Wang. Lanning is being with her now.”

“Okay. I’ll go and fresh myself up first.” Ning Xueyan nodded.

“Although Mother Wang has come to the manor under the persuasion of
Lanning, she won’t tell me any secrets because I’m Ning Xueyan, not
Ning Ziying now. But I still have time. Since many outsiders have
known that Mother Wang came to our manor after being knocked down,
Madam Ling won’t dare to hurt her. Furthermore, Mother Wang is at my
place, so her safety can be assured at least,” she thought.

She had a feeling that Mother Wang must have known some secrets
about her past life.

However, she knew that even with Lanning’s explanation, Mother Wang
wouldn’t completely trust her and tell her about the secrets.

After refreshing herself up, Ning Xueyan rested for a while before
walking toward the right wing. She didn’t take Qingyu with her. It not
because she didn’t trust Qingyu, but she was afraid that Mother Wang
would be more suspicious.

Lanning opened the door when she heard someone knocking at it. When
she found it was Ning Xueyan, she greeted her. “Miss.” She looked a
little worried, so Ning Xueyan guessed that Lanning’s persuasion of
Mother Wang didn’t work.

Ning Xueyan smiled, trying to comfort Lanning. Then she stepped into
the room.
Mother Wang was sitting on the bed now. She looked at Ning Xueyan
cautiously with surprise in her eyes.

Just like the true Ning Xueyan had never seen Mother Wang, Mother
Wang had never seen Ning Xueyan before. The girl in front of her was
calm and graceful, so Mother Wang had difficulty in associating her with
the timid Fifth Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor who had
always hidden in her own room.

“Mother Wang.” Ning Xueyan stood still and sized her up for a while
before calling her with a smile.

Mother Wang just recovered from her trance. She immediately sat
straight and was about to get out of the bed. Ning Xueyan reached out
and stopped her.

“Since you’re recuperating here, you don’t have to get up. Many people
come in and out here every day. If they knew that your injuries are not
that serious, we’ll get into trouble,” she said.

“Mammy, you’d better stay in bed. Young Lady won’t blame you for
these manners,” Lanning said. Of course Mother Wang’s feet were not
really broken. In order to take her into the Lord Protector’s Manor
smoothly, Ning Xueyan had designed this.

“Thank you, Fifth Young Lady,” Mother Wang said. She knew she
should keep this secret, so she didn’t insist on getting out of the bed, but
bowed slightly to Ning Xueyan in bed.

“You’re welcome, Mother Wang. Lanning has told you about Sister
Ziying’s death. I know that she was murdered, and I would like to take
revenge for her. If you know anything useful, just tell me. Maybe we can
avenge her sooner.

She knew that Mother Wang was loyal to Ning Ziying. When she heard
the news about Ning Ziying’s death, she could have chosen to leave, but
she hadn’t. Instead, she insisted on staying in the city and collecting
news about Ning Ziying. This time, she agreed to come into the Lord
Protector’s Manor because she was told that Ning Xueyan would help
her to find out the true cause of Ning Ziying’s death.
Mother Wang didn’t hesitate even when she knew that she had to rush
toward the carriage and to be knocked down so that the plan could be
executed.

Although everything had been planned and the speed of the carriage
wouldn’t be fast, something unexpected might happen. But Mother Wang
still agreed to be a part of the plan without any hesitation.

Fortunately, she ended up with only a few bruises on her feet.

It was unnecessary to go around a lot to talk to someone like her.

“Fifth Young Lady, are you serious that you’re willing to track down the
cause of my master’s death? I remember that you haven’t seen my
master before, right?” Mother Wang asked, looking at Ning Xueyan.
Mother Wang looked weary. Obviously, she had been busy investigating
Ning Ziying’s death recently.

Mother Wang was confused. Since Ning Xueyan had never seen Ning
Ziying, then she wouldn’t have been close to Ning Ziying. Why did she
spend so much energy on finding out how Ning Ziying died?

“Mammy, there’s more to our relationship than that.” Ning Xueyan

smiled and sat on the chair beside the bed. Apparently she was hinting
something.

“The relationship between you and my master?” Mother Wang was

surprised and her eyelid twitched slightly.

Ning Xueyan continued when Mother Wang was lost in thought, “Ning
Ziying came to the Lord Protector’s Manor for shelter, but in reality, she
came to my mom.”

Hearing that, Mother Wang was so shocked that she almost immediately
sat up from the bed. She widened her eyes and stared at Ning Xueyan, as
if the person in front of her was a stranger. She knew that Ning Ziying
had a letter which her mother wrote to Madam Ming, the wife of the
Lord Protector. However, Madam Ming had never received the letter.

When they arrived at the Lord Protector’s Manor, it was Madam Ling
who was administrating the manor, while Madam Ming had already
hidden in the Bright Frost Garden, and she had never shown up even in
holidays.

Ning Ziying’s mother wrote that letter before her death. She repeatedly
reminded Ning Ziying to hand this letter to Madam Ming in person and
not to ask other people, even it was the henchman of Madam Ming to do
this. Because Mother Wang was standing beside Ning Ziying at that
point, she heard every word clearly.

Since Ning Ziying had no opportunity to see Madam Ming, she hadn’t
given the letter to her after she had been in the city for five years.

Mother Wang wondered how Fifth Young Lady knew about this letter,
because except for Ning Ziying, her maid Xiang’er and Mother Wang,
nobody else, including Lanning knew about it. Looking at Ning
Xueyan’s dark jade-like eyes, Mother Wang’s eyes were moist. Ning
Xueyan’s eyes were quite like Ning Ziying’s, but a little less tender and a
little sharper.

“Mother Wang, although I don’t have evidence to improve that Madam

Ling has something to do with Ning Ziying’s death, you should think it
over why Ning Ziying’s fiancé married Ning Ziyan? My mother also
died because of Madam Ling, so we have the same enemy. Moreover,
my relationship with Sister Ziying is much closer than you have
imagined. I have dreamed of her many times and she told me that she
was murdered…”

Before Ning Xueyan could finish, Mother Wang had tears in her eyes.

The rebirth of Ning Ziying in Ning Xueyan’s body was a secret, and
nobody would believe such a story. Mother Wang believed in Buddha, so
it would make sense to her that someone who had died appeared in
another person’s dream to make a request. Besides, two persons out of
the three who had known about the letter had died, and Mother Wang
had never mentioned it to Ning Xueyan before.

So it seemed the only possibility was that Ning Ziying had come to Ning
Xueyan in her dream and asked Ning Xueyan to take revenge for her.

Hearing their conversation, Lanning felt very sad and she couldn’t help
sobbing. She turned her head and wiped tears off her check quietly.
She hadn’t served Ning Ziying for a long time, but she was moved by
Ning Ziying’s kindness. So when she heard them talk about Ning
Ziying’s death, she really felt heartbroken.

“Fifth Young Lady, was my master really killed by them?” Mother Wang
shivered and could hardly speak. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She
couldn’t believe that a kind and generous Young Lady would have died
in the lotus pond. Committing suicide? How could a girl who was ready
to get married with anticipation have committed suicide?

“Mother Wang, I don’t remember clearly what happened in my dream. I

only remember that Sister Ziying said the Xias seemed to want to get
something from her, so they killed her. But before, she has already
decided to give all her banknotes to Xia Yuhang. Why did they still want
to kill her?” Ning Xueyan propped her elbow onto the table and asked in
confusion, rubbing her head.

On the rebirth day, she thought that the Xias wanted to grab her dowry,
so they brought her dowry to their manor before killing her. But now, she
thought that they hadn’t killed her just for money. She had told Xia
Yuhang that she would like to give all her bank notes to him if he needed
them, but he refused to accept them.

From her confused look and what Ning Ziying had told her privately
before, Mother Wang became trust what Ning Xueyan said. She had tried
her best to stop Ning Ziying from giving her bank notes to Xia Yuhang,
but Ning Ziying didn’t want to follow her advice. She said that since she
would marry Xia Yuhang, he would get the bank notes sooner or later, so
it wasn’t a big deal to give him a little bit earlier.

Because Xia Yuhang didn’t accept the bank notes, Mother Wang had
thought that he really loved Ning Ziying.

Ning Ziying didn’t tell Xiang’er about this, but only discussed with
Mother Wang.

Ning Xueyan had no chance to have known anything about such a

private issue if Ning Ziying hadn’t told her in her dream. Now Mother
Wang was more assured that her master was murdered. Otherwise, her
soul wouldn’t have stayed in the mortal world. Thinking about this,
Mother Wang was both angry and sad. She gritted her teeth.
“Fifth Young Lady, my master did want to give her bank notes to Childe
Xia. It seemed because Childe Xia needed money to turn over. I don’t
know the exact reason, and my master was reluctant to tell me about it.
Childe Xia didn’t accept her bank notes, but she died the day before the
wedding ceremony. I guess Childe Xia didn’t want to get married with
my master, but he wanted her dowry!”

Gritting her teeth, Mother Wang told Ning Xueyan the conclusion he had
drawn after thinking about the issue for a few days.

“I still don’t understand,” Ning Xueyan said in confusion.

“Childe Xia has always said that he needed money to turn over.
However, when my master wanted to give him her bank notes, he said
that a true man shouldn’t accept the money from his fiancée and he
would find a way on his own. My master trusted him. But behind her
back, Childe Xia’s servant always hinted me that…”

Mother Wang pulsed for a short moment and then continued, “His
servant said that Childe Xia wouldn’t accept my master’s bank notes,
because it would be shameful for a man to do so. He suggested me to
give him some old, unused brocade of my master. He would sell them in
the market and give the money to Childe Xia to turn over. When Childe
Xia earned money in the future, he would buy some better brocade for
my master.”

“Old brocade?” Ning Xueyan frowned in surprise.

She didn’t guess wrong. There was some hidden reason!

When Ning Ziying just came to the city, she took two big cases of
brocade with her. They were the dowry her mother had bought for her.
Her mother told her not to use the brocade before getting married.

So she had never used any of the brocade after arriving at the Lord
Protector’s Manor. When she needed new dresses, she would have asked
Mother Wang to buy some cloth in the shop. She didn’t know from when
Xia Yuhang began to notice the brocade.

“What’s the secret in the brocade?” Ning Xueyan wondered.

“Mother Wang, is there anything special about the brocade?” Ning
Xueyan raised her head and asked. She wanted to know the reason.
There must be some secret in the brocade.
Chapter 132 Mother Wang Was
Not Her First Wet Nurse
“Young Lady Ziying thought that her mother had bought all the brocade
for her, but she didn’t know that some of the brocade used to be her
mother’s belongs and she just left it to Young Lady Ziying. Moreover,
most varieties of the brocade her mother left had stopped production a
long time ago. They are very precious and we can’t find them in the
market now. Young Lady Ziying’s mother left the brocade as her
daughter’s dowry, so I dared not to give them to anyone else.”

Since she had mentioned the brocade, Mother Wang decided not to hide
anything about it from Ning Xueyan anymore, so she told her everything
she knew about it.

“Some varieties of the brocade has stopped production?” Lanning was

surprised. She had seen the two big cases which contained the brocade
among a pile of cases, and she knew that the brocade was the dowry that
Ning Ziying’s mother had prepared for her daughter, so she had never
opened them to organize the stuff inside.

“Why did Sister Ziying’s mother prepare the brocade for her?” Ning
Xueyan asked, her eyes bright and cold.

She had thought the two cases of brocade were ordinary. She followed
her mother’s instruction and had never used the brocade. However, she
had never expected that Xia Yuhang had long wanted it for himself.

“I don’t know the reason. Madame told me that these two cases of
brocade were prepared for Young Lady Ziying and I should have locked
them before Young Lady Ziying got married. She said I could tide up the
brocade after Young Lady Ziying’s marriage.”

Mother Wang thought for a short moment and added, “I felt something
wrong when Madame told me about that. I have been thinking about the
reason for Young Lady Ziying’s death recently, so I thought of the
brocade.”
“Mammy, when did you become Sister Ziying’s wet nurse?” Ning
Xueyan asked after thinking for a while.

Mother Wang answered subconsciously, “She was about two or three

years old.”

Her face flickered the moment she finished speaking. She stopped
talking and looked at Ning Xueyan cautiously. Before Mother Wang
came to the Ning Manor, it was another wet nurse who had been feeding
Ning Ziying. But Ning Ziying’s mother didn’t allow Mother Wang to tell
this to anyone else, and told her to say that she was the only wet nurse of
Ning Ziying if someone asked her.

Even Ning Ziying didn’t know that she had already been two or three
years old when Mother Wang became her wet nurse.

“Relax, Mother Wang. I have known about this all along. I just want to
know where the wet nurse of Sister Ziying has gone,” Ning Xueyan said.
Although she had proved her guess, she didn’t show anything abnormal
on her face. Her eyes were bright and clear and it seemed that she really
had known everything before Mother Wang told her.

It was impossible for a rich family to look for a wet nurse for their
children when they had already two or three years old.

“Fifth Young Lady, I don’t know the whereabouts of that wet nurse. I
thought maybe they were not satisfied with her, so they employed me.”
Mother Wang hesitated for a short moment and explained.

Except for Mother Wang, the other people around Ning Ziying told her
that Mother Wang was the wet nurse who had brought her up. Nobody
told her that she had been bred by another wet nurse before she was two
or three years old.

If only Mother Wang hid this from her, it might be because she wanted to
flatter her young master. However, why did her own mother and
everyone around her didn’t want her to know anything about her former
wet nurse? They must be concealing an important secret which
concerned her.
Obviously, Mother Wang didn’t want to tell Ning Xueyan more about
Ning Ziying’s former wet nurse because she had to follow the instruction
of her master, Ning Xueyan’s mother, though she had already died.

Ning Xueyan knew that Mother Wang still kept a wary eye on her and
she should be more patient if she wanted to know more secrets from
Mother Wang. She smiled and stopped talking about this topic. She then
asked Mother Wang about her injuries and told her to stay in bed to
pretend to be injured seriously. Then she stood up and walked out.

It was no use worrying. She was sure that she would unravel the mystery
of her last life.

Lanning walked out following her. They went to the principle room and
then entered the inner room. She brought the lunch for her master. Ning
Xueyan was hungry after a busy morning, so she ate some food and
rested for a while before lying down on the bed in the service of two
maids.

Everything was quiet in the room, but Ning Xueyan couldn’t fell asleep.
She couldn’t help thinking of the brocade. Hadn’t Xia Yuhang and
Madam Ling killed her until the day before the wedding ceremony just
because they wanted to take the brocade? It didn’t seem to make sense.

But according to her intuition, that might be the reason.

But even though the brocade was precious, it couldn’t be more valuable
than the bank notes. How could Xia Yuhang refuse to accept the bank
notes and grab the brocade? She was confused. Since it was impossible
to find the answer in a short time, she could only uncover the truth bit by
bit.

People in the city laughed at Lord Protector after the news about the
engagement between the Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor and the Lord
Protector’s Manor had been spread. They thought that the Lord
Protector’s Manor was too unruly and even the Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li had been the object of their conversation. The
Consort Dowager of the Commandery Prince Li was annoyed by this, so
she arranged someone to visit the Lord Protector’s Manor.
Lord Protector’s Manor responded quickly. They announced that the
engagement between the Lord Protector’s Manor and the Commandery
Prince Li Manor as well as the Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor had been
decided long ago, not after Madam Ming’s death. They also asked
someone from other clans and the Nings to prove that people of the Lord
Protector’s Manor had ethics.

In the early morning, Ning Xueyan was awakened by Lanning. It was

snowing outside. The crystal snowflakes floated down from the air and
looked so beautiful.

Ning Xueyan sat in front of the window and chatted with Lanning.

At this point, Xinmei came in. Although she held an umbrella, her robe
was still covered with snow. She put down her umbrella in the corridor
and shook off the snow from her robe before walking into the room.

“Miss, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li came to our manor and

marquis is greeting him in the hall. In addition to him, someone else
came as well. It’s said they would serve as witnesses to the marriage
between Second Young Lady and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li,” Xinmei said. She had gone to the front courtyard to inquiry about
the visiting of these people, and she was told that they were the
“witnesses” that Ning Zu’an had invited who would prove the rationality
of the marriage of Ning Yuling and Ning Lingyun.

“Hasn’t Marquis of Ping’an come yet?” Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes
and asked.

“Not yet. I heard that someone was sent to invite Marquis of Ping’an this
morning, but because Marquis of Ping’an stayed late last night, he
couldn’t get up early,” Xinmei answered with a mocking smile. She
knew why Marquis of Ping’an stayed too late the night before. She had
gone to the Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor yesterday and she heard that
Marquis of Ping’an doted on the two Beautiful Ladies who had just been
sent to his manor.

The two beauties came from a brothels and they were very popular. Ning
Xueyan had asked Xinmei to buy them and sent them to the Marquis of
Ping’an’s Manor. They were so charming, and Marquis of Ping’an was
fascinated by them soon, so it was no wonder that he couldn’t get up
early this morning.

“Has Ning Yuling been released?” Ning Xueyan asked, a coldness

flashing in her eyes. Madam Dowager had only locked Ning Yuling up
for a few days. Since she was Madam Dowager’s favorite grand
daughter, even she had been so rude, Madam Dowager was still reluctant
to punish her.

“Knowing that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li would come,

Second Young Lady refused to show up. She is pretending to be ill now,”
Xinmei said.

“How about Fourth Young Lady?” Ning Xueyan smiled. Ning Yuling
didn’t like Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and she was a proud
person, so Ning Xueyan wasn’t surprised when she heard the news.

“Fourth Young Lady dressed up and went to the garden on purpose. I

heard that she asked the servants to heat up a pavilion and she was
playing the zither and enjoying flowers in it.” Although Xinmei just gone
to the front courtyard once just now, she had inquired all the useful
information.

Everything seemed to be undergoing as what Ning Xueyan planned.

What she needed to do was wait and see how those people were going to
take the bait!

The idea of playing the zither and enjoying the flowers beside a stove
was not bad!

Ning Xueyan played with a hairpin in front of her dressing-case with a

smile. “Go and observe what Ning Lingyun will do next. Then come
back to report to me,” she ordered.

“Yes, Miss! I’m going right now” Xinmei nodded and was about to
leave.

Suddenly, she heard Ning Xueyan call her name, so she stopped. Ning
Xueyan tapped her finger on the table and said, “It’s not urgent. You can
have a rest first and I’ll ask Qingyu to prepare some snacks for you. It’s
about lunch time, so Ning Lingyun won’t have much time to stay with
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li before noon. She just wanted to
attract Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and impress him. Even if
she wanted to do anything with him, she will have to wait until after
lunch.”

“But Marquis of Ping’an…” Xinmei was a little worried.

“Marquis of Ping’an can’t arrive before lunch,” Ning Xueyan snorted. Of

course Marquis of Ping’an couldn’t come early. The two Beautiful
Ladies came from brothels, so they were much skillful in serving men in
the bed. Besides, Marquis of Ping’an was a lecher. It would be good
enough that he could come later.

There was enough time for Ning Lingyun to seduce Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li.

At the moment, Ning Lingyun was sitting in the Changfang Pavilion.

Thick curtains surrounded three sides of the pavilion, so it didn’t seem to
be cold inside. She chose to wait here because it was the only way to the
inner courtyard, everyone would pass by here if they wanted to go to the
inner courtyard from the front courtyard.

“Miss, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li is coming. I stole a look

at him. He is very handsome, much more handsome than Eldest Young
Master. And he was polite to people. Obviously, he is an educated and
reasonable nobleman. I haven’t seen a man more handsome than him,”
Caiyun said. When she recalled the moment that Princely Heir smiled at
her when he saw her, her heart beat faster.

If her master could merry Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, she
might also have the opportunity to serve him in the bed. Caiyun had
never seen such a handsome man before, and most importantly, he
smiled at her. Thinking about that, she blushed and her heart thumped.

“Did Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li smiled because he saw

me?” she wondered.

“Is he more handsome than Third Prince?” Ning Lingyun asked. She had
never seen Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li before. She didn’t
want to merry Marquis of Ping’an, so she came up with the idea to
seduce Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. If she had other choices,
she wouldn’t have done this. Her face turned red when she heard that
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was an extremely handsome
man.

“Yes, he is even more handsome than Third Prince. The maids of the
front courtyard were all shamelessly peeping at him. Miss, if you marry
to Princely Heir in the future, you must be careful of those maids and
don’t allow them to serve Princely Heir in the bed casually.”

Caiyun was angry at the thought of the maids with flushed faces.
“Princely Heir will be the husband of Fourth Young Lady, how dare
those b*tch have any illusions about him?” she thought. She had totally
forgot that she was the one who was crazy about Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li.

“He is coming!” A young maid came panting.

“Princely Heir is coming?” Ning Lingyun asked excitedly. She hadn’t

expected that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li would have been
so outstanding. This made her more determined to manage to marry him,
instead of Marquis of Ping’an. There was nothing worse than marrying
Marquis of Ping’an in the world! So she immediately straight up and put
her fingers on the zither.

“Marquis suggested Princely Heir to take a stroll in the garden, but…”

the maid answered panting.

However, before she could continue, Caiyun cut her in. “Come here to
serve Young Lady,” she said and pulled the young maid over. She stuffed
the fruit bowl in her hands and asked her to stand behind Ning Lingyun.
Then she stood on the other side of Ning Lingyun and pretended to be
arranging a bunch of plum blossom on the corner of the zither platform.

The white plum blossom was still in bud with petals slightly open. It was
the most charming moment for any flowers and no one could resist this
beauty.
Chapter 133 The Lure of a Beauty
The snow was falling, and melodious sounds of a zither wafted through
the air. With a slight smile on her pretty face, a young lady wearing a
pink dress totally immersed herself in the winter scenery. She slightly
raised delicate hands. Her elegant figure and her graceful movements
while playing the zither could touch others to their souls.

On the snow-covered path came two graceful young men.

The childe walked in front could be considered as handsome. But it was

just that his eyes corners and the tips of his eyebrows slightly lifted,
which made people feel a bit unpleasant upon taking a glance at him.
Besides that, he looked indeed uncomfortable, and his face stirred with
dull anger.

“Tell me, what is that crap? I don’t know what my Grandmother was
thinking. She actually let me marry such a crazy woman.” At the thought
of the fact that somehow he was going to marry Ning Yuling, Ao Xian,
who was Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, would clench his teeth
in bitter hatred. No matter how licentious he was, he knew that a man
should take a good woman as his official wife. But now he would marry
such a cheap woman Ning Yuling. Ao Xian just felt reluctant to accept
the marriage in whatever way he thought.

“But today, Consort Dowager specifically asked me to come here to

vindicate her reputation. Vindicate her fu*king reputation! That cheap
little b*tch only deserves to be my concubine,” Ao Xian thought.

“I heard that Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor is pretty and
charming. And in Lord Protector’s Manor, she is also the Official Wife’s
daughter. Why do you still have complaints about that? Just marry her.”
While turning the folding fan in his hands, Wen Xueran raised his
smiling face. A faint smile appeared on his handsome face, which was
more delicate than a woman’s.

He gave an oblique look to Ao Xian with his charming eyes and advised,
not with the best of intentions.
“Did you advise me to marry that b*tch? But does she need to marry
anyone? I also want to advise Third Prince to marry her, lest that she
make me a cuckold even before marry me.” Ao Xian kicked the snow by
his feet away and growled while grinding his teeth.

It was not a secret that Ning Yuling took a fancy to Third Prince, plus
those words she said when she had sex with him. Though Ao Xian was
not so smart, he could almost guess that Ning Yuling probably had slept
with Third Prince in secret. Once he thought about that, he felt sad as if
he had eaten a fly.

It was always him who messed around with the woman of someone else.
How could he marry this woman who had had sex with others?

“Go to talk to Third Prince about that!” Wen Xueran sneered. With a
romantic and graceful style, he appeared surpassingly beautiful.

He was purely dragged here by Ao Xian. Today, he happened to go

Commandery Prince Li’s Manor to do something. But just when he
arrived at the gate, Ao Xian, who was in a low spirit, forced him to
accompany him in Lord Protector’s Manor.

Wen Xueran thought that he had nothing to do anyway, so he might just

as well go to Lord Protector’s Manor!

Wen Xueran suggested Ao Xian talk to Third Prince himself. But how
dare he do that? Upon hearing this suggestion, Ao Xian suddenly became
depressed and hung his head in dismay. But after thinking for a while, he
still felt upset. Clenching his teeth in bitter hatred, he said, “No, I must
not marry that b*tch. I will make my Grandmother go to Lord
Protector’s Manor to break off my engagement with her as soon as I
come back.”

Ao Xian really didn’t want to marry her. For him, it would be better to
take anyone as his wife than Ning Yuling. He just could not bear to recall
her promiscuous behavior.

“You cannot easily cancel the engagement with Lord Protector’s

Manor!” With a smile hanging on his mouth corners, Wen Xueran joked
and knocked on the shoulder of Ao Xian with his fan.
“I…” A few words from him made Ao Xian speechless. His face turned
red with anger, but he didn’t know what to say next.

“Look, the beautiful woman over there, is she Second Young Lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor? Enjoying plum blossoms in the snow and
playing the zither under flowers are graceful things. Anyone who can do
such graceful things should be an elegant person.” Pointing to the
pavilion nearby, Wen Xueran threw Ao Xian a fluid glance with his
glittering and glowing eyes.

Pieces of snowflakes floating down from the sky, though not dense,
those snowflakes still blocked their sight. So they could only see a girl in
a pink dress was playing the zither in the pavilion, facing the gate of the
pavilion.

Ao Xian could not see her clearly, but he subconsciously thought that she
must be Ning Yuling, and he felt delighted upon seeing her. Ao Xian
thought in his heart. “Ning Yuling wants to marry Third Prince, and I
don’t want to marry her. Maybe we can discuss the matter in private and
figure out a plan which can satisfy both of us. If it is Ning Yuling who
doesn’t want to marry me, Grandmother will not force me to marry her
then.”

“Let’s go and see.” With this, Ao Xian went ahead.

“You are a couple who have engaged so that you two can certainly meet.
But I will pass that.” Wen Xueran stood still and shook his head while
smiling.

Regardless of whether this person was Ning Yuling or not, he had no

reason to meet her. Initially, women who stayed in the backyard should
avoid men coming toward them. But perhaps the girl was too absorbed in
playing the zither to notice them. She did not make any changes and still
focused on playing the zither with deep feelings…

Wen Xueran certainly didn’t want to get involved in this sort of thing.

“Well, you can wander around the garden first. I will come to you after I
have done talking with her.” Now Ao Xian only wanted to talk about his
marriage with Ning Yuling, and he also felt inconvenient if Wen Xueran
was also there. So he nodded at once.
Wen Xueran looked at the roads and chose another path. After taking a
few steps, he looked back at the girl in pink who still sat in the pavilion
and concentrated on playing the zither. On his handsome and enchanting
face, the corners of his lips slightly lifted and a trace of dark color
flashed across his eyes. But then he continued to walk ahead, silently.

He was just an outsider today, so many things here had nothing to do

with him…

Delightedly, Ao Xian rushed forward. But when he was halfway there,

he felt that something was wrong. The woman opposite him slightly
lowered her head, but he could still see her face. Her face looked elegant
and beautiful, which appeared to be delicate and touching. But she was
not Ning Yuling. Ao Xian slightly slowed down his pace.

Upon hearing the footsteps of someone, Caiyun, who stood behind Ning
Lingyun, stepped forward and pulled Ning Lingyun’s sleeves, pretending
that she just saw him.

Ning Lingyun raised her head. She frowned and got angry immediately
after she saw Ao Xian’s face clearly!

“Caiyun, you little b*tch maid, you told me that Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li was as pretty as a beautiful flower. But this
person in front of us, how can he be that good? The young man before
me still looks okay, but how can he be a match with Third Prince? He is
far worse than Third Prince both in terms of appearance and bearing.”

But then she thought that no matter how bad he was, he could not
possibly be worse than Marquis of Ping’an. Immediately, she hid her
dissatisfied feeling, wore a little shy smile, and got up to give him a
slight salute.

Ao Xian sized up the woman in front of him. She was as delicate as a

willow branch trembling in the wind. A faint smile emerged on her
snow-white face, and her face flushed a little, which made her looked
even more beautiful. “She is also a beauty!” Ao Xian thought. The
beauty was now saluting him, sweetly. Ao Xian melted already when
they first met.
He was a rakehell who liked messing around with women in his usual
days. This time, being tempted by this beauty, he instantly forgot that he
was here to argue with Ning Yuling. Ao Xian also forgot that as a man
from outside, he should avoid women in the backyard. Deliberately
putting on a romantic posture, he cupped his hands with a smile. “I am
enjoying the plum flowers while going over the snow, but I never
expected that I would encounter such a beautiful lady. Could you please
tell me your name, young lady?”

“What a bold man! Who are you? Our lady is the Fourth Young Lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor. Get out of here right now.” At this time, Caiyun
also saw the Ao Xian’s face and could not help feeling greatly surprised.
The man she saw just now was not the one in front of her, so Caiyun
thought he was someone else. “How is it possible that he becomes so
common all of a sudden?” Caiyun thought to herself. In a hurry, she
rushed up to Ning Lingyun and bellowed.

“Are you the Fourth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor?” Caiyun
rushed out to reproach him, but Ao Xian didn’t feel angry. Instead, he
thought the lady in front of him was much more dignified compared to
Ning Yuling. “I am Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.”

“You are Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li!” Caiyun’s eyes

widened. She still wanted to say something, but Ning Lingyun gave her a
fierce look. Caiyun was frightened and immediately shut up.

“Why? Do you think I am a fake one?” Ao Xian asked strangely.

“Princely Heir, my maid is rude. She hasn’t seen so much of the outside
world. Excuse us, please.” Ning Lingyun had already figured the
situation out now. No matter who Caiyun met before, this man before
them should be Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

“Never mind. I am tired after the walk. May I have a rest in your
pavilion?” Now Ao Xian found a beauty, how could he go away? With a
smile, he asked shamelessly. As for Ning Yuling, he had long forgotten
her.

At this time, he was trying to hook up with Ning Lingyun with his heart
and soul, and it had never occurred to him that Ning Lingyun was his
sister-in-law.
“If you do not mind, please come in and sit down.” Just in time, Ning
Lingyun came up to him. She immediately leaned over and made room
for him at the pavilion gate. She invited him in with a blush.

“Thanks, Fourth Young Lady.” He thought that the beauty stared at him
with loving eyes only because she liked him, which greatly fulfilled his
self-esteem. As proud as a peacock, Ao Xian came in and seated himself
in the only available chair inside.

This chair was next to the seat of Ning Lingyun, which she used for
playing the zither.

“You play the zither very well. Could you please play one more song for
me?” Ao Xian also found that he sat near Ning Lingyun, and he made
the suggestion while smiling.

“I am afraid that you may not like it,” Ning Lingyun replied shyly with
polite.

“You played very well. The song you played is a lot better than what I
heard outside. It is a rare chance for me to hear such a pleasant sound of
zither today. I hope that you can be generous enough to play more.”

Ao Xian always hung out with women in brothels, and he had heard the
sexual songs in brothels the most. Hence, the music Ning Lingyun
played just now was undoubtedly a distinctive sound to him.

“You flatter me, Princely Heir.” When it came to this, Ning Lingyun felt
it almost the time. She came over and sat down on the stool. With her
hands on the zither, she began to play with a blush. It seemed that to hear
more clearly, Ao Xian especially leaned closer to Ning Lingyun. When
he smelled the fragrance of Ning Lingyun, he was immediately
overwhelmed with joy.

While Ning Lingyun just cast a shy glance at him. Her face turned red,
but she said nothing. Ao Xian, who was an expert in dealing with
women, surely understood. Pretending not aware of this, he stayed close
to Ning Lingyun and didn’t move a bit away.

If others looked from a distance, they could see that one of them played
the zither and the other stayed close. Those people who didn’t know the
situation would think that they were a pair.

Ning Zu’an came here to look for Ao Xian and Wen Xueran after getting
things done in the front courtyard. And he almost vomited blood when
he saw this scene.

Of course, Ao Xian was a libertine. But Ning Lingyun was an unmarried

girl. She actually sat right beside a man from outside and played the
zither for him. How could she be so shameless? Besides, this person
would become her brother-in-law. How disgraceful would it be if anyone
saw such a scene!

“Go ahead. Call Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li over. Tell him
that I am waiting for him in the study in front.” Ning Zu’an told his
young male servant. In great anger, he waved his large sleeves with all
his strength and left this place.

“Yes.” Seeing that Ning Zu’an looked terrible, the servant knew that the
marquis was angry, but he didn’t dare to ask him more. Immediately, he
trotted up to Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. The thing about
Second Young Lady had humiliated them enough. If any affairs between
Fourth Young Lady and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li were
spread out, Lord Protector’s Manor would lose all its dignity.

After he heard that Lord Protector called him, Ao Xian had no choice but
to stand up and reluctantly said goodbye to Ning Lingyun.

He had an excellent impression on Ning Lingyun. He felt that the lady in

front of him was tender and decent, and her appearance also happened to
hit his fancy. In his heart, she was the right lady to be his official wife,
who was much better than the little termagant b*tch Ning Yuling.

“Young Lady, I…” When Caiyun saw that Ao Xian left, she tried to
murmur her explanation.

Before she could finish, Ning Lingyun gave a slap in her face. The maid
near them trembled all over out of fear. She then retreated to a corner and
did not dare to move.

“Are your eyeballs a pair of ones painted on your face? You could not
distinguish different persons and made a mistake already. If you dare to
make one more mistake, I will gouge out your eyes.” Ning Lingyun
abused her with hatred and anger. The shyness that piled up on her face
had turned into coldness.

“Yes, yes, I will make no more mistakes.” Caiyun knelt on the ground
with a bump and promised hurriedly.

“This time, you have seen him clearly. Next, the person…” Ning
Lingyun said coldly with a whole condescending attitude. She took out a
note from her arms and handed it to Caiyun.

“It was, it was Princely Heir. I, I will not mistake him for someone else.”
Caiyun knew that she got the wrong person just now and annoyed Ning
Lingyun. So she kept begging Ning Lingyun to forgive her.
Chapter 134 All of a Sudden, an
Accident Happened
Marquis of Ping’an arrived very late. Ning Zu’an could not wait long
ago and let the servants serve the dishes. Ao Xian was Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li, and Wen Xueran was Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Min. Compared to them, Marquis of Ping’an was
truly not so important. Therefore, they directly began to eat and drink
without him.

When they were in a good mood after a few drinks, Marquis of Ping’an
rushed in. While wiping off the sweat on his head, he humbly apologized
in embarrassment.

Ao Xian himself was a dissolute rakehell, but he still disdained Marquis

of Ping’an, who was old, stupid, fat and ugly. Ao Xian muttered a grunt
as a greeting to him. And at this time, he remembered it seemed that the
Fourth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor would marry this ugly fat
man in front of him.

Suddenly, he felt injustice for the beautiful Fourth Young Lady. “The
beauty is now in the hands of the beast!”

“Why will such a dignified and gentle beauty marry such an old and ugly
d*mned man! What a waste!”

Leaning against the back of the chair, he was talking with Wen Xueran,
in a desultory kind of way. They totally ignored Marquis of Ping’an.

Marquis of Ping’an alone felt quite embarrassed there. Last night, he had
messed up with two beautiful women for too long. When Marquis of
Ping’an woke up, it was already in broad daylight outside. Immediately,
he remembered that Lord Protector had invited him to come to his manor
today, and then he rushed here in a hurry. Now he even got one button on
his robe wrong, which was quite improper in any way.
Ning Zu’an didn’t like him that much, either. If it were not for the fact
that Marquis of Ping’an knew the thing about the jade pendant so that he
wanted to rope Marquis of Ping’an in the same boat with him, Ning
Zu’an would never sacrifice a daughter and pulled this ugly fat man
along with him.

Ao Xian saw that Wen Xueran also finished eating. Then, he got up and
wanted to take him to take a rest at the study room aside. Since Marquis
of Ping’an was still there, Ning Zu’an could not leave. He just let the
servant lead them to the study room.

Just when they went out, they saw a small maid carrying a pot of hot
water come to them in a hurry. It was too late for the maid to avoid them
when she spotted them, and she bumped into Ao Xian. The hot water
spilled Ao Xian’s robe, and a large part of it got wet.

The little maid was so scared that she knelt on the ground with a bump.
“Princely Heir, sorry… I’m sorry… I, I didn’t mean to.”

Inside, Ning Zu’an heard the sound and came out to see what had
happened. When he saw Ao Xian’s robe was wet, he glared at the little
maid and said to Ao Xian who looked unhappy. “Your body is almost the
same as Yuan’er. You can change his clothes first in case that you may
catch a cold. You, take Princely Heir to the courtyard of Eldest Young
Master.”

Ao Xian shook his robe. Though he felt displeased, he said nothing.

Anyway, he was in Lord Protector’s Manor, and so he had no other
choices. Then, he went to the backyard after the little maid.

Wen Xueran glanced at the maid who was shivering but didn’t look too
nervous. An enigmatic smile appeared on his good-looking eyes, and he
went to the study alone.

On the other side, Marquis of Ping’an knew that he was wrong.

Therefore, he accompanied Ning Zu’an to drink when he was here. Now
he said that he was full when he felt a little tipsy. Marquis of Ping’an
didn’t dare to drink as much as he did last time. Last time, he went to rest
after he was wholly drunken and stirred up a heap of trouble.
Thus, he only told Ning Zu’an that he was going to sober himself up in
the yard.

Ning Zu’an did not like him there. Seeing that Marquis of Ping’an was
smart enough to bring up the suggestion himself, he agreed at once.

After lunch, Ning Xueyan walked to the gate of the courtyard alone. She
would like to digest her meal and enjoy the snow scene. At this time, the
snow was coming down more heavily. Large snowflakes fell from the
sky like a myriad of feathers, which was beautiful to the extreme.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar maid came up to her and said with great respect.
“Fifth Young Lady, the marquis calls you over for he has something to
ask you!”

“Where is my father?” Upon hearing her words, Ning Xueyan raised her
head and asked with a spurious smile. “Do you know what the matter
is?”

“I don’t know what the marquis wants to ask you. The marquis is now in
the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion. I heard that he lost his temper just now.
You should go there as fast as you can,” the maid answered, cutely.

“The Lasting-fragrance Pavilion, it is really a place that Ning Lingyun

laid out with painstaking efforts. She had spent such a long time to fix up
the place, so how can she abandon it after using it for once only?”

Ning Zu’an lost his temper. Well, it meant that he didn’t have the
patience to wait for anyone at this moment!

Smiling slightly, she went up a path to the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion.

The maid saw Ning Xueyan go away, and a trace of pride flashed across
her eyes. Then, she hurried back. Just when she walked around the
corner, she saw Caiyun who hid on one side.

Caiyun had seen everything clearly. After she was sure that Ning Xueyan
was walking into the trap, she was overjoyed. She gave the silver ingot
in her hand to the maid and excitedly went to report to Ning Lingyun.
On the other side, the maid of Ning Yuling also met a maid from the
front yard and got a message saying that Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li was going to meet Ning Yuling secretly in the Lasting-
fragrance Pavilion of the backyard. At first, Ning Yuling didn’t believe it
at all. However, the maid added that she saw that Fourth Young Lady and
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li had already met once in the
morning, and the two of them played the zither and enjoyed the blossoms
together.

Speaking of the sound of the zither, Ning Yuling really had vaguely
heard some in the morning. At that time, she thought that Ning Lingyun
was going to marry an ugly and stupid old goat, but she even had a
leisurely and carefree mood to play the zither in the yard.

This time, Ning Yuling connected the series thing before and after, and
then she burst into anger. Ning Yuling even dared to seduce her brother-
in-law. How horrible it was!

Even if she had thrown him away, that little b*tch Ning Lingyun still was
not qualified to grab him. She would go to scratch the face of the little
b*tch.

In a rage, she took a maid with her and went to catch the couple. When
she saw the cozy Lasting-fragrance Pavilion that Ning Lingyun let
people clean up, Ning Yuling felt much harder to suppress her hatred.

Outside the pavilion, the snow fell in soft flakes. Inside it, there were red
curtains with a warm fragrance. It was precisely the right place for a
secret date.

After taking a few strides, she stepped into the half-closed curtains in the
pavilion. Before she could see everything inside the pavilion clearly, she
felt a pain at the top of her head. Then, darkness came over her eyes, and
she collapsed…

As for Ning Lingyun, she dressed up once again. She looked herself in
the mirror from the left and the right. As she learned that Ning Xueyan
walked into her trap, she felt very pleased. She stood up immediately and
went out.
“Young Lady, are we going to the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion now?”
Caiyun asked in a low voice.

Ning Lingyun sneered. “No. What are we going to do there now?

Haven’t I asked you to let out a cry near the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion?
Then, there must be some other people who will find them. That b*tch
Ning Xueyan, she does not know what shame is and hooks up with
Marquis of Ping’an. But what’s that got to do with me?”

Although she hated Ning Yuling, she did not dare to set a trap for Ning
Yuling and Marquis of Ping’an. So she planned to trap Ning Xueyan
instead. “If Ning Xueyan and Marquis of Ping’an hug each other with all
eyes watching, how can my father still marry me to that stupid old man?
As for Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, cannot I win Ning
Yuling with my excellent appearance and character in his heart now?”

She was afraid of Madam Ling and her daughter since she was a child.
This time, maybe the desperate situation that she would be forced to
marry Marquis of Ping’an gave the courage to her!

Besides, she plotted against Ning Xueyan in secret by the way. If she
succeeded this time, Ning Xueyan would lose all her standing and
reputation. Wouldn’t Madam Ling and Ning Yuling feel unhappy about
that?

Thinking like that, she felt that there was nothing dangerous, and she
would not be afraid of the revenge from Madam Ling and her daughter
after all of this.

In general, the biggest loser was Ning Xueyan. But what was that got to
do with her?

“Yes, I have already done what you have told me to do, and I have
arranged the people there early.” Caiyun flattered.

“The two older female servants, are they reliable?” Ning Lingyun
stopped and asked.

“You can rest assured. The two servants are members of my family.
Moreover, I have also told them to act faster. After they knock Ning
Xueyan out and pull her to the stone table nearby, they will leave
immediately, lest they run into other people.”

“What about the Princely Heir?” Speaking of which, Ning Lingyun felt a
little shy and flushed a bit.

“Princely Heir has gone to the courtyard of Eldest Young Master. The
person who leads the way will deliberately make a few detours. It is just
the right time for you to go there now.” Caiyun hurried to make a reply.

Although she designed the plot herself, she was still an unmarried girl.
Therefore, Ning Lingyun didn’t ask the details. She nodded with a red
face and went to the courtyard of Ning Huaiyuan with Caiyun.

Of course, this plot that could achieve three things at one stroke was not
designed only by Ning Lingyun. Concubine Xu helped her a lot with
that. As for the trap for Ning Xueyan, it was undoubtedly set by
Concubine Xu in order to please Madam Ling. Under the circumstances
that Ning Xueyan suffered such a great loss, it would not be a big deal to
them if Ning Lingyun did something wrong.

In a hurry, Ning Lingyun went to the courtyard of Ning Huaiyuan. When

she met the woman who guarded the door, she said that Concubine Xu
asked her to see what needed to be added in his house. Concubine Xu
said that Ning Huaiyuan would come back and they should not upset him
at that time. After hearing what she said, the woman immediately let her
in.

Anyone knew that Eldest Young Master was the treasure in the manor.
Nothing could be more important than the things of Eldest Young
Master.

Hardly when she walked in the house, the maid led Ao Xian to the
house, and they entered the main room in the middle.

“Princely Heir, these are the clothes of our childe. You can pick a piece
of clothes.” The maid reverently opened the closet full of clothes. She
pointed at those clothes and said to Ao Xian.

“You may leave!” Ao Xian nodded, and the maid left the room.
The weather was cold. Only after a while, Ao Xian could feel the wet of
his robe through his clothes, and it made him feel uncomfortable all over.
He took a piece of clothes at random and went behind the screen to take
off his robe to change a dry one.

It indeed took him a long time to walk here. The wet originally on his
robe outside now had penetrated layers of clothes and reached the
clothes closet to his skin. Feeling quite helpless, he had to go back to the
closet and chose another set of clothes inside.

When he was busy changing his clothes, he heard a woman’s charming

voice coming from outside. He was startled a little. “The Eldest Young
Master has been on a study tour outside. So, how can a woman come to
his place?” Somehow, he felt a bit more curious.

“Young Lady, sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t pay attention first and poured the
water on you. Young Lady, please wait here. I am going to get clothes for
you to change right now.” The anxious voice of a maid faded. Then, Ao
Xian heard that the maid pushed the door open and then closed it.

“Never mind. You just go to get one set for me. I will wait for you here.”
The first time Ao Xian heard the gentle voice, he knew that the lady had
a good temper. And the voice seemed to be a little familiar to him, which
further aroused Ao Xian’s curiosity. After thinking it over, he
remembered that the voiced belonged to the Fourth Young Lady who he
just met it in the morning. Suddenly, he had an itch in his heart, and so
he involuntarily walked near the screen to look at her.

“Young Lady, how can I leave you like this? Your body is delicate. It
will harm your health if you still wear those wet clothes. I will help you
take off your clothes outside, and you can just put the Eldest Young
Master’s clothes on for the moment. I will come back before long.”

Nervously, Caiyun pulled Ning Lingyun’s clothes and wanted to help her
take off her gown outside.

“No. It is not good if others know this. I’m not cold.” Ning Lingyun’s
face flushed, and her voice was gentle. She indeed looked like a well-
behaved great lady of good conduct.
Inside, Ao Xian was very attracted by her, and he exclaimed in his heart.
“Such a gentle and virtuous woman like her is what a Hostess should be.
She is much better than Ning Yuling, who is arrogant, overbearing, and
mean.”

“Young Lady, there are no others here, so that will be okay. Later, when I
go out, I will let the gatekeeper guard the door for you. She will not let
others come in. If you really get a cold, how can I be able to take the
responsibility?” While talking, Caiyun took off Ning Lingyun’s outside
clothes and removed another piece of clothes by the way, down to her
underwear.

After that, she pushed Ning Lingyun behind the screen.

Behind the screen, Ao Xian was looking at them, in high spirits. He had
never expected that they would come to the back of the screen directly.
There was no time for Ao Xian to avoid them. He met Ning Lingyun,
who looked scared, face to face. Then there came the scream of Caiyun.

Hearing the screams, the two maids who did menial jobs in the yard and
the gatekeeper rushed in. By chance, they witnessed Ning Lingyun
falling, dressed in a mess. Subconsciously, Ao Xian reached out and
happened to hold Ning Lingyun in his arms…
Chapter 135 A Rearrangement, a
Drama in Real Life
Screams also rang near the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion. The sharp
screams attracted the attention of Ning Zu’an, who was wandering with
Wen Xueran. Ning Zu’an frowned lightly. He followed the sound and
made a turn. Just after a few steps, he saw a few maids and servants
stand in front of the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion in mute amazement.

“What happened?” Ning Zu’an asked unpleasantly.

“Second, Second Young Lady, and, and Marquis of Ping’an are in…”
Seeing Ning Zu’an, the servant could not even utter a whole sentence.

“That’s nonsense. Second Sister is in her yard. How can she be here?”
From another path, Ning Xueyan popped up with her maid. She was
stunned a little after seeing the servant. Then she put up a cold face and
reproached.

Seeing Ning Xueyan defend for Ning Yuling, Ning Zu’an nodded
secretly in his heart.

“Fifth Young Lady, it is really Second Young Lady… with, with Marquis
of Ping’an…” When she heard Ning Xueyan’s words, the servant
explained more, but her explanation darkened Ning Zu’an’s face…

“Step aside. Let my father see it himself.” The long and narrow
eyebrows of Ning Xueyan slightly narrowed, and she unpleasantly
interrupted the servant’s words.

When the maids and servants that blocked the gate of the Lasting-
fragrance Pavilion heard that Ning Zu’an was going to see the scene
himself, all of them got out of the way. Then, in front of them, there
appeared the half-dressed Ning Yuling, who was hugging tightly with a
man.
“No… It’s not me. Why? Why is it happen…” Just when Ning Yuling
woke up, she didn’t expect that a fat old man got fresh with her and
hugged her tight. Before she could react, she screamed in terror
subconsciously.

Before she figured out something wrong with her dizzy head, the few
servants stayed there instantly screamed together with her, and then they
rushed in. Ning Yuling could only be able to push Marquis of Ping’an far
away in a hurry. Then, she fell to the ground and hurriedly pulled her
opened clothes together.

“Ning Lingyun, it is Ning Lingyun… Father, it is that b*tch Ning

Lingyun who cheated me into coming here.” Looking at the stupid fat
man aside, she screamed out in a panic.

At the side, Marquis of Ping’an was also shocked. Before he came, he

repeatedly warned himself not to make any mistakes because of
drinking, nor could he had anything to do with any women in Lord
Protector’s Manor. However, upon seeing the sleeping beauty as he
walked here, he immediately forgot all the warnings he made to himself.

Such a beautiful lady lay there, almost motionless. He was already eager
to do something dirty to her.

He went straight to the beauty and held her in his arms. He totally forgot
everything else and directly put his hands on the body of the beauty.
While he was busy in groping Ning Yuling, she suddenly woke up. Her
screams scared him, and his limbs felt like jelly. The next moment, Ning
Yuling pushed him, and both of them fell to the ground. Before they
knew their situation, the people of Lord Protector’s Manor rushed in.

Seeing that Ning Zu’an’s face nearly burned with anger, Marquis of
Ping’an shivered with a chill and woke up immediately. He recognized
that a disaster was about to come and explained in a hurry. “Marquis, I, I
just entered here to have a look. I, I didn’t do anything.”

He said that he did nothing. However, Ning Yuling was not appropriately
dressed, and a flush stayed on her face just now. Evidently, there must be
something going on between them.
“Second Sister, you… Why are you here?” Ning Xueyan asked in
amazement.

Ning Xueyan’s words reminded Ning Yuling, she screamed in a sharp

voice. “Father… It is that little b*tch Ning Lingyun. Someone knocked
me out when I just came in. It was that little b*tch who did all this to
me!”

Ning Yuling was not really stupid. After she linked all things happened
now, she immediately understood that it was Ning Lingyun who set her
up. Now she just could not wait to tear Ning Lingyun up. Her beautiful
face now became ferocious.

“Is it has something to do with Ning Lingyun?” Ning Zu’an remembered

that he had seen Ning Lingyun and Ao Xian here in the morning. He
could not help but feel a little suspicious.

While they were talking, a servant rushed over here. She yelled out loud
before she came before Ning Zu’an. “Marquis, marquis, bad news.
Fourth Young Lady is… with Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.
Together, they…”

She shouted so loud that all the people present heard her words clearly.
Now that Ning Lingyun was with Ao Xian, and it seemed that they must
have done some uncommon things together.

“What’s the matter? Make it clear!” In anger, blue veins stood out on
Ning Zu’an’s forehead. He glared at the servant and questioned her with
an ice-cold face.

It seemed that the servant didn’t get Ning Zu’an’s hint. She hurriedly
added, “Fourth Young Lady was changing clothes, and Princely Heir
also happened to change his. And they ran into each other. Now… Now
that Fourth Young Lady wants to die to prove her innocent. She is, she is
trying to kill herself.”

“Not properly dressed, Ning Lingyun is now together with Ao Xian.”

Suddenly, Ning Zu’an felt cold in his heart, and his eyes became red
because of angry!

“Father, I am going to see Fourth Sister,” Ning Xueyan said.

“Just, just let her die!” Grinding his teeth, Ning Zu’an slowly dropped
the words one by one. The thing that happened today must have
something to do with Ning Lingyun. He asked Ao Xian to change his
clothes in Ning Huaiyuan’s house. How could Ning Lingyun happen to
change hers there too? Moreover, Ning Zu’an had seen that the two of
them leaned close to each other in the morning. Apparently, they had an
affair.

As for the scene before him, how was it possible that the proud Ning
Yuling like Marquis of Ping’an? She obviously fell into the trap set by
someone. It had never occurred to Ning Zu’an that he actually had such a
vicious daughter. How Ning Zu’an wished he could chock this shameless
daughter to death right in front of him!

“Father, please calm down. Anyway, she is the Fourth Young Lady. It is
not good if anyone spread the rumor out,” Ning Xueyan lowered her
voice and said.

Her words reminded Ning Zu’an. No matter what she had done, she was
the daughter of Lord Protector’s Manor. Getting angry was useless when
such a thing happened. He had to find a solution.

“You… Go to see her. Let her stop threatening others with death by the
way. If she really wants to die, find a place with no one around to kill
herself.” Ning Zu’an hated Ning Lingyun to the extreme. He cared Ning
Ziyan and Ning Yuling the most. But now Ning Lingyun put Ning Yuling
into such a terrible situation. How could he not be angry?

“Yes, father, I will go now.” Ning Xueyan nodded. She cast a cold look
at Ning Yuling aside with sarcasm hiding in her eyes.

“Ning Lingyun was indeed vicious once she launched the attack. She
planned to marry Ao Xian and dragged me down at the same time. In
order to please Madam Ling and her daughter, she wanted to ruin my
future. But she must never have thought that I dragged Ning Yuling
down instead. After I made Ning Yuling take my place in Ning
Lingyun’s plot, Ning Lingyun could not deny that she planned to change
clothes together with Ao Xian and she only pretended to be the weak
one.
No matter how innocent she looked at this time, Madam Ling and her
daughter would not let her go.

Of course, Ning Xueyan would not let Ning Lingyun be destroyed.

Because with Ning Lingyun blocking others attacks in front, it would be
much better for her!

“I will go with Fifth Young Lady to see Ao Xian.” Wen Xueran, who
was watching the drama nearby, suddenly began to speak.

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li brought Ao Xian here. Now that

something bad happened to Ao Xian. Though Ning Zu’an didn’t want
him to see the skeleton in the closet of his family, he had no choice but to
let him see it. Hence, he had to nod with a cold face.

Wen Xueran did not care at all. After he said goodbye to Ning Zu’an, he
went to the courtyard of Ning Huaiyuan with Ning Xueyan.

“Fifth Young Lady, do you think that there is something weird about this
matter?” Wen Xueran went two steps forward. Rolling his charming and
pretty eyes, he squinted at Ning Xueyan and asked with a smile.

“Please keep this matter a secret, Princely Heir,” Ning Xueyan said
indifferently and coldly.

“Keep it a secret! There are so many secrets in this Lord Protector’s

Manor!” It seemed that Wen Xueran said this on purpose.

Ning Xueyan narrowed her pupils. A deep and inexplicable vigilance

suddenly appeared in her jet-black eyes.

But she didn’t reveal her feeling. She said calmly, “Every manor has its
secrets. Sorry to make ourselves a joke!”

By saying like this, she directly stopped him from talking about this
topic. The look on her face showed that she didn’t want to discuss
anything with him. Faint coldness emerged on her exquisite facial
features. Quietly, she moved aside, a little bit further away from Wen
Xueran.
“Are you afraid of me, Fifth Young Lady?” Looking at her movements,
Wen Xueran raised his handsome face and could not help laughing.

“Princely Heir, gossip is a fearful thing,” Ning Xueyan said with an

indifferent expression. After that, she said nothing more and focused on
walking only.

But the strange thing was that Wen Xueran didn’t pump her about the
case. He walked behind Ning Xueyan on his initiative. He deliberately
kept a few steps away from her, but he still followed her, only not in a
hurry.

The scene in Ning Huaiyuan’s courtyard was a mess. Ning Lingyun kept
crying. From time to time, she pretended to try to suicide. Caiyun and a
few maids dragged her with all their effort as if they very afraid that she
indeed took this thing to heart and would hit the wall to kill herself.

On the other side, Ao Xian also kept apologizing. He repeatedly

promised that he will be responsible for Ning Lingyun and would never
betray her.

Up until now, Ning Lingyun made all things develop in the direction she
had planned. Although Ning Lingyun still grasped her handkerchief and
cried, she could not help smiling under the handkerchief. “At this time,
they must have also caught Ning Xueyan and Marquis of Ping’an on the
spot. Now that they have caught such a shameless couple dating in
private, I certainly deserved more sympathy as an accidental ‘victim’.”

“Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li has such a good impression on

me, plus he feels guilty. Marquis of Ping’an will no longer be a problem.
As long as Ao Xian is determined to marry me, my father will not say
anything.”

“As for the Ning Yuling, she may thank me for she no longer needs to
marry Commandery Prince Li after all the things. Besides, I set Ning
Xueyan up, which is a big gift I sent her!”

Of course, Ning Lingyun did not know that Ning Yuling already had sex
with Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li long ago. Now that she had
successfully tricked Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li into the
trap, she would only become his concubine in the end if nothing else
happened.

When she was enjoying the joy of her victory and felt proud of herself,
suddenly she heard someone outside said, “Fourth Young Lady and
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min are coming.”

Involuntarily, Ning Lingyun was stunned a little. Then she lowered her
crying voice and pricked up her ears because she wanted to know if
someone sent her a wrong message. “It cannot be Ning Xueyan. That
little b*tch has been caught dating with Marquis of Ping’an. She can
never explain everything clearly. In the end, she will have no other
choices but to marry the old and lecherous man.”

“Fourth Sister, are you alright?” Ning Lingyun heard someone whisper
in her ear. “But the gentle and low voice belongs to Ning Xueyan,
doesn’t it?”

Ning Lingyun shivered subconsciously. Her intuition was telling her that
there was an ice-cold chill in Ning Xueyan’s voice. It felt like that a
piece of sharp ice pricked her heart and gave her penetrating coolness.
Suddenly, Ning Lingyun’s eyes greatly widened.

“Why is Ning Xueyan here? How is it possible that she is here?”

“Brother Xueran, you come just in time. You see, I really didn’t mean it.
I don’t know how I have offended Fourth Young Lady. It’s… Anyway,
it’s my fault. I have to be responsible for what I have done. I should not
let Fourth Young Lady be wronged.” Now Ao Xian got an eyeful of
Ning Lingyun and her delicately pretty figure. He thought that Ning
Lingyun really was going to hit the wall. She was a gentle and amiable
as well as delicate and pretty lady. How could he let such a lady die in
front of him? So he promised to take the responsibility again and again.

As long as the beauty didn’t cry or try to kill herself, he would like to
shoulder any responsibilities!

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li thought in his heart. “Where

else can I find such an ideal beauty?”
“Fourth Sister, how about changing your clothes first? You cannot
always be like this. Just now, I have asked someone to take your clothes
here.” After glancing at Ning Lingyun’s shivering body, which was
wrapped in wet clothes, Ning Xueyan smiled and said.

“I, I will change my clothes now.” When Ning Lingyun heard Ning
Xueyan’s words, she jumped up immediately. Greatly frightened, she
nervously stammered.

“Princely Heir, can you go out first?” Ning Xueyan turned to look at
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

“Brother, Ao Xian. Let’s go out.” Wen Xueran nodded. Ao Xian was

unwilling to part from Ning Lingyun, so Wen Xueran pulled him out.
The others went out with them, and someone closed the door.
Chapter 136 It Is You, Am I
Right?
The door was closed, and suddenly they were cut off from the outside.
Ning Xueyan stared steadily at Ning Lingyun with her eyes, which were
as clear as water. Her mouth corners formed a slight sneer, and Ning
Xueyan looked at Ning Lingyun as if she was looking at a clown.

“Fourth Sister, do you also want Mother to see your look now? Will she
agree that someone else did all this to you?” Ning Xueyan lifted her lips.
She gave Ning Lingyun an ice-cold smile.

“You… What do you mean?” Under her gaze, Ning Lingyun lost her
temper from embarrassment. The delicate expression on her face was
long gone, and she asked with hatred while grinding her teeth. Although
Ning Lingyun did not know how Ning Xueyan escaped from the trap she
set, she knew that her situation was not good. Ning Lingyun appeared
strong outward, but she actually felt weak inward. Hence, in a fury, she
could only shout out a question.

Caiyun was scared silly long ago since she saw Ning Xueyan.

“Fourth Sister, don’t you want to see how Marquis of Ping’an and
Second Sister are doing?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and sneered at
the corner of her lips.

“You… what do you mean?” Her words made Ning Lingyun’s flesh
creep. “How can this matter have something to do with Ning Yuling?
Was it Ning Yuling who had been with Marquis of Ping’an?” At the
thought of that, she immediately felt dizzy and faint. Biting her teeth, she
forced herself to ask the question word by word to make it sound clear.

“You know what I mean.” Ning Xueyan smiled leisurely. Looking Ning
Lingyun up and down, she didn’t even try to cover up her sneer. “Fourth
Sister, Second Sister will never forgive you.”
“It is you, am I right? You are so proud of yourself to design all of this.
You are so vicious that you care nothing about your sisters.” All of a
sudden, Ning Lingyun smiled wanly. Her voice was sharp and out of
control.

“If you want Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li to know that you
designed all of this, you are free to shout loud.” Ning Xueyan didn’t give
a damn and warned her. Calmly, she turned back to sit on the chair on
one side.

“Fourth Young Lady, Fourth Young Lady, what happened?” Outside, Ao

Xian heard the sharp screams of Ning Lingyun inside. He became very
anxious and rushed to knock the door. He knocked on the door with
clangs as if he was going to rushing in.

“Nothing… It’s nothing. I’m fine.” Ning Lingyun was in a panic.

Immediately, she lowered her voice and replied to him with a soft voice.

“Then that’s okay. If you need anything, call me.” After Ao Xian learned
that Ning Lingyun was okay inside, he breathed a sigh of relief outside.
He liked the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor very much,
who was simply the official wife model in his heart now.

In Ao Xian’s heart, she was such a beautiful lady with a gentle temper.
Moreover, she was very affectionate toward him. Now, he only wanted to
guard beside such a delicate but gentle lady.

“Well, do you have a crush on her?” Wen Xueran came up to Ao Xian.

With a smile on his good-looking face, he narrowed his charming eyes
and asked.

“She is a good girl! It is truly my fault today. I didn’t make a sound, so

she didn’t know that I was inside!” Ao Xian sighed. At this time, he
firmly believed that Ning Lingyun was all good and she would never do
anything wrong. He only felt that it was him who hurt her today.

“Brother Ao Xian, you want to marry her. Aren’t you afraid that
Grandmother will become angry?” Wen Xueran’s ears moved a little, and
he vaguely asked with a significant smile.
“I am going to tell Grandmother that I will marry her as soon as I come
back. That vixen Ning Yuling, bad things will happen to whoever
marries her.” As he said, Ao Xian turned around and took Wen Xueran’s
hands all of a sudden. He said sincerely, “Brother Xueran, be my witness
and you must tell my Grandmother that I have ruined her reputation. As
a man, I should shoulder the responsibility.”

At this time, Ao Xian had long forgotten that compared with Ning
Lingyun, Ning Yuling was the one who ruined the reputation for real. If
Ning Yuling did not marry him, who would like to be her husband as she
had already slept with someone else?

Of course, at this moment, Ao Xian thought Ning Lingyun was the best,
and no one else could enter his heart.

Unlike Ao Xian, who knew nothing about the truth, Wen Xueran had
almost learned everything. Besides, he was not a weak bookish person.
Although Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun said the few sentences very
lightly, he caught all their words. He slightly lifted his mouth corners and
pulled Ao Xian a few steps back.

“Brother Ao Xian, let’s wait here. She is changing clothes inside. No

matter how anxious you are, you should not stay so close.” Anyway,
Wen Xueran was free and at leisure now. He could just watch the fun. “It
seems that ladies in Lord Protector’s Manor are all not weak. Each of
them is adept at scheming.” Wen Xueran thought.

It was so rare that Ao Xian flushed after hearing his words. Obediently,
he stood far away from the room with Wen Xueran.

Inside the room, Ning Xueyan looked at Ning Lingyun, mockingly. “You
took Second Sister’s husband and made her and Marquis of Ping’an a
couple with a trick. I don’t know whether Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li can keep you safe or not. You should know that in Lord
Protector’s Manor, you are never the favorite daughter.”

Her words made Ning Lingyun’s face ghostly pale. The favorite daughter
in this manor certainly should be Ning Yuling. Compared with Ning
Yuling, Ning Lingyun was even no better than a maid beside her. In
previous, she was active in doing errands for Ning Yuling. She wanted
Madam Ling to marry her into a good family when Madam Ling
considered that she had been treated Ning Yuling so respectfully.

Now that she found someone to marry, but she also brought a disaster to
Ning Yuling. At this point, the vicious Madam Ling as well as the brutal
and fierce Ning Yuling would never let her go.

“Ning Xueyan did all of this to me, right?” Ning Lingyun thought.

“It was you… It was you, right? You… How can you harm us like this?
We are your sisters! You are the one to blame. I will tell everything to
Mother and Second Sister.” Although Ning Lingyun said these words in
a low voice, she vehemently rushed over to Ning Xueyan and stretched
out to catch her.

Ning Xueyan leaned slightly aside to avoid her. Her pale lips formed a
sharp sneer with sarcasm. “What you said sounds really nice. You said
that I don’t care about the feelings between sisters and I am the one to
blame. But it was you who made this plot. You viciously planned to put
Marquis of Ping’an and me together, and then I would marry into
Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor instead of you. Don’t you forget that? For
your future, you planned to sacrifice me. You are the one who has the
heart of a devil! But now you actually blamed me for being injustice,
which is so ridiculous!”

“In Lord Protector’s Manor, there are so many women as vicious as

snakes and scorpions. Ning Ziyan, Ning Yuling, and Ning Lingyun, all of
them are like this. When they tried to frame me, they were sinister and
ruthless. But when their plans failed, they were shameless enough to
blame me. They even consider themselves as noble ones. How ridiculous
they are!”

“You… I have never planned to harm you. It, it has nothing to do with
me!” Ning Lingyun argued. Ning Lingyun felt afraid and guilty because
Ning Xueyan figured out her secret plan.

“Does it have nothing to do with you? Since you refused to admit your
errors, then I will not ask you anymore. Anyhow, Second Sister will
definitely not blame me for this later on.” With a cold smile hanging on
her mouth corners, Ning Xueyan cast an indifferent look at Ning
Lingyun. Suddenly, she turned around and pressed her hand on the door.
It seemed that she was going to pull the door open.

But in Ning Xueyan’s heart, she thought. “As long as Ning Lingyun is
not helplessly stupid, she will ask me to stay.”

“No, please help me!” Sure enough, seeing her leaving, Ning Lingyun
begged with an anxious look.

“Oh, I don’t dare to help you, Fourth Sister. Perhaps, don’t know when
you will betray me again.” Ning Xueyan did not look back. Smiling
coldly, she said word by word.

“No, no, I won’t, really. If you help me through the crisis this time, I can
do anything you want me to do in the future!” Ning Lingyun asked for
her pardon and a chance. Now she was as restless as ants on a hot pan.
As long as Ning Lingyun thought that Madam Ling and Ning Yuling
would take revenge on her, all her pride would turn into fear.

Even if Commandery Prince Li’s Manor accepted her, she couldn’t

possibly marry into the manor within a short time. As long as she was in
Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Yuling and Madam Ling were absolutely
capable of killing her. Although it was a cold day today, sweat actually
began to break out on her forehead. At this time, if Ning Xueyan asked
her to do something, she would say yes immediately. In fact, Ning
Lingyun was willing to do anything Ning Xueyan wanted her to do.

Ning Lingyun looked at Ning Xueyan’s indifferent thin back. Each word
Ning Xueyan said hit right at the Achilles’ heel of Ning Lingyun and
made her feel scared. Now, feeling panic and frightened, she was a total
mess.

Ning Lingyun secretly thought. “Or I was wrong to deal with Ning
Xueyan from the beginning. Madam Ling and Ning Yuling hated Ning
Xueyan so much, but they asked her to help them instead in the end. She
must get quite a few tricks. Can I really deal with her?”

“She destroyed my plan simply by dragging Ning Yuling into it. In

addition to that, she let me bear all the accusations.” Ning Lingyun was
horrified. This fear crushed her from inside. At this time, she would do
whatever Ning Xueyan told her to do.
She didn’t even dare to bargain with Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan sensed that the high defensive wall Ning Lingyun built was
broken. She turned back and looked at Ning Lingyun coldly. “Do you
want to marry Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li?”

“Yes! I don’t want to marry that disgusting old man.” Every time Ning
Lingyun thought about that disgusting old man, she would grit his teeth
in hatred.

“So now, Second Sister has to marry Marquis of Ping’an.” Ning Xueyan
calmly stated this fact with ice-cold eyes.

“Then… What should we do?” Ning Lingyun was a little intimidated by

Ning Xueyan’s imposing manner. She gulped and murmured, “But I
suppose that people in the Lord Protector’s Manor will not let Second
Sister marry Marquis of Ping’an.”

What she said was the truth. What was the identity of Ning Yuling? She
was the superior daughter of the official wife. She was even qualified to
marry a prince and be his wife. How could she lower herself to be the
next wife of Marquis of Ping’an, who was a useless old man? According
to Ning Zu’an’s character, he would rather lock Ning Yuling up than
marry Ning Yuling to Marquis of Ping’an.

“You know that people in our manor will never marry Second Sister to
Marquis of Ping’an. But does Second Sister know it?” Ning Xueyan
slightly raised her eyebrows. Her cold eyes sneered.

“Then, then what?” Ning Lingyun said with a trembling voice. She felt
as if she was a strain of little grass shivering in the wind. Ning Xueyan
had gained full control over her, but she could not resist a bit.

“Are you now afraid that Mother and Second Sister will make great
efforts to deal with you? But what if they fight against each other?”
Outside, it was still cloudy. Inside, the room was very dark. Beams of
light fell on Ning Xueyan’s pale face, which looked gloomy and cold,
without a trace of warm.

Subconsciously, Ning Lingyun shivered. She only thought that in front of

her, Ning Xueyan was more like a demon from Asura’s Hell. Otherwise,
as a girl who was younger than her, how could she do things in such a
vicious and ruthless way?

“Since such a bad thing happened to her, Second Sister will come to you.
If you can make Mother take the blame, you will have a slim chance of
survival. Or…” Ning Lingyun understood what Ning Xueyan meant
even before she finished speaking. Looking at the delicate and gorgeous
as well as ruthless and cold face, Ning Lingyun felt that even her heart
started to shake.

How could she scheme against such a person?

“Okay, I, I will do as you told…” At this time, Ning Lingyun could not
even try to do anything against Ning Xueyan’s will. She even could not
look directly at that exceedingly beautiful but cold face.

“Now, it is the right time.” Ning Xueyan smiled a little. She leaned
forward and whispered a few words in Ning Lingyun’s ear. Ning
Lingyun nodded repeatedly. In the end, she cast a horrified look at Ning
Xueyan and hurriedly took Caiyun to the room inside to change clothes.

Ning Xueyan opened the door, and Ao Xian, who waited outside, rushed
in. He asked anxiously, “How is she? Is she fine?”

“She is fine. Fourth Sister is resting now. I hope that you can keep your
words in mind. Or else, my Fourth Sister has to take the road that leads
to death.” Ning Xueyan raised her eyes to look at him and said gently.

“Of course, I will shoulder the responsibility!” Once again, Ao Xian

promised, patting his chest. At this moment, he loved Ning Lingyun,
sincerely and wholeheartedly. He thought that he would never let such a
nice woman fall to the ground.
Chapter 137 Mother Sent Me to
Do All of This
“Father, it was that b*tch Ning Lingyun who tricked me. She deliberately
led me there. Otherwise, I was in good condition at that time. How could
I faint in Lasting-fragrance Pavilion?” Tearfully, Ning Yuling explained
with her sweet and charming face, which was precisely like that of
Madam Ling. Now she looked as if she had suffered from injustice.
What a delicate and touching lady!

If it were at ordinary times, Ning Zu’an would definitely stand on the

side of Ning Yuling. She was his most beloved daughter who was raised
carefully by him and who as precious as peals to him. But now, he
remained completely unmoved and looked at Ning Yuling with a gloomy
face. His eyes were full of disappointments. He did his best to raise this
daughter. At first, he thought that she could marry into the royal family
and would possibly become the queen in the future.

She could not even marry into an ordinary family because nobody would
want to marry her with her stupid look at this time, let alone the royal
family.

Not properly dressed, she stayed with Marquis of Ping’an. After that,
how could it be possible that Commandery Prince Li still wanted to
marry her? Being as a disloyal woman, she could only marry into
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor as a concubine. But as it was known to
all, it was impossible to let a concubine’s daughter become the wife and
make an official wife’s daughter become the concubine at the same time.
Ning Yuling ruined such a good marriage. How could Ning Zu’an not be
angry?

“Second Sister, I had never led you there on purpose. Concubine Xu

asked me to help clean up Eldest Young Master’s courtyard. If I saw
what was still needed there, I should tell her to get those things.
However, I accidentally knocked over the water basin nearby when I was
in the house. That was why I had to change clothes in Eldest Young
Master’s house. But I had never expected that… Second Sister, even if I
wanted to do something harmful to you, I didn’t have the time!”

Ning Lingyun knelt on the ground, timidly. Sobbing and trembling with
tears in her eyes, she looked much more pitiable than Ning Yuling.

“What a b*tch! You even dared say that you had no time. You were
playing the zither together with the b*stard Ao Xian in the morning,
flirting with each other. B*tch, don’t you know who you are? You don’t
even deserve to think that you can marry Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li.” Upon seeing that Ning Lingyun looked like as if she was
wronged, Ning Yuling became so furious that even her eyes turned red.
Immediately, she pointed to Ning Lingyun and cursed in rage.

“If I had known that you are such a nasty thing, I should have asked
Mother to marry you to some servant and let you attend on him. Then,
you would no longer need to seduce your brother-in-law.” At this point,
Ning Yuling certainly thought that it would be much better to marry
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li than Marquis of Ping’an.

“Shut up!” Seeing that what she said went too far, Ning Zu’an became so
angry that his face went purple. He thumped the table, and said sharply,
“You haven’t figured out your situation even until now. You can never
marry into Commandery Prince Li’s Manor. You can only go to marry
Marquis of Ping’an!”

After that, he cast a sharp eye to Ning Yuling and ignored her. Then, he
turned around and left.

Ning Zu’an totally felt disappointed with this daughter. If it had not been
the fact that he had to uphold the reputation of Lord Protector’s Manor,
he would have married her into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor for real this
time.

For the first time, Ning Zu’an reproached Ning Yuling so relentlessly.
Seeing that Ning Zu’an totally ignored her and went out with a sullen
face, Ning Yuling felt that things were not so good now. Her face became
dreadfully pale with fear. In sorrow, she chased Ning Zu’an to the
corridor and cried out hurriedly, “Father!”
Ning Zu’an turned a deaf ear to her cry. Neither did he stop, nor did he
look back. Ning Zu’an continued walking outside…

“Second Sister, how can you make father angry? Things happen among
us are always little things of women. You should not displease our father
because of those trivial things!” It didn’t know when Ning Lingyun got
up. Now Ning Lingyun stood behind Ning Yuling and glanced at her
boldly. It seemed that she was no longer the previous Ning Lingyun who
always tried hard to fawn on Ning Yuling.

Ning Lingyun said in a voice dripping with sarcasm plus the disdain in
her eyes, which made Ning Yuling tremble with angry. “Since when did
a humble daughter of a concubine dare to talk to me like this?”

“Ning Lingyun, you b*tch. I will beat you to death!” Usually, Ning
Yuling was the most arrogant in the manor. She always beat and abused
Ning Lingyun as she wanted. And especially this time, she felt sick to
her stomach. Instantly, Ning Yuling came over and stretched out to hit
Ning Lingyun in her face.

But Ning Lingyun caught her hand and said with a mocking smile.
“Second Sister, I am going to become the wife of Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li, and you will be the powerless wife of Marquis
of Ping’an. You are not qualified enough to slap me.”

Her words hit Ning Yuling like a slap in her face. Feeling ashamed and
angry, Ning Yuling instantly tore herself from Ning Lingyun’s hand.
After that, she said while walking outside. “B*tch, don’t kid yourself! I
am going to let Mother marry you to the old and ugly Marquis of
Ping’an.”

“Second Sister, you will go there in vain.” Ning Lingyun was not
frightened at all, and she smiled instead.

“Usually, Ning Lingyun is afraid of Madam Ling the most. Like a mouse
that met a cat, she doesn’t even dare to breathe heavily every time she
saw Madam Ling. Why was she not afraid of Madam Ling now?
Involuntarily, Ning Yuling stopped. She could not help asking, “Why?”

“Second Sister, Mother sent me to do all of this happened today. You

should blame Mother for everything because she wants you to marry into
Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor.” Ning Lingyun waved the handkerchief in
her hand. Her face was all smiles, and there was not a single bit of her
previous grievance and pity on her face

Her appearance made Ning Yuling angrier.

“You are talking nonsense! Mother cannot possibly marry me into

Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor.” Ning Yuling stared at Ning Lingyun with
hatred. Grinding her teeth, she said with rage.

“You don’t believe it, do you? Well, what a pity. Originally, this kind of
thing would never happen to you. But what if Mother has to sacrifice you
because of difficulties?” Ning Lingyun smiled jauntily.

“That was impossible!” Ning Yuling denied immediately. Mother loved

her the most. How could she marry her into Marquis of Ping’an’s Manor
which was clearly a fire pit? But Mother had already decided to marry
Ning Xueyan to Marquis of Ping’an.

“You don’t want to admit that, Second Sister. Do you remember the thing
happened in Buddha Hall?” Ning Lingyun reminded her.

Upon hearing her words, Ning Yuling suddenly recalled the ugly scene in
Buddha Hall, and her body could not help shivering. Her mom, the
person who Ning Yuling respected the most, snuggled up with an ugly
and fat man in Buddha Hall. It was galling and humiliating.

“Do you remember that, Second Sister? Even now, no one knows the
dirty thing because it was held back. Later on, Mother called Concubine
Xu over and asked her to find a way to marry you to Marquis of
Ping’an,” Ning Lingyun said while smiling delightedly, “You do not
need to thank me for marrying into Commandery Prince Li’s Manor
instead of you. Everything is what Mother wants. As a daughter, I am
willing to do whatever Mother tells me to do.”

Ning Lingyun got the benefits and showed off her cleverness in front of
Ning Yuling, which made Ning Yuling’s eyes red out of angry with her
fingers cramping and trembling.

An ordinary person would not believe Ning Lingyun’s words. But Ning
Lingyun was an incredibly selfish person. Ning Yuling would be very
likely to marry her to Marquis of Ping’an to keep the dirty thing a secret
if she were Madam Ling. Otherwise, why did nobody else know the
nasty thing even until now?

The thoughts of Ning Yuling now went into a dead end. For a time, she
could not get her head around. She insisted on going on the road she
chose, even though it led only to a dead end.

“Ning Lingyun knew the dirty thing of Mother because Concubine Xu

knew it. Concubine Xu knew it because Mother told her that.” After she
connected all the things, Ning Yuling felt that what Ning Lingyun said
was true. “It looks like that Ning Lingyun fears nothing. Someone must
have supported her from behind. Except for Mother, who else can give
her so much courage?”

When Ning Yuling thought that her dearest Mother betrayed her to
protect her reputation, she went crazy with rage. At this time, she was
not in a mood to be angry with Ning Lingyun. All of a sudden, she
turned around, ran outside, and went straight into Buddha Hall.

Suddenly, the hall became quiet. The proud expression on Ning Lingyun
receded like tides. Caiyun, who hid in the corner of the hall, came up to
her timidly. “Young Lady, Second Young Lady reacted like this. Is it
okay?”

“I, I don’t know, either!” Ning Lingyun smiled bitterly and wiped the
cold sweat on her forehead. She had never fought against Ning Yuling
like this. What she did just now provoked Ning Yuling, but she felt very
scared in her heart.

“When First Madam comes out to deal with this, she will never pardon
you!” Caiyun was also very afraid, and she could not help reminding
Ning Lingyun.

This time, Ning Lingyun not only offended Second Young Lady but also
brought trouble to First Madam. If First Madam came out to handle this
matter, she would torture her to death.

“I, I have no other choices but to take this step.” Ning Lingyun shook her
head helplessly, feeling empty soft all over, and her feet became limp.
Initially, she had full control of the things that happened today. But she
had never expected that she would end up like this today. Now, she had
to set Ning Yuling against Madam Ling.

Otherwise, either of them could kill her with ease!

She had to follow Ning Xueyan’s words and let Madam Ling take the
blame.

“Will you listen to Fifth Young Lady from now on?” Fifth Young Lady
was a lady who could make her too frightened to speak only with a sharp
look. Was she still the always harmless and timid Fifth Young Lady?

“It is impossible. As long as I get through this crisis… As long as I get

through this crisis… Why should I obey Ning Xueyan’s orders?” Ning
Lingyun gnashed her teeth and said fiercely.

“In the past, I tried hard to please Madam Ling to get a good marriage.
Now that I already got what I want. Could Ning Xueyan still suppress
me? Ning Xueyan is alone and has no one at her back. For what reasons
can Ning Xueyan suppress me, the wife of a Princely Heir in the future?
If I have any chances later, I will revenge on her for what all she did to
suppress me today.”

Things happened today. If Ning Xueyan did not secretly sabotage her
plan, Ning Lingyun would not do things in such a passive way and even
turned against Madam Ling and her daughter. But the lesson she learned
this time also reminded her that Ning Xueyan was not so easy to deal
with. If she had any chances next time, Ning Lingyun would plan more
carefully.

Such a big thing had happened in Lord Protector’s Manor. Madam

Dowager, who stayed in the courtyard, had already learned the news and
she even smashed her favorite teacup out of angry. In a hurry, she called
Ning Zu’an over, and they were discussing countermeasures now in the
courtyard. The situation was so severe now, so someone had to come out
to deal with it. Moreover, Madam Dowager invited the Consort Dowager
of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor to Lucky Garden. She also asked Ao
Xian who was Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and Marquis of
Ping’an to go there.
Ning Xueyan did not go there because this whole thing had nothing to do
with her. Therefore, she was the least busy person at this time. She
walked along the path and went to the study of the outer courtyard.

There had been so many things happened in the manor. All the servants
did their jobs with fear and trepidation. When they saw Ning Xueyan,
their attitudes toward her were much more respectful than before. Upon
seeing Ning Xueyan coming out, the two female servants who guarded
the second door took two steps back respectively, and they didn’t even
dare to ask her any questions.

Not far from the second door was the study of Ning Zu’an. Ordinarily,
there were always young male servants guarded at the entrance. Even if
Ning Zu’an was not here, others could not enter the study freely. Ning
Xueyan had never been here before. Today, it was very quiet here. Ning
Xueyan thought that those servants must be very busy after so many
things happened in the manor.

She pushed the slightly closed door open and spotted a large desk in the
middle of the room. Behind the desk was a screen which divided the
study into two parts. The two rows of shelves there were full of books.
Ning Zu’an was sort of a general with literary initially, so it was quite
normal that he had some more books in his study.

The study of Ning Zu’an was just like any other normal studies!

As soon as Ning Xueyan entered the study, she heard a melodious voice
came. Someone said with a smile, “Fifth Young Lady, are you here to
visit me?”

When the voice faded, a fan stretched out to her lower jaw. Ning Xueyan
rolled her jet-black eyes and looked right into the pair of smiling eyes
which were charming and as brilliant as stars.

“Why is he here?” Ning Xueyan wondered.

Chapter 138 The Weird
Encounter In The Study
“Princely Heir, why are you still here at this time?” Ning Xueyan asked
faintly, raising her head, who stepped back calmly to avoid the fan and
was frightened, but her face did not show it.

“Fifth Young Lady, why are you here at this time? Could it be that you
know I’m resting here?” Wen Xueran asked instead of answering, with
his beautiful amorous eyes glancing at her. He retracted the folding fan
in his hand and circled it two times in a handsome way between his
fingers.

In terms of the appearance, it was really no one who could compare with
Wen Xueran in this world. The beautiful face of him would even make
women feel ashamed too. A beauty that overthrew states and cities that
was what he should be! Plus the pair of amorous eyes which always
seemed to be affectionate, few young girls would not be shy and blush
when they saw his eyes.

However, this Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector, not only did not have
the slightest shyness but even disseminated a sense of indifference,
which refused people thousands of miles away. She looked indifference,
not because she pretended to refuse, but because she rejected others
completely.

“Here is Lord Protector’s Manor. I don’t seem to have to report to you

where I am going!” Ning Xueyan looked at him, and then went to one
side of the bookshelf. She took a book casually and turned around to go
out.

Wen Xueran was surprised that she didn’t even want to say a few more
words to him. And did she want to go away right now?

His hand stretched out, and the fan was already in front of Ning Xueyan.
Wen Xueran looked this unusual girl in front of him up and down with
interest.
He saw that she was wearing a very ordinary light white dress with an
unmarried girl’s hair bun, who looked just like an ordinary lady. That
plain reflected her pale face and the light lip color as if there was a kind
of spiritual beauty and indifference from the bone, which made her look
cold and fragile.

Under the long eyelashes, her pair of deep jet-black eyes looked like two
pieces of obsidian that kept all the reiki and starlight in the sky inside,
which made her pale face a wonderfully embryonic form. The delicate
outline of her features had not yet grown, so she looked not remarkable
at first glance with her plain face.

But after looking her carefully, Wen Xueran knew that she would surely
become an exceedingly beautiful woman before long!

It was the first time that Wen Xueran observed Ning Xueyan’s face so
closely. The longer he looked at her, the more frightened he became.
Somehow, he felt that he was a little familiar to the face in his heart…

“Princely Heir, is there anything else?” With a little more vigilance, the
dark eyes of Ning Xueyan fell on the face of Wen Xueran.

“Aren’t you looking for me here? Why are you leaving so soon? Would
you like a cup of tea before you go?” Wen Xueran raised his eyebrows
obliquely, with an unusual splendor flashed in his eyes, but he did not
withdraw his hand.

He said frivolously with a queer smile on his face. He even stretched out
his hand to touch Ning Xueyan’s face. “It’s a rare thing that I am happy
today, so I’ll treat you for a drink!”

“Princely Heir, please behave yourself!” Ning Xueyan rebuked. She did
not expect Wen Xueran would suddenly stretch out his hand. With a
trace of anger flashing through her eyes, she retreated two more steps to
avoid Wen Xueran’s hand.

“I even don’t care. Why did you care, Fifth Young Lady?” A glimmer of
unusual splendor flashed through the brilliant amorous eyes of Wen
Xueran. He withdrew his hand arrogantly, folded his fan, and made a
circle around Ning Xueyan. “Didn’t you especially come to see me
because I am here?”
“Princely Heir, you misunderstood. I just went to my father’s study to
find a book. And I didn’t know you were here!” Ning Xueyan’s voice
still sounded flat and cold. She stared at the handsome man in front of
her, but her heart still remained calm and quiet.

She stretched out her hand to push Wen Xueran away, picked up her skirt
corner, and walked outside!

This time, Wen Xueran did not stop her. The corners of his eyes fluttered
two times, and the bright colors in her eyes blocked all his real feelings
like a blur of smoke. While smiling, he just watched Ning Xueyan going
away with a touch of a thoughtful smile on his lips…

Ning Xueyan didn’t stop all the way. Her body finally relaxed after she
pa.s.sed the second door, and she slowed her pace.

Deliberately, she took advantage of the chaos in the manor to explore the
study of Ning Zu’an to investigate on the spot whether or not Ningzu’an
had the military medallion from preceding dynasty. Ning Zu’an must not
simply have placed it in a prominent place. Otherwise, with the ability of
Ao Chenyi, he could find at least a trace of it.

But what she didn’t expect was that why Wen Xueran was still here?

Something so big happened in Lord Protector’s Manor. But as an

outsider, he hadn’t yet gone. How could Ning Zu’an trust him to be in
the study?

The study of Ning Zu’an was not accessible to anyone who wanted to
enter it. Even his favorite daughter Ning Yuling was not allowed to enter
the study at her will. So why could Wen Xueran stay in his study at this
time?

A flash of inspiration flashed through Ning Xueyan’s mind. A study

without servants, the partly-closed door, and Wen Xueran who stood in
the study. All these seemed to indicate that there was something strange.

“There is something wrong. There is something wrong with Wen

Xueran!” The idea suddenly crossed Ning Xueyan’s mind.
Ning Xueyan stopped suddenly and looked back. She hesitated for a
moment, then turned around with determination and walked to Bright
Frost Garden.

No matter what purpose Wen Xueran had, or he was looking for

something just like her, it all had nothing to do with her. It wouldn’t help
even if she went back to the study now because Wen Xueran could never
be as harmless as he appeared. She obviously could not deal with Wen
Xueran alone.

The evening meal of Lord Protector’s Manor was particularly late today.
Qingyu came in with a food basket. As soon as she entered the door, she
covered her mouth and laughed.

“Silly girl, what makes you so happy?” Lanning came over to take the
food basket of Qingyu and asked.

“I just heard that Second Young Lady rushed into Buddha Hall and
quarreled with First Madam who then slapped her twice. Now she is
crying and making trouble in Qingrong Courtyard, saying that she will
never marry Marquis of Ping’an even if she dies. She even disturbs
Consort Dowager of Commandery Prince Li’s Manor,” Qingyu said
excitedly.

Second Young Lady used to bully her lady ended up like this today. How
could Qingyu not be unhappy?

“Did Madam Dowager go to Buddha Hall?” Ning Xueyan took the

chopsticks Lanning handed her with a smile and asked.

According to the temper of Ning Yuling, she would certainly go to make

a scene in Buddha Hall after Ning Lingyun provoked her several time.
When she was furious, she wouldn’t listen to whatever Madam Ling
said. After all, she thought Madam Ling sacrificed her happiness for her
own interest. Even though Madam Ling was her biological mother, she
would not say anything good to her at this time.

Therefore, Madam Ling was sure to beat her

“Too much noise is in Buddha Hall so that servants in the manor dared
not to hide this thing. They reported the situation to Madam Dowager.
When Madam Dowager arrived there, Second Young Lady had already
smashed everything in Buddha Hall here and there. Madam Dowager
became so angry that she urged people to pull Second Young Lady
away,” Qingyu said excitedly with bright eyes.

“And what happened in the end?” Ning Xueyan took a slight sip of soup
to moisten her throat, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

“I don’t know what happened in the end. Anyway, both the marquis and
Madam Dowager both got angry. They scolded First Madam, too. It was
so great that it was in chaos there.” Qingyu felt very relieved now when
she thought about how Madam Ling and her daughter had treated her
lady in the past few years.

“Lanning, tell Mother Han later that anyone in my courtyard is strictly

prohibited from discussing this matter; otherwise, they will be expelled
from Bright Frost Garden.” Ning Xueyan thought about it carefully and
ordered seriously.

“Yes, I will go to tell Mother Han right now.” Lanning was cautious, and
she knew that they should not make others suspect their lady at this time.
Immediately, she nodded. She cast a look at Qingyu and retreated.

Qingyu was straightforward, but she was not reckless. Now that she also
understood and put away the smile on her face. She thought of Madam
Ling’s means and felt worried about Ning Xueyan. She said, “Young
Lady, if First Madam comes out and knows from Fourth Young Lady
that you are behind all this, she will never let you go.”

The words Ning Lingyun used to provoke Ning Yuling could not stand
up to close scrutiny at all. If Ning Yuling had not been in that situation,
she would not have been easily deceived and would not have rushed to
Buddha Hall to make a scene with Ling either. If they made a further
investigation on this matter, they would inevitably find out Ning Lingyun
and then Ning Xueyan.

If First Madam knew that Ning Xueyan was behind this matter, there
would be no way for her to survive!

“First Madam will suspect me, but she has no evidence.” Ning Xueyan
gave a gentle smile. She seemed to have considered everything in
advance and felt quite confident now.

It was not because Ning Xueyan believed that Ning Lingyun was a
trustworthy person. But after what had happened, Ning Lingyun was
completely on the opposite side of Madam Ling and her daughter. Even
if Ning Lingyun told them the truth, she would make one more enemy of
herself beside Madam Ling and her daughter.

If Ning Xueyan got punished by this, Ning Lingyun would be the next
one who was going to suffer!

And it also involved the scandal that she deliberately seduced Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li. If others knew it, Ning Lingyun also
would have no way to live. Therefore, Ning Lingyun would never get
herself in trouble.

Ning Xueyan was sure about this, so she did not need to hide her
thoughts from Ning Lingyun!

The news that Ning Lingyun and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li was going to marry was spread out in that evening. As for Marquis of
Ping’an, he would marry a concubine-born daughter in Lord Protector’s
Manor. It was said that both of them were engaged long ago, before
Madam Ming’s death. So their marriages could not be regarded as
impolite.

The rumors going around the manor had stopped long ago. Those
bigmouth older female servants and maids in the backyard were beaten
so severely that they could not get out of bed. Except for Bright Frost
Garden and Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden, in almost every other
courtyard, there were some people be beaten. For a time, no one in the
manor dared to gossip.

People outside had already heard that daughters in Lord Protector’s

Manor would marry into Commandery Prince Li’s Manor and Marquis
of Ping’an’s Manor. At this moment, though they were surprised when
they knew the people who would marry, they thought it was normal. It
was good that Marquis of Ping’an could marry a concubine-born
daughter of Lord Protector’s Manor. As for Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li, it was not proper that he would marry a
daughter of a concubine. But it was still a good marriage for him because
Lord Protector was in a high position and had great power.

And Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li himself was not a well-

behaved person. So no daughter of an official wife from a good family
was willing to marry him. Perhaps he wanted to play up to Lord
Protector’s Manor, so he would like to take the daughter of a concubine
as his wife.

Of course, these were the words outside Protector’s Manor, which saved
the dignity of Lord Protector’s Manor on the surface.

The treatment inside the manor was utterly different. Although Ning
Lingyun got this marriage, she had knelt for half of an afternoon in
Auspicious Fortune Hall. It was not until she fainted that Madam
Dowager let her go back. Concubine Xu also knelt there with her. No
evidence proved that they did all of this. But there were so many
coincidences that could arouse the suspicions from others.

Madam Dowager had experienced lots of things during the long time she
spent in the courtyard. How could she not understand the trick?

But what could she do even if she had seen through everything? If she
also punished Ning Lingyun, who would marry into Commandery Prince
Li’s Manor. Though Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was not a
decent man, he still was a n.o.ble prince. As the daughter of a concubine,
Ning Lingyun was fortunate to marry someone who was high above her
rank. And Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li kept saying it was all
his fault and actually took all the blame on himself. He insisted on that
even when Consort Dowager became so p.i.s.sed off.

Anyway, he said he must marry Ning Lingyun. Otherwise, he would run

away from home and never come back. Feeling helpless, Consort
Dowager had no choice but to agree!

In this case, if Madam Dowager must punish Ning Lingyun, Princely

Heir of Commandery Prince Li was sure to make some more trouble and
publicize the scandal all over the city.

That night, after a noisy day, Lord Protector’s Manor finally quieted
down. People in each courtyard were all exhausted and were going to go
to bed early.

Suddenly there came a shrill and frightened scream. Madam Dowager,

who was supposed to go to bed, was so scared that she almost fell off the
bed.

Because this scream was really too harsh and lamentable, which made
people feel creepy…
Chapter 139 Something Serious
Happened
Early in the morning, the doctors rushed into Qingrong Courtyard one
after the other.

Although none of the servants in the manor dared to talk more openly,
some news was uncontrollable.

Something serious happened. Second Young Lady was disfigured. She

was disfigured because First Madam beat her!

The news was spread by the servants secretly. Nobody dared to talk
about it loudly, but everyone said in private, “It’s so strange. It’s hard to
imagine that First Madam’s slap made Second Young Lady disfigured. It
was so terrible…”

Some people even said that Ning Yuling made trouble in Buddha Hall
and offended deities so that she got retribution. Otherwise, she would not
have been disfigured for no reasons.

In Qingrong Courtyard, Ning Yuling threw away her mirror madly,

crying with her broken heart. On the face that should have been
extremely beautiful originally, red dense and convex rashes had erupted,
forming into a palm-shaped pattern.

When seen carefully, all of them were just in a palm print.

Several doctors were driven to the corner of the courtyard with nothing
to do, sighing and shaking their heads.

There was no clue at all about this kind of sudden illness of Second
Young Lady in Lord Protector’s Manor. It was weird that the rashes
should form into a palm-shaped pattern on the face, which might be
explained only by the concept of supernatural beings. What was more,
before that, Ning Yuling did break many things in Buddha Hall. After
that, people who entered the hall that was fine at first could not even find
a place to stand.

The news was spread more quickly this time. Although Ning Zu’an told
the doctors not to gossip, the news got out. Everyone knew that Second
Young Lady in Lord Protector’s Manor got retribution. Now she had
many convex rushes on her faces which grew into a palm print. And it
was the palm print resulted from the slap of First Madam in Lord
Protector’s Manor.

With the news spreading out, there were all kinds of guesses. At first,
others thought that Ning Yuling herself led to this. Later someone said it
was because First Madam was vicious. Then others guessed that people
in Lord Protector’s Manor had done something terrible so that they
offended the deity and got such retribution. It was indeed a strange and
evil thing. For a time, there were only three or four kittens in front of the
gate of Lord Protector’s Manor. Nobody dared to enter the gate at this
time.

They feared that they might get themselves into trouble accidentally.

That night, Ning Yuling, crying and screaming, was forced to put on a
small sedan and sent to the old house of the Ning family. They
announced that she would live a simple and quiet life there for some
time.

All the others, even including the doctors, didn’t know the reason. It was
merely because the medicinal powder of the rouge on Ning Yuling’s face
and the medicinal powder in Madam Ling’s hand could mutually
counteract. A single kind of medicinal powder would not show anything.
However, when two types mixed up, they were going to react right away
and stimulated the skin of Ning Yuling. That was how those swollen and
bulgy rashes formed.

Madam Ling liked Hall Crabapple. She always took care of them in
person, and even those in Buddha Hall were no exception. Ning Xueyan
had coated each precious flower of the Hall Crabapple with medicinal
powder.

The rouge on Ning Yuling’s face came from the boxes of powder which
Ning Ziying sent to Ning Xueyan. Then Ning Xueyan added something
bad in them. Later on, Ning Lingyun took those several boxes away and
sent them to Ning Yuling. At that time, Ning Ziying meant to curry favor
with Ning Xueyan, so what the boxes of powder she sent were all the
latest good stuff. It was normal that Ning Yuling liked the powder and
certainly would apply it to her face.

Madam Ling slapped Ning Yuling in the face and mixed thee two types
of powder. Then Ning Yuling would certainly be disfigured!

The face of Ning Yuling was disfigured in such a weird way. So Madam
Dowager and Ning Zu’an had to send her to the remote countryside to
shut others up.

“Ling’er, my Ling’er.” In Buddha Hall, Madam Ling put on a fierce look

and was going to rush out. But Mother Chen held her tightly to stop her.

“Madam, Madam, please don’t worry. We may still cure the face of
Second Young Lady.”

“Cure her face? How can they find famous doctors in that remote place?”
Thinking that her most beloved daughter lived a life like a living death,
Madam Ling felt her heart was torn apart with grief. She brought up the
beloved daughter elaborately and took her as a precious pearl in the palm
since she was a baby. Now all her hope was all destroyed. How could she
not feel regretful?

In the gloomy Buddha Hall, her beautiful face of Madam Ling looked
almost as fierce as a ghost.

“First Madam, it is no use rushing out now. Doing like this, you will
instead give Madam Dowager reasons to punish you. Concubine Xu and
Fourth Young Lady did all this. They will come to a bad end when Eldest
Young Master comes back.” Seeing that Madam Ling calmed down,
Mother Chen tried best to persuade her.

Everyone in the manor knew that Fourth Young Lady envied Second
Young Lady’s marriage and set a trap on purpose. She won the heart of
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li who then was determined to
marry her. Meanwhile, she ruined the reputation of Second Young Lady.
To everyone’s surprise, Fourth Young Lady who had been following
Second Young Lady was also a poisonous snake. She destroyed the
marriage of Second Young Lady as soon as she made her move.

“Two d*mned b*tches. However, it was not them!” Madam Ling, with
her long hairs down loosely, burst out hateful light from her eyes in the
dim light.

Concubine Xu and Ning Lingyun dared not to offend her so much. As

long as she and Yuan’er were here, Concubine Xu and Ning Lingyun
could not go too far. Lord Protector’s Manor would belong to Yuan’er in
the future. Therefore, she could decide their life and death! How could a
concubine without a son become powerful and determined?

Madam Ling had an intuition that it must be Ning Xueyuan. Last time in
Cold Mountain Temple, Madam Ling intended to plot against her at first.
But finally, Ling’er bore the consequence. Who else could it be if it
wasn’t that little b*tch?

“Madam, how could it not be them? Fourth Young Lady grabbed the
marriage of Second Young Lady. Now, all the good things have become
hers.” Mother Chen asked confusedly and held Madam Ling to take a
seat on the sole cushion in Buddha Hall.

“Go to find out where Yuan’er is now. Send a letter to tell him that
something happened in our family and he should come back home
quickly,” Madam Ling said fiercely.

“Yes, I will do it at once. I have already heard that Eldest Young Master
would come back soon.”

Madam Ling nodded. “You should also go to see Yan’er. Tell her all the
things that happened in the manor. Let her take precautions against that
b*tch. On that day of Concubine Ma’s banquet, the b*tch must have
played some underhand tricks. Let Yan’er tell Xia Yuhang that the b*tch
also knows what had happened in Cloud Reflection Courtyard.”

Speaking of Cloud Reflection Courtyard, Mother Chen couldn’t help

thinking of the girl covered in blood who had been beaten brutally. In the
end, the girl was pushed into the lotus pond alive. She felt a sudden thrill
in her heart. She felt that a stream of cold feeling rushed from her heart
to her limbs and shivered instantly because of the cold.
She looked up and saw the Buddha above the Buddha’s pedestal, which
had a pair of eyes that seemed to have seen through everything, and she
shuddered and bowed her head hurriedly. “Yes, yes, I will do it right
away.”

At the moment she was too scared to ask for the reason. She only felt the
Buddha’s eyes above were fixed still at her, making the roots of her hair
numb.

Without noticing the unnatural act of Mother Chen, now Madam Ling
only wanted to tear Ning Xueyan apart. If she knew the b*tch was so
hard to handle, she should have listened to her brother and set a fire in
Bright Frost Garden. Whether the young or the old, everyone there
would have been burnt to death, leaving no future trouble.

She would never let that b*tch go!

What had happened in Cloud Reflection Courtyard frightened more

people except for her and Ning Ziyan…

The snow had been falling for several days. In these days, Lord
Protector’s Manor was quiet. Ning Xueyan greeted Madam Dowager
regularly every day. After that, she would come back, embroid flowers,
and read books. Or, she would enjoy the snow-covered landscape with
several maids in the corridor. It was the most beautiful season of the
year. A plum flower in the courtyard also blossomed its stamens early.

With the fragrance of plum in the air, the scene of the snow looked
distant and beautiful.

The others in the manor were very quiet as well. Concubines remained
orderly. They stayed in their courtyards if nothing else happened outside.
Concubine Xu, who had run internal affairs only for several days, was
relieved of her post. Then, she also stayed in her courtyard and would
not come out. Ning Lingyun was even better-behaved. The whole Lord
Protector’s Manor seemed to be lifeless, in which only several servants
were walking around.

Ning Xueyan had her dinner quite early. The sky outside reflected the
color of snow on the ground, and it became quite bright. So it was not
dark at all. Ning Xueyan didn’t know when the snow stopped. There was
a moon rising in the sky, hanging high in the sky. With the vast land
covered in snow, the scene made people feel peaceful and harmony.

Ning Xueyan, wearing a light gray cloak, trampled on the snow alone
and walked on the path. She didn’t know when she had formed the habit.
Sometimes she alone would walk on the road from Bright Frost Garden
to Cloud Reflection Courtyard.

Between these two courtyards, there was a long-unused path. Both

courtyards were on the sides. Walking around the wall for a large half of
the circle, she could see the back door of Cloud Reflection Courtyard.
Ning Xueyan always stopped at the remote place where she could see the
back door of Cloud Reflection Courtyard. A plum tree happened to be
planted there. Ning Xueyan stayed there and just looked at it for a little
before she left.

That was the place she had lived for three years, and the place which she
thought was filled with beauty and hope. It was also the place where she
lost her life.

Today, she went to the plum tree again. It grew up more when she lived
in Cloud Reflection Courtyard. At that time, she had thought about
moving the plum tree into Cloud Reflection Courtyard. But she gave up
the idea eventually because it was not her home after all. So she didn’t
take any reckless action. It was just that she would come here every
winter to pick some plum blossoms in person. She would then put them
in her vase and appreciate them.

Many times, she also let Xia Yuhang bring the plum blossoms to Xia
Manor.

At that time, there were so many people around her. She still had the
smart and charming Xiang’er, the calm Lanning, and Mother Wang, who
cared about her more than she cared about herself. What was more, she
had a fiance, who seemed to give her so much love. And she had Ning
Ziyan, who seemed to have a deep feeling of sisterhood toward her…

When she thought of this, a thick bloody smell seemed to ooze from her
chest. And she felt as if the feeling of suffocation fell upon her once
again, which suppressed her almost breathless.
Subconsciously, she reached out to wipe the bloody smell off her lips.
But she couldn’t wipe it away no matter how hard she tried. The smell
seemed to be imprinted in the depths of her soul. It made her feel nausea
and a great rush of sickness.

Ning Xueyan retched two times subconsciously. Holding the branches of

the plum tree with one hand and covering her heart painfully with
another, she bent her thin waist. Now her face even looked paler than the
snow.

The painful feeling while struggling at the end of her previous life welled
up in her heart again.

Suddenly someone picked up her before she saw the face of the person
before her. She heard a beautiful but cold voice in the ears. “What
happened?”
Chapter 140 The Women Sent by
Third Prince Had a Lot of Guts
Feeling something cold slipped past her earlobe, Ning Xueyan widened
her eyes in surprise. She then saw a handsome face which was as delicate
as being carved. The eyes on this face seemed to be emitting bone-chilly
coldness.

Ning Xueyan just found herself in the arms of Ao Chenyi, Prince Yi. His
face was so close to her, as handsome and cold as Asura’s.

“Why is he here?” she wondered.

Nobody told her that Prince Yi would visit the Lord Protector’s Manor
today. Normally, a man as powerful as he would be accompanied by a
guard of honor group to come at least. How could she know nothing
about his coming?

She pushed Ao Chenyi away quietly with a flushed face. It was not the
first time for Ao Chenyi to hug her. However, he had done this just for
performing in front of others. Now since they didn’t have to show, Ning
Xueyan felt uneasy in his arms.

“Prince Yi, why did you come here?” Ning Xueyan asked with a smile.
She managed to calm herself down and restore her indifference.

“I’m just hanging around,” Ao Chenyi replied slowly, looking at Ning

Xueyan. The fragility in her eyes had been replaced by indifference. She
had hidden all her emotions behind her smile. If he wasn’t confident
enough, he would think that he might have seen incorrectly.

It was hard for him to believe that the fragile, pained expression had
come over the face of a girl who had always been so calm, and even cold
in front of him.

“Hanging around? How powerful this man is! He could even hang
around from the Prince Yi’s Manor to the Lord Protector’s Manor! ”
Ning Xueyan thought.

“Come on! Hang around with me.” Ao Chenyi wrapped his arm around
Ning Xueyan’s waist before she could know what was happening. Then
he leaped forward and landed on the wall carrying her.

Before landing, he glanced at the opposite corner coldly.

Someone was hiding in the corner. He was so scared at the sight of

Prince Yi that he almost fell to the ground.

“Prince Yi, where are we going?” Ning Xueyan didn’t break free from
his grip. She shrank her neck subconsciously when a gust of chilly wind
blew over.

She knew it was no use to struggle, because this aggressive prince had
never taken other people’s opinions into consideration.

Ao Chenyi took off his black robe and wrapped her slim figure with it.
His temperature was still on the robe. Before Ning Xueyan could see
everything clearly, Ao Chenyi had leaped up and down several times at
an incredible speed with her. The wind grew stronger, so she closed her
eyes subconsciously.

“Open your eyes!” Ao Chenyi said, touching her face, cold and red from
wind. He was amused when he saw her close her eyes and bite her lips
tightly. She was so scared, but she still pretended to be afraid of nothing.

Ning Xueyan’s long eyelashes fluttered a few times, then she opened her
beautiful jet-black eyes. A gust of cold wind blew over, she couldn’t help
but sniff. She felt that she seemed not to be standing on a firm land, so
she looked down. When she found that beneath her feet were shaking
tree branches, she tightly held the waist of the man beside her.

She had never stood on any trees before. The branches creaked when a
strong wind blew over. Although she was very brave after her rebirth,
she had never expected that she would have stood on a tree someday.

“Ah!” she cried out in surprise, holding Ao Chenyi with her arms tightly.
She was really scared. She had no idea what this proud prince was going
to do. She wondered why he didn’t stay in his comfortable manor, but
took her on a tree instead in such cold weather.

“Prince Yi, what are you doing here?” Ning Xueyan asked. She gritted
her teeth when she uttered every single word. Her eyes were filled with
anger because she was really scared. She had never been so angry.

With his robe on her body, she didn’t feel very cold. However, she was
afraid she might fall off the rickety branch.

“Yan’er, don’t you think it’s very clear and quiet here?” Ao Chenyi said
slowly, letting go of his arm around her waist.

To prevent herself from falling off and becoming a meat pie, Ning
Xueyan had to hold him firmly. She raised her head, but could only saw
his chin. Sensing that she was looking at him, Ao Chenyi looked down
and narrowed his eyes. Nobody could tell what he was thinking about.

“Prince Yi, it’s clear and quiet on the high building in your manor,” Ning
Xueyan said, managing to hold back her anger. She heard that there was
a tall building in the Prince Yi’s Manor which was the tallest building in
the whole city. “Can’t you see far enough from up the building in your
manor?” she wondered.

Ning Xueyan believed that in his manor, if he wanted to be quiet, no one

dared to make any noise.

“Besides, I don’t like here,” she continued, ignoring the coldness in his
eyes.

After a short while, her hands and feet went numb. She was physically
weak, so if she stayed here any longer, she would fell off soon.

Compared to falling onto the ground, she felt being gazed by Ao Chenyi
were not as terrible as usual.

However, anyone wouldn’t be happy to be carried here and put on a

rickety tree for no reason. Ning Xueyan had always reminded herself that
Ao Chenyi was a man of moods, but at this point, she seemed to have
forgotten about that and began to protest.
“Oh? You think I’m spoiling you, so you are contradicting me?” Ao
Chenyi pinched her chin, his face darkened. Ning Xueyan felt a sharp
chill passed from his palm to her chin.

“He is really unreasonable!” Ning Xueyan thought angrily.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Then she raised
her head and said sincerely, “You’re kidding on me, Prince Yi. I really
have no strength to hold you, so I’m going to fall off soon!”

“Do you… need my help?” Ao Chenyi acted as if he had just found out
that Ning Xueyan was about to fall off. He shifted his eyes from her face
to her hands which held him tightly, and after quite a while, he asked
before she was about to lose her hands.

“Of course!” Ning Xueyan squeezed these words from her throat. Her
hands began to tremble, and she knew she couldn’t hold on any longer.

“Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?” With that, he wrapped his arm
around her waist again. Withdrew her strength from her arms, Ning
Xueyan heaved a sigh of relief, and she felt much better.

“Thank you very much!” Ning Xueyan said. She didn’t know why Prince
Yi brought her here, but being cautious would never go wrong.

“Shh!” Prince Yi’s voice rang out over her head. “Look down,” he
continued.

Being so close with him, Ning Xueyan just found that Ao Chenyi was so
tall, even more than a head taller than her. In his arms, she felt much
safer, and even the waving branch beneath her feet didn’t seem that
horrible.

It was not until she relaxed that she heard what seemed to be a faint
sound from below.

Since it was in winter, there were only several leaves left on the tree, and
there was nothing could block her vision. Ning Xueyan lowered her head
and saw a courtyard below. Two women were tied to two posts in the
courtyard. In the dim light, Ning Xueyan could see that they had long
hair and they looked weak and thin.
“We’re not spies. Please report to the prince and let… go of us!” a
woman pleaded weakly.

However, the one who answered her was nobody but the whip!

Her head draped, and nobody could tell if she was still alive.

“You b*stard! Don’t beat her! She knew nothing. I, I’m the spy,” the
other woman suddenly shouted furiously.

She struggled hard, and the post she was tied to creaked terribly.

She had great strength. Obviously, she was a martial arts practitioner!

A middle-aged man walked over to her, with a whip in his hand. From
the black cloth he wore, Ning Xueyan knew that he was an imperial
guard. Was the imperial guard interrogating and torturing prisoners? She
wondered.

Then why didn’t Ao Chenyi, the head of the imperial guards sleep at
night, but brought her here?

Ning Xueyan raised her head and looked at Ao Chenyi.

“Do you think they look familiar?” Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan
from the corner of his eyes and asked coldly.

Ning Xueyan decisively shook her head. She had never heard such
miserable screams before.

“Ao Chenyi, you’re such a cruel man! If you’re a true man, just come at
me! Stop torturing the innocent people! You, you will die in your
boots…”

Before the woman could continue, she was kicked in the chest. Although
she had cultivated martial arts, after being tortured for such a long time,
she was already at her last gasp. She let out a miserable cry, and then
everything was quiet.

There was a stain of blood on the ground covering with snow.

The smell of blood lingered in the air.

Ning Xueyan’s heart beat fast. She held her breath subconsciously so that
Ao Chenyi wouldn’t find her panic. The two women were untied from
the posts and dragged away, left a trail of blood behind them.

“They were sent here by Third Prince. They have a lot of guts!” the cold
voice from Ao Chenyi mixed with the blood smell in the air made her
grow extremely nervous, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up
straight.

“The two women were sent by Third Prince?” Only now did Ning
Xueyan know she had seen the two women before.

She remembered that Third Prince had sent these two women to Ao
Chenyi when she pretended to be Ao Chenyi’s pet concubine for the first
time. At that point, Third Prince’s expression was very complex, and she
couldn’t tell he was happy or sad.

One of the two women was a martial arts practitioner, so obviously,

Third Prince didn’t send them to Ao Chenyi out of goodwill.

“What’s so special about them?” Ning Xueyan asked, trying to ignore the
blood smell in the air. Ao Chenyi could choose to refuse to accept the
two dancing women, but he hadn’t done that. Combined with what she
had just seen just now, Ning Xueyan could tell that he must have some
special purpose.

Ao Chenyi was a little surprised by her keen insight. He glanced at her

and found her lips had turned even paler because of the cold wind. She
seemed to be trying to withstand the coldness and she was a little
breathless. “This strong-willed little woman!” he thought, a complex
expression appeared on his face.

He put more stress on his arm so that he could hold her more firmly.
Then he looked down and said, “Don’t ask. Just accompany me quietly.”

Ning Xueyan could only saw his handsome profile from aside. She
couldn’t figure out what he was going to do, but she could feel that he
was emotionally unstable tonight, so she didn’t move, allowing him to
hold her tightly. To prevent cold, she leaned her head against his chest.
She heard the steady, powerful beating of his heart.
Somehow she felt secure, so she closed her eyes.

Ao Chenyi had been moody, but he seemed even more abnormal this
night. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought her here in such a cold
winter night to watch an interrogation that puzzled her.

She didn’t know whether it was because she had been too nervous, or
because his arms were so warm that she had grown sleepy. She pressed
her body closer to him and found a more comfortable place for herself.

They didn’t notice from when the snow began falling off again. Between
heaven and earth in whiteness, a man and a woman embraced each other,
standing on a branch of a bare tree. The handsome man had been
watching what happened in the courtyard below the tree. Then he shifted
his gaze to the woman in his arms. Looking at her face, which was red
with warmth, a warmth came into his eyes.

After a short moment, he flickered through the air and disappeared into
the distance, only left the snow on the tree.
Chapter 141 A Villain with a
Temporary Success
“You saw Fifth Young Lady with a man?” Ning Lingyun asked excitedly,
widening her eyes.

“Yes, miss. That man is young and very handsome. Moreover, I saw
Fifth Young Lady vomit holding a tree once; it looked like she was…”
the older female servant paused and dared not to continue. Ning Lingyun
was very excited.

A man had taken Ning Xueyan out of the Lord Protector’s Manor! Most
importantly, she was about to vomit! She must have been pregnant!
Hearing such a shocking secret about Ning Xueyan, Ning Lingyun
couldn’t control her joy.

If not because of Ning Xueyan, everything would have gone smoothly as

she plotted. Although she reached her goal finally, everyone in the manor
looked down upon her. Thinking about this, she wanted to kill Ning
Xueyan.

She hadn’t expected that if she had got her way, it would be a terrible
disaster for Ning Xueyan. Because if that was the case, Ning Xueyan
would have only committed suicide to prove her innocence or married
Marquis of Ping’an, which would make her live no better than die.

“Good! I’ll visit Fifth Young Lady right now.” With that, Ning Lingyun
put on her cloak and was about to walk out.

“Ning Xueyan is not in her room now. If I go to her place and prove it in
person that she is out at the moment and report it to Madam Dowager,
then she couldn’t hide the secret of having an affair with a man from
others!” Ning Lingyun thought.

“Miss… wait! The man looked very aggressive. If he finds out that you
blew the whistle, he might kill you!”
Seeing Ning Lingyun was serious to reveal them, the older female
servant was anxious. She immediately grabbed Ning Lingyun’s cloth.

The older female servant had hidden in a corner just now when the
handsome man found her. She almost fell to the ground under the cold
gaze of the man. She had been in the Lord Protector’s Manor for some
time, so she knew such a man couldn’t be ordinary. If Fourth Young
Lady exposed Fifth Young Lady’s secret, that man must be annoyed, and
Fourth Young Lady might lose her life because of this.

Since he was able to freely come and go of the inner courtyard of the
Lord Protector’s Manor, it would be a piece of cake for him to take
someone’s life.

“I’m not scared. It’s the Lord Protector’s Manor here. I don’t believe that
he dare kill me here!” Ning Lingyun would never miss such a good
opportunity, and she believed that the guards of the Lord Protector’s
Manor were capable enough to protect her.

“Miss, you should think it over. No guards found him come and go of
our manor just now. I believe that it wasn’t his first time to do this.
However, nobody else in our manor has found him before, so he must be
no ordinary. If you annoy him, he might hurt you and even kill you. It
won’t be worth it.”

The older female servant knew that Ning Lingyun planned to rely on the
guards of the manor, so she tried to persuade her to give up this idea. She
clung to her dress and didn’t want her to go.

At the thought of the man had found her in the corner, the older female
servant began to regret to have told the secret to Ning Lingyun. She
worried that something bad might happen.

Hearing what she said, Ning Lingyun began to fear too. She was sure
that she would enjoy an extremely distinguished and prosperous life in
the future, so it was not worth dying for Ning Xueyan. She thought the
man who took Ning Xueyan away must be a desperado. On the contrary,
she was going to be the Consort of Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li soon, so her life should be much more precious than a desperado.
But she didn’t want to let go of Ning Xueyan easily. She thought for a
while and walked back to the room. She paced back and forth in her
room and then whispered in the older female servant’s ear, looking
confident. The older female servant widened her eyes and nodded hard.

The next day…

Ning Xueyan found herself in her own bed when she woke up. She
blinked and then stared the ceiling blankly for a while before she recalled
that she had been taken away by force by a prince who seemed not in a
good mood. She should thank God that the moody prince hadn’t left her
in the snow.

“Miss, you have woken up!” Hearing a faint sound coming from inside,
Lanning lifted up the curtain and brought the toiletries which she had
already prepared for a long time to Ning Xueyan.

It was late in the morning, so after freshening herself up, Ning Xueyan
walked to Madam Dowager’s place accompanied by Lanning to present
her respects.

To her surprise, she saw Ning Lingyun in the Lucky Garden.

Obviously, Madam Dowager was not friendly to Ning Lingyun.

However, for the sake of the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor, she didn’t
drive her out, but chatted with her absentmindedly.

Since it had been decided, no matter what she would do to Ning

Lingyun, the result couldn’t be changed. And she knew that Lord
Protector’s Manor would definitely marry Ning Lingyun to Princely Heir
of Commandery Prince Li after so many unexpected things had
happened. Otherwise, if any rumors got out, the Lord Protector’s Manor
would become the laughingstock of people.

Nobody had expected that Ao Xian would have really fallen in love with
Ning Lingyun. Since it was the case, Madam Dowager didn’t want to
change anything. But she was still mad at Ning Lingyun. Although she
had no evidence to prove that it was Ning Lingyun who had plotted
everything the other day, she knew that Ning Lingyun would be the
biggest beneficiary of this.
Compared to the benefit of the whole Lord Protector’s Manor, they could
only sacrifice Ning Yuling.

“Hi, Xueyan! Grandmother just talked about you. Why did you come so
late?” Ning Lingyun said in a coquettish tone. She came over and wanted
to hold Ning Xueyan’s hand. Her attitude seemed to be abnormally
polite.

Ning Xueyan moved a little to the side and dodged Ning Lingyun’s hand
quietly. She bowed to Madam Dowager who was sitting on the principle
seat and said, “Greetings, grandmother!”

She didn’t think she was late, because it was at this time that she had
come to show her respects to Madam Dowager before.

“Raise your head. Have you eaten breakfast?” Madam Dowager asked
with a dark face. She wasn’t in a good mood because so many things had
happened recently. Furthermore, she had to administrate the manor in
these days. As an old lady, she didn’t have enough energy to deal with so
many things, so she looked weary.

Normally, if Ning Xueyan said she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, Madam
Dowager would have asked her to go back.

However, it seemed that she couldn’t leave that easily today, because
Ning Lingyun was here too.

How could Ning Lingyun, a ‘warm-hearted’ Young Lady let go of her so

easily? She came over, wiggling her waist exaggeratedly. She grabbed
Ning Xueyan’s hand and said with a smile, “Grandmother, since Xueyan
hasn’t eaten breakfast yet, how about ask her to eat with you?”

Madam Dowager looked at Ning lingyun, showing no emotion on her

face. But Ning Lingyun was still smiling at her.

“Xueyan, just stay here and eat something with me.” Madam Dowager
shifted her gaze from Ning Lingyun and nodded to Ning Xueyan.

Although she didn’t mention Ning Lingyun, she didn’t say that Ning
Lingyun couldn’t have breakfast with them.
The maid standing beside her immediately brought two sets of tableware
for them.

The two Young Ladies sat beside Madam Dowager, one on the left, and
another one on the right.

Ning Xueyan straightened herself up and looked at Ning Lingyun, a

flicker of doubt in her eyes. Ning Lingyun had changed a lot recently
since Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li had sworn to marry her.
She didn’t need to follow Ning Yuling and flatter her any more.

Sometimes, she seemed even more arrogant than Madam Dowager!

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. She didn’t show her disdain on her face,
but in her opinion, Ning Lingyun was no more than a villain with a
temporary success.

She knew Ning Lingyun wouldn’t have been so warm to her for nothing,
so she planned to wait and see what this woman would do next.

“Grandmother, Xueyan and I haven’t had breakfast with you before.

We’re so lucky to have such an opportunity this morning. Don’t you
think so, Xueyan?” Ning Lingyun was flexible and she said with a smile.
She picked up one of Madam Dowager’s favorite snacks with chopsticks
and placed it on the plate in front of Madam Dowager.

The way she acted just now was quite similar to what Madam Ling had
acted in front of Madam Dowager.

It seemed Ning Lingyun admired Madam Ling so much. She had always
been nervous when she was being with Madam Ling, but obviously, she
had completely learned the way Madam Ling spoke and acted. From her
aura, an outsider might think that she was the daughter of First Madam
by mistake! She didn’t seem to have realized that the marriage between
her and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li didn’t mean that her
status in the manor was higher than before. It would be nothing at all if
not because the Lord Protector’s Manor got into trouble recently.

Something disgraceful had happened to the Young Ladies of the manor

one by one, so Madam Dowager needed a decent wedding to show to the
outsiders.
Both of Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling’s marriages were not going well, so
if there were something unexpected happen to Ning Lingyun, nobody
would like to marry the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor!

But Ning Lingyun didn’t think that way. She thought that she was
extremely important in the manor now and nothing could be done
without her.

But from the indifference in Madam Dowager’s eyes when she looked at
Ning Lingyun, Ning Xueyan could tell that Madam Dowager wouldn’t
have thought highly of the daughter of a concubine if she had any other
choice.

Although Madam Ling’s family was rich and powerful now, Madam
Dowager still thought she wasn’t decent enough, so as far as Madam
Dowager was concerned, a concubine’s daughter like Ning Lingyun was
even less important than a high-class maid.

“Just put it there. I don’t want to have it,” Madam Dowager said coldly.
Then she asked a maid to pick another piece of snack from the other side
for her. Obviously, she was trying to embarrass Ning Lingyun.

Ning Lingyun was shameless. She seemed unconcerned by Madam

Dowager’s indifference. After all, her target was Ning Xueyan today.
She turned her head and looked at Ning Xueyan unscrupulously; an
arrogance appeared on her face. She knew that Madam Dowager didn’t
like her, but she must be here today, because she was going to reveal
Ning Xueyan’s scandal in front of Madam Dowager!

“Ning Xueyan spoke and acted like a saint girl when she knew I was
trying to seduce Lord Protector’s Manor, but now look at her! She has
had an affair with a man for a long time and she is pregnant! She has
disgraced the Lord Protector’s Manor!” Ning Lingyun thought.

She picked up a haw jelly with her chopsticks and put it on the plate in
front of Ning Xueyan.

Pretending to care about Ning Xueyan, she said, “Xueyan, have this. The
haw jelly is sour and sweet. It’s very delicious. It’s said that you didn’t
have an appetite and couldn’t sleep well lately. Oh, I also heard that you
liked sour food and you vomited yesterday in the morning. Is this all
true?”

Hearing that, Madam Dowager who was sitting on the principle seat was
surprised. There was something sharp in her clouded eyes. She looked at
Ning Xueyan with a dark face, but said nothing.

“Vomited?” Ning Xueyan wondered what Ning Lingyun was going to

do. She looked at Ning Lingyun and said indifferently, “Fourth Sister,
you must have heard someone wrong!”

“Impossible! An older female servant of mine saw you vomit last night.
Xueyan, are you sick? You’re so young. You should keep yourself safe
and sound.” Pretending that she knew nothing about Ning Xueyan’s
‘affair’, Ning Lingyun turned to Madam Dowager and said,
“Grandmother, please ask the doctor of our manor to diagnose for
Xueyan. She may be seriously ill.”

Madam Dowager wouldn’t have taken her words seriously before.

However, at the moment, she was a little suspicious. She looked at Ning
Xueyan and hesitated for a while. Then she nodded and ordered Mother
Qin, who was standing beside her, “Go and fetch the doctor of our
manor.”

With that, she slammed her chopsticks onto the table. Then she stood up
and walked toward the inner room.
Chapter 142 I Don’t Know What
You’re Talking Abou
t

Seeing Ning Lingyun’s smiling face, Ning Xueyan realized that someone
had seen her when she was at Cloud Reflection Courtyard. Besides, the
person was one of Ning Lingyun’s old female servants. But it seemed
that Ning Lingyun was too sensitive. How could she judge her to be
‘pregnant’ just because she retched a few times?

“Fourth Sister, I don’t know what you are talking about. But I wonder
how you knew what happened in Bright Frost Garden,” Ning Xueyan
said. She stood up quietly and glanced at Ning Lingyun coldly.

Since Madam Dowager had put down her chopsticks and was about to
leave, they felt uneasy to sat there any longer.

Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, Madam Dowager stopped for a short
moment, but soon, she continued to go to the inner room. She had never
liked Ning Lingyun. Thinking about what had happened to Ning Yuling
and what Ning Xueyan had said, she hated Ning Lingyun more. As the
daughter of a concubine, she had gone too far to watch her sister, a
Young Lady who had been born by a madam.

“Xueyan, you may not aware of your sickness. As your sister, I should
care about you. If you’re not satisfied with me, just vent your anger on
me. Anyway, I did it for your health,” Ning Lingyun said. At the thought
of Ning Xueyan’s ‘affair’ would be revealed soon after the doctor came,
Ning Lingyun couldn’t help but be more excited. “Ning Xueyan’s status
in the manor is much lower than Ning Yuling, and Madam Dowager has
been paying attention to ethical rules, so maybe she will sink that b*tch
into the pool!” she thought.

Staring at Ning Xueyan’s belly, she hinted.

She was glad because once the doctor found Ning Xueyan was pregnant,
Madam Dowager would ask someone to punish her. What she needed to
do was add fuel to the fire and ask Madam Dowager to kill Ning
Xueyan. Then she would be the only Young Lady left in the Lord
Protector’s Manor. Moreover, she had a rich and powerful fiancé, so
even Madam Dowager didn’t like her, she could do nothing to her.

Thinking highly of herself, Ning Lingyun was confident that even if First
Madam had come out from the Buddha Hall, she couldn’t do anything to
her either.

The more Ning Xueyan protested, the more Ning Lingyun thought she
was diffident. She rushed into the inner room and said to Madam
Dowager, “Grandmother, look at her! It’s obvious that she has already
had symptoms, but she is still trying to hide. How can such a thing be
hidden?” Madam Dowager was sitting in the room with a dark face.

Ning Lingyun had gone too far, and she was almost saying that Ning
Xueyan tried to hide the disgraceful thing on purpose.

Ning Xueyan looked at her coldly. Madam Dowager shouted, “How dare
you!”

At the same time, she raised her hand and slapped Ning Lingyun’s
arrogant face hard. When her palm landed on Ning Lingyun’s face, Ning
Lingyun’s smile froze. She looked at Madam Dowager who was in rage
shockingly.

She had thought that she would make a great contribution to the manor if
she exposed Ning Xueyan’s ‘affair’.

However, Madam Dowager had been in a bad mood recently and she had
nowhere to vent her anger. Ning Ziyan, Ning Yuling and Ning Lingyun
herself were all caught up in scandals related to a girl’s reputation. Ning
Lingyun was rubbing salt into Madam Dowager’s wound by reporting
her of Ning Xueyan’s scandal. So it was no wonder that Madam
Dowager lost her temper.

Ning Xueyan would be punished if she really had an affair with a man,
but Ning Lingyun would come to no good end to reveal such a thing to
the others.
Madam Dowager stared at Ning Lingyun with sharp eyes. She looked
mighty and angry, but inside, she wasn’t as strong as she looked like.
“You’re just a concubine’s daughter who can never get on the stage. How
dare you ignore the rules of our manor and spread rumors here? Without
the support of the Lord Protector, even though Ao Xian wanted to marry
you, you can’t become Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li’s wife,
and you would be his concubine at most. Do you think that Ao Xian will
contradict Commandery Prince Li’s Consort Dowager because he wants
you to be his wife, not his concubine? Dream!”

Madam Dowager had always had an aversion to Ning Lingyun, but she
never lashed out her without mercy like this. Feeling ashamed, Ning
Lingyun covered her face with her hands and protested, tears streaming
down her cheeks, “Grandmother, I’m not lying. All the servants of our
manor have seen what she did. Even if I didn’t say it, other people will
know it sooner or later. Why are you blaming me? Do you mean that if I
didn’t expose the secret, she can behave like this openly?!”

Now Ning Lingyun had thrown caution to the wind. She was angry
because Madam Dowager took Ning Xueyan’s part. So she spoke loudly
on purpose, and finally, she began to cry. Obviously, she wanted to
attract attention from other people and let everyone know what was
happening here.

With a snap, Ning Lingyun was slapped hard on the face again. She was
stunned.

Madam Dowager was surprised too. She raised her head and looked at
Ning Xueyan’s cold face, a complex expression flashing in her eyes, but
she didn’t say anything.

“Ning Xueyan, how dare you beat me?” Ning Lingyun almost
immediately rushed over as soon as she found that it was Ning Xueyan
who slapped her. She stared at Ning Xueyan fiercely, gritting her teeth.
She knew that Ning Xueyan would protest her, but she hadn’t expected
that she would have been so aggressive even when Madam Dowager was
present.

“I slapped you because you were talking nonsense! How dare you say
that all the servants in our manor have seen what I did? Grandmother
should cut off your tongue when the doctor proves that I have no
physical problem after diagnosis so that you won’t talk nonsense in the
Commandery Prince Li’s Manor after the marriage. Otherwise, you
might cause disaster in the future and even the Lord Protector’s Manor
would get into trouble because of you!”

Ning Xueyan stared at Ning Lingyun coldly, and there was a mighty aura
around her. Ning Lingyun dared not to look into her eyes, so she turned
her head away subconsciously. She felt a coldness rush into her body
from the top of her head.

Hearing what they said, Madam Dowager’s face became even darker.
She looked at Ning Lingyun silently, falling into thought.

Ning Lingyun had a bad feeling and her face turned pale. She wasn’t an
impulsive person. Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, her joy had been
replaced by fear. How could Ning Xueyan not be pregnant? The old
female servant had seen her retch beside a tree and a man who was
staying with her took her out of the manor.

“Fourth Sister, dare you promise that what you said about me is true?
And if it isn’t the case, you agree to have someone to cut off your
tongue?” Ning Xueyan said with a faint smile, staring at Ning Lingyun.
It sounded like she was joking with her, but Ning Lingyun figured out
the malevolence in her words.

She trembled under the gaze of the black-jet and jade like eyes. Ning
Xueyan’s eyes were as cold as ice and there wasn’t a trace of warmth in
them. Ning Lingyun was too scared. Of course she dared not to make
such a promise. She suddenly recalled that the girl in front of her had
sabotaged her plan and set her up last time.

“I, I heard this from the others,” she muttered. Under the pressure of
Ning Xueyan’s mighty aura, she didn’t dare to be arrogant again. She
was in a panic and her heart beat fast. She hardly knew what to do.

Madam Dowager’s eyes became even sharper. She had thought that Ning
Lingyun was a smart person at least, because she had managed to win an
opportunity for herself to marry Ao Xian. It would be a great honor for a
concubine’s daughter to marry Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.
Being able to get Ao Xian to marry her meant she was capable. Maybe
she would be more useful than Ning Yuling, who was hated by Ao Xian.
That was why Madam Dowager had tolerated Ning Lingyun’s arrogance
for such a long time. However, now she found Ning Lingyun was stupid
too and she didn’t seem to be smarter than Ning Yuling because as a
concubine’s daughter, she was challenging a madams’ daughter
groundlessly before she became the wife of Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li. On the other hand, Ning Xueyan, whom she had
never attached importance to behaved much better than Ning Lingyun in
terms of both tolerance and calmness.

No matter whether Ning Xueyan had an ‘affair’, Ning Lingyun was

already lost.

Among the Young Ladies of the manor, except for Ning Ziyan who had
married and Ning Qingshan who didn’t stay in the manor, Ning Xueyan
was the smartest. Besides, Third Prince’s Manor had shown their
intention to marry Ning Xueyan, so Madam Dowager had changed her
mind. If Ning Xueyan wasn’t pregnant at all, she would pay more
attention to her training in the future. Maybe she would be very useful to
this family.

At this point, Mother Qin brought the doctor in. Ning Xueyan stretched
her arm fearlessly. The doctor felt the pulse by putting his fingers on one
of her wrist, and then on the other one. After a short while, he turned to
Madam Dowager and said, “Fifth Young Lady isn’t sick, but she is a
little weak, so she needs to take more nourishment.”

“That’s all?” Ning Lingyun asked anxiously, widening her eyes.

“Fourth Young Lady, what do you mean?” the doctor looked at Ning
Lingyun in confusion. He knew the Fourth Young Lady in front of him
was mean.

“Can Xuyan bear a baby in the future? How about her cold womb
problem?” Madam Dowager heaved a sigh of relief when she knew that
Ning Xueyan wasn’t pregnant. She asked the doctor, ignoring Ning
Lingyun.

The Lord Protector’s Manor couldn’t stand any blow any more!

“Fifth Young Lady’s cold womb symptoms haven’t disappeared yet, but
they are lessening. After a period of recuperation, she maybe recover,”
the doctor answered cautiously. He had diagnosed for Ning Xueyan
before, and he knew that the symptoms wouldn’t disappear that easily.

Hearing that cold womb problem of Ning Xueyan might be cured,

Madam Dowager was delighted.

The Young Ladies of the manor had gotten into trouble one by one, and
even the engagement between Ning Yuling and Third Prince was
canceled. So if Ning Xueyan could marry Third Prince, even if only as a
co-consort of his, it would be a good thing for the Lord Protector’s
Manor. But as Ning Xueyan had the cold womb problem, Madam
Dowager didn’t dare to marry her to Third Prince. She worried that if
Ning Xueyan couldn’t bear a child because of her physical problem,
Third Prince would be annoyed and get Lord Protector’s Manor into
trouble.

Since there were possibilities for Ning Xueyan to recover, of course,

Madame Dowager was excited. But she didn’t care about another Young
Lady, because she was not related with her by blood. Madame
Dowager’s dark face lit up immediately. She waved to the doctor and
told him to prescribe some medicines for Ning Xueyan.

“Fourth Sister, how did you know that I haven’t been feeling good in the
morning, and I have been sleepy lately? And how did you know that I
vomited?” Ning Xueyan pulled down her sleeves and asked with a smile,
looking at Ning Lingyun.

“I, I, I heard these from others!” Ning Lingyun knew she had
misunderstood, and now she extremely regretted. She thought that she
should have looked into the matter before revealing it.

“Fourth Sister, you’re really something! You could even know what
happened in Bright Frost Garden!” Ning Xueyan said coldly, the smile
on her face disappeared.

She was hinting that Ning Lingyun had arranged someone to ask for her
information in the Bright Frost Garden. Madam Dowager was furious at
the thought of the daughter of a concubine dare do this. Seeing that Ning
Lingyun was still protesting, she shot a glare to her, eyebrows raised.
“Apologize to your sister! If you dare to stir up troubles again, we will
send you to Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li before he holds a
wedding ceremony for you. We’ll wait and see if he will plead
Commandery Prince Li’s Consort Dowager to allow you to be his wife!”

Hearing that, Ning Lingyun’s face turned paler. She swayed several
times and almost fell to the ground. It seemed Madam Dowager had the
plan to send her to Ao Xian to be his concubine. “No!” Ning Lingyun
cried inside. She had plotted so long time, and she would never reconcile
herself to be a concubine!

According to Ao Xian’s personality, if she had been sent to him, he

wouldn’t cherish her and let her be his wife.

“Xueyan, I’m sorry! I made a mistake. I won’t make such mistakes

again!” Ning Lingyun wasn’t as cruel as Ning Yuling was, so she
relented at the sight of Ning Xueyan bowing to her to show the sincerity
of her apology.

“Fourth Sister, it’s not a big deal to have misunderstandings between

sisters. But we’ll get into trouble if the rumors got out of our manor and
caused the misunderstanding of outsiders,” Ning Xueyan said calmly.

Ning Lingyun began to tremble when he heard what she said, plus,
Madam Dowager was staring at her coldly, seemed to be planning
something about her. She had a feeling that she was falling to the hell,
and all her joy and arrogance had been replaced by fear.
Chapter 143 The Past of Madam
Ming
Ning Lingyun was sober-minded now, and she had never been so sober
before. Her limbs felt as cold as if she were in an ice cellar. How could
she be that stupid by thinking that she had gotten something on Ning
Xueyan! She should have thought it over before taking action, because
Ning Xueyan was smart and she wouldn’t be easily caught.

“Copy the Commandments for Women several times after returning to

your place. You should always keep it in your mind that you are just a
humble daughter of a concubine. Without the support of Lord Protector,
you’ll be a concubine at most!” Madam Dowager said coldly, narrowing
her eyes.

Madam Dowager showed no mercy when she spoke and she almost
shamed Ning Lingyun to the utmost by belittling her position in the
manor and warning her seriously.

“Got it. I knew I should be blamed. I’ll copy the Commandments for
Women immediately. Grandmother, please forgive me.” Ning Lingyun
was ashamed, and she dared say nothing except for admitting her
mistake. Then she left, covering her face and wiping tears off her cheeks.

“Yan’er, come and sit here.” Seeing Ning Lingyun leave, Madam
Dowager pointed at a chair beside her and gestured Ning Xueyan to sit.
She looked a little happier and a faint amiable smile appeared on her
face.

“I’m coming,” Ning Xueyan answered. She had noticed a change in

Madam Dowager’s attitude. She walked over obediently with a smile,
and then sat on the right side of Madam Dowager.

She had been considering how to change her cowardly image in the eyes
of Madam Dowager. To her surprise, Ning Lingyun brought this
opportunity to her today.
By teaching Ning Lingyun a lesson, she had proved to Madam Dowager
that she was no longer Ning Xueyan she used to be.

For people like Madam Dowager, there was no so-called family

affection, but only interests. Ning Xueyan knew that if she was still a
good for nothing grand daughter, even if she had been blackened by
Ning Lingyun and died from injustice today, Madam Dowager wouldn’t
give her a second look.

Ning Yuling had been sent out of the manor so soon just because she was
not valuable any more.

“Madam Dowager, look! How you adore Fifth Young Lady! Don’t
worry. She’ll go nowhere, but just stay with you here!” Mother Qin
joked timely and lightened the atmosphere.

“She has been a nice girl. She is good-tempered and obedient, just like
her mom. Every time I saw her, I thought of her mom. Her mom was just
like her at that time. Every time she saw me in the past, she was excited
and kept on calling me aunt. If something like that hadn’t happened, she
wouldn’t have hidden herself in Bright Frost Garden and cut herself off
from the outside world!”

Madam Dowager said with a sigh, seemed to be sad to think of Ning

Xueyan’s mother. Her eyes turned red and her voice sounded to choke.

“Hide herself? Mom was abandoned by people of the Lord Protector’s

Manor, but Madame Dowager talked as if mom didn’t want them to
care!” Ning Xueyan thought angrily. She had seen someone turn the facts
upside down, but she had never seen someone do this to this point!

Covered by her long eyelashes, the coldness crossed her eyes. However,
when she raised her head again, she looked as if she were surprised.
“Grandmother, what happened to my mom? Everyone said my mom was
First Madam, and you’re her aunt, why was she abandoned and became
Second Madam?” she asked.

Ning Xueyan had asked Mother Han the same question before, and
Mother Han told her indignantly that Madam Ming was the rightful wife
of Ning Zu’an who had been taken into the manor in a large sedan chair
carried by eight people. On the contrary, Madam Ling was taken into the
manor later because she had an affair with Ning Zu’an outside of the
manor. Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Ziyan were all b*stards she had with
Ning Zu’an before she had been taken into the manor.

She gave birth to Ning Yuling soon after she moved to the manor. Before
long, something happened to Madam Ming. Then Madam Ming agreed
to become Ning Zu’an’s co-wife and give her place to Madam Ling. But
Mother Han wasn’t clear what had happened to Madam Ming. She only
said that a man was found in her bed.

At that time, it was not long before Madam Ming gave birth to Ning
Xueyan, so Ning Zu’an not only suspected that she had an affair with
another man, but also suspected that Ning Xueyan was not his own
daughter and wanted to kill Ning Xueyan. Madam Ming was mad at him
because of this and gave her place to Madam Ling. She preferred to hide
herself and Ning Xueyan in Bright Frost Garden. From then on, she had
never seen Ning Zu’an.

That was just Mother Han said, but Ning Xueyan keenly felt that there
must be something inside!

Madam Ling was aggressive, so she wouldn’t have been reconciled to be

a co-wife for a long time. Moreover, Ning Huaiyuan was only an
illegitimate b*stard. So in any case, Madam Ling could never have
allowed Madam Ming to maintain her position of First Madam. Maybe
Ning Zu’an and Madam Dowager thought in the same way.

How could the only male child of Lord Protector’s Manor was an
illegitimate b*stard!

Thinking about this, Ning Xueyan’s heart ached. She understood how
sad and desperate Madam Ming was at that moment. She could only hide
her grievance in her heart for saving her daughter’s life, and she even
hadn’t explained to her elder brother. The moment Ning Xueyan heard
about it, she had regarded Madam Ming as her mother.

So she wanted to avenge her. It was clear that Madam Ming was set up,
but nobody had stood out and spoken for her.

Obviously, everyone in the Lord Protector’s Manor had stood on Madam

Ling’s side and watched Madam Ming helplessly give up her place to
Madam Ling.

Ning Xueyan’s long eyelashes trembled. A blank expression appeared on

her pale but extremely pretty face made her look ethereal. She was too
beautiful to be true!

Looking at her charming face, Madam Dowager was gentler to her.

“Your mom shouldn’t be blamed. Because your dad and Madam Ling
had already had three children by that time, your eldest brother, your
eldest sister and your second sister, your mom thought that your dad only
cared about Madam Ling and alienated her; she did… such a thing.
Forget it. Let bygones be bygones. No matter what happened, your mom
is my sweet niece forever in my heart.”

Madam Dowager waved her hand with a sigh, as if she were a generous
person who would not care about the past.

“She really knows how to act!” Ning Xueyan snorted inside. But she
hadn’t expected that Madam Dowager would tell her the truth. Both she
and her mother’s brother were tracing the past. Her uncle asked
somebody to tell her that the man who had been found in Madam Ming’s
bed was still alive. He was investigating further according to the trace of
the past. If he had gotten the evidence to prove that Madam Ming was set
up, Madam Ling would be finished.

Ning Xueyan sighed too, just like Madam Dowager did. She frowned,
looked as if she were not interested in knowing more about the past, and
she didn’t ask more about this.

Madam Dowager felt relieved. She admired Ning Xueyan more about
her smartness. “The girl is so smart! She sensed that I was a little
impatient, so she didn’t ask more. It’s a pity that such an excellent girl
was born by Madam Ming!’” she thought.

“Madam Dowager, these are the account books of the inner courtyard for
today. I’ll put them here. If you’re not tired, please have a look at them.”
With that, Mother Qin walked in with a pile of account books in her
arms. She then put them on the tea table in front of Madam Dowager.
Madam Dowager frowned at these account books. She waved her hand
helplessly and said with a sigh, “You brought them again! I’m so old, but
I have to administrate the inner courtyard!”

Madam Ling was still in the Buddha Hall, and Concubine Xu’s
administration power was suspended as Madam Dowager had suspicion
of her because of Ning Lingyun. Now everything of the outer and inner
courtyard had to be decided by Madam Dowager. It had been a long time
since she took care of so many things, so after barely holding out for a
few days, she could hardly stand it.

“Madam Dowager, you’re not old at all. I’m even older than you.”
Mother Qin was smart, and she knew what to say at this moment. Then
she pointed at Ning Xueyan and continued, “Look, at least you have an
obedient and smart grand daughter like Fifth Young Lady. None of my
grand sons would like to stay at home, and I can’t see them all day.”

Mother Qin had a son and his slave identity had been removed under the
help of Madam Dowager. Her son had several children, and none of them
were girls, all were boys.

“Mother Qin, you’re kidding on me,” Ning Xueyan said with a smile,
listening to Mother Qin joking with her master.

“Fifth Young Lady, I’m not kidding on you. I’m praising you sincerely.
From the way Fifth Young Lady speaks and acts, everybody can tell that
you’re a madam’s daughter. Madam Dowager, why are you still
hesitating?? Just ask Fifth Young Lady to help you to check some of the
account books. When Fifth Young Lady marries to someone of other
manor and becomes the administrator in the future, she will have to
manage the internal affairs of the manor.”

Mother Qin blinked to Ning Xueyan while talking with Madam Dowager
with a smile, hinting her to share Madam Dowager’s work on her own
initiative.

“Mother Qin!” Ning Xueyan flushed with shyness, but she chose to
ignore Mother Qin’s hint.

“Yan’er, won’t you help me?” Madam Dowager asked. She was
convinced that Ning Xueyan had no ulterior motives. She had been a
little suspicious of her sudden assertiveness, but when she found that
Ning Xueyan wasn’t attracted by Mother Qin’s proposal, she felt
assured.

She felt tired to manage the affairs of the manor, but she was worried
that Ning Xueyan might plot and take power from her. When she saw
Ning Xueyan ignore Mother Qin’s hint, she was relieved and asked with
a smile.

“Grandmother, I have no idea how to check them,” Ning Xueyan looked

at the account books, seemed embarrassed.

“You little girl! How could you say you have no idea? If you don’t know
how to check the account book, how can you administrate a manor? Take
some of them back and have a look. If there’s anything you don’t
understand, just come and ask me.” The more Ning Xueyan refused, the
more Madam Dowager thought that she didn’t have the ambition to
administrate the manor, and the less she was suspicious of her. Now she
was asking Ning Xueyan from her true heart to check these account
books.

“Ur… Grandmother…” Ning Xueyan bit her lips and looked at Madam
Dowager, saying, “Alright then.”

“Take these back and have a look. I have told you to come and ask me if
there was anything you didn’t understand,” Seeing Ning Xueyan had
agreed, Madam Dowager said with a smile, picking several from the
account books.

Mother Qin walked over to Lanning and asked her to hold the account
books.

Afraid Ning Xueyan didn’t understand, Madam Dowager opened an

account book and gave her some instruction.

Two hours later, Ning Xueyan walked out from the courtyard of Madam
Dowager. Lanning stood behind her, holding several account books. The
servants at the gate of the courtyard greeted her respectfully, “Fifth
Young Lady!” Since Madam Dowager attached so much attention on her,
all the servants thought that Fifth Young Lady’s luck was going to
change, and Bright Frost Garden wouldn’t be the ‘Cold Palace’ in the
manor any more.

After walking out of the gate, Ning Xueyan was about to turn to the path
toward Bright Frost Garden when she suddenly saw Ning Lingyun
standing in the intersection not far away from her.

At the sight of Ning Xueyan, Ning Lingyun immediately walked over,

lifting her skirt hem. “Xueyan! Xueyan!” she called her name.

“Fourth Sister, anything else?” Ning Xueyan stopped. She looked at

Ning Lingyun who was nervous with a faint smile. Ning Lingyun looked
gentle and weak, but there was a trace of calculation in her eyes.

She hadn’t given up yet!

Chapter 144 Do You Think I’m So
Gullible?
“Xueyan, I’m so sorry! I thought, I thought you were… I wanted the
doctor to diagnose for you just because I was afraid that it might be
delayed if you weren’t aware of it,” Ning Lingyun said in anxious. She
acted properly and looked as if she had cared about Ning Xueyan so
much.

Ning Xueyan looked at her quietly. She didn’t speak until Ning Lingyun
felt uneasy about showing any more anxiety in front of her. “Fourth
Sister, do you think I’m so gullible?”

Hearing that, Ning Lingyun was shocked. She raised her head
subconsciously and found that Ning Xueyan was staring at her. Her heart
went cold at the sight of the killing intent in Ning Xueyan’s beautiful
watery eyes. She turned her head away to avoid the gaze of Ning
Xueyan.

“Xueyan, I know I was wrong. I won’t dare to do this again!” she

stammered.

Ning Xueyan knew Ning Lingyun wasn’t lying to her. Ning Lingyun put
it straight because she wanted to show her weakness. “It seems I
underestimated her before. She is flexible and she knows when to yield,”
Ning Xueyan thought.

However, Ning Lingyun was too confident. She thought that Ning
Xueyan would forgive her if she apologized to her.

Ning Xueyan wondered what made this woman so bold to face her after
she had set up her so many times!

“Fourth Sister, you won’t have an opportunity to make such a mistake

again!” Ning Xueyan said indifferently. She looked at Ning Lingyun
with a sly smile. At the moment, Ning Lingyun had a feeling that Ning
Xueyan was able to read her mind at a glance. A strong fear rose in her
which made her feel colder even than the cold air outside.

Her intuition told her that Ning Xueyan wasn’t just threatening her. She
knew that if she dared to do anything harmful to Ning Xueyan again, she
might end up soon like Ning Yuling. Thinking about this, the panic
turned to fear on her face. Her legs trembled and she was about to fell to
the ground.

Seeing Ning Xueyan from behind, she bit her lips and decided not to
confront again if she had any other choice.

The moment Ning Xueyan returned to Bright Frost Garden, Mother Han
had just come back. Although it was very cold outside, she was still
sweating profusely because she had walked back in a hurry.

“Mother Han, take your time. Qingyu, give a glass of water to Mother
Han,” Ning Xueyan ordered, walking into the room.

“I’m fine. I walked fast because I remembered to prepare dumplings for

you, miss,” Mother Han said with a nod. Seeing there were some maids
and servants in the room, she smiled and followed behind Ning Xueyan
into the room.

Qingyu was in the room. When she heard what Ning Xueyan said, she
fetched a glass of water and handed it to Mother Han. Then she asked
solicitously, “Mother Han, is there anything wrong?”

Mother Han had frequently gone out recently. She told the others that she
went out to pick medicinal materials for Ning Xueyan, but in fact, she
was connecting with Mr. Lu, the shopkeeper of Tonghetang Pharmacy.
The pharmacy was one of the dowries of Madam Ming, but it was taken
by Madam Ling later. When Madam Ming had no money to buy
medicine, Mr. Lu would have given her some for free secretly.

When Madam Ming married to Ning Zu’an, her parents had given her
many shops and a lot of money as her dowry. However, all these had
fallen into Madam Ling’s hands. Tonghetang was one of the shops of her
dowry. Now Mr. Lu of Tonghetang was the only one who was still kind
to Madam Ming. As for the other shops’ shopkeepers, either were
changed by Madam Ling, or stood on Madam Ling’s side, or didn’t dare
to express their anger.

The dowry list had been taken away by Madam Ling through deceit.
Even if Ning Xueyan had known about it, she couldn’t find evidence.
Fortunately, her uncle still kept a copy. Until she got this list, Ning
Xueyan knew that most of the shops of the Lord Protector’s Manor were
left by Madam Ming.

Without Madam Ming’s dowry, Ning Zu’an wouldn’t have been so

powerful. However, after Madam Ming had died lonely in Bright Frost
Garden, both power and money were taken over by Madam Ling and
Ning Zu’an.

What Ning Xueyan was going to do was to get those shops back.

When Madam Ling had been sent to the Buddha Hall for the first time,
Madam Dowager just did it to show to the others. But after the scandal
between Ning Yuling and Marquis of Ping’an was found, Madam Ling
was unable to be released from the Buddha Hall that easily. Furthermore,
Concubine Xu got into trouble too. Therefore, Madam Dowager was
bound to return to power and run the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Madam Dowager was old and she wasn’t energetic enough to take care
of everything of the manor, so she would definitely find someone to help
her. Ning Xueyan was a madam’s daughter, so she was obviously more
suitable than Ning Lingyun to do this job. Moreover, Ning Lingyun was
just a concubine’s daughter who was despised by Madam Dowager and
she had robbed Ning Yuling’s fiancé.

What Ning Xueyan needed to do was show her capabilities in front of

Madam Dowager and changed her timid image in Madam Dowager’s
mind. Fortunately, what Ning Lingyun had done this morning brought
her an opportunity to perfectly build up a new image in front of Madam
Dowager. Now in Madam Dowager’s opinion, Ning Xueyan had become
a smart and aggressive girl, so she would like to give Ning Xueyan the
account books.

A few ordinary account books couldn’t mean too much, but they would
lay a foundation for Ning Xueyan to get Madam Ming’s dowry back in
the future. It was the first step that cost troublesome, but once you went
through the difficulties, the rest would be much easier.

“Young Lady, Mr. Lu said all the account books which were checked and
signed by Madam Ming had been taken away by First Madam, so there
was no account book left by Madam Ming in the shop,” Mother Han
frowned and said anxiously after drinking some water and resting for a
short while. She had been out these days for the purpose of looking for
the account books signed by Madam Ming. With these account books,
Madam Ling couldn’t say that Madam Ming had given all her dowry to
Madam Dowager as the private property of the manor as soon as she had
married with Ning Zu’an.

Normally, the main account book in a store was often the one with the
clearest balance. At the end of a year, the shopkeeper would give it to his
master to review. Then his master would sign on it to indicate that this
account book had been checked. As long as the shop was open, the
account would remain in case the master to check it again.

“Mammy, did Mr. Lu search everywhere in the shop carefully? Was he

sure that none of the account books has been left?” Qingyu took Mother
Han’s tea cup and asked anxiously.

“Yes. Mr. Lu and I have checked everywhere, hoping to find one, but
nothing was left. All the account books which were created when
Madam Ming had just married with the Lord Protection were gone. Mr.
Lu had asked the shopkeepers of other shops, and they told him that all
the account books with Madam Ming’s signature on had been taken
away by First Madam too when she took over their shops.”

Mother Han said angrily. She flew into a rage at the thought of Madam
Ling hogging Madam Ming’s dowry and being arrogant to everyone
while Madam Ming and Fifth Young Lady were suffering hardships in
Bright Frost Garden. The shops were left by Madam Ming to her
daughter. Why should Madam Ling and her daughter have taken them
away? And what made Mother Han even angrier was that two of the
shops were sent to the Xias as Eldest Young Lady’s dowry.

“Miss, I’ll go to other shops tomorrow to check if they have any. I don’t
believe that none of the account books was left!”
“Mother Han, you don’t have to go tomorrow. Because the shopkeepers
of the other shops are not close to us, I’m afraid they will tell Madam
Ling about this.” Ning Xueyan waved her hand and stopped Mother Han
from doing so. It was clear that Madam Ling had expected that they
would look for these account books someday, so she had done everything
she could to stop them from finding any of them. Besides, it wasn’t
Madam Ming who was administrating these shops, so most of the
shopkeepers had been changed by Madam Ling.

At such a moment, if she took too many actions, it would arouse the
others’ suspicions.

“We’ll give up so easily? So the dowry list that your uncle gave you is
useless now?” Mother Han was so angry when she recalled that Madam
Ming had no money when she wanted to buy some good medicine for
Ning Xueyan. Her eyes turned red and tears almost fell down. She turned
her head aside and wiped away the tears in her eyes with her sleeve.

“Young Lady, were those account books destroyed by First Madam?”

Lanning asked in confusion.

What she said reminded Ning Xueyan. She thought for a short moment
and then came up with an idea. Then she turned to Mother Han and said,

“Mammy, don’t worry. I won’t give up so easily. When you’re free, go to

Auspicious Clouds Courtyard more frequently. Since Madam Ling is
locked up in the Buddha Hall and Ning Yuling has been sent away,
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard has no masters now and the guard won’t
be as strict as before. You can chat with the servants you’re familiar with
there to see what’s different about Auspicious Clouds Courtyard!”

“Miss, do you mean that First Madam didn’t burn all the account books?
But how could she feel assured to hide the account books there?” Mother
Han asked excitedly. She was smart and she immediately understood
what Ning Xueyan meant.

‘The number of the account books is large, and for such kind of thing,
Madam Ling wouldn’t have dared to burn them openly, so there’s only
one possibility, that is, the account books are still there, but they have
been hidden by Madam Ling,” Ning Xueyan said, a coldness crossing
her eyes. It wasn’t because Madam Ling felt assured to keep the account
books, but she didn’t dare to rob Madam Ming’s property blatantly.

She had already taken the place of Madam Ming and become First
Madam. If the rumors about her robbing Madam Ming’s property got
out, even Ning Zu’an couldn’t protect her.

“Got it! Miss, I’ll go to Auspicious Clouds Courtyard to chat with my

old friends right now!” Hearing that it was possible to find those
important account books, Mother Han immediately brightened up. She
stood up and was about to leave.

“Mammy, take your time. We’d better wait for several days, or it will be
easy to arouse attention!” Ning Xueyan reminded her with a smile, a
coldness flashing in her eyes. She knew that she should be more patient
and investigate step by step. Since Madam Ling dared keep the account
books, she must have hidden them in a secret place. Therefore, it was
impossible to find them easily.

Fortunately, Madam Ling wouldn’t be released from the Buddha Hall

soon. At the end of the year, those shopkeepers would come and hand
over the account books of this year…

In the following days, Ning Xueyan was so busy that she even had no
time to have a rest. Madam Dowager had just wanted to test her abilities.
After all, Ning Xueyan had never managed the manor before. However,
to Madam Dowager’s surprise, she did a good job. Therefore, Madam
Dowager was relieved to leave some other account books to her. Now
what she need to do was make sure that Ning Xueyan checked correctly.

“It’s said that the girl was suspected of carrying my child?” Ao Chenyi
took the note which handed over by Yu Jian, the guard team leader from
a servant, a mysterious smile appeared on his face. He leaned against his
chair and looked very relaxed, and a rare touch of softness and interest
could be found in his eyes.

“Yes. Prince Yi, do you mean…”

“Just wait and see. I want to know what the little girl will do next,” he
remarked. If necessary, he would punish those who tried to set up Ning
Xuyan. But it seemed the ‘little wild cat’ was not easy to mess with.
The sun shone brightly outside the window. Ning Xueyan put down a
thick account book and touched her head. Madam Dowager almost
didn’t do any checking now, and she had asked the servants to send all
those account books to Bright Frost Garden. Ning Xueyan had reviewed
some of them from the time she got up till now and her brain felt a little
dull now. Fortunately, she had finished the work for today.

“Miss, I have found out who Qing’er is,” Lanning lifted the door curtain
and walked in. She handed a cup of tea to Ning Xueyan. Then she came
up behind her and began to massage her shoulders.

Qing’er was the little maid who had passed out in Bright Frost Garden
last time. Her physical condition was poor and she obviously couldn’t do
any work. She would pass out even if she had stood a little longer.

“What’s the relationship between Yu Lian and her?” Ning Xueyan asked
in a low voice.

“She is Yu Lian’s younger sister. It’s said Yu Lian’s father passed away
many years ago. Then her mother married to another man and took
Qing’er, her young daughter with her. However, that man and his family
members ill-treated Qing’er, and they often beat or scolded her when she
was still a kid. Qing’er got injured inside, so she is much weaker than
ordinary people when she grew up. When she works for a while, she will
gasp heavily and sometimes she will even pass out,” Lanning answered.

They felt strange when Yu Lian had come last time, so Lanning looked
into it. Since Yu Lian and Qing’er didn’t share the same surname, she
thought there was nothing between them. However, after investigation,
she found that they were sisters by blood.
Chapter 145 A Second-class Maid
Who Was Paid as a Third-class
One
“Yu Lian must have played some tricks. Otherwise Qing’er wouldn’t
have been sent to Bright Frost Garden. It seems Yu Lian cares about her
sister very much,” Ning Xueyan said coldly.

Before, everyone knew that Qing’er would have been safe if she was in
Bright Frost Garden, because Ning Xueyan was the young master here,
and even she had found that this maid was weak and unable to work, she
wouldn’t say anything. Moreover, Madam Ling, who was in charge of
the whole manor had never liked Ning Xueyan, so she wouldn’t care
even if a maid missing in Bright Frost Garden, let alone a maid couldn’t
work because of her poor health.

That was why Yu Lian had managed to send Qing’er to Bright Frost
Garden. She was so smart that nobody had found this before.

“What does Qing’er do every day?” Ning Xueyan asked lazily,

narrowing her eyes. The sun outside the window shone on her body. She
felt warm and a faint flush came over her cream-like face.

“She is a third-class maid. Normally, she should be in charge of some

rough works like watering flowers and sweeping floor. However, after
she had fainted that day, Mother Han had no other choice, but asked her
to do some fine work which needed more delicacy, less strength.
Thankfully, she was good at embroidering, so she did the work of a
second-class maid, but got the salary of a third-class one,” Lanning
answered.

She and Mother Han came up with this idea. Since they could neither
send her away, nor ask her to do rough works, they had to ask her to do
some fine work so that she wouldn’t be so tired.

“Did Yu Lian visit her?” Ning Xueyan asked, her lip twitched.
“Yu Lian visited her about once a week, but secretly. Sometimes, she
would have brought some invigorator to her. I asked Qing’er about it and
she told me that her family worried that she was too weak, so they
brought it to her. She never told me that Yu Lian, the maid of First
Madam was her sister.” Since Ning Xueyan asked her about Qing’er last
time, Lanning had paid particular attention to her.

“Lanning, do you think Yu Lian is beautiful?” Ning Xueyan smiled and

suddenly changed the topic.

Lanning was surprised and wondered why Ning Xueyan asked her about
this. “She is very beautiful and more beautiful than most maids in our
manor,” she answered.

“Then why hasn’t she realized her dream?” Ning Xueyan raised her head
and took a sip of tea quietly, a trace of sarcasm could be found in the
depth of her dark eyes.

“Her dream?” Lanning thought for a while and the answer suddenly
popped in her mind. “Because Yu Lian is scared of First Madam!”

“You’re right. Because she is scared, she has no guts,” Ning Xueyan said
and the irony in her smile grew more intense. With her beauty, Yu Lian
had always wanted to serve Ning Zu’an in the bed, but she dared not to
do so, because she was scared of Madam Ling. Ning Xueyan knew
something else which she had asked Xinmei to investigate.

Except for Yu Lian herself, there was another person knew about this
too. However, even Yu Lian didn’t know what that person was thinking
about.

“Which one was embroidered by Qing’er?” Ning Xueyan asked, pointing

at a pile of clothes beside her. In order to highlight her position, Madam
Dowager had many clothes made for her.

Ning Xueyan preferred plain colors, so most of her clothes were light-
colored. Madam Dowager asked her to embroider some small flowers on
the skirt hem, so she left the work to the maids of Bright Frost Garden
who knew how to embroider.
Lanning and Qingyu were responsible for this work, because they were
not assured to let other maids touch the skirts of Ning Xueyan. They had
asked the second-class maids to sew several handkerchiefs with the cloth
left over from making skirts. But Ning Xueyan herself wouldn’t use
these handkerchiefs. During the Spring Festival, the Young Ladies in the
manor would give silver ingots to the maids and servants as gifts. Ning
Xueyan could ask someone to wrap the silver ingots in the handkerchiefs
and knotted in beautiful shapes before giving them out. They would be
more delicate than perfume satchels.

“Miss, I didn’t dare ask her to embroider on your new dresses, so I only
asked her to embroider on some small stuff like handkerchiefs.” With
that, Lanning walked to the desk in the corner and put out a few
handkerchiefs from a hidden drawer. The flowers and grass which were
embroidered on the handkerchiefs looked pretty good. At a glance of
them, one could tell that these exquisite stitcheries were made by a
skilled embroiderer.

Ning Xueyan picked up a handkerchief with her fingers and touched a

bunch of delicate small flower on it. Then she suddenly said coldly,
“Tear them!”

Lanning was shocked and she looked at Ning Xueyan blankly.

“Cut all of them into pieces,” Ning Xueyan ordered with a smile. She
moved the handkerchief closer to her and stared at it coldly.

“Yes, miss! I’ll cut them immediately!” Lanning knew Ning Xueyan
must have her reason. She had been obedient to Ning Xueyan, so she
didn’t ask more, but cut a beautiful embroidered handkerchief into
several pieces with a pair of scissors soon and the embroidery was
completely destroyed.

“Give these cloth pieces to Qing’er and tell her that I don’t like her
embroidery. Ask her to practice more and embroider for me when she is
more skilled,” Ning Xueyan ordered. The sun outside the window shone
on Ning Xueyan’s face, a delicate face with a slight chill.

“Is Young Lady going to fire Qing’er?”

“But it seems it’s not the right time. During the period Young Lady has
left the manor, Madam Dowager asked First Madam to change a number
of maids and servants of Bright Frost Garden. Now just after a short
time, Young Lady wanted to change staffs again. Will this annoy Madam
Dowager?”

Lanning wondered. She was nervous and couldn’t figure out what Ning
Xueyan meant.

She looked at Ning Xueyan silently. She was smart, but she was still
unable to keep up with Ning Xueyan’s thinking.

“Since she has always been scolded by me for nothing, she must feel
very frustrated. As my personal maid, you’re supposed to comfort her.
Then you can tell her by the way that nothing happened to Concubine
Ma after she had framed me.” Ning Xueyan blinked to Lanning, and the
chill on her face had been replaced by sarcasm.

“Nothing happened to Concubine Ma after she had framed Young

Lady?” Lanning was smart and she suddenly thought of something. It
seemed she had understood what her young master was planning. Since
she wasn’t confused any more, her brows unfurled. She grinned and
nodded hard.

“Oh! I got it!” she thought.

In the afternoon, a muffled cry came from a small room on the left of
Bright Frost Garden intermittently. The sound of the cry was so faint that
no one could hear it if they didn’t listen carefully. A thin, weak young
maid wearing a cyan cotton-padded jacket was sobbing bitterly, lying on
the edge of her bed. Many cloth pieces scattered on the floor and the bed.

The embroidery flosses on the cloth pieces were in a total mess.

“Bang! Bang!” Someone was knocking at the door. “Qing’er, may I

come in?”

Qing’er, the young maid who was sobbing raised her head and wiped
tears off her cheeks when she heard the voice. She opened the door and
saw it was Lanning, the first maid of Bright Frost Garden who was
standing in front of her. She immediately nodded hard and promised,
crying,

“Sister Lanning, are you here to drive me away? Can you give me an
opportunity to stay? I’ll work hard in the future. I can do any kinds of
work.”

She lived in a poor family. Her stepfather didn’t treat her and her mother
well. Now her mother was made ill by his stepfather, so she had to sell
herself to the Lord Protector’s Manor and became a maid.

“But Young Lady doesn’t like your embroidery,” Lanning said with a
sigh. She picked up several pieces of cloth from the floor and moved
them closer to her to examine.

“Sister Lanning, could you please tell me what kind of embroidery

Young Lady likes? As long as Young Lady doesn’t drive me away, I will
embroider whatever she likes. Sister Lanning, could you please plead
Young Lady for me?” Qing’er said with tears in her eyes. She was so
weak that she couldn’t do any rough work. If Yu Lian hadn’t played
tricks, nobody would have bought a sick and weak maid.

So if she was driven away from the Lord Protector’s Manor, she
wouldn’t be able to find a new job.

She looked extremely miserable. “Your embroidery is actually very

good…” Lanning said, but she stopped in the middle.

“Then… why did Young Lady cut the handkerchiefs I embroidered and
try to drive me away?” Qing’er’s eyes brightened up and she
immediately grabbed Lanning’s sleeve.

“In fact, it’s not Young Lady who doesn’t like your embroidery, but
Concubine Ma…” Lanning said, as if she was in a dilemma. She pushed
away Qing’er’s hand from her sleeve and pattered her on the shoulder, as
if she had decided not to continue the topic. “Come on! Just collect your
belongs. Don’t put me in a dilemma. After all, we’re only maids and
can’t compare with Concubine Ma. She is a master of the manor, not like
us.”
“Sister Lanning, I know you’re a kind person. Please tell me who wants
to drive me away. Even I have to leave, I want to know the truth.”
Hearing there was something inside, Qing’er was anxious. She pleaded
Lanning with red eyes and was reluctant to let go of her grip on
Lanning’s skirt.

Lanning was moved by her pleading and her miserable look. She sat on
the edge of the bed, holding Qing’er’s hand. “You should know what
kind of person Young Lady is. How could she be mad of you for no
reason? It’s all because of Concubine Ma!” she said.

Mother Han and Lanning had been helping Ning Xueyan to manage
Bright Frost Garden. Ning Xueyan never scolded or beat servants, like
the other Young Ladies did, so everyone in Bright Frost Garden thought
that she was good-tempered. It was the first time that she was mad of
Qing’er. Hearing what Lanning said, Qing’er had found something
wrong. She then sat down next to Lanning.

“Sister Lanning, please tell me the truth. I won’t tell anyone else about it
to put you in a dilemma,” she promised, wiping tears away from her
eyes.

“Young Lady has been helping Madam Dowager to manage the manor
recently. She asked a maid to send silver ingots to Concubine Ma this
morning. Because she didn’t have perfume satchel at hand at the
moment, she used the handkerchief you embroidered to wrap the silver
ingots. Surprisingly, Concubine Ma beat the maid who sent the silver
ingots to her because she thought our Young Lady looked down upon her
by using such an ugly embroidery to wrap the silver ingots. She cut the
handkerchief into pieces and threatened to punish the person who
embroidered the handkerchief. Obviously, she wanted to stir up trouble.
Since Young Lady is managing the inner courtyard, she doesn’t want the
others to make trouble because of this, so…”

Lanning told Qing’er what had happened and then said with a sincere
look, “Anyway, Concubine Ma is our master too!”

“A concubine can only be regarded as half a master at most. How can

she be compared to Young Lady?” Qing’er said resentfully. At the
thought of herself being driven away because of Concubine Ma, she
couldn’t help being annoyed.
“Although she is just a concubine, marquis dotes on her. She was found
to have framed Young Lady last time, but marquis didn’t blame her. Now
since First Madam was shut up in the Buddha Hall and Second Madam
has passed away, Concubine Ma is likely to become a co-wife in the
future relying on her beautiful face. If that’s the case, her families will
get benefits and become powerful too. How lucky they will be!”

Lanning didn’t hide her admiration for Concubine Ma when spoke.

“She is likely to be Second Madam?” Qing’er’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes. If she can give birth to a child, then it would be regarded as the
child of a madam of our manor. Even her descendants will enjoy
prosperity too in the future!” Lanning paused for a while, and then stood
up and said, “Qing’er, don’t cry. I’ll persuade Young Lady again. Maybe
she would like to keep you. Concubine Ma is the one who should be
blamed. How could she meddle in affairs of Bright Frost Garden! I hope
Concubine Ma will forget you, then she won’t get you into trouble
anymore.”

“Thank you, Sister Lanning!” Qing’er was delighted. She wiped tears off
her cheeks and said gratefully, “I’ll do anything if you don’t drive me
away!”
Chapter 146 the Straw that
Breaks the Camel’s Back
At the turning of a dead end at Bright Frost Garden, where nobody
would come without any special reason,

Qing’er was talking to someone tearfully. She wiped the tears from her
cheeks with a handkerchief, and said sadly, in a low voice, “Sister,
Concubine Ma doesn’t like Fifth Young Lady, so she vented her anger on
me. What will mom and I live on if they drive me away?”

“Don’t think too much. She can’t even protect herself now!” Yu Lian
said dismissively. She really detested Concubine Ma. Before First
Madam was shut up in Buddha Hall, Concubine Ma had always trailed
behind her, flattering her endlessly. Even the servants could not bear her
bootlicking ways.

“Why can’t she even protect herself? Maybe she will be promoted to
Second Madam after some time. Now First Madam is in Buddha Hall,
and there is no any other madam managing the manor. Since marquis
likes Concubine Ma so much, if he decrees it, she will definitely become
a real master. If she remembers me when she becomes Second Madam in
the future, even Fifth Young Lady can’t protect me anymore.” Qing’er
cried even more bitterly.

“She should look at herself first before she finds fault with others! How
can a woman with such a dirty record, dare dream of becoming a
madam!” Yu Lian said ironically. Madam Ling was reluctant to let Yu
Lian get close to Ning Zu’an, but she still took her as her henchman, so
Yu Lian knew something about Concubine Ma.

“Sister, don’t speak that way. You said that you will become a madam in
the future, but now, look at you! You can’t even become a concubine!
Otherwise, I would not have to become a maid, and get rejected by
others,” Qing’er claimed, sobbing.
Hearing what she said, Yu Lian felt ashamed. With a serious look on her
face, she said, “What are you talking about? Aren’t you afraid of being
overheard?”

“So what? You told me that you would not forget me when you became
rich. But now you’re still a maid, and you even can’t prevent your sister
from being bullied by a concubine, let alone become rich! Since you’re
so useless, don’t brag in front of mom next time!”

Qing’er felt very wronged and she began to cry again after being scolded
by Yu Lian. She threw all caution to the wind, and her cries grew louder.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Yu Lian was worried

and she immediately covered Qing’er’s mouth with her hand. She
warned her in a low voice, “Why did you speak so loudly? Someone
might overhear it. Come on! Stop talking!”

The sound of footsteps was just at the turning, so Qing’er did not dare to
cry out. She bit her lips hard to prevent herself from sobbing.

“Was there someone quarreling here just now?” a sweet and surprised
voice rang out. It was Qingyu.

“You must have heard wrongly. How could anyone quarrel in a place like
this? Besides, there’s nothing to quarrel about in Bright Frost Garden,”
Lanning answered gently. Obviously, they had something to do, and
were heading for Bright Frost Garden.

“Lanning, are they serious in marrying her off to Housekeeper Lu’s

nephew? It’s terrible! How pitiful that she has to marry that fool! The
maid is even more beautiful than Concubine Ma.”

Housekeeper Lu had a nephew who had a mental problem. Whenever he

came to the manor and saw a pretty maid, he would call her ‘sister’,
drooling, and would then rush toward her and hold her. Once,
Housekeeper Lu came with his nephew to pay their respects to Madam
Ling. When his nephew saw Madam Ling’s maid, Yu Lian, he kept on
calling her ‘beautiful sister’ and then held her tightly in his arms, saying
that he would marry this ‘beautiful sister’.
Yu Lian had nearly been frightened to death. Finally, several older
female servants managed to save her from the fool.

Housekeeper Lu had joked with them, saying that he would like Yu Lian
to marry his nephew.

Yu Lian had a bad feeling when she overheard the conversation between
Qingyu and Lanning, so she could not help but listen more intently.

“But First Madam has her reasons. She is in Buddha Hall now and Yu
Lian is so beautiful, so it’s normal for her to worry, in case Yu Lian takes
this opportunity to please marquis if she is still in the manor. It’s said that
marquis has been fascinated with Yu Lian for a long time already. If First
Madam had not stopped him, we would have already called her
Concubine Xu! It’s a pity! Beautiful girls are usually unlucky!”

Qingyu said this, as if she were defending Yu Lian. Then she let out
several sighs.

“That’s her fate. If she was not so well-dressed, marquis would not have
noticed her. Unfortunately, she failed to become a concubine, and instead
aroused First Madam’s suspicion. No good will come of anyone who
offends First Madam. Yu Lian will be sent out of our manor soon.
Madam Dowager wanted this matter to be dealt with in a low key
manner, so she asked Young Lady to deal with it secretly. According to
the instructions of Madam Dowager, it will be fine, even if she was sent
to Housekeeper Lu in a sedan. She is so unlucky!”

Lanning pretended to sympathize with Yu Lian, but could not help her.

“First Madam is a person who suffers from great jealousy. Marquis did
not do anything but only paid a little more attention to Yu Lian than to
the other maids, but First Madam already wanted to drive her away.”

Qingyu grew angrier.

“Come on! We don’t have to worry about the others. Anyway, we’re not
as beautiful as Yu Lian and marquis probably won’t notice us, so we
don’t need to worry that we’ll be married off to a fool.”
Lanning patted Qingyu on the shoulder, and then they turned round a
corner, and walked toward Bright Frost Garden, talking and laughing at
the same time. It seemed they didn’t notice there was someone hiding
behind the corner.

Yu Lian was frozen in surprise at the corner, and she had already taken
her hand away from Qing’er’s mouth. She gritted her teeth and trembled
violently, as if she had been struck by lightning. She was so beautiful,
but she would have to marry a fool! Moreover, it was First Madam who
had made the decision, so it was inevitable that she lost her temper. It
was almost the straw that broke the camel’s back!

“Look! Not only will you not become a concubine, but you have to
marry that idiot!” Qing’er came to Yu Lian for help to soothe her broken
heart, but she did not get any useful suggestions from Yu Lian. When she
saw Yu Lian standing there in shock, she could not help mocking her.

“No! I won’t marry that idiot!” Yu Lian had just recovered from her
shock. She flew into a rage and she never thought that Lanning and
Qingyu had said these deliberately, so that she could overhear them.

She knew that Madam Ling did not want her to approach Ning Zu’an.
Although she dressed up beautifully each time she appeared in front of
Ning Zu’an, Ning Zu’an was not her target, so she had never raised any
objection to Madam Ling’s decision. She had thought that Madam Ling
would give her a chance to serve Eldest Young Master. After all, he was
much younger and more handsome, than marquis.

She was surprised that Madam Ling would be that wicked to marry her
off to a fool. Now she realized what Madam Ling said was a lie.

“Sister, didn’t you hear sister Lanning saying that marquis has always
been fascinated with you? If you don’t want to marry that idiot, you’d
better go to him as soon as possible. Since you’re more beautiful and
younger than Concubine Ma, you’ll definitely win the marquis’ heart.”
Qing’er remembered what Lanning had said, so she thought if Yu Lian
became a concubine, her position in the manor would rise too, and
Concubine Ma would never dare bully her again, so she immediately
made this suggestion.
Yu Lian had always dreamed of becoming a concubine, and she had
promised her mother and her sister that she would definitely become rich
in the future. That was why Qing’er came to the manor. However, after
waiting for a long time, not only did her sister not get rich, but would be
married to an idiot! How could she just wait and do nothing?

So Qing’er began to advise her sister.

“Of course I won’t marry an idiot! I must go to marquis immediately.

The fortune teller told me that I would enjoy prosperity in the future, so I
should not let others push me around. I must find marquis before
Housekeeper Lu comes back. Marquis will definitely help me!” Yu Lian
thought.

“Go back and wait for my news.” She pushed Qing’er away and rushed
off, clenching her fists.

Qing’er had not expected that Yu Lian’s reaction would be so furious.

Caught unawares, she fell to the ground, when she was pushed. Her
bottom hurt so much from the fall that she screamed at once.

She managed to stand up and then hobbled back, but she looked happy.
Once her sister became marquis’ concubine, she would be marquis’
official relative, and she would not have to serve the others, as a maid,
but enjoy a comfortable life, like a Young Lady.

Thinking about that, she forgot about her former sadness. And she had
already put the possibility of her being thrown out of the manor behind
her.

Qingyu, who had been hiding somewhere near the siblings, had clearly
seen every one of their moves. After seeing Yu Lian leave, she turned
around and walked into the courtyard. She then headed for the main
room to report the news to Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan was reading a book when Qingyu came in. Hearing what
Qingyu said, she put down the book and looked out of the window.
Qing’er was walking in, holding on to the wall for support. Several
maids in the courtyard saw her limping, so they asked her what happened
out of curiosity. She just said, “Nothing,” with a poker face, and then
walked slowly to her room. She looked quite different from her usual
timid self.

“The siblings were all snobs!”

Thinking about this, Ning Xueyan did not feel guilty any more in making
use of them.

She wanted Yu Lian to strengthen her determination, so she had asked

Lanning and Qingyu to say those words when the siblings were together.
What Yu Lian had planned before might be useful for Ning Yuyan in the
future.

Yu Lian wanted to serve a powerful man in bed, so that she could

become a concubine of a rich family. She did not really care about who
she would serve. But it was impossible to sit on the fence. So Ning
Xueyan thought she was helping her to make a decision by giving her a
push. It was said that Ning Huaiyuan was going to return in a few days’
time.

“Arrange for more hands at the outer study room. I don’t like dad to
sleep there alone. Besides, he will go to court tomorrow morning. So ask
someone to serve him in the morning,” Ning Xueyan ordered.

If more people knew about it, the news would spread quickly.

In the early morning, everyone in the Lord Protector’s Manor knew what
happened between Yu Lian and Ning Zu’an. It was said that marquis had
asked Yu Lian to serve him in bed last night. And this morning, someone
saw Yu Lian going back to Auspicious Clouds Courtyard hurriedly after
coming out shyly from the study room of marquis. The maids and the
older female servants who had seen her could prove it.

Madam Ling got up early and went to the cold and cheerless Buddha
Hall. She lit up a stick of incense and put it in front of the Buddha. Then
she sat on a futon with crossed legs, began to beat the wooden fish and
chanted the Buddhist scriptures. Madam Dowager would arrange for
someone to check on what she was doing, from time to time. Although
she was angry, Madam Ling did not dare to disobey Madam Dowager’s
orders.
At this point, the door was pushed open suddenly. Mother Chen ran
hurriedly into the hall. “First Madam! First Madam, I have bad news for
you!”

“Calm down! How could something bad happen so early in the

morning?” Madam Ling glanced at Mother Chen coldly, her face
darkening. She had only been here for a few days, but already some gray
hairs could be seen at her temples. She was not as charming and happy
as she used to be, and looked cold and depressed.

No one would believe that the smart and tactful Marchioness looked ten
years older!

“First Madam, someone said that the little bitch, Yu Lian, served marquis
in his bed last night! And this morning, she was seen coming out from
marquis’ study room, her clothes in disarray. The kitchen staff said that
marquis asked someone to cook soup to nourish her constitution!”
Mother Chen was so anxious that she raised her voice.

“Clang!” the wooden fish slipped from Madam Ling’s hands and
dropped on her feet.
Chapter 147 Tie Up that Little
Bitch and Drown Her
Madam Ling’s face was livid and her look was ferocious. She pounded
the table heavily and said, while gritting her teeth, “What? She
accompanied marquis in the study last night?”

Mother Chen rolled her eyes, and said angrily, “Yes. When I went out in
the morning, the people in this manor were saying that marquis would
promote Yu Lian to Concubine, after he comes back from the court.”

Mother Chen knew that Madam Ling had always protected Yu Lian.
Besides, Yu Lian had promised Madam Ling that she would never have
any relationship with marquis and would instead, serve the Eldest Young
Master. Unexpectedly, Yu Lian had betrayed Madam Ling and seduced
marquis as soon as Madam Ling entered Buddha hall. How could
Madam Ling not be angry?

“Bitch! She’s a bitch. She makes me so mad! If I knew that was going to
happen, I would have killed her.” Madam Ling was so angry that she
went around in circles, while gritting her teeth. Without her permission,
her maid actually had sex with Ning Zu’an. What would the others think
of her?

“Yu Lian promised us at that time. Unexpectedly, she went back on her
words. First Madam, don’t be angry. No matter what she does, she will
only be a concubine. She can’t take away your control.”

Mother Chen was angry, but she did not lose her reasoning. She pulled
Madam Ling and made her sit on the cushion.

“You go out in a minute and ask Housekeeper Lu to find some people to

tie Yu Lian up, and drown her directly!” Madam Ling said this
ferociously, as she gritted her teeth.

“First Madam, don’t do that. I feel that there is something strange going
on. What did Yu Lian tell you? The future you promised her, is much
better than the one she chose. Why was she so daring? Why did she
suddenly go to marquis’s study? Was it because she was bewitched or
instructed by someone else? Otherwise, how dare she betray you?”

Mother Chen had sobered up, but was still in a state of confusion, while
trying to pacify Madam Ling.

This reminded Madam Ling of something. She screwed her

handkerchief, with a gloomy face, while frowning. Was it related to Ning
Xueyan?

“First Madam, you’re in Buddha Hall now. Everything you’re going to

do, is not appropriate. We’d better wait for the Eldest Young Master to
come. Anyway, he is the only son of marquis. As long as the Eldest
Young Master is here, marquis will certainly let you out. At that time,
you’ll have an advantage when you deal with both Yu Lian and the Fifth
Young Lady.”

As long as Madam Ling was still the marchioness, she was the mother of
all the children, and the Legal Wife.

Besides, she had given birth to Ning Zu’an’s only son.

This remark made sense. Madam Ling looked up at the dusky room and
had a grim sneer on her face. “Okay, I’ll wait. I won’t let that little bitch
die a natural death.”

Although she said that, she was still unwilling to yield, and there was a
flash of cruelty in her eyes.

In the Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan had gone to bed early. All of a
sudden, she smelt something strange. Immediately, she opened her eyes
and subconsciously reached under the pillow, for the sharp dagger, she
had placed there before. But before she could reach the dagger, her wrist
was caught in a heavy grip.

That strong force immediately made her hand weak. She was shocked
and struggled, hoping to knock against the table beside the bed. There
were cups of tea on the table. As long as she knocked down the cups,
others would know that something had happened, and no one could
quietly take her away. Unfortunately, it seemed that the person knew
what her intentions were, and what she wanted to do.

Ning Xueyan was grabbed tightly by her waist and then she was lifted
up. Seeing that she was getting further and further away from the table,
Ning Xueyan tried hard to open her mouth and shout. Suddenly, a
familiar voice came into her ears. “What’s wrong? Are you scared? Little
wildcat, I know you’re very bold. You even dared to frame the
marchioness of Lord Protector’s Manor. How come you’re so timid
now?”

When she heard the voice, Ning Xueyan suddenly relaxed, and was not
nervous or scared at all. Instead, she felt angry.

Ao Chenyi! It was Ao Chenyi again. Instead of sleeping, he had broken

into her boudoir. What did he want to do? People might die of fright, if
they were suddenly frightened by others. Even though she had been
reborn and was bold, she would still be scared. Just because she was
bold, did she deserve to be scared by him like that? He could not be more
daring!

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want to see me? Unfortunately, my favorite

concubine has run away, so I have to come and see her.” He pinched
Ning Xueyan’s nose so forcefully that she frowned, due to the pain.
Shyness and anger flashed across her face.

They were still going up and finally rested on a beam in the middle of
the house. Ao Chenyi, hugged her tightly and whispered in her ears, with
a smile on his face, “Come with me, my favorite concubine. I’ll show
you a good show.”

Ning Xueyan calmed down, looked at the half-open window and the dark
sky, and asked, “Prince Yi, are you sure that we’ll be able to see the
show from here?” She did not feel that climbing up a beam at night,
instead of sleeping, was a good plan.

“Of course not. But, don’t you want to put on a coat before leaving? Or
do you want to stay in my arms all the time?” Under the moonlight, Ao
Chenyi’s eyes were as dark as ink, and his voice sounded lazy. However,
he did not put Ning Xueyan down to let her put on a coat, even though
he said those words.
“Then please get the coat for me, Prince Yi.” Ning Xueyan blinked and
pointed to a pile of clothes on the screen below.

Now that he had mentioned it, she ordered him to do so.

“If your rigorous grandmother saw that we’re having a private meeting
in your boudoir at this time, will she feel that we have been together a
long time ago?” Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes slightly and said this
casually, while glancing at Ning Xueyan, in the darkness. He had good
eyesight, so he immediately saw the blush, as well as the irrepressible
anger, on Ning Xueyan’s face.

It was really very interesting. Looking at the angry and depressed Ning
Xueyan, Ao Chenyi was in a good mood.

“Prince Yi, if we’re late, we will miss the play, but others will see it,
instead?” Ning Xueyan was both shy and angry, and she wished that she
could bite him on the spot. However, the little fish cannot eat the big
fish. Moreover, she was held by Ao Chenyi in mid-air, and had to depend
on him, so she would not fall.

Could any woman’s reputation be joked about like that?

“Fine, since you want to see the show so much, I’ll carry you there!” Ao
Chenyi was in a good mood and flew out of the window, while carrying
Ning Xueyan in his arms. The wind was very strong. Ning Xueyan
huddled in his arms, subconsciously. Ao Chenyi felt that and wrapped
her tightly in his cloak. Following four shadows directly, he jumped onto
the roof and sped towards a certain direction.

Ning Xueyan believed that the four shadows must be his guards.

After jumping over several roofs, Ao Chenyi came into a room through
the window, while carrying Ning Xueyan, and then sat on the beam this
time. Ao Chenyi loosened his hold and immediately Ning Xueyan felt
unsteady, and hurriedly grabbed hold of his waist. Although she was
mentally berating him, she dared not let it show on her face.

“Prince Yi, what are we doing here?” Under the moonlight outside the
window, Ning Xueyan looked around the room and felt that she had
never seen this room before. Or it could be said that she had never
noticed it before.

This room should still be in Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Xueyan

recognized that it was still Lord Protector’s Manor, when she looked
around, outside the room.

The room was similar to all the other rooms. The decoration inside was
gorgeous, but it was also very old. The room was still clean. It seemed
that someone had been cleaning it regularly. The room was not small,
which made one feel that the person who lived here, should be a master.

But Ning Xueyan had not seen anyone from Lord Protector’s Manor,
living in this room.

Ning Xueyan stretched out her hand, gently poked Ao Chenyi’s waist,
and asked, “Where are we?” This place does not look like a place where
people would live.

“Just wait for the good show!” Ao Chenyi seemed very interested. He
craned his neck and whispered in her ear. The warm breath around her
ear, made her tilt her head uneasily. However, instead of keeping away
from her ear, Ao Chenyi blew in her ear, instead.

Immediately, Ning Xueyan blushed and anger appeared on her face.

At this time, the door opened unexpectedly, and someone Ning Xueyan
had never expected, appeared.

Ning Zu’an. It was Ning Zu’an.

Ning Zu’an, the Lord Protector, was in his own home and had sneaked
into an old room, with a lantern in his hands. Shouldn’t he be with Yu
Lian at this time? Why was he here alone?

Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes slightly and stared closely at Ning
Zu’an. Ning Zu’an was the last person she expected, to see, at this time.
This was the good show Ao Chenyi brought her to see?

“Marquis…” He was not alone. Ning Xueyan could not see the person,
but she could hear the voice. It was familiar, but she could not remember
who it was, for a moment. But she was sure that the person was neither
an ordinary older female servant, or a maid.

“You go back first.” Ning Zu’an waved one hand impatiently, while
holding a lantern in the other, and asked the woman to leave.

“Yes, marquis!” The woman outside, did not enter the room. Ning
Xueyan heard her retreating footsteps.

Ning Zu’an put the lantern on the table and looked around, and frowned.
Then he walked to the big bed and sat down, keeping his body still, as if
he was thinking about something.

Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Zu’an was good at Kung Fu, so she dared
not breathe hard. She just huddled in Ao Chenyi’s arms and did not move
at all. She did not understand what Ning Zu’an was doing here, at this
time.

Ning Zu’an sat on the bed for a while, and then stood up. It seemed that
he was looking for something. He searched behind and under the bed,
and almost all the hidden places. Next, he knocked on the bed, the table,
and even on the wall. But he found nothing.

Obviously, he could not find what he was searching for.

After that, Ning Zu’an stopped and sat on the bed, and rested, while
looking around. Then he stood up and pounded the bed again. He still
found nothing unusual.

Ning Xueyan kept watching Ning Zu’an, who always appeared calm in
front of people, walking around the room for one hour, like a headless
fly, and finding nothing in the end. Eventually, he picked up the lantern,
closed the door, and left.

Hearing the retreating footsteps of Ning Zu’an, Ning Xueyan wanted to

relax and stretch her rigid body. But Ao Chenyi stopped her and said,
“Don’t move!”
Chapter 148 Whose House Is
This?
Ning Xueyan understood, and immediately remained motionless. After a
while, they suddenly heard the door opening again. Under the light, Ning
Zu’an’s face appeared strange and looked blue in color.

After making sure that there was nothing unusual in the room, Ning
Zu’an closed the door and left.

“Do you want to know whose house this is?” Ao Chenyi’s low and
sophisticated voice drifted to Ning Xueyan’s ear.

“Whose?” Ning Xueyan nodded at once. She really wanted to know

whose house this was. Ning Zu’an’s behavior tonight, was very strange.
This kind of behavior did not match his status at all.

This time, Ao Chenyi directly answered, “It’s your mother’s. Your

mother used to live here, when she was the Legal Wife.”

Was this Madam Ming’s house? Ning Xueyan was silent. In her memory,
she had been living in Bright Frost Garden all the time, and she thought
that Bright Frost Garden was the place where Madam Ming had been
living. Unexpectedly, there was another courtyard here. This house was
better than Madam Ling’s Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, in size and
decoration. Ao Chenyi was not lying to her.

“What is Ning Zu’an looking for?” Ning Xueyan asked, puzzled. She did
not think that Ning Zu’an could not sleep at night, and came to the house
where Madam Ming lived before, to look for something, because he
missed Madam Ming.

“Maybe he’s looking for the property left by your mother. Look at him,
he doesn’t sleep at night, and comes here to find something. How pitiful
he is! Is the Lord Protector’s Manor so poor now?” Ao Chenyi sighed
with emotion, as he said that. His words were ridiculous, but
unexpectedly, it explained why Ning Zu’an could not sleep at night.
Knowing that she would not get the answer as long as Ao Chenyi did not
want to say, Ning Xueyan did not ask anymore, and turned to Ao Chenyi,
“Prince Yi, the show is over, when will you send me back?”

“I heard that you’re going to send a concubine to your father. Do I need

to do some good deeds and send him some, too?” Ao Chenyi said this,
and pulled hard at Ning Xueyan’s long hair.

“It hurts!” Ning Xueyan did not expect him to do that, so she did not stop
him in time. She nearly cried, because her hair had been pulled so
roughly. She stared at Ao Chenyi with great unhappiness. She really did
not understand why he, the Prince Yi, could do such a childish thing.

“Does it hurt? You dealt with the mother, but the son is coming. I heard
that Ning Huaiyuan is returning soon. Are you not afraid that Ning
Huaiyuan will kill you?” Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan, as he said
those words, that were filled with so much meaning.

“I’m not afraid!” Ning Xueyan’s gaze became cold and a hint of cruelty
appeared in her eyes. Since she had been reborn, she was certainly out
for revenge. Both Madam Ling and her daughters were her enemies, so
the elder brother, who was said to be talented, was also her enemy.

“Fine, I’ll wait for your good show. Don’t lose your life, due to dealing
with them!” Ao Chenyi seemed to discovered something interesting, and
said that, with an evil smile on his face. He decided to let Ning Xueyan
go. He carried Ning Xueyan, went out through the window, and went to
Bright Frost Garden.

It was getting more and more interesting.

In the morning, Ning Xueyan returned to her own courtyard, after

greeting Madam Dowager.

“Young Lady, after Mother Chen entered Buddha Hall, nothing has
happened. It seems that they know nothing. The First Madam is so
tolerant this time, and did not make any trouble.” Lanning reported to
Ning Xueyan, who was making perfume.

The medicine had been mixed into the powder. Others could not find
anything unusual. The smell appeared to be fresher and more natural,
than the original smell. This prescription had been given to Ning Xueyan
by Aunt Xiang, before.

Ning Xueyan put down the powder box in her hands, and smelt it. She
said, with a casual smile on her face, “After putting up with so many
things, she is certainly smart. If she was not patient, it would not be
possible for her to wait until the day, when marquis will pick her up.”

Madam Ling had been Ning Zu’an’s secret lover for many years. In
order for her to return to Lord Protector’s Manor in a decent way, she did
not even hesitate to let her son be known as an illegitimate child. She had
endured so much, for so many years before marrying Ning Zu’an. She
was a woman with great endurance. The reason why she lost out, when
she faced Ning Xueyan was because she was careless, and thought of
Ning Xueyan as being the defenseless one.

Having a knife pointed at her head, Madam Ling had no choice, but to
endure.

Ning Xueyan was looking forward to see the extent of Madam Ling’s
endurance limit!

“Didn’t Yu Lian go to the study today?” Ning Xueyan casually closed

the box, and washed her hands in a nearby basin.

Yu Lian was Madam Ling’s First Maid and still lived in Auspicious
Clouds Courtyard. After what had happened the night before yesterday,
people in the manor guessed that she would immediately became the
concubine. Unexpectedly, Ning Zu’an had not promoted her to
concubine status yet. How could she not be worried?

When she found that her Young Lady no longer mentioned what had
happened in Buddha hall, Lanning changed the topic. She handed Ning
Xueyan a handkerchief, and said, “Yu Lian went to marquis’s study
again last night. I heard that marquis asked someone to boil soup for her,
early in the morning. This matter has been spread all over the manor.
This morning, more people saw Yu Lian coming out of marquis’s study.”

This had originally, been specially arranged by Ning Xueyan. In the

name of serving Ning Zu’an, Ning Xueyan had arranged for more people
to serve Ning Zu’an. How could they not see Yu Lian coming out of
Ning Zu’an’s house, with her messy clothes, in the morning, for two
consecutive days?

After calculating the time, Ning Xueyan thought there would be some
results today. Ning Zu’an could no longer pretend that nothing had
happened, otherwise, not only Yu Lian would lose face.

Ning Xueyan took the handkerchief, wiped the water from her hands.
She pointed to several account books placed on the table, in front of the
window, and with a smile on her face, said “Come on, let’s visit Madam
Dowager and show these account books to her.”

Although she was the one who checked the account books, the final
decision was made by Madam Dowager, who was worried, whether Ning
Xueyan could manage the whole family well.

On the way to Lucky Garden, Ning Xueyan encountered Madam

Dowager Liu, who was rarely in charge of affairs at Lord Protector’s
Manor.

She was walking ahead, with several maids and older female servants.
Seeing Ning Xueyan coming, she stopped and waited for Ning Xueyan.

“Grandaunt, how do you do!” Ning Xueyan went forward, letting go of

Lanning’s hands, and bowing to Madam Dowager Liu.

Madam Dowager Liu shook her hand, and gently asked Ning Xueyan, in
confusion, but with a smile on her face, “Xueyan, are you going to see
your grandmother now? Haven’t you greeted her yet?”

Although it was not lunch time yet, it was not early.

“I’ve greeted her in the morning. Now I’m going to show her these
account books. I don’t know whether I did it correctly or not.
Grandmother needs to check it again.” Ning Xueyan answered, with a
soft smile of shyness, on her face.

“Alas, it’s hard for you. You’re still a child, but there is no one useful, in
the manor now.” Madam Dowager Liu sighed, and looked at Ning
Xueyan, kindly. A fourteen-year-old was old enough, and many women
from other respectable families started learning how to manage the
whole family, and read account books, when they turned thirteen or
fourteen years old.

But Ning Xueyan’s situation was different. She had been in Bright Frost
Garden all the time, and had never been taught these things before. So it
would certainly be hard at first. From her thin face, one could tell that
she had spent a lot of time and energy on it.

Madam Dowager Liu was not Madam Dowager. She was not that much
of an utilitarian, and was fond of Ning Xueyan. But she was not Ning
Xueyan’s grandmother, and could not speak up for her, and interfere in
these affairs.

“Grandaunt, it’s not difficult. It will only last for a few days.
Grandmother is old. We should help her, but… there are some things I
really don’t understand.” Ning Xueyan shook her head. After all, she was
still young. Although she did not want anyone to discover her difficulty,
her furrowed eyebrows showed that she had run into some problems.

Madam Dowager Liu became serious and asked, “What’s wrong? Is

someone making trouble for you?”

Madam Dowager Liu clearly knew about the status of Ning Xueyan, in
the manor. Although she was asked to take care of the accounts, this
time, it was inevitable that some people would deliberately make things
difficult for her.

“Nobody deliberately makes things difficult for me”. It seemed that her
secret had been revealed, so Ning Xueyan flushed with embarrassment.
She wanted to deny it, but failed under Madam Dowager Liu’s sharp
gaze. So she explained, “Grandaunt, mother is now in Buddha hall to
refine herself. So I have to manage Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. But I
can’t be too strict with mother’s servants.”

Ning Xueyan’s words were implicit, but Madam Dowager Liu

immediately understood. Instantly, she got angry and said, “Yan’er, don’t
be too polite to them. Your mother is absent. If there is any servant who
dares to offend you, you just drive them away. Your grandmother is
behind you to support you, you need not be afraid of them.”
Ning Xueyan smiled gently and said, “Er… I’m afraid mother will be
unhappy and embarrassed!”

Seeing that Ning Xueyan dared not interfere with the affairs of
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, Madam Dowager Liu sighed privately.
She knew Madam Ling well. If Ning Xueyan really punished someone at
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, Madam Ling would make trouble again.
At the thought of this, Madam Dowager Liu got very angry.

Many big events had happened at the womenfolk courtyard of Lord

Protector’s Manor recently. Scandals had been exposed, one by one.
Although Madam Dowager Liu lived a half-hermitic life, she was aware
of what was happening. She could not stand it any longer, when she
heard the news about Ning Zu’an, during these two mornings. So she had
come over today, with her maids and older female servants, to discuss it
with Madam Dowager, and wanted to come up with a solution.

They could not let Lord Protector’s Manor become so disorderly any
longer. Look, now, even Ning Zu’an was becoming so unruly. He
actually had sex with Madam Ling’s maid. Moreover, Madam Ling
happened to be in Buddha Hall. This kind of thing was disgraceful, in
any case.

Without the permission of Legal Wife, he actually had sex with her
personal maid.

This was the reason why Madam Dowager Liu had rushed to Lucky
Garden, in anger. She originally wanted Madam Dowager to punish the
girl who seduced Ning Zu’an. But after listening to Ning Xueyan, she
had another idea.

They arrived at the gate of Lucky Garden, while they were talking. An
alert maid saw them coming, and hurried to report to Madam Dowager.
Knowing that Madam Dowager Liu was also there, Madam Dowager
specially asked Mother Qin to welcome Madam Dowager Liu at the gate
of the courtyard. She then came into the room, with the help of Ning
Xueyan.

Madam Dowager met Madam Dowager Liu and asked, with a smile on
her face, “Sister, why are you here at this time? Is there something
wrong?”
The relationship between herself and Madam Dowager Liu was very
good. Besides, ever since she came to Lord Protector’s Manor, Madam
Dowager Liu had never interfered in the affairs of the womenfolk
courtyard. Instead, she lived a quiet and half-hermitic life. So she was on
good terms with Madam Dowager.

“Sister, something about Zu’an, has been brought to my attention, this

morning.” Madam Dowager Liu sat down, and said that, with a serious
look.

Madam Dowager blushed as soon as she heard what Madam Dowager

Liu said. She glared at Ning Xueyan with great displeasure, and
exclaimed, “Xueyan, is that how you manage the family? How could that
happen?”

Although it was no big deal that the master had sex with a maid, the
problem now, was that Madam Ling, the hostess, was in Buddha Hall,
and knew nothing about it. It was a shame that her personal maid had sex
with the master, in any case.

Madam Dowager was ashamed, and subconsciously dumped the blame

on Ning Xueyan, who was the temporary housekeeper. She did not think
about how a daughter could possibly interfere in her father’s sex life.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan was prepared for it. She calmly admitted her
fault, “Grandma, I did not restrain the servants of Auspicious Clouds
Courtyard. It’s my fault.”

After Ning Xueyan admitted her mistake, Madam Dowager felt a bit
odd, and could not speak for a moment.

“She’s just Zu’an’s daughter. Can she handle this kind of thing?” Madam
Dowager Liu snorted in discontent.
Chapter 149 The Tactful
Concubine Xu
That was true. How could a daughter interfere in this kind of thing?

Talking about that maid, Madam Dowager became very angry. She
snorted and said coldly, with a gloomy face, “After Zu’an comes back,
I’ll ask him to take that undisciplined main to his study, to serve him.
She’d better not live in Auspicious Clouds Courtyard.”

Although she disliked Madam Ling, she still thought that it was
undisciplined of Madam Ling’s personal maid to have s.e.x with Ning
Zu’an, at this time.

As far as she was concerned, Yu Lian should be executed directly. But

she was also afraid that it would arouse her son’s anger. So she came up
with a good way to keep everyone happy. She would not promote that
maid to be a concubine, and would only regard her as Ning Zu’an’s s.e.x
partner.

“Sister, I think that is not a good idea. Madam Ling is in Buddha Hall
now, and her courtyard is under no one’s supervision. This should be
remedied. Yu Lian is the first one. What if the second one and the third
one appear, after several days? Yan’er is only a daughter, she can’t be
fully in charge of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard.”

After listening to Madam Dowager’s thoughts, Madam Dowager Liu

frowned. Her previous thoughts were the same as Madam Dowager’s.
But after talking with Ning Xueyan, she felt it was improper. There
should be someone in charge of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard now. If it
went on like this, Auspicious Clouds Courtyard would soon be in great
chaos.

Madam Dowager Liu’s words were reasonable. Hearing that, Madam

Dowager frowned even more. It would be really hard to solve this
problem.
“Sister, I have an idea. You can let me know whether it is good. Yu Lian
has had s.e.x with Zu’an. I also heard that Zu’an asked people in the
kitchen to make soup for her, in the morning. It seems that he likes Yu
Lian. So let’s promote her to a concubine status. She was the First Maid
of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, now it can be said that she’s the master
and can restrain the people of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. We can let
her manage Auspicious Clouds Courtyard now. When Madam Ling
comes out, we’ll discuss it further.”

Madam Dowager Liu expressed this idea which she suddenly came up
with, while she was talking with Ning Xueyan. Of course, this idea
would not make Ning Zu’an lose face.

It was reasonable for her to think so. Yu Lian was the First Maid of
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, and had been in charge of the people of
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard before. Besides, after she became the
concubine, she would be one of the masters of Lord Protector’s Manor.
Then it would be normal for her, to help Ning Xueyan manage
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. Furthermore, since she became the
concubine in such an unseemly way, she would have to pay more
attention in managing Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, so as to prevent the
other maids from doing the same thing.

In this way, they could prevent things like this from happening again!

“That would be okay…” After thinking for a moment, Madam Dowager

understood Madam Dowager Liu’s meaning, and nodded. Yu Lian would
only be a concubine, whom Madam Dowager would not take seriously.
“But someone has to inform Madam Ling…”

If they did not inform Madam Ling, this matter would not be justifiable.
The concubine was also Ning Zu’an’s wife, so Yu Lian had to serve tea
to Madam Ling. Only in this way could Yu Lian become a perfectly
justifiable concubine. But now Madam Ling was still in Buddha Hall.
She would make trouble again, if she knew that Ning Zu’an was going to
promote Yu Lian to be a concubine.

Madam Dowager Liu disliked Madam Ling. She snorted and said, “It’s
her own fault. She didn’t choose a good maid. No one else is to blame!”

That was to say like master, like maid!

“Grandaunt, it’s not mother’s fault. n.o.body expected that the maid
would do such a thing!” Ning Xueyan managed to persuade Madam
Dowager Liu, over time. But no one saw the strange look flashing in her
eyes.

Wasn’t Madam Ling always so tolerant? Now her maid had betrayed her
and seduced Ning Zu’an. Ning Xueyan was looking forward to see how
much she was able to endure.

Ning Xueyan’s words did not comfort Madam Dowager Liu, but aroused
Madam Dowager’s anger, instead. “She neither chose good maids, nor
taught her daughters well. I do not think she is decent. I’ll ask someone
to inform her. Zu’an is a marquis, he doesn’t need her approval when he
decides to promote someone to be his concubine!”

When she thought about Ning Yuling, who she had cultivated with great
care, had come to such an end, because of her misbehavior, and also had
been disfigured due to Madam Ling’s slap, Madam Dowager was very
angry and hated Madam Ling. She angrily said these words, with a
gloomy face.

“Grandmother, mother is the marchioness anyway. It won’t be good if

she makes trouble. So we’d better ask someone who is close to her, to
inform her in a euphemistic way!” Ning Xueyan advised.

“We need not look for someone who is close to her. Just ask someone to
inform her. If she had spent all her wisdom on her daughters daily, since
she came to Lord Protector’s Manor, her daughter would not have been
so foolish, so that a good marriage has been destroyed. Now she was still
staring at Zu’an’s affairs. Is this the att.i.tude that the Legal Wife should
have?”

The more Madam Dowager spoke, the angrier she became, and she even
started gasping, due to her anger.

Madam Dowager Liu did not say anything, for a while. Although she
was an elder, she lodged at Lord Protector’s Manor and could not
criticize Madam Ling too much. She took the tea from Mother Qin,
handed it to Madam Dowager and tried to calm her, saying “Sister, forget
it. Harmony brings wealth. We should be harmonious, so that outsiders
can’t laugh at us.”
Madam Dowager took the tea and drank it, to calm down. Although she
knew that Madam Dowager Liu’s words were reasonable, she still could
not calm down, whenever she thought about Madam Ling. She took a
deep breath, and coldly ordered Xiangmiao, who was standing aside.

“Xiangmiao, ask Concubine Xu to inform Madam Ling that the marquis

will have one more concubine, and then bring the new concubine to
Buddha Hall, to serve tea to Madam Ling. Let’s not make anyone lose
face.”

Among the several concubines in Lord Protector’s Manor, Concubine Xu

was the one closest to Madam Ling. She used to be Madam Ling’s
personal maid. No one was closer to Madam Ling than her!

Because of Madam Dowager Liu’s words, Madam Dowager swallowed

her pride and agreed to find a suitable person to talk to Madam Ling,
about this matter.

“Yes, I’ll tell Concubine Xu now!” Looking at Madam Dowager’s face,

Xiangmiao knew that she was really angry. Although she thought that it
was not proper to ask Concubine Xu to inform Madam Ling, she dared
not disobey Madam Dowager. Madam Dowager was in a bad mood, and
Xiangmiao would be punished if she disobeyed her, in front of so many
people.

Xiangmiao hurriedly nodded, and left.

Looking at Xiangmiao’s back, Ning Xueyan had a light and cold smile
on her face.

Concubine Xu was indeed the right person to talk to Madam Ling. But
now what she was about to inform Madam Ling was the matter regarding
Yu Lian and Ning Zu’an. Strictly speaking, what happened to Concubine
Xu and Ning Zu’an was exactly the same as what happened to Yu Lian
and Ning Zu’an. After she became Ning Zu’an’s concubine, Concubine
Xu stooped to compromise, and dared not disobey Madam Ling, as if she
was still a maid.

So she could have a daughter!

But this was true before Ning Lingyun grabbed Ning Yuling’s fiance.
Now, maybe Madam Ling could not help getting angry as soon as she
saw Concubine Xu, let alone Concubine Xu informing her about the
marriage between Yu Lian and Ning Zu’an.

The reason why Ning Xueyan deliberately added fuel to the fire, was
because she wanted to push Concubine Xu to Madam Ling.

Ning Xueyan stopped thinking about it, and watched Madam Dowager
and Madam Dowager Liu chatting for a while. Then she showed Madam
Dowager the account books and asked some key questions, from time to
time, which satisfied Madam Dowager. She increasingly liked this little
granddaughter in front of her, and her livid face relaxed.

Madam Dowager thought that this granddaughter was so smart and

beautiful, and maybe would have a bright future. So she had to make a
better plan. The Third Prince was likely to ascend the throne in the
future, but the Fourth Prince was also powerful. She had to choose a
fiance for Ning Xueyan, carefully, in line with the interests of Lord
Protector’s Manor.

So she became more and more patient with Ning Xueyan.

Madam Dowager disclosed all she knew, when Ning Xueyan asked, and
Madam Dowager Liu also said something, from time to time. It was
harmonious and happy for a moment!

When they were talking, Madam Dowager heard that Concubine Xu

wanted to see her. She put down the account books with displeasure, and
said to Xiangmiao who came in to report, “What’s the matter this time?
Has she gone to First Madam’s place, already?”

Xiangmiao hesitated for a moment and replied, “Not yet. Madam

Dowager, Concubine Xu said she wants to talk to you, first.” She thought
that Concubine Xu was really not sensible. She had told her not to come
to Lucky Garden at this time. But Concubine Xu said she had to tell
Madam Dowager that it was not appropriate for her to be the one, to
inform Madam Ling.

Sure enough, Madam Dowager’s face darkened and she asked unhappily,
“What’s the matter?”
“Concubine Xu said that it would be inappropriate for her to inform the
First Madam!” Xiangmiao hesitated for a while, as she looked at Madam
Dowager’s face. Madam Dowager did not allow Concubine Xu to come
in, which meant that she did not want to see Concubine Xu.

Thinking that Concubine Xu dared to doubt her, Madam Dowager was

very angry. She pounded heavily on the table and shouted angrily,
“Inappropriate? Why is it inappropriate? She’s just a concubine, how
dare she be so hypercritical?”

“No… no. Concubine Xu said…” Xiangmiao was scared and hurried to

explain. She wanted to say that Concubine Xu used to be First Madam’s
maid, and later became Ning Zu’an’s concubine. First Madam would be
angry if Concubine Xu went to inform First Madam.

“Xiangmiao, tell Concubine Xu not to go against grandmother’s wishes.

She’ll just have to go and inform mother. Mother won’t do anything to
her. Tell her to go.” Ning Xueyan interrupted Xiangmiao, smiled, and
asked her to persuade Concubine Xu, not to make Madam Dowager
angry.

But in fact, Ning Xueyan was stopping Xiangmiao from explaining.

“Yes, I’ll tell her now.” Since Ning Xueyan said so, Xiangmiao glanced
at Madam Dowager’s gloomy look, dared not say more, and quickly left.

Ning Xueyan narrowed her dark jade-like eyes and secretly smiled.
Concubine Xu was indeed interesting, and should not be underestimated.
In Lord Protector’s Manor, there were a few concubines. But she was the
only one who had a daughter and raised her. She was not a simple
person.

Concubine Xu knew that Madam Ling would vent her anger on her, so
she intentionally came to Lucky Garden first. Whether Madam Dowager
saw her or not, she had visited Madam Dowager anyway. If Madam Ling
made any trouble then, it would have nothing to do with her. As long as
Madam Dowager was here, Madam Ling would not get any benefits, no
matter how much trouble she made. Maybe she would be reprimanded
by Madam Dowager. Concubine Xu took advantage of Madam
Dowager’s rebuke to deal with Madam Ling.
Ning Lingyun had used the same method to frame Ning Xueyan. But
Concubine Xu was more skillful than Ning Lingyun!

However, Ning Xueyan had no intention of exposing Concubine Xu’s

plot. After Ning Lingyun had grabbed Ning Yuling’s fiance, Madam
Ling could no longer trust Concubine Xu, and they were no longer in the
same team.

The news from Buddha Hall arrived quickly. After about 15 minutes,
Ning Xueyan heard a voice outside. Madam Dowager and Madam
Dowager Liu were talking, and neither of them paid any attention to it.
Ning Xueyan had been paying attention and heard the commotion. She
pretended to read through the account books carefully, and hid the
coldness in her eyes.

She was coming…

“Grandma, I can’t finish reading all these account books at once. So I’ll
take them back and go through them later.” Ning Xueyan raised her
head, and softly asked for permission to leave, as if she had not heard
anything.
Chapter 150 She Will Survive As
Long As She Is Smart Enough
With Madam Dowager’s permission, Ning Xueyan went out with
Lanning. On the way, she encountered Concubine Xu, whose hair was
disheveled. There was a red palm print on her swollen face, and her
clothes were in a mess. It was clear how furious Madam Ling was, just
now. Obviously, it was extremely inappropriate for Ning Xueyan, the
younger generation, to stay to see what was going to happen.

Her father’s wife and concubine had competed and fought, something
she could not interfere with. If she stayed to see what was going to
happen, everyone would be embarra.s.sed. One of the reasons that
Madam Dowager did not allow Concubine Xu to come in just now, was
because of Ning Xueyan’s presence.

So Ning Xueyan took the initiative to leave. She was so insightful that
Madam Dowager and Madam Dowager Liu were satisfied.

Madam Dowager waved her hand and allowed her to leave.

However, Ning Xueyan would inevitably encounter Concubine Xu, who

was walking in, just as she was leaving.

The aggrieved and frightened Concubine Xu was wiping away her tears
with a handkerchief with one hand, while holding an older female
servant’s hand, with the other. Seeing Ning Xueyan approaching, she
stopped immediately and greeted Ning Xueyan, “Fifth Young Lady!”

Ning Xueyan scrutinized Concubine Xu’s face and saw the obvious palm
print and tear marks on her face. Looking at how aggrieved and delicate
Concubine Xu was, Ning Xueyan pretended to be puzzled and asked,
“Concubine Xu, what happened to you? Didn’t you go to see my
mother?”

Everyone knew that Concubine Xu had visited Madam Ling just now.
Soon, Concubine Xu came back looking like this. It must be Madam
Ling’s work, but n.o.body dared to say more.

“Fifth… Fifth Young Lady…” Concubine Xu could not hold back her
tears anymore and cried, while covering her face with her handkerchief.
It seemed that she was suddenly asked about her grievance. “First
Madam… First Madam… she’s going to kill Yu Lian!”

Ning Xueyan’s face darkened and she shouted, “Don’t talk nonsense.
Mother is not like that!”

“It’s… it’s true. First Madam, First Madam asked me to call Yu Lian. I
didn’t call, so…” Concubine Xu cried and sobbed so much, that she
could not speak. The fear in her eyes could not be hidden. She stretched
out her other hand to Ning Xueyan, all the while trembling. Only then
did everyone see that there were cuts on Concubine Xu’s other hand,
which were made by porcelain scratches.

All the servants were shocked.

Ning Xueyan nodded, in her mind. Concubine Xu was indeed clever. She
showed her wounded hands, and complained about Madam Ling, after
she came back from Buddha Hall, which made everyone believe that she
had been beaten by Madam Ling. Besides, she specially came to Lucky
Garden, before she went to Buddha Hall, so that everyone knew that she
had gone to Buddha Hall.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Grandma’s waiting for you.” Ning Xueyan warned
Concubine Xu and moved aside to let Concubine Xu in. Since she had
expressed that she did not want to get involved in this matter, she could
not talk too much to Concubine Xu, at this time. Fortunately, her present
goal had been achieved. Then she looked at the big tree outside the
courtyard.

Concubine Xu cried so loudly just now, that everyone could hear and see
what was happening, clearly.

“Yes… I’ll report to Madam Dowager.” Concubine Xu did not talk to

Ning Xueyan any longer. She nodded to Ning Xueyan before leaving and
walked in, all the while holding on to the older female servant’s hands,
with tears on her aggrieved face.
Ning Xueyan continued walking out of the courtyard. Instead of going
directly back to the Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan went to another
remote road, after leaving Lucky Garden. On one side of the road, there
was a small rockery, beside which there were several big trees. The
leaves had withered and the trees looked decayed.

Ning Xueyan walked for a while, and stopped. She stood in front of the
rockery. She glanced at Lanning obliquely, and winked at her, a smile
appearing in her cold, teary eyes.

People at the gate of Lucky Garden could not look in, because their view
was blocked by rockeries and tree trunks. Ning Xueyan and Lanning
turned at a corner.

Lanning, who had served Ning Xueyan for a long time, immediately
understood Ning Xueyan’s meaning. She took several steps forward and
intentionally asked in disbelief, “Young Lady, did First Madam really
beat Concubine Xu?”

Ning Xueyan coldly said, “Do you think Concubine Xu dares to slander
my mother? She’s just a concubine and only has one daughter. Can she
be compared to my mother?” She looked up at the tree top and narrowed
her eyes, as if she was attracted to the big tree in front of her.

Without children, a concubine could never be promoted, no matter how

much she was favored. She was doomed to be inferior to the Legal Wife.

The person hiding behind the rockery trembled, and bit her handkerchief,
hard.

Lanning still did not understand and asked again, “Just like Concubine
Ma?”

Yu Lian, the person behind the rockery, trembled. Concubine Ma used to

be the favorite concubine of Ning Zu’an who spent most of his days
sleeping with her. But after the last incident, Ning Zu’an seldom went to
Concubine Ma’s place to rest.

Ning Xueyan coldly said, “Look at those concubines in the manor, only
Concubine Xu gave birth to a daughter. All of the rest have no children.
Concubine Ma is the same now. She does not have a child. Such
concubines would die alone, even though they are favored by my father,
for some time!”

Ning Zu’an owned many concubines. But the fact that only one
concubine had given birth to a daughter, was strange!

Yu Lian, who was hiding behind the rockery, was transfixed, when she
heard those words!

Her happiness, because she had successfully seduced Ning Zu’an,

disappeared and she felt cold now. Yes, she still might live an unhappy
life in the future, even if First Madam had to agree to promote her to the
status of concubine, because of the present situation. Yu Lian knew
something about Concubine Ma’s affair. She heard that First Madam had
secretly asked someone to give Concubine Ma medication that made it
impossible for her to conceive.

A woman became somebody’s concubine, but could not have any

children. Could she still have any future?

When she was old and ugly, she would be forgotten and thrown into the
womenfolk courtyard. Maybe she would not even know how she would
die in the end!

When she thought about that, Yu Lian could not help trembling.
Originally, she came to Lucky Garden to inquire about something.
Unexpectedly, she found out that Concubine Xu, who had gone to inform
Madam Ling, had been beaten by Madam Ling. She heard it clearly just
now. Madam Ling not only beat Concubine Xu, but also scratched her
hands. Yu Lian felt really scared, as soon as she thought of Madam
Ling’s fierce and vicious eyes.

She was still young, and did not want to die. She also did not want to be
childless in the future, and be tortured to death by Madam Ling, after she
lost Ning Zu’an’s love!

“Does that mean that even if Yu Lian won’t die this time, and the First
Madam agrees to promote her to be a concubine, First Madam will never
spare her and she’ll eventually come to a bad end, like Concubine Ma?”
Lanning asked one question after another, and Yu Lian was eager to find
out the answers. She kept silent, and dared not make a sound, trying to
hear their conversation.

Concubine Xu had gone to inform Madam Ling, but was severely beaten
by Madam Ling, which just showed how much Madam Ling hated Yu
Lian. Besides, Concubine Xu also said that Madam Ling wanted to kill
Yu Lian. When she thought about that, Yu Lian was frightened and was
no longer happy, because she would become the concubine.

“It won’t be. As long as she’s smart, there’s always a way for her to
survive.” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly, but did not tell all she knew,
which made Yu Lian uncomfortable and eager to know the way.

Lanning asked, “Young Lady, how can she survive? She annoyed the
First Madam who is in charge of the womenfolk courtyard. Although
First Madam is not allowed to leave the Buddha Hall, she will eventually
leave, one day. After all, the Eldest Young Master is the only son of
marquis!”

Lanning had served Ning Xueyan for a long time. Of course, she knew
that Ning Xueyan would not say something like that, without a purpose.
So she continued to talk about this topic. She did not move and only
focused on Ning Xueyan, as if she really wanted to know.

Ning Xueyan brought her gaze back from the top of the tree, and took a
look at the cave of the rockery, on the other side.

It was quiet there and only the sound of the wind could be heard. If Ning
Xueyan had not seen Yu Lian sneaking into the cave of the rockery from
the back of the tree before, she would not have thought that there was
someone hiding in the rockery.

“Big brother is the only son of father. Everything of Lord Protector’s

Manor will be his. But now it’s father, who is in charge, anyway!” Ning
Xueyan rolled her eyes and said those meaningful words. She did not
express her meaning, clearly.

Marquis? This reminded Yu Lian. As long as the Eldest Young Master

was not in power, marquis was the master of the whole Lord Protector’s
Manor.
Ning Xueyan went on saying, “As long as Yu Lian is smart enough, and
makes father aware of her grievance and fear, my father will protect her.
After all, she’s so beautiful and also the new person.”

Lanning shook her head blankly. “I still don’t understand. Young Lady,
what does Yu Lian have to do?”

This was also what Yu Lian wanted to ask. She held her breath and dared
not gasp. Now she urgently wanted to know what she should do to make
the marquis take pity on her, and protect her from being harmed by First
Madam. As soon as she thought that she would not be able to have any
children in the future, because of First Madam, she trembled in fear. She
was going to stop it.

She seduced marquis because she wanted honor and wealth, not because
she wanted to die alone, or come to a bad end.

“Mother is now in the Buddha Hall. Just now, she beat up Concubine Xu.
One can tell that she is really angry. When she is confined in Buddha
Hall, her personal maid and her husband betrayed her. Generally
speaking, father will inevitably feel sorry for mother. So if mother is
mighty and puts forward her intention to have Yu Lian sterilized, it’s
highly possible that my father will agree.”

Ning Xueyan’s voice was not loud, but what she said, shocked Yu Lian,
like a huge clap of thunder. She almost spat out blood, and her whole
body turned cold!

Fifth Young Lady guessed right!

Yu Lian thought of what marquis had said to her last night. Marquis also
wanted Yu Lian to stoop to compromise. After all, they had betrayed
Madam Ling. They should let Madam Ling vent her anger and be happy.
“Does it mean that marquis won’t say no when First Madam says she
wants to have me sterilized? No, I don’t want that!”

Yu Lian firmly grasped the sharp rock of the rockery, and did not care
that the sharp stone would scratch her palm!

Yu Lian gritted her teeth and understood Ning Xueyan’s meaning.

Marquis felt guilty and she might end up being the victim. How could Yu
Lian, who had just won the favor of Ning Zu’an, endure that?

She did not want to give in!

“What can she do?” Today, Lanning asked those questions, as if she was
in Yu Lian’s shoes and Yu Lian was also eager to know the answer. Yu
Lian tried to calm down, so as to be able to clearly hear every word Ning
Xueyan said.

She had a feeling that the next words would be very important to her!
Chapter 151 How to Deal with the
Old Lover and the New Lover
“She can visit my mother. My mother is angry now and even beat
Concubine Xu who had nothing to do with this matter, not to mention
her. She has to ask for my mother’s forgiveness, and must neither fight
back nor swear. The more badly she is beaten, the better it will be. She
can also kneel at the entrance of Buddha Hall,” Ning Xueyan gave a look
at the sky and continued, “It’s not early now, my father will be back
soon…”

The meaning of this remark was immediately understood by the three

people present. Yu Lian was shocked by that. After she thought about it,
a great ecstasy emerged from her heart. Yes, she still had a chance.

“Marquis feels guilty about First Madam, mainly because he is not

allowed, by First Madam, to be with me. But if I am beaten half dead by
First Madam and kneel outside the Buddha Hall, how much guilt will he
feel, then?” Yu Lian thought in her mind.

After last night, Yu Lian clearly knew that Ning Zu’an was very
interested in her body, now.

Looking at Ning Xueyan and Lanning, who were walking slowly in front
of her, Yu Lian had an idea. She turned around and came out from the
other side of the rockery, while lifting her skirt. She took a look at the
sky, and then quickly walked to another path. She had to rush to Buddha
Hall to beg for First Madam’s forgiveness, before marquis came back.

“Young Lady, will she go and visit the First Madam?” Although Lanning
was walking ahead, she had been concerned about the situation behind
them. Seeing a shadow flash by, she knew that the person was not there
anymore. Lanning was always smart. After listening to Ning Xueyan,
and thinking about it, she already knew who the one, behind the rockery
was.
“Yes, she will. Now, not only glory and wealth, but also her life, is of
vital importance!” Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes, and there was a trace
of coldness in it. She sneered in her mind.

If Yu Lian had been pursuing glory and wealth before, now, she was
going to work for her own life and future. After seeing Concubine Xu
being so severely beaten and thinking about Concubine Ma’s life now,
how could she not panic? How could she not strive in desperation?

It was up to Ning Zu’an now, how to deal with his old and new lover.

With Yu Lian to stir things up, Madam Ling’s relationship with Ning
Zu’an would deteriorate further, even if she left Buddha Hall.

Since she was doomed to be Madam Ling’s deadly enemy, she had to
decisively and fiercely deal with Madam Ling, and weaken her power!

Ning Xueyan stopped, took over the account books in Lanning’s hands,
and said, “Lanning, you go back first, then go outside to see if my father
is back. When he comes, lead him directly to Buddha Hall.” She would
certainly do some things to add fuel to the fire.

All of a sudden, Ning Xueyan stared coldly in front of her.

She took a deep breath and suppressed her hatred and anger.

In front of them was a pavilion, which was surrounded by sunshine and

looked warm. A tall and handsome man was standing there, looking at
Ning Xueyan with calmness, elegance, and with a smile on his face. The
beautiful woman sitting next to him, was Ning Ziyan.

“When did they arrive?” She was not aware about it!

Nevertheless, it was the right time for them to come today.

Lanning felt the tension and asked uneasily, “Young Lady, are you
okay?”

“Go ahead, I’m okay. I will go and talk to my eldest sister and eldest
brother-in-law!” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and covered up the
coldness on her face. Her smile was mixed with a great hatred towards
them, and seemed to have the smell of blood. And this kind of hatred
suffused her breath.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan had returned to normal, Lanning felt a little
relieved. She turned around and hurried to Bright Frost Garden. She was
still a little worried about Ning Xueyan, but she had to ask Xinmei to pay
attention to what Yu Lian was going to do. Otherwise, her Young Lady
would not know about the situation at Madam Dowager’s place, and
Buddha Hall, at the same time.

Lanning had no good feelings toward the two people, who had betrayed
Ning Ziying.

Therefore, she was worried about Ning Xueyan’s safety.

“Fifth Sister, you came from grandmother’s courtyard. Did you go to

there to speak on behalf of mother, to ask grandmother to release her?
There is no hostess in the manor now, so the servants do not conform to
rules. Yuhang and I have been here for some time, but n.o.body came to
serve us.” Seeing Ning Xueyan coming, Ning Ziyan stood up and walked
to her.

This was the first time that she returned to Lord Protector’s Manor, after
she lost her baby.

Her expression was natural, as if she had never framed Ning Xueyan.

She was blaming Ning Xueyan for not helping Madam Ling. As for
n.o.body serving them, in fact n.o.body dared to do so. Ning Xueyan
smiled lightly and replied, “Sister, you must be joking. It is grandmother
and father’s orders, how would I dare to disobey? Sister and brother, are
you here today, because of this matter?”

Ning Ziyan did not expect Ning Xueyan to tell them directly, that she
could not help Madam Ling, and also to ask if they had come to help
Madam Ling. She was surprised and malice appeared in her eyes.

“Mother is right. Ning Xueyan is not simple. I have to get rid of her, as
soon as possible.” But Ning Ziyan was married and could not live in
Lord Protector’s Manor all the time. Besides, Madam Dowager
increasingly favored Ning Xueyan. So she could not get rid of Ning
Xueyan so easily.

Xia Yuhang smiled lightly, while scrutinizing Ning Xueyan. Then he

pointed to the stone bench in the pavilion and said, “Today we came
here, mainly to see mother. Although it’s father and grandmother’s
orders, we as the younger generation, cannot let her be alone in Buddha
hall.”

“Fifth Sister, let’s sit down and have a talk.”

Xia Yuhang could not take part in the next Spring Metropolitan
Examination, but his expression looked unchanged. He was still gentle
and elegant, as if that matter was not important at all. But Ning Xueyan
knew Xia Yuhang well. It was such a blow to Xia Yuhang, almost a fatal
blow. How could he not care?

Recently, things had been happening in Lord Protector’s Manor, one

after another. But there was no reaction from Xia Manor. Maybe that was
the reason.

So the reason why he and Ning Ziyan were here today, would not be that
simple!

What was the reason for their sudden and secret visit to Lord Protector’s
Manor?

Her mind was full of doubts, but she did not show any of it on her face,
and nodded calmly. Since the two were well prepared, Ning Xueyan
would certainly not be able to walk away. This was the Lord Protector’s
Manor, many people came and went, around them, and they were close
to Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden. Ning Xueyan did not believe they
would dare to do anything to her.

“Obedience is better than politeness.” Ning Xueyan replied in a natural

and graceful way. Then she went to the pavilion, following behind Xia
Yuhang and Ning Ziyan!

There was a pot of tea and three cups on the table. Sure enough, they
were well prepared. Seeing that, Ning Xueyan had a slight sneer on her
face. Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan were still so hypocritical. They were
well-prepared, but had pretended that they met her by chance. From the
three steaming cups of tea, it could be deduced that the tea had been
poured, a few minutes ago.

Xia Yuhang poured a cup of tea for Ning Xueyan, and pushed it to her.
Ning Xueyan took the tea, but she did not drink it. She held it in her hand
and her tender little finger caught the handle of the cup. Then she
touched it slightly.

Ning Ziyan was too impatient to wait and hurried to ask, “Fifth Sister,
what happened to Second Sister? Why is the Maquis of Ping’an
involved?”

Recently, there were also many unpleasant things happening in Xia

Manor. Ning Ziyan lost her baby, Chen Hexiang became Xia Yuhang’s
concubine, and Xia Yuhang could not take part in the next Spring
Metropolitan Examination. Ning Ziyan had a bad time in Xia Manor.
Fortunately, Xia Yuhang treated her better.

Xia Yuhang had been very indifferent to Ning Ziyan, when they first got
married, but now he was kind and gentle to her, which was almost the
same as when they were not married. So even though Madam Xia was
not satisfied with Ning Ziyan, Ning Ziyan recovered very quickly, under
the care of Xia Yuhang. As for the little b.i.t.c.h, Xia Yuhang had not
visited her for a long time, which was also the reason why Ning Ziyan
was in a good mood.

What happened to Ning Yuling was so fast, that she was sent away, even
before Ning Ziyan had time to react. And the core of Madam Ling’s
message was not to Ning Yuling. Madam Ling only told Ning Ziyan that
she should come up with an idea to get rid of Ning Xueyan, and also said
that Ning Xueyan had something to do with Ning Ziying. She even said
that Ning Xueyan knew something about what they had done before.

This caused Ning Ziyan to pay attention to it.

Ning Xueyan calmly said, “I’m also not clear about what happened to
Second Sister. It’s was decided by grandmother and father.”

“Why don’t you know? Weren’t you there at that time? Don’t you care
about your sister at all? Such a big thing happened, but you know
nothing about it.” Ning Ziyan, as the eldest sister, reprimanded Ning
Xueyan, with a cold face.

Although Ning Ziyan’s voice was not loud, her words were sharp.
Obviously, her meaning was that Ning Xueyan was cold-blooded, and
did not care about her biological sister.

As soon as her voice became a little louder, several maids and older
female servants pa.s.sing by the front intersection, looked over.

It was nearest to Lucky Garden, so almost all of the people pa.s.sing by,
were the servants from Lucky Garden.

How could Ning Xueyan not understand Ning Ziyan’s meaning?

Coldness flashed in her dark jade-like eyes. Sure enough, they came here
today to make trouble for Ning Xueyan. As long as Ning Xueyan made a
mistake, they would slander her and report her mistake to Madam
Dowager.

Ning Xueyan, with a puzzled face, looked up and asked, “Sister, I don’t
understand your words. Do you mean that you are not satisfied with
grandma and father’s disposal? But as a younger generation, I can’t
interfere in this kind of matter.”

Ning Ziyan did not expect Ning Xueyan to be so straightforward. She

had inadvertently fallen into a disadvantageous position. But she could
not say that Ning Xueyan was wrong. Ning Xueyan could not disobey
Madam Dowager. Could she disobey? Ning Xueyan was depressed at the
moment, and sneered, “Fifth Sister, you really have the gift of the gab.
No wonder Mother is confined in Buddha Hall and Second Sister was
sent away. Now you’re the most powerful one in the manor!”

“Sister, your words today, are strange. Isn’t grandmother the most
powerful one in this manor? Do you think that mother is the most
powerful one? It’s unfilial. Even father has to listen to grandmother!”
Ning Xueyan had a slight smile on her face as she counterattacked.

Her face was too pale, and her inky eyes were more prominent. They
looked deep and naturally charming. But if you looked carefully, you
would find that they had a bone-engraved chilliness to it. The two
temperaments should not happen at the same time, but strangely enough,
when combined, it formed a kind of unspeakable beauty!

Ning Xueyan’s little finger, which was hooked on the handle of the cup,
carelessly touched the cup.

Xia Yuhang had been observing Ning Xueyan. He did not believe what
Ning Ziyan said, in his mind. He had inquired about it. Ning Xueyan had
never seen Ning Ziying. It could be said that there was no relationship
between them. But when he saw Ning Xueyan catching the handle of the
cup, with her white and tender little finger and gently touching the cup,
he was very shocked and his eyes widened at once…
Chapter 152 Do You Know Ning
Ziying Who Lived in Cloud
Reflection Courtyard?
“Fifth Sister, do you know Ning Ziying who lived in Cloud Reflection
Courtyard?” Xia Yuhang suddenly asked Ning Xueyan while staring at
her keenly, studying her facial expressions.

Ning Xueyan was confused at first, then smiled faintly and said, “Eldest
brother-in-law, you also know Sister Ziying? I heard that she died the
night before you got married. I wonder what she was depressed over and
why she drowned herself in the lake. She died without a burial place!
Alas, it’s so terrible!”

Ning Ziying drowned in the lotus pond. Watching the water stained red
with her own blood, she suffocated to death. And the murderers were in
front of her now. Ning Xueyan felt the blood gushing again and unaware
of it, there was an ice-cold vicious look in her eyes. Then she bend her
head slightly to hide the hatred.

“Fifth Sister, grandmother already said that we mustn’t talk about Sister
Ziying.” Ning Ziyan turned pale.

Ning Xueyan looked up and said with a nonchalant smile, “Eldest Sister,
what are you afraid of? We only gossip about it. We have nothing to do
with Sister Ziying’s death. Even if Sister Ziying died with a grievance,
she would not take revenge on us.” By now, she had regained her look of
indifference.

Xia Yuhang closed his mouth tightly and felt sad in his heart. That gentle
and beautiful woman who always followed him and wholeheartedly
loved him would never come back! The smile on Xia Yuhang’s
constantly calm face gradually disappeared. He gave a cold and
meaningful look at Ning Ziyan.
“Stop talking!” Ning Ziyan reacted violently. She unconsciously
shrieked and stopped Ning Xueyan from saying more. Her face was pale
and fear flashed in her eyes.

Instead of stopping Ning Xueyan, the shrill cry made her turn and ask
curiously, “Eldest Sister, what’s wrong with you? What we are talking
about now is Sister Ziying. I heard that she was a kind person. Even if
she died, she will not take revenge on innocent people. Good and evil
will always be rewarded, it’s only a question of time. It’s only those who
harmed her who have to be afraid!”

Good and evil will always be rewarded, it was only a question of time.

Ning Xueyan’s voice was gentle and low. But to Ning Ziyan, those
words hit her like a giant hammer. She had lost her child. First she
blamed it on Chen Hexiang, and then on the ghosts and gods. Now she
suddenly felt that it was Ning Ziying who came to take revenge on her
and took her child away. After all, she had a secret affair with Xia
Yuhang and got pregnant when Ning Ziying was still alive.

Ning Ziyan stared at Ning Xueyan, and seemed to see the familiar mild
jade-like eyes suddenly became cold and bloodthirsty, almost
swallowing her up. She subconsciously screamed as she flailed her
hands, “No… it’s not… It’s not me…”

Xia Yuhang gave her a tight slap, which stopped her and also sobered her
up.

“Ziyan, what’s the matter? Are you having a nightmare?” Xia Yuhang’s
face darkened as he stared coldly at Ning Ziyan without smiling. Seeing
Xia Yuhang like that, Ning Ziyan dared not say a word, but murmured,
“I… I’m afraid that…”

“What are you afraid of? Even if you have been on good terms in the
past and you blame yourself for her death, you can’t lose your mind. You
can worship her when we go back. She’s dead and her soul has gone to
Hades. What can we do about it?”

Xia Yuhang spoke in a restrained manner. At the same time, he explained

to Ning Xueyan why Ning Ziyan suddenly forgot herself.
“I… I feel so sad and guilty as soon as I think of Sister Ziying’s death. If
I had noticed earlier that she wasn’t her normal self, maybe she would
not have died.” Ning Ziyan had sobered up at this time. She explained
while smiling stiffly. But her pale face told Ning Xueyan that she had not
really gotten over Ning Ziying’s death.

Ning Ziyan did not regret killing Ning Ziying. She lost her child recently,
which made her feel that it was Ning Ziying’s revenge, so she was
afraid…

Ning Xueyan looked away and did not ask. She could feel Xia Yuhang
watching her suspiciously. If she went on, the shrewd Xia Yuhang might
start suspecting her.

“Eldest Sister and Eldest Brother-in-law, since you’re here, let’s go and
visit mother together!” Ning Xueyan stood up and suggested while
blinking her dark-jade eyes.

“No matter what they are here for today, I’ll let them witness Madam
Ling’s disgrace together!”

Ning Xueyan turned her head and mockery was all over her face.

Yu Lian respectfully knelt at the entrance of Buddha Hall, sobbing as she

spoke. Although her voice was not loud, it still attracted the attention of
Madam Ling who was in the Buddha Hall.

“First Madam, it’s… it’s my fault. Please… please don’t blame Marquis.
You can scold and beat me how much you want, as long as you don’t
blame marquis.” Yu Lian lowered her head, her face was pale and the
tears which filled her eyes were falling in droplets. She looked so pitiful.

Some maids and older female servants who were passing by, stopped,
wondering what Yu Lian, who was said to be promoted as a concubine,
was doing.

In the Buddha Hall, Madam Ling was gasping in anger. Concubine Xu

had come and said that Ning Zu’an liked Yu Lian and wanted her to
agree to promote Yu Lian to a concubine. Madam Ling immediately
burst into anger. She rumpled Concubine Xu’s long hair and fiercely
slapped her.
“Bitch! Both of them are bitches!”

Yu Lian’s words reminded her that Concubine Xu and Ning Zu’an also
got together like that.

Concubine Xu used to be Madam Ling’s maid and came to Lord

Protector’s Manor with Madam Ling when Madam Ling got married.
Originally, Concubine Xu was going to be sent to Ning Zu’an, but
Madam Ling didn’t agree. One night, Ning Zu’an got drunk and the two
slept together. Because of this, Madam Ling argued with Ning Zu’an and
almost beat Concubine Xu to death.

After that, Concubine Xu knelt at the door of Madam Ling’s room for a
day and a night before she finally fainted. In the end, Madam Dowager
showed up and asked Madam Ling to forgive them. In this way,
Concubine Xu was really sent to Ning Zu’an. At that time, Madam Ling
was not the First Madam and had to deal with Madam Ming. Therefore,
she could only accept Madam Dowager’s suggestion even though she
hated Concubine Xu very much.

Afterwards, in order to please Ning Zu’an, Madam Ling had to put on a

smiling face!

Fortunately, Concubine Xu was sensible. After that, she respected

Madam Ling more and prioritized her. When Madam Ling dealt with
Madam Ming, she also firmly supported Madam Ling. All of this made
Madam Ling a little bit reassured and feel less guarded against her.

In any case, this was her disgrace. Unexpectedly, after many years, this
not only happened again, but even Concubine Xu was sent to tell her.
Madam Ling was no longer the same as she used to be. She had already
been the First Madam. It was more serious to see such a thing happen
again than to be slapped.

Furthermore, Yu Lian’s background was the same as Concubine Xu. This

matter brought shame on Madam Ling.

Therefore, she beat Concubine Xu and drove her out!

No sooner had Madam Ling calmed down because of Mother Chen’s

conciliation than she heard Yu Lian’s voice outside. Then Madam Ling
burst into anger again. “Beg me to forgive marquis and punish her only?
What does she mean? It seems that I’m going to do something to Ning
Zu’an.” Madam Ling could not control her hatred anymore. She reached
for the platform in front of the Buddha and took a candle that was as
thick as a baby’s arm.

Then she stood up and rushed out. Mother Chen who was standing on
one side could not stop Madam Ling, so she had to follow her out.

On seeing Madam Ling, Yu Lian trembled in fear. She had been fearful
of Madam Ling all along. She had mustered all her courage to rush here
earlier. Now she was really scared. But she calmed down at once, when
she thought of the awful consequences if she didn’t settle the matter
today.

Yu Lian raised her tearful little face, and looked at Madam Ling as she
begged, “First Madam, please… please forgive Marquis. I… I’m willing
to take the whole blame.”

Looking at Yu Lian’s charming young face, Madam Ling drew near

wordlessly and slapped her. Yu Lian was unable to kneel anymore. She
directly sat down on the ground and the corner of her mouth started to
bleed.

“Bitch, you’re just my dog. How dare you say that when you see me? Do
you think that you’re going to be the concubine after serving marquis all
night?” Madam Ling fiercely scolded Yu Lian while holding a candle
with one hand and pointing Yu Lian with the other.

Yu Lian felt the sting on her face. She reached up her with her hand and
touched blood. A gleam of hatred flashed in her eyes. Who’d have
thought that Madam Ling would be so fierce? “You wanted me to marry
a fool and ignored my objection. Do you really consider me a fool?”

“You promised me that I would have a bright future. So it turns out to be

a lie.”

Suddenly, Yu Lian rushed over with great courage and held Madam
Ling’s foot in her arms. She loudly cried while tightly holding Madam
Ling’s foot, “First Madam, beat me to death. As long as you forgive
Marquis, I’m ready to die!”
Yu Lian had already seen the thick candle in Madam Ling’s hands. It
appeared that Madam Ling was going to beat her with this candle. If she
was beaten by this candle, she would certainly faint. So she decided to
take the initiative to gain the upper hand. She suddenly rushed over and
held Madam Ling’s foot. Madam Ling almost fell down and she
inadvertently kicked her.

Shouting at the same time, “Whore, you’re a whore!”

Yu Lian cried loudly while pulling Madam Ling’s foot hard, which made
Madam Ling almost lost her balance. Mother Chen, standing on one side,
hurried to support Madam Ling and help her kick Yu Lian who then
uttered mournful cries. Others were shocked by that and looked at each
other, not knowing what to do next.

A few quick-witted servants turned and ran out to report it to Madam

Dowager!

Yu Lian took hold of Madam Ling and shook her till she was dizzy. After
stabilizing herself by holding Mother Chen’s hands, Madam Ling was
very angry and wanted to kill Yu Lian. She had forgotten that she was
still in the Buddha Hall. She clenched her teeth and shouted fiercely,
“Take her away and beat her to death!”

Then she raised the candle in her hands and beat Yu Lian mercilessly.

Seeing that Madam Ling held up the candle in her hands, Yu Lian knew
she was in trouble. She quickly let go of Madam Ling’s foot and rolled
on the ground while screaming and covering her head while Madam
Ling kicked her.

Seeing Yu Lian evading the candle made Madam Ling angrier and lost
her head. She pushed aside Mother Chen who was supporting her, raised
the candle in her hand, and rushed towards Yu Lian. “She dares behave
wildly before me! I’ll kill her today.” The fierce and vicious expression
on Madam Ling’s face made a few maids who were close to them scream
out!

Mother Chen had already seen the trouble coming and was rushing over
to stop wild Madam Ling. Unfortunately, it was too late. “Stop!” Outside
the crowd, an angry voice came.
Chapter 153 The Buddha Hall Is
Busy and Each Shows Their
Special Prowess
Hearing the familiar voice, Madam Ling sobered up suddenly and looked
out of the crowd with a pale face.

The crowd parted and Ning Zu’an, together with Ning Xueyan, Ning
Ziying and Xia Yuhang, appeared behind the crowd in a hurry.

Ning Xueyan, Ning Ziying and Xia Yuhang came across Ning Zu’an as
he was hurrying to Buddha Hall. Lanning showed up halfway and stood
beside Ning Xueyan.

Before they arrived at Buddha Hall, they already heard Yu Lian’s shrill
screams and cries pleading for Ning Zu’an from time to time, as well as
Madam Ling’s crazy roar. They could tell without looking that Madam
Ling was punishing Yu Lian. Because of what had happened the past two
nights, Ning Zu’an also felt sorry for Madam Ling.

Hence, in respect of Madam Ling, he did not report it to Madam

Dowager for the time being, letting her resolve this on her own.

If Madam Ling was magnanimous and agreed to promote Yu Lian as a

concubine, Madam Dowager could be pleased enough with Madam Ling
to allow her to leave Buddha Hall early. Contrary to expectations, Ning
Zu’an heard that Buddha Hall was in chaos as soon as he came home. At
this time, he saw the servants, young and old, craning their necks,
looking into the hall.

It was as though they were watching an entertaining show. Ning Zu’an

burst into anger when he saw that!

This matter was shameful enough to start with. And now Madam Ling
has made it known to the whole manor. Yu Lian was still begging
Madam Ling to spare her, as if he, the marquis of Lord Protector’s
Manor, could do nothing without Madam Ling. Ning Zu’an felt it
brought shame on himself.

The maids and old female servants behind the crowd saw Ning Zu’an
arriving, his face dark, and respectfully hurried to one side to make way
for him.

As soon as Ning Zu’an entered, he saw Madam Ling beating Yu Lian

with a thick candle. He instantly became furious.

Even though Yu Lian did wrong, she was also his woman now. Madam
Ling humiliated her in front of so many servants of Lord Protector’s
Manor. Did she not consider him?

“Marquis!” On hearing Ning Zu’an’s voice, Yu Lian breathed a sigh of

relief. She had been seriously beaten by Madam Ling. So when she
realized that her helper was coming, she looked up at Ning Zu’an with
tears in her eyes. Her swollen face was bloodstained, her clothes were
torn, and her hair was a mess. She looked miserable. There was no sign
of the coyness she showed last night.

With a dark face, Ning Zu’an asked, “What’s going on?”

Seeing Ning Zu’an, Madam Ling knew trouble was brewing. She rolled
her eyes, threw away the candle she was holding, and said hurriedly,
“Marquis, it’s her fault. She suddenly came here and said that she is the
concubine now and asked me to send her some jewelry and a few sets of
clothes. Now that her status is different, she made a scene when I gave
her a little reprimand. Now everyone in the court is watching.”

Madam Ling’s distortion of the truth made Yu Lian very angry. Seeing
Ning Zu’an frowning and looking at her suspiciously, Yu Lian quickly
said, “Marquis, I didn’t do that. I wouldn’t dare to. It was… it was First
Madam who beat me for no reason.”

Yu Lian cried and explained, her tears rolling from her swollen cheeks.
She could not be more miserable.

“Isn’t she my mother’s maid? Father, she… she… did she…” screamed
Ning Ziyan. She glanced at Ning Zu’an and saw his anger. Before he
started venting his fury, she grasped the opportunity to point at Yu Lian
and uttered those words, as if she had discovered something
extraordinary. She looked at Ning Zu’an and Yu Lian while covering her
mouth with a handkerchief and could not say a word because of shock.

This reminded Ning Zu’an of the shameful incident that happened to him
and Yu Lian. Once again, he slept with Legal Wife’s maid when his
Legal Wife was locked up. This actually brought shame on Madam Ling,
and he felt sorry for her. When he thought of that, Ning Zu’an’s anger
abated. Instead, he frowned and looked at Yu Lian.

“What are you doing here?” Did Yu Lian really intentionally provoke
Madam Ling? If so, Ning Zu’an would not forgive her this time.
Generally speaking, Madam Ling had been his wife for so many years.
She could not be replaced by Yu Lian overnight. Besides, she actually
made trouble before she became a concubine. Neither Madam Dowager
nor he could stand her.

Yu Lian did not expect Ning Ziyan to stand out at this crucial moment
and even say that she was sorry for Madam Ling. It gave her a shock.
Originally, she intended to take this opportunity and pretend to be
aggrieved to gain Ning Zu’an sympathy and attention. Unexpectedly,
Ning Ziyan’s words easily destroyed the image she tried to portray. Now
it seemed that the marquis was doubting her.

“I… I didn’t. Marquis, I didn’t…” Yu Lian could not think of anything.

She could only keep asking for forgiveness and weeping in fear.

Seeing Yu Lian so frightened and incoherent, Ning Xueyan came over

and gave her a hand, saying soothingly, “Don’t panic. Just explain
yourself properly. My father is right here. You just have to tell him the
truth. Don’t bother my grandmother one after another and frighten her.”

Ning Zu’an asked unhappily, “Does your grandmother already know?”

“Father, I came from grandmother’s place. Just now, Concubine Xu…”

Ning Xueyan stopped for a second and continued while pointing to Yu
Lian, “Concubine Xu looked just like that. She ran to my grandmother
with her hair disheveled. Maybe she is still crying in there now!”

Was Concubine Xu also like this?

Ning Zu’an did not understand for a moment, but when he finally
understood what Ning Xueyan meant, he immediately got so angry that
the veins on his forehead bulged. It turned out that not only Yu Lian, but
also Concubine Xu, who had always been good-tempered, had been
beaten.

Yu Lian, supported by Ning Xueyan, sobered up immediately after

hearing this. She explained while crying, “Marquis, I heard that
Concubien Xu was beaten because of me… I felt bad, so I came here to
ask for First Madam’s forgiveness, but… but First Madam did not let go
of me, and said… that Marquis was…”

Yu Lian did not finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear. Hearing
that, Ning Zu’an stared darkly at Madam Ling.

Madam Ling also raised her head at this time and stared at Ning Xueyan
with hatred. She now understood that Ning Xueyan had planned this. If it
were not for Ning Xueyan, how could Yu Lian betray her so quickly and
create such a ruckus?

Seeing that Ning Zu’an was going to vent his anger, Madam Ling cried
at once even though she wanted to kill Ning Xueyan and Yu Lian now.
She affectionately looked at Ning Zu’an and said, tears falling down
from her face, “Marquis, how can you only listen to them? I don’t know
when Concubine Xu and Yu Lian colluded with each other and came
here together to make trouble. I’ve been praying for Yuan’er here, but
they bothered me again and again and stopped me from praying. I… how
could I not be angry? Yuan’er has not been home for so long. If… if
something bad… really happened to him, I… I won’t forgive them.”

Madam Ling looked so aggrieved and angry that others absolutely

believed her!

At this time, she deliberately mentioned Ning Huaiyuan in order to

remind Ning Zu’an that she was so angry because she was worried about
him!

Ning Huaiyuan was the only son of Ning Zu’an, and the lifeblood of the
whole of Lord Protector’s Manor. It could be said that Ning Zu’an would
take seriously any matter that was related to Ning Huaiyuan.
Madam Ling realized that Ning Zu’an would definitely regard her as a
jealous woman and hate her if she made trouble because Yu Lian was
with him last night. However, if it was because of Ning Huaiyuan, Ning
Zu’an would surely stand on her side.

Ning Huaiyuan was the only son of Ning Zu’an. Madam Ling believed
that Ning Zu’an would care about him.

After listening to Madam Ling, Ning Zu’an looked gloomily at Yu Lian.

Madam Ling knew Ning Zu’an’s mind well. For the sake of Ning
Huaiyuan, Ning Zu’an even forgave what Madam Ling had done to
Madam Ming, let alone Yu Lian.

Ning Xueyan, who was standing aside, looked doubtful and asked Yu
Lian with an even voice, “Did you and Concubine Xu come here to
deliberately prevent my mother from praying for Eldest Brother? If so,
Grandmother won’t forgive you.”

Yu Lian was already at wit’s end. Hearing Ning Xueyan’s accusing tone,
she immediately understood and knelt down in front of Ning Zu’an at
once.

Yu Lian explained while sobbing, “Marquis, I really didn’t do that. It

was Madam Dowager who ordered Concubine Xu to come here. I didn’t
know about it. Later, I heard that Concubine Xu was beaten by First
Madam because of my affair. I felt bad, so I came to ask for First
Madam’s forgiveness. I did not meet Concubine Xu. How could I consult
with her? Marquis, if you don’t believe it, you can ask Madam
Dowager.”

It was Madam Dowager who asked Concubine Xu to come here. It really

had nothing to do with Yu Lian. If Concubine Xu was supposed to
deliberately come here to prevent Madam Ling from praying for Ning
Huaiyuan that meant that Madam Dowager deliberately wanted to
trouble Madam Ling.

Madam Dowager loved Ning Huaiyuan the most. How could she
deliberately ask someone to prevent Madam Ling from praying for him?

Yu Lian turned to look sadly at Madam Ling and said, “First Madam, I
know it’s all my fault. No matter how angry you are, I’m willing to bear
the consequence. But… but you can’t bring Eldest Young Master into
this. I wouldn’t dare compromise the safety of the Eldest Young Master.”

After that, she directly fainted.

Ning Xueyan took a few steps back and glanced at Madam Ling who
looked like she was to faint too. She smiled coldly. Yu Lian was indeed
clever. She actually fainted before Madam Ling did. Now Madam Ling
could not pretend to faint.

Ning Zu’an understood everything now and immediately held Yu Lian in

his arms. He stared at Madam Ling in resentment and angrily said to
Mother Chen who was standing beside Madam Ling: “First Madam
should quietly cultivate herself at Buddha Hall. She’d better not leave the
hall, so as not to bring shame to the Lord Protector’s Manor.”

Although he did not say this directly to Madam Ling, he said it in front
of all those servants. Madam Ling was so angry and embarrassed that
she almost fainted. Seeing that Ning Zu’an really was angry, she said
urgently, “Marquis, I…”

“Enough, you needn’t say any more. I always thought you were kind-
hearted, gentle and smart, but you were so narrow-minded and vicious. I
just wanted to promote someone as a concubine, but you made a fuss in
the manor. At the beginning, Madam Ming accepted you and allowed
you and your children to enter the Lord Protector’s Manor when she was
the Legal Wife. Madam Ling, I didn’t expect that you would treat others
like that now that you’re the Legal Wife!”

Ning Zu’an was extremely angry. Such a thing, caused by his Legal
Wife, happened in the manor. How could he not be angry? He
remembered that he fell in love with Madam Ling because of her
gentleness. When did she become so vicious?
Chapter 154: Sister, I Don’t
Understand What You Were
Saying
After hearing what Ning Zu’an said, Madam Ling stiffened at once and
really was in panic!

She had been with Ning Zu’an for so many years, and had never been so
reprimanded by him. She hastily cried while covering her face,
“Marquis… I, I was so fool for a moment that I… marquis, I, I did that
because of you. I really love you, so that I…”

As soon as Madam Ling spoke, Ning Ziyan felt bad. She wanted to
remind Madam Ling, but it was too late.

Seeing that, Ning Xueyan showed a bit of irony on her face. Madam
Ling was so smart, but lost her head when she saw Ning Zu’an protect
Yu Lian. Her words proved that she had deliberately beaten Yu Lian just
now and deliberately said the reason was Ning Huaiyuan so as to pass
the buck.

If things like that happened again, Ning Zu’an would certainly really
dislike Madam Ling.

Yu Lian was very clever at this time. She interrupted Madam Ling and
wrongly said, “Marquis, don’t blame First Madam. I’m not blessed. If
I’m beaten to death, First Madam can cool down. I… I’m willing to die.
Anyway, it’s my fault. It’s me who make you and First Madam angry.”

After that, Yu Lian cried sadly. Her face was black and blue, but at the
same it also looked fragile.

This made Ning Zu’an pity on her!

Now, Ning Zu’an fully understood that it was Madam Ling who made
trouble because of jealousy. He was very disappointed with Madam
Ling. Holding Yu Lian in his arms, he said to her, “Don’t say you’re not
blessed. I’ll promote you as the concubine soon. You just need to serve
me well in the future.”

As soon as she heard that Yu Lian who had betrayed her was about to be
promoted as a concubine, Madam Ling was very anxious. “Marquis, Yu
Lian was a maid and has no children. She just… it’s improper to promote
her as a concubine now. How about asking her to only serve you in the
study?”

Seeing that Madam Ling still was stubborn, Ning Zu’an angrily
exclaimed, “Shut up! Aren’t you going to pray? Go back to the Buddha
Hall and kneel down.”

“Marquis, you, you asked me to kneel!” Madam Ling looked up at Ning

Zu’an in disbelief. Madam Dowager had punished her before, but Ning
Zu’an had never said something. Unexpectedly, he actually asked her to
kneel in the Buddha Hall in front of so many servants because of Yu
Lian. How could Madam Ling stand it?

Ning Ziyan standing on one side already was very angry when she saw
what was going on. She gave a fierce stare at Yu Lian and then went
forward to advise, “Father, mother is always your Legal Wife. You can’t
spoil a concubine while suppressing your wife…”

Spoiling concubines while suppressing wife was a serious sin. Even if

Ning Zu’an was the Lord Protector, he also would be impeached by
censor-in-chief.

“Father, calm down,” Ning Xueyan also advised, “Let’s check Yu Lian
first. Although she’s a maid, it’s bad that someone dies today. We can’t
let others think that there is no rule in our manor. Besides, maybe
grandmother already knows it now. Father, you should ask someone to
visit her.”

She seemed to persuade Ning Zu’an. In fact, it suggested that the matter
that Madam Ling cruelly beat servants without any reason also would be
accused of by censors. Compared with spoiling concubines while
suppressing wife, cruelly beating servants would influence Ning Zu’an’s
conduct, which Ning Zu’an concerned more.
Both Ning Ziyan and Ning Xueyan mentioned censor-in-chief. Ning
Zu’an was quite upset and felt that this matter would bring a crisis.
Recently, the Lord Protector’s Manor had never been peaceful. Accidents
happened one after another. A few days ago, he was called to the
imperial palace and was scolded because of Ning Yuling’s affair and
knelt in the imperial study for more than two hours.

The emperor had warned him that if he made trouble again, it would not
be so easy to let go of him.

However, Madam Ling still shouted and made a scene today, which
made the whole matter clear to the whole manor. Didn’t she think that he
was deeply troubled enough in front of the emperor?

“Take First Madam into the Buddha Hall, so that she can cultivate
herself well!” Ning Zu’an quickly made a decision. He did not allow
Madam Ling to shout so loudly here. If this matter was spread, they
would lose face.

Two older female servants came and were about to take Madam Ling
into the Buddha Hall.

Madam Ling cried loudly, “Marquis, you… how can you be so

heartless!” Then she pushed aside two older female servants and wanted
to rush to Ning Zu’an. She always thought she was Ning Zu’an’s favorite
woman. Besides, she gave birth to his only son. But now she was
defeated by a maid, how could she accept it?

“Take her away!” Ning Zu’an ordered the two older female servants
without hesitation. Hearing that, the two older female servants rushed to
drag Madam Ling to the Buddha Hall. This was not a simple
confinement to Madam Ling. Madam Ling was dragged into the Buddha
hall in the face of so many servants, how could she take charge of the
whole manor in the future?

“Father, she’s my mother, your wife!” Seeing that her mother was like a
drowned mouse, Ning Ziyan was in a hurry. She stepped forward and
wanted to stop them. She did not want to stop Madam Ling entering the
Buddha Hall, but wanted her to enter the Buddha Hall in a decent way,
so she wanted to stop the two older female servants from dragging her
mother.
Ning Xueyan went forward quietly and stood in front of Ning Ziyan,
softly saying, “Sister, as the younger generations, we cannot interfere in
father and mother’s business. It’s their private affair.”

Seeing Ning Xueyan stopping her again, Ning Ziyan was very angry and
her face turned vivid. Today, although she did not know the whole story,
she still shared a bitter hatred of the enemy with her mother when she
saw her extremely angry mother. She coldly stared at Ning Xueyan and
said, “Fifth Sister, you’re so clever, so scheming!”

Madam Ling had told Ning Ziyan last time that how clever Ning Xueyan
was, but she did not believe it. Now, it seemed that Ning Xueyan was
really scheming. After hearing what Ning Xueyan said, Ning Zu’an
actually directly punished Madam Ling. But now Ning Ziyan could not
directly beat Ning Xueyan to death as before. It seemed that she needed
to make a plan.

While they were talking, two older female servants had taken Madam
Ling into the Buddha hall. Mother Chen dared not say a word and
hurried to follow in.

Ning Zu’an waved his one hand and asked them to leave. Then he went
to Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden while holding the wounded Yu
Lian. This matter must be settled. Madam Dowager knew that it was in a
mess here, but she deliberately did not come. She wanted Ning Zu’an to
solve it on his own. And at this moment, Ning Zu’an had made a
conclusion in his mind.

“Sister, father has gone to Lucky Garden. Would you like to go there,
too? Sister, you seldom come back, and you need to care about mother.”
Ning Xueyan stepped aside and asked Ning Ziyan with a sincere smile
on her face.

She sent back what Ning Ziyan had said to her before to Ning Ziyan!

Obviously, Ning Zu’an was extremely angry just now. He went to visit
Madam Dowager with Yu Lian, just in order to promote Yu Lian as a
concubine. How could a daughter interfere in it? Ning Xueyan actually
advised her to care about it. Ning Ziyan turned vivid because of Ning
Xueyan’s words.
She bit her teeth and said, “Fifth Sister, you’re really magical.
Unexpectedly, you could make the family unpeaceful! Let’s go and talk
to grandma.” After saying this, Ning Ziyan immediately reached out to
hold Ning Xueyan.

But Lanning moved faster. She stepped forward and stopped Ning Ziyan.

“Sister, I don’t understand what you were saying. But at this time,
grandmother and father have something to do, we’d better not disturb
them.” Ning Xueyan took a cold glance at Ning Ziyan and then ignored
her. After finish her words, she returned to Bright Frost Garden with
Lanning.

Madam Ling hated Ning Xueyan very much and Ning Ziyan also had
bad intentions today. Then why should she show her friendliness and
pretend to happily talk with them?

Ning Ziyan’s eyes were full of maliciousness while she watching Ning
Xueyan leave. “B*tch, I’ll kill you one day!”

Ning Ziyan leaned close to Xia Yuhang and said while looking at the
back of Ning Xueyan, “Dear, don’t you think that Fifth Sister knows
Ning Ziying? According to what she said just now, it seems that she has
a good friendship with Ning Ziying.”

“She hasn’t had any contact with Ziying!” Xia Yuhang was pretty sure,
but his gaze was quite strange. He also looked at Ning Xueyan’s slender
back while unconsciously frowning. The Fifth Young Lady in front of
him was totally different from what he heard. It seemed that she was a
new man.

But in fact, she was Ning Xueyan. “Why do I feel that she’s familiar to
me?”

“Who knows? Maybe they had a secret relationship. Dear, you can
investigate it. It’s really possible. If so, we can’t keep her.” Ning Ziyan
fiercely said in Xia Yuhang’s ear. She had married into Xia Manor, and
Lord Protector’s Manor was beyond her reach. So she wanted Xia
Yuhang to kill Ning Xueyan, which was Madam Ling’s idea. Ning Ziyan
also strongly agreed with it.
Since she could not kill Ning Xueyan openly, she would kill her in
secret.

In this way, when Ning Xueyan died, no one else would doubt her.

Xia Yuhang looked at Ning Ziyan’s fierce face and indifferently said,
gloominess flashing through his eyes, “We should conclude after
investigating it.”

Seeing that Xia Yuhang was unpleasant, Ning Ziyan dared not talk about
this matter. She changed to another topic and said in a delicate voice,
“Dear, why didn’t you stand up and say a few words for my mother?
Maybe father would not treat her like that if you speak for her!”

Xia Yuhang had not said a word just now. As a younger generation, he
could not interfere with his elders’ affairs. Although the two families
allied by marriage, Ning Zu’an certainly did not want him to see that. So
he had been standing aside and did not say a word. He also objected to
what Madam Ling had done today.

Madam Ling did not look like the marchioness at all. People who did not
know her might think she was a jealous concubine of Ning Zu’an.

She really had no demeanor a marchioness should have!

“It’s father and mother’s private affairs anyway. We can’t interfere in it.”
Xia Yuhang frowned for Ning Ziyan’s stupidity. Originally, he thought
that Ning Ziyan would be his helper. After marrying her, he found that
she was not helpful at all and destroyed his participation in the Spring
Metropolitan Examination.

“If I had known this before, I would have married Ziying.” Xia Yuhang
felt sad when she thought of the woman who had loved him
wholeheartedly. If he had known, if he had known it would be so…

He would have stopped her from dying in the lotus pond!

Ning Ziyan did not find something wrong in Xia Yuhang’s look, but still
held his arm and said energetically, “She’s our mother anyway. It’s better
if we say anything, and father would certainly consider your…”
Xia Yuhang got impatient and threw away Ning Ziyan’s hand fiercely.
He coldly said, “You can go there and speak for your mother now.
There’s still time!”

“I…” Ning Ziyan turned pale and embarrassed by Xia Yuhang’s behavior
and did not know how to react.

“Yuhang, Ziyan… are you here to have a lovers’ talk?” Suddenly clear
laughter came behind them.
Chapter 155 Ning Huaiyuan Is
Back
The sudden voice shocked Ning Ziyan. She looked back, and saw a man
in a light blue robe and a snow white fox-furred cloak walking along the
road, followed by two young male servants. His black hair was tied up
with a hairpin. He was handsome and elegant and had endured the
hardship of a long journey.

“Brother!” On seeing the comer, Ning Ziyan jumped up excitedly, eyes

brightening. The man walking to them was her brother, the Eldest Young
Master of Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Huaiyuan.

Ning Huaiyuan said to his sister with a smile on his face while looking at
her, “Sister, I didn’t come back when you got married. I’ll give you a gift
as my compensation!”

Then he said to Xia Yuhang, “Yuhang, sorry for my absence!”

Ning Huaiyuan and Xia Yuhang had known each other since childhood,
and studied together later. They were very familiar to each other. Xia
Yuhang and Ning Ziyan’s marriage was held in a hurry, so Ning
Huaiyuan did not come back in time.

The reason why they were in such hurry was tacit!

“It doesn’t matter. We’re a family. You needn’t apologize,” Xia Yuhang
said with a smile on his face and greeted Ning Huaiyuan.

Ning Huaiyuan gave a look at the messy ground and the two older
female servants who were guarding the entrance of the Buddha Hall,
then he gently asked with a smile on his face, “Is mother in it? What’s
wrong here?”

Ning Ziyan indignantly said, “Brother, come with me to see mother.

She’s inside. She’s framed and is locked up in the Buddha Hall by
father.” As long as she thought of Ning Xueyan’s words and deeds, she
would bite her teeth in hatred. “My brother is back. I’m looking forward
to seeing how you will deal with my mother.”

“No, I’ll visit grandmother and father first. I thought something had
happened to mother, so that I came here first. Now that mother is okay,
let’s go to Lucky Garden!” Ning Huaiyuan shook his hand, smiled and
turned to Lucky Garden with Xia Yuhang.

Although Ning Ziyan wanted to see Madam Ling with Ning Huaiyuan,
she also knew that her brother should visit Madam Dowager first at this
time. She stamped her feet and gave a look at the Buddha Hall which
was strictly guarded by two older female servants. She knew that if she
had to go inside at this time, she would come into conflict with the two
older female servants. So she had to follow them to the Lucky Garden.

In the Lucky Garden, Madam Dowager, Madam Dowager Liu and Ning
Zu’an had made a conclusion. They all agreed to promote Yu Lian as a
concubine.

Madam Dowager was more annoyed with Madam Ling’s behavior today,
so she not only agreed to promote Yu Lian as the concubine, but also
asked Yu Lian to help Ning Xueyan manage the Auspicious Clouds
Courtyard when Madam Ling was in the Buddha Hall. This was
originally Madam Dowager Liu’s proposal. Madam Dowager thought it
was good, but she had not formally agreed with the proposal before.

Now when she heard that Madam Ling had made a scene in the Buddha
Hall, she was very angry and made the final decision!

“Madam Dowager, Marquis, the Eldest Young Master is back!” An older

female servant trotted all the way and came in to report to them happily.

“Yuan’er is back! Let him in.” Madam Dowager turned happy as soon as
she heard that and urged them to welcome Ning Huaiyuan.

Madam Dowager Liu also showed a smile on her face.

Even Ning Zu’an’s angry look turned gentle and joyful.

The door curtain was pulled, and Ning Huaiyuan, Xia Yuhang and Ning
Ziyan came in successively. They saluted several elders and sat down.
Madam Dowager scrutinized Ning Huaiyuan and found that he was a
little thinner than before, so that she could not help saying lovingly,
“Yuan’er, have you suffered outside? Look at you, you’re thinner and
darker!”

“Grandmother, I didn’t suffer. I’ve experienced a lot outside and

broadened my mind. I’m not a girl. Being darker is nothing!” Ning
Huaiyuan said with a smile on his face, “This time I brought a gift back
for you. I hope you’ll like it.”

Then he took out a delicate box from his sleeve and passed it to Madam
Dowager.

“Your coming back is a gift to me. As long as you’re healthy, I’m willing
to have nothing!” Instead of taking the box, Madam Dowager took his
hands with a gentle, loving face.

She was so satisfied with her grandson!

Ning Huaiyuan was handsome and learned. In recent years, he had

traveled outside from time to time and had broadened his horizon. Many
madams had praised that Ning Huaiyuan, the heir of Lord Protector’s
Manor, was really excellent. They also had expressed that they want to
ally with the Lord Protector’s Manor by marriage. The reason why it had
not been done was that there were too many choices and the Lord
Protector’s Manor did not know which one to choose.

Madam Dowager was very satisfied that the Lord Protector’s Manor
would be taken over by her promising grandson in the future. Therefore,
she was less angry with Madam Ling. Anyway, Madam Ling was Ning
Huaiyuan’s biological mother. If she was not supposed to be virtuous by
others, it would influence Ning Huaiyuan’s reputation.

This also was the reason why Madam Dowager tried her best to help
Madam Ling even though she did not like Madam Ling. For the sake of
Ning Huaiyuan, Madam Dowager did not tell the truth even though she
had found that her own medicine was mixed with Madam Ling’s
medicine. Now what she concerned most was her grandson Ning
Huaiyuan.
This time, Ning Huaiyuan visited Madam Dowager first and gave her a
gift before changing his clothes and taking a rest as soon as he came
back, which made Madam Dowager very happy. On thinking that her
grandson was so sensible and much better than Madam Ling who always
made trouble, Madam Dowager smiled happily.

“Grandmother, have a look at what brother brought to you, so that I also

can broaden my horizon. He hid it all the way and didn’t show it to us.
You’re the first one to see it.” Ning Ziyan came and pleased Madam
Dowager.

Her words made Madam Dowager happier. She reached out and patted
Ning Ziyan on her head and said, “Since Ziyan also wants to see it, let’s
open it and have a look.”

Mother Qin came over, took the box and opened it. It was a delicate jade
Buddha in the box. Although the jade Buddha was small, it was very
delicate and was made up of a whole piece of jade. It was clear and felt
comfortable. At first glance, Madam Dowager knew that it was rare.
Furthermore, the Buddha statue was exquisite.

Madam Dowager believed in Buddhism, so she built a Buddha Hall in

the backyard. When she saw such a delicate jade Buddha, she naturally
liked it. Madam Dowager Liu sitting on one side smiled and said,
“Yuan’er is really filial!”

“Grandaunt, I also brought you a gift. I’ll ask someone to send it to you
later. I also brought gifts for father, mother and sisters! Grandma, how
about inviting them all over to share the presents happily?” Ning
Huaiyuan advised with a smile on his face. On the surface, he was fair to
everyone.

Invite them all? Hearing that, Madam Dowager, Madam Dowager Liu
and Ning Zu’an were embarrassed.

Not only was Madam Ling now closed in the Buddha hall, but also Ning
Yuling had been sent away long ago. How did they get together?

Ning Ziyan was sad and the smile on her face faded. She said in a low
voice, “Brother, mother, mother is still in the Buddha Hall. She can’t
come here. Neither does the Second Sister.”
Ning Huaiyuan was stunned and asked in doubt, “What happened to
mother and Second Sister?”

“Nothing. Your Second Sister was slapped by your mother, so that her
face was hurt. So she was sent to the countryside to recuperate. Your
mother was sad and decided to live a quiet life in the Buddha Hall for
some time.” Madam Dowager explained simply and gave a look at Ning
Ziyan with displeasure. The whole story could not be clearly explained
for a moment. Also, what happened today should be unknown to her
grandson.

Hearing Madam Dowager’s words, Ning Huaiyuan fairly said, “Is

Second Sister’s face hurt? I happen to know a doctor. I’ll invite him to
treat Second Sister. Maybe she’ll recover soon. Second Sister is
sometimes arrogant, and it must be her own fault even though mother
accidentally hurt her. Mother needn’t blame herself!”

Ning Yuling’s temperament was known to all in the manor. Because she
was beautiful and Madam Dowager held great hope for her, people in the
manor would give in when faced her. Ning Huaiyuan could talk about
her shortcomings in such an unavoidable way, which made Madam
Dowager feel that he was sincere and impartial.

“But mother…” Ning Ziyan frowned, wishing to speak but stopped on a

second thought.

“Is mother still self-condemned?” Ning Huaiyuan frowned and thought

about it for a while. Then he turned to Madam Dowager and said,
“Grandmother, how about I persuading my mother? Second Sister’s
injury is not her fault. Second Sister was naughty and got herself into
trouble. No one else is to blame!”

The son who came back from a distant place wanted to see his mother. In
principle, they could not stop. Furthermore, the reason that Madam
Dowager said before was not serious. But only then did such a big thing
happen, and everyone in the manor knew that Madam Ling had made a
scene and beaten Yu Lian and Concubine Xu. If she was released now,
how could they be prestigious in front of the servants in the future?

Madam Dowager was so embarrassed!

As soon as Madam Dowager was silent, Ning Ziyan was happy and
wanted to say something, so that Madam Dowager had to release her
mother. But before she said, Xia Yuhang stretched out his hand and
pulled her aside gently and forcefully. He smiled and said, “Yan’er, don’t
worry, brother will take care of mother’s business!”

Xia Yuhang’s voice was low, but everyone could hear it clearly because
the room was quiet. Madam Dowager darkened her eyes suddenly and
looked at Ning Huaiyuan while frowning. The smile on her face slowly
faded.

Ning Zu’an also darkened his eyes and looked at Ning Huaiyuan.

Before, Madam Dowager was immersed in the joy of Ning Huaiyuan’s

return, so that she did not think too much about Ning Huaiyuan’s words.
She only thought that Ning Huaiyuan just returned and knew nothing
about what had happened to his mother so that he questioned things
about his mother. But now because of Xia Yuhang’s words, she suddenly
felt that Ning Huaiyuan seemed to pay too much attention to Madam
Ling today and talked about Madam Ling all the time.

It seemed that he had some purposes. Then she remembered that Ning
Huaiyuan came in with Ning Ziyan just now. Although Ning Ziyan had
married, she still was Madam Ling’s daughter. Although she was not
clear about everything now, she knew at least part of them. It was
impossible that she did not talk about Madam Ling with Ning Huaiyuan.

Did Ning Huaiyuan return today to plead for Madam Ling?

“Grandma, is there any other information?” Ning Huaiyuan, slightly

surprised, turned to Ning Ziyan and said, “Sister, you just asked me
about my journey. Why didn’t you tell me about mother in detail?”

He explained that he did not know the truth and Ning Ziyan also did not
tell him about Madam Ling on the way.

After listening to him, Madam Dowager softened her face again. She
always valued her grandson. Since Madam Ling came to the manor,
Ning Huaiyuan had been raised by Madam Dowager. She thought she
was more intimate with Ning Huaiyuan than Madam Ling. If Ning
Huaiyuan kept thinking about Madam Ling’s affairs as soon as he came
back, she would surely be angry with him.

Next, Ning Huaiyuan did not mention Madam Ling anymore. He neither
mentioned it by accident nor questioned it. His grandson’s cleverness
made Madam Dowager happier and chat while laughing.
Chapter 156 The Red Plum and
the Beauty
In Ning Huaiyuan’s room, Ning Ziyan asked with a gloomy face,
“Brother, why don’t you mention mother anymore? If you put a good
word for mother, she would be released.” Just now, she was stopped by
Xia Yuhang who warned her not to interfere in the affairs of the Lord
Protector’s Manor by great strength.

A woman had to obey her husband after getting married. And Xia
Yuhang had been neither enthusiastic nor indifferent to her, so Ning
Ziyan dared not disobey Xia Yuhang. Xia Yuhang had left first, and there
only were Ning Ziyan and Ning Huaiyuan in the room now, so Ning
Ziyan straightforwardly asked Ning Huaiyuan, ignoring taboos. She
believed that her brother was also concerned about mother, otherwise,
he, who had always been courteous, would not go to the Buddha Hall
first instead of greeting grandmother first as soon as he heard that
something had happened to his mother.

Ning Huaiyuan smiled and said, “Sister, how are you and Yuhang doing
recently?”

Ning Ziyan was not sad before he asked, but as soon as he asked, Ning
Ziyan cried while wiping her tears. Before she married Xia Yuhang, she
only knew that he was a handsome man and affectionate to her. When
Ning Ziying hurt her before dying, he also took care of her
wholeheartedly, which made her love him more.

Unexpectedly, he became indifferent to her soon after they got married.

Then he actually went to Cold Mountain Temple to secretly date with
Chen Hexiang. After that, she lost her child. Now even though Xia
Yuhang loved and cared about her, she still felt strange, as if she had lost
something.

That kind of bad feeling seemed to appear since Ning Ziying died!
Ning Huaiyuan darkened his face at once and asked with anger, “What’s
wrong? Did he bully you?” In his opinion, Xia Yuhang had gone too far
and actually dared to slight his beautiful, gentle sister. He directly
ignored how his sister married Xia Yuhang.

“No, he didn’t. He, he has a concubine!” Ning Ziyan spoke of her sorrow
and then sobbed.

Hearing that, Ning Huaiyuan frowned. “A concubine? He actually got a

concubine soon after getting married. He has gone too far.”

“Don’t cry. Tomorrow I’ll talk to him. As for the concubine, don’t put
her in your mind. She’s just a concubine. Keep her if you like her. If you
don’t like her, sell her. Will he be angry with you because of a
concubine?” Ning Huaiyuan touched Ning Ziyan’s head and comforted
her.

Ning Huaiyuan really turned his nose up at a concubine. He also did not
approve of his sister caring about a concubine. At this time, Ning
Huaiyuan had known all about what happened today. The reason also
was a concubine. Because of a concubine, his mother actually made a
scene today. It was so humiliating.

Both his mother and his sister only focused on womenfolk courtyard.
Concubines just were playthings. Would they be superior to the Legal
Wife? It was worthless to make a scene because of concubines!

Before, he was still doubtful about why Xia Yuhang stopped Ning Ziyan
and said such a word at the critical moment, so that Madam Dowager
doubted him. Now he realized that there were problems between Xia
Yuhang and his sister. Others did not understand what was going on in
Lucky Garden just now, how could Xia Yuhang not know it?

That was the reason. There was a wedge between Xia Yuhang and Ning
Ziyan, so Xia Yuhang did not want to be involved in this matter.

Ning Ziyan knew that Ning Huaiyuan and Xia Yuhang were friends.
When she heard what her brother said, Ning Ziyan nodded and wiped her
tears with her handkerchief. Suddenly, she put down her handkerchief
and said, “Brother, you cannot let go of Ning Xueyan. I suspect that she
framed mother and Second Sister.”
Ning Xueyan? Ning Huaiyuan frowned after hearing the name. He had
no impression of the Fifth Sister who had been hiding in Bright Frost
Courtyard and had never dared to appear in front of the public. He only
remembered that she was a small, insignificant girl and even dared not
raise her head when there were a little more people. She was
unpresentable.

And she used to be bullied by Ning Yuling, and dared not say a word!

“How could such a person frame mother and Second Sister? Second
Sister can easily kill her, not to mention mother.”

“Did Ning Xueyan dare to go out of Bright Frost Garden? At most

there’s one more Young Lady. Sister, you needn’t care about her!” There
was no outsider here, so Ning Huaiyuan directly spoke his mind with a
sarcastic smile on his face. He had never look up to his Fifth Sister and
was unable to remember her face now.

Ning Ziyan fiercely said, a pair of beautiful eyes shining with the vicious
look, “She’s very malicious now. Both mother and Second Sister fell into
her trap. Brother, you have to help me kill her.”

Last time, Ning Ziyan and Madam Ling planned to kill Ning Xueyan, but
failed. Instead, she lost her child. The more Ning Ziyan thought of it, the
more she felt it has something to do with Ning Xueyan. “I obviously put
the hairpin on Ning Xueyan’s head. Why did nothing happen to her?”

“Ziyan, don’t worry. I’ll find out what happened to mother and Second
Sister. If Ning Xueyan really framed them, I’ll take avenge on her.” Ning
Huaiyuan promised to Ning Ziyan. Now he had a different feeling
towards his sister who he had no family affection for.

He really did not believe that Ning Xueyan who could not protect herself
could frame his mother and Second Sister.

Ning Huaiyuan decided to observe Ning Xueyan when he would greet

Madam Dowager tomorrow morning, but he did not expect the meeting
to arrive half a day earlier than he thought.

After lunch, Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan, came to Lord Protector’s

Manor. Ning Huaiyuan had accompanied Ao Mingwan studying before.
The relationship between them was quite different. Ning Huaiyuan also
did something for Fourth Prince in private by way of traveling, which
was also the reason why he could not come back in time to participate in
Ning Ziyan’s wedding.

So as soon as he heard of his return, the Fourth Prince came to the Lord
Protector’s Manor.

Ning Zu’an chatted with Ao Mingwan for a while. Knowing that they
had something to discuss, Ning Zu’an let them walk and talk in the
courtyard. Then the two talked while walking to the courtyard at will.
Suddenly, they saw a girl in white standing in front of an arch after they
turned at a corner.

In front of the arch there was a red plum tree which had blossomed.
Against the white snow, the red plum looked more glittering and
beautiful. What was more striking was the girl standing there picking red
plums. She wore a snow white clothes embroidered with red plums on
the skirt edge and had made a hairstyle of the unmarried young girl.

Against the snow and red plum, that little face was as beautiful as a
fairy’s. Besides, she had her own features. It was hard to describe that
beautiful face which instantly stunned the two men.

Ning Xueyan came here to pick red plums. In the whole garden, Ning
Xueyan was satisfied with this red plum tree most. After arriving here,
she asked Qingyu to stand on one side and went up to pick red plums by
herself. Now she was standing on tiptoe and focusing on picking the red
plum she had chosen while narrowing her eyes. Unexpectedly, she
became the beautiful scenery in the eyes of others.

“Who is she?” Ao Mingwan asked Ning Huaiyuan while pointing to

Ning Xueyan, eyes brightening.

Ning Huaiyuan looked carefully and could not recognize her for a
moment. He knew that she must be a Young Lady from her clothes. But
he did not know the maid standing beside her. So he could not answer
who she was. In his mind, Ning Xueyan was an insignificant thin girl,
and even was inferior to an ordinary maid. How did he know that the
beautiful girl opposite them was Ning Xueyan?
Looking at the bright red plum, Ning Huaiyuan suddenly remembered
something, and his gaze turned strange. “Is she Ning Qingshan? Yes, it
must be Ning Qingshan!”

Because of the red plum, he suddenly thought of his Third Sister who he
had not seen for years. “I heard grandmother say that Ning Qingshan will
definitely come back this year. Is she the Third Sister?” Ning Huaiyuan
put his hands together behind his back and pinched each other with a
strange look. Then he answered as if nothing were on his mind, “This is
my Third Sister.”

Ning Qingshan was a little beauty before. Unexpectedly, she was more
beautiful when she grew up!

“Your Third Sister? Is she the filial Third Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor?” Ao Mingwan also heard that the Third Young Lady
of Lord Protector’s Manor was both virtuous and filial, but he did not
take it seriously. He did not believe that a little girl was both virtuous and
filial. Now when he saw Ning Xueyan, his eyes brightened.

Ning Huaiyuan nodded and said, “Yes, she’s my Third Sister!” Now he
was sure that the girl in front of them was Ning Qingshan. Unexpectedly,
Ning Qingshan had already returned. The clever little beauty in memory
had become so beautiful, which made Ning Huaiyuan have a different
feeling.

The Fourth Prince curiously said, “Let’s go and see this virtuous and
filial Young Lady!” Then he turned and marched to Ning Xueyan.

Among the young ladies in the capital, some were talented and some had
a good reputation. But no one was both virtuous and filial. That was the
reason why Ning Qingshan still was popular in the capital even though
she had left the capital for many years.

Ning Huaiyuan did not follow the Fourth Prince, but stopped and said
with a smile on his face, “Fourth Prince, my Third Sister is young and
had never seen you before. It is inappropriate that we directly meet her!”

The Fourth Prince and Ning Qingshan had not met before. He should
avoid Ning Qingshan in this case. It was extremely impolite of him to
see her now.
Although the Fourth Prince wanted to know the Third Young Lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor, he did not want to be considered rude by such a
beautiful lady, so he had to stop and turned to another road.

Ning Xueyan was picking a plum blossom. She did not notice that
someone had seen them. Qingyu saw the corner of Ning Huaiyuan’s
clothes, but she did not know who it was for a moment. Seeing that no
one came, Qingyu thought it was just a passerby and did not tell Ning
Xueyan. On seeing that Ning Xueyan picked a plum blossom, she
hurried to hand over the vase in her hands.

Qingyu happily said, “Young Lady, this is really beautiful. I think this is
the most beautiful one. I’ll put it study desk in a minute.”

Ning Xueyan took over the handkerchief and wiped the snow on her
hands, then she smiled and said to Qingyu, “No, send it to Lucky Garden
first.”

Qingyu was unwilling to give such a beautiful red plum to others and
muttered, “Didn’t we sent one to Madam Dowager yesterday?”

“Yesterday is yesterday, while today is today. Grandmother has priority

over us. You can pick another one for me later.” Ning Xueyan smiled
slightly, and a mockery smile flashed through her inky eyes.

This flower must be sent to Madam Dowager.

Chapter 157 Who Is the Sister?
Ning Qingshan used to pick red plums for Madam Dowager. These days
Madam Dowager mentioned it from time to time. She talked about the
filial Third Young Lady Ning Qingshan, as if she was talking about her
biological granddaughter. She spoke highly of her and also asked Ning
Xueyan to clean the Foggy Courtyard. All the appliances were replaced
with new ones, several of which were given by Madam Dowager.

And that dazzling glaze screen given by Madam Dowager was Madam
Ming’s dowry!

It seemed that not only Madam Ling, but also Madam Dowager privately
took possession of Madam Ming’s dowry, otherwise, Madam Dowager
would not be so generous and send things to Ning Qingshan’s Foggy
Courtyard.

Madam Dowager mentioned Ning Qingshan and red plums again and
again. How could Ning Xueyan not understand that? So today she
specially came out to pick red plums for Madam Dowager.

Qingyu walked away while carrying the vase with the red plum in it.
Ning Xueyan stood alone under the plum tree and meditated while
looking at the red plums. The red plums made her black hair and
beautiful face free from vulgarity. And her pale face even made people
feel that she would go with the wind.

“Sister!” A gentle and affectionate cry came behind her. That gentle
voice almost made her feel that she was in a dream. Once there was a
person who also called her so gently.

“Ying’er, I’ll accompany you all my life!”

“Ying’er, you are the only wife in my life. I will never betray you!”

“Ying’er…”

Ning Xueyan shook her head to get rid of the voice in her mind. Then
she blinked her eyes and turned back. When she saw the man coming to
her, she was a little surprised!

It was Ning Huaiyuan!

When she was Ning Ziying, she had met Ning Huaiyuan. At that time,
Ning Huaiyuan was neither indifferent nor enthusiastic to Ning Ziying.
After all, there should be a prudent reserve between the sexes. Although
Ning Ziying lived in Lord Protector’s Manor, she had only seen Ning
Huaiyuan a few times and said a few words with him. She almost had no
impression of him.

In Ning Xueyan’s memory, this brother always ignored her. When he

saw that she was bullied by Ning Yuling, he would not say a word for her
and passed by with indifference. Instead of seeing her who was bullied,
he went to see Ning Yuling who bullied her and asked whether her hand
was hurt when she beat her. In his mind, she had never been his sister.

Unexpectedly, he would come forward and call her affectionately when

he saw her this time. How could Ning Xueyan not be surprised?

Looking up at him, Ning Xueyan did not speak for a moment.

Ning Huaiyuan thought that Ning Qingshan did not recognize him for a
while, and gently said, “We haven’t seen for many years. Didn’t you
recognize me?”

“Brother!” Although Ning Xueyan did not know what Ning Huaiyuan
meant, she still calmly went forward and slightly bowed to salute him.

“I haven’t seen you for many years. Unexpectedly, you’re more beautiful
and more courteous.” Ning Huaiyuan smiled more gently and reached
out, as if he was going to help her get up.

Ning Xueyan moved aside and avoided his hand. She blinked her eyes
and slight indifference appeared in her eyes. She meditated in her mind.
“Ning Huaiyuan’s attitude is really strange. When did I have such a good
relationship with him, so that he directly called me sister.”

Ning Huaiyuan asked with a smile on his face, “Sister, are you busy
now? Can you stroll with me for a while?” A trace of meaningful look
flashed through his eyes.
“Sorry, brother, I can’t accompany you. I have to go to grandma’s place.”
Ning Xueyan refused with a gentle smile on her face. She didn’t think
she had anything to say with Ning Huaiyuan. Moreover, Ning
Huaiyuan’s attitude was very strange and different from his attitudes
towards her in the past. He was so gentle that she almost thought that he
was facing his biological sister.

Ning Xueyan insisted on leaving, so Ning Huaiyuan did not stop. He

smiled and made way for her. “Okay. We can stroll as before when you
have time!”

Ning Huaiyuan’s voice was low and gentle, but it happened to be heard
by Ning Xueyan who passed by. Ning Xueyan frowned and glanced at
him, happening to look into Ning Huaiyuan’s eyes. Ning Xueyan did not
know his meaning, but slightly bowed and turned to the road to Lucky
Garden.

Qingyu came from a distance and saw Ning Xueyan walking toward
Lucky Garden. She asked with doubts, “Young Lady, why did you
come?” When Qingyu left just now, Ning Xuyan had no intention of
coming.

“What did Madam Dowager say?” Ning Xueyan stopped and stood at the
intersection. After Qingyu came, the two turned to another path, which
was also a shortcut to Bright Frost Garden.

Seeing Ning Xueyan turning around, Qingyu thought that Ning Xueyan
could not wait to go back and did not care about it. She followed Ning
Xueyan and said, “Madam Dowager likes that flower very much. She
praised you continuously. She said that you are as ingenious as the Third
Young Lady. Only then did Madam Dowager let me ask you whether you
want to learn flower arrangement.”

Flower arrangement? The Third Young Lady Ning Qingshan? After

hearing Qingyu’s words, Ning Xueyan showed a cold smile on her face.
She did not understand Madam Dowager’s meaning at first. But now she
fully understood. Madam Dowager really had cudgeled her brains.

Thinking that Madam Dowager compared her Young Lady with the
Third Young Lady, Qingyu was quite unhappy. “My Young Lady was
born of the legal wife while the Third Young Lady is an adopted
daughter even though she is quite good. Why does Madam Dowager
speak highly her, as if she was her biological granddaughters?”

Qingyu unhappily said, “Young Lady, the Third Young Lady cannot hold
a candle to you. She is just an adopted daughter, not the biological
daughter of marquis. Don’t they say that she is virtuous and filial? When
Second Madam was ill in Bright Frost Garden, she only came to greet
the Second Madam on the first day of the New Year, and then left
immediately. She is not filial at all.”

Ning Qingshan nominally was Madam Ming’s daughter. She ought to be

filial to Madam Ming most!

Ning Qingshan was clever. On the first days of the New Year, she always
went to Bright Frost Garden to greet Madam Ming and offer her a cup of
tea. But she would not stay in Bright Frost Garden for more than fifteen
minutes. In Ning Xueyan’s memory, although her Third Sister smiled at
her, her smile was not sincere. Her eyes were full of arrogance which
was hidden under her smile.

The reason why she showed this expression in front of Ning Xueyan was
that she looked down on Ning Xueyan and never regarded Ning Xueyan
as her opponent.

Ning Xueyan reached out her tender white hand, and took a yellow leaf
that had fallen from the tree, faintly saying, “Tell Madam Dowager in a
moment that I’ve burned my hand with hot water.”

No matter how good Ning Qingshan was, she was unwilling to be the
second one! She heard that the Third Young Lady was good at flower
arrangement when she was in Lord Protector’s Manor, which also was
the reason why Honored Consort Ya appreciated her. Therefore, flower
arrangement became popular among the young ladies from respectable
or noble families.

Some of the consorts in the imperial palace were also proud of their
ability to arrange flowers. Madam Dowager’s ultimate goal was to make
her the second Ning Qingshan.

Qingyu nodded and said, “Yes, I’ll report it to Madam Dowager in a

minute.” Suddenly, she asked after thinking for a moment, “Young Lady,
only then did I heard the maids in Lucky Garden say that the Eldest
Young Master is back. What should we do?”

“Take it easy. We’ll take one step and look around before taking
another.” Suddenly, Ning Xueyan stopped and looked at the empty
courtyard in front of her. This path led to Bright Frost Garden, but they
also would pass through the Cloud Reflection Courtyard if they took this
path. Seeing the desolate Cloud Reflection Courtyard which used to be
busy, Ning Xueyan showed coldness in her dark eyes.

Every time she came here, her mind was filled with hatred, which had
gone deep into her bone. When she dreamed at midnight, she would
wake up every time she saw the lake covered with blood in her dream…

Qingyu also felt the anomaly of Ning Xueyan and carefully asked,
“Young Lady, what’s wrong?”

Ning Xueyan asked while narrowing her eyes, “Look, Qingyu, is there
anybody over there?” The leaves rustled because of the wind in winter. It
seemed that someone had flashed at a distance, but she did not see it
clearly.

Qingyu had a look along the direction of Ning Xueyan’s eyes and saw
nothing unusual. “Young Lady, I did not see anything different. It’s
branches that are shaking in the strong wind.”

Ning Xueyan looked at there again and found nothing. It seemed that the
figure flashed just now really did not exist. Then Ning Xueyan turned
and walked to Bright Frost Courtyard.

But she had a feeling that what she just saw was true. It seemed that
there were too many secrets buried in the Cloud Reflection Courtyard,
and she could not find a clue for a moment. Xia Yuhang, Ning Ziyan,
Madam Ling, Ning Zu’an, Madam Dowager, and the brocade mentioned
by Mother Wang seemed to be in disorder.

But Ning Xueyan knew that there must be a connection!

“Qingyu, did Mother Wang say anything about Ning Ziying?” Ning
Xueyan thought about it all the way while asking Qingyu who was
following her. In order to prevent others from discovering that Mother
Wang’s legs were all right, the matter that Mother Wang was in the
Bright Frost Garden was in charge of Qingyu, Lanning, and Xinmei.

Xinmei was sent to Ning Xueyan by Ao Chenyi and had to deal with
many things related to Ning Xueyan, so most of the time there were
Qingyu and Lanning.

“Mother Wang didn’t say anything, she just said…” Qingyu hesitated for
a moment, but then said with a smile on her face, “Mother Wang said
you and her Young Lady look alike, but Lanning and I don’t think so.
Lanning also said that you and Young Lady Ziying are sisters and
slightly resemblance is normal. Honestly speaking, your eyes and Young
Lady Ziying’s eyes look the most alike. I don’t know why Mother Wang
said you and her Young Lady look alike.”

Ning Xueyan suddenly stopped and blinked her watery eyes, showing
abnormalities in her eyes. Her previous appearance suddenly appeared in
her mind. Did Ning Ziying and Ning Xueyan look alike? Why had she
never felt it?

Ning Ziying’s face was slightly rounder, ruddy and lustrous, while Ning
Xueyan was thin. When she reborn, she, a 14-year-old girl, looked like
an 11- or 12-year-old girl. During this period, she had been taking the
medicine given by Ao Chenyi and also trying to nurse her health, so that
she slightly looked like a 14-year-old normal girl.

But she still was thin. She had a sharp chin and a pale face. She did not
resemble Ning Ziying at all. But Mother Wang said they looked alike,
which confused Ning Xueyan.

“Qingyu, did Mother Wang really say that Ning Ziying and I look alike?”
Ning Xueyan bit her lips and meditated. “Does Mother Wang doubt that I
am Ning Ziying, or does she really feel that I look like Ning Ziying?”

Qingyu said with certainty, “Yes, Mother Wang has said that to me and
Lanning more than once, so I and Lanning have talked about it in
private.”

Ning Xueyan went on walking and asked neither fast nor slowly, “Has
Mother Wang ever said that someone else look alike Ning Ziying?”
“No, Mother Wang only said you look alike Young Lady Ziying. She did
not say anyone else look alike Young Lady Ziying. Most of the time,
Mother Wang doesn’t talk about her Young Lady. Every time she talks
about her, she would cry. It’s so pitiful. Why did she take things too hard
and throw herself into the lake?” Qingyu sighed. Mother Wang was also
pitiful. Ning Ziying who she had taken care of for many years suddenly
died. How could she not be sad?

Suddenly, a maid appeared on the path and shouted, “Young Lady…”

When they approached her and found that she came from the Bright
Frost Courtyard. On seeing Ning Xueyan, the maids hurried to say,
“Young Lady, Madam Dowager sent you many gifts.”
Chapter 158 Ning Xueyan Refuses
All Gifts
There were many gifts, including satin and clothing. Even there was a set
of head-ornament of pearls. All of the gifts were placed on the table,
occupying a whole table.

“Fifth Young Lady, these are all sent by the Third Young Lady. These are
for girls. Madam Dowager said that there are only you and Fourth Young
Lady, so she asked me to send these gifts to your place. In a moment, the
Fourth Young Lady will come, and you two can choose.”

Mother Qin said that with a smile on her face while pointing to the gifts
on the table.

Ning Xueyan picked up a piece of snow satin on the table, looked at it,
and asked with a smile on her face, “Did Third Sister come back?”

Such delicate and smooth snow satin was made in somewhere in the
south of the Yangtze River. Ning Ziying grew up in the south of the
Yangtze River, so she knew how precious this kind of snow satin was.
Even in the place of production, most of it would be sent to the capital as
tribute. Ning Qingshan should send four pieces of snow satin to them.
She was so generous.

“The Third Young Lady has not returned yet. She has to cure others
before leaving. She is always so kind as she was when she was young.
Madam Dowager asked you to choose some jewelry from the warehouse
for Foggy Courtyard. We can’t make people feel that we have treated the
Third Young Lady badly!” Mother Qin was in a good mood. The Third
Young Lady not only sent gifts to the masters of every courtyard, but
also gave her a great gift in private. So she thought Ning Qingshan was
very good when she mentioned her at this time.

“Oh, Fifth Young Lady, these are given to Second Madam by Third
Young Lady. The Third Young Lady is outside. She doesn’t know that
Second Madam is dead. You can accept these gifts for her.”
Compared to the previous ones, the gifts Mother Qin pointed to now
were rather shabby. On the top also was a piece of snow satin. It was
light pink and shining. Under it was a tiny ornament box which almost
could not be seen. All they could see was pink snow satin.

Ning Xueyan showed anger in her eyes, but then she immediately hid it
behind her cold black jade eyes!

Madam Ming was Ning Zu’an’s co-wife. Although she was not the legal
wife, she still could wear red clothes whose lace must be pink, so that
these clothes could be distinguished from legal wife’s totally red clothes.
But now the snow satin Ning Qingshan sent to Madam Ming was totally
pink, the color belonged to concubines.

She looked down on Madam Ming and regarded her as an ordinary

concubine!

She was adopted by Madam Ming. If Madam Ming was only a

concubine, could she become the daughter born of legal wife?

Before arriving, she built her prestige by means of Madam Ming. The
Third Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor really was not simple.

This was a humiliation to Madam Ming. Ning Xueyan regarded Madam

Ming as her biological mother. How could she endure it?

Ning Xueyan touched the pink satin and knocked on it intentionally.

Then she carried it and said to Mother Qin who was praising Ning
Qingshan, “Mother Qin, this color is not suitable for my mother even if
she was alive. Please take back these gifts with you!”

The light pink snow satin was directly showed to Mother Qin.

Mother Qin was surprised at first, and then embarrassed. Those servants
who had worked in the manor for so many years knew that Madam Ming
not only was the co-wife, but also once was Ning Zu’an’s legal wife.
Compared with Madam Ling, Madam Ming was the perfectly justifiable
wife of Ning Zu’an. Madam Ming was so proud, how could she accept
the satin of this color?
“Maybe the Third Young Lady doesn’t know it, so that she made a
mistake. Fifth Young Lady, you’re magnanimous, please don’t care about
it. I will change one for you.” Mother Qin had been devoting herself to
Ning Qingshan since she accepted a great gift from Ning Qingshan. Now
when she realized that Ning Qingshan had made a mistake, she hurried
to apologize for her with a smile on her face. She put the pink snow satin
in the pile of gifts which would be given to Ning Xueyan. Then she
wanted to find out a piece of totally red snow satin, but she failed. In the
end, she could only take out a piece of snow satin of red and pink and
pushed it to Ning Xueyan.

This meant that anyone would make a mistake about this kind of thing. If
Ning Xueyan cared about it, it would appear that she was not
magnanimous!

Ning Xueyan indifferently said, “Mother Qin, needn’t change. Just return
these to grandmother and tell her that I thanked Third Sister for my
mother. My mother is dead, and these gifts are unnecessary.” Then she
looked at Ning Lingyun who just came in, and said, “This satin is not
suitable for me and Fourth Sister!”

It did not matter if the pink satin was given directly to Ning Xueyan or
Ning Lingyun first. But now it had been refused by Madam Ming. It
would make people uncomfortable if it was sent to them again. Besides,
different colors represented different status. If it was sent to Ning
Xueyan or Ning Lingyun, others would think that it meant that the two
Young Ladies would be concubines in the future.

Mother Qin was also in trouble for a moment. Looking at Ning Lingyun
who was standing aside and thinking about something and Ning Xueyan
who was smiling but in fact was cold and persistent, Mother Qin had to
swallow her words.

The Fifth Young Lady in front of her was not the one who was ordered
by others at will.

Mother Qin awkwardly said, “Yes, I will take it back in a minute. When
Third Young Lady comes back, she will send another gift to the Second
Madam.”
Ning Xueyan gently and politely said, “Mother Qin, it’s unnecessary. My
mother is dead. She won’t care about it. Please bring my thanks to Third
Sister.”

Madam Ming was dead, but Ning Qingshan still made use of her. What
did she mean? If she really cared about Madam Ming, why didn’t she
show up when Madam Ming was in trouble? The so-called Third Sister
was more intimate with Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling than with Ning
Xueyan. Ning Xueyan wondered why Madam Ling did not adopt her at
the beginning.

“Well… all right, I’m leaving!” Because of this mistake, Mother Qin felt
dispirited, but she could not say more. She had stayed with Madam
Dowager for a long time. Of course, she knew whatever she said now
was wrong. Anyway, it was the Third Young Lady’s mistake that she sent
the Second Madam a piece of pink satin.

Originally, Mother Qin wanted to help the Third Young Lady to cover up
this matter. But now these gifts to Madam Ming were refused by the
Fifth Young Lady. Madam Dowager would certainly know it.
Fortunately, Madam Dowager would not blame the Third Young Lady if
she explained well for the Third Young Lady. After all, the Third Young
Lady was young when she left Lord Protector’s Manor and had been in
the nunnery all the time, how could she know these rules? It was normal
that she made a mistake.

Mother Qin had made up her mind that when the Third Young Lady
came back, she would first tell her that the Second Madam was dead and
the Fifth Young Lady also was not the original Fifth Young Lady.

Carrying the light pink satin and the tiny jewelry box, Mother Qin did
not say more and left while frowning.

“Fourth Sister, you can take all these gifts if you like them!” Ning
Xueyan looked at the gifts on the table with disdain. Just now, she had
seen these gifts clearly. There actually were four sets of gift which were
prepared for Ning Ziyan, Ning Yuling, Ning Lingyun and her. But she
saw flaw on the same gifts of each set.

A piece of snow satin obviously was damaged; one corner of an

ornament box collapsed; a fine fan was stained; the artistic design
embroidered on one handkerchief was not good.

There were four sets of gift for four people. In the past, those worst ones
must be left to Ning Xueyan!

It seemed that the Third Young Lady really did not know that Ning Ziyan
had married, Ning Yuling had been sent away, and Ning Xueyan had
come out of Bright Frost Garden.

Three years ago, Ning Qingshan was only a 13-year-old girl. But the
Honored Consort Ya and the Third Prince had been remembering her for
so many years; she had been famous in the capital; Madam Ling had
been kind to her even though she was adopted by Madam Ming; Madam
Dowager had been missing her all the time; people of the capital had
been thinking that she was filial to Madam Ming even if in fact she was
indifferent to Madam Ming in private. How could such a girl be simple?

Ning Xueyan even had a feeling that the Third Young Lady of Lord
Protector’s Manor had been knowing everything happening in Lord
Protector’s Manor.

The four sets of gift were sent to Madam Dowager first. There were too
many gifts, so that no one noticed that some of them were damaged.
Even though they found it later, they only would think that it must be
servants who carelessly damaged them on the way. No one would think
of the bad intentions of Ning Qingshan?

The four sets of gift were seemingly the same, but obviously one set of
gift was flawed. If it had been before, the worst one would certainly be
given to Ning Xueyan. When Madam Ling and her daughters saw it, they
would think that Ning Qingshan stood by them. In this way, Ning
Qingshan would please Madam Ling.

Now there were only Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan in the manor. As
far as Ning Xueyan knew, Ning Lingyun was tart and mean and would
not accept the flawed ones. Ning Xueyan, as a daughter born of the legal
wife, would be inferior to Ning Lingyun who was born of a concubine if
she accepted the flawed ones. Then how could she manage the whole
manor and the household accounts for Madam Dowager? However, if
Ning Xueyan did not accept them and argued with Ning Lingyun for
them, she would be supposed to be insensible.
So, whatever Ning Xueyan would do was wrong!

Furthermore, others would not think that Ning Qingshan was wrong.
They would only say that the Third Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor was generous and brought gifts to her sisters when she came
back. However, two unpresentable Young Ladies actually argued for the
gifts. It really was a shame!

Ning Xueyan did not want to come into conflict with the Third Young
Lady. But if someone bullied her, she would not give in. She did not care
how Ning Qingshan fish for fame and credit, but she could not step on
her. Therefore, she gave all these gifts to Ning Lingyun without care.

She also knew how to show her generosity. So she neither fought for nor
wanted these gifts and gave them all to Ning Lingyun.

If this had happened before, Ning Lingyun would be ecstatic and

complacent, thinking that Ning Xueyan was afraid of her.

But Ning Lingyun, who had been taught twice by Ning Xueyan and
secretly warned by Concubine Xu, was much more cautious now. She
moved her feet and said, “Fifth Sister, I don’t want them. I’ll give it all to
you.”

Ning Lingyun thought that Ning Xueyan pretended to refuse these gifts.
So although she was unwilling to give up these gifts, she still reluctantly
looked away. She was really afraid of Ning Xueyan, and dared not steal
the show in front of her.

“I don’t like all these styles. Fourth Sister, take them all!” “Here is a
token of Third Sister’s affection. If we ignore it, we can’t account for it
in front of grandmother.” Ning Xueyan smiled faintly, turned back and
sat down on the chair, then she said to Qingyu, “Qingyu, pack all these
gifts for Fourth Sister.”

Ning Xueyan’s words made Ning Lingyun felt uncomfortable. Although

she was not born of Ning Zu’an’s legal wife, she was indeed his
biological daughter. However, she was not as important as an adopted
daughter. How could Ning Lingyun, who had a good opinion of herself,
not be depressed? This also reminded her of her childhood. When they
were young, it clearly was Ning Qingshan’s mistake, but finally it was
she who was blamed.

Three years had passed, Ning Qingshan must be more sophisticated! She
needed to be more careful!

Qingyu skillfully packed all the gifts. Knowing that Ning Xueyan really
did not want these gifts, Ning Lingyun no longer refused. She pretended
to politely refuse, and then asked her maids to bring back all these gifts
to her courtyard.
Chapter 159 You Mistook Me for
Someone Else. I’m Ning Xueyan!
“Miss, you must beware of Third Young Lady. She is the daughter in
name of Madam Ming, but she didn’t respect her at all! Look, the
brocade she gave Madam Ming is pink. The color is for concubines!”
seeing everyone leave, Mother Han said angrily. She was brought to the
manor by Madam Ming, so she had always stood on Madam Ming’s side
and she couldn’t restrain her anger when she saw the insulting brocade
Ning Qingshan sent here before she had returned to the manor.

“Miss, what does she mean?” Lanning was a thoughtful girl, but she
couldn’t help asking now.

“She is flattering Madam Ling by suppressing Bright Frost Garden!”

Ning Xueyan took the tea cup from Lanning and took a sip of tea. Her
feathery eyelashes trembled in the floating mist. Her jet-black jade like
eyes were too beautiful to be true, but there was a trace of irony in them.

To flatter Madam Ling and suppress Ning Xueyan!

Although they hadn’t seen Third Young Lady yet, everyone knew that
she wouldn’t be friendly to Ning Xueyan.

What was wrong with the Lord Protector’s Manor? How dared an
adopted daughter frame a principle wife’s daughter!

“Miss, what shall we do next?” Lanning asked, frowning. Everyone in

the room could tell that Third Young Lady was difficult to deal with.

“Let’s wait for some time,” Ning Xueyan answered with a smile. Ning
Qingshan wanted to both flatter Madam Ling and suppress her as well,
but she wasn’t that easy to mess with. She would return the pink brocade
to Ning Qingshan. Although Madam Dowager didn’t like Madam Ming,
she wouldn’t be happy when she heard the news!
Ning Qingshan might suffer losses, instead of taking advantage of the
others!

Since her gift had arrived, she would arrive soon.

At Lucky Garden…

Looking at the pink brocade, Madam Dowager’s face was as cold as an

ice.

“How could Third Lady send this kind of things to Bright Frost Garden!
It seems she is not as smart as she used to be!” Madam Dowager banged
the floor with her walking stick and shouted angrily.

“Third Young Lady has always been in the nunnery, so she is getting
simpler and purer. She might just want to send some bright-colored
brocade to Bright Frost Garden and she didn’t know that there was
something particular about it,” Mother Qin explained, lowering her head.
She could sense Madam Dowager’s displeasure and she couldn’t help
sighing inside. Third Young Lady really should be blamed this time.

Although Madam Dowager didn’t like her, Madam Ming is Madam

Dowager’s niece and legal wife of marquis. How could Third Young
Lady treat her the same way to a common concubine? Since she had put
down Madam Ming like that, of course Madam Dowager would be
annoyed.

If Fifth Young Lady accepted the brocade, Madam Dowager wouldn’t

have known about it. But now Fifth Young Lady forcibly returned the
brocade back, Mother Qin had to explain to Madam Dowager about the
reason.

“Obviously what she did is inappropriate. Has she ever seen anyone send
this kind of brocade to Bright Frost Garden? She is stupid! Who told her
that Madam Ming was a concubine? If she were, Third Young Lady
would only be a concubine’s daughter!” Madam Dowager said angrily.
Although she liked Ning Qingshan, she was angry to see her insult
people who was related her by blood.

“You’re right. Third Young Lady must haven’t thought it over before
doing so. I’ll beat about the bush to remind her when she returns!”
Madam Dowager was really annoyed, so Mother Qin didn’t dare to say
more and she immediately answered to comfort her.

Madam Dowager’s gazes suddenly fell cold. She stared at Mother Qin
and snorted. “Did you get some benefits from Third Young Lady as
well?”

Mother Qin had never thought that she would have asked her about this
bluntly. She was shocked and sweat beaded on her forehead.

“Madam Dowager, I…” she stammered and looked at Madam Dowager,

didn’t know how to reply.

“Zi’er, I don’t care if you accepted the offer Third Young Lady gave you.
I just want you to know who your master is!” Madam Dowager said with
a dark face.

Zi’er was Mother Qin’s given name.

Mother Qin was so scared that she almost fell to the ground. She
immediately fell to her knees and raised her head. “Madam Dowager, I
dare not to cheat on you! I have always stood on your side, and I never
dare disobey your orders. Madam Dowager, don’t you believe me?”

She had never thought about betraying Madam Dowager and she just
spoke for Third Young Lady in a certain range.

Madam Dowager looked at her with a complex look. After a while, she
reached out and held Mother Qin up. “Zi’er, you know me well. If I had
any other choice, I wouldn’t have done it. Anyway, I’m sorry for my
elder brother. Madam Ming has passed away and Yan’er is my close kin,
so I can’t stand to see her bullied,” she said with a sigh.

“Yes! Yes! I understand how you feel. If you could help Madam Ming,
you wouldn’t have stood her come to such a miserable end. That’s her
fate,” Mother Qin immediately said, wiping sweat off her forehead.

Madam Dowager was satisfied with Mother Qin’s answer. “Both Third
Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady are daughters of principles wives,
and they will be very useful for our manor in the future. I don’t want any
problems between them. Take out some good-quality brocade with plain
color from my warehouse and give them to Fifth Young Lady. Tell her
that I know she has been working hard recently,” she ordered and closed
her eyes.

“Got it. I’ll choose some good brocade right away, and I won’t let Fifth
Young Lady feel wronged! After all, Fifth Young Lady is related to you
by blood.” Mother Qin instantly understood what Madam Dowager
meant, so she promised ingratiatingly.

“You can leave now!” Madam Dowager looked very tired. She waved
her hand to signal Mother Qin to leave. There were things she was
reluctant to recall. Now she was Madam Dowager of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, so what she should think about was the benefits of the
manor and family succession. This was more important than paying
attention to rumors.

She thought in this way years ago, and now she still insisted on it.

Mother Qin nodded and left.

Ning Xueyan was surprised that she met Ning Huaiyuan again.

After having supper, she went to Cloud Reflection Courtyard alone.

Before she could stand still at the gate of Cloud Reflection Courtyard, a
joyful voice rang out behind her, “Sister!”

It was getting dark outside. Ning Xueyan turned back and saw Ning
Huaiyuan. He looked calm, but there was a gleam of excitement in his
eyes.

“Brother!” Ning Xueyan said in a low voice. She looked down and
bowed to greet him.

“Thank you for your gift! I thought you must have forgotten me, but you
are still as good to me as before!” Ning Huaiyuan was obviously very
happy. He looked at her extremely beautiful face gently.

She was so thin that it seemed she would be blown away if there was a
wind. Her lips were pale and it made her look even more fragile, but it
added a touch of glamour to this delicate and touching girl. “She must
have led a hard life in the nunnery. Otherwise, how can she be so thin
that she doesn’t look like she is already sixteen?” Ning Huaiyuan
thought.

He looked at her and landed his gaze on her right hand wrapped in
gauze. He was a little surprised and then went angry. “What happened?
Who injured you?” he shouted.

Ning Xueyan looked good when he saw her in the afternoon. Why did
she hurt her hand in such a short time?

Ning Xueyan didn’t understand why Ning Huaiyuan said that she had
given him a gift. She frowned and tried to recall something which could
remind her about it, but before she could find the answer, Ning Huaiyuan
had shifted the topic to her hand.

Her hand wasn’t injured. In order to go along with the lie, she asked
Lanning to wrap her hand with gauze.

“It’s not that serious. I burned my hand accidentally and it blistered.” She
knew she shouldn’t describe her injuries too lightly or too heavily.

If she said her injuries were too serious, Madam Dowager would ask a
doctor to come, and then they would find that she was lying.

On the contrary, if she said her injuries were minor, Madam Dowager
would ask her to learn flower arrangement again. When she was as
‘outstanding’ as Ning Qingshan, they would marry her to someone who
was both rich and powerful to make profits for the manor.

“Really? Do you need a doctor?” Ning Huaiyuan looked at her and asked
anxiously. She looked so pale!

“I’m okay. Thank you, brother! When did you come here? What are you
doing here?” Ning Xueyan smiled and asked. She didn’t expect Ning
Huaiyuan to answer her questions, and she just wanted to shift the topic.
She wondered why Ning Huaiyuan cared about her so much. It even
made her a little nervous.

“Sister, do you still remember here?” Ning Huaiyuan asked with a smile,
raising his head and looking around.
Of course Ning Xueyan remembered here, because ‘she’ died in the
courtyard. Her eyelid twitched and there was a cold appeared in her eyes,
but it disappeared soon. It was normal that it was a place she would
never forget, but why Ning Huaiyuan still remembered here? There was
a nostalgic expression on his face when he looked around.

“I thought you must have forgotten this place. I’m so happy to see you
here. Just like me, you must haven’t forgotten this place!” Ning
Huaiyuan said with a touch of excitement in his eyes. He smiled and
continued, “I remember that I stole a book to read here and happened to
run into you. You said that you would tell Grandmother. I was scared and
I pleaded you not to expose me, and finally, you agreed not to turn me in
on the condition that I show you the book. From then on, I would have
come here whenever I got a book.”

“Reading book?”

Ning Xueyan frowned. She had never had such experience no matter
when she had been Ning Ziying or she was Ning Xueyan!

Now she was sure that Ning Huaiyuan had mistaken her for someone
else. Thinking about the gift he had mentioned, she could tell that he
must have mistaken her for Ning Qingshan. She was a little surprised
that Ning Qingshan and Ning Huaiyuan were so close. “No wonder Ning
Huaiyuan affectionately called me sister at the sight of me!” Ning
Xueyan thought.

But his attitude seemed to be too warm!

Even if she were his younger sister by blood, it was abnormal to be so

warm!

Ning Huaiyuan didn’t find anything wrong with Ning Xueyan. He turned
his head and looked at her face. She was so beautiful and grace that she
looked like a fairy! Ning Huaiyuan let out a heavy sigh and said, “Sister,
it has been three years since we were apart. That’s a long time!”

Although he had kept a good relationship with Ning Qingshan, he

vaguely felt that he didn’t like to be close with her, so even though she
had been gone for three years, he didn’t think much of it. He had never
expected that Ning Qingshan would be any different from she used to be
after coming back. But when he saw the charming and weak girl among
the red plum blossom, he was so delighted of her coming back!

It was good news for him. He had never expected Ning Qingshan to
come back so much!

So after supper, he walked here without knowing it. It was a remote

corner of the garden. When he and Ning Qingshan were very young, they
liked to come here to read and say something vaguely sensible.

“I’m right! He has mistaken me for Ning Qingshan!”

Ning Xueyan took several steps back, frowning. Then she stopped and
raised her head. “Brother, you mistook me for someone else! I’m Ning
Xueyan!” she said with a smile.

No matter what kind of relationship was between Ning Huaiyuan and

Ning Qingshan, she didn’t want to get involved in. The best way was to
tell Ning Huaiyuan the truth, so she put it straightforward.

With that, she bowed to Ning Huaiyuan and turned to leave, left Ning
Huaiyuan standing there, slack-jawed.
Chapter 160 His Pet Could Only
Belong to Him
Everything in the room was quiet. The fragrance ball on the table
emanated light and fresh smell. Lanning didn’t want to interfere with her
young master to check the account books, so she prepared a cup of tea
for Ning Xueyan and then left the room. For those account books that
she hadn’t finished checking in the day, Ning Xueyan would continue to
check after supper.

With the fire burning in the oven, it wasn’t cold in the room. Being afraid
of the room too stuffy, Lanning opened the window a little to let the fresh
air in before her leaving.

Rubbing her forehead, Ning Xueyan closed the account book which she
had finished checking and pushed it to aside.

Suddenly, she heard a faint sound close to the window. She raised her
head cautiously and saw a man stand in front of the window, wearing a
black robe with bright-red lycorisradiata embroidered on it. He was
extremely handsome, but on his face, there was a cold and aggressive
aura which would make people shiver. It was none other than Prince Yi,
Ao Chenyi!

It seemed he had used to sneak into the Lord Protector’s Manor at night!

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” Ao Chenyi raised his eyebrows and his
eyes were filled with joy. He was satisfied to see Ning Xueyan stay calm
at sight of him. He remembered when he came at night for the first time,
although she looked calm, she was actually nervous.

“Prince Yi, you always come and go in this way. Aren’t you afraid
someone will find out?” Ning Xueyan asked, but she could do nothing.
She wondered why this price liked to break into other’s manor in the
middle of the night. After all, he was Prince Yi, the future emperor of the
country.
“Nobody will find me out!” Ao Chenyi answered disdainfully. Although
Ning Zu’an had arranged some guards in the manor, they couldn’t be
compared with the guards of Prince Yi.

“Even if nobody could find you, you should pay attention to your safety.
You’re a prince, so you should be more careful.” Ning Xueyan bit her
lips and didn’t know what to do. She only wanted to remind him that it
was improper to break into a girl’s room at night, but when she found he
was staring at her coldly, she had to change the way to speak and tried to
express her opinion implicitly.

He was such a domineering noble man!

Ao Chenyi didn’t seem to have regarded himself as a guest here. He

walked to the bed beside her and sat down, leaning against the bedhead.
“Don’t worry. If I want to come, Ning Zu’an can’t stop me,” he said.

“Prince Yi, you should be more patient for taking the military medallion.
I’ll manage to go to the study room again sometime later,” Ning Xueyan
said with a sigh. She had a feeling that he came here for the military
medallion. But Ning Zu’an was indifferent to her whenever she saw him,
so she had no opportunity to talk with him, let alone went to his study
room.

She didn’t want to be close with the indifferent person, the so-called
“father” of her.

Besides, Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan had just returned, so it

wasn’t the right time to get close to Ning Zu’an.

“It seems your father loves your mother so much. It’s so late, but he is
still looking for something in the room your mother lived in. I wonder if
he has already found what he wanted.” Ao Chenyi looked at Ning
Xueyan with a sly smile, raising his eyebrows.

“Prince Yi, what’s Ning Zu’an looking for? Since it’s the Lord
Protector’s Manor, of course he can look for everything openly. Why is
he doing this secretly at night?” Ning Xueyan blinked and said in
confusion. She was curious, and her intuition told her that what Ning
Zu’an was looking for had something to do with her.
She had secretly asked Mother Han about what happened last time, but
Mother Han didn’t know clearly. She only told her that Madam Ming had
lived there at the beginning after married to Ning Zu’an. However, it
wasn’t long before her ‘affair’ was found out. Then she immediately
moved to Bright Frost Garden. Because she was in a hurry, many of her
belongs were left there. That was all she knew. If she pushed too hard,
Mother Han would tell her to believe Madam Ming. She was sure that
Madam Ming was wronged.

She knew nothing else about that place.

It seemed many of Madam Ming’s pieces of stuff were left in where she
had lived before she was ‘caught’ having affairs with another man on the
spot!

“So you think that Ning Zu’an should check or move anything he wants
in the Lord Protector’s Manor for granted?” Ao Chenyi asked with a
sneer, propping his hand against the bed.

“Prince Yi, don’t you think it’s weird?” Ning Xueyan didn’t understand
what he meant, so she asked cautiously.

“Of course it’s weird! So I need to come and investigate from time to
time!” Ao Chenyi said, as if he had a good reason to sneak into a girl’s
room at night. He raised his chin toward the window, hinting Ning
Xueyan to pay attention to the half-opened window, because he had
entered the room from the window.

“Do you still want to go there and have a look? Maybe you can find
some evidence about Ning Zu’an, then your imperial guards can show
off your abilities,” Ning Xueyan said gently.

Everyone knew that killing was common for the imperial guards in
capital. Prince Yi was the leader of the imperial guards, so he would be
more cold-blooded than the others, just like a devil from the hell.

“Evidence? Yan’er, aren’t you looking for evidence? Maybe you don’t
want to help me anymore, so you’re stalling for time!” Ao Chenyi said,
looking at her coldly. A sly smile appeared on his lips and he suddenly
reached out and grabbed her dress. Ning Xueyan was sitting beside him,
and without any preparation in mind, she fell on top of him.
They were so close, and her beautiful marble-like eyes met his cold and
aggressive eyes. Ao Chenyi wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Prince Yi, I dare not to stop looking for evidence for you!” Ning
Xueyan was blushed. She knew at this moment, she couldn’t do
anything. The man in front of her had never been reasonable. She had
even agreed to act as his favorite concubine, and they had shown how
close they were many times in front of so many people, so it would be
too hypocritical for her to act as if she were too shy to be close with him.

“You don’t dare? I know you have guts. If you don’t want to help me, I
don’t mind stopping trade with you!” he said, staring at her, his eyes full
of coldness, mystery and rage. Under his gaze, Ning Xueyan didn’t dare
to move. She was clear that nobody could stop trading with Ao Chenyi
easily.

“I never force people to do anything. You can tell me directly if you

don’t want to help me.” Ao Chenyi turned over on the bed and pressed
her under him, looking down at her. In the shadow of the light, she could
only saw his ice-like eyes. She couldn’t help but clench her fists.

From her rebirth at the very beginning to trade with him, Ning Xueyan
had never thought to stop the trade, even if the consequence might
beyond what she could imagine. She was clear that she was pale and
weak in front of him. Until now, she hadn’t done anything for him, but
he had already helped her several times.

In that respect, she owed him.

She must be stronger for taking revenge and for protecting people who
were close to her.

Ning Xueyan took a deep breath and said in a low voice, biting her lip,
“Prince Yi, I won’t forget that. I promise I’ll get the military medallion
of the previous dynasty for you.”

Ao Chenyi looked at the girl in front of him coldly. She turned her head
aggrieved with a pale face. She was so weak and even fragile that he
couldn’t help wanting to protect her especially when he heard the
determination in her words. However, from the coldness in her eyes
which was similar to his, he knew how strong-willed she was.
“Do you still remember the room of your mom?” Ao Chenyi looked
down and his eyes went darker under his long eyelashes.

“Yes. I know what you mean. I’ll check it,” Ning Xueyan answered
obediently and nodded. From the killing intent of his eyes, she could tell
that Ao Chenyi was more aggressive tonight than ever. It reminded her
that the prince in front of her was not only noble, but also
temperamental.

“It’s said my forth nephew saw a beautiful girl in the Lord Protector’s
Manor and he fell in love with her.” his cold voice rang out in her ear.
The coldness of his manner and the way she was now pressed under him
almost enveloped her in his shadow, and made her smothered.

She moved her hands slightly just now, but they were immediately
pressed to the sides of her head by him.

“Prince Yi, I don’t understand what you’re talking about!” Ning Xueyan
was confused. Ao Chenyi was really different from others and his mind
always too active! He was talking about the trade between them, but
suddenly, he shifted the topic to Forth Prince. Why Forth Prince should
tell her whom he had seen in the Lord Protector’s Manor?

“You don’t understand? Didn’t you see Ao Mingwan?” Ao Chenyi

narrowed his eyes, shooting a cold gleam. How dared someone else pry
about his little wild cat! At the thought of this, he couldn’t restrain his
anger. He came here from Prince Yi’s Manor to let this little wild cat
know who her master was!

His pet could only belong to him!

“Forth Prince? I have never seen him, and I don’t know whom he has
fallen in love with!” Ning Xueyan said frankly. She knew that Ao
Mingwan was Forth Prince’s name. She had battled her wits against
Third Prince recently, but she actually didn’t see Forth Prince. Ning
Zu’an was on the side of Ao Mingyu, so she wondered why Ao Chenyi
suddenly talked about Forth Prince.

“Prince Yi, do you want to know whom Forth Prince had a fancy to?”
she asked subconsciously, a confused look appeared in her watery eyes
under her feathery eyelashes.
Ao Chenyi looked at her cream-like face and pale lips coldly. Although
she was now recuperated, her lip color was still lighter than that of other
women. Her tender petal-like lips were pressed together, showing her
pride. This aggressive girl looked at him frankly, without any
concealment.

“You don’t have to ask about this. I’m asking you to inquire about things
about your mom’s room!” Ao Chenyi snorted and let go of Ning Xueyan.
He then stood up. His slim and long figure which surrounded in powerful
aura cast a shadow in the light and covered Ning Xueyan. He decided not
to tell her about what Ao Mingwan had said with Consort Shu in the
palace.

“Prince Yi, do you want me to investigate it immediately?” Ning Xueyan

raised her head in surprise. She hadn’t established herself in the Lord
Protector’s Manor, so it was impossible for her to investigate Ning Zu’an
at such a moment.

“Why should I tell you what I’m going to do?” Ao Chenyi looked at her
coldly and slyly from the corner of his eyes. Then he turned and walked
toward the window. The bright-red lycorisradiata embroidered on his
robe flashed several times, and then he disappeared in the darkness, only
left a half-opened window behind.

“What did he come here for? I can’t believe he has left like this!”

Ning Xueyan was surprised. She got out of the bed and walked out to
have a look, but saw nobody. It seemed this temperamental prince came
here for nothing except for warning her!
Chapter 161 Reputable Third
Young Lady
Ning Qingshan returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor in the morning
the next day.

It caused a sensation because Third Prince came to the Lord Protector’s

Manor to visit her.

Ning Qingshan had always enjoyed a good reputation among the noble
ladies in the capital. All the noble families praised her when they talked
about the young girl of both loyalty and filial piety. Moreover, although
she had been meditating in the nunnery, she would have written some
poems occasionally, so she was also famous because of her talent.

Even though she was only an adopted daughter of the Lord Protector’s
Manor, she enjoyed a higher reputation than the daughters who were
born by the principle wives of Lord Protector. Besides, Third Prince and
Honored Consort Ya paid special attention to her, so few ladies among
the noble families could be as famous as she was.

In her last life, Ning Xueyan had no connection with Ning Qingshan, so
she didn’t know much about her. She only knew that the maids and the
older female servants respected Third Young Lady very much. But after
what happened yesterday, Ning Xueyan knew she should be more
cautious in the face of Ning Qingshan.

She had her right arm wrapped in white gauze and then put her garment
on. She didn’t put a lot of gauze on, so it didn’t look obvious. It was her
first time to meet Ning Qingshan, so she didn’t want to cause her
attention. Without touching her hand, nobody would find that the gauze
under her garment.

After Lanning had brushed hair and worn the hair ornaments for her,
Ning Xueyan walked to Lucky Garden with her. It was said that Third
Prince had arrived in the early morning and there was something wrong
with Ning Huaiyuan. Ning Xueyan thought her Third Sister was by no
means ordinary.

Before they could enter the Lucky Garden, they heard a burst of laughter
come out from the room.

Ning Xueyan was now a frequent visitor to Lucky Garden, so the maid
didn’t report to Madam Dowager and let her in.

The moment she lifted the curtain, she saw a beautiful girl intimately
sitting beside Madam Dowager. She looked gorgeous in a luxury green
dress with a fair complexion. There was a pink color on her face and in
her watery eyes, there was a trace of a smile. The gold pendant of her
hairpin didn’t shake at all and she looked graceful and decent.

She was no less beautiful than Ning Yuling, the famous Young Lady in
the capital, and compared to that arrogant girl, she looked more elegant
and generous.

It was rare to see such a decent girl of a noble family like her!

Ning Qingshan chatted with Madam Dowager and made her laugh from
time to time. Meanwhile, she lowered her head slightly and chatted with
Third Prince occasionally. Obviously, she didn’t ignore anyone or being
too flattering. It had been three years since she left the manor and she
was more sociable now.

Hearing someone lift the curtain, she raised her head with a smile.

She was surprised when she saw a girl was looking at her too. This girl
had jade-like eyes, long and black eyelashes, and there was a cold and
bright gleam in her beautiful eyes. She observed further, and found that
the girl in front of her was a delicate beauty, although she hadn’t fully
developed yet and her face and her lips were too pale.

These weren’t detrimental to her exquisite face, and made her more
delicate and touching! From her eyes, one could tell that she was quick-
witted.

It was foreseeable that how beautiful she would be when she grew up!
“How beautiful! Grandma, who is this sister?” Ning Qingshan looked at
Ning Xueyan with a gentle smile and calmly asked.

Watching her come in, Ning Huaiyuan, who was sitting aside felt a little
uneasy.

“This is your Fifth Sister. Just like you, she has lived in Bright Frost
Garden for many years and she seldom showed up in public, so it’s
normal that you don’t know her. When you left, she was only about
eleven years old. Xueyan, come here to greet your Third Sister,” Madam
Dowager introduced with a smile.

“Greetings, Third Sister!” Ning Xueyan shifted her eyes from Ning
Qingshan to her maid beside her and then a smile crossed her eyes. Fate
brought them together again! It reminded her of what had happened a
few days ago.

Ning Qingshan stood up and walked close to Ning Xueyan. She held her
hand with a sincere smile and sized Ning Xueyan up. “Oh, you’re Fifth
Sister! You’re as beautiful as a fairy! You resemble mom so much. Is she
all right? Has she recovered? Is she still taking her medicine? I brought
some medicines back. Please give them to mom later.”

Every move of her showed her sincere affection and she looked so gentle
and graceful. From any aspect, she was perfect.

“Give the medicines to mom?” Ning Xueyan sneered. She knew that
Ning Qingshan did this to make everyone think she was filial.

She held back the impulse to withdraw her hands. Her face grew colder
and there was sadness in her eyes. “Third Sister, thank you for your
medicines! But mom doesn’t need them anymore,” she said.

“Ah? What happened?” Ning Qingshan asked in a hoarse voice, her

smile faded away.

“Third Sister, you have been meditating in the nunnery, so maybe

nobody of the manor told you about the news. Mom… has passed away,”
Ning Xueyan said in a gentle voice and she was on the verge of tears.
Ning Qingshan was Madam Ming’s daughter in the name. Ning Xueyan
didn’t believe that she didn’t know about Madam Ming’s death, because
Lord Protector’s Manor would definitely have sent someone to tell her
about it. Ning Xueyan had inquired someone and she was told that the
so-called nunnery was not far away from the outside of the east gate of
the capital. It was small, but a lot of people went there to worship every
day.

It was said that First Princess of the previous dynasty had her hair shaved
and became a nun there. It seemed the Bodhisattva enshrined in the
nunnery was very efficacious, so if the noble ladies wanted to make a
wish in front of the Bodhisattva, they would definitely go to this
nunnery.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many people who knew Ning Qingshan

was talented.

The girl Ning Xueyan met who had taken an arrogant maid with her
recently was no other than Ning Qingshan. The maid who fought her for
a jade hairpin was standing behind Ning Qingshan now.

“Third Young Lady, why didn’t you see the person who was sent by
marquis to report to you about Madam Ming’s passing away?” Madam
Dowager looked at Ning Qingshan with a smile, as if she asked the
question casually.

If nobody in the manor had arranged people to inform Ning Qingshan

about the news, the Lord Protector’s Manor should be blamed.

“Grandmother, my practice has reached the most critical stage at that

moment, so I wouldn’t have met with any visitors. Since nobody
mentioned it again, I didn’t think he had anything special to tell me and I
didn’t ask about it later.” Ning Qingshan knew what Madam Dowager
meant, so she immediately explained. Her face turned a little pale and
her eyes became red. She looked up at Madam Dowager and continued,
“If, if I knew mom passed away, I, I would have come back to see her
one last time even if I broke my promise to Bodhisattva.”

She wiped the corner of her eyes and looked very sad. She deliberately
turned sideways toward Third Prince so that he could see how she felt
wronged.
“Madam Dowager, Third Young Lady is telling the truth. I have sent my
man there too, but the master of the nunnery told him that Third Young
Lady wouldn’t see anyone at that moment.” Seeing the beauty cry so
bitterly in front of him, Third Prince, Ao Mingyu, couldn’t help speaking
for her.

“Come on! Don’t cry! We should be happy to see Third Young Lady
come back. Fifth Young Lady, don’t make everyone unhappy by bringing
up those sad things.” Madam Dowager was embarrassed to have Third
Prince explain for the home affair of the Lord Protector’s Manor, so she
began to blame Ning Xueyan.

Being scolded for no reason, Ning Xueyan’s face darkened. She looked
up at Madam Dowager and then Ning Qingshan in confusion, looked as
if she had just realized that Madam Dowager was blaming her. Her eyes
turned red. “Grandmother, since Third Sister asked me about mom, of
course I should let her know. How can we keep her being dis-respectable
to mom all the time but do nothing?”

Looking at Ning Xueyan’s reddish eyes, Madam Dowager just realized

that the way Ning Qingshan dressed was improper. She dressed up like
this showed she attached great importance to today’s gathering, but
instead of offering incense and worshiping Madam Ming, she chatted
and joked with others in a gorgeous dress. It was really indecent!

She was a little regret. She should have told her about Madam Ming’s
death the moment Ning Qingshan stepped into the manor, and asked her
to worship Madam Ming and changed her clothes before coming here.

Seeing Madam Dowager fall silent, Mother Qin, who had been standing
behind her said in a hurry, “Fifth Young Lady, you’re right. Madam
Dowager was planning to tell Third Young Lady about this, but she
forgot it as soon as she chatted with her. Third Young Lady, do you want
to worship Second Madam now?”

Ning Qingshan was surprised that Ning Xueyan dared to blame her to
her face in front of Madam Dowager and Third Prince. She was a little
annoyed. But Mother Qin, the old female servant of Madam Dowager
had asked her to worship Madam Ming, which meant she was indirectly
blaming her rudeness. Although Madam Dowager didn’t say anything,
she didn’t stop Mother Qin. Obviously, what Mother Qin said was what
Madam Dowager thought as well.

“Yes. I should be blamed. Grandmother, I’ll change my clothes right now

and worship mom with Fifth Sister. I’m not filial not having seen mom
one last time. If mom forgives me, I would like to copy the scripture a
hundred times in her mourning hall,” Ning Qingshan said gently, her
every move full of affection.

She looked so sincere that an outsider would think that she was the
biological daughter of Madam Ming!

Ning Xueyan knew she was acting, but she was marvel at her acting
skill.

“Go and change your clothes. Come back after worshiping your mom.
Let’s talk about the scripture copying thing in the future. Just have dinner
with me today. I haven’t seen you for several years and I want to spend
more time with you.” Madam Dowager patted Ning Qingshan on the
hand and looked at her with satisfaction, the smile on her face more
gentle.

“Got it,” Ning Qingshan answered respectfully. She then turned to Third
Prince and said softly, “Your Highness, please wait here for a moment.
I’ll worship mom first. Then I’ll come back after changing my clothes.
Please tell me about Honored Consort Ya later. She has been treated me
well, and I missed her so much when I was in the nunnery.”

Ning Xueyan almost applauded for her performance. Ning Qingshan was
gentle when she spoke and she looked decent. Besides, what she was
asking for was Honored Consort Ya, so Third Prince wouldn’t leave
before she came back from the mourning hall.

Ning Qingshan had hinted that she had been focusing on meditation in
the nunnery, so she didn’t know what was going on outside, but now
when talking about Honored Consort Ya, she seemed to know a lot about
her. Several years ago, when she just came to the nunnery, Honored
Consort Ya had only been an ordinary consort of the emperor. Since the
promotion of a consort wouldn’t be announced to the public, how could
Ning Qingshan know about it so clearly?
“Don’t worry, Third Young Lady. Mother misses you very much as well.
But I should know how you’ve been these years before I report to her,”
Third Prince said with a smile on his handsome face. He then shifted his
gaze to Ning Xueyan from Ning Qingshan. Every time he saw this girl,
he was amazed by her beauty.

He came here for Ning Qingshan today, but somehow, when he saw her
beautiful face, he didn’t feel as happy as he had imagined. He kept on
shifting his gaze between Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan, and finally,
he fixed his eyes on Ning Xueyan, frowning…
Chapter 162 Got Her Hand
Injured
The moment they walked out the gate of the courtyard, Ning Qingshan
pulled Ning Xueyan to the side. When they came to a quiet place, she
lifted her skirt hem and was going to kneel down.

Ning Xueyan was cautious and she stopped her immediately. “What are
you doing, Third Sister?” she asked.

“Fifth Sister, mom treated me like her biological daughter, but I couldn’t
serve her when she was alive. What’s more, I didn’t see her one last time
after she passed away. I was in the nunnery, so I didn’t know what had
happened outside. But I shouldn’t take it as an excuse. Anyway, I should
be blamed. I only hope that you won’t be mad of me and our sisterhood
won’t be influenced because of this.”

Ning Qingshan said sincerely and her attitude would make everyone
think that she was admitting her mistake and asking for forgiveness from
the bottom of her heart.

But it reminded Ning Xueyan what happened to her in her last life.
“Sister Ziying, we’ll be as close as sisters forever. I have taken you as
my own younger sister in my heart!”

“Sister Ziying, we’re so close, so I’ll share everything I have with you in
the future! Even Brother Yuhang can’t break our friendship.”

The person who spoke was just like Ning Qingshan, they all looked
sincere with a charming smile on their faces when they spoke. However,
that person pressed her in the lotus pond without mercy and drowned
her…

Ning Xueyan took a deep breath and withdrew the sneer from her lips.
She realized that Ning Qingshan was much smarter than Ning Ziyan.
Ning Ziying had trusted Ning Ziyan so much, so she didn’t find the
hypocrisy in Ning Ziyan’s eyes. But although Ning Xueyan was very
cautious, she could only feel the sincerity in Ning Qingshan’s eyes.

What she said was so reasonable that everyone would consider Ning
Qingshan a filial, generous, and perfect girl.

It seemed Ning Qingshan didn’t want the others to overhear their

conversation, so she pulled Ning Xueyan away from the front gate of
Lucky Garden. However, the place where they were was only several
steps away from the gate, so two smart older female servants had
followed behind them and hid in a corner. Now they had heard every
word of their conversation.

Third Young Lady was really no ordinary!

“Third Sister, don’t speak that way. Since you have been at the nunnery
in those days, how can I blame you? You didn’t come back because you
didn’t know mom had passed away,” Ning Xueyan said with a faint
smile.

“Fifth Sister, so you still don’t believe me? I’m not lying. I can do
nothing if you’re still mad of me. I will kowtow to you if you would like
to forgive me. I can’t go to the mourning room to worship mom until you
have forgiven me. Otherwise, mom will blame me in the nether world,”
Ning Qingshan said.

Ning Qingshan looked sad and was about to go down on her knees.
“Fifth Sister, don’t worry. I won’t tell anybody about this,” she
continued.

Ning Xueyan sneered in her heart. It seemed this kind of things didn’t
need to be told, because those older female servants were overhearing in
the corner.

Ning Qingshan had never been ordinary. She was a talented girl with a
reputation of loyalty and filial piety and she was so famous in the capital.
Ning Xueyan knew that if she agreed with Ning Qingshan to kowtow to
her, everyone would criticize her in the future.

Even if she stretched her hand a little bit late and let Ning Qingshan drop
to her knees, other people would think that she was a vitriolic person.
That would accentuate Ning Qingshan’s decent, gentle and generous
demeanor.

It was the first time they met, Ning Qingshan already played tricks on
her! Did she think that Ning Xueyan was easy to bully?

Ning Xueyan pulled Ning Qingshan hard and tried to stop her from
kneeling. “Third Sister, both mom and I won’t blame you. Let’s go to
worship mom as soon as possible. Don’t keep Grandmother waiting.”

With that, she applied more strength to her arms, as if she really wanted
to pull Ning Qingshan up. Suddenly, she let out a cry in a low voice and
frowned.

Feeling Ning Xueyan pull on her harder, Ning Qingshan pressed herself
down harder as well, trying to show that she was sincere to kneel down
to ask for her forgiveness.

“Third Sister, it hurts! Please stand up!” Ning Xueyan raised her head
and said painfully. Two older female servants who stood behind the
corner which on one side of Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan didn’t
know what happened and they looked at them curiously. From the angle
they looked, Ning Xueyan’s hands were tightly pressed under the elbows
of Ning Qingshan.

Ning Qingshan heard what Ning Xueyan said and saw her painful look,
but she thought Ning Xueyan was playing tricks in order to pull her up,
so she didn’t take it seriously, but still acted as if she wanted to kneel
down.

“Fifth Sister, don’t pull me. I must kneel down and beg your pardon, or I
won’t feel relieved!”

“Third Young Lady, please let go of our Young Lady! Don’t do that
anymore! Our Young Lady got injured!” Lanning exclaimed beside
them. Then she came over to pull Ning Qingshan’s hands. Now Ning
Xueyan’s hands were still pressed under her elbows.

“I only applied a little more strength, how could she get injured? She is
pretending to be delicate!” Ning Qingshan thought. She had noticed that
Third Prince looked at Ning Xueyan many times just now, and she was
both jealous and furious.

She grabbed Ning Xueyan’s hand forcefully and walked toward Lucky
Garden. “Fifth Sister, since your hand got injured, we should move
faster, so that the doctor check for you as soon as possible,” she
remarked.

She was not made of porcelain. How could she get injured so easily?
Ning Qingshan decided to expose Ning Xueyan’s lie to Third Prince’s
face so he would know how hypocritical she was at such a young age!

“Third Sister, please let me go! My hand hurts!” Ning Xueyan said
weakly with a pale face, while being dragged ahead.

“Third Young Lady, you used too much strength and injured our Young
Lady’s hands!” Lanning cried out anxiously, but she didn’t dare to pull
Ning Xueyan’s hand.

“Got injured? So I’m taking her to check her injuries. I won’t let
anything happen to my sister’s hand because of me.” “They act as it’s
real!” Ning Qingshan snorted inside. Although it was her first time to see
Ning Xueyan, she couldn’t help being jealous. “After several years, she
must be more beautiful. Madam Dowager takes her seriously just
because she is beautiful,” Ning Qingshan thought.

Ning Qingshan had thought that without Ning Yuling, she would be the
most beautiful Young Lady in the Lord Protector’s Manor. However, to
her surprise, Ning Xueyan, who had always been unremarkable, came
out so beautiful! Madam Dowager must want to marry her to the
imperial family, so she treated her so well!

From the way Third Prince looked at Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan
could feel that Ning Xueyan was special to him. That made her both
jealous and furious. She had been planning to marry herself to Third
Prince, how could she watch Ning Xueyan rob him away from her!

The quick-witted older female servants had already reported to Madam

Dowager about what happened outside. Madam Dowager also heard the
noise outside, and she was wondering what happened to Ning Qingshan
and Ning Xueyan. Hearing the report, she froze for a while and then
asked an older female servant to brought them in.

Before older female servant walking out, Ning Qingshan had pulled
Ning Xueyan into the room in a hurry. “Grandmother, Fifth Sister said
her hands hurt. Can you call a doctor to check for her?” she asked.

Ning Xueyan kept on pushing Ning Qingshan’s hand hard while being
dragged in. Her jade-like eyes went moisture because of grievance.
“Third Sister, I’m not lying. My hand really aches. Please let go… of it!”

Although they had entered the room, Ning Qingshan didn’t want to let
go of Ning Xueyan and still grabbed her hand firmly. She said with a
gentle look, “Fifth Sister, I didn’t mean that you were lying. I wanted to
make amends to you just now, but you got injured while pulling me, so I
should be blamed. I’m asking Grandmother to call the doctor for you.”

“Go on! Show me how you will pretend to be injured when the doctor
comes!” Ning Qingshan thought.

As long as there were no obvious injuries, she wouldn’t need to be

worried even though Ning Xueyan’s hand was sprained by her. The other
people would think that Ning Xueyan pretended to be injured to frame
her.

Third Prince frowned and he couldn’t help looking at Ning Xueyan’s

aggrieved face. He had never seen such an expression on her face. She
had been biting her lip all along and it got paler, so it was obvious that
she was enduring much pain. However, Ning Qingshan didn’t seem to
have noticed that, and she still grabbed her hand! Third Prince was filled
with anger.

“Third Young Lady, please let go of Fifth Young Lady. Don’t you see
that she can’t even speak because of pain?” Ao Mingyu said. She wanted
to pull them apart, but it was improper for him to do so.

Ning Huaiyuan was sitting beside him. He looked at Ning Xueyan, and
then Ning Qingshan, but say nothing, except for frowning.

“Qingshan, move your hand away from her!” Seeing Ning Qingshan still
grab Ning Xueyan’s hand tightly, Madam Dowager’s face went dark.
Ning Xueyan had asked her maid to tell Madam Dowager that her hand
was scalded, so she couldn’t learn flower arranging recently. And
Madam Dowager remembered that the maid said it was Ning Xueyan’s
right hand which had been scalded.

Along Ning Xueyan’s arm which was grabbed hard by Ning Qingshan,
everyone could see white gauze peep out and Ning Qingshan’s hand was
pressing against that position.

Mother Qin also remembered that Ning Xueyan’s hand was injured and
she was suddenly worried. Regardless of the possibility of offending
Ning Qingshan, she grabbed her hand and tried to pull it away from Ning
Xueyan’s hand. At the same time, she shouted anxiously, “Third Young
Lady, let go of Fifth Young Lady! She got her hand injured last night. If
you keep on pulling her like this, her wound will break!”

“Third Sister, it really hurts! I’m not lying!” Ning Xueyan said in a low
voice. She took a deep breath and leaned against Lanning.

She was not pretending to be weak now. She was surprised that a delicate
Young Lady like Ning Qingshan’s hands were so strong. She had
dragged Ning Xueyan into the room, but she showed no sign of letting
go of her. Ning Xueyan was weak due to chronic malnutrition. What was
more, she was poisoned some time ago. So although she was getting
better, she still hadn’t completely recovered yet.

Being pulled along the way by Ning Qingshan, she felt a fluctuation of
her blood and energy. Head swimming, her face turned paler and her
forehead was sweaty.

In the eyes of others, she was enduring unbearable pain.

Third Prince was obviously annoyed by Ning Qingshan. Apparently

Ning Xueyan wasn’t feeling well. Besides, Madam Dowager said that
she had got injured. How could Ning Qingshan still think that she was
lying? She was still grabbing Ning Xueyan’s hand hard. If she kept on
doing this, of course Ning Xueyan’s wound would go worse.

“Third Sister, let go of her. Otherwise, Fifth Sister is going to faint!”

Ning Huaiyuan strode forward and pulled Ning Qingshan’s hand away
from Ning Qingshan’s.
“Grandmother, I, I didn’t notice my hand was on Fifth Sister’s injuries.
Shall we ask the doctor here?” Ning Qingshan asked and looked at
Madam Dowager anxiously, as if she were worried about Ning Xueyan
so much. From the attitude of everyone, she sensed that things were not
going well. She was smart and she immediately let go of Ning Xueyan.

“Third Young Lady, our Young Lady told you to let go of her, but why
didn’t you listen to her? Since you pressed on her injuries, of course it
hurts!” Lanning exclaimed angrily, holding Ning Xueyan’s arm.

“I’m fine. It’s just a little burn, not a big deal! Third Sister, let’s go to
worship mom. That’s the most important thing,” Ning Xueyan said,
squeezing out a faint smile.
Chapter 163 Elder Brother, It had
been Three Years since We Parted
What she said seemed natural and reasonable.

Before Ning Qingshan returned to the mandor, Madam Dowager had

known that Ning Xueyan was scalded the night before, so it couldn’t be
false.

A small burn wouldn’t be a big deal if Ning Qingshan didn’t grab her
hand forcefully. Compare to Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan seemed
exaggeratedly warm and it even felt like she was making a fuss.
Everyone would think that she did it deliberately, and when they thought
further, they would be more confused.

What did Ning Qingshan mean? Thinking about what Ning Xueyan had
acted and spoken, they vaguely felt that Ning Qingshan had gone too far!

Madam Dowager’s face went dark, and Ning Huaiyuan looked at Ning
Qingshan with suspicion.

Third Prince frowned. Ning Qingshan seemed to have changed a lot from
three years ago!

“Sorry! I’m sorry, Fifth Sister! I really didn’t know you got injured last
night. I thought that you were injured by me.” From the way everyone
looked at her, Ning Qingshan knew that they were mad at her. But she
was a quick-witted girl, and she immediately pretended to be guilty and
began to apologize ‘sincerely’. She also managed to shed a few tears to
convince others of her sincerity.

If nobody saw what happened just now, they would believe that Ning
Qingshan apologized to Ning Xueyan from the bottom of her heart.
However, they couldn’t help but be suspicious that she was so
warmhearted to ask the doctor to come because she suspected that Ning
Xueyan was lying.
“Well, since the injury is not serious, Third Young Lady and Fifth Young
lady, you can go to worship your mom now. After that, come back to
have dinner with me. Don’t keep me waiting too long,” Madam Dowager
said. She had always fond of Ning Qingshan. Even though she wasn’t
satisfied with what Ning Qingshan had done just now, she didn’t blame
her. Furthermore, Third Prince was still here.

“Got it, Grandmother,” Ning Qingshan answered and then she reached
out to hold Ning Xueyan’s arm carefully. When she touched her hand,
she smiled awkwardly. “Fifth Sister, are you sure that the injury isn’t
serious? If you can’t go with me, just ask your maid to guide me there. I
was in such a hurry that I didn’t notice that your hand got injured,” she
said softly.

She looked so gentle and quite different from the way she spoke just
now. Besides, she admitted her mistakes frankly, without any
concealment. It was easy to win people’s favor.

Ning Xueyan praised her inwardly. Ning Qingshan appeared to make a

concession, but in fact she did it in order to win back favor. She was a
person of deep mind!

Hearing what she said, everyone in the present looked a little softer.

“Third Sister, I’m all right. Let’s go!” Ning Xueyan let Ning Qingshan
hold her arm and smiled slightly. Her hand was not hurt at all, so she
didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

“Grandmother, Third Prince, elder brother, I’ll leave for a while with
Fifth sister,” Ning Qingshan bowed to them and then left the room with
Ning Xueyan.

After burning incense and worshiping Madam Ming, Ning Qingshan

went to Foggy Courtyard to change her clothes.

When she walked into the room, Xia’er, the maid following her said
angrily, “Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady went too far to have treated you
like that! Madam Ming is only a concubine, but it seems they all treat her
like she is a principle wife! Everybody knows that she is only a
concubine!”
She stood behind Ning Qingshan just now. When she watched her Young
Lady in an awkward position, she almost jumped out to speak for her.
But before coming back to the manor, Ning Qingshan had told her not to
speak in public. Otherwise, she would have fought for her Young Lady
in front of those people.

In Xia’er’s mind, Ning Qingshan was the noblest, and neither Madam
Ling nor Madam Ming could match with her. Of course she couldn’t
bear the noblest person in her heart to worship a concubine.

The smile on Ning Qingshan’s charming face had been replaced by

coldness. Her expression at the moment was quite different from her
gentle expression just now. She looked down upon Ning Xueyan in the
heart. She thought the coward who had been hiding in Bright Frost
Garden would die at Ning Yuling’s hands finally.

She had always concerned about what happened in the Lord Protector’s
Manor.

She had a crush on Third Prince for long, and making concession was
her way to gain the maximum benefit. In Third Prince’s opinion, she had
been a gentle and kind girl. And she had accompanied him in the most
difficult days of his life. She was confident that when she showed up in
front of him again, he would be crazy about her.

Ning Yuling was stupid, so Ning Qingshan had never taken her as a
threat. No matter whether Ning Yuling could marry Third Prince, the
result was the same.

She was happy when she knew that Ning Yuling failed to marry Third
Prince, because there was one less obstacle in her way.

She had never expected that Ning Xueyan would be her new obstacle!
The useless coward made her look stupid in front of so many people on
the first day she returned to the manor. Ning Qingshan had always
thought highly of herself, so she couldn’t be angrier about this.
Furthermore, when she saw the dissatisfaction in Third Prince’s eyes, she
felt a heavy blow.

Third Prince didn’t look at Ning Xueyan the same way he looked at her!
She could tolerate Ning Xueyan to make trouble with her the first day
she came back, but she couldn’t bear Third Prince to shift his affection to
another woman!

Now only she and her maid were in the room, she didn’t need to pretend
to be gentle any more. She warned coldly, “Xia’er, Ning Xueyan is too
smart, and you’d better mind your tongue in front of her.”

“Miss, don’t worry. I’ll be cautious and I know what I should say in front
of her,” Xia’er answered with a nod.

“She is too cunning, and I almost fell for her trap!” At thought of what
happened, Ning Qingshan couldn’t help being furious. She had planned
to take the opportunity to suppress Ning Xueyan, but to her surprise, that
little girl got her into trouble by saying that her hand was scalded. If she
hadn’t apologized to her, the other people would have blamed her more.

Because she was in a hurry, she didn’t think it over when Ning Xueyan
claimed that she didn’t believe her. Now she found such words were
likely to misguide people to doubt her motives.

“You’re so noble, how can the daughter of a concubine like Fifth Young
Lady compare with you?” Xia’er said scornfully.

“Never talk about it in the manor! Xia’er, if you spill the beans, I won’t
show mercy!” Although there was plenty of sunshine in the room, Ning
Qingshan’s face was as cold as ice. Xia’er shivered with fear, and then
she knelt down. “Got it! Miss, I promise I’ll watch my tongue!”

She knew Ning Qingshan wasn’t joking. When they were at the nunnery,
a young nun who said something improper was found dead behind the
nunnery the next day.

“Xia’er, we’re at the manor now. I would have forgiven you in the
nunnery when you said something improper because of your
carelessness, but things are different here. If you make any mistake, I
can’t protect you,” she said seriously and sincerely. Looking at Xia’er’s
pale face and trembling body, Ning Qingshan knew that she had realized
the severity of consequences, so her face softened a little and she held
Xia’er up.
“Yes, miss. I’ll be more cautious and I won’t get you into trouble.” Being
held up by her master in person, Xia’er nodded hard and felt flattered.

“Go and invite elder brother here in the evening. I haven’t seen him for
three years, and I want to chat with him,” Ning Qingshan ordered with a
nod. She was satisfied with Xia’er’s answer and there was a touch of a
smile on her lips when she spoke.

Ning Huaiyuan might not be the most important person, but at such a
critical moment, he was useful. She had plotted everything three years
ago, and now it was time to end the game. She should try all her efforts
to suppress those she could suppress and use those she could make use
of. When she understood this truth, she had begun to arrange everything
carefully.

Including the trip to the nunnery three years ago!

Several years ago, she was slapped by the arrogant Young Lady, Ning
Yuling. From then on, she was clear about her own status in the manor.
No matter how popular she was, she was only an adopted daughter of
Lord Protector, and she could never match with Lord Protector’s
biological daughters.

“Yes, Miss. I’ll invite Eldest Young Master to come right now.” Xia’er
nodded. She hesitated for a short moment and then asked, “Miss, I
wonder if Eldest Young Master will refuse to come, just like he did
before.”

Before Ning Qingshan went to the nunnery, she had been close to Ning
Huaiyuan, and Ning Huaiyuan treated her even better than he treated his
own sisters. The night that Ning Qingshan was going to leave for the
nunnery, Ning Huaiyuan was invited to Luoyan Garden too. However,
Xia’er didn’t know what happened between them, Ning Huaiyuan left,
regardless of Ning Qingshan calling him behind.

Ning Qingshan chased after him until she arrived at the gate of the
courtyard, but Ning Huaiyuan didn’t look back.

Since Ning Qingshan arrived at the nunnery, the other masters of the
Lord Protector’s Manor would have sent some gifts to her in festivals,
but Ning Huaiyuan had never even arranged anyone to greet her. It
seemed he had completely forgotten Third Young Lady.

Whenever Xia’er mentioned Ning Huaiyuan, Third Young Lady’s face

would go dark.

“No, he won’t refuse to come. I have chatted with him and made
everything clear just now,” Ning Qingshan said, an abnormal look
crossing her eyes. What happened three years ago was her testing to
Ning Huaiyuan. Now she must find a way to deal with Ning Xueyan.
The only daughter left in the manor now who had been born by the
principle wife of Lord Protector was standing in her way!

While talking, Ning Qingshan had changed her clothes. She looked
herself in the mirror and then walked out gracefully. The moment she
stepped out, the gentle and graceful smile appeared on her face again.

Ning Xueyan came back to Lucky Garden earlier than Ning Qingshan.
When she walked into the room, Madam Dowager was chatting with
Third Prince, and Ning Huaiyuan occasionally put in a word politely.
Obviously, they had a good time.

At the sight of Ning Xueyan, Madam Dowager waved her hand with a
smile. When she walked over, Madam Dowager held her hand gently and
look at it carefully. “Fifth Young Lady, does it still hurt? Did you have
your wound re-bandaged? You girls should be careful. It’s easy to get
scarring if you’re not careful, especially in winter.”

“Grandmother, I’m fine. I have applied some medicine on it and I’m

much better now,” Ning Xueyan answered softly.

“I’m relieved now. Take a seat. Third Prince talked about you just now.
We have received the invitation letter of the Plum-blossom Party from
the imperial palace. Now since Third Young Lady was back, you two can
attend the party together a few days later. Don’t disgrace the Lord
Protector’s Manor.” Madam Dowager patted Ning Xueyan on the
shoulder. Apparently, she was hinting something.

“Third Prince, invitation letter and Ning Qingshan? The party is going to
be held in these days?”
Ning Xueyan’s watery eyes flashed and there was a thoughtful look in
them. It seemed everything was arranged by Ning Qingshan. She was
going to attend the Plum-blossom Party held by the imperial family after
she had just come back from the nunnery. No matter what her purpose
was, Third Young Lady seemed to be going to rise irrepressibly.

That was why she gave a head-on blow to Bright Frost Garden even
before her return. She just wanted to raise her own status in the manor by
suppressing Bright Frost Garden!
Chapter 164 Have You Really
Forgiven Me?
“Brother, I was too young and I said something stupid. I hope you can
forgive me.” Ning Qingshan greeted Ning Huaiyuan with a bow, looking
calm and graceful.

“Sister…” Ning Huaiyuan looked at her thoughtfully, a strange look

flashing in his eyes. He assumed a posture to hold her up, and he found it
was difficult for him to call her so intimately like before. He paused for a
while and then continued, “Third Sister, let’s bygones be bygones. We
have grown up, so we should be mature.”

His previous naive ‘sister’ had disappeared before she went for the
nunnery, and the ‘sister’ he saw recently was not Ning Qingshan at all!

Until now, Ning Huaiyuan still couldn’t believe that the slim figure
under the plum tree was Ning Xueyan, the Fifth Young Lady who had
never walked out Bright Frost Garden! He paid much attention to Ning
Xueyan today and he looked at her carefully a few times, but it was hard
for him to associate her with that shy, unremarkable little girl.

She didn’t look frightened at all whether it was answering Madam

Dowager or arguing with Ning Qingshan.

Since his mind was on Ning Xueyan, he paid less attention to Ning
Qingshan. He agreed to come to Ning Qingshan’s residence without
hesitation, because he had let go of the past. He had been so annoyed that
he hoped Ning Qingshan would never come back. Now when he recalled
the past, there was nothing stirring in his heart.

But, did he really let go of the past?

Feeling a little bit scared, Ning Huaiyuan picked up the tea cup at hand
and took a sip of tea uneasily.
“Brother, have you really forgiven me?” Ning Qingshan’s eyes
brightened up and she looked excited, as if she became vigorous because
of Ning Huaiyuan’s forgiveness. She then said in a sweet voice,
“Brother, if you have forgiven me, just call me sister like before. It
reminds me of the moments when we read books together secretly.”

She mentioned the past on purpose because she wanted to know Ning
Huaiyuan’s reaction.

“Third Sister, we’re not kids anymore, so it’s improper to call you like
that,” Ning Huaiyuan said with a polite smile. He didn’t follow her
request, but was reasoning her like an elder brother.

“Is he estranged from me?” Ning Qingshan wondered, a frustrated look

crossing her eyes, but she was smart and she immediately shifted the
topic with a smile. “Brother, Third Prince said that he came here every
year to ask about my information. Is that true?”

Her face was as beautiful as a flower when she smiled. She flushed, as if
she were shy while talking about the person she cared so much.

“Of course it’s true. Third Prince has always had a crush on you. If you
can win his heart, father and Grandmother would like to marry you to
him as the daughter of my mother. That means you will be taken as the
daughter of Lord Protector’s principle wife,” Ning Huaiyuan said with a
smile. He thought of what Madam Dowager told him, so he stopped
thinking about the bygones between Ning Qingshan and him.

He kept a good relationship with Forth Prince, but it didn’t mean that he
could ignore Third Prince. Ning Zu’an and Madam Dowager had
decided to marry Ning Qingshan to Third Prince. At beginning, he didn’t
take it seriously. Anyway, one of his sisters would be married to Third
Prince, but if this person was Ning Qingshan, it would be the best choice
in terms of every aspect.

Ning Qingshan’s status would be higher if she was taken as the daughter
of Madam Ling, instead of Madam Ming, and that was she had been
hoping for. That was why she suppressed Bright Frost Garden on
purpose as soon as she came back to the manor. She did this for Madam
Ling, hoping that Madam Ling to raise her status because she treated her
with more respect than Madam Ming.
Then she could be worthy of Third Prince and became his wife.

With her current status, she could marry Third Prince as well, but as a
co-consort at most. Ning Qingshan had determined to be Third Prince’s
wife, so she was extremely excited at the good news Ning Huaiyuan told
her.

“Brother, I won’t let you down. If I can… I will try my best to protect the
Lord Protector’s Manor,” hearing what Ning Huaiyuan said, she
immediately answered in a gentle voice. Ning Qingshan was not only
flexible but also knew she should return the favor of others. Otherwise,
she wouldn’t have been so popular in the manor.

If she had the opportunity to be the empress, she would try all her efforts
to protect the manor. That was her promise to the Lord Protector’s
Manor!

That was also what Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an wanted!

“Two days later, Honored Consort Ya will attend the party as well. I hope
you can take this opportunity to get her to settle the marriage between
you and Third Prince. After all, Third Prince is old enough to marry!”
Ning Huaiyuan smiled and hinted.

The Lord Protector’s Manor had something to do with Third Prince’s

marriage being still up in the air. In the beginning, Ning Yuling had been
supposed to marry him, but because Ning Ziyan hadn’t gotten married
yet, the Lord Protector’s Manor postponed the marriage. Later, Ning
Ziyan got married, but Ning Yuling got into trouble at Cold Mountain
Temple, so the engagement between her and Third Prince was canceled.
Now in any case, Third Prince’s marriage couldn’t be delayed any
longer.

His marriage would be settled in a year at most.

The previous emperor had appointed Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi as the heir to
the throne. However, the current emperor preferred his own son. So both
the current emperor and Honored Consort Ya hoped Third Prince to have
a son as soon as possible. Then he would be more certain of winning the
throne. Of course, Third Prince’s wife must come from a powerful and
influential family.
It was the best time for Ning Qingshan to come back!

“Brother, thank you for your reminding. I won’t let you down,” Ning
Qingshan said with a smile, her eyes full of joy and determination. She
hadn’t seen Third Prince for three years, but she had kept an eye on the
news about him. Besides, she also asked someone to release the news
that she was cultivating delicately in the nunnery and spread several
poems she wrote among people.

The poems revealed her nostalgia for something that happened between
her and Third Prince three years ago.

It seemed that Third Prince could always receive some information about
her without knowing it in the three years, and from the information, he
could feel her deep affection about him. Otherwise, Honored Consort Ya
wouldn’t have remembered her, and Third Prince wouldn’t have taken
her seriously. Who would take a promise made three years ago seriously?

“Third Sister, if you need anything, just let Grandmother know.” Both of
Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan were satisfied with their
conversation. Now Ning Huaiyuan stood up and was about to leave.
Although they were brother and sister, they were not related by blood.
Since it was getting late, it was improper for him to stay here too long.

“Brother, why is mother in the Buddha Hall?” Ning Qingshan stood up

as well and it seemed she asked about Madam Ling casually while seeing
Ning Huaiyuan off. In the afternoon, she had deliberately said that she
wanted to visit Madam Ling, but Madam Dowager didn’t approve her
request, saying that Madam Ling would chant Buddhist scripture for a
few more days. Ning Huaiyuan had been there when they talked about it.

“Third Sister, Mother hasn’t been in a good mood recently because of

Second Sister. I hope you won’t mind.” Ning Huaiyuan was a little
annoyed, because he could tell that Ning Qingshan had figured out that
his mother was in the Buddha Hall because grandmother was punishing
her.

Sensing that Ning Huaiyuan didn’t want to talk about that, Ning Qinshan
shifted the topic smartly. She said with a smile, “Elder brother, Fifth
Sister’s change is really surprising! Everything is changing. No one had
expected that the talented and beautiful Second Sister ended up like this
and the weak and humble Fifth Sister rose so quickly.”

She spoke very skillfully. It sounded like Ning Xueyan was raising her
own status by suppressing Ning Yuling.

A chill appeared in Ning Huaiyuan eyes. He shook his sleeve and left
without saying anything more. Except for Ning Qingshan, Ning Ziyan
and his mother’s servant, Mother Chen, also said that to everyone’s
surprise, Ning Xueyan was the most competent one.

Since she had framed his mother and sister in a row within two month,
how could Ning Huaiyuan let go of her?

“Young Lady, is Eldest Young Master annoyed again?” Xia’er, who

stood behind Ning Qingshan asked in confusion. It was quite like what
had happened three years ago.

Ning Qingshan sneered and answered, “He is annoyed, but not because
of me!”

She knew that Ning Huaiyuan would deal with Ning Xueyan to take
revenge for his mother and sister. If she added fuel to the fire, it would
be easy to end Ning Xueyan’s life.

Ning Xueyan didn’t know that Ning Qingshan was planning to get rid of
her after they had just met. At this point, she wasn’t in the manor. After
having the supper, she had sneaked out of the manor. Xinmei was good
at martial arts, so with her by the side, it wasn’t difficult for Ning
Xueyan to leave the Lord Protector’s Manor.

She put on the young male servant’s clothes and climbed over the wall
with the help of Xinmei. This time, there was no carriage waiting
outside, because Ao Chenyi had nothing to do with her sneaking out.

“Miss, will that be okay for us to go out like this?” Xinmei looked
around nervously. She needed to protect Ning Xueyan, so she should be
extremely cautious.

Although it was evening, there were many people walking on the way
they took and the street was illuminated as if it were day. It was the most
prosperous section of the capital and there were many shops and
different kinds of people.

“That will be okay. Don’t worry. Nobody will pay attention to us. Don’t
get too close to me and just follow behind me in distance.” Ning Xueyan
straightened the young male servant’s hat she wore and joked with
Xinmei, “It’s easy to cause attention if a young male servant and a maid
walk side by side on the street in the evening.”

“Miss, why didn’t you put on a maid’s clothes? In this way, at least I can
walk together with you without causing any suspicion.” Xinmei hesitated
for a while after hearing what Ning Xueyan said, but she couldn’t help
asking why her master especially liked to dress up as a young male
servant. Lanning told her that Ning Xueyan used to dress up the same
way at Cold Mountain Temple, and almost got into trouble.

“Because the person I’m going to meet is a man. If I dressed up like a

maid, other people may think that it must be an unruly Young Lady who
dressed in this way to date with a man privately,” Ning Xueyan
explained, narrowing her eyes.

“Dating with a man privately?” Xinmei was scared and her heart
thumped. She widened her eyes and looked at Ning Xueyan with
disbelief. “Miss, you, you’ll meet a man privately? What if… Prince Yi
finds out?” she asked.

“I’m not going to date with that person. I have something important to
discuss with him. I don’t think it has anything to do with Prince Yi!”
Ning Xueyan said.

“But, but you have agreed to act as the favorite concubine of Prince Yi!”
Xinmei reminded.

“I’m just pretending! He won’t care about this, me too. I made a deal
with Prince Yi that I would only show up when he needed me.” Looking
at Xinmei’s nervous face, Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. She looked at
her from the corner of her eyes and said disapprovingly, “Relax! Prince
Yi won’t bother for such kind of trifles!”

“Are you sure?” Xinmei agreed with Ning Xueyan, but she still felt not
assured.
“I’m sure. Don’t worry!” Ning Xueyan blinked to her naughtily. Before
she could continue, she suddenly saw Xinmei widen her eyes and looked
in the direction of her in shock.

Sensing something wrong, Ning Xueyan couldn’t stop immediately.

When she turned around, she felt she was hit by something. Losing her
balance, she took several steps backward.

On a tall building opposite them, a handsome man narrowed his eyes

coldly, standing in front of the window.
Chapter 165 Why Does Her Voice
Sound So Familiar?
Third Prince, Ao Mingyu was going to walk into a restaurant with
several guards.

He had left the Lord Protector’s Manor before supper. The gentle and
kind girl who had left three years ago came back. Although she was not
as perfect as he imagined, she was still a gentle, graceful and beautiful.
What was more, she was much better than Ning Yuling. So Ao Mingyu
was satisfied with Ning Qingshan.

He had become the emperor’s favorite prince now and he was quite
different from he used to be three years ago, so even he was satisfied
with Ning Qingshan, he wouldn’t pay too much attention on her. He had
done everything her mother told him to do, and what he needed to do
was wait and see how the Lord Protector’s Manor would act to show its
sincerity.

What he had to consider about was not only Ning Qingshan, but the
whole situation as well. It would be his best choice to connect with Lord
Protector by marriage, but unfortunately, Ning Qingshan’s status was too
humble, even lower than Ning Xueyan’s.

If the Lord Protector’s Manor didn’t want to do anything to raise Ning

Qingshan’s status, he preferred to marry with Ning Xueyan. Since this
idea came to him, he took it more and more seriously. Ao Mingyu even
thought it was a good choice for him. If he had Ning Xueyan become his
concubine, Lord Protector’s Manor would stood on his side. Then he
would marry a woman from a more powerful family as his principle
wife. That would be perfect!

When he was still in trance, people suddenly retreated to both sides of

the street. A luxurious carriage rushed toward them at an incredible
speed and the crowd immediately went chaos. Several guards of Ao
Mingyu were about to guard him retreat while a person suddenly run to
them from a sideroad.
Everyone was focusing on what happened in front of them, and none of
them had noticed that someone rush out from the sideroad. This person
ended up to bump into Ao Mingyu.

“How dare you!” Seeing that Ao Mingyu was hit, a guard run over at
once and pushed away the person who bumped into Ao Mingyu.

The carriage rushed over from behind of Ning Xueyan, so Xinmei didn’t
have time to explain to her. She immediately run to her and pulled her to
the roadside. Since Xinmei was still some distance from Ning Xueyan, in
order to save time, she used all her strength while pulling her. Ning
Xueyan was weak and she couldn’t withstand the impact at all. She lost
her balance and was sent flying to the street beside her.

She bumped into Ao Mingyu so hard that her hat was almost knocked
off!

To her surprise, when she raised her head, she saw a pair of eyes she was
familiar with. She lowered her head in a hurry and covered her hat with
her hand. Then she took several steps back and was about to slip into the
crowd.

How could Third Prince show up here?

“Stop!” Ao Mingyu yelled. Ning Xueyan tried to keep going, pretending

not having seen him, but a sword rested on her neck like lighting. She
rose her head slowly and looked at Ao Mingyu cautiously.

Her jade-like eyes were special, as they were deep with fascination. Her
long eyelashes trembled several times.

“Fifth…” Ao Mingyu immediately recognized that she was Fifth Young

Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor. He froze for a while and frowned
slightly. Then he reached out and pulled Ning Xueyan to aside.

“Cousin Mingyu!” A girl’s voice rang out from behind excitedly.

Then the carriage suddenly stopped accompanied by whinny of the

horse. Ning Xueyan subconsciously wanted to withdraw her hand from
his, but it was gripped by him tightly and couldn’t move at all. She was
not a person to yield easily, so she continued to struggle.
“If you don’t want to be found out, don’t move!” Ao Mingyu warned in a
low voice.

“Cousin Mingyu, what are you doing here? I was on my way to your
manor!” With that, a melodious laughter rang out and the girl walked
over. Ning Xueyan stopped struggling. It was not because she was afraid
of Ao Mingyu, but because the voice of the girl.

“Why does her voice sound so familiar?” she wondered.

Everything seemed to quiet down to her except for the wind whistling.
“No, it’s impossible! It can’t be her!”

Seeing that she stopped struggling, Ao Mingyu let go of her hand. He

turned and looked at the girl with a smile. “Qin’er, you came back so
early. I was told that you would be back a few days later,” he said.

“I just came back today. As soon as I put down my luggage, I came out
and headed for your manor. I didn’t expect that I would have met you
here. Cousin Mingyu, I brought you something nice and I’ll show you
when we arrive your manor,” Ya Moqin said with a smile, pointing at the
carriage.

She was the niece of Honored Consort Ya and the granddaughter of the
grand tutor of the crown prince. She had gone back to her hometown
several months ago and now had just returned to the capital. After
throwing the gifts she would give to Ao Mingyu onto the carriage, she
asked the servant to drive her to Ao Mingyu’s residence in a hurry.

Hearing a lot of noise on Ao Mingyu’s side, she immediately asked the

driver to stop.

“Thank you for caring about me, Qin’er. But I can’t go back with you
now, because I have something to deal with. I’ll go to your manor to visit
you tomorrow,” Ao Mingyu said gently. He kept Ning Xueyan behind
him and blocked Ya Moqin’s vision with his great stature. Meanwhile,
Ning Xueyan also couldn’t see Ya Moqin’s face.

Although Ao Mingyu had let go of her, Ning Xueyan knew she couldn’t
get away, because she was surrounded by the guards now. She took
several steps back and then walked out from behind of Ao Mingyu,
looking quietly at the girl full of joy.

The girl was beautiful but strange to her. Ning Xueyan was clear that she
wasn’t the person in her memory. Although their voices were quite
similar, she was sure they were not the same person, because the girl in
her memory couldn’t be at the age of sixteen or seventeen. When she
was in the regions south of the Yangtze River, that girl had already been
more than twenty years old.

“You can put off everything till tomorrow. Cousin Mingyu, I’m not
lying, and I really have some gifts for you. Since I brought them from
afar, you should show your sincerity to thank me at least!” Ya Moqin
was reluctant to follow Ao Mingyu’s suggestion. She came out in a hurry
because she wanted to see Ao Mingyu so much. The two of them had
been getting along well with each other from childhood, and she had
been fascinated about Ao Mingyu, so of course she didn’t want to miss
such a good opportunity to stay with him.

“Qin’er, I’m serious that I’m busy now,” Ao Mingyu said with a smile,
gentle and polite.

“Cousin Mingyu, if you don’t go with me, I’ll kill the two ‘gifts’ that
grandfather asked me to give you!” Ya Moqin threatened. She was
annoyed as Ao Mingyu insisted on not going with her. “Or I’ll send them
to the brothel ahead. Since they have to be given away anyway, it makes
no difference whether I do it early or late,” she added.

Ya Moqin’s eyes brightened up and she became excited at this idea.

She didn’t like the two girls of sixteen years old she had brought back
this time. To add to her annoyance, her grandfather asked her to present
them to Ao Mingyu in her name. Ya Moqin had been had a crush on Ao
Mingyu, so she was extremely furious about that, but she didn’t dare to
disobey her grandfather’s decision. Fortunately, she was a girl of ideas!

She had managed to get the two girls take some pills on the way, so even
Ao Mingyu had an intimate relationship with them in the future, they
would be infertile for life.
If Ao Mingyu didn’t want to accept them, Ya Moqin would send these
two girls to the brothel. If that was the case, she would be happier.

Although Ya Moqin didn’t mention what the “gifts” were, Ao Mingyu

had figured it out. Frowning, he said, “Qin’er, you can go back after
sending the ‘gifts’ to my manor. Let’s talk about them tomorrow.”

It was bustling around, and it was inconvenient to talk here, so Ao

Mingyu wanted Ya Moqin to leave as soon as possible. When he turned
around and looked at Ning Xueyan, he found her lowering her head, as if
she were really a young male servant. He felt relieved, because he didn’t
want other people to know about this.

“Cousin Mingyu, I…” Ya Moqin still wanted to say something, but Ao

Mingyu cut her in before she could continue. “Go back now! Or I’m
going to get angry!”

With that, he turned and walked toward a restaurant near to them.

Ya Moqin’s eyes reddened as Ao Mingyu seemed really angry. She bit

her lip wrongfully, but she didn’t dare to chase him. Since Ao Mingyu
had left and she didn’t dare to be mad at him, she vented all her anger on
the maid behind her. She pushed her hard and went back to the carriage
angrily.

Two beautiful girls were sitting side by side in the carriage. When they
saw Ya Moqin get in angrily, they were scared and moved to the corner a
little bit.

“Why are you looking at me?” Ya Moqin was losing her temper when
she saw them peeping at her. She came closer and slapped both of them.
Instantly, a red hand print appeared on both of their faces. They burst
into tears, but didn’t dare say anything. Curling up in the corner and
covering their faces with their hands, they lowered their heads and didn’t
dare to move.

“Miss, calm down. Third Prince must have something important to

handle. He won’t be happy if he knows you behaved like this. Haven’t
you forgotten that Madam asked you to hold your temper?” her personal
maid, Xiangxue, persuaded.
“Humph! B*tches, if I find that you seduced my cousin when I come
next time, I’ll kill you!” Ya Moqin threatened. She had to follow her
grandfather’s instruction to send these two girls to Ao Mingyu, but at the
thought that he might attach great importance to them, she couldn’t help
flying into a rage.

“If they dare to seduce Cousin Mingyu, I’ll beat them to death!” she
thought.

“We, we dare not to do so,” the girls said timidly. Ya Moqin’s anger
subsided a little when she saw how frightened they were. She then
ordered the driver to keep going toward Third Prince’s Manor.

Ao Mingyu didn’t enter the restaurant. Ning Xueyan stopped not far
away from the gate of the restaurant and looked up at him. She knew Ao
Mingyu had already recognized her, so she decided not to dodge his gaze
or hide herself at more.

“Third Prince, can I leave now?” she took two steps back and asked him
cautiously.

She could tell the girl she saw just now came from a powerful family and
she had a crush on Ao Mingyu. Obviously, she was a person of great
jealousy, so Ning Xueyan didn’t want to stay with Ao Mingyu any
longer. Otherwise, if that girl knew about this and took her as her
opponent, she would get into trouble.

“Fifth Young Lady, why did you dress up like this? Where are you
going?” Seeing Ning Xueyan stopped there and refused to follow him,
Ao Mingyu stopped too. He sized up the young male servant’s dress
Ning Xueyan wearing and asked with a smile.

“I wanted to buy some medicine, so I came out,” Ning Xueyan came up

with an idea soon and she answered calmly.

“Why did you have to dress up like this to buy some medicine?” Ao
Mingyu asked in confusion. “What’s more, you’re the daughter of Lord
Protector. I don’t believe you have to sneak out just for buying
medicines. Don’t you have medicine warehouse in your manor?”
Third Prince didn’t believe her excuse at all. Even an ordinary officer’s
manor would have some medicinal materials, how could a daughter of
Lord Protector have to dress up as a young male servant to buy
medicines in the evening?

“What kind of medicines can I get if I don’t sneak out and buy them by
myself? I don’t want to be poisoned, so I prefer to buy them by myself.
That will be much safer,” Ning Xueyan said with a self-mockery sneer,
who looked a little sad. Looking at her indifferent smile, Ao Mingyu felt
distressed.
Chapter 166 I Will Find a Way
Finally If I’m Still Alive
Ao Mingyu knew what happened in Cold Mountain Temple as well. He
narrowed his eyes, anger flashing in them.

He was only testing when he said that he wanted to marry Ning Xueyan.
Although nobody of the Lord Protector’s Manor had said anything about
this, from many things happened later, he realized that Ning Xueyan was
nothing important at all to Ning Zu’an, the Lord Protector. Plus he got
the news that Ning Qingshan was going to come back from the nunnery,
so he gradually gave up thinking about marrying Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan’s status in Lord Protector’s Manor was even lower than
Ning Qingshan’s!

He was also reluctant to marry an unflavored and powerless woman to be

his co-consort, but anyway, he had expressed his admiration for her in
front of Ning Zu’an, so he thought people of Lord Protector’s Manor
would treat Ning Xueyan better for his sake.

He guessed that her life would be easier after Madam Ling had been put
into Buddha Hall, but that didn’t seem to be the case. It meant that Lord
Protector’s Manor didn’t take his words seriously at all!

Ao Mingyu had been calm. However, looking at the extremely pale face
in front of him, he couldn’t hold his anger any more. Lord Protector’s
Manor had gone too far!

He could not help but say, “You can go back. I’ll bring the medicines you
need for you.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Third Prince! But we’re neither relatives
nor friends, I can’t accept the medicine from you. Many thanks for not
having revealed my identity just now. I have to leave now. Third Prince,
please don’t tell anyone that you have seen me this evening.” Ning
Xueyan refused him, her attitude neither humble nor exalted. She bowed
to him with respect but in an alienated way and then was about to leave.

Without Ao Mingyu’s permission, the guards didn’t dare to move, so she

couldn’t leave at the moment. She stopped and shifted her eyes to Ao
Mingyu again.

Ao Mingyu was surprised when the girl who looked so weak refused his
suggestion without even thinking about it. Furthermore, she was
determined to distance herself from him. He had never seen such a lady
before, so he was shocked. His heart beat faster when he looked at Ning
Xueyan’s delicate and charming face again.

He was Third Prince who was both handsome and noble. Besides, he
enjoyed a good reputation. All the young ladies of noble families wanted
to talk with him, and they would blush at the sight of him. Even Ning
Qingshan, who was natural and graceful had never been so cold to him,
let alone refusing his suggestion.

When he was told that Ning Xueyan declined his proposal, he had
thought that she just pretended to refuse him, but in fact, she really was
reluctant to marry him. Now he knew that the girl in front of him
actually didn’t want to marry him. He was confused, because he thought
if she married him, even as a co-consort, she would become honorable,
and nobody dared to bully her again.

“So you dressed like this and came out alone to buy medicine?” Ao
Mingyu asked.

“Yes. Because I won’t get the other’s attention to dress up like this. At
this moment, nobody will notice a young male servant of the outer
courtyard is missing. Third Prince, can I leave now? They will find me
out if I go back later!” Ning Xueyan said calmly with a faint smile on her
face. Her jet-black eyes looked extremely bright against her pale face.

Although she showed no semblance of shyness, her smile and her

beautiful face looked brilliant. Ao Mingyu couldn’t shift his eyes from
her and he just stared at her quietly.

Without avoiding his gaze, Ning Xueyan looked at him calmly.

“Fine. You can leave now! Ao Mingyu looked at her deeply and waved
his hand. The two guards beside Ning Xueyan moved aside and made
way for her.

Ning Xueyan bowed to Ao Mingyu one more time and return to leave,
heading for the Lord Protector’s Manor.

“Yu Jian, follow behind her!” The man on the tall building had been
watching them ordered coldly.

“Got it!” A black figure flew away and followed behind Ning Xueyan
quietly.

Xinmei had been like a cat on hot bricks when she saw Ning Xueyan
being caught by Third Prince just now. However, worried that Third
Prince would find out she was a martial arts practitioner and became
suspicious, she didn’t dare to rush over. Most importantly, Ning Xueyan
had been hinting her not to make any rash moves.

She took a sigh of relief when she saw Ning Xueyan walk away from
Third Prince. However, when she found Ning Xueyan choose the way
returning to the Lord Protector’s Manor, she was surprised. But she still
followed her, keeping a proper distance from her.

When she came to a turn which led to the Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning
Xueyan stopped. She turned to Xinmei and waved to her.

Xinmei stopped as well and looked around cautiously. She wanted to hint
Ning Xueyan that someone else was following them, but Ning Xueyan
had already turned around. “Come closer to me. I’m a little scared,”
Ning Xueyan said.

“Scared?” Xinmei blinked, but she didn’t see a single trace of fear on her
face. She had been staying with Ning Xueyan for some time. Maybe she
hadn’t improved in any other way, but she had become much more
resilient than before. So she walked over and answered, “Miss, don’t
worry. I’m following behind you all the time.”

“Will anybody find us?” Ning Xueyan asked, her eyes bright and clear
like water. Then she reached out to pull Xinmei’s hand.
“No, they won’t. Miss, we have just been out for a short time, how can
anybody find us? We’d better hurry so that we can get back before
anyone finds us. We didn’t get the medicines we wanted, but we can
come out again next time,”

Xinmei persuaded.

Ning Xueyan nodded. After straightening her hat, smoothing her clothes
and brushing her hair affectedly, she turned and walked toward the Lord
Protector’s Manor with Xinmei following behind not far away.

Lord Protector’s Manor’s light could be seen in front of them. Ning

Xueyan walked forward calmly, but Xinmei got extremely nervous.
After walking a few steps further, they would arrive at the gate of the
Lord Protector’s Manor. If Ning Xueyan was found to have dressed like
a young male servant, she would get into trouble. But Xinmei knew that
she could do nothing now.

She heard a faint sound and she knew it came from the guard of Third
Prince who was following them. It seemed that he was waiting to watch
them enter the Lord Protector’s Manor! Thinking about the consequence
that Ning Xueyan might be found out, Xinmei’s forehead got sweaty and
she couldn’t help clenching her fists.

Two older female servants of the Lord Protector’s Manor were chatting
while Ning Xueyan getting closer to the gate. They turned their head and
looked at her coming over. She looked as if nothing at all had happened.

This area was famous as many wealthy and influential clans lived here.
Although Lord Protector’s Manor wasn’t the only manor here, they
guessed that the young male servant who walked in its direction was, of
course, visiting Lord Protector. The light was dim and they couldn’t
distinguish which manor the young male servant came from, so they
stopped talking and looked at him.

Suddenly, Xinmei heard a faint flap sound of cloth. “It seems the guard
who was following behind us has gone!” Xinmei listened carefully for a
while and her face lit up. She strode forward and grabbed the arm of
Ning Xueyan as she was about to step on the doorsteps of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, and pulled her away from the gate of the manor.
The two older female servants were curious when they saw the young
male servant walked away with a maid, but since he only passed by here,
they didn’t focus on him anymore and continued the topic they had been
talking about. They didn’t notice that a tall and straight figure flickered
and then disappeared after they walked into the manor.

Ning Xueyan and Xinmei stopped at a place out of light and then they
climbed over the wall and jumped into the Bright Frost Garden. After
coming into Ning Xueyan’s room, Xinmei’s face was still pale and
devoid of any color of blood, and the clothes on her back were soaked
with sweat. On the contrary, Ning Xueyan looked calm.

“Miss, were you scared just now?” At the thought of what happened just
now, Xinmei’s feet still felt like jelly. If the guard hadn’t left at that
point, she could only watch her master go up the doorsteps and ask
someone to open the door.

“What was there to be afraid of?” Ning Xueyan took a sip of the tea
which Lanning handed to her and let out a slight sigh. “What does fear
solve?”

Fear could solve nothing! When she was beaten hard by Ning Ziyan and
Madam Ling, she had been so scared and hoped Xia Yuhang to come to
save her. However, when he showed up, he hadn’t saved her, but asked
the others to throw her into the lake instead.

So she realized that in case of danger, she should find a way to save
herself instead of shivering with fear.

Since Xinmei had been following behind her, she knew that Third Prince
must have arranged someone to follow her. She was clear that Third
Prince wouldn’t have done this out concern of her safety. Although she
explained why she had come out and dressed like this by saying those in
front of Third Prince, it was impossible for a person like him to believe
her easily.

It was normal if he arranged his guard to verify what she had said.

And the guard would have definitely followed behind her to see whether
she came back to the Lord Protector’s Manor or not.
So before the guard of Third Prince had gone, she could only walk
forward to the manor without hesitation. But she had already come up
with an idea. If the guard still hadn’t left when she approached the gate,
she would stop walking and turn around and then go back to the place
where she had encountered Third Prince. She would tell Xinmei that she
suddenly remembered the medicine she needed in urgent, and to save
time, she would head for the pharmacy she had planned to visit.

When she returned to the manor again, the gate of the manor must have
been locked inside, so she couldn’t enter.

If the guard of Third Prince was still following her behind at that point,
he would definitely show up. Then she could plead Third Prince to send
her into the manor.

It was a risky move and the excuse was not convincible, so Third Prince
was likely to feel suspicious and even the slightest indiscretion could
give her away. So if she had any other choice, Ning Xueyan didn’t want
to choose this option.

“But what if the guard didn’t leave?” Xinmei couldn’t help but ask. Ning
Xueyan looked too calm at that moment, and she had a feeling that she
was going to enter the gate of the Lord Protector’s Manor.

She wondered how a person who looked so weak could be so strong-

minded. Even she was an experienced secret guard, she couldn’t help
sweating because she was too nervous, so she couldn’t understand how
Ning Xueyan managed to stay calm under such satiation.

“I’ll find a way finally if I’m still alive!” Ning Xueyan’s jet-black eyes
shone brightly under the light, and there was a trace of smile on her lips.
She looked so beautiful, but there was a cold in her eyes which made
people chill.

If she was still alive, she would avenge herself. If she were dead, who
would still remember Ning Ziying of Cloud Reflection Courtyard? And
nobody would know how miserably she had died.

Without her rebirth, nobody would seek justice for Ning Ziying.
Xinmei looked at Ning Xueyan in blank and she suddenly was filled with
sadness. Like an old woman who had experienced vicissitudes, the
delicate and pretty girl in front of her seemed to have seen through life
and death, and there was an indifferent look on her face. How could a
fourteen years old girl who had hidden in Bright Frost Garden for years
had made people feel that way?

“As for what I would do if the guard didn’t leave… Since Third Prince
wanted to spy on me, just let it be!” Ning Xueyan looked down with a
smile. Although the way she had just come up with wasn’t good enough,
it was better than nothing.

“Xinmei, go to Tonghetang now and tell my cousin that I can’t come out
to meet him today. I’ll manage to find time to visit him.”

She held up the tea cup and took a sip of tea, her face thoughtful. She
had planned to discuss with her cousin about what her uncle had found
out, but it seemed she had to postpone her visit.

Now since both Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan came back, she
should be more cautious so that nothing wrong would happen to the
account books at the end of the year.
Chapter 167 the Stained Account
Book
Since Yu Lian had become Concubine Xu, in order to distinguish her
from the former Concubine Xu, Madam Dowager ordered everyone in
the manor called them Senior Concubine Xu and Junior Concubine Xu.
Of course Yu Lian was Junior Concubine Xu.

Concubines of the manor were also women who had married Ning
Zu’an, so Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an decided to hold a simple
wedding ceremony by setting up a few tables of banquet at noon the next
day, then Yu Lian would become Ning Zu’an’s concubine formally. They
planned to have dinner only with some people of the manor, but to their
surprise, many guests came at noon the next day.

Since Ning Zu’an was a powerful general, the military department

members had already heard the news and came to congratulate him.

Moreover, they had taken their family members here, so the outer
courtyard was immediately filled with greetings and laughter.

Madam Dowager was honorable and she wouldn’t greet Ning Zu’an’s
subordinates’ families in person for a concubine’s wedding ceremony, so
she asked Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan to do this job. Ning Xueyan
was unremarkable, but Ning Qingshan was well known because of her
talent and filial piety, so she became the focus of the subordinates’
families.

Everyone knew that Third Young Lady of the Ning Qingshan was kind,
smart, filial and generous. Although she was young, she could withstand
the poor life of the nunnery and cultivated there sincerely for three years!
What was more, she was both pretty and graceful, so everyone put their
attention on her. They surrounded her like stars surrounded moon.

Ning Qingshan was a tactful person, so soon she became the center of
the young ladies and girls.
Madam Dowager asked Ning Qingshan to greet the guests as she wanted
her to expand her network. Though all the guests were not as powerful as
Ning Zu’an, many of them were daughters of noble families. Ning
Qingshan had been away from the circle for three years, but with her
good reputation, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to fit in again.

As for Ning Xueyan, Madam Dowager arranged her to manage the

logistics, including the dishes preparation, so she almost had no
opportunity to show up in front of the guests.

Fortunately, Ning Xueyan had managed the internal affairs of the manor
for a period and she was familiar with it, so she didn’t feel very busy at
this moment. She asked Lanning and Mother Han to handle the matters,
while she was resting beside them.

“Miss, why don’t we go out to meet those guests? Now everyone in the
manor is talking about how capable Third Young Lady is, but nobody
knows that you are the one who contributed most for this banquet!”
Qingyu said resentfully with a few account books in her hands. What
made her angrier was that she encountered a maid who held the account
books on the way, and this maid told her that Madam Dowager asked
Fifth Young Lady to check them when she was free.

“What are we doing out there? Madam Dowager arranged this on

purpose, because she wanted Third Sister to take this opportunity to
expand her network,” Ning Xueyan answered with a smile. She then
took the account books from Qingyu. To her surprise, there was a
marked stain on the last page of the account book. Her face darkened.

“Who gave you this?”

Qingyu looked at the account book and saw the stain as well. Her face
turned pale in shock. “Miss, I don’t know that maid and I haven’t seen
her before. I found the account books she gave me were those Madam
Dowager should give you these days, so I didn’t check before taking
them back. I didn’t notice that this page was stained.”

Qingyu was so anxious that she was about to cry. She took five account
books in total from that maid. They were piled on top of each other, and
there was nothing special compared to the account books she received
before, so she didn’t pay special attention to them and took them back. If
Madam Dowager found that there was a big stain on the last page of one
of the account books, she would definitely blame Ning Xueyan.

“Is that maid from Lucky Garden?” Ning Xueyan asked, a coldness
crossing her eyes.

“No. I’m sure she isn’t. I haven’t seen her before, but she knew me and
she called my name. She told me that Xiangmiao, the maid of Madam
Dowager asked her to give them to me. It should be Xiangmiao to bring
the account books to us, but she was dispatched to serve the female
guests in the backyard, so she asked that maid to give them to me.”

Qingyu answered with reddish eyes. She began to look for the
handkerchief and wanted to wipe the stain off the page. Finally, she
found a white one and was about to wipe it.

“Wait! If you wipe it, the stain will get bigger.” Ning Xueyan reached out
and stopped her. She observed the stain carefully. It was black, quite
similar to soy sauce and it smelled fishy. Because it was black and the
paper had been soaked, it was hard to find it out without careful
observation.

The page was already soaked, so if they wiped it with a common

method, the stain couldn’t be removed, but the cover and the pages
between the cover and the last page would be stained as well instead.

“Miss, I’ll go to look for the maid. I’m sure I can find her,” Qingyu said,
gritting her teeth. She threw the handkerchief in her hand away and was
about to leave. When she found the maid, she wouldn’t let go of her
easily. “How vicious she was to give a stained account book to my
master!” she thought.

“Qingyu, come back!” Ning Xueyan put down the account book. She
looked mild, but there was coldness in her eyes.

The soaked page indicated that the account book had been stained for
some time. What was more, it seemed only Ning Xueyan had the
possibility to touch the things like soy sauce and fish, as she was in
charge of the kitchen today. Obviously, someone was framing her!
She had thought to lead a period of peaceful life in the manor, but since
someone wanted to stir up trouble, she had to fight for herself!

“Miss, I will find her. Even if I rummaged through the whole manor, I’ll
find her!” Qingyu said angrily, gritting her teeth and stamping her foot.
She thought Ning Xueyan stopped her because she was worried that she
couldn’t find that maid.

No matter who the maid was, she would find her!

“What will you do after finding her?” Ning Xueyan asked gently.

“I’ll ask her to apologize to you and explain to Madam Dowager that the
account book was stained by her, not by you,” Qingyu said, holding her
head high. She was extremely angry, and what she was thinking was to
find the maid, so when Ning Xueyan asked her, she blurted it out.

“What if she were reluctant to follow your instruction?” Ning Xueyan

asked slightly.

“Reluctant? Impossible! Miss, you are a master, but she is just a humble
maid, how dare she frame you up?” Qingyu widened her eyes and
paused for a while before protesting. In her mind, it was already a very
serious problem if a maid dared to disobey her master, let alone setting
up her master.

“Without such people, mom wouldn’t have passed away so early!” Ning
Xueyan said coldly.

“I…” Qingyu didn’t know what to say. She and several others knew that
Madam Ming was murdered, and they were sure that it must be Madam
Ling who had put her people up to it! “Miss, what shall we do? If we
bring it to Madam Dowager like this, she may even abolish your right to
run the manor!”

Qingyu was so anxious, but she could do nothing, because her master
didn’t allow her to wipe the stain or look for the maid.

Ning Xueyan looked at the stained account book and thought for a while.
It couldn’t be Madam Dowager who had abetted someone to do this. If
she wasn’t satisfied with her, she could just strip her of her
administration right, and it was unnecessary to make things so complex.
Besides, if not because Madam Dowager was old and lack of energy to
manage the internal affairs, she wouldn’t have asked her to check the
account books. So it couldn’t be Madam Dowager who had asked
someone to stain the account book.

Ning Zu’an would never be involved in such matters!

Madam Ling was locked up in the Buddha Hall and she had no energy to
set up the others now. Besides, even Mother Chen had already been
forbidden to go out.

Ning Ziyan was in the Xia Manor, and she didn’t come today. Even if
she were here, she wouldn’t have come up with such a complex idea. So
the person who wanted to frame her was not only clear about how many
account books she had taken from Madam Dowager every day, but also
was able to get the account books from Madam Dowager. Moreover, that
person also knew that she was in charge of the kitchen today.

She had taken the account books, and the stain was obvious from the
kitchen. What was more, she was in charge of the kitchen today. So even
if they found the maid, nobody would believe what she said.

The person who was trying to set her up was thoughtful with long-term
sight, so she was by no means ordinary.

Now Ning Qingshan seemed the most likely suspect!

Ning Xueyan had vaguely figured out what was going on. Obviously,
Ning Qingshan was an ambitious woman. She enjoyed such a good
reputation and received attentions from Madam Dowager and Ning
Zu’an, and even Madam Ling didn’t dare to bully her. In the Lord
Protector’s Manor, an adopted daughter even led a better life than a
biological daughter! If she wasn’t a person of means, how could she
manage to get these?

Ning Ziyan had gotten married, Ning Yuling couldn’t be a threat to her at
more, Ning Lingyun was just a concubine’s daughter, and obviously,
Ning Xueyan wasn’t a push-over, so Ning Qingshan decided to deal with
her.
“Ning Qingshan just returned to the manor, but she already couldn’t
tolerate my existence! She is really ambitious!” Ning Xueyan thought.

“Is Madam Dowager greeting the guests?” Ning Xueyan asked. She
shifted her eyes from the account book and the indifferent and calm look
returned to her face.

“I went to Lanning just now. She said Madam Dowager asked the cook
to prepare more dishes, that means Madam Dowager was greeting some
guests as well. I thought since old ladies of several other manors had
come, Madam Dowager had to show up and greet them.”

Qingyu didn’t understand why Ning Xueyan was in the mood to ask
about this, but she still answered in detail.

“Go to the kitchen to check what dishes Madam Dowager asked the cook
to prepare,” Ning Xueyan said. She lowered her head and looked outside
of the window and continued slowly, “By the way, ask the people in the
kitchen who went there yesterday and what they took away from the
kitchen and if someone ordered them to cook braised fish. Tell them to
cook soup with fishes if there are some in the kitchen today!”

“Miss, shall I stop by the Foggy Courtyard to have a look?” Qingyu

asked. Now she understood part of her master’s plan. Looking at her
master’s calm face, she somehow calmed down as well.

“You don’t have to do so, as you can’t find anything valuable there.”
Ning Xueyan shook her head. A person as smart as Ning Qingshan
wouldn’t have left any obvious clue to them. And even if she had already
found the maid, the maid couldn’t have much to do with Ning Qingshan.
If necessary, Ning Qingshan would manage to disassociate herself from
the matter.

“Got it. I’ll go to the kitchen right now.” Qingyu nodded and was about
to leave. But when she looked at the stained account book, she was
worried again. Apparently the stain couldn’t be wiped, but it was
obvious, and if they left it on the page, Madam Dowager would find it.
“Miss, what shall we do with the… account book? After lunch, Madam
Dowager will ask someone to take the account books from you. What
shall we do then?”
“You go to the kitchen first. After finishing what I asked you to do, come
back to tell me the result and leave the rest to me.” Ning Xueyan had
made up her mind, so she nodded and urged Qingyu to leave.

Qingyu knew it was urgent. She then nodded and pushed open the door
and rushed out.

Ning Xueyan stood up and picked up the account books from the table.
She carefully pulled out the stained account book and the one which was
beneath it, and put them on a handkerchief. She held them with her hand
and walked out the door, and then turned to another room.

Mother Wang who ‘couldn’t’ move was lying in the bed of that room.
Chapter 168 Stay with the New
Concubine?
In a flower hall of the Lord Protector’s Manor’s courtyard, there were a
number of female guests. They chatted happily and burst into laughter
occasionally.

Ostensibly to congratulate Ning Zu’an’s marrying a new concubine, but

they all had other plans. Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor was no ordinary. She was not only beautiful, but gentle, graceful
and decent as well. Everyone could tell that she had a bright future, and
some well-informed person even said that Third Prince had already
waited in the manor when Third Young Lady just returned yesterday.

Who was Third Prince? He was the real imperial family member!
Normally, only those young ladies from noble families waited for him,
and he would never take the initiative to wait for them. It was said Third
Prince’s cousin who had grown up together with him returned to the
capital yesterday. However, he didn’t wait for her at Grand Tutor Ya’s
Manor, but went to the Lord Protector’s Manor instead!

People would find something unusual if they thought it over.

Besides, there were rumors that Third Prince would engage with a
daughter of Lord Protector, and most people thought that girl would be
Second Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Now it seemed the
rumors were not accurate. Obviously, Third Young Lady was the one
who was favored by Third Prince and Honored Consort Ya.

Everyone believed that it was the case. Because in terms of the

relationship between Third Prince and the two manors, he should have
been closer to the grand-daughter of Grand Tutor Ya!

Soon, the flower hall was filled with flattery and pleasing words. Ning
Qingshan reacted properly. She smiled at everyone and no one was
ignored or snubbed. Both the host and the guests were satisfied.
“Third Young Lady, it’s said Fifth Young Lady of your manor is
outstanding as well, why hasn’t she shown up?” an official’s daughter
asked with a smile, looking around.

There were so many things happened to The Lord Protector’s Manor

recently, so many people had heard the existence of Fifth Young Lady.
However, none of them had ever seen her, so they were very curious
about her.

“All the Young Ladies of your manor are outstanding and pretty. I
wonder if Fifth Young Lady is as excellent as you. Can you ask her out
to chat with us?” another official’s daughter asked curiously.

“Yes! We have been here for a long time. Why hasn’t she come out yet?
Isn’t she in the manor? Or maybe she is disdain to meet us?” the third
one joked and said.

Ning Qingshan smiled and answered gracefully and gently, “Young

Ladies, you thought too much. Fifth Sister hasn’t come out yet not
because she is reluctant to meet you, but because she is too busy and has
no time to greet you at the moment.”

“What’s she up to? Today is the big day of marquis. What must she do?”
an official’s young wife asked subconsciously.

Yu Lian was just a concubine of Ning Zu’an, but Ning Xueyan was the
daughter of Ning Zu’an’s principle wife. Was she staying with the
concubine now? If that was the case, it would be very improper!

“I didn’t mean that. In the manor, there is something that… Fifth Sister’s
mother passed away before long, and she was familiar with the new
concubine of my father, so it’s no wonder that she is busier. Fifth Sister
is capable, that’s why she has a lot on her plate.”

Ning Qingshan said with a soft smile. She seemed to be explaining for
Ning Xueyan, and the others would think that she was a nice elder sister
who was defending her younger sister. Now they witnessed she was not
only gentle, but also generous.

Fifth Young Lady was familiar with the new concubine of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, so she preferred to stay with the concubine, compared
to greeting the official’s female family members. Furthermore, it was
true that her mother had just died, so she was so eager to please a new
concubine of Ning Zu’an?

As the daughter of Ning Zu’an’s principle wife, how could she flatter a
concubine? She was putting herself down! Instantly, everyone present
showed disdainful expression.

They had planned to meet Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor who seldom showed up, because they heard that she was
excellent as well. But when they found she was a person who couldn’t
get on the stage, their admiration for her immediately turned to
contempt. She was so stupid and unsociable, no wonder she had hidden
herself so many years! Obviously, she didn’t know how to behave in
front of people at all!

Otherwise, how could a principle wife’s daughter of Lord Protector had

never shown up in public?

“Third Young Lady, has Fifth Young Lady been behaving this way all the
time?” someone couldn’t help asking disdainfully.

“I’m not sure. I have been in the nunnery for cultivation recently, and
Fifth Sister was the only daughter who stayed with mom. Besides, she is
the youngest among the sisters.” It seemed Ning Qingshan didn’t answer
the question directly, but the information she provided proved that Ning
Xueyan had developed this kind of character because Madam Ming
spoiled her too much. She was the youngest daughter, of course her
mother was more partial to her.

Seeing the disdainful expression on the faces of everyone, a trace of

imperceptible satisfaction flashed in Ning Qingshan’s eyes.

Mother Luo had reported to her just now that ‘all’ the account books had
been sent to Ning Xueyan, so no matter what Ning Xueyan would say or
act, or even she had found the maid who gave the account books to
Qingyu, she wasn’t able to explain this matter clearly. Madam Dowager
would definitely think it was Ning Xueyan who stained the account
book, and because she was afraid of being punished, she pushed the
responsibility to a maid.
So whether Ning Xueyan admitted or not, Madam Dowager would think
she stained the account book.

Ning Qingshan was clear that Ning Xueyan had just managed the inner
courtyard for a few days, and Madam Dowager asked Ning Xueyan to
help her to check the account books. She also heard that Ning Xueyan
had done a good job, so Madam Dowager admired her very much, and
she seemed to have planned to leave all the affairs of the inner courtyard
to Ning Xueyan. The management of internal affairs was equivalent to
the management of the whole Lord Protector’s manor.

The position was so attractive that Ning Qingshan had already coveted it
for a long time!

But since Ning Xueyan was doing the job, she was unable to get
involved in, so she had to find a way to kick Ning Xueyan out.
Moreover, she worried Third Prince would shift his attention from her to
Ning Xueyan. She had taken Ning Xueyan as her enemy who would be
the obstacle for her to win Third Prince’s heart since the day Third
Prince had looked at Ning Xueyan a few more times.

But she didn’t take Ning Xueyan seriously, because she believed that a
person who had hidden herself in the Bright Frost Garden wouldn’t be
capable. What was more, she heard that Ning Xueyan had offended
Madam Ling. Although Madam Ling was still in the Buddha Hall, she
would be released sooner or later if she were still Ning Zu’an’s principle
wife.

Since Madam Ling was Ning Xueyan’s elder and she was a cruel
woman, in any case Ning Xueyan was no match for her.

“If I took her administration power, and ruined her reputation, I will not
only gain the advantage but also win Madam Ling’s favor. Maybe
Madam Ling will recognize me as her daughter, then I’ll become a
daughter of the principal wife,” Ning Qingshan thought.

“It’s said Fifth Young Lady is talented, gentle and generous. How could
she behave like this?” Of course not everyone agreed with Ning
Qingshan’s answer, so some of them asked suspiciously.
It was true that Ning Xueyan wasn’t remarkable before. But in the
Chrysanthemum Party held at the Cold Mountain Temple, Ning Xueyan
had met several noble young ladies. Compared to the arrogant Ning
Yuling, Ning Xueyan was calm, generous, smart and reasonable, so her
good reputation had been spread out by these young ladies, even though
she was still far less famous than Ning Qingshan.

Anyway, the rumors about her were positive. Besides, they were spread
out from those noble families, so nobody would doubt the truth of the
rumors.

“I behaved like what?” a sweet voice suddenly rang out at the door of the
flower hall. Everyone was waiting for Ning Qingshan’s answer when
they heard someone speak at the door. They looked in the direction of
that person and saw a pretty girl standing there.

She wore a light pink suit embroidered with plum blossoms. She had a
charming look and fair complexion, and she showed the grace of the
young lady of a noble family in every move. She looked elegant and
pure, so nobody could associate her with the Fifth Young Lady who had
been despised by everyone just now.

She didn’t look like a person who would please a concubine at all!

Several young ladies who didn’t know much about Ning Qingshan’s past
looked at her suspiciously. “Did Third Young Lady said that because she
was jealous of Fifth Young Lady?” they thought.

“Hey, Fifth Sister! Come here! We are talking about you and our guests
are curious about you,” Ning Qingshan said with a gentle smile. She was
surprised when Ning Xueyan suddenly showed up. She hadn’t expected
that Ning Xueyan was still in the mood to come here at this moment. But
she was quick-witted, and she stood up gracefully and came to hold Ning
Xueyan’s hand.

She did it so naturally, as if she hadn’t spoken ill of Ning Xueyan behind
her back at all just now, and all the bad associations were assumed by the
guests themselves.

“I’m sorry! I was busy in the kitchen for the party, so I didn’t have time
to meet you just now.” Ning Xueyan apologized with a graceful smile.
She walked over to the guests and withdrew her hand from Ning
Qingshan’s naturally and then bowed to the female guests present.

She explained the reason that she hadn’t shown up in the flower hall
before.

A girl of thirteen or fourteen years old from the noble family looked at
Ning Qingshan, and then Ning Xueyan. She was confused, so she asked
naively, “This Fifth Young Lady was busy in the kitchen just now, but…
why did you say that she was being with the new concubine?”

Like being slapped, Ning Qingshan went stiff and her perfect smile froze
as well. She had a hard time to maintain her smile. Several smart
official’s wives and daughters looked at her doubtfully. She hadn’t
expected that Ning Xueyan was so sharp, and with a single sentence, she
broke the advantage she had managed to gain and made people doubt
her.

She had underestimated her!

“Being with the new concubine?” Ning Xueyan sneered. Ning Qingshan
was really good at making up stories. As a principle wife’s daughter,
how could she stay with a concubine on such an occasion? Ning
Qingshan must have thought that she was busy with the stained account
book and couldn’t come.

“Thank you for your hard work, Fifth Sister!” Ning Qingshan said with a
smile. Although she was annoyed, she didn’t show her angry on her face.
She acted as if she had known that Ning Xueyan would have shown up
here. She then turned to the guests and said, “Fifth Sister had too many
things to care about today. Our grandmother is old and her hands are full.
It’s said all the affairs in the manor were in charged by Fifth Sister
recently. There are so many things need to be cared about every day, so
of course she is very busy!”

She smiled and stressed ‘It’s said’, because she wanted the others to
know that she was absent, so Madam Dowager had to choose Ning
Xueyan to take care of the internal affairs of the manor. Moreover, since
Ning Xueyan was in charge of the internal affairs of the manor, it seemed
reasonable that she had been with the new concubine of Ning Zu’an just
now.
She made her lie sound reasonable by confusing the others. She smiled
and spoke gracefully and calmly. It was hard to believe that she had said
those words deliberately to have people to doubt Ning Xueyan.
Chapter 169 the Warm-hearted
Third Young Lady
Ning Qingshan cursed inwardly. Today was supposed to be her day. She
had tactfully indicated to Madam Dowager that she wanted to greet the
guests alone and Madam Dowager had acquiesced to her request. Her
purpose in doing so was to show how graceful, generous and gentle she
was. However, all her plans were ruined by a few words from Ning
Xueyan.

It was her first time to attend the banquet of the social circle after she
had cultivated in the nunnery for three years, so today was very
important for her. Ning Xueyan’s sudden appearance made her passive
and she couldn’t act as calmly as she used to be. Even though her smile
was still perfect, under the smiling gaze of several ladies, she showed
some flaws.

There were many smart people among the guests!

Ning Xueyan didn’t protest Ning Qingshan, but smiled quietly. Her jet-
black eyes shone brightly and after glancing at all the guests, she finally
fixed her eyes on Ning Qingshan. “Third Sister, grandmother was
greeting some elders and she asked us to meet them,” she said slowly.

Madam Dowager hadn’t planned to greet any guests today, but to her
surprise, there were several old ladies of her generation among the
guests, so she invited them to Lucky Garden to chat. Of course, she
wouldn’t forget to ask her two grand-daughters to show their respect to
those old ladies on such an occasion. Ning Xueyan was at Lucky Garden
at the moment, so she offered to ask Ning Qingshan over.

“If it’s Ning Qingshan who stained the account book, she must think that
I’m anxious because of the stained account book, so I won’t be in the
mood to show up in the flower hall. People like Ning Qingshan will
never miss any opportunity to defame me, so my appearance will be the
strongest riposte to her.” With that in mind, Ning Xueyan came to the
flower hall.
Of course, it was only the first step for her to fight back.

She had learned from the miserable experience of her last life that some
people naturally liked to raise themselves by suppressing others. Both
Ning Ziyan and Ning Qingshan were such kind of people. They shared
the common characteristics—selfish and vicious!

She hadn’t hated Ning Qingshan that much before, but now Ning
Qingshan seemed to have stood on her opposite side. She would never
show mercy to her enemies. Since Ning Qingshan had given her such a
‘gift’, she should give something back. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair!

So when she showed up in the flower hall, she caught sight of the
suspicion, surprise, confusion and other looks in the eyes of the guests.
As she had expected, Ning Qingshan didn’t forget to belittle her while
enjoying the flattery and pleasing of others. Ning Xueyan’s showing up
cracked her perfect camouflage.

From the look of those official’s wives and daughters, Ning Xueyan
could tell that Ning Qingshan must have made up stories to defame her
just now.

Since Ning Qingshan was so vicious, she didn’t have to be nice to her!

She wasn’t Ning Ziying of her last life anymore. Ning Ziying was so
kind that she was even reluctant to step on an ant. But this innocent girl
couldn’t even protect people around her and had been drowned into the
lotus pool together with Xiang’er, her personal maid.

So she wouldn’t show any mercy this life!

She was cruel to herself, and would be even crueler to her enemies!

Ning Qingshan was surprised when she was told that Madam Dowager
asked her back, but she felt relieved as well. Because with Ning
Xueyan’s appearance in the flower hall, she couldn’t keep her ease and
grace anymore. It was not bad to go to the Lucky Garden. She could take
this opportunity to calm herself down and find a way to deal with Ning
Xueyan.
After cultivated in the nunnery for three years, she became more patient.
Since she could even withstand the hard life of the nunnery for three
years, the minor provocation from Ning Xueyan meant nothing to her.
But she was confused why Ning Xueyan was still so calm. “Hasn’t she
found that the account book was stained? Or maybe she has found a way
to solve the problem? Or maybe she is just pretending not being
worried?” Ning Qingshan wondered.

But she quickly dismissed the second possibility, because she didn’t
believe that Ning Xueyan was capable enough to solve the problem. The
last page of the account book had been ruined like that, and it was
impossible for Ning Xueyan to wipe the stain off. Besides, the strong
fishy smell emanated from the stain could be smelled from afar. How
could she find a way to remove it?

So Ning Xueyan was more confused about the reason that Ning Xueyan
was so calm by now.

She took a leave of the ladies and girls in the flower hall, and then went
for Lucky Garden, following Ning Xueyan.

“Fifth Sister, you have been busy in the kitchen for such a long time. Did
you go back to Bright Frost Garden to take a break?” Ning Qingshan
caught up with Ning Xueyan and asked, pretending that she cared about
her. She couldn’t figure out why Ning Xueyan was so calm, so she tried
to get the answer from Ning Xueyan’s mouth.

“Yes. I went back for a while. But because something happened to the
kitchen, I had to come back to the kitchen and have a look. Then I went
to grandmother,” Ning Xueyan answered with a faint smile. A sneer
appeared on her lips, but as her lips were pale, nobody could find it out
easily.

Ning Qingshan became anxious.

“What happened to the kitchen? Didn’t they prepare enough dishes?

What will you do then?” Ning Qingshan asked, looking concerned about
her very much.

“Nothing special. A big fish in the kitchen wasn’t dead after being killed
with one cut. It jumped out and knocked over a pot, and almost caused a
fire,” Ning Xueyan answered helplessly.

The fish had been sent to the kitchen the night before. It was said that
because Madam Dowager liked eating fish, the kitchen staff bought it for
her. But Ning Xueyan knew more than that. Madam Dowager hadn’t said
that she wanted to eat fish, but Ning Qingshan kept on persuading her,
saying that fish was nutritious and was especially good for the health of
old people, so Madam Dowager ordered the kitchen staff to buy it.

“Huh? They were too careless! No wonder you were so busy. I thought
that you would come to the flower hall soon after having a look at Junior
Concubine Xu. After waiting for a long time, we still haven’t seen you,
so I guessed you must have been with Junior Concubine Xu,” Ning
Qingshan said with a sweet smile, covering her lips with her
handkerchief.

Everything she said was meant to show that she had really thought Ning
Xueyan was at Junior Concubine Xu’s place, so she hadn’t lied to those
ladies in the flower hall just now. Meanwhile, the way she spoke also
showed her grace and frankness. She had decided to disguise herself to
the end, so although there was no outsider with them, she still took every
opportunity to explain.

She disguised well, as if she was a person who was scrupulously honest
even when there was no one around.

Such a person was the most difficult to deal with, because she seemed to
have no flaws, or maybe she kept on fixing her flaws all the time. If Ning
Xueyan was still as kind and naive as she used to be in her last life, even
if she had heard Ning Qingshan speaking ill behind her, Ning Qingshan
would be able to convince her in a few words, and made her feel that she
had wronged her.

Unfortunately, her opponent was Ning Xueyan, a girl who looked weak
and peaceful, but actually cold-blooded inside.

Although Ning Ziyan didn’t disguise as perfectly as Ning Qingshan did,

she had been hypocritical in front of Ning Ziying. Since she had been
cheated once in her last life, Ning Xueyan wouldn’t be fooled again, and
now her eyes were bright and her heart was as hard as a rock!
“Thank you for your concern, Third Sister! I thought you were
deliberately saying that I was being with Junior Concubine Xu. I
wondered maybe I had offended you without knowing it, so the day after
you just came back, you were mad at me,” Ning Xueyan said with a
slight smile, which made Ning Qingshan not clear whether she meant it
or she was just joking.

Ning Qingshan had a feeling that Ning Xueyan who stood beside her
wasn’t the same person who had hidden herself in Bright Frost Garden
all the time. They were totally different by nature! Was she really Ning
Xueyan? How could she have changed so much? Ning Qingshan
wondered subconsciously.

What made her think this way mainly because the personality of the
person in front of her was far cry from the girl’s in her memory.

How could a person have changed so much? Under what situation could
be a timid person became so sharp and smart?

To Ning Qingshan’s surprise, Ning Xueyan wasn’t moved by her concern

and she didn’t hold her hand and call her ‘Third Sister’, but said
something meaningful instead which made her more confused.

Was she really Ning Xueyan?

“Fifth Sister, I wasn’t mad at you. Though we were not born by the same
mother, we are the closest sisters in the manor. Mom has left us, so we
should help each other more so that we can lead a better life in the
manor. If you meet any difficulties in the future, don’t hesitate to come to
me!” she said.

Instead of showing suspicion, Ning Qingshan smiled gently, and her face
looked as beautiful as a flower. It made her look more sincere to make
good friends with Ning Xueyan. She even mentioned Madam Ming.
Since she was Madam Ming’s daughter in name, it was normal that she
had been closer with Madam Ming than Ning Yuling and Ning Lingyun.

She wasn’t sure whether the girl in front of her was real Ning Xueyan or
not, but she was sure that this girl was smart and resourceful, so she
needed to stay calm in front of her. Fortunately, the girl was still young,
and couldn’t be as experienced as her. Ning Qingshan was confident that
if she was more cautious, she would have no problem to deal with Ning
Xueyan.

The stained account book was going to be found out soon, so she must
show that she got well with Ning Xueyan in front of others, and thus
nobody would suspicious about her.

To Ning Xueyan, what Ning Qingshan said sounded quite familiar.

Although she was smiling, in her eyes, there was ice-like coldness. No
wonder that Ning Ziyan and Ning Qingshan were close sisters, the way
they spoke almost the same!

“Sister Ziying, you just arrived in the capital. Although we were not born
by the same mother, I like you most in the manor. Since both of your
parents have passed away, I should help you more, so that you can lead a
better life. If you meet any difficulties in the future, don’t hesitate to
come to me!”

At that moment, Ning Ziyan had held her hand and called her ‘Sister
Ziying’ intimately. She had been so moved, and she had thought that
after experiencing the pain of losing her mother, she had found a warm-
hearted sister who sincerely treated her well!

But what had happened next? This “warm-hearted sister” not only had
robbed her fiancé away, but also beat her hard, framed her for having an
affair with another man, and murdered her finally. That was her close
sister had done to her!

Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes and hid all her sarcasm in the depth of
them. When she raised her head again, a faint smile had appeared on her
face. “Thank you very much, Third Sister! You’re the one who cares
about me most. You worried that my hand to be injured, so you wanted
to call the doctor for me. I know you regard me as your sister, so you are
always so warm-hearted to me.”

Now they had arrived at Lucky Garden. At sight of them, a maid had
lifted the door curtain and waited for them at the door. Therefore, what
Ning Qingshan said was not only to Ning Xueyan, but to Madam
Dowager as well. Smile appeared on Madam Dowager’s face when she
found the two sisters were getting well with each other.
However, her smile faded away when she heard the last words Ning
Xueyan had said just now.
Chapter 170 I Just Learned a
Little from Grandmother!
“Grandmother!”

“Grandmother!”

The moment they entered the room, Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan
bowed to Madam Dowager.

“Get up.” The smile was back on Madam Dowage’s face. She then
introduced the old ladies beside her to Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan,
and they bowed to these old ladies, with smiles.

“Madam Dowager, are they the granddaughters you have hidden away?
How beautiful they are! You’re so lucky to have two such fairy-like
granddaughters!” an old lady in a brown garment said in admiration.

“Sure enough! Look at them! If I have just one granddaughter like them,
she will surely be the apple of my eye. But you have two! Madam
Dowager, you’re really lucky!” another old lady in a blue garment with a
slanting collar said in agreement.

On the whole, Ning Qingshan looked more outstanding than Ning

Xueyan. Women looked their best at sixteen. Ning Qingshan was gentle
and graceful, and her face was as beautiful as a peony in full bloom.
That, together with her well-proportioned figure, made her look
stunningly charming.

On the contrary, Ning Xueyan did not look that charming at first glance.
She was younger and was not as well-developed yet, and her face and
lips looked pale. But if people observed carefully, they would find she
had delicate features, and her watery, jet-black eyes were very attractive.
It was obvious that after one or two years, she would turn into an
extremely beautiful lady.

By then, even Third Young Lady could not compare with her.
All these old ladies’ eyes were sharp, and they had figured out that the
two young ladies had potential, so they kept on praising them. They
heard that Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, could likely
become Third Prince’s wife. Although Fifth Young Lady, who had never
shown her face in public before, was still very young, from her pretty
face and graceful aura, they could tell that she would have a promising
future.

Hearing the praises from the old ladies, Madam Dowager became even
more delighted.

“You flatter them too much. They are just two young girls and they do
not know much yet. You’ll spoil them by saying so,” Madam Dowager
said, smiling.

While they were chatting, a steward walked in. He asked Mother Qin
something. Then Mother Qin whispered in Madam Dowager’s ear, and
after a while, Madam Dowager nodded.

“Grandmother, let me serve you during dinner,” Ning Qingshan said

gently, with a smile. She knew that Madam Dowager had ordered the
steward to serve the meal.

“Good, you are a filial girl!” Madam Dowager nodded, with a smile.

There were only several people in the living room of the main house.
After Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan helped Madam Dowager and the
other old ladies to their seats, the maids began to serve the dishes. Ning
Qingshan was quite familiar with such occasions. She was highly
regarded by Madam Dowager and Honored Consort Ya, because she
knew when and how she should speak and act.

She stood beside Madam Dowager respectfully, and helped her to choose
her food during the dinner. She was considerate and her movements were
fluid.

From the thoughtful and elegant way she behaved, everyone could tell
that she had been well trained. She knew which dishes Madam Dowager
favored, merely at a glance from her, and she picked and placed them
onto her plate, from time to time.
While Madam Dowager was having dinner, Ning Qingshan peeked at
Ning Xueyan discreetly. She did not believe that Ning Xueyan, who had
hidden herself in Bright Frost Garden for years, would know much about
table manners. But when she raised her head, she saw Ning Xueyan
acting as gracefully as she did. Ning Qingshan’s smile was frozen in
place.

Was this girl who was so well behaved and graceful, the same as the
unsociable and inexperienced Ning Xueyan? How did she manage to
behave so well, and was even more graceful than her? Ning Qingshan
had practiced hard at her manners for three years at the nunnery, so she
was confused when Ning Xueyan was able to perform even better than
she did. Meanwhile, all the old ladies were looking at Ning Xueyan in
admiration.

What kind of training could have produced such a well-behaved girl?

Her manners were almost exactly in accordance to the rules of etiquette!
From this point of view, the Lord Protector’s Manor’s upbringing rules
were very strict!

Ning Xueyan saw Ning Qingshan’s frustrated face. She knew that Ning
Qingshan had proposed to serve Madam Dowager during dinner, because
she wanted to humiliate her. Ning Xueyan had been in Bright Frost
Garden for years. She did not have any upbringing Mammy to teach her,
and even her reading and writing had been taught by Madam Ming, so
she was not familiar with the court etiquette at all.

Although Ning Xueyan was not familiar with that, Ning Ziying was.

Since she was a young child, Ning Ziying’s mother had put in a lot of
effort in her etiquette training. She pointed out Ning Ziying’s slightest
mistakes. The strict, almost harsh training made her cry many times, but
after that, she had to re-practice her training, according to her mother’s
requirements.

Her mother did not stop her training until she was so familiar with the
manners that she seemed a natural at it, and the grace seemed to have
emanated from inside her. Unfortunately, not long after that, her mother
died from an illness. So it was impossible for her to disgrace herself in
front of others, in terms of table manners.
Even though Ning Qingshan had undergone four or five years of hard
training, Ning Xueyan had spent even more time on learning in her last
life.

Ning Qingshan was elegant and skillful, but Ning Xueyan looked more
graceful and noble, and her smooth movements were a joy to behold!

Ning Qingshan could hardly keep her smile.

“Madam Dowager, both your granddaughters are so cultivated. Could

you please tell me what kind of upbringing Mammy you have hired?”
another old lady asked curiously. It was impossible for the two young
ladies to have learned such standard etiquette from an ordinary
upbringing Mammy. If she knew what kind of people their Mammies
were, she wanted to hire them for her manor, to train her granddaughters.

“Madam Han, you’re flattering the Mammies. They are nothing special,
but as my granddaughters practice hard, I don’t need to pay much
attention to their training,” Madam Dowager answered with a smile.

She knew that Ning Qingshan’s upbringing Mammy was Mother Luo,
but she was surprised that Ning Xueyan had performed so well. She had
intended to let Ning Xueyan set off Ning Qingshan’s excellence, and she
had never thought that Ning Xueyan would behave even better than Ning
Qingshan did! Ning Xueyan did not have any upbringing Mummy, so
she could only give Madam Han a vague answer.

Those old ladies did not know that Madam Dowager had no idea who
Ning Xueyan had trained under, and they thought that she did not want
to give them the name of the upbringing Mummy, so they did not ask
anymore. They were not young, and they knew they should not persist in
their questions, if someone was reluctant to answer them.

“It’s said all the female guests in the inner courtyard were greeted by
Third Young Lady. Although she is still young, she is already so capable!
Madam Dowager, you’re so lucky!” an old lady deliberately shifted the
topic.

“She is just a little girl, and what she can do is very limited. I’m old and
not as energetic as the young ones, so I asked her to assist me.” Madam
Dowager smiled, and sighed.
“Grandmother, you’re not old at all! Nobody will think that you’re my
Grandmother when people see us together. Maybe some of them will
even think that we’re sisters,” Ning Qingshan joked.

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

“You’re so sweet! I don’t have that much energy left. How can I look
like your sister? How can you have such an old sister?” Madam Dowager
laughed.

“Of course that’s possible! If you take greater care of your health, you
may even look younger than me! Someone may think that you’re my
younger sister, if we are out on the street!” Ning Qingshan flattered her.
Her eyes were fixed on Ning Xueyan. “Fifth Sister is more capable, so
you trust her with all the account books of our manor. I’m not that
capable, so I am only able to accompany you for dinner.”

Everyone knew she was joking, but obviously she was flattering Ning
Xueyan as well. Madam Dowager thought that she was sincerely
building the momentum for her sister, so her smile became softer.

Madam Dowager had never liked Ning Xueyan before. However, after
Ning Xueyan stopped hiding herself away in Bright Frost Garden, her
talents gradually began to show, and Madam Dowager started to admire
her. She had not regarded Ning Xueyan as her own granddaughter, but
when she found that Ning Xueyan was so outstanding, she gradually
changed her mind.

After all, she was her granddaughter, and compared to her other
granddaughters, Ning Xueyan was the closest to her, in terms of blood
ties. If she was able to marry into a powerful family, it would be very
helpful to the Lord Protector’s Manor. With the change of her attitude
toward Ning Xueyan, Madam Dowager wanted to push her to the
forefront as well.

She had planned to give only Ning Qingshan the opportunity to show off
today, but after thinking it over, she decided to include Ning Xueyan as
well, so she had asked both of them to meet these old ladies. Seeing Ning
Qingshan flattering Ning Xueyan, she thought that Ning Qingshan was
not only smart, but also generous.
“Oh? Fifth Young Lady is so young, but she already knows how to check
account books and manage the manor! She is really no ordinary lady!”
All the old ladies were surprised. It was not because only very few
children were able to do something for their manors, but most of the
time, they were only in charge of something less important.

As for the current Lord Protector’s Manor, Madam Ling was still in the
Buddha Hall, and Madam Dowager was too old, so if Fifth Young Lady
was actually in charge of the finances, she should be the one running the
whole manor! Even ‘capable’ was not enough to describe her ability!
The old ladies had thought that it must be one of Ning Zu’an’s extremely
capable concubines who was managing the manor, when they visited and
found everything was in order.

To their surprise, the person who was running the manor was Ning
Xueyan, the youngest daughter of Ning Zu’an!

Ning Qingshan had naturally diverted everyone’s attention to Ning

Xueyan.

Ning Qingshan was really cunning! She knew the adage, “he who climbs
high will fall heavily.” She spoke highly of Ning Xueyan, so if the
stained page of the account book was found by Madam Dowager later,
Madam Dowager would be even more disappointed in her. She did this
because she hoped that Ning Xueyan would fall out of favor with
Madam Dowager, and look stupid in front of these old ladies. Then she
would never be able to hold her head high, in front of anyone.

“I’m not good at checking account books. Mostly, it is grandmother who

makes the final decision. If there is something that I do not understand, I
will ask Third Sister and grandmother,” Ning Xueyan raised her head
and said softly. She was neither humble nor arrogant when she said this.
She looked generous and amiable, mild and modest, so it was easy to
make people feel good about her.

She knew that Ning Qingshan would not let her off so easily, and she
would definitely shift the topic to the account books, so she had thought
out her countermeasures, beforehand.

“Third Young Lady knows how to manage accounts too?” an old lady
asked with a smile, after hearing what Ning Xueshan said.
“Yes. Third Young Lady is capable. She assisted me to check the account
books for some time, three years ago. I’ll ask her to assist Fifth Young
Lady. Otherwise, Fifth Young Lady will be too tired at having to deal
with so much work, alone.” Madam Dowager remembered that Ning
Qingshan had helped her run the inner courtyard three years ago.
Although Madam Ling had called the shots most of the time, Madam
Dowager had intentionally trained Ning Qingshan, so she had learned
from Madam Dowager how to manage the manor for some time.

Since Madam Dowager had mentioned this, Ning Qingshan knew she
could not say that she knew nothing about taking charge of the accounts.
Otherwise, other people would think that she was too hypocritical. So
she said modestly, “I just learned a little from grandmother!”
Chapter 171 Third Sister, Can
You Give Me Some Advice?
“Third Sister, since you are so smart, how can you know only a little? It
so happens that there is something I do not understand in the account
books, can you give me some advice?” Ning Xueyan asked, with a smile.
She spoke naturally, and Ning Qingshan almost forgot to reply. She
blinked, and then she was overjoyed.

She was just thinking about how she could make Ning Xueyan bring out
the account books here. To her surprise, Ning Xueyan had put her neck
into the noose by asking her to check the account books! So it was no
wonder she became so excited.

“Fifth sister, if there is anything I can do for you, I will certainly do my

best,” she said with a smile, trying to suppress her excitement.

“Lanning, bring the account books here,” Ning Xueyan immediately

ordered Lanning, who was standing behind her.

Lanning already had preparations in mind. She nodded to Ning Xueyan,

and after a short while, she brought out several account books. Looking
from where she stood, Ning Qingshan could tell that there were five
account books. But she was not in a hurry to look through them, because
she knew that the last page of one account book among the stack, was
not in order. Since they were piled up one on top of the other, the account
book under this one should also have been stained as well.

She had been racking her brains earlier, wondering how to get Ning
Xueyan to bring out the account books. Ning Qingshan thought since
Ning Xueyan was courting death, she would not show any mercy.

“Fifth sister, these are the account books you were checking, right?
You’re such an organized person! They’re very neat and orderly, so
obviously you have put in a lot of effort.” Ning Qingshan smiled,
covering her mouth with a handkerchief. Then she reached out and
wanted to take the account books from Ning Xueyan’s hands.
“If I pretend to accidentally drop the account books, the page that was
stained will be exposed in front of everyone,” she thought.

“Third Sister, are you serious that you’ll help me?” Seeing that Ning
Qingshan’s hand was about to touch the account books, Ning Xueyan
suddenly pulled them back, with a smile. She looked at Ning Qingshan
with a complex look in her jet-black eyes.

Even though Ning Qingshan had been calm and cunning till now, she
could not help feeling nervous when such a good opportunity seemed to
be slipping away from her. “Fifth Sister, what are you talking about? We
are sisters, so of course we should help each other. Since you’ve asked
me to help you, I have no reason to refuse you.”

“So Third Sister, you’re serious about helping me?” Ning Xueyan asked
again, with a smile. She still held the account books in her hands, and
showed no signs of giving them to Ning Qingshan.

“Yes! Yes! I’ll definitely help you,” Ning Qingshan became a little
impatient, but she didn’t let it show it on her face, but smiled instead.
She then tried to take the account books from Ning Xueyan’s hands
again, while joking, “Fifth Sister, it seems that you can’t bear to give
them to me. Am I right? You have begged me several times to help you,
but you seem a bit reluctant to hand them over.”

She was hinting that Ning Xueyan did not really want her to check the
account books, and she took out them just because she wanted to show
off in front of others. Ning Qingshan smiled while speaking, and her
words were unimpeachable, so it was hard to figure out whether she was
joking with Ning Xueyan, or hinting at something.

“Third Sister, do you have time to check the account books now?” Ning
Xueyan asked with a faint smile, as if she did not know what Ning
Qingshan was hinting at.

Ning Qingshan was a little surprised. Now she was still standing beside
Madam Dowager to serve her. Although Madam Dowager had almost
already finished her dinner, as her granddaughter who was in charge of
serving her during dinner, she could not leave her to check the account
books at the moment.
Her intention was to drop the account books onto the floor, and all she
needed was a few seconds to do this. But she could not tell this to
Madam Dowager.

“Ning Xueyan has asked her maid to bring the account books here, but
she is reluctant to give them to me! What is she trying to do?” Ning
Qingshan was sharp, and immediately sensed that something was wrong.
She frowned.

“Grandmother, Third Sister has agreed to help me. Please be my witness!

If she has no time to check the account books, she must take them back
to Foggy Courtyard, and find time to check them for me,” Ning Xueyan
walked over to Madam Dowager and pleaded with her. She looked like a
little girl, who was asking Madam Dowager for support. She had an air
of both innocence and intimacy when she spoke.

Ning Xueyan was still young, so such a manner was very natural for her
age.

Other old ladies thought that she was joking with her sister, and even
Madam Dowager liked her vivacity. Ning Xueyan seldom showed her
intimacy with her in public, so she felt very proud when Ning Xueyan
showed that she was close to her in front of others.

She reached out, patted Ning Xueyan on her hand and said amiably,
“Don’t worry. I’ll support you. Since your Third Sister has promised to
help you, she must keep her words. To prevent her from reneging, I’ll
ask someone to send the account books to her later.”

Ning Qingshan became very anxious when she heard that the account
books were going to be sent to her place. If the stained page was found
after the account books had been sent to her, she would not be able to
prove her innocence. She was surprised at Ning Xueyan’s deceit. “Ning
Xueyan must have already found the stained page, and she is now trying
to send them to my place. No way!” she thought.

But she had already promised to help Ning Xueyan just now, she could
not refuse her now. Seeing that Ning Xueyan was about to pass the
account books to the maid beside Madam Dowager, she said anxiously,
“Grandmother, let me have a look first. I must make sure that I
understand everything in the account books. Otherwise, I might not be
able to help Fifth Sister.”

“Grandmother, see, Third Sister wants to backtrack already, after she has
made the promise!” Ning Xueyan said with a smile. She took back the
account books and then passed them to Madam Dowager.

The account books were now in front of Madam Dowager. Ning Xueyan
meant to let Madam Dowager have a look at them first. Ning Qingshan
wasn’t sure whether Madam Dowager would check them carefully. Her
brain was spinning fast. She was worried that if Madam Dowager did not
check them before asking someone send them to her place, she would
not be able to explain the stained page well.

So she would have to do something in order to knock down the account

books to the ground, before they were sent to Foggy Courtyard.

But it seemed Ning Xueyan did not want to give the account books
directly to her at all. “This bitch is so sly! But I can still find a way to
deal with her,” she thought.

She turned her head and looked at Xia’er who was standing beside her.
Then she gestured with her eyes to the account books.

Xia’er had served Ning Qingshan for many years. She knew what was
going on with one of the account books. So she immediately walked over
and tried to take the account books from Ning Xueyan’s hands. She
always turned her nose up at others, and in her mind, her master was the
noblest person, so she seldom showed respect for anyone else.

Ning Qingshan had reminded her not to speak and to act casually in front
of others, and she was usually cautious. However, she was worried that
the account books might be sent to Foggy Courtyard before Madam
Dowager checked them and found the stained page, so she forgot what
her attention should be focused on. She rushed over, and tried to grab the
account books from Ning Xueyan, shouting, “Fifth Young Lady, please
give the account books to me! I’ll bring them to Foggy Courtyard, and
then my master will check them.”

Xia’er rushed over hurriedly, just as Ning Xueyan was putting down the
account books in front of Madam Dowager. She inevitably had to reach
out her hands in front of Madam Dowager if she wanted to take the
account books from Ning Xueyan. To her surprise, Ning Xueyan
suddenly pulled back the account books the moment she reached out, so
Xia’er could not withdraw her hands, and almost fell on Madam
Dowager’s face.

“Ah! Xia’er, be careful!” Ning Qingshan had a feeling that things would
go wrong the moment she saw Ning Xueyan withdrawing the account
books. Now she saw that Xia’er was going to be in trouble, so she
exclaimed in surprise.

Xia’er’s hands did not touch the account books, but seemed to stretch
toward Madam Dowager instead. Madam Dowager was afraid, and took
a step back subconsciously, and narrowly avoided her hands.

“What are you doing? Get down on your knees!” Mother Qin shouted,
pointing at Xia’er. She was startled and her face turned pale.

“I…” Xia’er was stunned as well. Seeing Madam Dowager’s face

darkened, she knelt down and explained anxiously, “Madam Dowager,
I… I didn’t mean to do that. I just wanted to take the account books from
Fifth Young Lady, but she suddenly withdrew them.”

She was afraid that Madam Dowager would punish her, so she
immediately stood up for herself. Obviously, she meant that Ning
Xueyan had withdrawn the account books deliberately. Although Xia’er
was arrogant, she knew that she was in trouble, so she was eager to shift
the blame to Ning Xueyan.

When they had been at the nunnery, to make it look as if she treated her
maid well, Ning Qingshan deliberately asked Xia’er not to address
herself as the maid when she spoke to her in front of others. Moreover,
she also told Xia’er that she did not take her as her maid, but as her
younger sister. She would share everything she had with Xia’er in the
future.

From then on, Xia’er became even more loyal to her!

But after returning to the manor, Ning Qingshan had reminded her not to
address herself as ‘I’ when she spoke in front of the masters of the
manor. Xia’er was anxious and she had always looked down upon Ning
Xueyan, so she blurted out the ‘I’, unintentionally.

Then she found that not only did Madam Dowager’s face darken, the
other old ladies were sizing her up in a disdainful manner as well.

“Slap her!” Madam Dowager ordered, her face as cold as ice. How dare
a maid address herself as ‘I’ in front of the masters! She did not behave
like a maid at all! The outsiders would laugh at Lord Protector’s Manor,
for having such an ill mannered maid. Besides, if she had not dodged
quickly, her face would have been scratched by the maid!

“Madam Dowager, maid Xia’er …” Looking at two older female

servants coming over to her, Xia’er was frightened, and she regretted her
slip of tongue.

With a crack, a hand landed on Xia’er’s face heavily, and she was almost
knocked backward to the ground before she could continue her
explanation. The slap made her brain buzz. She raised her head and
could not speak out due to fear and surprise when she saw the person
who had slapped her. It was no other than Ning Qingshan, the one she
respected the most!

Qing’er covered her face, and looked at Ning Qingshan, tearfully.

“Grandmother, I should be blamed. If I didn’t spoil her too much and

was too generous with her, Xia’er would not have been so ill mannered. I
never thought she would offend you. Grandmother, please punish me,”
Ning Qingshan knelt, and said this, with tears in her eyes. She looked
very sad.

Then she turned her head and said to Xia’er angrily, “Xia’er, apologize to
Grandmother right now!”

Seeing that Ning Qingshan had knelt down ahead of her, Xia’er’s
astonishment turned to appreciation. She thought her master still treated
her well, and she slapped her because she had no other choice. So she
moved forward and kowtowed to Madam Dowager. “Madam Dowager,
it’s all maid Xia’er’s fault. Maid Xia’er didn’t see Fifth Young Lady
suddenly withdrawing her hands, so Xia’er almost hurt you by mistake!
Please punish me! It has nothing to do with my master.”
Xia’er was quite ruthless. With a bang, her forehead landed on the
ground. When she raised her head again, the fair skin on her forehead
had spilt and started to bleed. When she saw Xia’er’s forehead bleeding,
and especially when she heard Xia’er defending her, Ning Qingshan
could not help but look at her anxiously.

The master and the maid seemed to care so much about each other. The
scene was so touching!

Noble families valued loyal servants very much. In their eyes, Xia’er
was obvious a loyal maid, so everyone changed their minds. The old
ladies thought she was a straightforward person when they saw her
bleeding forehead, because she had used too much strength in
kowtowing. They could tell that she deeply regretted her actions.

When they thought over what she had said, they could not help but look
at Ning Xueyan suspiciously.
Chapter 172 Being Defeated
Because of Self-righteousness
There was a touch of coldness in the depth of Ning Xueyan’s eyes, and
the faint smile on her lips gradually turned to a sneer.

“Ning Qingshan is really not easy to deal with! She has even come up
with such an idea to disentangle herself from me! Since Xia’er accused
me like that, I have no chance to send the account books to Foggy
Courtyard today,” she thought.

She knew that Xia’er was inspired after her master slapped her and knelt
down in front of Madam Dowager for her mistake. That was why she
banged her head so hard onto the ground. She wanted to arouse the
other’s sympathy and let them suspect Ning Xueyan by hinting Ning
Xueyan was a vicious girl and she was trying to frame Ning Qingshan’s
maid.

Seeing everyone watching herself, Ning Xueyan walked over calmly and
knelt down as well. “Grandmother, don’t be angry. I should be blamed. I
just wanted to joke with Third Sister, but I didn’t expect that she would
have been implicate because of this. Grandmother, if you want to punish
Third Sister, please punish me first.”

“Ning Qingshan doesn’t want to be close to me, and she wants everyone
to think that there is bad blood between us. I won’t let her get away with
it!” Ning Xueyan thought.

“Fifth Young Lady, did you deliberately pull back the account books just
now?” Madam Dowager’s face lit up a little when she heard Ning
Xueyan take initiative to admit her mistake. She had thought it over and
found it was true that Xia’er rushed over to take the account books from
Ning Xueyan and she lost her balance because Ning Xueyan withdrew
the account books.

“Yes. It’s all my fault. Grandmother, please don’t punish Xia’er. Even if
she did something improper, please forgive her for the sake of the big
day of Junior Concubine Xu,” Ning Xueyan said with a smile, raising her
head.

She kept a low key when she admitted her mistake. Furthermore, she was
interceding for Xia’er sincerely and taking all the blame on herself. She
admitted that she deliberately withdrew her hands because she wanted to
play with Ning Qingshan. It was normal among sisterhood. So it wasn’t a
big deal at all.

Moreover, she explained this clearly that there were no hard feelings
between her and Ning Qingshan.

Compared with Xia’er, who broke her head by banging her it onto the
floor, Ning Xueyan seemed more natural and frank when she spoke.
Ning Qingshan and Xia’er overreacted, and looked contrived.

Nobody had expected that a small incident would have come to this far
on a joyous day! The old ladies present all focused on the big picture, so
in their mind, the well-known Third Young Lady didn’t seem to behave
better than the unremarkable Fifth Young Lady.

This matter wasn’t that serious, but someone bled on the day of a
wedding was really ominous. If Ning Qingshan hadn’t slapped Xia’er,
but explained carefully instead, plus Ning Xueyan’s additional
explanation, Madam Dowager wouldn’t have blamed Xia’er and asked
someone to slap her because of misunderstanding.

Moreover, the maid had always called herself ‘I’. A mannered maid
would never do this. It was said Third Young Lady was a person of good
manners, but obviously, that wasn’t the case.

She could be nice to her maid. But if she allowed her maid to call her
master ‘You’ and call herself ‘I’, the old ladies would think that she
wasn’t a stickler for rules.

The result was totally out of Ning Qingshan’s expectation. Xia’er had
made trouble by accident, and she slapped her because she wanted to
flatter Madam Dowager. She thought that after Xia’er had gotten the
sympathy from the old ladies and shifted the responsibility to Ning
Xueyan under her instruction, nobody would want to send the account
books to her place anymore. But now, Ning Xueyan was not affected at
all, while she appeared to be ignorant and ill-behaved.

“Get up!” Anger crossed Madam Dowager’s eyes, but she immediately
turned to be gentler. She turned her head and said, “Mother Qin, take her
out. The outsiders will think that we ill-treated our servant if they saw
her bleeding on such an occasion. Besides, it’s ominous.”

Old ladies like Madam Dowager was extremely superstitious. But she
was experienced, so although she was mad at Ning Qingshan, she didn’t
show it on her face, but generously asked Mother Qin to take Xia’er out
instead.

“Today is a joyful day, so don’t make things big. Otherwise, the outsiders
will gossip,” she reminded and said.

“Yes, Madam!” Mother Qin walked over and supported Xia’er up. Then
she led her out of the room.

Ning Qingshan had been held up by an older female servant. She

lowered her head and shook off the dust from her dress. Xia’er didn’t get
Ning Qingshan’s instruction, so she dared not to make trouble again and
followed Mother Qin out.

“Third Sister, I’m sorry! Your maid was injured because of me, so please
accept my apology,” Ning Xueyan said apologetically. She gave the
account books to a maid beside Madam Dowager, and bowed to Ning
Qingshan respectfully, lifting the hem of her skirt.

“Forget it. It’s not a big deal. If I was a little stricter to her, she wouldn’t
have made such troubles,” Ning Qingshan said with a smile. She looked
gentle and mild, as if she wasn’t annoyed by Ning Xueyan at all.

“Third Sister, I’m so glad that you’re not angry with me.” Ning Xueyan
took a deep breath of relief, and her smile became more vivid. She said
coquettishly, “That will be terrible if you’re mad at me and don’t want to
check the account books for me!”

“Are the account books really so difficult?” Madam Dowager naturally

took an account book from the maid.
She was a little unsatisfied with Ning Qingshan because of the incident
just now, and she looked not as happy as she had been. And now, she
didn’t put in a word when Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan was talking.

Ning Qingshan was sensitive to the dissatisfaction of Madam Dowager,

but when she saw Madam Dowager was checking the account book, she
was secretly happy. She was surprised that Madam Dowager would have
checked them in person.

Everyone would sense something wrong if she took the account books
close to herself. The fishy taste was so strong that everyone could smell
it.

“Grandmother, let me take a look!” Ning Qingshan looked curious and

got her body closer to Madam Dowager. Her face turned pale when she
smelled a pleasant fragrance, instead of a fishy taste.

There were a total of five account books. Madam Dowager only took the
one on the top and checked it briefly. She found that it was true that there
was still some unfinished content in the account book. Then she quietly
put it back into the maid’s hands and ordered, “Take them to Foggy
Courtyard.”

The maid said yes and was about to walk out.

Ning Qingshan was extremely anxious and she took several steps
forward and said, “Grandmother, don’t bother. I’ll ask my maid to take
them back.”

She reached out and was about to take the account books from the maid.

The maid was shocked when she saw a master reach out to take the
account book from her in person. She looked at Madam Dowager at a
loss. She dared neither give the account books to Ning Xueyan nor pull
them back.

Every Young Lady was honored and they would ask their maids to send
or accept things from the hands of other master’s maids.

Ning Qingshan didn’t seem to have noticed the embarrassment of the

maid. She grabbed the bottom account book and pulled it out forcibly.
“Third Sister, take it easy. How can you do it in person…” Ning
Xueyan’s voice rang out in time. But before she could finish her words,
with several bangs, all the account books dropped onto the floor from the
maid’s hands due to the forcible pulling.

Ning Qingshan was sure that Ning Xueyan had known the account books
were stained. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have done so many things, and
she had even sprinkled some fragrant powder on it. Ning Xueyan must
be worried that she might find out the stained page, so she did this. Ning
Qingshan didn’t believe that Ning Xueyan had just wanted to play with
her when she withdrew the account books, because she knew their
relationship wasn’t that close.

This had been the case before, and it was now as well!

That was why she had to take the book in person. Nobody would mind
her little recklessness when the stained account book was found later.

She didn’t care about what Ning Xueyan said at all. When she heard the
sound of the account books falling to the ground, she took several steps
back, looked like she was frightened. In order to arouse more attention,
she screamed in a low voice, as if she found out something abnormal.
She was very confident that Ning Xueyan couldn’t remove the stain from
the account book no matter how capable she was.

Accompanied by her scream, all the account books dropped onto the
floor!

Because those old ladies had no mental preparation, they were all taken
aback. An old lady among them with poor physical conditions felt dizzy
and fell onto an older female servant beside her, and it caused the older
female servant to scream a lot.

“What’s wrong?” Madam Dowager couldn’t hide her anger anymore.

She was asking the maid, but her eyes were on Ning Qingshan. From
what Ning Qingshan had done and what Ning Xueyan had said, she
could tell that the account books dropped because Ning Qingshan was
worried about something. She wondered why Ning Qingshan who had
been calm became so reckless today.
Seeing that Madam Dowager was angry, the maid was so scared and
immediately knelt down. She argued, “Madam Dowager, Third Young
Lady reached out so quickly, so I couldn’t hold the account books
firmly.”

She didn’t dare to shift the responsibility to Ning Qingshan, but she
suddenly came up with an idea. She borrowed what Ning Xueyan had
said just now and hinted that Ning Qingshan didn’t behave properly and
took things from a maid’s hands in person, and because she grabbed the
account books so urgently, all of them were knocked to the ground.

“Third Young Lady!” Madam Dowager stared at Ning Qingshan with a

dark face. The other old ladies were looking at her disapprovingly.

Now they knew the reason that the maid was unruly, because her master
was undisciplined as well. They wondered why the rumors said that
Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was a person of good
manners and had the air of the prince’s wife. Did a person who was as
obtrusive as her was really suitable to become a Consort of Prince?

“Grandmother, sorry. I was eager to see Fifth Sister’s account books, so I

knocked them to the floor by accident. I’ll pick them up now.”

Ning Qingshan was surprised, because the stained page wasn’t exposed
in front of them. But soon, she resumed calm. She thought it must
because Ning Xueyan was lucky that even the account books had
dropped onto the ground, the stained page didn’t show. She secretly
looked at Ning Xueyan who was standing beside her and found Ning
Xueyan’s face was extremely pale. She stared at the account books on
the floor nervously, and that made Ning Qingshan felt a little relieved.

From Ning Xueyan’s look, she could tell that the stain on the account
book hadn’t been removed yet, so she didn’t need to be so nervous. She
then said to Madam Dowager with a smile and then crouched and was
about to pick up the account books on the floor.

“Qingshan!” Seeing that she was going to pick up the account books in
person regardless of her status, Madam Dowager warned her coldly,
knocking the floor hard with her walking stick.
It had been three years since Third Young Lady left the manor. She
wondered how could a smart girl became so stupid, and on such an
occasion, she even wanted to do this kind of things in person. It was
really too disrespectful!

“Third Sister, just let the maids pick them up. Don’t worry, Grandmother
will ask them to send the account books to your place after they are
picked up.” Ning Xueyan persuaded with a smile.

Hearing the warning of Madam Dowager, Ning Qingshan dared not to

bend over again. obviously, Madam Dowager was in a rage. Ning
Qingshan had been cautious and she knew she didn’t behave properly
today. If she ignored Madam Dowager’s warning and picked the account
books up in person, Madam Dowager would be angrier. It was not worth
it.

“Got it. Grandmother, I should be blamed!” She straightened up, but

didn’t walk backward. She bowed gracefully to Madam Dowager.
Madam Dowager would have been delighted when she saw Ning
Qingshan bow to her, but now she only felt humiliated at the thought of
her improper behavior. What made her feel more embarrassing was that
she had praised Ning Qingshan incessantly in front of those old ladies.

Therefore, she glanced at Ning Qingshan with a dark face. She didn’t
answer Ning Qingshan, but looked at her meaningfully instead. She then
said to the maid who was kneeling on the floor, “Pick up the account
books immediately and send them to Foggy Courtyard.”
Chapter 173 Send the Account
Books to Foggy Courtyard
With the picking up of the account books one by one, Ning Qingshan’s
breath sharpened unconsciously. It seemed she couldn’t stay calm and
maintain her perfect smile any longer. The maid picked up the first
account book and shook the dust off. Both the top and the bottom cover
were clean. Then she picked up the second one and shook off the dust as
well, and there was no stain on it either.

How could all of them be clean? Now four of the five account books had
been found clean, so Ning Qingshan became nervous and sweat beamed
from the tip of her nose.

There was only one account book left. The last one must be the stained
one!

The maid picked up the last account book and shook the dust off it. She
then piled all the account books up and held them firmly in her arms
before turning to leave.

“That’s impossible! Why none of them was stained?”

She was a hundred percent sure that the stained page would be exposed,
but that didn’t happen. Although Ning Qingshan had always been
shrewd and seldom showed her true feeling in front of others, she froze
there. She looked in the direction the maid left blankly and opened her
mouth, trying to ask the maid to stop so that she could check the account
books again. Fortunately, her reason prevented her from doing such a
foolish thing.

Although she had planned carefully, nothing happened as she had

expected. The huge difference made her well-prepared smile disappear in
the blink of an eye.

“What’s wrong with you, Third Young Lady?” Madam Dowager’s brows
knitted when she looked at Ning Qingshan who was in a trance. Ning
Qingshan didn’t seem to be herself today! Now she was even gluing her
eyes on the account books. Why was she so interested in them?

Madam Dowager glanced at Mother Qin, and the latter immediately

understood what she wanted. She walked over and held Ning Qingshan
by the arm. “Third Young Lady, are you feeling sick and need to go back
to rest? You just came back yesterday, and you have to help Madam
Dowager greet guests today, so I think you must be tired.”

Obviously Madam Dowager wanted her to go back to Foggy Courtyard.

“No, Grandmother! I’m not tired!” Ning Qingshan said subconsciously

and squeezed out a smile. She had been greeting the guests at the flower
hall just now, so if the others knew that she was sent back to her place,
they would laugh at her.

“Are you serious?” Madam Dowager asked coldly.

“Grandmother, I’m not tired!” Ning Qingshan pretended that she didn’t
understand Madam Dowager’s hint. Now she no longer showed any
doubt, because she knew what she had done had aroused Madam
Dowager’s suspicion, and she dared not take any more drastic actions.
She took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

She had planned to make Ning Xueyan look stupid in front of others, but
she failed. Besides, Madam Dowager was asking her to go back now. Of
course she was not content. She would be Third Prince’s wife and if
Third Prince inherited the throne, she would be the empress! How could
she be driven back like this? If she followed Madam Dowager’s order
and went back to her place, she would never establish her dignity in front
of the others again.

“Grandmother, the guests at the flower hall are still waiting for Third
Sister.” Ning Xueyan walked over and explained for Ning Qingshan with
a smile, without a trace of displeasure on her face.

Everyone thought that Ning Qingshan knocked over the account books
on purpose. Ning Xueyan should feel embarrassed when the account
books dropped onto the floor, but she didn’t mind at all, and she was
even defending Ning Qingshan now. What a generous person Fifth
Young Lady was!
“Qingshan, you can leave for the flower hall to greet the guests now.
Don’t surprise anyone and make a fool of yourself.” Ning Qingshan
knew what Madam Dowager was hinting, and she blushed. But to her
surprise, what Madam Dowager said next made her even more ashamed
that she couldn’t hold up her head. “Mother Qin, accompany Third
Young Lady to the flower hall. You should correct her immediately if she
does anything wrong,” Madam Dowager said.

Ning Qingshan knew that Madam Dowager wanted Mother Qin to watch
her. But since she had made mistakes just now, she didn’t dare refuse her.

If it were the other Young Ladies, they would have been ashamed and
offered to go back to rest.

Ning Qingshan wasn’t an ordinary person. She insisted on not going

back. She looked calm, as if she didn’t understand what Madam
Dowager was hinting. She then bowed to Madam Dowager with a smile
and left the room.

“Grandmother, I have to leave now. I need to go to the kitchen and check

if everything is ready and if anything needs to be added,” Ning Xueyan
said to Madam Dowager and took leave.

Madam Dowager was very satisfied with Ning Xueyan’s performance

today. Hearing that she wanted to go to the kitchen, she smiled and
waved to her to leave.

Ning Xueyan bowed to the other old ladies in the room and then walked
out, smiling.

“Madam Dowager, Fifth Young Lady is just like you when you were
young. She is generous and calm. That’s how a lord manor’s Young Lady
behaves.”

“Sure enough! Madam Dowager, you were a well-known noble lady

when you were young, and so was your niece. It seems your
granddaughter is even more outstanding than you two. She deserves to
be your granddaughter by blood. She is so excellent because she carries
the blood of your family.”
Ning Xueyan was a little surprised when she heard the sighs from the old
ladies.

Madam Ming was also a well-known lady?

Then why did she die so miserably? Ning Xueyan hadn’t found
everything out what had happened years ago. When she asked about
something, even her uncle, Ming Feiyong, would shift the topic on
purpose. And Mother Han, the personal Mammy of Madam Ming was
reluctant to tell her when she asked the same question.

Ning Xueyan knew Mother Han was loyal, but she wondered why she
hid the secret from her.

“Miss, Xinmei is already there!” Qingyu suddenly showed up from

nowhere. She walked to Ning Xueyan and reported to her in a low voice.

Ning Xueyan nodded slightly. Then she walked toward the kitchen with
Lanning and Qingyu. Since she excused herself to look in the kitchen, of
course she would.

But she stopped at a junction. She looked at the direction of the junction
and sneered. After a while, she turned her head and ordered, “Lanning,
go and check if there’s anyone will come over.”

Ning Qingshan followed Mother Qin to the flower hall on the left, and
the way they took was different from the one to Foggy Courtyard. Since
the account books were on the way to Foggy Courtyard, Ning Qingshan
wouldn’t feel assured and she would definitely arrange someone to
check. But she had no henchman with her and only Mother Qin was
being with her now, so she was unable to openly order someone to check
for her.

But she wouldn’t give up easily, and she would find a way to arrange her
people to check the account books. What Ning Xueyan was looking at
was the only way to Foggy Courtyard.

Lanning was smart. She raised her head and looked in the direction to
Foggy Courtyard along with the gaze of Ning Xueyan, and then she
immediately understood what she meant. She nodded and walked toward
the junction.
Since Ning Qingshan only left a little bit earlier than her, Ning Xueyan
guessed that she was about to arrive at the flower hall now. Even Mother
Qin was watching over her, Ning Qingshan would find a way to arrange
someone to check the account books on the way.

Ning Xueyan thoughtfully looked down the path for a while and then
turned to the kitchen on the other side. It was not far from Foggy
Courtyard to the kitchen. It would only take a few minutes from where
she was to the kitchen. What was more, it was unnecessary to pass by the
road of the inner courtyard. So it was really convenient.

It was also the center of the inner courtyard of the Lord Protector.
Although Ning Qingshan was an adopted daughter, she was very
popular, so the location of her residence was much better than that of
Bright Frost Garden.

The moment Ning Xueyan returned to Bright Frost Garden, Xinmei had
already been there for some time. Seeing Ning Xueyan come in, she
opened the food box with Qingyu and took out the dishes one by one.
What was placed on the bottom layer was a bowl of cooked fish soup.
The color of the soup was white and apparently it had been cooked for a
long time. There were some chopped scallions on the fish, and when the
soup was taken out, a delicious smell wafted in the air.

Ning Xueyan was hungry as well. She ate a small bowl of rice Qingyu
handed to her and put the empty bowl on the table. Then she washed her
hands and rinsed her mouth.

“Did anybody say something when all the fish were used to cook soup?”
Ning Xueyan asked casually.

“Nobody said anything except for the older female servant whose
surname is Li. She said that they were told to cook both braised fish and
steamed fish the day before. She didn’t understand why the order was
changed today. When I asked her who told her to braise the fish, she
faltered. Lanning gave her a good scolding,” Qingyu said and laughed.
After Lanning coming out from the kitchen, she walked into it to check
again to ensure that no braised fish would be served today.

Bright Frost Garden was different from it used to be and Ning Xueyan
seemed to be running the manor. Although it was Madam Dowager who
made the final decision, everybody could tell that Fifth Young Lady’s
status was much higher than before, so no one dared to contradict her.
Even Madam Ling’s servants didn’t dare to protest her and they would
do everything she ordered. Obviously, Madam Ling had ordered her
people not to make troubles.

“Investigate the background of the older female servant whose surname

is Li, and how did she become the servant of our manor. Maybe you can
start your investigation from Mammy Luo,” Ning Xueyan said slowly.
She took the tea cup from Qingyu and took a sip of the tea, looking at the
steam rising.

Mammy Luo was the most capable servant of Ning Qingshan. She had
hit it off with all the older female servants of the manor one day after she
arrived, so apparently she was a person of great ability.

Xia’er was too reckless, so Ning Xueyan thought that compared with her,
Mammy Luo was much more difficult to deal with and she was the key
person.

“Yes. I’ll ask someone to investigate it soon.” Qingyu nodded

consciously. Now she and Lanning took most responsibilities of the inner
courtyard, and Xinmei was only in charge of something outside of the
manor or something special. Ning Xueyan had already told Qingyu,
Lanning and Mother Han about Xinmei’s identity.

“Xinmei, how are things at Foggy Courtyard?” Ning Xueyan turned to

Xinmei and asked.

Xinmei nodded and praised Ning Xueyan secretly. In her mind, her
master was by no means ordinary, and the average noble young ladies
couldn’t match her in terms of the bearing and calmness.

Hearing Ning Xueyan asking her, she walked over and answered in a low
voice, “Miss, I stayed there and saw the maid come in, holding the
account books. There was nobody else in the room, and the maid left
after talking for a short while with the older female servant who was on
duty at the door. I immediately unpeeled the cover of the account book
and then stopped by the kitchen to bring your lunch here.”

“Where’s the cover?” Ning Xueyan asked.

“After I came back, I have burnt it with several booklets which had been
abandoned by you. Then I asked someone to clean the ashes and opened
the window to let the smoke out. Miss, you can’t smell the smoke now,
can you?” Xinmei said with a smile.

“That’s fine. Since all traces were covered up, even if Ning Qingshan
wanted to shift the responsibility to me, she can’t find any evidence,”
Ning Xueyan thought.

She stood up with a sneer on her lips. Ning Qingshan thought that Ning
Xueyan would fall into in the trap she had carefully laid out, but she
could get nothing except for taking the consequences. No matter what
happened, Ning Xueyan wouldn’t give up the power to manage the
manor before the end of the year.
Chapter 174 Block the Maid on
the Way to Buy Time
A maid in the blue padded jacket rushed toward Foggy Courtyard. As
she walked in a rush, she walked so fast that she nearly tripped over a
stone.

The maid took a sigh of relief when she found herself at the gate of
Foggy Courtyard. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with a
handkerchief and was going to walk into the courtyard.

“There are many guests in our manor today. You are walking in such a
hurry. What if you disturb the guests?” Lanning walked out from
nowhere and said crossly, staring at the maid.

Hearing that, the maid was taken aback. When she found that the person
in front of her was the first maid Lanning, she immediately argued for
herself, “Sister Lanning, Third Young Lady asked me to find Mammy
Luo and tell her to put the account books which Fifth Young Lady had
sent here at a safe place so that they won’t be stained.”

“Mammy Luo is at Foggy Courtyard?” Lanning asked, pretending to be

surprised. Mammy Luo was very active. She visited many people
yesterday and was still looking for others to chat this morning. It seemed
she was on good terms with everyone as soon as she returned to the
manor.

“It doesn’t matter if Mammy Luo isn’t at Foggy Courtyard. Third Young
Lady said she will ask other maids to find her.” The maid thought that
Lanning didn’t believe her, so she immediately explained.

Lanning knew that Ning Qingshan wanted the maid to inform Mammy
Luo to deal with the account books as soon as possible.

“Since those account books don’t have legs and they can’t run away, you
can find Mammy Luo later. Now go to the kitchen first. The kitchen staff
prepared a nutritious soup for Madam Dowager and the other old ladies.
Take it to them as soon as possible. If you keep them waiting too long,
Madam Dowager might be angry,” Lanning said with a nod. She was in
charge of the kitchen on behalf of Ning Xueyan, so she knew the last
dish, the nutritious soup, had not been served yet.

“I… now…” The maid was surprised. She looked at the road toward
Foggy Courtyard, and then the one to the kitchen, but didn’t know what
to do. Third Young Lady made a point telling her to run back so as not to
lose time.

“Why are you still standing here? Do you think that Third Young Lady is
even more important than Madam Dowager?” Lanning scowled when
she found that the maid was still hesitating.

“Yes, yes, I’ll go right now.” The maid knew that Madam Dowager was
much more powerful than Ning Qingshan, so she turned to leave without
any hesitation.

Lanning followed behind her triumphantly toward the kitchen.

Ning Xueyan had instructed her to block the way of the maid, because
she knew that the longer the account books were at Ning Qingshan’s
place, the more she couldn’t explain clearly if the stained page was
found.

Ning Qingshan was abstract-minded when she just went back to the
flower hall. She looked out from time to time and it was an hour before
she gradually calmed down. She knew Mammy Luo was capable, and if
there were anything unexpected happened, she would find a way to send
a message to her and ask her back.

Now it was a long time after she had arrived at the flower hall again, but
she hadn’t received any information from Mammy Luo yet. That meant
nothing big happened, so it was unnecessary to ask her back.

But Ning Qingshan was still confused. She had watched Xia’er stain the
account book, but how could it become clean so soon? Furthermore,
since the fishy flavor was so strong and the stained area was so big, how
could nothing left on that page. “Maybe Ning Xueyan changed the
account book,” she thought.
If that was the case, Ning Xueyan was really capable, because it was not
easy to copy a new account book in such a short time. But it was useless
to do so, as the new copied account book was different from the original
one in nature, and the writing ink color of different times would certainly
be different.

She didn’t believe that Ning Xueyan was able to make a new account
book looked as old as the original one in such a short time.

She had a hard time at Auspicious Fortune Hall just now, but she failed
to get the account book, so even though she was suspicious, she had no
chance to check it. However, because she had been closer with those
account books just now, she was sure that if there was any fishy flavor,
she should have smelled it, but she only smelled the fragrant smell there.

She hadn’t thought about it because she was anxious at that point. But
when she calmed down, she found it was a slip of Ning Xueyan.

How could an ordinary account book emanate a faint fragrance like this?
It could happen only when this account book was special or someone had
sprayed fragrant powder on it on purpose.

Thinking about this, she felt relieved. She could take advantage of this
flaw of Ning Xueyan to expose her. And she could even make things
even more serious by accusing her viciousness of setting up her sister!

After having cleared her mind, she gradually behaved naturally in the
flower hall. Mother Qin was very confused because she found that Ning
Qingshan had resumed her grace and calmness. She looked generous and
behaved quite differently from when she had been at Lucky Garden.

“If Third Young Lady was as calm as she is now when she was at Lucky
Garden, Madam Dowager wouldn’t have been so unhappy with her!”

“It seems Third Young Lady takes the account books very seriously,”
Thinking about this, Mother Qin fell to silence. Although she had
accepted benefits from Ning Qingshan, she understood that Madam
Dowager was her master, so she didn’t dare help Ning Qingshan too
much. Otherwise, Madam Dowager would be suspicious. Then she gave
up the idea of asking Ning Qingshan about the account books.
The coming-of-concubine ceremony of Junior Concubine Xu was held at
the gate of the Buddha Hall where Madam Ling was.

Junior Concubine Xu knelt down at the gate of the Buddha Hall. Mother
Chen walked out and took the tea cup from her hands and then brought it
into the Buddha Hall. After a short while, she supported up Junior
Concubine Xu on behalf of Madam Ling, smiling. She passed a golden
hair pin to Junior Concubine Xu and said, “First Madam asked you to
serve marquis whole-heartedly. You should never be arrogant and make
troubles because marquis loves you. Otherwise, even if marquis couldn’t
bear to punish you, Madam Dowager and First Madam wouldn’t show
mercy.”

Although she didn’t speak loudly, her attitude was aggressive. Besides,
she had even taken advantage of Madam Dowager to suppress Junior
Concubine Xu.

She spoke these on such an occasion was like slapping Junior Concubine
Xu in front so many people, because it sounded like that Junior
Concubine Xu was a troublemaker. Plus what had happened in the manor
before, everyone couldn’t help imagining wildly.

Junior Concubine Xu was very embarrassed. She kowtowed twice to the

Buddha Hall wrongfully with tears in her eyes, and then was supported
up and left. Now the principle wife had drunk the tea served by the
concubine. Although Madam Ling didn’t show up, she had given a hair
pin to Junior Concubine Xu in the presence of many people. That meant
she had already officially admitted her as the concubine of Ning Zu’an.

After lunch, the guests waved good-bye and left in small groups. Since it
was only a concubine’s wedding ceremony, and the guests came for the
sake of Ning Zu’an, they knew they shouldn’t stay here too long, and left
successively.

The female guests left as well following their family members, so the
flower hall began to be quiet gradually. After seeing off the last guest,
Ning Qingshan felt relax. She breathed a long sigh of relief. Even though
she was sociable, she was a little tired after accompanying the guest for
such a long time.
However, at the thought of all the praise she had received from the
female guests, she felt that it was all worth it!

If nothing unexpected had happened at Lucky Garden just now, it would

be a perfect show in public for her on the first banquet after she had left
three years. However, everything was ruined by Ning Xueyan! At the
thought of Ning Xueyan, a coldness appeared on her face. She wouldn’t
let go of Ning Xueyan!

“Mother Qin, can I go to Grandmother’s place after a while? I want to

check the account books first and then take them to Lucky Garden. What
do you think?” Ning Qingshan said politely and softly with a smile.

She was mentioning the account books again! Mother Qin frowned
unconsciously. She wanted to say something, but finally held back the
words. She nodded with a smile. No matter how Madam Dowager liked
Third Young Lady, she was not related to the family by blood. Madam
Dowager cared about this very much. If she were Madam Dowager’s
granddaughter by blood that Madam Dowager liked very much, Madam
Dowager wouldn’t have agreed to let her stay at the nunnery for three
years.

“Yes. I’ll go back and report to Madam Dowager right now. Third Young
Lady, you don’t have to check the account book in a hurry. You were
busy with greeting guests today, so you should have a good rest first. I’m
sure that Fifth Young Lady will understand that,” Mother Qin persuaded
implicitly, hinting that Ning Qingshan should not be in a hurry to bring
up the account books.

What Ning Qingshan had done today had already aroused the suspicion
of Madam Dowager!

However, Ning Qingshan was eager to defeat Ning Xueyan as soon as

possible, so she didn’t catch Mother Qin’s hint. Furthermore, she didn’t
take her words seriously. Why did she need to care about whether Ning
Xueyan understood or not? What if she didn’t understand?

“Thank you, Mother Qin! Then I’ll come to visit grandmother later.”

She would step Ning Xueyan under her feet today by this opportunity. If
Madam Dowager knew that the account book was a copy, Ning Xueyan
wouldn’t be able to defend herself.

After saying good-bye to Mother Qin, she took two young maids with
her and went back to Foggy Courtyard. She walked very fast. At the
thought of more than one flaw in the new copied account book, she
couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

When she arrived at an intersection, she suddenly saw Mammy Luo

coming diagonally across from her. She stopped and surprisingly looked
at Mammy Luo and in the direction Mammy Luo coming. That wasn’t
the direction toward Foggy Courtyard at all!

“Miss, you’re back! Did all the ladies and girls leave?” Mammy Luo
asked. She had just come out from Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. She
was very busy all the time today and got a lot of news. During her three
years in the nunnery, Ning Qingshan had kept an eye on what had
happened in the Lord Protector’s Manor, but there were still some details
she didn’t know.

“Mammy Luo, you…” Smile faded away from Ning Qingshan’s face.

“I walked around in the manor just now and encounter some old friends.
It has been three years since I saw them last time, so we had a lot to talk,
and I have just finished talking with them,” Mammy Luo said with a
smile.

“You were not at Foggy Courtyard and you didn’t see the ‘account
books’?” The last words were almost squeezed out of her teeth, and her
face turned pale when she spoke.

“Account books?” Mammy Luo didn’t understand. She froze there for a
few seconds and looked at Ning Qingshan. Suddenly, she seemed to have
thought of something and her look became serious.

“Fifth Sister asked someone to send several clean account books to our
courtyard. Didn’t you see them?” Ning Qingshan had a bad feeling, and
after asking this, she stopped talking and turned to Foggy Courtyard. She
had asked a maid to inform Mammy Luo, but since Mammy Luo hadn’t
even been back to Foggy Courtyard by now, it meant the maid didn’t
find her just now. In other words, those account books had been in Foggy
Courtyard all the time after they were sent there.
Mammy Luo also felt something wrong. She rushed into the courtyard
following behind Ning Qingshan. When they entered the room, they saw
the account books piling on the table in order. They looked at each other
and their heart sank. Gritting her teeth, Ning Qingshan walked forward
and picked up an account book.

At the first glace of the bottom cover of this account book, she felt dizzy
and she was nearly breathless. She swayed a few times and almost fell to
the floor.
Chapter 175 There’s No Braised
Fish in the Kitchen Today
“Young Lady, how can this, this account book be here?” Mammy Luo
said, pointing at the account book with fishy flavor. She was so shocked
that she could hardly speak.

Madam Dowager had asked her maid to take the account books to Ning
Xueyan. However, she had been knocked by another maid on her way
and she twisted her ankle. The maid who had knocked her agreed to help
her to take the account books to Ning Xueyan. Thus the account books
fell into the hands of Mammy Luo without being noticed. She asked
Xia’er to bring the braised fish in brown sauce from the kitchen and then
poured the juice onto one of the account books and carefully made the
juice permeate the bottom cover little by little.

Then she piled the five account books. Because she did it very carefully,
nobody could find anything abnormal from appearance. Unless these
account books were taken down one by one, or the others couldn’t find
the stained one. Besides, the maid who had sent the account books to
Ning Xueyan came from Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, so even if Ning
Xueyan had found the maid, no one would think that Foggy Courtyard
had something to do with this matter.

But they were sure that the account books had been sent to Bright Frost
Garden, and Mammy Luo had been out this morning because she thought
everything had been settled.

“Young Lady, what’s wrong? Why was this account sent here again?”
Mammy Luo asked anxiously.

Ning Qingshan wasn’t stupid, so she knew she had fallen for Ning
Xueyan’s trick. She stared at the account book and looked ferocious. She
gritted her teeth and said, “Mammy, I underestimated Ning Xueyan. I
didn’t expect that she was so sly!”
She was so careless. She thought even if Ning Xueyan were more
capable than before, she wouldn’t be a match for her. But now she had
been framed by Ning Xueyan! Ning Qingshan was both regret and angry,
her eyes full of hatred.

“Young Lady, what shall we do next?” Mammy Luo took the account
books from Ning Qingshan and looked at it carefully. Nobody would
find the stained page if she took it out.

“Go and ask the kitchen staff if they still have the braised fish juice,”
Ning Qingshan tried to calm herself down and ordered, managing to hold
back her anger.

“Miss, there is no braised fish in the kitchen today. I met an older female
servant whose surname is Li when I came over here, and she told me that
Fifth Young Lady told the kitchen staff not to cook braised fish today.”
Mammy Luo suddenly recalled what the old female servant had told her,
and her forehead immediately sweated.

She hadn’t paid any attention to those words when they were talking.
Since the stained account book had been sent to Bright Frost Garden, the
overall situation wouldn’t be changed even without the braised fish.
Anyway, the account book was stained after it had been sent to Fifth
Young Lady’s place.

Mammy Luo had already gotten yesterday’s dish list from the kitchen
staff the night before, so she asked the people from the kitchen to prepare
a braised fish. She then poured the juice onto the cover of the account
book. She had thought that the braised fish would also be served today,
so nobody could tell whether the juice was from today or yesterday.

Fifth Young Lady was in charge of the kitchen this time. Even she hadn’t
been there to check the preparation of dishes, her maids would have been
there on behalf of her. So it was normal for them to stain the account
book. So Fifth Young Lady couldn’t deny it.

But now the account books were already in Foggy Courtyard. How could
Ning Qingshan explain the stained page clearly?

Since Ning Qingshan had been busy greeting guests at the flower hall all
the time today, if her people had made some mistakes, she would only be
accused of inadequate supervision. So it seemed she could shift the
responsibility to any of her servants.

However, how to explain the braised fish juice?

Only Xia’er, Mammy Luo and Ning Qingshan knew the details about
pouring the braised fish juice onto the account book. Moreover, such
kind of things could only be done secretly, so of course the fewer people
knew about it, the better. Mammy Luo and Xia’er were the henchmen of
Ning Qingshan, and they had been at the nunnery with her for three
years. They were obedient, so they were easy to control.

Now Ning Qingshan had to choose a person between the two to take
responsibility for her. She didn’t want to lose any of them.

But it was useless to worry. She had to pass the buck to one of them.

“Which one should I choose?” Ning Qingshan looked at Mammy Luo

with a dark face, a coldness flashing in her eyes. She made the decision
quickly, “Mammy, tell Xia’er to carry the can. She can explain that she
saw the braised fish yesterday and she spilled the juice onto the cover of
the account book by accident when she tasted the juice. I know I’m sorry
for her. After this matter is settled, I’ll find a way to save her younger
sister from that kind of place and reunite them.”

After weighing the pros and cons, Ning Qingshan decided to sacrifice
Xia’er who was reckless. Besides, Mammy Luo was just back, but Xia’er
had already returned for quite a while. Because her forehead was injured,
she had been sent back to rest in her room.

Ning Qingshan knew that this kind of thing, the earlier they were found,
the less they would implicate her.

After all she had just returned to Foggy Courtyard. Ning Qingshan was
now anxious to disassociate herself from the affair, so she asked Mammy
Luo to bring Xia’er to Lucky Garden immediately, and she herself took
the account book and walked toward Lucky Garden in a hurry.

Lucky Garden was filled with laughter, and many people were there in
the room. Junior Concubine Xu was bowing to Madam Dowager and
both Ning Zu’an and Ning Xueyan were present. Madam Dowager
seemed to be in a good mood. She gave a set of jewelry to Junior
Concubine Xu, and Junior Concubine Xu was so happy that she kept on
flattering Madam Dowager. Obviously, Madam Dowager enjoyed her
flattery very much and she laughed loudly.

When she was told that Ning Qingshan arrived, Madam Dowager looked
at Mother Qin and gestured the maid to ask Ning Qingshan in.

Ning Qingshan knew that it was not the right time to talk about the
account book when she found there were so many people in the room.
But she didn’t dare to delay. Because she was clear that the longer it
took, the worse it would be for her. She didn’t worry that much that
Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an would fly into a rage because she
interrupted Madam Dowager’s enjoyment of family life.

Since Xia’er was the scapegoat, even if Madam Dowager were angry and
ordered someone to beat Xia’er to death with sticks, it had nothing to do
with her.

“Grandmother, I made a mistake. Please punish me!” Ning Qingshan

knelt down in front of Madam Dowager, looked so sad. Junior
Concubine Xu was shocked. She moved closer to Ning Zu’an and didn’t
dare to say anything more.

Madam Dowager’s face darkened and she asked unhappily, “What’s the
matter?”

The laughter disappeared suddenly and the room was eerily quiet.
Everyone looked at Ning Qingshan and wanted to know what had
happened.

“Grandmother, when I came back to my courtyard just now, I found my

maid had spilled the braised fish juice onto the account book and stained
it by accident when she was eating the fish. Grandmother, please punish
me.” Ning Qingshan’s eyes turned red. She took the account books from
the maid behind her and took down the one on the top. Everyone
immediately saw the stained cover and a strong fishy flavor could be
smelled in the air.

“How could that happen?” Madam Dowager asked, pointing at the

account book. Seeing that the account book had been stained like this,
she couldn’t hold back her anger anymore.

“Grandmother, I should be blamed. Because I didn’t discipline my maid,

she stained the account book. Please punish me.” Tears immediately
streamed down Ning Qingshan’s face. She didn’t shift the responsibility
to others, and she kept on saying that she should be blamed and asking
Madam Dowager to punish her. It made people think that she was sincere
in taking responsibility.

Ning Xueyan couldn’t help but praise her inwardly. She was reasonable
and seemed to have taken all the responsibility on herself, so it was hard
for the others not to be moved.

“Mother, Shan’er has been greeting the guests in the flower hall, so she
shouldn’t be blamed for this.” As Ning Xueyan expected, Ning Zu’an
stood out to speak for Ning Qingshan.

It sounded reasonable. Ning Qingshan had been busy all the time today.
Mother Qin had just been back, so Ning Qingshan should have just
returned to Foggy Courtyard as well. Madam Dowager thought Ning
Qingshan must have found the account book had been stained by her
maid the moment she arrived at Foggy Courtyard, so she rushed here to
report to her. Since she didn’t shift all the responsibility to her maid, she
could be taken as a nice master.

Madam Dowager’s face softened a little. She couldn’t punish Ning

Qingshan for the sake of Ning Zu’an. What was more, Ning Qingshan
was very close to Third Prince.

“Fine. Support Third Young Lady up. Tell me who stained the account
book.”

After being held up, Ning Qingshan answered hesitatingly, “It’s… a

maid of my courtyard. It’s…” Her voice trailed off until she could hardly
be heard. She looked at Madam Dowager pitifully and pleaded,
“Grandmother, could you please forgive her? She didn’t mean to do this.
She just knocked over the bowl by accident.”

“By now, you’re still protecting your maid. I know why the servants of
your courtyard are all unruly. Third Young Lady, you’re at the manor, not
the nunnery now. It doesn’t matter if you treat them like this at the
nunnery, but you can’t do the same way at the manor. And you should
know that the rules at the manor of the prince were even stricter!”
Madam Dowager knocked the ground hard with her walking stick and
said angrily. It seemed she was very disappointed with Ning Qingshan.

If not because Ning Qingshan was extremely intimate with Third Prince
before, Madam Dowager would get even angrier with her.

While they were talking, Ning Xueyan saw Mammy Luo accompany
Xia’er, who was wrapped in gauge, to kneel down outside the door.
Xia’er was moved when she heard that Ning Qingshan was scolded by
Madam Dowager inside. Ning Qingshan was really smart. She made
Xia’er be her scapegoat, but Xia’er had no complaints and was grateful.

“It’s, it’s Xia’er.” Seeing that Madam Dowager was so angry, Ning
Qingshan didn’t dare hide the maid’s name anymore. She then ratted out
Xia’er.

“Servants, bring that maid here!” Madam Dowager went into a rage
when she heard it was the unruly maid again who had stained the
account book. She had been embarrassed in front of those old ladies
today because the same maid called herself ‘I’ in front of her masters.

“Madam Dowager, maid Xia’er is here. Please punish me!” Xia’er

shouted emotionally outside. When people in the room looked out
through the curtain, they found that Xia’er had already knelt down
outside.

“Grandmother, please forgive Xia’er. She has led a poor life with me at
the nunnery in the three years, so she is greedy about food.” Ning
Qingshan pleaded.

“People who cultivate at the nunnery should be ascetic, but why did she
even steal the overnight fish juice after staying at the nunnery for several
years?” Qingyu whispered to Lanning in confusion behind Ning Xueyan.
Although her voice was low, Madam Dowager, who was sitting beside
Ning Xueyan heard every word clearly.

She became even angrier.

If the rumors were spread out, what would the others think of the Lord
Protector’s Manor? Even a maid couldn’t bear the poor life of the
nunnery, how could a pampered Young Lady have endured this life for
three years? The outsiders might think that the manor had arranged
someone to send food to Ning Qingshan secretly, so she had been to the
nunnery to fish for fame and credit, instead of sincerely praying for her
elders. Some people might even think that they had been fooled by the
Lord Protector’s Manor.

Even the imperial family knew that Ning Qingshan enjoyed a good
reputation, so if the censor-in-chief heard about the rumors, he would
report it to the emperor. Then the Lord Protector’s Manor would be
suspected of deceiving the emperor and the whole family might face a
disaster.

“Servants, take the stupid maid outside and hit her hard fifty times with
thick sticks!” Madam Dowager knocked on the floor forcefully with her
walking stick and ordered viciously.

Madam Dowager was really annoyed. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have

ordered the servants to beat Xia’er with thick sticks, not thinner ones.
Xia’er would be killed!

In the room, Ning Qingshan’s face turned ashen, then pale, but she dared
not say anything.

Outside, Xia’er was paralyzed with fear. Although she had been bold,
she couldn’t help trembling when she heard the order of Madam
Dowager. She looked through the curtain in the direction where Ning
Qingshan was with imploring eyes.
Chapter 176 Being Kind to Your
Enemy Is Often the Wrong
Beginning
Xia’er was dragged outside the courtyard and to prevent her from
screaming, her mouth was plugged with a piece of cloth. Ning Zu’an
ordered the guards to execute the punishment. The servants knelt on the
ground in the courtyard, lowering their heads. None of them dared even
breathe heavily. Soon, the sound of sticks hitting people and muffled
grunting came from outside the courtyard.

The air seemed to be filled with a faint bloody smell. Mammy Luo knelt
on the ground with other servants with a pale face. She was scared and
she had never expected that Madam Dowager would have ordered people
to beat Xia’er to death. How could she be so cold-blooded to kill a
person just because she had stained an account book!

The air was suffocating in the room as well. Junior Concubine Xu was so
scared that she covered her mouth with her hand, shivering behind Ning
Zu’an. She had forgotten that today was her big day. She had been very
happy when she took the jewelry from Madam Dowager just now. No
matter how First Madam protested, she had become the concubine
finally, and obviously, she won the battle with First Madam this time.

If she would have a son with Ning Zu’an in the future, she might have
the opportunity to compete with First Madam.

But now, she had changed her mind. Looking at the dark face of Madam
Dowager and the knife-sharp eyes of Ning Zu’an, she realized that her
fate was still in their hands. They could decide her life and death. The
idea that she might replace Madam Ling and become First Madam was
completely dismissed by her now.

The repressed stuffy groans from outside, intermittent, represented the

passage of life!
Ning Qingshan’s face was as pale as a sheet and she couldn’t stay calm
anymore. She pinched the handkerchief, her fingers trembling. The
person who was being hit was her personal maid, Xia’er, who wasn’t
strong at all, so it was impossible for her to withstand the fifty times
beating. She had just returned to the manor. If her personal maid was
beaten to death like this, what the others would think of her?

She also felt the authority of Madam Dowager, so in addition to shame,

she was frightened as well.

But at the same time, this accident strengthened her determination. One
day, she would climb to the top of power and decide the life and death of
others.

Then Madam Dowager, Madam Ling, Ning Zu’an and Ning Xueyan
would all be stepped under her feet. But she needed to wait. She would
definitely be more cautious in the future and would never be as reckless
as she was today. If she hadn’t been so hasty, things could be different.
She thought that after three years of forbearance, she had gotten
everything under her control. However, she had never expected that Ning
Xueyan would have gotten in her way.

Ning Xueyan held up the tea cup speechlessly. She took a sip of tea
gracefully, allowing the bitterness to refresh her heart. She looked down,
and her jet-black eyes were cold and clear, without a trace of fear in
them.

She wouldn’t feel that Xia’er was pitiful. The weak was the prey of the
strong. If Ning Qingshan’s plan succeeded today, Ning Xueyan would be
the one who got involved in trouble, and maybe her maid would be killed
miserably.

She had failed to protect her maid in her last life, and she herself even
had been murdered.

When it came to this life, she wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
Therefore, she was fearless and would never retreat!

Lanning stood behind her and quietly watching Ning Xueyan’s delicate
figure. She was so thin, but she made people feel strong. Among the
nervous people in the room, Ning Xueyan looked so calm, strangely
calm. It seemed she wasn’t been disturbed at all. Her long eyelashes cast
a light shadow on her fair face, and no fear could be found in her eyes.

Lanning had never witnessed a servant being hit like that before. But she
didn’t feel nervous when she looked at the delicate and slim figure in
front of her.

Yes, her mind was in peace. She had never been so calm before.

She knew that danger had been close to her today. If the others found the
stained account book at Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan would have
been blamed. As her personal maids, she and Qingyu would have been
punished too. If that was the case, the one who was being beaten outside
might not be Xia’er, but her and Qingyu. So it was a fight to death!

Since Ning Qingshan began to frame Ning Xueyan, Bright Frost Garden
and Foggy Courtyard were hostile! So she didn’t need to show even the
slightest sympathy to Xia’er, who was being punished outside.

Sensing that Lanning’s breath calmed down, a faint smile crossed Ning
Xueyan’s eyes.

Lanning had always been a cautious person, but it was not enough. She
must be absolutely loyal to her and obey her orders unconditionally.
Moreover, she must be cruel. Ning Xueyan had always appreciated
Lanning, but she was afraid that Lanning was too kind just like she had
used to be in her last life.

Being kind to your enemy was often the wrong beginning.

Lanning was smart, so Ning Xueyan believed that she would understand
the truth.

Xia’er failed to last until she was hit fifty times. She had no breath when
she had been hit forty times. An older female servant came in to report,
shivering. Obviously, she was extremely scared, and her voice changed
with fear.

“Take her out!” Madam Dowager raised her head and said slowly,
glancing at everyone present.
“Yes!” The older female servant dared not to say anything more. She
wanted to stand up and leave, but she was so frightened that her legs
went limp, so she couldn’t rise to her feet.

“Lanning, help her up,” Ning Xueyan ordered calmly. Her face was still
pale, but it was because she was weak, not because she was scared. She
showed no fear at all.

“Yes,” Lanning answered and then walked toward the older female
servant. She supported her up, her face as calm as it used to be.

Madam Dowager nodded secretly. Ning Qingshan was pretending to be

calm, while Ning Xueyan was really calm. Even her personal maid
looked calm and at ease, showing the air of an excellent first maid. It was
quite different from that of the unruly maid of Ning Qingshan.

“Qingshan, it wasn’t a big deal that you had only one maid to serve you
when you have been at the nunnery in the last three years. But now
things are different. You have returned to the manor, so you must have
several first maids,” Madam Dowager said. Then she turned to Mother
Qin and said, “Transfer two second-class maids from my courtyard to
Third Young Lady’s Foggy Courtyard. Increase two maids for her
temporarily. If it’s not enough, let me know.”

“Yes. I’ll arrange it right now,” Mother Qin answered and then walked
out of the room, lowering her head. She blinked at Ning Qingshan before
leaving.

Ning Qingshan immediately understood what Mother Qin was hinting.

She walked over and said with a smile, “Grandmother, how can I ask the
maids from you. Don’t bother. I can choose two maids in the manor by
myself.” Ning Qingshan looked more natural than she was just now. She
was gentle when she spoke and she didn’t seem to have been annoyed by
what had happened just now.

Her personal first maid had been beaten to death just now. Did she really
not mind?

She knew that Madam Dowager wouldn’t give her two maids merely to
serve her. Ning Qingshan was ambitious and greedy, so she wouldn’t be
willing to let Madam Dowager arrange her people to watch her.
“Qingshan, you have just come back from the nunnery, so I won’t feel
assured if you don’t have any good maids to serve you. You have left the
manor for three years, so there are some rules you might have forgotten.
You must learn them again. Otherwise, the outsiders will laugh at you,”
Madam Dowager said meaningfully. She looked at Ning Qingshan, not
as amiable as she used to be.

This was extremely harsh.

“Got it. Thank you, Grandmother!” Ning Qingshan was sensible, so she
walked to aside. A coldness flashed in her eyes when she glanced at
Ning Xueyan beside her. She would never forget that all the humiliation
she had suffered today was because of Ning Xueyan.

“Fifth Young Lady, this account book was stained. Ask someone to buy a
new and blank one, and copy the stained one. After making sure that
there was no error, ask Mother Qin to check again,” Madam Dowager
said, frowning. She was tired, and she waved her hand to Ning Xueyan.

“Yes, Grandmother. I’ll do it right now.” Ning Xueyan nodded. Then she
asked Lanning to wrap the account book with a piece of cloth. The fishy
smell was too strong, and nobody could stand it if the account book
wasn’t wrapped.

After waving good-bye to Madam Dowager, Ning Xueyan took Lanning

out the room.

At the same time, the rumors that Third Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor was ambitious and wanted to fight for the
administration power the second day she had just returned to the manor
were spread out secretly.

Ning Huaiyuan and Xia Yuhang were drinking wine at the backyard of
Xia Manor.

Ning Huaiyuan didn’t want to attend the wedding ceremony of Ning

Zu’an and Junior Concubine Xu, so he had found an excuse and came to
Xia Manor. He took the opportunity to visit Ning Ziyan. Then he stayed
at Xia Manor to have lunch with Xia Yuhang. They didn’t ask any people
to serve them, but poured the wine by themselves after finding a pavilion
and heating the oven. Since only the two of them present, they were
relaxed and free.

“Yuhang, can you tell me something about your new concubine?” Ning
Huaiyuan raised his head and said crossly. Ning Ziyan had told Ning
Huaiyuan that Xia Yuhang had married a concubine. She also said if not
because of that woman, she wouldn’t have lost her baby.

“She is just a concubine,” Xia Yuhang drank up the wine in the cup and
answered with a faint smile.

“It’s not a big deal that you married a concubine, but Ziyan miscarried
because of her! That was also your baby. Don’t you feel sad?” Ning
Huaiyuan said angrily. Seeing that Xia Yuhang was so cold, he slammed
the wine cup onto the table.

“My baby?” A strange smile appeared on Xia Yuhang’s lips. Maybe the
baby shouldn’t come to this world. When he heard the news that Ning
Ziyan miscarried, he wasn’t that sad as he had imagined.

If it was a boy, he would be his first son. But so what?

If Ning Ziyan had never carried this baby, things might be different.

Xia Yuhang let out a long sigh and hid the bitterness in his eyes. When
he raised his head again, he regained his gentleness and calmness. He
explained, “Huaiyuan, I’m not lying. She is only a concubine. It was
sensational and you know what happened between Chen Hexiang and me
as well. I ran into her outside and she was pathetic, so I took her in. I was
afraid that she might know it, so I… But since she has become my
woman, I should marry her.”

Xia Yuhang said with a smile, as if he were talking about the story of
other people. Except for a pause in his last words, he remained calm.

Although he had omitted some words, Ning Huaiyuan knew what he

meant. He held the cup firmly with a complex look.

Of course he knew why Xia Yuhang had married Ning Ziyan. He hadn’t
seen much of Ning Ziying, who had stayed at her place quietly ever since
she had come to the manor. He only heard that she was a gentle girl. If
Xia Yuhang had already had an affair with Chen Hexiang when Ning
Ziying was still his fiancée, it seemed he hadn’t done anything wrong to
Ning Ziyan.

He even felt that Ning Ziyan had overreacted.

After all, it was Ning Ziying who had an engagement with Xia Yuhang,
not Ning Ziyan at that point! Even if Xia Yuhang had done something
wrong, he should say sorry to Ning Ziying. Ning Ziyan had nothing to do
with it at all.

“Anyway, Ziyan miscarried because of that woman. This kind of woman

is by no means good. Don’t let her bully Ziyan.” Ning Huaiyuan knew it
was improper to put it straightforward, so he had to hint Xia Yuhang.

“Got it. I’ll keep an eye on it. Let’s talk about you now. How did it feel
to be back in the mansion?” Xia Yuhang smiled and shifted the topic.

“Yuhang, did you see my fifth sister? She is quite different from what
she used to be!” Ning Huaiyuan suddenly thought of the girl under the
plum tree, and he blurted.
Chapter 177 What You had
Imagined and Reality were not
the Same
“What’s the difference? Maybe she is more mature because her mother
died.” Xia Yuhang smiled unnaturally, a subtle look of complexity
crossing his eyes.

“Another day, I saw her outside Cloud Reflection Courtyard. She was
standing beside a tree and looking at Cloud Reflection Courtyard in a
trance,” Ning Huaiyuan said. He poured a glass of wine for Xia Yuhang,
and then for himself.

Cloud Reflection Courtyard? Xia Yuhang’s heart beat fast. He grasped

the wine glass more firmly, as if he wanted to hold something in his
hand.

“Does Ning Xueyan really know what happened between Ning Ziying
and me?” he wondered. Ning Xueyan had been at the gate of Cloud
Reflection Courtyard when he saw her last time. Now Ning Huaiyuan
told him that he had seen Ning Xueyan near Cloud Reflection Courtyard.
He also recalled what Madam Ling had said. Thinking about these, Xia
Yuhang couldn’t help but feel something wrong.

“Maybe she likes that place,” Xia Yuhang answered with a smile, hiding
the suspicion in his eyes.

“Maybe!” A cold and thoughtful look appeared in Ning Huaiyuan’s eyes.

He had secretly visited Madam Ling last night. Madam Ling gritted her
teeth when she talked about Ning Xueyan. She told him that if not
because of Ning Xueyan, she wouldn’t have been locked up in the
Buddha Hall and Ning Yuling wouldn’t have been sent away. She asked
him to find a way and get rid of that b*tch.
It seemed they couldn’t continue the topic about Ning Xueyan anymore,
so they chatted at random. While they were talking, a young male
servant of Ning Huaiyuan ran in.

“Eldest Young Master, Madam Dowager was extremely angry and she
had Third Young Lady’s personal maid beaten to death!”

“When did that happen?” Ning Huaiyuan stood up and asked in surprise.
He was shocked not because a maid had been beaten to death, but
because he wondered why Madam Dowager had lost her temper like
that.

“I don’t know. It’s said Third Young Lady wanted to take the power of
administrating the manor… so her personal maid was jealous of Fifth
Young Lady helping Madam Dowager with the internal affairs… and she
deliberately stained the account book Fifth Young Lady was going to
check.” The young male servant wasn’t quite clear about this matter, so
he faltered and described what he had heard briefly.

“Yuhang, I have to leave now.” Hearing what happened in his manor,

Ning Huaiyuan couldn’t stay calm any longer. He then said good-bye to
Xia Yuhang.

Xia Yuhang nodded and didn’t ask him to stay longer. He then saw him
off at the gate.

“Arrange someone to investigate the background of Fifth Young Lady of

the Lord Protector’s Manor. I want the detailed information about her,”
Xia Yuhang ordered his servant on his way back to his manor after Ning
Huaiyuan had left. He couldn’t help but think of the jet-black eyes. They
looked familiar, but the coldness in them was totally strange to him.

Her action of touching the tea cup looked so familiar.

Did he really see this girl the first time?

“Got it,” the young male servant answered and ran away.

After returning to Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan asked Mother Han
to buy a new account book cover. She then began to tear off the stained
cover with Lanning and Qingyu. Ning Xueyan had sprayed some
fragrant powder on the new cover she had made, so the fishy smell was
covered by the smell of the fragrant powder.

But the fragrant powder had a characteristic that it would disappear after
an hour. Now her two maids had to cover their noses while tearing off
the cover due to the strong fishy smell.

“Miss, Third Young Lady wanted to frame you, but she had to eat her
own bitter fruit now. I think she won’t dare set up others again,” Qingyu
squatted on the floor and said with a smile while tearing off the cover.

“I don’t think so!” Ning Xueyan answered with a smile.

“She had lost her personal maid. How dare she do this again?” Qingyu
said in surprise.

Ning Xueyan smiled, but didn’t say anything.

“Why didn’t she dare to do this again? Third Young Lady has endured
the poor life at the nunnery for three years. Now is the right time for her
to shine. She will dare do anything to reach her goal. Xia’er used to be a
smart girl. I wonder why she became so stupid after becoming Third
Young Lady’s personal maid. Since she was so pushy, it was no wonder
that she got into trouble,” Lanning said.

She had been acquainted with Xia’er for a long time, and they used to
serve Madam Dowager at Lucky Garden together. But later, Xia’er went
to the nunnery with Ning Qingshan, and Lanning became Ning Ziying’s
personal maid. She had never expected that Xia’er was abandoned by
Ning Qingshan and died miserably just after she returned to the manor
after leaving for three years.

“Madam Dowager was really cold-blooded. Staining an account book

isn’t a big deal at all,” Qingyu said disapprovingly.

Now the cover had been completely torn off. Although the pages inside
were not stained, the fishy smell was still very strong. It had lasted for
one day, and the smell made them uncomfortable.

“It’s not just a matter of an account book,” Ning Xueyan explained with
a faint smile, a touch of sarcasm on her lips. “Ning Qingshan cared about
the account book so much, and it aroused Madam Dowager’s suspicion.
This manor belongs to the Nings. No matter how popular Ning Qingshan
is, she is just an adopted daughter,” she continued.

Ning Qingshan was in the game, but she didn’t know what Madam
Dowager was thinking. If Madam Dowager meant to let her manage the
manor, she wouldn’t have easily agreed with Ning Qingshan’s going to
the nunnery when Ning Qingshan had requested. Before she left for the
nunnery, Ning Qingshan was helping Madam Ling in managing the
manor.

Three year had passed, but Madam Dowager’s mind didn’t change. So
obviously, she had never planned to take the power to Ning Qingshan.

Ning Qingshan should bear most of the responsibility for Xia’er’s death.
If she hadn’t mentioned the account books again and again at Auspicious
Fortune Hall, showing her caring about it, Madam Dowager wouldn’t
have been so angry. If she was smart, she would have refused when Ning
Xueyan proposed her to check the account books.

Since Ning Qingshan was ambitious, she slipped into the trap without
knowing it.

Hearing Ning Xueyan’s analysis, Qingyu nodded. She seemed had

vaguely understood the whole story.

Since the cover had been torn off, they put the account book near the
window to speed up the spreading of the fishy smell. Lanning and
Qingyu went out to wash hands, while Ning Xueyan picked up a book at
random. She sat under the window and was about to read the book when
Lanning suddenly came in. “Miss, Mother Wang asked if you were free
now. She wanted you to her room and she had something to tell you.”

“Well, I’m going now.” Ning Xueyan put down the book on the table and
stood up.

Now she hadn’t gotten the new account book yet, so she wanted to talk
with Mother Wang as well.

She pushed open the door and entered the room. Lanning hesitated for a
short moment before following her in. She then closed the door from
inside. At Bright Frost Garden, only Ning Xueyan and her personal
maids knew about the real status of Mother Wang. And Lanning and
Qingyu would send food and daily supplies to Mother Wang in person.

Mother Wang leaned against the head of the bed with something in her
hand and looked emotional, quite different from her usual calm
appearance. When she saw Ning Xueyan coming in, she put down the
item in her hand and immediately shifted her gaze to Ning Xueyan. She
examined Ning Xueyan’s face carefully, as if she wanted to find
something out.

“Mother Wang, what did you want with me?” Ning Xueyan asked with a
slight smile. She sat on the chair beside the bed and looked at Mother
Wang with her clear eyes.

“Miss. Fifth Young Lady.” Mother Wang’s hands shivered slightly on the
quilt. She was still staring at Ning Xueyan. Excitement, sadness, doubt,
all mixed together and made her suddenly unable to speak. She paused
for a while.

“Mother Wang, are you going to ask me why I knew the method to make
that kind of fragrant powder?” Ning Xueyan reminded Mother Wang,
smiling. She hadn’t used the method which Aunt Xiang had taught her to
make the fragrant powder today, but used the method Ning Ziying had
known.

When Ning Ziying was learning the method, Mother Wang had been by
her side.

“Fifth Young Lady, who taught you the method to make the fragrant
powder?” Mother Wang asked with difficulty. She took a deep breath to
calm herself down. She looked at Ning Xueyan anxiously, hoping to hear
the answer she wanted.

“Mother Wang, what are you still expecting? Sister Ziying is dead. She
has left us for a long time!” Ning Xueyan answered cruelly, without
mercy, but she still looked calm.

Mother Wang’s pupils suddenly dilated. She looked painful and her eyes
turned red. “But, but why could you make the fragrant powder with the
method that my young master knew? How did you know that I could
make the cover of account books?”

Lanning who was standing behind Ning Xueyan was confused as well,
and her intuition told her that Ning Xueyan was hiding something from
them.

Ning Xueyan hadn’t hidden from Mother Wang when she sprayed the
fragrant powder on the account book. She had done this in front of
Mother Wang in her room.

It was Mother Wang who had made the cover that had been stuck onto
the bottom of the account book. Mother Wang was good at handwork,
and she had made all the covers of the account books Ning Ziying used.
The covers she made were thinner and firmer than the average, so
Madam Dowager and Ning Qingshan hadn’t found anything abnormal
today.

Because the new cover was thin enough and had been perfectly stuck
onto the account book, nobody had found any flaws.

Mother Wang had only shown this technique when she was in Ning
Ziying’s hometown, so even Lanning had no idea about this. The
moment Ning Xueyan came to her with a stained account book in her
hands, what she had said was, “Mother Wang, please help me to make a
cover of account book.”

She even hadn’t asked Mother Wang whether she knew how to make an
account book cover!

Because Ning Xueyan needed it in urgent, Mother Wang hadn’t thought

that much at the moment. However, after Ning Xueyan had left, she felt
something wrong. She thought it over, and became more confused. A
bold hypothesis had come to her. “Maybe my young master is still alive.”
Thinking about this, she couldn’t stay calm anymore.

“Mother Wang, do you believe that someone will tell you something in
your dream?” Ning Xueyan asked with a smile when she saw that
Mother Wang looking at her doubtfully. She couldn’t tell them the truth,
but she could explain to them by saying that she knew many secrets
about Ning Ziying because the latter had told her in her dream. No
matter whether the others believe her or not, at least she should make it
sound reasonable.

“Tell you something in your dream?” Mother Wang murmured, looking

at Ning Xueyan in surprise.

“Since Sister Ziying passed away, I have dreamed of her many times.
She told me many things about herself, including the happy time she had
been with you and Xiang’er when she was in regions south of the
Yangtze River, the engagement between Xia Yuhang and her, and…”
Ning Xueyan paused for a while before continuing. “In fact, I’m not sure
whether what she told me in my dream is true or not. Nobody can tell
what happened in the middle of a dream is real. If I haven’t been
desperate for your help today, I wouldn’t have believed what she said
was real!”

Nobody would believe this kind of thing like ‘rebirth’. She wouldn’t
have believed it if she hadn’t turned from Ning Ziying to Ning Xueyan.
Now she was both Ning Ziying and Ning Xueyan. What the two had
experienced would appear in her mind, as if they were the same person.

Of course she wouldn’t tell this to Mother Wang and Lanning. It wasn’t
because she didn’t believe them, but because it was too incredible, and
even she had told them, they wouldn’t believe it was real. So she
preferred to explain to them that it was Ning Ziying’s soul that had
communicated with her in her dream. That would be more convincing.

“My young master appeared in your dream and made requests to you? So
she, she has really… died?” Mother Wang stammered. She stared at Ning
Xueyan anxiously, hoping to see the opposite answer from her eyes,
denying that Ning Ziying had already died, but to her disappointment,
Ning Xueyan nodded slowly, but firmly.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Mother Wang immediately turned her
head and wiped them off.

Lanning lowered her head, trying to hide the sadness in her eyes.

For many things, what you imagined and reality were not the same.
Chapter 178 the Phoenix Earring
The room fell into silence and filled with thick sorrows.

“Fifth Young Lady, did my young master told you in your dream who
murdered her?” Mother Wang wiped tears from her face and suddenly
asked resentfully. She had totally believed what Ning Xueyan said, but
she didn’t believe that Ning Ziying had thrown herself into the river to
commit suicide.

She had been outside of the manor and collected information after Ning
Ziying’s death. She heard everyone said that Ning Ziyan had been
engaged to Xia Yuhang since childhood, and nobody knew that there was
an engagement between Ning Ziying and Xia Yuhang. That was
abnormal. She had been willing to follow Lanning’s advice and
cooperate with Ning Xueyan because she wanted to collect information
in the Lord Protector’s Manor.

“Mother Wang, don’t worry. I’ll avenge Sister Ziying. If she didn’t
appear in my dream and give me instruction, I might have died,” Ning
Xueyan looked at Mother Wang and said sincerely, two cold frames
flashing in her eyes. She was Ning Ziying, and she became Ning Xueyan
after rebirth just for revenge!

She couldn’t tell Mother Wang how Ning Ziying had died. Maybe she
would tell her in the future, but not now. Because she knew Mother
Wang well, and if Mother Wang knew that Ning Ziying had been
murdered by Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan, she would definitely jump up
and rush to them. Even if she gave her life, she would try to get justice
for her young master. Every one of the manor kept this murder a secret,
so although it was Madam Ling and her daughter who had killed Ning
Ziying, actually every one of the manor was involved with her death.

Madam Dowager’s people were everywhere in the manor, so she

couldn’t have been unaware that Ning Ziying had been murdered.

And it was impossible for Ning Zu’an, the powerful marquis and general
didn’t know how she had died!
But nobody had mentioned it. That meant everyone knew about it, and
they all acquiesced. It also meant that if anyone dared fight against
Madam Ling and her daughter, she was fighting against the whole
manor. Ning Xueyan wasn’t that powerful now, Mother Wang was much
weaker than her, so if she went to Madam Ling for revenge, she would
die.

She would take revenge for herself, but she wouldn’t let people who
wanted to protect her die in vain.

“Fifth Young Lady, are you serious that you’ll avenge my young
master?” Mother Wang asked, gritting her teeth. She saw the coldness in
Ning Xueyan’s jet-black eyes, and didn’t ask about the murderer
anymore.

She had asked the same question when she just came to Bright Frost
Garden, and she didn’t believe that Ning Xueyan would really avenge
her young master. But now, she began to have some confidence that the
gentle and weak girl in front of her would do this for her young master.

“Mother Wang, you don’t have to do anything, and just wait and see.”
Ning Xueyan looked at her with a smile, her eyes became softened.

“Fifth Young Lady, take this!” Looking at Ning Xueyan, Mother Wang
was about to cry. At that moment, the cold and proud Fifth Young Lady
seemed to have transformed into her gentle and kind young master. She
calmed herself down and then passed the thing in her hand to Ning
Xueyan.

It was a very small jade earring. Although it wasn’t big, it was set with
rubies at the bottom. There were some gray-black marks on the golden
hook on the top of the earring, and a phoenix carved on it was faintly
discernible.

At the sight of this jade earring, Xueyan almost couldn’t stay her calm.
She pinched her handkerchief firmly and managed to restore calm.

This earring belonged to Ning Ziying. Her mother had asked her to keep
it carefully. Ever since she could remember, this earring had been put
away by her mother. At a certain time of each year, her mother would
have taken it out and asked her to examine it carefully, and repeated that
it was her jade earring, and she must keep it carefully and never let
anyone take it away.

At this time, Ning Ziying would have played with it in her hand
curiously.

The Nings was influential in the regions south of the Yangtze River, and
they were wealthy. Ning Ziying didn’t understand why her mother had
cherished this earring that much. When she grew up, she had examined it
carefully, but didn’t find anything special. Although jade was precious,
the earring wasn’t made of the extremely rare jade. Ning Ziying
wondered why her mother had taken it so seriously.

She even had taken it out and asked her to examine it every year.

Before dying, her mother had called Mother Wang to her room and
talked with her for a while. Then she asked Ning Ziying in and told her
that she had asked Mother Wang to keep the earring for her.

After they arrived in the capital, Mother Wang had never taken it out, so
Ning Ziying had forgotten about it gradually. Now when she saw it
again, she was mixed with joy and sorrow, and she almost couldn’t
maintain her calm. Fortunately, Mother Wang and Lanning were all
looking at the earring, so nobody had noticed her excited expression.

“Fifth Young Lady, this is my young master’s earring. Madam asked me

to give this to my young master after her marriage, but now… she
has…” Mother Wang couldn’t help but burst into tears. “People of the
Lord Protector’s Manor turned out to be cold-blooded. I have persuaded
madam not to let my young master come to the capital, but she didn’t
follow my advice.”

Although Mother Wang didn’t know the specific cause of Ning Ziying’s
death, after all, she had died at Lord Protector’s Manor. Moreover, her
fiancée who had been engaged to her since childhood married Ning
Ziyan finally. Therefore, the Lord Protector’s Manor couldn’t get away
with it anyway.

“Fifth Young Lady, please take this jade earring. Madam said it was very
meaningful, and if my young master kept it, she might get help from
some powerful people. But now… my young master doesn’t need it
anymore, so Fifth Young Lady, please take it. It might be helpful to you.”
With that, Mother Wang put the earring into Ning Xueyan’s hand, wiping
tears from her cheeks with a sigh. Since it was her young master’s
legacy, she couldn’t bear to lose it, but she knew it might be more useful
in Ning Xueyan’s hand, so she decided to give it to her.

“Did madam say anything else?” Ning Xueyan asked in a low voice,
bending her fingers and holding the earring firmly.

“She didn’t tell me anything more special. She only reminded to pay
attention to my young master’s safety and remember to give the earring
to her. She said a fortune teller had told her that my young master would
get a powerful person’s help who was related to this earring. But she
didn’t expect that…” Mother Wang covered her face with her hands and
began to sob.

“Mother Wang, are you the only wet nurse after Sister Ziying was born?”
Seeing that Mother Wang was heartbroken, Ning Xueyan asked gently.
She couldn’t find answers to many questions. Now since Mother Wang
had given her such a precious thing, she knew that Mother Wang was
standing on her side, so she asked her without hesitation.

“No, I’m not. I went to the Ning Manor when my young master was
about three or four years old. Mr. Ning had just become the local official,
and madam took my young master there. I don’t know why my young
master didn’t have any wet nurse before. They hired me, but madam
didn’t allow me to tell the others that I wasn’t the first wet nurse. She
asked me to tell them that my young master was brought on my milk.
But actually, I have never nursed her.”

Mother Wang wiped her eyes and said sadly.

“When was Sister Ziying engaged to Xia Yuhang?” Ning Xueyan

thought it over and asked. She felt something wrong with the
engagement between Ning Ziying and Xia Yuhang. She couldn’t
remember it clearly, but she vaguely felt that the engagement wasn’t
made at her birth.

“The engagement between my young master and Childe Xia was settled
when my young master was eight years old. Official Xia brought his son
to our manor and he had a good time with Mr. Ning, so they made a
marriage arrangement. Then Official Xia took Childe Xia back to the
capital. From then on, no matter when Childe Xia had come to visit my
young master or not, he would have sent gifts to her every year. I thought
he was a person of righteousness and deep affection, but to my surprise,
he was brutal and cold-blooded!”

Her young master had died miserably. As Ning Ziying’s fiancée, Xia
Yuhang didn’t investigate her death, but married Eldest Young Lady of
the Lord Protector’s Manor instead. At the thought of this, Mother Wang
felt an impulse to rush to Xia Yuhang and scold him.

“Mother Wang, you don’t have to be angry. Good and evil must at last
have their reward. The evil people will be punished finally, but we still
need to wait,” Ning Xueyan persuaded. She stood up, holding the earring
firmly. She raised her head and there was a trace of mockery in her eyes.
Both Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan were involved in murdering her, so she
wouldn’t let go of them.

She had come back from the bloody hell, so she would make them pay
for what they had done.

After coming out from Mother Wang’s room, Ning Xueyan returned to
her own room. She sat before the window and touched the earring.
Leaning against the armchair of the soft couch, she gazed out of the
window and was lost in thought.

Her intuition told her that something important hid in what Mother Wang
had said. But she couldn’t figure it out. Thinking about this, she couldn’t
help frowning.

Since the engagement between her and Xia Yuhang had been arranged
when she was eight years old, why her parents told the others that it had
been settled since their childhood? It was easy to make people think that
the engagement between them had been settled when their mothers were
pregnant.

Since Mother Wang had been hired when she was already three or four
years old, where her former wet nurse was? She didn’t believe that she
hadn’t a wet nurse after being born. Why had her mother asked Mother
Wang to tell the others that she was the only wet nurse of her and she had
nursed her ever since her birth?
In her memory, her mother was smart, and she had never done anything
for no reason. But why had she tried to cover up the things about her
childhood?

Furthermore, earrings should come in pairs. Why was there only one
piece? Her mother had taken the earring so seriously, could it only
because she believed what the fortune-teller had said? Her mother
seldom took her out of the manor, and she had never asked anyone to tell
her fortune. She remembered once she managed to have her mother take
her to the market. A maid had been curious when she saw a fortune-
teller, and she wanted to ask that person to tell her fortune. But her
mother stopped that maid with a smile, saying that all the fortune-tellers
were swindlers.

Therefore, it was impossible that her mother had taken an earring so

seriously and asked her to check it carefully every year just because of
what a fortune-teller had said.

In Ning Xueyan’s mind, that kind of checking could even be taken as

‘worship’!

Her mother had died of illness suddenly. Worried that she might be
dying, she had confided a lot to her daughter in advance, but her physical
condition hadn’t been that bad, and it seemed she shouldn’t have passed
away so soon. Ning Xueyan remembered that a woman had stayed at the
Ning Manor for half a year, and she had always been together with her
mother. Her mother died soon after that woman left. For no reason, Ning
Xueyan felt that the woman’s voice was quite similar to Ya Moqin’s and
she was by no means an ordinary person.

She had never been suspicious when she was Ning Ziying, but after
becoming Ning Xueyan, she seldom trusted people. She always had the
feeling that there was something wrong with the woman who had
suddenly appeared in the Ning Manor.

Before her mother died, that woman had taken leave because she had
something to do. From then on, Ning Ziying had never heard any news
about her, as if she had never shown up. She had asked someone to look
for this woman secretly, but failed to get any information about her. The
woman seemed to have disappeared from the world.
The other day, Ning Xueyan had heard a familiar voice coming from
behind Third Prince. She had thought that she would see that woman
again. If not because one voice was young and arrogant, and the other
one was gentle and elegant, she would have thought that they came from
the same person.

However, although the two voices were similar, there seemed to be no

relationship between their owners.
Chapter 179 Run into Heng
Yuqing Again
In the early morning, both Bright Frost Garden and Foggy Courtyard
were busy.

Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady were invited to attend the
imperial party. Because Ning Lingyun was the daughter of a concubine,
she was ineligible to participate in such activities.

Ning Qingshan had gone to the imperial palace three years ago, but after
all, it had been a long time. She was still famous among the noble ladies
because of her filial piety, and this was the first imperial party she would
attend after she had left three years, so she must be careful.

Both she herself and Madam Dowager hoped that she would shine on the
party and stand out from the crowd.

Ning Qingshan had lost a personal maid yesterday and she felt
humiliated. But the night before, Madam Dowager had asked Mother
Qin to bring her several boxes of jewelry and everyone looked high of
her again.

They knew that Fifth Young Lady of Bright Frost Garden didn’t get
anything from Madam Dowager.

So obviously, in Madam Dowager’s heart, Third Young Lady was the

most important. Xia’er deserved to be punished because she had made
troubles. Madam Dowager hadn’t meant to humiliate Third Young Lady.

Seeing that Madam Dowager treated Third Young Lady so well, those
who were still watching immediately knew whom they should flatter.
Many people of the manor brought various kinds of gifts to Foggy
Courtyard. On the contrary, only very few people visited Bright Frost
Garden.
“Miss, what’s Madam Dowager doing? You’re her granddaughter by
blood!” Qingyu grumbled, handing the bead flower to Lanning.

“She never cares about that. What she cares about is who is useful to
her!” Ning Xueyan said, a trace of sarcasm in her eyes.

Madam Dowager had never regarded her as her own granddaughter.

When she was humiliated by Ning Yuling and almost beaten to death by
Ning Yuling’s people, where had Madam Dowager been? When she
lived miserably with her mother at Bright Frost Garden, and even had no
money to buy medicine, where had Madam Dowager been? Now she
treated her better, but it wasn’t because they were related by blood. It
because she was useful to Madam Dowager!

It was clear that she wasn’t as useful as Ning Qingshan now!

Madam Dowager became even more skillful in following the policy of

stick and carrot!

Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, Qingyu didn’t know what to say.
Although she felt injustice for her master, she knew that Madam
Dowager had never treated Ning Xueyan well from her heart.

Lanning took the bead flower from Qingyu and pinned it to Ning
Xueyan’s beautiful long hair. She looked at her and asked with a smile,
“Miss, do you like it?”

Lanning had put more thought into her master’s dressing today. Although
there were only a green jade hair pin and a white bead flower in her bun,
she looked refreshing and charming.

“Well, it’s fine!” Ning Xueyan looked into the mirror and smiled. Since
Madam Ming had just passed away, she shouldn’t overdress. There were
advantages to not wearing so much jewelry. At least, she looked fresh. It
was her style.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan was satisfied with her hair dressing, Lanning
picked up a long skirt by the side and put it on with Qingyu for Ning
Xueyan. It was a white imperial dress that Madam Dowager had just
asked someone to make for Ning Xueyan. The skirt hem was
interspersed with small pink flowers, and the skirt was wrapped in white
organza.

It was her first time to go to the imperial palace, and she was the
daughter of the principal wife of Lord Protector, so she shouldn’t dress
too shabby.

“Miss, you’re so beautiful!” Qingyu exclaimed. After putting on the skirt

for Ning Xueyan, she smoothed the skirt hem and then stood up.

In a set of white long skirt and chiffon, Ning Xueyan looked pure and
charming. Two strands of hair falling down to her cheeks made her lips
look even paler but more enchanting, and her eyes more watery.

She hadn’t well-developed yet and she still looked a little childish. But
after two years, everybody would be astonished by her beauty.

Ning Xueyan looked at her own eyes in the mirror. They looked so
familiar! It seemed she had seen them countless times, but she couldn’t
tell where she had seen them. She frowned and turned her head to look
into the mirror again, but still failed to recall it.

“Miss, your, your eyes resemble Young Lady Ziying’s eyes so much!”
Staring at Ning Xueyan’s eyes, Lanning said in quivered voice.

Ning Xueyan’s eyes had been usually too cold. Now she had dressed up
carefully, plus the faint smile on her face, her eyes looked beautiful and
gentle, as if there were water inside and they were delicate with
fascination.

“Ning Ziying? Herself of last life?” Ning Xueyan suddenly came to

herself. She had seen this pair of eyes countless times in her last life, so
no wonder they looked so familiar!

She wondered why Ning Xueyan’s eyes were so similar to Ning

Ziying’s. Her eyes bore no resemblance to Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling.

“Fifth Young Lady, are you ready? My master ordered me to ask if

you’re ready to go.” A maid’s melodious voice came from outside the
courtyard.
Hearing that, Lanning immediately walked out and answered with a
smile, “Tell Third Young Lady that my master is ready, and she’ll come
out soon.”

“Okay. I’ll tell Third Young Lady right now.” With that, the maid turned
to leave with a smile.

Ning Xueyan stood in front of the window and sized up the gentle maid
carefully.

“Miss, she is Feiyue, the former maid of Madam Dowager. It’s said
although she is only a second-class maid, Madam Dowager trusts her
very much. I never expected that Madam Dowager would have given her
to Third Young Lady,” Lanning said, walking over to Ning Xueyan.

Madam Dowager was thoughtful, but Ning Qingshan wasn’t easy to

control. Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes and sneered. Madam Dowager
only racked her brain in vain. She really wanted to know what would
happen to the Lord Protector’s Manor in the future.

Ning Xueyan had already greeted Madam Dowager in the morning, so

after making sure that everything was ready, she walked toward the gate
with Lanning. Compared to Qingyu, Lanning was more mature and
calmer. Ning Xueyan knew that she couldn’t make any mistakes at the
imperial palace. Otherwise, she might be doomed. Therefore, Lanning
was more suitable for such occasions.

When she arrived at the gate, Ning Qingshan hadn’t come out yet. Ning
Xueyan got in the carriage behind another one which had been arranged
for her and began to take a nap, leaning against the wall of her carriage.
She knew Ning Qingshan had asked her out just to make her wait for her
in the carriage and show that her status was higher than Ning Xueyan’s.

Lanning was smart. There was no sign that the carriage ahead would set
off, so she knew that Ning Qingshan wouldn’t come out soon. She got
out the carriage and lifted the curtain on the window, and then pulled
down the screen window. Thus, they could see everything outside
clearly, but people couldn’t see them clearly from outside.

About fifteen minutes later, Ning Qingshan walked out with her two new
first maids, Feiyue and Feilian. Feiyue came up to Ning Xueyan’s
carriage and greeted her with a smile before the two carriages set off to
the imperial palace.

Since both Ning Xuyan and Ning Qingshan were the daughters of Lord
Protector, and it was their first time to attend such parties, the Lord
Protector’s Manor took it seriously, and two carriages had been prepared
for them.

Ning Yuling, who had the best chance of marrying the imperial family
member had been abandoned. Now among the daughters of the principal
wives, only Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan could get on the stage.
Moreover, they both were excellent. Of course, Madam Dowager had put
a lot of efforts into dressing them, but the emphasis was on Ning
Qingshan. After all, she was most likely to marry Third Prince.

It would be a happy surprise for the Lord Protector’s Manor if Ning

Xueyan could be chosen by the imperial family, no matter as a wife or a
concubine.

Before Ning Xueyan stopped hiding herself at Bright Frost Garden,

nobody had taken her as the daughter of a principal wife. Now if she
could arouse the attention of the imperial family, of course it would be a
happy surprise for the Lord Protector’s Manor!

Madam Dowager had changed her mind a little. She thought it was
unnecessary to marry Ning Xueyan to Third Prince. If Ning Qingshan
could become Third Prince’s wife, Ning Xueyan had better marry Fourth
Prince. Although he was not as powerful as Third Prince, if Ning Xueyan
could marry him, Lord Protector’s Manor would have one more retreat.
As for what would happen to Ning Xueyan if Fourth Prince collapsed in
the future, it wasn’t on Madam Dowager’s mind.

What she cared about was maintaining the wealth and status of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, and she wouldn’t pay attention to those ‘trifles’.

Carriages stopped one by one in the imperial city, and Young Ladies with
gorgeous clothes getting out the carriage gracefully with the support of
their maids before walking into the imperial palace could be seen from
time to time. Only Commandery Princesses and County Princesses and
others who had grade titles could be sent into the imperial palace with a
sedan chair. Both Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan were Lord
Protector’s daughter, but they didn’t have any grade titles, so they had to
walk in along with a group of people.

Many Young Ladies of the noble families had attended the party held by
the Lord Protector’s Manor. Besides, Ning Qingshan enjoyed good
reputation and she was sociable, she had been on good terms with almost
all the noble Young Ladies three years ago. Therefore, the moment she
got out the carriage, she was surrounded by a group of noble Young
Ladies, and they walked to the imperial palace while talking and
laughing.

Ning Xueyan was left behind. She looked at Ning Qingshan, who was far
in front of her, smiled slightly.

She knew Ning Qingshan was showing her strength in front of her. She
had never been to this place, but Ning Qingshan had gone and left her
alone.

“Fifth Young Lady?” She suddenly heard someone calling her and
laughing surprisingly from behind.

Ning Xueyan turned around and saw a smiling face. It was none other
than Heng Yuqing, Eldest Young Lady of the Lord Guardian’s Manor.

“It’s you! I thought I mistook someone else as you,” Heng Yuqing said
with a smile. Seeing that Ning Xueyan turn around, she jumped out the
carriage and ran to Ning Xueyan, lifting the hem of her long skirt.

She was a straightforward person, and her smile always came from the
heart. Ning Xueyan couldn’t help but smile warmly.

“It’s you, Eldest Young Lady of the Hengs. What a coincidence!”

“Yes. I feel the same way. I have been wanting to go to your manor and
visit you after we met last time, but I was so busy, so I couldn’t find time
to pay my visit. I was thinking that I might run into you today. I’m so
glad that you’re here too!” Heng Yuqing said excitedly. She pulled Ning
Xueyan by her hand and continued, “Please don’t call me Eldest Young
Lady of the Hengs. How about you call me Yuqing and I call you
Xueyan?”
Looking at Heng Yuqing’s smiling face, Ning Xueyan nodded with a
smile. “Okay, Yuqing. Then I’ll put the etiquette aside and call you by
your given name.”

“Of course you can call me by my name. Xueyan, let’s go! Did anyone
from your manor come here with you? Do we need to ask her to go with
us?” After taking several steps forward hand by hand with Ning Xueyan,
she suddenly turned her head around and looked at another carriage, and
asked her warmly.

“I came here with My Third Sister, but she has already walked into the
imperial palace with the others,” Ning Xueyan answered gently.

“What? Why didn’t she take you with her? It’s said Third Young Lady of
the Lord Protector’s Manor was the most generous and kindest. How
could she leave her younger sister here alone?” Heng Yuqing curved her
lips, but immediately continue to walk, pulling Ning Xueyan’s hand.
“Forget it. She didn’t want to wait for you. I’ll guide you there. Anyway,
we don’t want to compete for a good reputation.”

Heng Yuqing was frank, but she wasn’t stupid. She immediately
understood the reason and began to despise Ning Qingshan.
Chapter 180 the Legendary
Favorite Concubine
At Prince Yi’s Manor…

On a spacious machilus chair carved with dragons and phoenixes, was a

man who was incredibly handsome against the black garment with
golden trim. His profile was as delicate as being carved, and his good
looks were beyond description. And under the black crown decorated
with a dragon design, his beautiful eyes were deep and as bottomless
abyss and as dark as pure black ink, without a trace of light.

There was a gorgeous invitation card among his slender fingers, and
several rubies on the invitation letter had crumbed by him.

With a strange smile on his thin lips, he asked coldly, “Was this
invitation card sent from the imperial palace?”

“Yes. It was just sent here from the imperial palace. Prince Yi, they had
sent the same invitation card to you before, but they worried that you
might forget it, so they asked their people to send another one,” Eunuch
Wang answered carefully. His master did not seem to be happy now.

Whenever such a look appeared on that extremely handsome face, his

master was not in a good mood. Since he had upset his master, what
Eunuch Wang could do was to pray for himself.

“I won’t go. Tell them that I’m sick!” Rolling his eyes and curving his
lips, Ao Chenyi threw the invitation card into the air. He found people
from the imperial place became even more boring. At this time every
year, they would invite some noble Young Ladies to enjoy flowers in the
imperial palace and then asked the princes to join them. He did not know
what their purpose was, and for him, it was a burden to attend the party.

The invitation card banged onto the floor. All the precious rubies on it
were shaken off and several of them broke into powder the moment they
touched the ground. Eunuch Wang swallowed hard subconsciously. He
knew that his master had never been patient to deal with this kind of
thing.

“Prince Yi, it’s time to find a hostess for this manor!” Although scared,
Eunuch Wang had to mention it. Prince Yi was old enough to marry.
Without a woman, he couldn’t have a baby. Under the current situation,
he would benefit a lot to have a lawful heir.

“Hostess?” Ao Chenyi curved his lips and narrowed his eyes. A cold,
bloodthirsty smile appeared on his lips.

“Yes. Prince Yi, if you married a woman from the noble family, people
of the imperial palace won’t bother you again for this. But if you don’t
plan to find a woman by yourself, they might designate one that you
don’t like.” Since Prince Yi did not protest, Eunuch Wang immediately
continued to persuade him.

He had watched Ao Chenyi grow up, so he really hoped him to marry a

woman he loved and give birth to several successors.

Since Ao Chenyi refused the marriage that the emperor had arranged for
him, he had always been requested to attend such parties. Although he
had excused himself from going each time, people from the imperial
palace would mention it repeatedly. If he married a woman, those people
would not trouble him again with such parties, and nobody would blame
him for not attending the occasions.

Last time, they were at the imperial study room of the emperor when he
implicitly refused the emperor’s arrangement of his marriage last time.
However, emperor was the most authoritative person in the country, if he
arranged the marriage for Ao Chenyi in the presence of the officials, Ao
Chenyi would not be able to refuse him anymore.

Ao Chenyi had realized it. His eyes became even darker. Glancing at the
invitation card embedded with rubies on the floor, he lifted the corners of
his mouth, making him extremely handsome, but also coldest.

It seemed it was necessary to find a hostess for his manor. He had never
worried about how to deal with the emperor, but he had a problem in
managing the internal affairs of his manor. He did not think it was a
problem, and he would ask the imperial guards to solve the problems if
there was anything he did not know how to deal with, but this would
arouse gossips!

Besides, he would be requested to attend parties like this constantly!

Now he was managing to a semblance of peace with the emperor, but

nobody knew when the peace would be broken. He was clear how the
emperor jealous and suspicious of him!

The cold smile on his face had turned to malicious mockery. The
emperor wanted to depose him as his younger brother and support his
son to inherit the throne, but he worried that the official historians would
say that he disobeyed the will of his ancestors. Thus, he would be
despised by the world in history.

Ao Chenyi stood up and pushed the table aside. Then he walked down
the platform along the stairs with his hands clasped behind his back.
“Tell the people from the imperial palace that I won’t forget to attend the
party,” he said.

Since the emperor had never been tired of playing this game with him, he
would play with him.

It was a long way from the imperial palace to the Plum Garden.
Fortunately, with Heng Yuqing by her side, Ning Xueyan wasn’t bored.
After turning the corner, she caught sight of a corner of an extremely
huge palace. From afar, she saw the beams and pillars of the palace were
carved and painted with elaborate designs, and looked extremely
exquisite. Although the palaces around it were also tall and exquisite,
they seemed to lack something when compared to this one.

“Is that the empress’ palace?” Ning Xueyan asked curiously. That palace
was so obvious, but it wasn’t on the central axis of all the imperial
palaces.

“No, it isn’t.” Heng Yuqing looked in the direction of her gaze, and then
looked at the left and the right before saying in a low voice, “It’s
Honored Consort Xia’s palace. She lives there.”

“Honored Consort Xia?” Ning Xueyan had never heard of her before.
Her title did not seem to be as high as Honored Consort Shu’s, but
apparently the palace was a main palace.

“The emperor’s favorite concubine Honored Consort Xia lives in that

palace. It’s said nobody has ever seen her. She is extremely beautiful and
is quiet by nature, so she hasn’t shown up in front of outsiders by now.
She is very mysterious. Someone said that she is the concubine of the
former emperor, but I don’t know if it’s true.”

Heng Yuqing whispered.

“The former emperor’s concubine?” Ning Xueyan was shocked. It was

incredible that a former emperor’s concubine could be favored by the
current emperor like this!

“She never attended any parties?” Ning Xueyan could not help but want
to know more about the mysterious Honored Consort Xia.

“Yeah, never. She has never shown up even on Empress Dowager’s

birthday party or the big day of the emperor and the empress. I asked
many noble young ladies, and they all have never seen Honored Consort
Xia. But according to people from the imperial palace, it’s true that
there’s such an honored consort here.” Heng Yuqing had asked many
people about Honored Consort Xia out of curiosity, and she got the same
answer. Honored Consort Xia did live here, but except for very few
people of the imperial palace, nobody had seen her.

She was really strange!

As the favorite concubine of the emperor, everybody would bow to her

except for the emperor. If it had been someone else, they would
definitely have shown off in front of others. It was weird that she was
even unknown. If Heng Yuqing had not told her, Ning Xueyan would
never know that there was a favorite concubine never showing herself up
in front of outsiders.

While talking, they had passed the imperial road and came to a section of
the imperial wall outside the Plum Garden. Since there was no gate here,
they had to walk forward along the imperial wall.

Before entering the garden, they had seen several branches of plum
blossoms stretch out from inside. The flowers were in full bloom and
extremely beautiful, white as snow and red as fire.

Many Young Lady stopped watching and Ning Qingshan stood among a
group of people in distance. She was looking at the plum blossoms with
a delicate smile. No matter from which angle, she was a delicate beauty
who behaved gracefully.

Ning Xueyan slowed down as well. She turned her head aside and saw
several handsome young childe coming along the opposite road. The first
two of them were Third Prince, Ao Mingyu and Fourth Prince, Ao
Mingwan!

“They walked so fast just now. But why did they stop here?” Heng
Yuqing asked, pointing at Ning Qingshan and those young ladies. By this
point, she had not noticed that Ao Mingyu and the others walking over
from aside yet.

“Maybe they’re waiting for someone!” Ning Xueyan answered

meaningfully. Ning Qingshan would never miss any opportunity to be
close with Third Prince!

“Who?” Heng Yuqing looked around and immediately catch sight of

Third Prince and the others. A trace of sarcasm appeared on her face.
She pointed at Ning Qingshan, who was the most attractive one among
the young ladies and asked, “It looks like Third Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor. I didn’t expect that after three years, she is still so
hypocritical!”

“Oh? Yuqing, you knew my Third Sister before?” Ning Xueyan did not
want to run into Third Prince, so she deliberately slowed down. She
planned to wait for the two groups in front of her to meet and follow
them.

“Of course! Everyone knows Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor in the capital. It’s said that her filial piety is unmatched, and she
has the air of a noble young lady. But I don’t think so. She always puts
on a show and she is quite good at it! Three years ago, I ran into her at
Honored Consort Ya’s palace when I visited Honored Consort Ya. We
talked for a while in the side hall and she broke Honored Consort Ya’s
porcelain by accident, but she framed me for breaking it!”
Heng Yuqing said angrily.

“She said it was you who broke it?” Ning Xueyan asked curiously. It was
very much Ning Yuling’s style to blame someone else for her mistakes.

“No, she didn’t. She kept on saying that she should be blamed for not
taking care of the porcelain carefully. She also wanted to kneel down and
plead for me!” At the thought of the scene, Heng Yuqing could not hold
back her anger. Because Ning Qingshan kept on pleading for her, and
Heng Yuqing had even no opportunity to explain for herself before being
scolded by her mother. Finally, Honored Consort Ya persuaded her
mother, saying that she was just a kid and it was not a big deal.

Heng Yuqing failed to argue for herself and took the blame for Ning
Qingshan. She could not remain calm whenever she thought of this.

Ning Xueyan smiled. It was quite Ning Qingshan’s style. She was good
at making others suffer but could not tell anyone else. And people who
did not know the truth had always praised her and blamed the one who
had suffered.

The two groups in front of her met finally. At sight of so many young
childes, even the distinguished Third Prince, Fourth Prince and several
other noble Princely Heirs were among them, those young ladies could
not help being excited. They greeted them with blushed faces.

Furthermore, their brothers might also be there among the childes. So the
two groups immediately merged into one and walked toward Plum
Garden.

However, there were too many people in the group. Plus the personal
maids, eunuchs and palace maids, the end of the line was very close to
Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing.

Ning Xueyan pulled Heng Yuqing’s hand and stopped off the road. She
wanted to wait until they were a little further away from her.

“Eee? Who’s that girl? I have never seen her before.”

“I haven’t seen her either. Which manor is she from?”

“She looks like Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor!”

“It’s impossible! I heard that she was ugly and timid, and she has always
hidden hers in the manor and never shown up in public.” Several childes’
faces lit up when they passed by Ning Xueyan who was standing outside
the wall. One or two of them had once had a look at Ning Xueyan from
the instance at the Cold Mountain Temple.

But at that point, she had been very thin and wearing. After some time’s
resting, she had removed. Besides, she dressed up carefully today, so
many people were stunned by her beauty.
Chapter 181 Prince Yi’s Favorite
Concubine Is at the Imperial
Palace
Several branches of plum blossom stretched out from the heavy and
thick imperial palace wall. A girl stood beside the wall gracefully. On her
fair face was a pair of gentle eyes that sparkled with wisdom, and they
were watery, as if covered with a thin layer of fog. Although she had not
well-developed yet, from her extremely delicate and beautiful features,
everybody could tell that she would become an extremely beautiful lady
in the future. The snow-white imperial chiffon she wore fluttered in the
wind, accentuating her slender waist.

She looked beautiful and smart, but a little bit cold. Under the plum
blossom, it felt like this pretty girl was originally part of the beautiful
scenery.

It was unbelievable! It was said Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor was both ugly and unsociable. These rumors were all nonsense!
The best things were always hidden before they were shown. Everyone
felt that Ning Qingshan was extremely charming after leaving three
years, but compared to Ning Xueyan, she was not that shining.

Even though Ning Qingshan did not seem to be inferior from

appearance, and she even looked more attractive than Ning Xueyan
because of her well-developed figure, how about some years later?

Seeing everyone, including Third Prince beside her stop, Ning Qingshan
turned her head along with the gazes of them, and saw Ning Xueyan. She
was shocked, and then gloom and coldness filled her eyes because of
anger. She was in the carriage ahead of Ning Xueyan’s, and she did not
wait for Ning Xueyan before walking to the imperial palace, so she had
not seen how Ning Xueyan looked like after dressing up.

Now at sight of Ning Xueyan, she almost could hardly keep her smile.
She twisted the handkerchief in her sleeve hard, nearly tore it up.
She admitted that Ning Xueyan was outstanding, but she never thought
that she could compare with her. To her surprise, after dressing up, Ning
Xueyan was as beautiful as her!

“Third Young Lady?” Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan’s eyes were shining at

sight of Ning Xueyan. He exclaimed in happy surprise and turned to
walk toward Ning Xueyan.

The beautiful figure under the plum tree always flashed in his mind, and
he could not forget her. He was regret not having spoken to her the first
time he saw her because he had worried that it might be improper to do
so.

Seeing Ao Mingwan walking to Ning Xueyan, Third Prince’s face

darkened. He did not say anything, but walked forward quietly instead.
The others moved forward following him.

Now Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan was the only one in the group going in
the opposite direction.

“Third Prince, don’t you want to greet Fifth Sister?” Ning Qingshan
asked calmly while walking forward.

“I don’t think it’s necessary. If I have to greet everyone I know, I might

not be able to reach the Plum Garden.” Third Prince smiled slightly,
looking graceful and proud.

He was the distinguished prince, so of course he could speak that way.

“Everyone he knows?” Ning Qingshan was filled with joy. It meant that
Third Prince did not treat Ning Xueyan special. Smile came back on her
face and she shifted the topic. “It has been three years. Third Prince, are
you all right?” she asked in a soft voice.

This was the secret between them, and Ning Qingshan had never told
anybody about it. Whenever thinking about it, she felt that there was a
special affinity between Third Prince and her. Also because of this,
Honored Consort Ya and Third Prince always thought of her. She leaned
closer to Third Prince and said this in a low voice on purpose.
Looking at them from behind, the others would think that the two of
them were whispering. The Young Ladies and childes exchanged glances
and understood tacitly. It seemed that the rumors about the marriage
between the Lord Protector’s Manor and Third Prince were well-
founded.

“I’m all right,” Ao Mingyu said slightly. Then he turned to the young
eunuch beside him and ordered, “Go and get Fourth Prince here. Remind
him not to keep our father waiting too long.”

“Got it, Third Prince!” the eunuch answered and run to the end of the
group.

Ao Mingwan rushed to Ning Xueyan excitedly, but stopped when he saw

the coldness in Ning Xueyan’s eyes. He did not know what to say,
because he was worried that Ning Xueyan would think him too abrupt.
After all, they had not greeted each other officially yet. Thankfully, he
was a smart person. Seeing Heng Yuqing there, he immediately asked
with a smile, “Miss Heng, why did you walk so slowly? How about
going in company with us? ”

He pointed at the team ahead.

Ning Xueyan had heard someone say that it was Fourth Prince. She
knew she should show her respect, so she bowed to him gracefully.

“Greetings, Fourth Prince. I was thinking to join you, and I didn’t think
that you would come over. Fourth Prince, what can I do for you?” Heng
Yuqing took a step forward and stood in front of Ning Xueyan with a
smile. Although Fourth Prince was talking with her, his eyes were on
Ning Xueyan, so his intention was obvious. Heng Yuqing was worried
that Ning Xueyan might be scared because it was her first time to come
to the imperial palace, so she deliberately blocked Fourth Prince’s vision.

He had nothing special but wanted to meet Third Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor. But he could not say it.

“Which manor is this Young Lady from? I have never seen her before,”
Fourth Prince asked, pointing at Ning Xueyan who was standing behind
Heng Yuqing. He was bold and without anybody introducing for him, he
began to ask about Ning Xueyan.
Since he had asked about her, Ning Xueyan knew she shouldn’t hide
herself anymore. She let out a sigh helplessly and walked out from
behind Heng Yuqing. “I’m Lord Protector’s daughter. Greetings, Fourth
Prince,” she said.

“I’m not mistaken. She is the beauty I saw the other day. She is even
more beautiful today than on the other day!” Ao Mingwan was
overjoyed, and he was about to talk to her before the eunuch running
over.

“Fourth Prince, Third Prince asked you to go over there. He said that the
emperor was waiting for you there.”

“Okay. I’ll be there soon!” Hearing that the emperor was waiting in
front, Ao Mingwan did not dare to delay. He nodded and turned to Ning
Xueyan and Heng Yuqing. “Miss Ning, Miss Heng, I have to leave now,”
he said.

Then he strode away. Looking at Fourth Prince who had suddenly

appeared in front of them, Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing exchanged
glances and both of them felt confused.

After walking for a while, they suddenly saw a young eunuch off the
path. He waved to Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan looked at him carefully
and found it was Eunuch Zhu who worked for Ao Chenyi. She was
shocked.

“Yuqing, please wait for me for a few minutes. That eunuch seems to be
waiting for me, so I need to check with him,” Ning Xueyan stopped and
said helplessly. She had to take it seriously no matter how petty the thing
was as long as it related to Prince Yi.

“Okay. I’ll wait for you over there. Be careful.” Heng Yuqing saw the
eunuch who was waving to Ning Xueyan as well. Although she did not
know him, she was clear that she should not ask too much about the
imperial palace affairs. She nodded and reminded Ning Xueyan to be
careful, watching her walk toward the eunuch.

“Eunuch Zhu, what’s up?” Ning Xueyan walked over and asked with a
smile.
“Fifth Young Lady, Prince Yi said he wanted you to have fun in another
identity, so you must leave the party early,” Eunuch Zhu said in a
squeaky but low voice, and his attitude was very friendly.

“Another identity?” Ning Xueyan frowned and wondered what Ao

Chenyi was going to do. She was at the imperial palace now. If she made
any mistakes, her life would end here. Only Prince Yi dared to say
having fun here, but she could not afford the consequences if anything
went wrong.

“Eunuch Zhu, could you please tell Prince Yi not to play a game at the
party? After all, we’re at the imperial palace,” Ning Xueyan said
helplessly.

“Fifth Young Lady, you have to tell Prince Yi about it in person. I have
to go now. Prince Yi’s favorite concubine is in the imperial palace too,”
Eunuch Zhu said meaningfully with a strange smile.

“His ‘favorite concubine’ is here too?” It seemed she had to play the
game with him no matter if she wanted or not.

“How could he… What’s he going to do on such an occasion? Has he

realized that he might be risking her life to play the game?” she thought.

“Okay. I will leave the party early,” she answered calmly, gritting her
teeth and holding back her anger.

Who was that man? He was Prince Yi, the younger brother of Chu
Kingdom’s present emperor, and the heir to the throne! As distinguish
and powerful as him, of course he did not like others to bargain with
him. He had never known what ‘compassion’ was.

In his eyes, Ning Xueyan could only see coldness, gloom and bottomless
abyss!

She knew that if nothing bad happened to Prince Yi, she would be safe as
well. At least, she was still useful to him.

“Okay. I will go back to tell Prince Yi.” Eunuch Zhu was satisfied that
she was smart. He nodded with a smile and turned to leave.
Ning Xueyan calmed herself down and then turned around, her face
come back to normal.

Seeing her look normal, Heng Yuqing did not ask her anything more.
They then walked toward Plum Garden together.

Now many people had already gathered in the Plum Garden. Along their
way, Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing saw a number of noble Young
Ladies in fine dress. It was a high standard party, so almost all the single
noble Young Ladies had come. Without their mothers by their side, these
girls were more relaxed, and they talked casually.

Laughter could be heard from time to time.

It was a little late when Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing arrived and most
of the seats had been occupied. The male and female guests were
arranged on both sides, with only a few flower racks in the middle. The
best seats were in the middle of both sides where people could see the
other side clearly. In other words, people sitting on the other side could
see them clearly as well. Therefore, these seats had already been
occupied by several distinguished daughters of principal wives.

Ning Qingshan did not sit at the table near the male guests, because
almost all the seats had been occupied by Commandery Princesses,
County Princesses and other noble ladies with grade titles. Therefore, she
chose a favorable position at the second table, from where she could see
people opposite clearly. The position was neither too near nor too far
from the other side.

“Your Third Sister chose a good place. Those princes and Princely Heirs
are opposite her,” Heng Yuqing said dismissively, looking at Ning
Qingshan. She did not mean to challenge Ning Qingshan, but the latter’s
position was so conspicuous that almost everyone came here would see
her sit there gracefully at first glance.

She was really shrewd. In the blink of an eye, she had already found such
a seat where she could show herself easily. It was hard to ignore her.

Ning Qingshan kept an eye on the gate of the Plum Garden while talking
with several Young Ladies with a smile. When she saw Ning Xueyan
come in, she said to Ling Xue, the daughter of the Assistant Minister of
War, Ling Huanian, smiling, “Cousin Xue, my Fifth Sister is there. I’m
going to greet her. Do you want to come with me?”

Ling Huanian was Madam Ling’s elder brother, and Ling Xue was only
two days younger than Ning Yuling, so if Ning Qingshan took Madam
Ling as her mother in name, she should take Ning Xue as her elder
female cousin.

“The girl beside Heng Yuqing is Fifth Young Lady of your manor? She
looks ill-mannered. From her appearance, I can tell she is not a well-
behaved person,” Ling Xue said sarcastically. She turned her head and
looked with an exaggerate expression at Ning Xueyan, who was looking
for a seat with Heng Yuqing.

Then she stood up and stopped Ning Qingshan, who was going to rise to
her feet. “Stay here. I will greet your Fifth Sister,” she said.

At the thought of her elder brother being beaten by this woman, Ling
Xue could not hold her anger. She then walked toward Ning Xueyan
angrily.

Ning Qingshan covered the excitement in her eyes, pretending not

having noticed what she said, and began to chat with another Young
Lady beside her, but she still looked at Ning Xueyan from the corner of
her eyes.
Chapter 182 Taking Her for Ning
Ziying by Mistake
Xia Yuhang was frozen at sight of Ning Xueyan. He stood still at the
gate of the garden, looking both excited and shocked. He clenched his
slender fingers into a fist and pressed it on his chest, trying to keep a lid
on his pounding heart.

He didn’t know how many times he had seen the familiar gentle, watery
and jet-black eyes in his dream. When he saw them again, he was so
surprised and overjoyed that he couldn’t keep his calm anymore. He
strode toward Ning Xueyan, and in his eyes, there was nothing but the
bright and familiar eyes.

She was still alive!

It was true that she was still alive!

Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing had chosen their seats. They entered the
gate of the Plum Garden, with Heng Yuqing in front and Ning Xueyan
behind, and was about to walk inside before a well-dressed girl suddenly
appeared in front of them and deliberated gave a push of Ning Xueyan.

Without any preparations, Ning Xueyan took several steps back. She
couldn’t keep her balance anymore and was about to fall onto the ground
behind her.

Heng Yuqing wanted to pull her hand, but it was too late. She was
anxious and screamed.

“Ziying!” An excited voice came from Ning Xueyan’s behind. Ning

Xueyan was sensitive and she immediately recognized the voice. She bit
her lips hard.

It was Xia Yuhang behind her! She didn’t want to have anything to do
with this man!
Ning Xueyan tried to change her direction as she stumbled backwards, so
she dashed aside. She would rather have her head broken or even die
than fall into the arms of that cold-blooded man!

She had loved him so much, but finally she got nothing except for his
betrayal. He even murdered her for his own benefits! She had already
realized how vicious this man was the moment her blood was shed on
the side of the lotus pool that had once been full of affection and
sweetness.

She felt into a man’s strong and warm arms. Ning Xueyan immediately
gave it a backhanded shove subconsciously, coldness and bitterness
flashing in her beautiful eyes.

The man who was holding her hadn’t expected that the weak girl would
burst out with such strength. He was pushed away and almost fell onto
the ground. In the process, Ning Xueyan lost her balance again and was
sent fly backward towards the gate that slanted behind her. People in the
garden had already found something wrong.

They stood up to watch what was going on. A trace of triumphant smile
appeared on Ning Qingshan’s lips. No matter whose arms she now fell
into, Ning Xueyan would be a laughing stock. If the man who was
holding her was a playboy, her reputation might be ruined. Then it was
impossible for Madam Dowager to marry her into the imperial family.

She was so careless at her first imperial party! Even her reputation hadn’t
been ruined, all the noble ladies would look down upon her in the future.

Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled by someone, and then she
stumbled into the cold and broad arms of a person. That person lifted her
up and loosen her teeth between her lips with his slender fingers. She
raised her head in surprise and saw an extremely handsome face, as cold
and cruel as Asura.

Her dazed brain suddenly became sober, and a chill came over her back.

“Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi? How can he show his face here?”

“What’s wrong?” Ao Chenyi let go of his hand from Ning Xueyan’s

slender waist and asked. He glanced at Xia Yuhang, who had already
been back to normal, Wen Xueran, who was both graceful and extremely
beautiful, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, who was in
confusion, and other noble childes who had just arrived at the gate.

Under Ao Chenyi’s gaze as cold as ice, all of them lowered their heads.

“I have no idea. Fifth Young Lady was knocked fly out the moment I just
reached the gate,” Wen Xueran answered, looked innocent. He blinked
her eyes, which were even more charming than ladies’ and smiled. His
smile made him look even more beautiful than flowers. “Fifth Young
Lady also stepped hard on my foot just now,” he continued.

It was Wen Xueran, not Xia Yuhang who had been the first one to hold
Ning Xueyan just now. To prevent her reputation from being ruined, he
didn’t mention it, but cleverly covered it up, merely saying that Ning
Xueyan stepped on his foot.

Ning Xueyan was a little surprised, as she had never expected that the
beautiful Princely Heir to be so smart and bold.

It happened suddenly, and it was only a few seconds from Ning

Xueyan’s falling into Wen Xueran’s arms to pushing him away, so
nobody had noticed it, except for Ao Chenyi.

He looked at Wen Xueran for a while and then waved aside.

Two guards came over. They had seen Ling Xue, who was standing at
the gate, looked triumphant the moment they entered the gate. One of the
guards walked closer to her, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her to
Prince Yi. The other one kicked her on the ankle before she could stand
firmly. She lost her balance and fell onto the ground heavily. She
screamed at the pain and collapsed, propping her hands on the floor.

“Prince Yi, this woman deliberately knocked that lady onto you,” a guard
said seriously, pointing at Ling Xue on the floor. It sounded like Ling
Xue wanted to hurt Ao Chenyi deliberately.

“Take her out and beat her twenty times with sticks,” Ao Chenyi ordered
coldly, as if the person he was talking about wasn’t the daughter of a
minister assistant, but only an ordinary servant.
“Prince Yi… my father is Ling Huanian,” Ling Xue shouted. Although it
hurt so much that she couldn’t even utter the words clearly, she had to
take the opportunity to defend herself. Otherwise, she might have no
opportunity anymore.

“Anyone who dares to hurt Prince Yi must die!” a eunuch shouted. His
shrill voice seemed to come from the hell, and it gave everyone present
the creeps.

Prince Yi was the demon king who killed people without blinking an
eye, so it was a piece of cake for him to end a person’s life. Even the
minister had no opportunity to survive if he offended Ao Chenyi, let
alone the daughter of a minister assistant!

Third Prince, Ao Mingyu walked over in a hurry. He clenched his fists in

his sleeves, veins sprang up on the back of his hands, but he looked calm
with a faint smile. He walked closer to Ao Chenyi and bowed to him
respectfully. “Uncle, what happened?”

“She tried to hurt my favorite concubine!” Ao Chenyi answered coldly.

His voice was low and magnetic, but as cold as ice.

“No! I didn’t! I, I just knocked her by accident,” Seeing that Third Prince
stood out and spoke for her, Ling Xue immediately argued.

With two loud sounds, she was slapped twice. Blood ran down the
corners of her mouth, and she burst into tears out of pain.

It was not Ao Chenyi’s people, but two eunuchs behind Ao Mingyu who
had slapped her.

“Uncle, please forgive her for my sake. Today is supposed to be a happy

day, and my father and mother will come out later,” Third Prince
pleaded.

Ling Huanian was on his side, so he must save his daughter, but he knew
he should let Ao Chenyi vent his anger first. Otherwise, Ao Chenyi
might take it out on Ling Huanian. Everyone knew that Ao Chenyi never
show mercy to people who had offended him, and the imperial guards
under his leadership were good at extracting a confession by torturing.
They could even turn black and white. Besides, it was a fact that Ling
Xue had pushed Ning Xueyan.

“Throw her out! My woman doesn’t want to see her.” Ao Chenyi looked
at Third Prince and suddenly smiled with strange coldness. Then he
waved his hand generously.

“Got it. I’ll arrange it right now.” Third Prince waved his hand, and two
guards immediately came over. Despite the fact that she was an official’s
daughter, they lifted Ling Xue up, one held her head, the other her feet,
and moved her out.

“Prince Yi! Prince Yi, I was wronged…” Ling Xue was scared, and
regardless of the pain, she struggled and shouted.

A eunuch walked over to her and stuffed a piece of cloth which he had
found from nowhere into her mouth. Then the noble lady was thrown out
like trash.

Seeing that Ling Xue had been thrown out, Ao Chenyi smiled with
satisfaction. He shook his black sleeve and nodded to Third Prince
before walking into the Plum Garden, following by his concubine and a
group of people.

He didn’t even talk to anyone else present.

Ning Xueyan lowered her head and stood aside cautiously. Only when
the aggressive man had disappeared did she raise her head again and take
a deep breath.

Heng Yuqing, who had been frozen at shock came to herself and rushed
to Ning Xueyan. She grabbed her by the hand and sized her up. “Xueyan,
are you okay? Did you get hurt?” she asked.

“I’m okay!” Ning Xueyan shook her head and smiled faintly. Heng
Yuqing suddenly saw the wound on her lips and she asked anxiously,
“What’s wrong with your lips? They’re bleeding!”

“It’s not a big deal. I hurt my lips accidentally just now.” With that, she
pulled Heng Yuqing and turned to bow to Third Prince. “Thank you very
much, Third Prince!” she said.
No matter whether Ao Mingyu really wanted to save her or not, she had
to pretend that she had been saved by him. It would be better for both of
them.

“It’s you?! Did you get hurt?” Ao Mingyu was surprised that it was Ning
Xueyan who had been knocked fly out. After a short moment, his
surprise was replaced by terror. He knew that Ao Chenyi wasn’t a
reasonable person. If he insisted that Ning Xueyan had knocked him
deliberately, she would get into big trouble, and she could be even worse
off than Ling Xue was.

After all, she was the person who had bumped into Ao Chenyi.

“I didn’t get hurt. Thank you, Third Prince.” Ning Xueyan showed her
appreciation again. Then she turned to Wen Xueran, who stood aside
with an enchanting smile. She smiled at him to show her gratitude, and
she had a feeling that Wen Xueran knew her well.

“I’m glad that you’re fine. Third Prince, we’ll go back to our seats.”
Since Ning Xueyan didn’t get injured and even had survived from Prince
Yi, Heng Yuqing felt relieved. She had been in a cold sweat and now her
feet felt like jelly, so she only wanted to find a place to sit down.

“Go ahead!” Ao Mingyu nodded with a smile and made a way for them.
He looked at Ning Xueyan’s slim and weak figure, and was lost in
thought.

She was by no means an ordinary lady! Ling Xue had been severely
punished only because she had pushed her. Ning Xueyan bumped into
Ao Chenyi, but she could still stay calm. Even when she saw that Ling
Xue had been treated like that, she had shown no sign of panic. It was
impossible for an ordinary woman to keep calm under such
circumstances.

As for the men present, except for a few of them had been able to remain
calm, all the others hadn’t dare even raise their heads, and none of them
dared to speak in front of the ruthless killer, Prince Yi.

But this woman could face him calmly!

With her ease, she had the potential to be a prince’s wife.

“Maybe my wife should be this Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor.” Thinking about this, Third Prince’s eyes softened
unconsciously.

The softness in his eyes was caught by a pair of enchanting and bright
eyes, which rolled slightly and suddenly flashed with a trace of weird
look.
Chapter 183 Uncle, Is There
Anyone You Like?
“Fifth Sister, what’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” Ning Qingshan
came over to them from aside and asked solicitously as soon as Ning
Xueyan and Heng Yuqing sat down.

From where she had sat just now, she could see what had happened
inside the garden, but not outside.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan had been knocked fly out the gate, she was
excited, and when she saw that Ling Xue was dragged out by two guards
and heard the screaming of a woman, she was surer that Ning Xueyan
had gotten into big troubles. Even Ling Xue who had just given her a
push suffered for it, so obviously, the consequence was serious.

But she became confused when she saw what had happened next. Prince
Yi, who was well-known for his ruthlessness, came in with a woman in a
veil, and after a short while she saw Ning Xueyan!

“So Ning Xueyan has bumped against the cold-blooded Prince Yi?”

Ning Qingshan immediately disproved this assumption. If Ning Xueyan

had bumped against Prince Yi, it was impossible for her to come back
safe and sound.

“If it was not that case, why did the woman scream?”

When Ning Qingshan was talking to Ning Xueyan, all the Young Ladies
around turned their attention to them and listened carefully. There had
been a lot of noise outside of the gate, but they were sitting inside, so
they didn’t know what was going on.

“Third Sister, did you sit together with Ling Xue just now?” Ning
Xueyan asked gently and smiled faintly. But Ning Qingshan saw the
sarcasm on her lips. Her jet-black eyes were so cold that Ning Qingshan
could not help but avoid them subconsciously.
When Ning Xueyan came into the gate, she had seen that Ning Qingshan
and Ling Xue sat side by side intimately.

“I… Yes, I sat with her just now. What’s the problem?” Ning Qingshan
was shocked and immediately asked back.

Since there had been many people around her and Ling Xue, she knew
she couldn’t deny it.

Heng Yuqing figured out something as well. She suddenly stood up and
shouted angrily at Ning Qingshan, “You must have abetted Ling Xue to
push Xueyan! Am I right? I was wondering why Ling Xue suddenly
rushed out and pushed Xueyan out the gate on purpose. Now I know
you’re the mastermind behind!”

Heng Yuqing couldn’t help burning with anger at the thought of the
dangerous moment.

“Ning Qingshan is the mastermind behind?” Discussion immediately

rose among the Young Ladies around them. They looked at Ning
Qingshan shockingly.

Ning Qingshan blushed, and she looked both aggrieved and sad with
tears rolling in her eyes, as if Heng Yuqing and Ning Xueyan were
bullying her.

Ning Qingshan enjoyed a good reputation, and everyone took her as the
model of the noble ladies. Therefore, someone began to feel sorry for
her. A Young Lady stood up and said, “Miss Heng, you must be
mistaken! Ling Xue walked to Fifth Young Lady alone, and nobody
thought she would have knocked her. Third Young Lady has nothing to
with it!”

“She has nothing to do with it? Then why Ling Xue rushed over after she
had talked something to her? Do you want to get Ling Xue here and ask
her if she pushed Xueyan because someone had told her to do so?” Heng
Yuqing said. Although she hadn’t seen Ning Qingshan talking to Ling
Xue, since she had been set up by Ning Qingshan once, she guessed that
Ning Qingshan had something to do with it.
“Heng Yuqing, what are you talking about? Who stipulated that nobody
could talk to Ling Xue? If anyone who talked to her is suspicious, many
of us have talked to her just now. Can you say that all of us have
something to do with that? Fifth Young Lady hasn’t complained yet.
What are you yelling about here? Third Young Lady has just come back
after leaving us for three years. How could you bully her again?”

This Young Lady seemed to have used to antagonizing Heng Yuqing,

and she was accusing her of nonsense and meddling. Although Ning
Qingshan didn’t say anything, everyone believed that she was innocent
when they saw her wronged appearance.

“Yuqing, this Young Lady, please stop arguing. It doesn’t matter whether
someone had put her up to pushing me or not. As long as Prince Yi
doesn’t get angry, I don’t care about anything else,” Ning Xueyan
walked over to Heng Yuqing and that Young Lady, and persuaded them
gently.

“Prince Yi? He has something to do with this accident?”

Everybody’s heart shivered. Nobody dared to spread gossips about

Prince Yi, because they all knew that if they were careless and offended
him, they would die without even knowing the reason. Besides, their
families would get into trouble because of this. The Young Ladies here
were all from noble families, but none of them dared to provoke the
powerful Prince Yi.

“Prince Yi ordered to break Ling Xue’s legs and throw her out the
imperial palace just now. If he knew that there was someone put Ling
Xue up to bump against him, the result could be terrible!” Ning Xueyan
said in a gentle voice. Although she didn’t speak loudly, all the Young
Ladies were frozen out of fear.

After all, Ling Xue was the daughter of a minister assistant. It was a
great shame for her, even if her legs hadn’t been broken, and she would
be looked down upon by others in the future. Who would marry a girl
who had been thrown out the imperial palace as his principal wife? It
would be too humiliating!

“I haven’t spoken to her.”

“Neither do I!”

“She has been by Third Young Lady’s side, talking to her.”

“Yes. I saw that Ling Xue had been talking to Third Young Lady, and
their seats were next to each other…”

The Young Ladies said one after another, trying to distance themselves
from Ling Xue, and nobody dared to defend her any more. They were
not stupid and they knew that their lives were much more important than
Ning Qingshan’s innocence.

What they said proved Ning Qingshan and Ling Xue were very close.

Ning Qingshan had gotten well with all the noble Young Ladies before,
but Ling Xue was Ning Yuqing’s cousin by blood, so her relationship
with Ling Xue should not be as intimate as Ning Yuling with Ling Xue.
Nobody knew when they had become so close that they never left each
other alone. Unfortunately, the accident occurred the moment they had
just apart.

There were several little birds among the Young Ladies. They knew what
had happened at the Lord Protector’s Manor yesterday. The rumor said
that Ning Qingshan had framed Ning Xueyan in order to take the
administration power from her hand. They didn’t know the detailed
information, but they knew that there were no waves without wind. If
nothing had happened between Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan,
nobody would have spread such rumors.

They hadn’t believed it at the beginning, but now… it seemed the rumor
was true!

Some Young Ladies looked at Ning Qingshan in suspicion and doubt.

“Could this Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor not be so
gentle and generous as rumor has it?”

Being stared by these Young Ladies, Ning Qingshan felt embarrassed.

She had never expected that Prince Yi would have been involved in this
accident. What scared her most was how he had treated Ling Xue. He
was really as ruthless as legend had it. A noble lady’s future had been
ruined by him like this. Ling Xue would have little chance to marry a
childe from a noble family in the future.

The punishment was too severe!

“Third Sister, go back to your seat. Otherwise, Prince Yi will think that
we’re gossiping about him by mistake,” before Ning Qingshan could
explain for herself, Ning Xueyan had spoken. Hearing that, all the Young
Ladies around them immediately scattered.

Nobody wanted to risk their lives being suspected by him Prince Yi.

Losing her audience, and being suppressed by Ning Xueyan with the
topic of Prince Yi, Ning Qingshan bit her lip in embarrassment. She was
so angry that she really wanted to rush over and slap Ning Xueyan, but
she showed nothing on her face. Now the perfect smile on her face had
been replaced by awkwardness. She answered, “I’ll go over there now.
Fifth Sister, please let me know if you need any help.”

She didn’t want to be with Ning Xueyan now, because she was afraid
that Prince Yi might be suspicious. He was sitting on the chief seat of the
male guests, so he was probably look in this direction.

“Go ahead, Third Sister.” Ning Xueyan didn’t insist on keeping her. She
smiled and saw Ning Qingshan go back to her seat alone.

Ning Qingshan had caused so much trouble and even offended Prince Yi,
the extremely powerful man in the country, so all the Young Lady
became more cautious, and they were more careful when they spoke.
They had learned the lesson from Ling Xue, and wouldn’t be abetted into
doing something inappropriate.

Since these noble Young Ladies were all the high-rank official’s
daughters, they knew how dangerous the court businesses were.

So very few Young Ladies would like to be close with Ning Qingshan,
and she was not the center of them anymore.

It was useless even if Ning Qingshan became the Third Prince’s wife in
the future, because Third Prince had to be respectful to Prince Yi.
Besides, Ning Qingshan had offended Prince Yi, so it was still unknown
if she could marry Third Prince. Some Young Ladies who had a crush on
Third Prince couldn’t stay calm anymore. They looked at Third Prince,
who was sitting among the male guests, with burning affection.

Ao Chenyi sat on the principal seat, and only he and his veiled favorite
concubine sat at the first table. This concubine didn’t seem in mood, and
she always lowered her head. It was said that she had a quarrel with Ao
Chenyi, and it was the first time for them to show up together in public
after their quarrel.

It felt like Ao Chenyi didn’t take the party seriously to have brought his
favorite concubine to such an occasion at the imperial palace. Besides,
the purpose of this royal banquet was to find spouses for the princes.

All the other male guests came here to find the principal wife for
themselves, but Prince Yi brought a ‘pet’ here!

“Uncle, my father asked you to look at these Young Ladies carefully.

They’re all single and from noble families. If there’s anyone you like, my
father will marry her to you,” Ao Mingyu said, pointing at those noble
Young Ladies opposite them.

The Young Ladies blushed and their hearts beat fast when they saw
Prince Yi look in their direction. However, they felt as if they were in the
ice cellar when they saw the coldness in his eyes.

Although Prince Yi’s appearance and temperament were unparalleled, all

the Young Ladies went stiff at fear under his cold and indifferent gazes.
They knew they would be extremely distinguished if they could become
the hostess of the Prince Yi’s Manor, but at the thought of facing such a
ruthless person every day, they couldn’t help shivering.

They had heard that many women who had been sent to Prince Yi’s
Manor were beaten to death and thrown to the graveyard.

Although they were all noble Young Ladies, it meant nothing to this
prince. Ling Xue had been thrown out the imperial palace just now. If
they married Prince Yi, they might die even without knowing the reason.

They were worried that even if they died unjustly after they had been
sent to the Prince Yi’s Manor, nobody would dare to get justice for them
at the risk of offending the powerful Prince Yi.

Moreover, Prince Yi even had brought his favorite concubine to attend

the imperial palace party. Apparently, this woman was by no means
ordinary. Nobody would like to have such an opponent.

Soon, those highly raised shy faces lowered.

Everyone knew that compared to the distinguished status, their lives

were more important.

“Your father asked me to choose my wife here?” Ao Chenyi said with a

slight smile, the disdain obvious on his extremely handsome face.

Such an expression showed that he was contemptuous of the party.

“Yes, uncle. My father said that you were old enough to marry a wife.
These are all the noblest daughters of principal wives of the high-rank
officials. Uncle, is there anyone you like?” Ao Mingwan raised his head
and asked with a smile, holding back his anger.
Chapter 184 I Have Nothing
Special with Third Young Lady
“Noble Young Ladies?” Ao Chenyi glanced at all the female guests, and
suddenly pointed at a Young lady with a sneer. “Can the outstanding
Third Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor be taken as a noble
Young Lady?” he asked.

Since Ning Qingshan returned to the manor, news about her had been
widely spread. Besides, Third Prince had visited her in person at the
Lord Protector’s Manor, so everyone had thought that she was Ao
Mingyu’s woman. Now Ao Chenyi talked about her in such a cold and
frivolous voice, having no more respect for her than for a prostitute.

Ao Mingyu was the distinguished prince with pure royal blood, he had
never been humiliated like this. When he heard that the woman he had a
crush on had been despised like this, his smile froze, and a strong sense
of killing appeared in the depth of his eyes.

Ao Chenyi was so powerful that even Ao Mingyu’s father, the emperor,

dared not to be in conflict with him openly.

And all the assassins Ao Mingyu had sent were killed. Therefore, he
dared not to offend Ao Chenyi.

“Uncle, you’re kidding. Third Young Lady is not Lord Protector’s

principal wife’s biological daughter, but she is her daughter in the name,
so of course she can be taken as a noble Young Lady as well.” When Ao
Mingyu raised his head, the smile came back on his face. He continued,
“Uncle, if you like Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, I’ll
report to my father immediately.”

He had thought that he would be heartbroken when he had to give the

woman he liked to another man, but he found it was not that difficult to
say it. His smile was even as natural as it had been. When he glanced at
the beautiful face of Ning Qingshan, there was only a slight fluctuation
in his mind. Even though Ning Qingshan had saved his life and
impressed him so much, compared to the throne, she was not that
important.

“So you can bear to lose her?” There was a trace of ambiguity in Prince
Yi’s smile. He looked at Ao Mingyu from the corner of his eyes, made
Ao Mingyu extremely nervous.

“Uncle, I have nothing special with Third Young Lady. She has stayed in
the imperial palace for some time, and my mother liked her very much.
My mother asked me to visit her when she heard that she has just
returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor. It wasn’t like the rumors have
it,” Ao Mingyu explained with a smile.

He knew he couldn’t hide the fact that he had visited Ning Qingshan,
especially from Ao Chenyi, the leader of the imperial guards.

“Oh. Will my elder brother agree if I want her to be my co-consort?” Ao

Chenyi seemed to be talking to himself, her eyes even darker and colder.

Ao Mingyu clenched his fists in his sleeves, and almost couldn’t hide his
killing intent anymore.

“He means the woman I wanted to marry as my principal wife is fit only
for him to be a co-consort!” Ao Mingyu thought.

He managed to hold back his anger and asked, “Uncle, I’ll arrange for it
if you like. Do you want me to report to my father right now?”

“Forget it. Let’s talk about it later. There are a few beautiful ladies that I
think are pretty good. The others are too ugly and I don’t want to see
them. Is that the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor?” Ao
Chenyi shook his wide sleeve and then leaned against the back of the big
machilus chair. His beautiful eyes fixed on Ning Xueyan, flashing a trace
of coldness and slyness.

“Uncle, she is Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, the girl
who bumped against you just now. She is too young and reckless, so she
didn’t behave properly.” Ao Mingyu saw Ning Xueyan along the gaze of
Ao Chenyi. He frowned slightly, and then came back to normal.
It was not rare to be engaged at fourteen years old, but it was too early to
get married at this age. Ao Chenyi was not very young, so it was
impossible for him to remain unmarried for one or two years after his
engagement.

Furthermore, a reckless girl wasn’t suitable for him.

“It’s pity that she is too young! But she looks good,” Ao Chenyi said in
agreement. He narrowed his eyes, and shifted his gaze from Ning
Xueyan to other Young Ladies.

Ao Mingyu let out a sigh of relief for no reason. He moved forward and
introduced those noble Young Ladies one by one for Ao Chenyi. It
seemed he didn’t mean it, but at where he was, he happened blocked Ao
Chenyi’s view of Ning Xueyan.

Ao Chenyi was extremely charming, and even women couldn’t match

him, let alone men. Therefore, it was no wonder that he thought those
Young Ladies were ugly. He seldom praised the others. It didn’t mean
that he thought Ning Xueyan was more charming than him, but at least,
he was impressed with her. This made Ao Mingyu uncomfortable.

He even felt worse than when Ao Chenyi had an interest in Ning

Qingshan.

The banquet hadn’t started yet, so people were talking in small groups.
Ning Xueyan didn’t know anyone else, but Heng Yuqing knew a lot of
people here, and someone came to chat with her from time to time, so
they didn’t look lonely here.

Ning Qingshan sat on her seat, looked still gentle and graceful. She
chatted with people beside her occasionally and laughed gently, covering
her mouth with a handkerchief. Suddenly, a eunuch walked over to her
and asked,

“Are you Third Young Lady from Lord Protector’s Manor?”

Ning Qingshan immediately stood up and answered gracefully, “Yes.

What can I do for you?”
“Honored Consort Ya wanted to meet you. This way, please!” The
eunuch gestured politely with a smile.

Honored Consort Ya took Ning Qingshan so seriously that she even

arranged a eunuch to invite her to her palace! Now several Commandery
Princesses and County Princesses couldn’t help but shift their attention
to her, and other noble Young Ladies were all looking at her with
admiration in their eyes.

“Got it. Please lead the way,” Ning Qingshan said with a smile. Under
the gaze of everyone, she maintained her easy and grace.

“Okay. Third Young Lady, please follow me,” the eunuch said
respectfully with a smile. He worked for Honored Consort Ya, so of
course he knew that Honored Consort Ya thought highly of Ning
Qingshan. It had been the case three years ago, and even more so three
years later. Third Young Lady was very likely to be Third Prince’s wife,
so the eunuch treated her with great respect.

Ning Qingshan nodded, and then walked out Plum Garden and headed
for Honored Consort Ya’s palace, following the eunuch.

As soon as they walked out of the Plum Garden, Ning Qingshan

suddenly stopped. She frowned slightly and sighed, as if she had
something difficult to say.

“Third Young Lady, is there something you want me to do?” Every one
of the imperial palace was smart. The eunuch figured out her intention
and immediately asked. He had regarded Ning Qingshan as Third
Prince’s wife, his master in the future, so he was happy to have such an
opportunity to flatter her.

“Let’s talk over there.” Ning Qingshan looked around and pointed at a
quiet place. They had just walked out the Plum Garden, and where she
was pointing was on the path of the turn ahead. From that place, they
could see a part inside of the Plum Garden, including Ning Xueyan.

It was a little far from where Ning Xueyan sat and they couldn’t see her
clearly, but it was enough to know her position and what she looked like.
“Third Young Lady, please say it.” The eunuch wondered at Ning
Qingshan’s mysterious behavior. He looked at her extremely beautiful
face, having no idea what she wanted to do.

“Can you ask someone to give this to my Fifth Sister?” Ning Qingshan
asked, there was something unnatural in her expression. Then she took
out a note from her sleeve and pointed at Ning Xueyan who was sitting
in the Plum Garden. The eunuch was more convinced that she would
become Third Prince’s wife in the future when he saw her gentle air, as if
she was born to be elegant and calm.

“Since Third Young Lady asked me to give it to Fifth Young Lady, I’ll
arrange for it right now.” The eunuch was surprised that Ning Qingshan
communicated with her sister with a note, but he still nodded.

“The note isn’t from me. My maid picked it up at the gate. My Fifth
Sister had a fall there just now, and the note is written to her. I’m sorry to
trouble you. Please keep it as a secret,” Ning Qingshan said in a soft
voice.

“Someone wrote the note to Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor? Normally, if it isn’t a very private thing, nobody will deliver a
note to the others. The person who wrote the note is unlikely to be a girl,
because there is nothing between girls to be embarrassed to say directly.”
the eunuch was experienced and he immediately understood what
happened. At the same time, he began to despise the Fifth Young Lady
who had come to the imperial palace for her first time.

Obviously, she had an affair with someone!

A daughter of the principal wife of Lord Protector even had an affair

with someone at the imperial palace! How shameless! They were both
the daughters of the principal wife of Lord Protector. Third Young Lady
was so well-behaved, but that Young Lady in the distance… How could
the gap between them so big?

Furthermore, Fifth Young Lady was so stupid that she even lost the note,
and now, her elder sister had to cover up for her!

“Got it. I’ll ask someone to bring her there secretly,” the eunuch
answered. He looked in Ning Xueyan’s direction with a sneer. Although
he could only see her vaguely, he wouldn’t get the wrong person.

Since the eunuch had agreed to help her, Ning Qingshan thanked him
and then followed him toward Honored Consort Ya’s palace.

They bumped into a palace maid on their way. The eunuch stopped her
and whispered in her ear. Then he led Ning Qingshan on again.

Ning Xueyan was talking to Heng Yuqing when a palace maid suddenly
walked to her in a hurry. The palace maid said in a low voice, “Fifth
Young Lady, someone asked me to give this to you.”

With that, she gave the note to Ning Xueyan carefully.

Ning Xueyan looked at the note, but she didn’t take it. She raised her
head, her long eyelashes trembled. Then her jet-black eyes fixed on the
palace maid coldly. “Who asked you to give it to me?” she asked.

She didn’t believe that someone would write a note to her. In the
imperial palace, except for the high-profile, arrogant Prince Yi, nobody
had anything to do with her. It was impossible for Prince Yi to deliver a
note secretly if he wanted to meet her. She had seen him looking at her
unscrupulously just now.

And except Ao Chenyi, she knew nobody in the imperial palace.

“I don’t know. I was stopped by a young male servant when I just arrived
at the intersection ahead. Fifth Young Lady, he told me that he was your
acquaintance, and you would know who he was when you saw him,” the
palace maid answered with a smile.

“I think you might be mistaken,” Heng Yuqing, who was sitting beside
Ning Xueyan, said in surprise.

Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor had only recently
appeared in public, and Heng Yuqing had never heard any news about
her before that. How could anyone have seen her at the imperial party
before. Therefore, it was impossible for anyone from the imperial palace
to deliver a note to her. There must be some conspiracy behind this note!
Moreover, only the noble childes had brought the young male servants
with them. That meant the person who wrote the note was among the
noble childes opposite them.

“I won’t get the wrong person. I heard clearly that the young male
servant asked to give the note to Fifth Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor. He also said that Fifth Young Lady had fallen at the
gate, and something happened to her… Fifth Young Lady, you’d better
check it in person. I’m not clear about it,” the palace maid said, as if in a
dilemma. What she said sounded make sense.

It was true that Ning Xueyan had fallen there just now. But wait! The
palace maid seemed to be hinting that Ning Xueyan had fallen down
because she was doing something unruly with someone.

Heng Yuqing shot her a glare and was about to say something.
Chapter 185 A Note That
Conveys an Affair
Ning Xueyan pulled Heng Yuqing’s hand and stopped her. She nodded
with a smile and removed a jade bracelet from her wrist. She passed it to
the palace maid and said, “Thank you very much for telling me about
this. Please accept it as my thanks.”

“Thank you so much, Fifth Young Lady!” From the precious gem set on
the bracelet, she could tell the bracelet was very valuable. The palace
maid hadn’t expected that she would get this benefit by conveying a note
for others. She took the bracelet joyfully and bowed to Ning Xueyan.
Then she put the note into Ning Xueyan’s hand and turned to leave.

Ning Xueyan turned her head and said something to Lanning. Lanning
nodded and then walked toward a palace maid who was standing behind
the banquet table with a smile. She whispered in the palace maid’s ear,
looked a little embarrassed. Then the palace maid nodded and led
Lanning out.

Ning Xueyan spread the note in front of her and Heng Yuqing, and began
to read it.

There were only several words on the note, “Fifth Young Lady, please
come to the Graceful Moon Pavilion soon! Xia Yuhang.”

“Graceful Moon Pavilion? Xia Yuhang?” Ning Xueyan was surprised at

the beginning, and then her eyes turned to be dark and cold. She had
managed to change her direction when she was knocked fly out the gate
because she heard Xia Yuhang’s voice. At that point, she would rather
die than touch that man.

That was why she had bumped against Wen Xueran, and then fallen into
Ao Chenyi’s arms. When Ling Xue was punished, Ning Xueyan had
glanced at everyone present, but didn’t find Xia Yuhang. She had heard
him call her ‘Ziying’ seemed to be only a hallucination. But Ning
Xueyan was sure that Xia Yuhang had been there.
“Could this note be written by Xia Yuhang?” Ning Xueyan sneered.
Then she covered the sarcasm in the depth of her eyes.

She knew that was impossible.

She didn’t know why Xia Yuhang suddenly called her ‘Ziying’, but he
was a thoughtful man, and he would definitely not ask her to meet him at
the imperial palace.

At the cost of her blood, she had known what kind of person Xia Yuhang
was. But if it was Ning Xueyan who knew nothing about Xia Yuhang,
she would believe that the note was written by him. After all, Xia
Yuhang was Ning Ziyan’s husband. She would think that Xia Yuhang
wanted to meet her because something happened to Ning Ziyan and she
needed her in urgent, so she would definitely go and meet Xia Yuhang.

Except Ning Qingshan, nobody knew Ning Xueyan so well about and
hoped something bad happen to her.

Ning Xueyan became more confident when she smelled a faint fragrance
on the note. Her contempt for Ning Qingshan grew. To frame her, Ning
Qingshan had spared no effort. The fragrant powder was one of the few
she was most familiar with. They were made of a kind of herbal
medicine named ‘white orange’ and some fragrant powder.

Because the fragrant powder was so special, she remembered it clearly.

Besides, she had happened made some yesterday and it was now in her
sleeve.

Yes. This kind of fragrant powder was really special!

“What does your brother-in-law want with you? Could something have
happened to your elder sister?” Reading the words on the note, Heng
Yuqing exclaimed and then seemed to have figured out what had
happened.

Ning Qingshan must have guessed her reaction.

“Where is the Graceful Moon Pavilion?” Ning Xueyan crumpled the

note into a ball and asked.
“I know this place. Go straight down the road from the Plum Garden,
and then turn right at the intersection. Do you see it? The Graceful Moon
Pavilion is at the end of the walk,” Heng Yuqing said, pointing at the
road outside the Plum Garden.

“Okay! Got it!” Ning Xueyan smiled and stood up thoughtfully.

“Are you serious?” Heng Yuqing suddenly felt a little worried. She
pulled Ning Xueyan by the hand and gestured her to sit down. “You’d
better not go. Although he is your brother-in-law, it’s improper to meet
him alone.”

“Don’t worry. I only want to check it, and I won’t go into the Graceful
Moon Pavilion,” Ning Xueyan said with a gentle smile. Of course, she
should go and check what Ning Qingshan had prepared for her. But she
had made some preparations to deal with something unexpected.

“I still felt unassured. How about I go with you?” Heng Yuqing moved
several times and was about to stand up.

“Stop! Sit here. It will arouse attention if both of us leave!” Ning Xueyan
reached out and put her hands on Heng Yuqing’s shoulders. She shook
her head to gesture her to sit down.

“Be careful. If the person is not your brother-in-law, don’t walk over.”
Since Ning Xueyan had made up her mind, Heng Yuqing could only nod
and remind her again to be careful.

“Got it. I will be careful.” Ning Xueyan nodded and stood up. Then she
walked out, lifting the hem of her long skirt.

The banquet had not started yet. Most of the guests were still sitting
where they were, but there were several lively Young Ladies among
them who had left their seats and chatted with other Young Ladies. And
two of them were enjoying the plum blossom, standing side by side.

They were at the Plum Garden, so they could see extremely beautiful
Plum blossom everywhere.

Seeing that nobody had noticed her, Ning Xueyan stood up and walked
toward the gate of the Plum Garden.
Lanning appeared from nowhere and followed her. Nobody noticed them
as they went out.

Ao Chenyi, the aggressive and cold-blooded prince, was leaning against

the back of the chair among the male guests. He glanced at the Ning
Xueyan’s back and smiled meaningfully.

“Mingyu, has Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor gone to
Honored Consort Ya’s palace? So Honored Consort Ya wanted her to be
her daughter-in-law?”

He suddenly asked.

Ao Mingyu, who was by his side, didn’t notice that Ning Qingshan had
left. Hearing what Prince Yi said, he raised his head and found Ning
Qingshan’ seat was empty. He looked a little embarrassed. “My mother
has been impressed with her since three years ago. Maybe she just asked
her to chat with her. There couldn’t be anything special,” he explained.

He hadn’t protested when Ao Chenyi said that he wanted to choose Ning

Qingshan as his concubine. Now being asked by him, he blushed with
shame.

He knew that Honored Consort Ya liked Ning Qingshan. In the last few
years, although she had made an arrangement with the Lord Protector’s
Manor to marry Ning Yuling to Third Prince, she had always talked
about Ning Qingshan in front of him. And she requested him to promise
that even if he had married Ning Yuling, he should marry Ning Qingshan
as his co-consort in the future. She repeatedly reminded him to give back
to those who had helped him.

Since Ning Qingshan had saved his life, of course he should repay her
well.

It was three years ago when he had been saved by Ning Qingshan. He
had been sick at a remote part of the imperial palace, with nobody by his
side. If Ning Qingshan hadn’t found him and managed to help him to the
palace of Honored Consort Ya, he might have already died.

By that point, Ning Qingshan had been only thirteen years old. In order
to help him out the room, she had fallen twice, and her hand gotten
injured. When the imperial physician arrived, he had tried his best to
cure Ao Mingyu, and only after Ao Mingyu was out of danger, had the
imperial physician begun to treat Ning Qingshan’s wound. Since Ning
Qingshan had paid so much to save him, Third Prince was grateful to
her.

Therefore, he had promised his mother that he would marry Ning

Qingshan, no matter as his principal wife or his co-consort.

Now he was a little annoyed. His mother knew that his father had invited
Ao Chenyi to attend the party today, but she still asked Ning Qingshan to
her palace. Obviously, she still wanted Ning Qingshan to be her
daughter-in-law. Then what Ao Mingyu had said could be mistaken for
betraying his woman. The others would think that he had to push Ning
Qingshan, his fiancée, into Prince Yi’s arms because he was afraid of
him.

“Oh? Honored Consort Ya is really laid back. She even had time to
summon an official’s daughter she liked three years ago!” Ao Chenyi
smiled meaningfully, didn’t seem to have seen Ao Mingyu’s awkward
expression.

At this point, Ning Xueyan had walked out of the courtyard. Lanning
took several steps forward and passed her something she had taken out
from her sleeve.

They fiddled with that object in hands while walking, and after a short
while, Lanning put it back into her sleeve again.

“Miss, do you want me to have a look first?” They moved on for some
time and a pavilion appeared in the distance. They saw a tall and slim
man in the pavilion. He looked out thoughtfully, standing there with his
hands clasped behind his back. Although they could only saw his back,
they could tell that he was both handsome and elegant.

It was really Xia Yuhang!

Ning Xueyan suddenly stopped, her smile fading. “How could Xia
Yuhang be here? Is it by chance or is he really waiting for me?” she
wondered. She was Ning Xueyan now, and she didn’t think there was
anything to say between Xia Yuhang and her.
They had met only a few times, and hadn’t said much. Besides, they had
never talked about Ning Ziyan.

In her last life, they were an unmarried couple who had known each
other in childhood.

But in her current life, they were like strangers. They had little contact,
and there seemed to be no reason to meet in private.

She rolled her eyes and took a look at the surroundings around the
Graceful Moon Pavilion.

This pavilion’s geographical position was very special. It was located in

the middle section of a big artificial hill, and one side of it was blocked
by a wall. From where Ning Xueyan was, she couldn’t see what behind
the wall.

Half of the pavilion was covered by the rockery, and half of it was
exposed. There were several plum trees on the artificial hill. Such a
semi-sheltered place with beautiful scenery was really ideal for dating.

“Lanning, take this with you and ask Mr. Xia what he wanted with me.”
With that, Ning Xueyan took out the crumpled note from her sleeve and
handed it to Lanning, turning her head and pointing at Xia Yuhang, who
was in the Graceful Moon Pavilion. She was sure that it was impossible
for Xia Yuhang to have asked her here, but why he happened to show up
here?

Could Ning Qingshan have tricked him into coming here?

Ning Xueyan didn’t think that Ning Qingshan was that capable.

Lanning took the note and nodded. When she was about to walk to the
pavilion, Ning Xueyan suddenly stopped her and pulled her behind a big
tree.

They looked forward and saw Xia Yuhang turn around. He walked
downward the artificial hill, and it seemed he was going to leave.

Before leaving, he hadn’t looked around and showed no signs of waiting

for someone. He lowered his head, as if he had something difficult to
solve, and frowned tightly. Obviously, it wasn’t him to have asked Ning
Xueyan here!

Ning Xueyan and Lanning exchanged glances surprisingly.

It seemed Xia Yuhang hadn’t had an appointment with anyone, but had
deliberately come to this quiet place to soothe his worries. After walking
out of the pavilion, down the hill, he slowly walked to the side of a road.
He kept his head down along his way, as if something was bothering
him. There was loneliness on his graceful face.

Ning Ziying had worried about him when he was unhappy. But now she
had become Ning Xueyan, and she had nothing but indifference and
sarcasm for him. She looked at his back with a sneer.

“Miss, look!” Lanning suddenly pulled Ning Xueyan’s hand and

exclaimed in a low voice, pointing at the Graceful Moon Pavilion.

Ning Xueyan raised her head and looked in the direction Lanning was
pointing at, a gloomy coldness immediately appeared in her beautiful
eyes.
Chapter 186 Third Prince’s
Suspicion
Following Lanning’s finger, Ning Xueyan saw another man appeared in
the Graceful Moon Pavilion after Xia Yuhang had just left. From behind,
he looked quite similar like Xia Yuhang, and at first glance, they looked
about the same height, the same size, and even the same standing
posture!

If she had not been too familiar with Xia Yuhang in her last life, Ning
Xueyan must have mistaken that man for Xia Yuhang.

A cold smile appeared on her pale lips. “Ning Qingshan is really a

vicious woman! In order to get rid of me, she has tried every means!”
she thought.

“It must be because Xia Yuhang happened walked into the pavilion, that
man did not show up just now. That man must be hiding somewhere
nearby, so I would have been found out if I showed my face in the
pavilion,” Ning Xueyan thought. She was sure that there was something
odd about that yard behind the wall. Xia Yuhang had just gotten down
the artificial hill and gone to that yard.

She recalled the road she had passed. After having walking out of the
Plum Garden, she had turned to a corner, and then gone straight here, so
this place was not far from Plum Garden.

The party was held at the Plum Garden today. This place looked closer
than the male guest seats. Since Xia Yuhang had been able to enter that
yard, it meant the yard was opened to the public today, and there must be
some noble childes hanging out inside who was not at the party now.
Where the pavilion was located was higher than the wall, so everyone in
the yard could see her clearly if she went to the pavilion.

Once she appeared in the Graceful Moon Pavilion with a man, plus the
note in her hands, she would not be able to explain it clearly. Ning
Xueyan was even sure that the man also had a note in his hand, with her
name on.

Ning Qingshan was so vicious that she wanted to kill her at one move!

“Lanning, go over there and throw it onto the floor when nobody is
paying attention,” Ning Xueyan looked around and ordered with
coldness in her eyes, pointing to another corner.

There were many palace maids bustling around to serve fruits to the
guests and some young male servants passed there occasionally, so it
should be an exit.

She rubbed the note again and handed it to Lanning. Then she moved
back behind the tree and looked at the man in the pavilion coldly. It was
not someone she knew, so she could not tell who it was.

Lanning looked at the corner and immediately understood her master’s

intention. She took the note from Ning Xueyan’s hand and walked
toward the exit of the Plum Garden.

She walked around the corner for a while and then dropped the note
quietly on the ground in a more conspicuous position. Without stopping,
she turned a corner and walked back.

The whole process only took a short moment, and the palace maids were
busy serving the guests, so none of them had noticed Lanning’s
appearance.

Several palace maids were walking toward the Plum Garden with some
fruit trays in their hands. Suddenly, one of them stopped and kicked a
crumpled note beside her feet. She asked another palace maid beside her
surprisingly, “Hey! Did you drop your stuff?”

“No. It’s not mine.” The other palace maid looked at it and shook her
head.

“What’s that?” Several palace maids nearby heard about it and came
closer to check. When they found it was a note, they all shook their
heads to show that it was not theirs.
“What did it say? Let’s check it!” a palace maid suggested out of
curiosity.

The palace maid who had found the note handed the fruit tray in her
hands to another palace maid, and squat down to pick up the crumpled
note. When she opened it, she could not help exclaiming.

It immediately aroused many people’s attention. Even some young male

servants who passed by here stopped, wondering what had happened to
these palace maids.

“Third Young Lady of the Nings? The words look like they were written
by a man.” Although the note was crumpled and there were several
marks on the name, after spreading it, they could distinguish the words
on it.

“Which Third Young Lady? It can’t be Third Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, can it? Let me take a look.” Some palace maids had
seen Ning Qingshan at the party just now. They could not believe that
such a gentle and elegant person would do such disgraceful and immoral
affairs.

“Why it can’t be her? Look! It’s clearly indicated ‘Third Young Lady of
the Nings’, and that person asked her to meet him at the Graceful Moon
Pavilion. How can a noble Young Lady like her be so shameless!” The
palace maid who had found the note muttered. In case of the others not
believe her, she passed the note to another palace maid.

“Graceful Moon Pavilion? Is that the pavilion opposite us?” A palace

maid who stood behind them had not seen the note yet, but she had heard
what they said. She blinked and suddenly her eyes began to shine. She
remembered that the pavilion was just opposite them, so she reached out
and pointed in the direction of Graceful Moon Pavilion.

She was so surprised that she spoke loudly. Many people looked in the
direction of the Graceful Moon Pavilion along with her gaze. It was not
far from here, and they even could see clearly a man in the pavilion. He
stood there with his hand clasped behind his back and kept looking
around, as if he was waiting for someone anxiously.
They noticed that the place he was watching was the entrance of the
Plum Garden, which was closest to the female guest seats.

It was true that he was waiting for Third Young Lady. They were too…
shameless!

“It’s said Third Young Lady of Nings has gone to Honored Consort Ya’s
palace just now. Could you be mistaken? It might not be her,” someone
protested.

“Hearing what you said, I’m more confident that it must be her. It can’t
be wrong. Maybe she dropped the note when she passed by here. She
might have walked out of the Plum Garden by this way.”

“I remember! I thought I saw her just now!”

A discussion rose among the palace maids. The more they talked, the
more they felt it was true.

“Why don’t you serve the guests, but gathering here?” A eunuch came
over and yelled at the palace maids who were talking, shooting them a
glare.

He was the chief eunuch here, and he was extremely busy at today’s
party. At sight of a group of palace maids gossiping and some young
male servant overhearing aside with surprise, he could not help flying
into a rage.

Seeing their immediate superior get angry, the palace maids scattered
soon, only the palace maid who had been in the core of the palace maids
just now stood still there, with a note in her hand, looked both anxious
and frightened.

Since everyone had run away, she had to walk over to the eunuch and
handed the note to him. “I just found this note and was about to give it to
you. It seems someone made an appointment with Third Young Lady of
the Lord Protector’s Manor.”

She wanted to shift the responsibility, and she did not want to do
anything with this matter, so she said in a very cryptic way, as if she
knew nothing about what had happened. No matter whether Third Young
Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor had made an appointment with a
man, she was just a humble palace maid, so she had better watch her
tongue.

“Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor?” The eunuch was a
little surprised and his face flickered. He took the note from the palace
maid and gestured her go leave.

The palace maid immediately ran away, lifting the hem of her dress.

He opened the note which was even more crumpled and found that the
note was indeed written to Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor. His face darkened. He looked up at the man who was still in the
pavilion and thought for a while before turning to the Plum Garden.

He knew that Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was most
likely to become Third Prince’s wife. Honored Consort Ya had asked her
to her palace just now. He did not dare to make a decision on his own,
because he could not afford the consequences. After thinking for a short
moment, he turned around and walked toward Third Prince.

The matter concerned his master. As a servant, the more he knew, the
sooner he would die.

“Third Prince, I have something to report to you,” he walked close to Ao

Mingyu and said in a low voice.

At the same time, a guard walked over to Ao Chenyi in a hurry from

outside. He whispered in Ao Chenyi’s ear for a while, and then a half-
smile came over Ao Chenyi’s face. He knew that girl looked gentle and
weak, but she was actually very aggressive. She had turned the tables
after leaving for a short while. She was so smart and decisive that he
became even more interested in her.

He waved his hand lazily and let the guard leave. Then he turned to Ao
Mingyu and said meaningfully, “Mingyu, go ahead if you have
something to deal with. I want to see if there are more Young Ladies
whose appearances are acceptable and the characters are suitable for me.
The two Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor are both good, but
one is too young, and the other one…”
He did not continue, but looked at Ao Mingyu meaningfully. He curved
his thin lips up, and a sly smile appeared on his handsome face, as if he
was hinting something. It made Ao Mingyu’s smile almost stiff.

He took a deep breath, held back his anger and said with a smile, “Uncle,
I do have something to deal with. Please pick your own. I’ll be with you
later.”

“Go ahead!” Ao Chenyi waved his hand, a mysterious smile on his face.
He propped his hand on the armchair and leaned against the back of the
chair.

The little girl had gotten everything ready, and was waiting for Ao
Mingyu to take the bait.

He had been here just because he was too boring, so he had not expected
that he would have seen such a wonderful show. If he had not found that
the little girl acted weird, he would have missed the show. He wondered
whether he should watch their performance nearby, or just from this
place.

Nobody could have imagined that the powerful and cold-blooded Prince
Yi, who had a lot on his plate everyday would be pondering such a
boring question.

“Where did you get it?” Third Prince pinched the note and went angry,
and the veins on his temple beat a few times unconsciously.

“Just at the gate over there. When I walked closer to check what was
happening, several palace maids were gathering there, and it seemed they
had discussed it for a while. A few young male servants of the noble
childes were also there.” Seeing Ao Mingyu lose his temper, the eunuch
became even more respectful. He lowered his head and told him exactly
what had happened.

Nobody wanted to be involved in such affairs. He did not want to be

killed because of this, so he must tell Third Prince that he was not the
only one present, and there were some palace maids and young male
servants there. That meant this affair might have already been leaked out.
“Where is that person?” Ao Mingyu asked after being silent for a while,
coldness appeared on his face. He looked at the eunuch coldly, as if to
see if he was lying.

The eunuch’s back sweated under his gaze. Since Third Prince did not
ask more, he immediately pointed at the Graceful Moon Pavilion and
answered, “Over there. Third Prince, look! That person is still there. It
seems…”

Seeing the killing intent in Ao Mingyu’s eyes, the eunuch did not dare to
continue, and his voice became even lower.

Pinching the note in his hand, Ao Mingyu walked toward the Graceful
Moon Pavilion with a dark face. He would like to check if someone
wanted to frame Ning Qingshan, or that woman was really so immoral
and shameless!
Chapter 187 Don’t You Know
Who You are Dating?
Ao Mingyu turned the corner and strode toward the artificial hill with a
dark face, without taking anyone with him.

Suddenly, a person appeared in his way. He stopped and looked at this

person coldly. To his surprise, it was Ning Xueyan, who had a graceful
smile on her jade-like face.

“Sorry, Third Prince. I was playing with my maid, and got in your way
by accident,” Ning Xueyan stood still and apologized, her beautiful eyes
misting. After a little dressing up, she was softer and less cold than usual.

She had come from the exit of the Plum Garden which was close to the
female seats. Looking at the frightened maid who stood behind her, Ao
Mingyu believed that they were in a panic.

“Why didn’t you rest there, but came here?” His face softened and a
smile appeared on it.

“It’s my first time to the imperial palace, so I wanted to come out and
have a look at the beautiful scenery around here. I was thinking about
going over there,” Ning Xueyan answered with a smile, pointing to the
front. Her present position was very good, and looking from here, the
man in the Graceful Moon Pavilion was happened blocked, and after
taking a few steps forward, he would appear in view.

Ao Mingyu looked up in the direction of the Graceful Moon Pavilion in

confuse, but he didn’t see the man, so he thought that Ning Xueyan
hadn’t seen a person there. He then asked gently, “Why did you want to
go there? You can enjoy the scenery from other places.”

He had a feeling that he didn’t want Ning Xueyan to know about the
disgraceful affair in the Graceful Moon Pavilion.
“That place is high and it’s close to us. Although we can see the scenery
of the imperial palace from other places, they’re too far from the Plum
Garden. It’s my first time to be here, so I’m worried that I might bump
against someone influential of the imperial palace…” Ning Xueyan
smiled gracefully. Maybe because she had been playing and chasing with
her maid, her face, which had always been pale and cold, showed a faint
flush, adding a touch of charm to her beauty.

She was so charming, like a fairy came to the mortal world by chance.
Ao Mingyu glued his eyes on Ning Xueyan’s face and examined her
expression carefully. As he did not find anything abnormal, he nodded
and said, “Well, let’s go there together!”

“Third Prince, are you going there as well?” Ning Xueyan asked
curiously.

“Yes. I’m heading for there,” Ao Mingyu nodded and answered with a
smile.

“Then I’m not gonna get there now. I’ll go after you come back.” Ning
Xueyan stopped and looked around. She hesitated, as if she was thinking
of avoiding suspicion.

“Why?” Ao Mingyu asked. He wondered why she had wanted to go just

now, but suddenly stopped.

“Other people will gossip if they see only you and me there,” Ning
Xueyan refused in a soft voice. She raised her head and looked at a
corner of the Graceful Moon Pavilion, looked reluctant to leave.

She did not want to be with him alone, so obviously, she did not want
people to think that there was any intimacy between them!

Ao Mingyu could not help but smile gently. He had never met any noble
Young Ladies who spoke like her. Wherever he went, those Young
Ladies would come to him, blushing. None of them had ever said that a
woman should not stay with a man alone in front of him. Hearing what
Ning Xueyan said, his heart beat faster and he could not shift his eyes
from her delicate and childish face.
He had not ever heard any women put it straightforward that she did not
want to be alone with him!

He knew that Ning Xueyan had no place in the Lord Protector’s Manor.
Now the engagement between him and Ning Yuling had been canceled
because of Ning Yuling’s improper behavior, so Ning Xueyan would get
a lot of benefits if she would like to be under his wing. However, this
girl, who was so weak that made others want to protect, had made it clear
that she did not want to be associated with him.

The determination on her beautiful face softened his heart even more.

“Come on! Go with me. I just want to have a look, so it won’t take long.
Nobody will gossip about us, because they don’t want you to take
advantage of it,” Ao Mingyu promised seriously, but there was a trace of
irony on his lips. Many noble Young Ladies had talked and walked with
him, but they would never gossip about each other.

Because they knew that once the rumors were spread out, that would
only make it true, and the rumored heroine was very likely to become
Third Prince’s wife.

So many Young Ladies hoped that they could be the heroine in the
rumors about Ao Mingyu.

The warmth appeared for the first time in his eyes which looked gentle,
but actually were cold.

“Third Prince, can you walk behind me and climb onto the hill after I
have taken a look at the imperial palace? Maybe you can follow me not
far away,” Ning Xueyan thought for a while and suggested. She looked
in the direction of the Graceful Moon Pavilion, and seemed to be
reluctant to give up going there.

“Okay!” Since she was insisting, Ao Mingyu agreed helplessly.

Ao Mingyu made a way for them. Ning Xueyan and Lanning walked
ahead, and Ao Mingyu set off after they had taken about twenty steps
forward.
“Miss, I’ll check first and report to you later,” Lanning said excitedly.
Apparently, she was curious about the imperial palace as well.

“All right. You go first. I walk too slowly.” Ning Xueyan nodded, and
then climbed up the artificial hill along the steps one by one.

She was weak, and she began to breathe heavily after only taking a few
steps further, so she smiled and agreed to Lanning’s suggestion.

As soon as she got Ning Xueyan’s permission, Lanning immediately ran

up the hill. Ao Mingyu, who followed behind them, shook his head. This
maid could not stay calm. They almost bump against him when they had
been playing, and now she even left her master behind to watch the
scenery on her own!

Maybe he should remind Ning Xueyan to replace this maid with a

maturer one!

Lanning moved fast, and after a short while, she arrived at the Graceful
Moon Pavilion. That man heard some noise and turned around.

It was a noble childe, who looked not bad. But the way he looked at
others was frivolous, so obviously, he was not a gentleman. Seeing
Lanning, he was joyful at first, and then became a little surprised. He had
been told that Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor would meet
him here, but why did he see a maid?

“Sir, did you make an appointment with my master?” Lanning walked

over and asked frankly before he could think further. She looked at the
other side of the wall and saw several childes chatting there, some of
them standing, some sitting. Someone had noticed her, and turn his eyes
to her with a smile.

Lanning had realized that her master was right. It was a trap targeting her
master.

“Yes. Why didn’t your master come?” The man was excited. He had
heard that Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was
extremely beautiful, and she was unknown in the capital, because the
Lord Protector’s Manor had hidden her. His heart could not help beating
faster at thought of dating such a beautiful lady privately.
“Sir, do you have any evidence?” Lanning reached out and deliberately
turned her face to the wall. The man turned around along her gaze.

“Evidence?” He was surprised, and soon understood Lanning wanted

him to prove that he was the person who had asked Fifth Young Lady
out. He immediately took out a note and gave it to Lanning. “Here you
are! Tell your master and let her take it easy. I’m the person who wants
to date her. It can’t go wrong.”

Lanning took the note quickly, and meanwhile, she bowed to him on
purpose. From behind the wall, people could see nothing but a maid
saluting to someone.

She opened the note instantly, and saw that Ning Xueyan’s name was
signed on it. She was surprised that Third Young Lady who had been
famous for her filial piety was so cold-blooded. She then touched the
name of Ning Xueyan with her thumb, and the words faded away little
by little.

“Sir, don’t you know who you’re dating?” Lanning raised her head and
said seriously.

“Didn’t your master ask me to meet her here?” the man asked crossly. A
palace maid had given the note to him and told him that it was from a
beautiful lady. Therefore, he immediately came to the Graceful Moon
Pavilion. At that point, Xia Yuhang had been there, so he didn’t show up.
The palace maid had repeatedly reminded him not to go to the pavilion if
someone was there in case of being found out.

Like a cat on hot bricks, he waited nearby anxiously. Fortunately, Xia

Yuhang left finally. He then climbed up the rockery and walked into the
pavilion soon. After waiting for a long time, the Young Lady still hadn’t
come yet, so he became a little impatient. If the palace maid hadn’t
guaranteed that Fifth Young Lady was a beauty, he would have left.

“Sir, you must have made a mistake. My master is the daughter of the
principal wife of Lord Protector. She was so noble that she can even
marry a prince. How could she be so disgraceful and make an
appointment with a man? Obviously, someone wanted to frame her. Go
with me back to our manor and report this to marquis. He will definitely
investigate it, find out and severely punish the person who wanted to set
up Fifth Young Lady!”

Lanning said angrily, her face dark. Although she was only a maid, now
she was as cold and aggressive as a master.

Moreover, she mentioned Ning Zu’an. When she uttered the last few
words, the killing intent appeared in her eyes. “Ning Zu’an is a very
powerful general. If he finds out that I have something to do with this
matter, maybe not only me but also my family members will be
punished,” the man thought.

He did not believe that someone had written the note to frame Ning
Xueyan, but when he saw how aggressive Lanning was, his mind began
to waver. “Maybe the note wasn’t really written by Fifth Young Lady of
the Lord Protector’s Manor. If such kind of disgraceful affairs were
exposed, not only would I and Fifth Young Lady feel embarrassed, but
Ning Zu’an will be annoyed as well. It’s said because the Lord
Protector’s Manor protected Fifth Young Lady well, so she seldom
showed up in public.”

Thinking about this, the man was more certain that it was impossible for
Fifth Young Lady to ask him out. Maybe she had never even seen him at
all!

Thinking about Ning Zu’an, he began to sober up and think himself of

being unlucky to be involved in such an affair.

“How could I be so stupid to come here as soon as I heard it was a

beautiful lady who wanted to date me!” He shook his head and was
about to leave.

“Wait, sir! My master will be here soon. Please explain it clearly to her
face who asked you here, so that my master can look into this matter
after going back to our manor,” Lanning reached out to stop him and said
with a serious look. The note in her hand had quietly slipped onto the
floor beside the man’s feet.

When they were talking, Ning Xueyan had walked closer, panting. She
landed her hand on the rock of the entrance of the path to rest. She turned
her head and smiled at Ao Mingyu before moving on to the Graceful
Moon Pavilion.

The man in the pavilion caught sight of Ning Xueyan as well. Since there
was a turn which blocked his vision, he could not see Third Prince who
was only twenty steps behind Ning Xueyan. As soon as he saw the
childish, but extremely delicate face, he was shocked. Although he was
told that it was a beautiful lady, he had never expected her to be so
amazing.

Even the fairy in the heaven could not be even more beautiful than her!
He stood still with a foot lifted and watched Ning Xueyan come over
with blank eyes. There was no sign that he would take any action.

It seemed he was waiting for Ning Xueyan to approach.

Looking at the beautiful lady walk over, the childes in the yard became
excited, some of them admired that man, some envied, some hated…
Chapter 188 He Said It was Me
Who Had Made the Appointmen
t

“Eee? Which manor is that Young Lady from? She is so unruly that she
was even dating Li Zhiwen, the playboy! Does she have a crush on
him?”

“From her look, I can tell that she isn’t a well-behaved woman. I wonder
what she likes Li Zhiwen about.”

“They even dare to date secretly in the imperial palace. Maybe they’ve
been having an affair for a long time!”

“Definitely! From the happiness in her eyes, I can tell that they have an
affair. It’s a pity that such a beautiful lady likes a scum! It’s said Li
Zhiwen has already gotten married, and his wife is very aggressive. So
this Young Lady can only be his concubine.”

“She is so beautiful, but she has no self-respect and has fallen to this
degree. It’s easy for her to marry a noble childe as his wife, but it seems
she prefers to be a concubine. How shameless!”

The noble childes behind the wall discussed, looking at Ning Xueyan
with disdain and contempt.

The man called Li Zhiwen was still in a trance, so he did not hear the
discussion behind him at all. Ning Xueyan heard the gossip, but ignored
it. When she saw Li Zhiwen, she seemed to be a little surprised. She
stood still with a frown, and did not come over to him.

Lanning ran to Ning Xueyan and claimed resentfully, “Miss, you’d better
go back now. That psycho kept on saying that you dated him when he
saw me, and he asked me to hurry you over!”

“He said I made the appointment with him?” Ning Xueyan raised her
eyes and asked, glancing at Li Zhiwen, who was still standing in the
pavilion and staring at her.

“Yes. Miss, he insisted that you asked him out. There are many noble
childes behind the wall. Maybe someone wanted to frame you!” Lanning
said anxiously, wiping off the sweat from her forehead.

“It’s impossible. I don’t believe anybody would set me up.” Ning

Xueyan shook her head and looked at the man in the pavilion again,
seemed to be a little uneasy. She thought a while and said, “Ask him
again who on earth had asked him out. It’s my first time to visit the
imperial palace, and I didn’t even know him. How could I date him?”

“Yes, Miss. I’ll ask him now.” Lanning nodded, turned, and was about go
to that man.

“Follow me.” Ao Mingyu’s cold, unpleasant voice came from behind. He

was only a few steps away from Ning Xueyan, and he had heard what
Lanning said the moment he turned the corner of the stairs. Seeing that
Ning Xueyan was still standing there calmly and trying to figure things
out, he admired her ease so much.

A noble Young Lady should have such tolerance!

Meanwhile, he was a little annoyed. He wondered who had plotted to

ruin Ning Xueyan’s reputation. Ao Mingyu knew the man in the
pavilion. He was just a playboy. Besides, he had already gotten married.
It seemed that the person who was trying to set up Ning Xueyan wanted
her to become a playboy’s concubine!

How vicious that person was!

Ao Mingyu decided to find out the person who wanted to frame a Young
Lady, as delicate, gentle and graceful as Ning Xueyan.

When he walked up, the noble childes behind the wall were gossiping
about Ning Xueyan disdainfully. They were stunned the moment Ao
Mingyu appeared in their views. They gasped and immediately scattered.
They were back to what they had been, as if they had not seen anything
happen in the pavilion.
It was normal for Third Prince to have a woman beside him. The sisters
of the noble childes might be one of those women. Furthermore, who
dared gossip about the imperial family members? Several childes who
had spoken ill of Ning Xueyan behind her back just now began to regret.
They would have never dared to say in that way if they knew that this
Young Lady had something to do with Third Prince.

Although they were standing under the rockery, they could see Third
Prince’s face clearly. He was smiling, but there was no warmth on his
face, and when he looked at them, they saw killing intent in his eyes. So
everyone could tell that Third Prince was angry.

It seemed that this beautiful woman was close with Third Prince. Third
Prince had been gentle, and nobody had ever seen him be angry like this.

Li Zhiwen stared at Ning Xueyan blankly. He thought that the girl in

front of her was just like a fairy, and he could not shift his gaze from her.
He did not notice Ao Mingyu come over, and still stood there, with all
his attention on Ning Xueyan.

Seeing her coming, his heart pounded. He did not notice that the face of
Ao Mingyu, who was walking ahead of Ning Xueyan darkened and his
smile was about to freeze.

“How dare you not bow to Third Prince?” Lanning walked over and
yelled at Li Zhiwen, who was still in a daze.

“Third Prince? Nobody can shift my eyes from the beautiful lady!” Li
Zhiwen thought, looking a little upset. He reached out and tried to push
the person standing in his way. As soon as he saw the eyes with sneer
inside, he could not help shivering. “Third Prince! Third Prince?”

He immediately shifted his eyes from Ning Xueyan. When he saw Ao

Mingyu’s darkened face, he was so scared that he was almost felt onto
the ground. “What happened? Why didn’t I notice that Third Prince
came?”

“Greetings, Third Prince!” Li Zhiwen’s face turned pale. He immediately

bowed to Ao Mingyu.
“Why are you here, Mr. Li?” Ao Mingyu sized him up and saw the note
beside his feet. The note was similar to the one in Ao Mingyu’s hand
from both quality and color of the paper.

“I, I came here to enjoy the scenery, simply enjoy the scenery. The
scenery here is especially beautiful,” Li Zhiwen explained. Looking at
Ning Xueyan standing beside Ao Mingyu, he was completely sober.

The maid had told him that someone wanted to frame her master, and she
had also mentioned Lord Protector’s Manor. Now Third Prince was just
in front of him. If they were annoyed, he might die even without
knowing the cause.

From Third Prince’s look, Li Zhiwen could tell that he cared about Fifth
Young Lady very much. Li Zhiwen was a playboy, but he was not stupid.
He had already seen the situation clearly, and he dare not say that it was
Ning Xueyan who had asked him here.

“The scenery here is especially beautiful? Mr. Li, it seems you want to
stay here all along? Then I will tell the chief eunuch to arrange for you.
Then you can stay here forever.” Ao Mingyu suddenly smiled gently.

But in Li Zhiwen’s eyes, such a smile was horrible. His back sweated.
“Does Third Prince want to kill me and bury me here? Then I will really
unable to leave the imperial palace anymore,” he wondered.

“Third Prince, a palace maid… gave me a note. She told me that…. a

Young Lady wanted me… to be here,” Li Zhiwen immediately
explained. Under the gaze of Ao Mingyu’s glittering eyes, Li Zhiwen
dared not to hide the truth anymore. He had never been so sober, and he
saw the gentleness in Third Prince’s eyes when he looked at Ning
Xueyan. Besides, he dared not to offend Ning Zu’an either.

If Third Prince and Ning Zu’an found out that he wanted to take
advantage of Fifth Young Lady, he would die a graveless death, and even
his family could be sentenced.

“A note? Where is it?” Ao Mingyu reached out and said slowly.

“Third Prince, I… I’ll show it to you now.” Li Zhiwen put his left hand
in his right sleeve and began to fumble. He was so nervous that he forgot
that he had given the note to Lanning just now. Now he was trying to
find it out to prove his innocence.

However, no matter how he fumbled, he could not find the note. Sweat
immediately rose from his forehead. Although Ao Mingyu was smiling,
his eyes were filled with coldness. Li Zhiwen’s hands could not help
trembling. He said, “Third… Prince, I’m not lying. The note was just in
my hand.”

“Is this one?” Ao Mingyu pointed at the note beside his feet.

“Yes, yes. That’s it!” Li Zhiwen exclaimed excitedly. He crouched and

picked the note up. Then he handed it to Ao Mingyu respectfully and felt
a little relieved. Fortunately, he had the evidence to prove his innocence.

He thought since he had not done anything to Ning Xueyan, of course he

was innocent. Fortunately, he had not put his dirty ideas into action, and
he would never dare to mention it in the future anymore.

“Mr. Li, so you came here to date a Young Lady because a palace maid
had given you a note?” Ning Xueyan raised her head and looked at Li
Zhiwen with a faint smile.

“Yes. I’m telling the truth. I wouldn’t have come here if that palace maid
didn’t give the note to me.” Li Zhiwen was so nervous, like being on
pins and needles. He did dare look at Ning Xueyan, and he answered
everything she asked, lowering his head.

“Fifth Young Lady, why did you come here?” Ao Mingyu glanced at the
note and asked Ning Xueyan with a smile.

“I heard that the scenery of the imperial palace is beautiful, and from the
Graceful Moon Pavilion, one could see most of the palace. I came to the
imperial palace for the first time and I was curious, so I came here.” Her
eyes flickered with bewilderment and irritation. Obviously, she had
realized what was happening.

Since it was Ning Xueyan’s first time to visit the imperial palace, it was
no wonder that the scenery here was extremely attractive to her.
Moreover, only those who came to the imperial palace for the first time
did not know that there was a yard beside the Graceful Moon Pavilion
for resting.

The male guest seats of the Plum Garden were close to this yard, so there
must be many noble childes here. A Young Lady who knew such things
would never venture here, unless she was new to the imperial palace, and
knew nothing of it, like Ning Xueyan.

Li Zhiwen, the man in front of him was not that powerful, and his father
was only a grade four official. It seemed it was his first time to visit the
imperial palace as well. Ao Mingyu had met him two times outside the
imperial palace. Since Li Zhiwen was a well-known playboy, Ao Mingyu
had some impression of him.

Ao Mingyu was confident that it was impossible for Ning Xueyan to

have a crush on Li Zhiwen, let alone date him at a place that was easy to
be found out, unless both she and Li Zhiwen were framed by someone.
Of course, that person’s target was not Li Zhiwen, but Ning Xueyan.

At thought of the delicate and weak girl in front of him almost being set
up, he could not help being angry. If he had not come with her, the
amazing girl’s reputation would have been ruined, and have to be a
concubine of a playboy! Ao Mingyu cursed inwardly, eyes burning with
anger.

He shook his sleeve hard and shouted angrily, “Get out!”

“Yes, yes, yes…” Seeing the killing intent in Ao Mingyu’s eyes, Li

Zhiwen answered in a hurry. He passed them, shivering, and then ran
down as fast as he could. Because he was too nervous, he bumped
against a stone on the rockery. Regardless of pain, he ran helter-skelter.

“Nothing is special here. Let’s go!” Ao Mingyu looked around and said.
His face turned soft when he looked at the pure and dark eyes of Ning
Xueyan.

“Well, let’s go. Third Prince, thank you for your help. I’m leaving now.”
Ning Xueyan nodded and bowed to Ning Mingyu with a faint smile. She
looked at the yard behind the rockery and saw those noble childes. None
of them were looking at them.
“You’re welcome. You’d better not walk about in the imperial palace, but
go back to the Plum Garden,” Ao Mingyu said meaningfully.

Ning Xueyan smiled and stopped talking. Then she walked down the
artificial hill with Lanning.
Chapter 189 Series of Stratagems
The paper of the two notes was the same, and if someone compared them
in detail, he would find that they were torn from the same piece of paper,
and the only difference between them was that one had a name on it, and
another one did not have.

The crumpled note was broken, but they could vaguely recognize the
words ‘Third Young Lady of the Nings’.

Ao Mingyu combined the two notes together and stood in the pavilion
with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked at Ning Xueyan, who
was walking down the rockery, and frowned.

The slim and weak girl in snow-white imperial gown still stayed calm,
and did not show alarm or surprise even something unexpected had
happened. But she was a little cold when she left just now. It seemed that
she did not want to spend any more time with him.

She was a smart girl, and she must have already figured out who wanted
to set her up!

A playboy had come here after receiving a note from a palace maid, and
Ning Xueyan had come as well, as someone had told her that she could
saw the beautiful scenery here. Since the Graceful Moon Pavilion was
located in such a conspicuous place, they would definitely be found out.
If that happened, she would end up miserably.

She had never shown up in public before, so it was impossible for her to
offend any outsiders. It was said that Ning Qingshan had tried to stir up
trouble with her at the Lord Protector’s Manor for an account book of the
backyard of the manor. She was most likely to frame Ning Xueyan.

But if Ning Qingshan happened to have such a note, what would others
think?

They would think that the political opponents of the Lord Protector’s
Manor wanted to deal with Ning Zu’an, so they framed his daughters
who had just come to the imperial palace. Ning Qingshan did not fall for
it, because she had happened gone to Honored Consort Ya’s palace.

What a reasonable explanation! It seemed it had nothing to do with Ning

Qingshan. But Ao Mingyu was not an ordinary person, and he paid more
attention to the result. Ning Xueyan had come here. If she had not met
him by chance, something bad would have happened to her. If that was
the case, who would benefit the most?

Of course it was Ning Qingshan!

Without Ning Xueyan, she would be able to help Madam Dowager to

manage the internal affairs of the Lord Protector’s Manor, maybe more
than that!

But it was hard for him to believe that Ning Qingshan was such a person.

Could the kind and gentle girl, who had even gotten injured in order to
save him, have become so vicious? She had almost been isolated from
the secular world in the nunnery for three years, and her life should be
purer. He could not imagine how a woman from that place could end up
like this?

But if it was not Ning Qingshan who had set a trap, who would want to
harm Ning Xueyan?

Ning Xueyan was not the most distinguished daughter at Lord

Protector’s Manor. She had been abandoned in the backyard for years,
and no outsiders would have noticed her if nobody of the manor had
mentioned her. Even Ning Zu’an did not care about her either. Maybe the
relationship between him and Ning Xueyan was very indifferent. In his
heart, she was even inferior to a concubine’s daughter. Therefore, even if
Ning Xueyan got involved in troubles, it would have little effect on Ning
Zu’an.

Ning Zu’an’s political opponents would not do such a meaningless thing!

Third Prince was not certain whether it was Ning Qingshan or not who
had set the trap. He spread the note with the words ‘Third Young Lady of
the Nings’ again and examined it carefully, but found that apart from
being crumpled and a little worn, this note was nothing special.
He stepped down the Graceful Moon Pavilion slowly and tore the other
note in his hand into pieces. Then he threw them and strode toward the
male guest seats in the Plum Garden.

After he had gone far and walked into the Plum Garden, Lanning showed
up at the rockery again.

The note pieces scattered on the stone steps. Lanning picked them up
naturally and turned to leave. After a short while, she caught up with
Ning Xueyan, who was walking slowly.

“Miss, why did you ask me to pick up the note?” Lanning asked, handing
the note pieces to Ning Xueyan.

“The words that just disappeared will show up again after a short while.”
Ning Xueyan smiled, looking at the note calmly. The white orange’s
effect could not last long, and after a short moment, her name would
appear on the note again.

“Miss, since Third Prince believed that you were here because you were
tricked, what if he saw your name on it?” Lanning asked, puzzled. She
was smart, but she still could not figure out Ning Xueyan’s intention.

Since Third Prince had known that her master was framed, he should
think it was normal that someone had tricked that man into coming here.
Lanning was confused about why her master asked her to wait there and
picked up the note after Third Prince had torn and thrown it. Not only
was there no benefit in doing so, but someone might find out.

In Lanning’s opinion, it was not worth the loss!

“It doesn’t matter even if Third Prince found you to pick up this note.
Since it has something to do with me, it’s normal for me to take it back
and investigate about it secretly. As for the words ‘Ni Xueyan’ on the
note, it was another of Ning Qingshan’s tricks. She was smart and even if
she wanted to frame others, she wouldn’t leave any obvious traces. How
could she be so stupid to write my name on it? So even if other people
found the note, they wouldn’t think that it has anything to do with her.”

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly.

Ning Qingshan was not only vicious but also smart. She used a set of
interlocking stratagems, so skillfully!

She wrote her name on both notes, as if it was true that Ning Xueyan had
made the appointment with that man. Besides, the dating place was the
Graceful Moon Pavilion where many people could see them. Thinking
about it carefully, people would find many flaws. How could a smart
person like Ning Qingshan come up with such a stupid idea?

Therefore, even if the others finally found that Ning Xueyan was
trapped, they would not suspect Ning Qingshan.

Then nobody would get justice for Ning Xueyan even if they knew that
she was set up. So she could only come to a miserable end.

These were the interlocking stratagems of Ning Qingshan. But the

moment Ning Xueyan smelled the flavor of the white orange, she had
already known Ning Qingshan’s plan, so she asked Lanning to borrow a
pair of scissors, and turned the ‘Fifth’ to ‘Third’ on the note with it. Then
she asked Lanning to come to that man and manage to get the other note
from him, and wipe her name from the note.

The whole process was so complicated and confusing!

Nobody had mentioned Ning Qingshan, but by his character, Ao Mingyu

would definitely suspect her.

Sometimes, things did not have to be proven.

Slight negligence might lead to a great disaster!

Ning Qingshan was not easy to deal with, so Ning Xueyan decided to
slow down the process.

Ning Qingshan had lost a personal maid without any preparation. Today,
Ning Xuyan just took an opportunity and showed the notes in front of Ao
Mingyu. As for what Ao Mingyu would think, it was none of her
business.

When she was talking with Lanning, she suddenly saw Heng Yuqing and
her maid come over in a hurry. Heng Yuqing felt relieved when she saw
Ning Xueyan and Lanning were safe and sound. She pulled Ning
Xueyan’s hand and asked in a low voice, “Are you really okay?”

“I’m okay. I happened to encounter Third Prince. We chatted for a while,

and then I came back,” Ning Xueyan answered, smiling gently.

Feeling the sweat in Heng Yuqing’s hand, warmth rose from her cold
heart. Unlike Ning Ziyan’s false affection, Heng Yuqing cared for Ning
Xueyan with all her heart. From the way she looked at her, Ning Xueyan
could tell that Heng Yuqing did not want to get anything for her, but was
worried about her safety and wanted to do something for her from the
bottom of her heart.

To prevent her from being worried, Ning Xueyan did not tell her what
had happened in the pavilion.

“Third Prince? Why did he come here? It’s said he is going to get
engaged with Ning Qingshan,” Heng Yuqing said with a frown. She
thought it over and felt Ning Qingshan, the hypocritical woman, was
most likely to frame Ning Xueyan. Moreover, Ning Qingshan had
walked with Third Prince just now. It was said that they were very close.
Therefore, Heng Yuqing was also wary of Third Prince.

“He was just hanging out. Don’t worry. I’ve torn the note, and I won’t
get into trouble,” Ning Xueyan said with a smile, trying to relieve her.

“Fortunately you didn’t go to the Graceful Moon Pavilion. I thought it

over and suddenly remembered that there was a yard near it. Since many
noble childes came for the party, maybe some of them would go to the
yard. If you met Mr. Xia there, gossip would spread. Then you might…”

Heng Yuqing explained, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a
handkerchief. Although she did not finish her words, she had expressed
her meaning clearly. Other people would think that Ning Xueyan tried to
seduce his brother-in-law shamelessly. Then she could only end up with
a miserable end.

“You came here for me?” Ning Xueyan examined Heng Yuqing’s
expression carefully and asked, looking thoughtfully.
“Yes. I’ve thought it over. With me by your side, even if we met Childe
Xia, it doesn’t matter, because we can tell the others that we happened to
encounter him by chance. If I was a little later than you to arrive at the
pavilion, and saw you and Childe Xia alone there, I can explain to other
people that we planned to go to the pavilion together, but I had
something to deal with, so I asked you to go first, and I would meet you
there later. Then the others won’t have any reason to gossip.”

Heng Yuqing said sincerely.

She had been thinking why Childe Xia asked the maid to give the note to
Ning Xueyan. What on earth could he want to tell Ning Xueyan to her
face in the imperial palace? After thinking for a long time, she failed to
get the answer. Later, when several palace maids mentioned Graceful
Moon Pavilion by accident, she suddenly realized how improper it would
be if Ning Xueyan met Xia Yuhang there.

That place was obvious and easy to be found. From the pavilion, which
was located in a higher position, one could see half of the imperial
palace. That also meant that people in the pavilion would be seen by
others easily. What was more, there was a yard beside it, and there must
be someone there today on such an occasion. At thought of this, Heng
Yuqing began to be extremely worried.

She then stood up and ran out.

Looking at Heng Yuqing, Ning Xueyan felt a little guilty. She grabbed
Heng Yuqing by the hand firmly and comforted her. “It’s all right now.
It’s all over. Nobody hurt me.”

She was guilty because she had suddenly thought of what Ning Ziyan
had done to her in her last life, and wondered whether Heng Yuqing was
the same kind of person.

She had been emotionally devastated in her last life, and it was hard for
her to believe the sisterhood. But now, she was sure that she trusted
Heng Yuqing.

“I think the note might not be written by Childe Xia. Do you need me to
check who asked the palace maid to give it to you? The person who
wanted to frame you should be punished!” Heng Yuqing was not a
person to put up with being bullied. After recovering from her panic, she
could not help being angry at thought of someone trying to set Ning
Xueyan up.

She came more times to the imperial palace than Ning Xueyan did, and
one of her cousins was here, so she knew something about it.

Ning Xueyan smiled faintly. Of course she would not let go of the palace
maid who had conveyed the note to her for Ning Qingshan. No matter
she had been sent by Ning Qingshan or someone else, she had something
to do with this matter.

“Don’t bother. We’ll know who did it soon,” Ning Xueyan said
insouciantly with a smile, playing with the handkerchief in her hands.
Her eyes were filled with coldness.

“Ning Qingshan knows how to use irrelevant people, I can do the same,”
she thought.
Chapter 190 Why Has Nothing
Bad Happened to Ning Xueyan?
The banquet started officially. The empress came here to have a look.
Since she had no children, of course she was no interested in the banquet
at all. She showed her face for a while, then left the principle seats to
Honored Consort Ya and Honored Consort Shu. The main hostess of the
banquet was Honored Consort Ya, and Honored Consort Shu would help
her to host. Both of them had an adult son.

Third Prince and Fourth Prince were the most outstanding princes among
all the adult sons of the emperor.

Honored Consort Ya and Honored Consort Shu sat on the principal seats
among the female guests, and Prince Yi sat on the principal seat among
the male guests. Because the emperor was not feeling well, he did not
show up.

Ning Qingshan came in with Honored Consort Ya. Then she went to her
own seat quietly, did not seem to be arrogant because of Honored
Consort Ya. Seeing her gentle smile, Honored Consort Ya liked her even
more. “Only such a woman is worthy of my son!” she thought.

“Yu’er, would you like to rearrange Shan’er’s seat and ask her to sit next
to me?” Honored Consort Ya asked gently. Her voice was both polite and
generous, and she looked even calmer and more graceful than the
empress.

“Mother, it’s unnecessary. Since my uncle is choosing his consort, I’m

afraid that… he will be annoyed if I do this.” Ao Mingyu shook his head
with a smile and stopped Honored Consort Ya.

As same as Honored Consort Ya’s, his smile was both gentle and noble.
Although he was not proud, people could feel the noble aura from him.
All his movements were graceful and easy, and everyone would think
him a gentleman.
“Since you have decided to marry her, it will be awkward for both of you
if she were chosen by Prince Yi.” Honored Consort Ya looked at Ao
Chenyi, who was not far away from her, and her eyelid could not help
twitching. A complex look flashed in her eyes. Sensing that Ao Chenyi
turned to her, she immediately lowered her head and lowered her voice
unconsciously.

“Mother, I haven’t decided to marry anyone yet. No matter who uncle

chooses, please don’t say anything. Otherwise, father will be angry,” Ao
Mingyu persuaded her calmly.

He knew that Honored Consort Ya had always liked Ning Qingshan. But
it would be improper to show that Ning Qingshan was special to him on
such an occasion. Especially that Ao Chenyi was here. He did not want
to offend Ao Chenyi because of Ning Qingshan. Now he was much
weaker than Ao Chenyi in terms of competence and strength, so he
would not confront him openly, but would deal with him secretly.

“But what if he chose Shan’er? Shan’er can’t survive in his manor. Three
years ago, if she didn’t save you, you might have already died. You have
made up your mind to marry her at that point. Now Shan’er is more
elegant and beautiful than three years ago. Why are you in no hurry to
marry her?”

Honored Consort Ya asked in surprise.

Three years ago, after being saved by Ning Qingshan, Ao Mingyu told
his mother that he wanted to marry her. Honored Consort Ya asked Ning
Qingshan for it privately, but Ning Qingshan said shyly that she was too
young and she wanted to talk about it when she grew up. From her look,
Honored Consort Ya could tell that she liked Ao Mingyu from her heart,
and Ao Mingyu treated her differently as well.

In the past three years, not only Honored Consort Ya had frequently
talked about Ning Qingshan, Ao Mingyu’s attachment to her had not
changed at all. Every year on that day, he would visit the Lord
Protector’s Manor to inquire about her. But now Ao Mingyu seemed not
to be eager to marry Ning Qingshan. What was more, he even made
Honored Consort Ya think he did not care about Ning Qingshan at all.
Otherwise, how could he even not being anxious when he knew that
Ning Qingshan might be chosen by Ao Chenyi?

Ao Chenyi was arrogant, but he would not fight with Ao Mingyu for a
woman. Everyone said that he was cold-blooded. Although it was said
that the woman beside him was his favorite concubine, it did not mean
that she had won his heart, because by now, nobody had heard any
woman had ever succeeded to do so.

According to her experience, Honored Consort Ya could tell that woman

was nothing but a pet of Ao Chenyi. She sat there timidly, and she even
did not dare to move closer to Ao Chenyi. On the other hand, Ao Chenyi
was drinking alone, and showed no sign to be close to her. Was she really
the favorite concubine who had dared to annoy Ao Chenyi?

With a woman’s intuition, she could tell that Ao Chenyi did not like that
woman in the veil.

What was more, that woman even was afraid of Ao Chenyi!

“Mother, it’s not worth to arouse other people’s attention to this. Among
the officials, not only Ning Zu’an was powerful,” Third Prince said. His
voice was so low that only Honored Consort Ya could hear. But he had
expressed his meaning clearly, that was, he did not have to marry Ning
Qingshan, and Ning Zu’an was not the only one who was powerful.

Honored Consort Ya thought it over and became worried. She pulled Ao

Mingyu’s sleeve and wanted to persuade him again. At this point, she
suddenly saw Ning Qingshan looking in her direction. She looked so
gentle and weak. Honored Consort Ya smiled at her, trying to relieve her.

Ning Qingshan had mentioned to Honored Consort Ya at her palace that

Ao Mingyu was not as good to her as he had been three years ago.
Honored Consort Ya thought that she was too sensitive. But now she
found that her son had changed.

“Yu’er, do you have a crush on some other girl?” Honored Consort Ya

knew her son well, so she immediately figured out the cause.

“Mother, don’t think too much. We should respect uncle’s will. Mother,
have you forgotten what my father said?” Ao Mingyu answered calmly.
Honored Consort Ya did not know how to reply. She glanced at Ao
Chenyi, who was sitting lazily on the other side, a coldness flashing in
her eyes.

Since the previous emperor had designated Ao Chenyi to be his

successor, if nothing unexpected happened, he would still be the
emperor’s brother, and would become the emperor in the future.
Although the emperor had not decreed that Ao Chenyi would inherit the
throne in the future, everyone knew that it was the previous emperor’s
will. Therefore, it was not easy for the emperor to have his son to take
the throne.

Before supporting his son to the throne, the emperor had to pretend that
he cared about Ao Chenyi.

Honored Consort Ya nodded helplessly, sighing. Even the emperor did

not dare to provoke him, what a concubine like her could do? What she
could do was to pray that Ao Chenyi would not choose Ning Qingshan
as his concubine. Otherwise, she could not help her either. She knew if
she dared to meddle, Ao Chenyi would immediately take action to stop
her.

He even dared to kill the emperor’s men at will. What else did he dare
not do?

She waved her hand, gesturing the palace maids to serve the dishes.
Honored Consort Ya felt uneasy with Ao Chenyi’s presence of the
banquet. She always felt that he was looking at her coldly. She found it
was hard to maintain her smile. If he had known that Ao Chenyi would
have shown up, she would manage to ask the empress to host the party.

Now the delicious dishes and wine had been served by the palace maids.
Seeing that both Honored Consort Ya and Third Prince did not look at
her again, Ning Qingshan took this opportunity to look in the direction of
Ning Xueyan.

Since she had been at Honored Consort Ya’s palace just now, she
happened to have an alibi. But also because of it, she did not know what
was going on. She did not find anything abnormal in other people’s eyes,
so she was not certain whether what she expected had happened to Ning
Xueyan or not.
Since she had come in with Honored Consort Ya just now, it might have
aroused attention from the others. If something bad had happened to
Ning Xueyan, it might arouse suspicion for her to look straight at Ning
Xueyan as soon as she came back to the Plum Garden.

Therefore, Ning Qingshan had not taken any action until now.

She turned her head slightly to Ning Xueyan’s direction, and

immediately saw a pair of cold, jet-black eyes looking at her. Ning
Xueyan’s gaze was so cold that it made Ning Qingshan, who had always
been so calm, fell into a panic. Her heart beat faster. How could Ning
Xueyan was still sitting there, safe and sound？
A faint smile appeared on Ning Xueyan’s delicate face. Seeing Ning
Qingshan looking at her surprisingly, she held up the wine glass and
raised it several times in Ning Qingshan’s direction, and then drank the
wine up. She deliberately pointed the rim of the wine glass at her to
show that it was empty. Her movements were both fluid and graceful.
She curved her lips up, looking extremely charming.

What surprised Ning Qingshan most was that nobody around her was
gossiping about Ning Xueyan, and Ning Xueyan was not as discomfited
as she had imagined.

How could nothing bad happen to her?

Ning Qingshan was shocked, and her pupils could not help but contract.
She clenched the handkerchief in his hands, having a bad foreboding.

Not only nothing bad had happened to Ning Xueyan, but she was still as
calm as before as well. In other people’s eyes, she was showing her
friendship when she had toasted Ning Qingshan at a distance just now,
but in Ning Qingshan’s opinion, it was a provocation and a mockery.

If nothing had happened yesterday, she might have thought that Ning
Xueyan did not afraid of her because she had no idea how manipulative
she was. But after yesterday’s incident, she knew that Ning Xueyan was
on par with her. She had thought for quite a long time last night, and
could not help gritting her teeth at thought of falling into Ning Xueyan’s
trap.
If she had not underestimated Ning Xueyan, her personal maid would not
have died. More importantly, Madam Dowager’s impression of her was
getting worse. Someone might be gossiping about her to ruin her
reputation. All she had suffered were because of Ning Xueyan, so Ning
Qingshan could not help but burn with anger.

That was why the gentle smile of Ning Xueyan made her feel creepy.

Her fear was justified. Before she could find a way to deal with Ning
Xuyan, she suddenly heard a Young Lady crying out, “Ah! My golden
hair-pin is missing!”

The Young Lady’s face turned pale and she collapsed on the seat with
fear in her eyes, trembling. Her maid at her side was supporting her by
the arm.

“What happened?” Honored Consort Ya put down her chopsticks, and

asked crossly. She ordered a palace maid beside her to ask what was
going on. Honored Consort Shu next to her stopped talking with Fourth
Prince and turned around.

“Your Highness, that Young Lady lost her hair-pin. She borrowed it from
her grandmother,” the palace maid came back after a short while and
whispered in Honored Consort Ya’s ear.

Honored Consort Ya knew that Young Lady. She was the daughter of the
principal wife of her manor, but her grandmother did not like her, and it
was said that she would be extremely scared whenever she had to visit
her grandmother. Now she had lost the precious stuff of her grandmother,
so it was no wonder that her face had turned ashen at fear.

“Ask her when she found it missing. Then have someone to look into the
matter,” Honored Consort Ya ordered with a darkened face. In her eyes, a
hair-pin was nothing at all. But since she was the hostess of the party, she
felt awkward to have let such a thing happen. Besides, the emperor might
doubt her ability.

“Got it. I’ll arrange for it right now.” The palace maid nodded and then
went to that Young Lady for information. After a short while, she
gathered all the palace maids and eunuchs present for questioning.
Now things were getting big. All the Young Ladies looked embarrassed.
Since they had been present when the hair-pin was missing, if it could
not be found on the palace maids and the eunuchs, they could be next in
line for scrutiny.
Chapter 191 Miss, She Stole Your
Bracele
t

The palace maids and eunuchs were very cooperative, so after a short
while, the investigation of them was over. That hair-pin was not on them!

“Do I really have to search these Young Ladies for the hair-pin?”

Honored Consort Ya was in a dilemma. Her face darkened. All the

Young Ladies were from noble families, and it would be an insult to
them to search them. But if She did not ask people to search them, she
did not know how to solve the problem. Furthermore, the palace maids
and the eunuchs had already been searched.

“Are all the palace maids and eunuchs who were present just now here?
Could any of them haven’t been searched yet?” None of the Young
Ladies would like to be searched, so someone could not help asking.

“Sure enough. There were many palace maids and eunuchs bustling
around here just now. Maybe someone has passed by here occasionally
and took the hair-pin away,” another Young Lady said, following the first
one. If they were searched here, they would feel ashamed to show their
faces in public in the future.

“Your Highness, please check again if there were anyone else had passed
by here just now,” A Young Lady stepped out the crowd and suggested,
bowing to Honored Consort Ya respectfully.

Honored Consort Ya was thinking about this as well. She knew that she
could not order people to search the Young Ladies. Otherwise, it would
stir troubles up. She then nodded and gestured that Young Lady to sit
down.

She ordered the palace maid beside her to bring all the palace maids and
eunuchs in attendance at the party, including someone passing by here,
someone picking plum blossom here, and someone fetching things here.
After a short moment, about twenty or thirty more palace maids were
brought here.

Looking at one of the palace maids, Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. It was
the one who had given the note to her.

When these palace maids and eunuchs were about to be taken away and
searched, Lanning suddenly said, pointing at one of the palace maids,
“Miss, she stole your bracelet! Look! It’s still on her wrist!”

There was an uproar when the crowd heard that someone had stolen a
bracelet and been caught. They looked at the palace maid who was being
pointed at by Lanning and saw an extremely delicate bracelet set with
precious gems.

Seeing that everyone, including Honored Consort Ya and Honored

Consort Shu, who were sitting on the principal seats turned to her, the
palace maid was so scared that she immediately covered the bracelet
with her hand, trying to hide it from others. She repeated subconsciously,
“This is… mine. I didn’t steal it.”

“It’s yours?” Lanning walked over to her and lifted her wrist in front of
everyone. “This bracelet was left by Madam Ming to my young master,
and it also bears the name of Madam Ming. Do you want to argue that
Madam Ming gave it to you?” Lanning shouted angrily.

Ming Feiyong had given this bracelet to Ning Xueyan, saying that
Madam Ming liked it most before marrying to Ning Zu’an. The bracelets
were originally a pair, but unfortunately, one was broken, so she did not
wear them again since then, and left it in the Ming Manor. Maybe
because Madam Ming was still very young at that point, she had asked
someone to carefully carve her name on the bracelet.

Madam Ming had hidden herself in Bright Frost Garden for years. She
even had never left Bright Frost Garden, let alone coming to the imperial
palace. Therefore, it was impossible for her to give the bracelet to a
palace maid at imperial palace. Obviously, the palace maid was lying.

Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes and quietly looked at Ning Xueyan, who
was standing beside Lanning with an anxious look. He then looked at the
pale palace maid and Ning Qingshan, who was on the other side. His lips
curved up and a faint smile appeared on them. “This little girl is not that
generous, and she won’t bear to suffer a little loss!”

But that was his type!

“I, I…” The palace maid had just recovered from her panic. She knelt
down and said, pointing at Ning Xueyan. “Fifth Young Lady of the
Nings gave it to me.”

“Tell me what happened.” As the hostess of the party, Honored Consort

Ya felt humiliated for such a thing. She ordered her people to take that
palace maid to her and asked.

At the same time, Ning Xueyan and Lanning were brought to her as well.

Ning Qingshan’s seat was close to them, so although she did not move,
she could see everything clearly. She had a bad presentiment that made
her restless. She was so anxious that she had crumpled the handkerchief
in her hands. “What’s Ning Xueyan doing?” she wondered.

Honored Consort Shu sat next to Honored Consort Ya. She sized up Ning
Xueyan, eyes shining.

The male guests knew something unusual happened among the female
guests as well. Some childes looked in this direction curiously. “How
dare someone steal at the palace banquet? Doesn’t she want to live?”
they thought.

Hearing Honored Consort Ya ask, Ning Xueyan walked over and bowed
to her respectfully. She said in a soft voice, “Your Highness, how could I
give such a precious thing to a maid as a reward? What’s more, the
bracelet was left by my mother, so it means something special to me.”

Ignore the palace maid’s pathetic pleading eyes, she said slowly.

It sounded reasonable. How could a Young Lady give such a precious

bracelet to a maid just because she had served tea and fruit for her?
Besides, this bracelet was left by this Young Lady’s mother. Honored
Consort Ya looked at the bracelet carefully. It was both delicate and
gorgeous, and was exactly as she remembered it. It really Madam Ming’s
bracelet.

Honored Consort Ya put down the bracelet and was about to say
something.

“Fifth Young Lady, you must have forgotten that I gave you a note. This
lord asked me to give it to you,” she said, pointing at a eunuch. Then she
turned to that eunuch and continued, “Lord, do you still remember that
you told me to make sure that I would give this note to Fifth Young
Lady, and you said this note was picked up by someone else.” The palace
maid had been carefully watching what Honored Consort Ya was doing
and saying, now she found things went bad and became to defend
herself. She looked around, and suddenly saw a eunuch hiding behind
Honored Consort Ya. She immediately shouted at him.

That eunuch had been standing behind Honored Consort Ya. Obviously,
he worked for her. Being accused by the palace maid, he was shocked,
then in panic. He waved his hands in a hurry and explained, “I didn’t do
it. Third Young Lady…”

He turned his head to look for Ning Qingshan.

“How dare you!” Honored Consort Ya shouted angrily. An old mammy

came over and slapped the eunuch hard. The eunuch stumbled and then
fell onto the floor. “Those who attended the banquet today were all
daughters of the officials. If you dare talk nonsense again, I’ll beat you to
death!”

The old mammy looked at him fiercely and threatened.

“Yes, yes! I, I wanted to say that I didn’t know anything about Fifth
Young Lady, and I had no idea about what the palace maid was talking
about. I didn’t see her today. How could I ask her to give something to
the others? She must have stolen Fifth Young Lady’s bracelet and
couldn’t explain it, so she tried to shift the blame on me.”

Being slapped, the eunuch became sober. He was eager to correct

himself, so he explained and denied that he had asked the palace maid to
convey the note.
He regretted. If he had expected that he would be involved in such a
trouble, he would not have sent the note for Third Young Lady in order
to flatter her. Now he could not tell the truth in front of people. He knew
what Honored Consort Ya meant. If he mentioned Third Young Lady, he
would definitely die.

“I, I, I’m not lying. He asked me to give the note to Fifth Young Lady,
and he even gave me a silver ingot as a reward. Your Highness, if you
don’t believe me, please take a look.” Hearing that the eunuch had
denied what he had done, the palace maid was in a panic. She took out a
silver ingot from her pocket and showed it to Honored Consort Ya,
hoping Honored Consort Ya would trust her.

“He… why did he ask you to give the note to me? It’s my first time to
visit the imperial palace, and I don’t have acquaintances here. Why did
someone write the note to me? It’s not reasonable! You must be lying
because you wanted to deny that you stole my bracelet.” Ning Xueyan’s
voice was not high, and she looked gentle when she spoke, as if she was
talking to herself. However, since there was a sudden silence, almost
everyone close to her heard what she said.

Ning Xueyan had never visited the imperial palace before, neither she
had attended any parties. If Second Madam of the Lord Protector’s
Manor had not died, very few people would know her existence. When
someone asked about her, he would be told that Fifth Young Lady had
not come out from her courtyard for several years. Of course she could
not know any outsiders.

How could anyone in the palace knew her and delivered a note to her?
Obviously, the palace maid was lying!

Someone who had sharp eyes suddenly found that the eunuch was the
one who had taken Ning Qingshan to Honored Consort Ya’s palace.
Then the ‘Third Young Lady’ he had mentioned just now should be Ning
Qingshan. If what he had said was true, that meant Third Young Lady
delivered a note to her younger sister.

It seemed contradictory and did not make sense.

Many people present were smart. Honored Consort Ya lost her temper
after hearing what the eunuch said, and then the old mummy behind her
slapped the eunuch. After that, the eunuch suddenly denied what he had
said. Everything proved that there was something behind this matter.

“Ha-ha-ha…” Honored Consort Shu suddenly burst into laugh. She said
to Honored Consort Ya, “Sister Ya, don’t be angry. The servants
mentioned Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady. I think they were
talking about the two Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor. It
doesn’t make sense for Third Young Lady to send a note to Fifth Young
Lady. Since they were sisters, what kind of things couldn’t they talk face
to face, but have to entrust these two servants to deliver the note?”

Honored Consort Shu seemed to be talking casually, but what she said
pointed to Ning Qingshan. Hearing what she said, everyone’s gazes
turned to Ning Qingshan, who was sitting on the other side. With
everyone watching, Ning Qingshan stood up and walked to Honored
Consort Ya. She bowed to Honored Consort Ya and Honored Consort
Shu, and gently said, “Greetings, Your Highnesses!”

“Get up!” Honored Consort Ya said, looking thoughtful. She waved her
hand calmly.

“What a polite kid! I heard that Third Young Lady was both filial and
loyal. I haven’t seen you for three years. Now you’re even gentler and
more beautiful!” Honored Consort Shu said with a smile, covering her
mouth with a handkerchief. She sized up Ning Qingshan, as if she liked
her from her heart.

Only Ning Qingshan felt the hostility in Honored Consort Shu’s words.

“Your Highness, you’re flattering me,” Ning Qingshan said respectfully.

Then she turned to Ning Xueyan, who was standing behind her, and said,
“Fifth Sister, since she stole your bracelet, just take it back. It’s just a
bracelet. Honored Consort Ya and Honored Consort Shu call the shots
here. Besides, we’re at the party now. You can’t behave like you’re in
our manor.”

She seemed to be persuading Ning Xueyan. She was generous and calm
when she spoke, and very much like an elder sister. She also hinted Ning
Xueyan not to speak casually by stressing that they were at the imperial
palace. She seemed to do Ning Xueyan’s good, and she looked frank.
People who suspected her could not help but hesitate. Maybe the ‘Third
Young Lady’ the eunuch had blurt out was not Ning Qingshan?

Ning Qingshan could even stay calm under such circumstances!

And she even had suppressed Ning Xueyan with words. Compared to her
generosity, Ning Xueyan seemed to be too narrow-minded. Stirring such
trouble for a bracelet showed that she did not take the overall picture into
consideration.
Chapter 192 Third Young Lady,
Please Wait!
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“Third Sister, so you think the bracelet is of no importance?” Ning

Xueyan asked, pointing at the bracelet. She sneered inside, but did not
show it on her face.

From the appearance of the bracelet, one could tell it was valuable. And
all the gems on it were precious. Ning Qingshan had not expected that
Ning Xueyan had such a valuable thing. But she was not that surprised.
Since she had been in the imperial palace for some time, and seen many
valuable jewels of Honored Consort Ya, she certainly would not make a
fuss about a fine bracelet.

“Fifth Sister, don’t be naughty. The bracelet is really beautiful. But don’t
worry. I have a pair of bracelets similar to this one. I’ll give them to you
when we’re back,” Ning Qingshan said generously.

It seemed in any case, she was a generous, nice elder sister. Many people
among the crowd were impressed by her, and they thought that Ning
Xueyan was too vexatious. It was not a big deal, but she had made the
two honored imperial concubines uneasy because of it.

But a few of others did not think in the same way. They put on a weird
look and looked at Ning Qingshan with disdain.

Honored Consort Shu laughed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief.

But she did not say anything.

Honored Consort Ya looked a little embarrassing. But she immediately

said gently, “Third Young Lady, you must not have looked at it carefully.
Your bracelets couldn’t be the same as this one. There are only a pair of
such bracelets in the Chu Kingdom, and now only one piece left. Each
gem on it is extremely valuable. So you can imagine how expensive it
will be with so many gems on it.”

Of course the bracelets of Madam Ming’s were extremely precious. All

the gems on it were high-quality natural gemstones of the same size. It
was not easy even to gather all of them. People who were experienced
could tell it. But Ning Qingshan even boasted that she had a pair of
bracelets just like this one. Obviously, she was lying.

She was not only had a poor taste, but she tried to cheat Ning Xueyan as
well.

If you told a lie, others might not trust you anymore. It was hard to
believe that Third Young Lady who was well-known for her loyalty and
filial piety would have said something like that. When people thought it
over, they found Ning Qingshan’s hint in her words. She had been telling
people that Fifth Young Lady was very narrow-minded, and made a fuss
over a trifle. “Could that be her who was framing Fifth Young Lady of
the Lord Protector’s Manor?” someone thought.

Sensing the mocking, skeptical looks, Ning Qingshan felt ashamed. She
bit her lip and could not stay calm anymore.

“Take the stupid maid out and beat her to death with sticks!” Honored
Consort Ya ordered coldly.

Two eunuchs came over and skillfully stuffed a piece of cloth into the
palace maid’s mouth. Then they each grabbed one of her hands and
dragged her out.

Before she could utter a single word, the palace maid had been dragged
out.

“Bring this bracelet to Fifth Young Lady, and give her another pair of
bracelets as a gift,” Honored Consort Ya leaned back and ordered, losing
all her interest in seeing into this matter.

“Got it.” A high-grade palace maid of Honored Consort Ya walked over

to Ning Xueyan, with a delicate jewelry box in her hands. Meanwhile,
another palace maid brought Ning Xueyan her bracelet.
Ning Xueyan knew that Honored Consort Ya did not want to see into this
matter anymore. She smiled and bowed to Honored Consort Ya
respectfully to show her thanks. Then she asked Lanning to take the
bracelets and walked back to her seat.

“Young Ladies, go back to your seats,” Honored Consort Shu waved her
hand and said. She was smiling all the time, seemed to be in a good
mood.

All the Young Ladies understood what the two honored imperial
concubines meant, so they returned to their seats soon. No matter what
had happened, since Honored Consort Ya did not want to see into it, they
would not meddle.

Maybe the palace maid had been attracted by the beautiful bracelet and
stolen it when she sent the note to Fifth Young Lady. Or maybe the
palace maid lied, and there was no note at all. Anyway, Honored Consort
Ya had punished her, and it was over. Nobody could tell what had been
going on.

In short, Third Young Lady did not seem to be as harmless as she looked.
She was more like a scheming b*tch!

Suddenly, they heard someone shouting, “Here’s a hair-pin! A golden

hair-pin! Whose is it?”

“It’s… mine! It’s mine!” The Young Lady who had lost her hair-pin
rushed out. She saw a hair-pin under the tree at a corner, and it was hers!
She could not help but cry out joyfully.

It suddenly became very busy over there.

Ning Qingshan stood there stiffly for quite a while. It was not until she
regained her mobility that she returned to her seat.

She looked at Ning Xueyan, eyes full of hate. She had not expected that
Ning Xueyan dared to talk about the note in front of the two honored
imperial concubines. At that point, she had been worried, but could not
say anything. By now, nothing bad had happened to Ning Xueyan, but
Ning Qingshan was almost exposed.
If Honored Consort Ya had not been so determined and stopped that
eunuch from accusing Ning Qingshan in time, she might have been
exposed.

If that was the case, she was done. At thought of this, she sweated and
her legs went weak.

Her reputation for “loyalty and filial piety” was nearly ruined!

Even though Honored Consort Ya did not see into the matter, many
people had already begun to suspect her. Furthermore, what she had said
about the bracelet made the others feel that she was inexperienced.

Noble family valued experience most. She was doomed to be laughed at

if she was inexperienced.

How dared Ning Xueyan treat her like that!

She was staring at Ning Xueyan fiercely, and did not notice that Honored
Consort Shu was looking at her. Honored Consort Shu suddenly said,
“Third Young Lady, please wait a moment!”

Why did Honored Consort Shu call her? Ning Qingshan was shocked,
but she immediately stopped and turned to bow to Honored Consort Shu
respectfully. “Your Highness.”

The gentle and perfect smile came back to her face again.

“Third Young Lady, it’s said you are very close to Wan’er. When did you
become so close? I remember three years ago, there was nothing between
you. I wondered why Wan’er was starting to miss you after you have just
come back to your manor a few days.” Honored Consort Shu said with a
smile.

It sounded that she was chatting with Ning Qingshan casually, but Ning
Qingshan felt like being struck by the lighting. She was frozen there with
a pale face.

“Wan’er? Is Honored Consort Shu talking about Fourth Prince, Ao

Mingwan? Why did she say I was close to him? Although she said
politely, she seemed to be hinting that I have seduced Ao Mingwan, so
he was starting to miss me after I have just come back to our manor a
few days!” Ning Qingshan thought.

Honored Consort Ya’s face darkened as well. She had chosen Ning
Qingshan as her future daughter-in-law. Now she suddenly heard that
Ning Qingshan was close to Ao Mingwan, so she could not help being
angry.

“Your Highness, I don’t… understand what you mean.” Ning Qingshan’s

eyes turned red and tears rolled in them. She looked at Honored Consort
Shu blankly, as if she was very confused.

“Third Young Lady, don’t cry. Otherwise, Wan’er may think I’m
bullying you. It’s okay if there’s nothing between you. Maybe I
misunderstood. Wan’er told me that he wanted to marry you as his co-
consort. It seems I have made a mistake. I’ll confirm with him later,”
Honored Consort Shu said, smiling. She shook her fan, looking guilty.
Then she shifted her eyes to Honored Consort Ya.

“Sister Ya, I’m a straightforward person, and I can’t hide anything. I’ll
teach Wan’er a good lesson after returning to my palace, so that he won’t
dare to talk nonsense again. I was wrong about Third Young Lady,” she
said.

Her words easily reminded people of the ambiguous relationship

between Ning Qingshan and Third Prince. It was said that Ning
Qingshan would marry Third Prince as his wife. It seemed that Fourth
Prince liked her as well, and he had pleaded Honored Consort Shu to
agree him to marry Ning Qingshan as his co-consort . For Third Prince
and Honored Consort Ya, it was a real slap on the face!

The woman that Third Prince wanted to marry as his wife could only be
a co-consort of Fourth Prince!

What was more, the imperial family most tabooed brothers liked the
same woman!

Thinking about this, Ning Qingshan’s face turned as white as a sheet. No

matter how vicious she was, she was only a girl of sixteen years old, and
she was not match for Honored Consort Shu, who had fought with other
women at court for years. Besides, she had not gotten married yet, so it
was improper for her to talk about the relation between men and women
too much.

Because it was quiet now, although Ning Xueyan was a little far from
them, she still could hear what they were talking about. She was
surprised that Ao Mingwan liked Ning Qingshan. Obviously, Honored
Consort Shu did not like Ning Qingshan. It was an unexpected pleasant
surprise for her to know that the sociable Ning Qingshan had offended
Honored Consort Shu. Ning Xueyan had shown herself in front of people
just now, now she only wanted to quietly watch the others perform.

She held up the tea cup and took a sip of the tea. Then she began to
watch what was going on with a smile.

Suddenly, she sensed two cold and sharp gazes. She looked back
subconsciously and saw a pair of extremely beautiful, but cold eyes. “Ao
Chenyi? Doesn’t he like to watch harem fight? Why is he looking at
me?” Ning Xueyan was a little surprised, blinking her eyes.

Seeing Ning Xueyan turn her head, Ao Chenyi curved up his lips and a
faint smile appeared on his face. He glanced at his ‘favorite concubine’
beside him, who did not dare even move, and then held up the wine glass
and took a sip of the wine slowly.

The blood-red wine soaked his lips, made them look extremely
charming, but cold and dangerous as well. Ning Xueyan suddenly
remembered what she had promised Ao Chenyi. She frowned slightly. It
seemed she had no choice but acted as his favorite concubine.

But accidents were happening one after another, and there was no sign
that everything would come back to normal soon. Besides, it was an
imperial party. What excuse could she find to leave?

“Honored Consort Shu, you’re really frank. His Majesty talked about
you the day before yesterday. He said you were the most straightforward
person in the imperial palace. I didn’t expect that Fourth Prince to be as
straightforward as you. It’s really good! I’ll tell His Majesty later,”
Honored Consort Ya said with a gentle smile.

But Honored Consort Shu’s smile faded away when she figured out what
Honored Consort Ya meant.
She knew that the emperor wanted to choose the heir to the throne from
his sons. Now the most powerful princes were Third Prince and Fourth
Prince, so there was bound to be a fight between them, and their mothers,
Honored Consort Ya and Honored Consort Shu, were also being at strife
openly and secretly.

They both knew that the emperor wanted to choose a thoughtful and
capable prince, who was able to suppress Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi, to be his
successor. If he were a straightforward person, not only he was unable to
control Ao Chenyi, but he might be killed by him. If Fourth Prince was
such a person, the emperor would immediately kick him out from the
candidates for his successor.

Honored Consort Shu knew what Honored Consort Ya was hinting, and
for a moment, she did not know what to say.

“Sister Ya, you’re joking. Wan’er has royal blood. How could he be as
silly as me?” Her embarrassment could be discerned in her words.

Since Honored Consort Shu had given in, Honored Consort Ya stopped
fighting her. She turned to Ning Qingshan and said with a smile, “Third
Young Lady, you can go back to your seat now. Fourth Prince was joking
with his mother. The kid is smart, but he always likes to make jokes.”

“Yes. Wan’er likes to joke. It’s very annoying sometimes. Third Young
Lady, I hope you’re not offended,” Honored Consort Shu said with a
smile. Since Honored Consort Ya had given her an out, she immediately
followed her and explained to Ning Qingshan politely.

She seemed to bear Ning Qingshan no ill will at all, and what she had
said just now was more like a joke.
Chapter 193 Being Slapped, Ning
Qingshan’s Hate Gets Intenser
The male guests only knew briefly about what had happened to the
female guests. It was said that a palace maid stole a Young Lady’s stuff.
It seemed that the two Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor were
involved in this matter. Someone said that Third Young Lady had sent a
note to Fifth Young Lady and caused the trouble.

Since they were all noble childes, they would not gather to watch what
was going on. Besides, the powerful Prince Yi was still on his seat.
Therefore, none of the male guests walked to the female guest zone.
Even Ao Mingwan, who was focusing on Ning Xueyan, did not know
exactly what was going on. He saw his mother call another Young Lady
to her and said something.

Both Honored Consort Ya and Honored Consort Shu were not stupid,
and they did not speak loudly when they were secretly fighting in front
of so many people. Besides, it was not that close between the male guest
zone and the female guest zone. Therefore, it was normal that one could
not hear everything clearly about what was happening in the female
guest zone.

Only those who had sharp ears could hear what the ladies were talking
about.

But obviously, Ao Mingwan was not one of them. Therefore, he had no

idea what had happened. He looked at Honored Consort Shu, who was
talking with a smile, and then at Ning Xueyan, who was sitting in a
corner quietly. He was confused, and could not tell what the problem
was.

“Mother has promised me to ask about Third Young Lady, and if

possible, she will marry Third Young Lady of the Nings to me. But why
by now, mother still hasn’t come to Third Young Lady yet, but talked to
another Young Lady for such a long time?” he wondered.
But it was not convenient for him to ask on such an occasion. He looked
at the female guest zone, confused. Ao Mingyu was coming over, and he
had to stop wondering and toast to Ao Chenyi with him.

After the banquet, Honored Consort Ya and Honored Consort Shu went
back to their own palaces. The Young Ladies and noble childes stayed in
the Plum Garden to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Since plum blossom was
the theme of this party, of course they should leave time for guests to
enjoy the flowers after dinner.

Vivid red plum blossom and plain white plum blossom could be found
everywhere in the Plum Garden. Besides, the garden covered a large
area. Therefore, people scattered gradually. Ning Qingshan was relieved
not have been exposed. She smiled and was about to go to Ning Xueyan.
She knew that what happened today had aroused people’s suspicion, so
she must show that she got well with Ning Xueyan in front of the others.

“Third Young Lady, Her Highness asked you to her palace,” a palace
maid came out from behind a plum tree and said with a smile.

Ning Qingshan recognized that she was the palace maid who had stood
behind Honored Consort Ya just now. “Honored Consort Ya has talked
with me at her palace just now. Why is she asking me there again?” she
wondered.

“Sister, do you know what Her Highness wanted me?” Ning Qingshan
asked, uneasily.

“I don’t know, and I dare not to guess what Her Highness is thinking
about. Come on, Third Young Lady. Please go with me!” the palace maid
said with a smile, and nothing abnormal could be found on her face.

Ning Qingshan examined her expression carefully and did not find
anything wrong, so she had to nod.

Honored Consort Ya was resting in a courtyard outside the Plum Garden.

When Ning Qingshan walked into the room, she saw Honored Consort
Ya sitting there alone, face darkened. Not as gentle and graceful as she
used to be, she looked at Ning Qingshan coldly the moment she saw her
in.
“Greetings, Your Highness!” Ning Qingshan said cautiously.

“What’s going on between you and Fourth Prince?” Honored Consort Ya

did not ask her to sit down, but put it straightforwardly. She looked
serious and unhappy.

“I have no idea. I have never met Fourth Prince after returning to our
manor. How could there’s something between us!” Ning Qingshan knew
Honored Consort Ya was suspicious about her, she immediately
defended herself anxiously. “Honored Consort Shu must want to destroy
the marriage between Third Prince and me, so she said this on purpose.”

“Although Honored Consort Shu is cunning, she won’t talk casually

about such things. If she wasn’t sure, she wouldn’t have mentioned it in
front of people. Think it over. Did you give Fourth Prince any hints?”
Honored Consort Ya asked coldly. She did not suspect that there was
something between Ning Qingshan and Ao Mingwan, but she worried
that Ning Qingshan had done something that made Ao Mingwan might
misunderstand.

If the emperor knew that the brothers had a crush on the same woman, he
would not agree Ao Mingyu married Ning Qingshan.

Then her plan would fall through.

“I, I didn’t. Your Highness, please trust me. I don’t have any relationship
with Fourth Prince. I met him today when I walked to the imperial
palace, but Third Prince was there as well. Fourth Prince did not say
much to me. Your Highness, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Third
Prince,” Ning Qingshan said anxiously.

She did not understand why Honored Consort Shu said that she was
close to Ao Mingwan. Ning Qingshan only had bowing acquaintances
with Ao Mingwan three years ago, and now the same thing. Her target
was Third Prince, and she had never changed her mind. She was smart,
so of course she knew she would get nothing if she sat on the fence.

If Honored Consort Ya thought that she had an affair with Ao Mingwan,

she and Third Prince would be suspicious about her.
Seeing that her face turned pale, Honored Consort Ya knew that she was
really worried. She looked at Ning Qingshan for a while, and then said,
still sullenly, “Tell me the truth about the note.”

It was the soft underbelly of Ning Qingshan. She might be able to hide
the truth from others, but she could not hide it from Honored Consort Ya.
The eunuch was Honored Consort Ya’s servant, and he had almost
exposed Ning Qingshan. Since Honored Consort Ya had made a quick
decision and put all the blames on that palace maid in time, that meant
she had guessed what was going on.

“Aunt, I…” Ning Qingshan immediately came up with an idea. She

looked at Honored Consort Ya piteously with tears in her eyes.

“Shut up! I have told you many times that I was the honored imperial
concubine, not your aunt! Honored Consort Ya said angrily, her
expression fierce. She lowered her voice and continued, “If you can’t
remember this, you’d better not come to the imperial palace.”

Seeing that Honored Consort Ya was so angry, Ning Qingshan was

scared and did not dare to call her ‘aunt’ again. After a while, she
uttered, “Your Highness!”

“Qing’er, although I made the palace maid your scapegoat, it doesn’t

mean that nobody knows about it. Honored Consort Shu could guess,
and so could other Young Ladies. Maybe even Yu’er will suspect you
and think that you framed Ning Xueyan on purpose. If he finds out that
you’re not as kind and gentle as you used to be, what you have done
three years ago would have been in vain,”

Honored Consort Ya said coldly, without being moved by Ning

Qingshan’s sad, pathetic expression.

“No, aunt! I didn’t want to frame her. But she went too far in bullying
me. She took use of the account book to set me up at Lord Protector’s
Manor.” Ning Qingshan became angrier. At thought of being humiliated
in front of Madam Dowager, losing her personal maid, and what the
others of the manor whispered, she could not help but hate Ning Xueyan
to the core.
“Aunt, she is just a daughter of the supporter of the previous emperor. It
will be a piece of cake for you to get rid of her. If Ning Xueyan died, I’ll
follow everything you ask me to do. I promise I won’t make any
mistakes again, and anything like what happened today won’t happen
again.”

Ning Qingshan promised, aggrieved. At thought of the calm and graceful

face of Ning Xueyan, she really wanted to tear it apart. The expression
should belong to her. How could that useless b*tch look even more
generous and graceful than her!

Her beautiful face twisted at hate.

“Pa!” Ning Qingshan was slapped heavily. She staggered and almost fell
onto the floor. She covered her face subconsciously, and looked at
Honored Consort Ya with disbelief. She asked with reddish eyes, “Your
Highness, why did you… slap me?”

“You’re too arrogant! You must think that you’re something because
Yu’er hasn’t forgotten you after three years, and you enjoy a good
reputation for your loyalty and filial piety in the whole capital. You think
that Yu’er will definitely marry you and you’ll be Third Prince’s wife,
and if Yu’er became the emperor in the future, you may become the most
distinguished woman in the country. Am I right?”

Honored Consort Ya yelled, pointing at Ning Qingshan. She was so

disappointed in her. She was so angry that she became trembling. She
looked at Ning Qingshan, eyes full of disappointment.

“If I knew that you were such a person, I wouldn’t have given you the
opportunity to approach Yu’er. He didn’t need a rash woman beside him.
Only a smart, tolerant and well-behaved woman can match him. Maybe I
should consider about Fifth Young Lady of your manor. She behaved
much better than you at the party today. You were not only be suspected
by others, but you were not as experienced as her. How can you win
Yu’er’s heart and assist him?”

“You can leave now. After leaving here, you’ll still be Third Young Lady
of the Lord Protector’s Manor, but you’ll have nothing to do with Yu’er
anymore. You can frame anybody you want. Don’t come to me for help
anymore,” Honored Consort Ya said angrily, pointing at the palace door
that opened slightly.

Ning Qingshan became extremely anxious. Hearing that Honored

Consort Ya asked her to leave, and even wanted to cancel the
engagement between her and Third Prince, Ning Qingshan knew she was
really angry. Ignoring the pain in her face, she knelt down in front of
Honored Consort Ya. She crawled forward and grabbed Honored
Consort Ya’s leg.

“Aunt! Your Highness! I know I have made a mistake. I won’t act rashly
and let anyone get a hold of me in the future, and I won’t let Ning
Xueyan find any flaw in me. After marrying Third Prince, I’ll do
everything that he wants and assist him wholeheartedly. Even if he
wanted me to die, I’ll do it without any hesitation,”

Ning Qingshan promised, tears streaming down her fair face. She
trembled slightly and sobbed, looking at Honored Consort Ya with her
hand holding high.

Seeing her pitiful and determined eyes, Honored Consort Ya calmed

down gradually. Her anger subsided a lot. She reached out and wiped
tears from her eyes. Then she pulled her up and said with a sigh,
“Shan’er, people who do great things shouldn’t stick to trifles.
Sometimes, you have to be tolerant. Swallowing a grievance is some
kind of torture. I know it’s hard. But you’re not Moqin. You’re smarter
and more capable than her. I choose you not only because you were the
adopted daughter of Lord Protector. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Your Highness, I understand. I know I was too reckless today. It

won’t happen again in the future. I’m sorry I made such a scene. Please
forgive me,” Ning Qingshan said obediently. She grabbed Honored
Consort Ya by the hand and deliberately moved closer to her to show that
she was submissive. She repeated that she would not mess with Ning
Xueyan easily.

Ning Qingshan’s attitude made Honored Consort Ya relieve a little. She

believed that Ning Qingshan would not make trouble again, but she did
not see the resentfulness in her eyes.
Of course Ning Qingshan would not mess with Ning Xueyan easily, but
if she had planned carefully, she would not let go of her. If not because
of Ning Xueyan, she would not have been cursed by Honored Consort
Ya.

After so many things, she drew a conclusion, that was, Ning Xueyan
must die!
Chapter 194 Uncle, Can You Let
Us Have a Look at Her?
Ning Xueyan was really helpless now. She had a hard time getting rid of
Heng Yuqing. No sooner had she crossed a path than she saw Eunuch
Zhu, who worked for Ao Chenyi, waiting. He took her into a courtyard.
After changing her clothes in the room, they walked out from the back
door. Now she had dressed up as same as the woman in veil.

On the other hand, the woman in veil had put on an ordinary palace
maid’s clothes and mingled with the crowd.

After getting everything ready, Eunuch Zhu took Ning Xueyan to the
seat next to Ao Chenyi.

Ao Chenyi and the two princes had the highest status among all the
gentlemen present.

But the two princes were his juniors. Therefore, he was at the first table
alone, and Third Prince and Fourth Prince were at the second table,
which was lowered than his. Several noble Princely Heirs were at the
third table. Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min was sitting at the
third table and looking at the female guests breezily.

His lovely charming eyes were filled with appreciation of the beautiful
Young Ladies.

Being stared by such a man, who was even as beautiful as a woman, all
the Young Ladies, no matter if they knew him or not, blushed shyly.
They wanted to look at him, but felt embarrassed to do so.

People in the capital all knew that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Min was extremely beautiful, and he was the most well-known charming
man. Except for Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi, no other man was more attractive
than him in terms of appearance. But nobody dared discuss Prince Yi’s
appearance. Even though he was unbelievable handsome, he was as cold
and cruel as Asura who came from the hell. Who dared look at a
handsome, cold-blooded demon?

When Ning Xueyan passed by Wen Xueran, she saw him blinking his
eyes and flirting with a Young Lady, who was enjoying the plum
blossoms not far away. He was in a good mood and shook his fan when
he saw that Young Lady blush shyly. Then he turned his head and made
eyes at another beautiful lady who was looking at him secretly.

He was busy flirting with those women, and seemed to be enjoying it.

All the women would blush while being sized up by a beautiful and
romantic man, who showed great interest in her.

Suddenly, Wen Xueran stopped shaking his fan and turned his head to
look at Ning Xueyan, his lovely charming eyes shining. But soon, he
became a little serious and sized up Ning Xueyan with interest. Although
in the veil, Ning Xueyan could see him smile at her, extremely
charmingly.

The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min was really bold, and he
even dared to seduce Ao Chenyi’s ‘favorite concubine’ to his face!

Ning Xueyan pretended that she did not see anything. She walked to Ao
Chenyi gracefully, under the gazes of other people.

She wore a light black skirt, with a few beautiful peonies embroidered on
the hem. Her jacket was made of gauze of the same color, and her face
was under a veil. People could only vaguely saw a pair of beautiful eyes
under the veil. They knew that she must be a beautiful woman, and they
became very curious about the appearance of the ‘favorite concubine’ of
Prince Yi.

In spite of this, nobody dared to talk to her. Only Wen Xueran, was still
making eyes at her. It seemed he did not think it was a big deal.

Ning Xueyan did not know whether he was too insensitive, or he was
used to flirting with women, and did this subconsciously.

She came to Ao Chenyi’s side and was about to sit down. She did not
feel any pressure to pretend to his favorite concubine.
She had observed that ‘favorite concubine’ carefully just now when she
was at the female guest zone. She found it quite simple to be Ao
Chenyi’s ‘favorite concubine’. What she needed to do was sitting beside
him, said and did nothing, just like a log.

Ao Chenyi did not want the emperor to designate any women to him, so
he should only take her as an excuse. It was enough that people knew he
had already had a ‘favorite concubine’.

But to her surprise, before she could take a seat, Prince Yi who was
lazily leaning against the armchair suddenly reached out, and intimately
brushed off a plum blossom from her hair with his fingers. Then he
turned his palm and pulled her into his arms. Ning Xueyan looked at
him, eyes full of disbelief.

Ning Xueyan had no preparation at all. She tripped over her feet and
slammed into his arms. Looking from where other people were, she was
throwing herself into Prince Yi’s arms on her own initiative. Now they
knew why she could become the favorite concubine of the cold-blooded
Prince Yi. An ordinary man might not get used to her wild behavior.
Some people gave a knowing smile and looked in their direction secretly.

The chair was big enough to hold both of them. Besides, Ning Xueyan
could only be taken as sitting on the thigh of Ao Chenyi. Her waist was
firmly held by his arms, and she could only lean against his chest,
without being able to move. She knew at such a moment, she should not
struggle.

Leaning against his broad chest, she could sense his cold aura. This
man’s blood was really cold!

With a woman in his arms, he still breathed smoothly, without any

fluctuation.

Ning Xueyan was so angry that she really wanted to bite him, but she
also wanted to know what he would do next. Fortunately, she was all
wrapped up. Otherwise, she would feel too humiliating to face people.

He was such an arrogant man! How could he be so intimate with her in

front of people without her permission?
But Ning Xueyan knew that even if she did not agree, Prince Yi would
not change his mind. Therefore, after moving slightly a little to show her
disapproval, Ning Xueyan buried her head in his arms and comforted
herself, “Nobody knows who I am, so it’s unnecessary to feel
embarrassed.”

Although Ning Xueyan was clam, she was only a teenage girl who had
not gotten married. Being firmly held by a man in front of so many
people for the first time, she could not help but feel uneasy. She told
herself not to care about this repeatedly, but her heart still beat faster.

In her last life, Xia Yuhang and she were an unmarried couple, but they
both followed the code of ethics, and had not even touch each other’s
hands. She had never been so imitated with a man like this, and she felt a
buzz in her head. Like the most beautiful music, the low, magnetic
laughter in her ears made her dizzy. She clenched her fist
subconsciously.

“Uncle, you really love… so much. I’m surprised that after so long time,
your love for her hasn’t changed at all.” Third Prince, Ao Mingyu’s
voice suddenly rang out. It made Ning Xueyan sober. She could not help
but listen carefully. Now she knew why Ao Chenyi had suddenly pulled
her into his arms.

Ao Mingyu did not know what to call the ‘favorite concubine’ of Ao

Chenyi, so he addressed her title vaguely when he spoke. He smiled and
sized Ning Xueyan up secretly. He felt that Ao Chenyi’s favorite
concubine seemed to be too stiff today, and she might have something
wrong. But before he could think it over, the woman had resumed her
intimacy with Ao Chenyi.

Could that because his mother and Honored Consort Shu had been here,
she abided forms of etiquette and showed no intimacy with Ao Chenyi?

It seemed that Ao Chenyi loved this woman from his heart. Then it was
important to find out her background.

“I’m an affectionate person!” Ao Chenyi always spoke as concise as

possible. Although Ao Mingyu could not see any affection on Ao
Chenyi’s face, anyway, it was his first time to take a woman to an
imperial party, so it was no ordinary.
“Uncle, all the Young Ladies on the party are daughters of high-rank
officials. Do you like any of them?” Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan asked
with a smile. He and Third Prince were on the same site in terms of
dealing with Ao Chenyi. Since Ao Chenyi took this woman so seriously,
if she knew that Ao Chenyi came here to choose a concubine, she would
be annoyed. After all, women were jealous.

He also heard that Prince Yi had quarreled with his favorite concubine
once. It had happened the time when the emperor ordered people to send
beautiful ladies to the Prince Yi’s Manor. It showed that this woman was
a person of jealous.

“They’re not pretty!” Ao Chenyi held Ning Xueyan with one hand, and
held up the wine glass with the other one. He took a sip of the wine and
said slowly.

“Not pretty?!” The noble childes present almost dropped their jaws. If
these Young Ladies were not beautiful, they could not imagine what kind
of woman could be taken as beautiful in Prince Yi’s eyes. If someone
else spoke in this way, the others might protest him. But since the words
came out from Prince Yi’s mouth, they could only express their disdain
secretly, but dared not to say anything to his face.

“So this lady must be more beautiful than all the other Young Ladies.
Uncle, could you let us have a look at her?” Ao Mingyu asked, smiling.

He believed that if he saw the face of the woman, he would be able to

find out who she was. Maybe she would be useful to him. By now, he did
not hear that any woman could be intimate with Ao Chenyi. The women
sent by him or the emperor could not even approach Ao Chenyi, let alone
be intimate with him.

He had thought that Ao Chenyi was not interested in women at all. Now
it seemed it was not that case!

Besides, he was Third Prince. He did not believe that Ao Chenyi would
refuse a prince’s request in front of so many people!

However, to his surprise, Ao Chenyi did not care about his feeling at all,
and refused him straightly.
“No!” Prince Yi answered briefly, his eyes charming and mysterious, but
when they looked at people, everyone could not help but feel chilly.
“How can anyone see my favorite concubine easily?”

Third Prince blushed with embarrassment. He was the prince who was
most popular among the officials. How embarrassing to be refused in
front of so many people!

“Uncle, how can we see her face?” Ao Mingyu asked with a smile,
holding back his anger. He believed that if he paid a high price, he could
have any woman under his control. Furthermore, she was only a
concubine.

“Would you like to see Third Prince?” Ao Chenyi suddenly asked with a
sly smile. He looked at Ao Mingyu, who determined to see his favorite
concubine’s face, and pattered Ning Xueyan on the shoulder. He asked
her gently with a smile, as if he respected her very much and was asking
her permission. But Ning Xueyan did not think that way, and she gritted
her teeth at anger.

How could she speak at this moment? She was worried that someone
would recognize her if she uttered a word. The coquettish Princely Heir,
Wen Xueran, was looking at her with a mysterious smile. She reminded
herself to be more careful.

She wondered why Ao Mingyu had not made such a request when the
former ‘favorite concubine’ was here, and now he was raising difficulties
when it was her turn to act as the ‘favorite concubine’.

So annoying!

She could not ignore Ao Mingyu’s request. Ao Chenyi could say ‘NO’ to
Ao Mingyu, because he was the latter’s elder who was extremely
powerful. But who she was acting was an only humble favorite
concubine. In any case, she could not, and dared not ignore Ao Mingyu.

But how could she neither expose herself, nor embarrass Ao Mingyu?
Chapter 195 My Favorite
Concubine Said…
Everyone fixed their eyes on Ning Xueyan and Ao Chenyi. They had
been curious about his favorite concubine before, but no sign showed
that Ao Chenyi was fond of her today, and she even looked timid. She
was quite different from what the rumors said, so the others lost their
interests after looking at her for a while, and they shifted their eyes from
her. Now when they saw that Ao Chenyi cared about her so much, they
all widened their eyes.

It was unbelievable that Prince Yi even treated a ‘favorite concubine’,

who was even more humble than a co-consort so well!

Favorite concubine was nothing, but a pet! Prince Yi had not only taken
her into the imperial palace, but also asked her advice. Obviously, he
cared about her very much. The noble childes gasped, wondering if the
most charming and mysterious man in front of them was really the cold-
blooded Prince Yi.

Only now did they look at him carefully and find him so handsome!

Ning Xueyan raised her head slightly and whispered in Ao Chenyi’s ear.

Because her voice was too low, nobody else had heard it. In fact, she was
threatening Ao Chenyi angrily, saying, “Prince Yi, do you want me to
tell them who I am?”

Although she wore a veil, since they were so close, Ao Chenyi could see
the indignant expression on her tender, fair face. She bit her lip, and
stared at him angrily under the veil, like a kitten that was pissed off. It
seemed that if he pushed her any further, she would stretch out her sharp
claws. A trace of smile suddenly appeared in Ao Chenyi eyes.

“My favorite concubine said that according to etiquette, it was

inconvenient to show her face here,” Ao Chenyi said casually, curving
up his lips.
They were at the male guest zone. Although there were some palace
maids serving them by their side, they were only servants. It was really
improper for Prince Yi’s woman to lift her veil in front of so many
people. Hearing what Prince Yi said, most people thought the excuse
reasonable.

Ao Mingyu was surprised that a concubine had the guts to refuse his
request. A coldness of anger flashed in his eyes. “This woman is really
insensible!” he thought.

“Uncle, my father held this party mainly for you. Please choose one or
two from these noble Young Ladies at least. After all, Prince Yi’s Manor
needs a real hostess,” Ao Mingyu said with a smile. When he raised his
head again, he had recovered his composure.

“Yes. Uncle, my father repeatedly reminded me and my third elder

brother, saying that we must ensure that you could choose a satisfactory
consort. We can’t just watch your backyard go unattended. It’s also
grandfather’s will,” Ao Mingwan said in agreement, smiling. He even
wanted to force Ao Chenyi with the previous emperor’s will.

The previous emperor had chosen Ao Chenyi as the successor of his

elder brother, the current emperor, so Ao Chenyi could not disobey his
order. And it was true that before his passing away, the previous emperor
had urged Ao Chenyi to get married as soon as possible. But for a variety
of reasons, the matter was put off till now.

When talking about the previous emperor, Ning Xueyan, who was
leaning against Ao Chenyi, sensed that Ao Chenyi’s body went stiff, and
the hand which was landing on her waist contracted forcibly. Although
Ning Xueyan could not see his expression at the moment, she could feel
something strange about him.

“Oh? Then which beautiful lady does your father think is good enough
for me?” Ao Chenyi asked lazily. Although he was smiling, everyone
could see the coldness and killing intent in his eyes.

Some people were looking at him just now. Now they all lowered their
heads, hoping that they had not come to the party today.
If they had known that Prince Yi would attend the party, they might not
have come!

It seemed that something bad would happen. Everyone knew that the
emperor had expressed many times that he would arrange the marriage
for Prince Yi, but nothing happened finally. It must be Prince Yi who had
privately refused him. After all, he had not refused him in front of others,
so although he had made the emperor embarrassing, Prince Yi should not
be taken as disobeying his decree.

But things were different today. The two princes had put it
straightforward on behalf of the emperor in front of so many noble
childes. It showed the emperor’s determination. If he was a little tougher,
he would designate a woman to be Prince Yi’s wife. If Prince Yi did not
agree, he would disobey the emperor’s decree. Anyone who dared to
disobey the emperor’s decree would be killed, and his clan would be
exterminated!

But it was impossible for Prince Yi to accept the punishment without a

fight!

Everyone fell into silence.

Ao Mingyu and Ao Mingwan exchanged glances and watched every

movement of Ao Chenyi cautiously. They moved backward a little, and
their smiles were frozen. Although they had the preparation in mind,
under the powerful aura of Ao Chenyi, they could not help but take a
step backward.

The atmosphere was tense.

Ning Xueyan became nervous as well. She moved slightly in Ao

Chenyi’s arms. She suddenly saw several silver spots flashing, and she
became worried. Those things should not appear at a party like this.

She narrowed her eyes and wrote something on Ao Chenyi’s chest with
her finger.

Ao Chenyi suddenly smiled. He grabbed Ning Xueyan’s hand and said

softly, “Sweetie, don’t worry. I won’t bring a woman who will bully you
to my manor.”
Ning Xueyan’s hand and her body went stiff. She bit her lip, and did not
know what to say. She took a deep breath and decided not to say
anything. Otherwise, she might be even angrier.

Ao Chenyi’s suddenly changed his attitude, and the atmosphere was

immediately eased up a lot. After comforting her favorite concubine, he
turned to Ao Mingyu and said lazily, “Which noble Young Lady does
your father want me to marry?”

Everyone was shocked. They shifted their gazes from Ning Xueyan to
Ao Chenyi. They looked at his cold and charming face, speechless. “Is
this Prince Yi consent to get married?” they wondered.

They could not believe that the arrogant demon suddenly agreed to get
married. They thought with his temper, he should have flown into a rage,
kicked the chair over, and left, holding his favorite concubine.

Was it because of his favorite concubine that Prince Yi was so abnormal?

People looked at Ning Xueyan with complex expressions. They sized up

her, as if they wanted to find something special on her. Prince Yi was not
himself today, and this made everyone freak out. They could not tell
whether what he said was true or not.

“The granddaughter of Grand Tutor Ya is nice. I saw a buxom Young

Lady over there. Mingyu, it’s said she is your cousin. How about…”

Ao Chenyi said with a faint smile, seemed to be very relaxed. He held

the beautiful lady with one hand, and lazily pointed with the other one at
Ya Moqin, who was looking at Ao Mingyu with affection under a plum
tree.

She was Grand Tutor Ya’s eldest granddaughter. It was said that she had
just returned to the capital after visiting her hometown.

“Uncle, since you haven’t decided yet, you can make your decision after
discussing it with my father. We really don’t know which Young Lady is
suitable for you. They’re all beautiful, and I can’t tell who is better.”

Ao Mingyu’s face turned pale, and he immediately stopped Ao Chenyi.

He was sure that Ao Chenyi would not let the emperor push him around
to get married, so he had said that on purpose. Ao Chenyi had never
changed his mind because of others, so if he were cornered, he might
resort to force. Ao Mingyu wanted to provoke him, so he had kept on
forcing him to choose a Young Lady.

Those who came to attend the party were all sons and daughters of the
powerful officials. If something bad happened to one or two of them,
nobody could do anything to Ao Chenyi, but if because of Ao Chenyi’s
rage, many noble childes died, their families would definitely take Ao
Chenyi as their enemy, and would fight him to the death.

Ao Mingyu thought that Ao Chenyi would be guilty of disobeying the

emperor’s decree, and the officials would be against him because they
lost their children. Even if he would not be killed soon, he could not be
the successor of the emperor anymore. Then Ao Mingyu could take his
power little by little and asked the emperor to take back all his power.
Without the limit of the previous emperor’s will, nothing was a big deal.

But now, what he had expected did not happen!

To his surprise, Ao Chenyi had agreed to choose one of the Young

Ladies to be his consort. Besides, he wanted to choose Ya Moqin!

Ao Mingyu did not like Ya Moqin, but he knew that Grand Tutor Ya was
on his side. They had made an agreement to marry Grand Tutor Ya’s
distinguished eldest granddaughter as his co-consort. That was why
Grand Tutor Ya spared no effort to support him. But if Ao Chenyi
married Ya Moqin, Ao Mingyu was not sure that Grand Tutor Ya would
still be on his side in the future.

Although Ao Mingyu was the grandson of Grand Tutor Ya, it did not
mean that the latter would always support him. Once Ya Moqin married
Ao Chenyi, Grand Tutor Ya would fall on the side of which was the most
powerful. Even though these were all possibilities, Ao Mingyu would not
let it happen at all.

“Fine. Then I’ll discuss it with my brother about my marriage. I should

choose a noble and gentle Young Lady, so that my woman won’t be
wronged.” Ao Chenyi stood up, laughing. He then strode out, wrapping
his arm around Ning Xueyan’s slim waist.
A group of eunuchs and palace maids walked out, following him. The
princes and childes were left there, dumbfounded.

Third Prince had planned everything carefully, but he failed to achieve

his aim because of a favorite concubine! He clenched his fists, the veins
on the back of his hands swelling. He had wasted such a good
opportunity to show his ability in front of the emperor. He was so angry
that he felt suffocated, and he almost passed out.

Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan was not that angry, because Ao Mingyu was
mainly responsible for this matter, and he was just a bystander. Even if
Prince Yi fell, Ao Mingyu would be the one who deserved the most
credit. Of course, he would benefit as well, but not big. Maybe the
emperor would be very happy and appoint Ao Mingyu to be his
successor if Prince Yi was deposed. Then he would get nothing from it.

Therefore, he even had a feeling of joy when he saw the veins on Ao

Mingyu’s temples swell.

“You may run into those people if you go out like this,” Ning Xueyan
said calmly. She leaned against Ao Chenyi, staring at the place where the
spots had just flashed.

“Are you scared?” Ao Chenyi suddenly lowered his head and asked
frivolously.

“No. Prince Yi, in fact, I’m worrying about you. If troubles were stirred
up because of you just now, those people might rush in in your name,”
Ning Xueyan answered in neither a humble nor arrogant way. Her stiffed
body relaxed a little. Now she was sure that Ao Chenyi had asked her act
his favorite concubine because he had a plan.

He took use of a favorite concubine to change people’s impression of

him, and successfully broke the emperor’s plot.

She was still worried about Ao Chenyi just now, and reminded him by
writing a few words on his chest with her finger, ‘There’s an ambush’.
Now she was a little relaxed, but still scared. She figured out the
emperor’s intention after thinking over what had happened. He wanted to
provoke Prince Yi and force him to fight in the imperial palace. Then
Prince Yi would be opposed by everyone in the country.
However, Ao Chenyi defused the crisis easily.

Ao Chenyi was both smart and calculating, so no wonder the emperor

was scared of him, but could do nothing to him! Moreover, Ao Chenyi
had guessed that although from what he had said, Fourth Prince seemed
to be on Ao Mingyu’s side, he did not want to help him from his heart.

“He is both ruthless and horrible. Besides, he seems to be able to see

through people,” Ning Xueyan thought.
Chapter 196 Do You Want to
Watch a Good Show?
“Many people want to do things in my name, but if I don’t like, nobody
can do this.” Ao Chenyi glanced at Ning Xueyan and said slowly with a
smile.

“Then what are you going to do?” Ning Xueyan asked in confusion.

“I won’t let him bring his men here. The Chu Kingdom is a place of
law!” Ao Chenyi narrowed his beautiful eyes.

Ning Xueyan was speechless. If someone else said this, she would think
that he was somehow righteous. But when the words came from Ao
Chenyi’s mouth, it was really ironic. In the Chu Kingdom, nobody was
more lawless than Prince Yi.

She was surprised that at this point, he was speaking justly of the rule of
law!

“Do you want to watch a good show?” Ao Chenyi curved up his thin
lips, emanating cruel aura.

If someone else said this, he might be indicating a farce. But when it

came from Prince Yi’s mouth, things would not be that simple. Even
though Ning Xueyan had the guts to watch such shows, she did not want
her nerves to be tortured for no reason. She then shook her head and
refused his suggestion.

Dressing up like this and following behind Prince Yi, she felt a lot of
pressure. If it was possible, she would definitely stay away from him.

However, it was not up to her. As soon as they stopped, Ao Chenyi

reached out and wrapped around her waist with his arm. He walked
forward with her and said, “Since you have come, you should watch a
show before leaving. Otherwise, you’ll come in vain.”
Ning Xueyan bit her lip and stared at Ao Chenyi resentfully through the
veil. She really did not care whether she had come in vain or not. She
had watched so many shows in the imperial palace this time, and she did
not want to watch a bloody game anymore.

Since the two princes were not here, why was he so close to her? She
turned to Ao Chenyi and shot him a glare, hoping to stay away from him.

Through the veil, she found his handsome and cold face still so charming
and mysterious. It made her swallow her refusal.

“May I not watch the show?” Ning Xueyan asked in a gentle and pitiful
voice. She knew that nobody was more aggressive than Prince Yi.

“No!” As she had expected, Ao Chenyi was proud and cold, so

disobedience would only make him lose his temper.

“My maid is still waiting for me. If the others find out that I’m acting as
your favorite concubine, we’ll get in trouble!” Ning Xueyan had to
express her will gently.

“I have arranged my people there, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Ao Chenyi suddenly turned his head and stared at Ning Xueyan coldly.
He said impatiently, “You don’t want to watch the show with me, do
you?”

Under his gaze, she was in a panic. Ning Xueyan knew that he was
annoyed. She did not dare to protest again, but said with a smile, “Of
course not! I’m worrying that it may lead trouble if my identity is found
out. Your business is important!”

“As long as you obediently follow me, I won’t miss important things!”
Ao Chenyi’s face softened a little, but he still stared at Ning Xueyan with
his beautiful eyes. Ning Xueyan had to smile at him through the veil.

He had been in good mood just now, but after a short moment, he lost his
temper. Prince Yi was really a moody person, as same as the rumors said.

While talking, they had walked a long way. In Ao Chenyi’s arms, Ning
Xueyan was focusing on Ao Chenyi’s mental changes, and did not notice
someone appear in front of them until a guard suddenly unsheathed his
sword and shouted, “Who’s there?”

Before she could know what was happening, Ao Chenyi had taken a step
backward with his arm around her waist. A sword slipped over her slim
waist. She could almost sense the chilly aura emanating from the sword.

While stepping backward with Ning Xueyan, Ao Chenyi raised his right
foot and kicked the masked man in the imperial guard clothes who had
suddenly appeared opposite them just now. Being kicked into the
position between the forefinger and thumb, the man could not hold his
sword anymore. It was sent flying out and jabbed into the ground under a
plum tree.

Two Young Ladies were enjoying the plum blossoms with their maids
under the tree. They both screamed at fear at sight of the sword suddenly.

“There’s an assassin! Someone pretended to be the imperial guard and

wanted to assassinate Prince Yi! Hurry! Come to protect Prince Yi!” the
guards shouted, gathering around Ao Chenyi. Since Ning Xueyan was
tightly held by Ao Chenyi in his arms, she was surrounded by the guards
as well. There was chaos ahead of them.

Ning Xueyan felt suffocated at the miserable scream, the crying of fear,
the strong blood smell and the warm hand clasping her waist. She turned
her head subconsciously and saw the charming and cold smile on Ao
Chenyi’s face. Everything had been designed. The emperor tried to set
up Ao Chenyi, but Ao Chenyi was not a person who would give in
easily.

Ning Xueyan curved up her lips, and a trace of smile appeared on her
face. Ning Zu’an thought highly of Third Prince, so he bet on Ao
Mingyu. But she thought Ao Chenyi was more potential than Ao
Mingyu.

Suddenly, she caught sight of a spot flashing. Ning Xueyan immediately

looked back. When she saw a figure at the rockery from the corner of her
eyes, her smile was frozen.

A man who was also in the imperial guard’s clothes covered his face
with a mask. He had a bow in hands, which had been stretched to its full
extent. Although other assassins had been killed one by one, this man
looked very calm. He aimed the arrow at the back of Ao Chenyi and was
going to kill him with one move.

Now Ning Xueyan understood that this man was the key assassin that the
emperor had arranged. No matter whether Ao Chenyi would make
trouble at the banquet or not, the man was mainly responsible for the
assassination. Even if he had to pay a higher cost, he would find an
opportunity to kill Ao Chenyi with a move.

Now he seemed to have found the perfect opportunity. He loosed his

hand, and the sharp arrow flew out, as quickly as lighting, aiming at Ao
Chenyi’s back.

Ning Xueyan clenched her fist and suddenly punched Ning Chenyi in the
chest. Then she rushed toward him. Except for ‘Watch out!’, she had no
time to say anything else, before a cold light passing her shoulder. She
almost cried out in pain. She then fell on her knees. At the same time,
she saw the ferocity and violence, as well as a trace of anger in Ao
Chenyi’s cold eyes.

“Kill all of them!” Ao Chenyi ordered angrily. He quickly held Ning

Xueyan in his arms and rushed into the courtyard nearby.

“Got it!” After receiving Ao Chenyi’s instruction, the guards showed no

mercy anymore. They stabbed their swords toward the critical parts of
the assassins, and soon, the ground was covered with corpses.

Hearing that something big happened, Ao Mingyu and Ao Mingwan

came over with their people. Seeing the assassins who died miserably,
their faces darkened.

“How is my uncle? Did he get hurt?” Ao Mingyu asked. Seeing the

courtyard being heavily guarded, he calmed himself down and was about
to break in.

He was a little far from where the accident happened. Besides, he had
not arranged for the assassins to make a move here. He was told that
someone wanted to assassinate Ao Chenyi, and Ao Chenyi was hit by an
arrow. He could not hold back his joy and wanted to check it in person.
“Thank you for your caring, Third Prince. My master didn’t get hurt, but
his favorite concubine was injured. The doctor is dealing with her wound
now.” Ao Chenyi’s guard, Yu Jian walked out and stopped Ao Mingyu.
He bowed to him respectfully, and stood in his way at the gate.

“Was my uncle really not injured?” Ao Mingyu asked again to confirm.

“Prince Yi is safe and sound!” Yu Jian answered with certainty.

“I want to have a look. The imperial physician will come soon. I’ll
arrange people to prepare if any good medicine is needed,” Ao Mingyu
said with concern.

He did not believe that Ao Chenyi was not injured. It was unnecessary to
arrange so many guards here only for a concubine. The accident
happened suddenly, so he had not gotten the detailed report yet. If Ao
Chenyi really got injured, or even more miserable than death, it would be
a golden opportunity for him. He would not miss it.

Thinking about this, he was overjoyed.

“You don’t seem to believe I’m okay, so you want to check it in person.
Right?” Ao Mingyu suddenly saw Ao Chenyi in the corridor. The
blooming manjusaka embroidered on his black robe looked as red as
blood. As he moved, patches of blood were faintly visible on his black
robe, and it looked striking.

The blood patches were even more vivid, beautiful and chilly than
manjusaka.

“Ao Chenyi really wasn’t hurt?” Ao Mingyu was frozen for a short
moment, and then he recovered his composure and said respectfully,
“Uncle, thankfully you were not injured. Otherwise, my father will
definitely blame me. I’ll ask the imperial physician to check for you in
detail soon.”

“It’s unnecessary. I have an imperial physician here. You can leave now.
Tell your father that all the assassins are dead. All of them!” Ao Chenyi
said with a faint smile, a coldness flashing in his eyes.

“They’re all dead!” Ao Mingyu raised his head surprisingly.

“Yes. They’re all dead. There are thirty martial arts practitioners in total
outside. If you don’t believe it, you can count them one by one. But a
few people’s bodies were broken into pieces. You have to combine them
before counting.”

Ao Chenyi raised his eyes, as if he were smiling, but it was chilling.

Ao Mingyu’s eyelid twitched unnaturally. Broken corpses? No wonder

that the blood had been so strong when he walked over. Several of the
assassins had their arms cut off, and several others had their stomachs
cut open…

“Uncle, I’m relieved that you were not injured. I, I’m going to report to
my father now. Uncle, do you need more hands to protect you?”
Although Ao Mingyu was calm, he felt a little uneasy. Not only because
these people had died miserably, but also because of the death toll.

He had known that his father had trained a death squad, but it had only a
hundred people in total. If all the people who had been killed were the
members of the death squad, his father suffered a heavy loss this time.
About one third of the death squad members were killed in this battle,
but they only injured a woman of Prince Yi.

He could already foresee how angry his father would be at the news.

“I don’t need them. I’ll go back to my manor soon.” Ao Chenyi raised

one of his brows, half smiling. He stood at the gate. Against the broken
limbs outside the courtyard, his handsome face was as cold and secretive
as a cold-blooded demon’s.

“Well, then I’m leaving to report to my father now.” Ao Mingyu lowered

his eyes subconsciously and left as soon as possible. He did not dare to
stay in front of him any longer.
Chapter 197 Let’s Go! Leave Her
Alone
Ning Xueyan laid on a bed with a pink curtain. Her shoulder wound had
been wrapped with gauze. It was in winter, and her clothes were thick, so
nobody could find out that she had wrapped with gauze on her shoulder.
The medicine was very effective, and now her wound no longer burned,
but she still could not raise her arm.

A palace maid who was in charge of serving her had changed the clothes
for her. This palace maid was none other than the woman who had sat
beside Ao Chenyi, pretending to be his favorite concubine just now.

After putting on the last dress for her, the palace maid walked out the
room slowly.

Ning Xueyan sat up and touched her left shoulder. Fortunately, when she
rushed toward him, Ao Chenyi had pulled her forcibly. Otherwise, her
injury would be much more serious. Although her physical conditions
were much better than before, she was still weak. She looked into the
bronze mirror beside the bed and saw a pale face, without a trace of
blood.

Her left hand had almost no strength at all, and it dropped feebly.

She smiled bitterly. The injury was nothing for others, but it was serious
enough for her to rest for a long time.

The door was pushed open heavily, and Ao Chenyi strode to the bed with
a darkened face. He stopped when he was two steps away from her and
sized her up. Then he shook his black robe gracefully and sat down on
the chair beside the bed. He asked in an elusive tone, “Tell me why you
tried so hard to save me. You really want to be my wife, don’t you?”

“Prince Yi, you’re kidding on me,” Ning Xueyan said with a smile. She
then got out of the bed and stood up, holding the head of the bed. “Prince
Yi, could you please bring my maid here? I want her to help me out of
here,” she said.

Such an accident had happened in the imperial palace, and Prince Yi

almost got injured. The two Young Ladies who had been under the plum
tree were in a panic and rushed out of the imperial palace, screaming a
lot. So it was the perfect time for Ning Xueyan to leave. Nobody would
notice whether the others got injured or not, and in panic, it was normal
to hit something and hurt themselves.

Therefore, she must take this opportunity to leave.

Otherwise, when everything came back to normal, it would be difficult

for her to leave.

“Are you serious that you don’t want me to pay you back?” Ao Chenyi
asked in a low voice.

“I didn’t do anything for you, so of course you don’t need to pay me

back. Actually, I should thank you, Prince Yi. If you didn’t save me, I
might have already died,” Ning Xueyan said gently with a smile, raising
her pale face. She suddenly bowed to Ao Chenyi gracefully, holding
back the pain in her shoulder. “Prince Yi, thank you for saving my life. I
will certainly repay you in the future!”

The moment Ning Xueyan was hit by the arrow, Ao Chenyi had pulled
her backward quickly, looking both calm and a little annoyed. Ning
Xueyan had suddenly understood that Ao Chenyi had seen the man on
the rockery. He had not done anything to stop him shoot the arrow
because he had his plan.

Ning Xueyan realized that she seemed had ruined his plan by accident ！
“If he hasn’t seen that man, he wouldn’t have turned and avoided the
arrow so swiftly. I was injured, because he didn’t expect that I was being
with him at that point. Obviously, I became his burden and he failed to
keep both of us safe. Fortunately, it’s me who got injured. Otherwise, I
will be tortured by that demon,” she thought.

A delightful smile suddenly appeared on Ao Chenyi’s handsome face,

and his face lit up a little. “Yan’er, you’re a smart woman. I love talking
to smart people,” he said.

Although he did not say that Ning Xueyan was right, he did not deny it
either. That confirmed Ning Xueyan’s guess.

Since he did not want to make things clear, Ning Xueyan did not want to
ask more. Otherwise, he might be annoyed again. She had expressed her
appreciation and sincerity. That was enough.

“Prince Yi, thank you for the compliment! Compared to you, I’m too
shallow. I hope you won’t mind it,” Ning Xueyan said in a neither
humble nor arrogant way. Although she looked pale, she still stood
straight. It was hard to believe that such a strong will in such a delicate
body.

Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan quietly, and did not say anything.
Ning Xueyan’s frail form was reflected in his thoughtful eyes. After a
while, he said in a magnetic voice coldly, “If you like, I can marry Third
Young Lady of your manor to vent your anger.”

“Marry Ning Qingshan and vent my anger?” He had shifted the topic so
quickly that Ning Xueyan could not follow him for the moment. She
blinked for a while and understood his intention. She lowered her head
and sighed slightly. “Prince Yi, these are only the affairs of our manor.
How can I trouble you for such trifles? I can handle it.”

She did not want to talk about Ning Qingshan. But this woman had
become her opponent and she seemed to be fighting her to the death.
Ning Xueyan did not want to bother Ao Chenyi with a personal feud
between her and Ning Qingshan, and she only hoped that Ao Chenyi
would give her a hand when she was really in need in the future.

Moreover, she was acutely aware that he was only testing her. Ao Chenyi
was so domineering that he never changed his mind because of others. If
he decided to marry Ning Qingshan, it would not because she had
requested him to do so. Like two blades, his gazes were both cold and
sharp, without any softness.

“Aren’t you afraid that Ning Qingshan may collude with Ao Mingyu to
kill you? Your status at Lord Protector’s Manor is even lower than an
adopted daughter,” Ao Chenyi said. He put it straightforward and
pointed out the real look of the Lord Protector’s Manor.

A daughter of the principal wife even less favored than an adopted

daughter who was not related to Ning Zu’an by blood. Only people of
the Lord Protector’s Manor could be so indifferent to kinship!

Ning Qingshan was already very tough to deal with. If Ao Mingyu, who
wanted to marry her joint hands with her, Ning Xueyan had little chance
to survive.

“Of course I’m afraid! But it’s useless. Will they let go of me because
I’m afraid?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. The weakness on her face had
been replaced by a trace of loneliness, coldness and blankness.

She was clear that it was useless to be afraid.

In her last life, when she was almost beaten to death by Ning Ziyan and
Madam Ling by the lotus pool, she had been so scared and hoped that
someone would come to save her. But except for Xia Yuhang’s betrayal
and indifference, she had gotten nothing. He even watched her being
drowned in the lotus pool without doing anything.

At that point, she had realized that fear could never solve any problem.

It was useless to put your hope in others!

If it was possible, she hoped that she could be more strong-willed. Then
it would be much easier for her to throw those vicious people into hell.

“Ning Xueyan, you’re not bad. You’re so smart. I hope you’re always so
smart.” Ao Chenyi suddenly curved up his thin lips and a smile appeared
on his extremely delicate face. It was the first time his face had not been
so bleak. Raising his brow slightly, he stood up and placed a porcelain
bottle in his hand on the bedside table of the bed.

“Apply the medicine powder onto your wound once each day. Your
injury is not serious, so you’ll recover in a few days. But be careful not
to get water on the wound.”

“Many thanks, Prince Yi,” Ning Xueyan said in a low voice.

Watching Ao Chenyi striding away, her feet felt like jelly. She leaned
against the bed, sweat rising from her forehead. She was really weak.
She had shed only a little blood and was faint and feeble.

“Miss, what’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” When Lanning walked
in, she happened to see Ning Xueyan gasping, leaning against the bed.

“I’m okay. Let’s go!” Ning Xueyan managed to stand up with a pale
face. She smiled at Lanning, trying to comfort her.

“Okay. Let’s leave from the back door. Prince Yi arranged two people
there, and they will send us to a safe place.” Lanning knew that it was
not safe to speak here, so she helped Ning Xueyan and was about to
leave.

After only taking two steps forward, Ning Xueyan saw the medicine
bottle on the table. She picked it up and put it into her pocket before
walking to the back door with the help of Lanning.

The back door of the courtyard was just behind the rockery. The area
near the front door was a mess, with blood and flesh flying and bodies
everywhere. All the servants of the imperial palace were handling the
accident site. Ning Xueyan saw nobody except for a palace maid and a
eunuch who were waiting for her. Seeing her coming over, the palace
maid reached out and supported her by the arm. The eunuch looked
around and saw nobody else. Then he led them away from this place by a
path.

After crossing several intersections, they saw someone ahead. There was
such a big thing going on in the imperial palace, and the assassins
showed up and even injured Prince Yi! Those spoiled Young Ladies had
never seen such a horrible scene before, and their feet felt like jelly. They
stumbled with the support of their maids, showing no more grace.

They did not feel safe whenever they were. They were afraid that the
assassins would suddenly show up from somewhere and kill them.

The eunuchs and palace maids were busy worrying about their own
safety, and none of them came to guide them. Compared to these noble
Young Ladies, they were more likely to be the assassins’ target.
Now on the path, were all the distinguished daughters of the high-rank
officials. They were walking in small groups. After all, men had more
guts than women. These Young Ladies had left those ethics behind and
did not care if they were walking with a childe. Some of the childes were
their brothers, so of course they would walk together. A few Young
Ladies were in a panic and they tripped over the plant, and one of them
even had a head injury.

Therefore, when Ning Xueyan appeared on the path in the imperial

palace with a pale face, nobody noticed her.

She knew very few people here, and she had no idea where her only
friend, Heng Yuqing was. She looked around, and found nobody she
knew, so she walked out slowly with the support of Lanning. Almost all
her weight was on Lanning. With feeble legs, she was obviously
extremely weak now.

The palace maid and eunuch who had sent them out had left quietly.

“Miss, the person in front seems to be Third Young Lady!” Lanning

suddenly whispered in Ning Xueyan’s ear. Ning Xueyan calmed herself
down and raised her head to look. She saw a figure like Ning Qingshan.
She closed her eyes for a short moment, and then opened them again.
Now she was sure that it was Ning Qingshan.

“Miss, Third Young Lady seems to be injured as well,” Lanning looked

for a while and said in hesitation.

Just like Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan was also stumbling forward with
the support of a maid of her and a palace maid.

“Ning Qingshan got injured as well?” Ning Xueyan frowned. She looked
at Ning Qingshan carefully and fell into silence. It seemed Ning
Qingshan really got injured.

How could that happen? She had been at Honored Consort Ya’s palace at
that point, and the killers that the emperor arranged would not disturb
them there. How could Ning Qingshan get injured?

Ning Xueyan suddenly recalled what Ao Chenyi said, and her heart beat
faster for no reason. She raised her pale face and squeezed out a feeble
smile. “Let’s go! Leave her alone!” she said.
Chapter 198 The Gifts from the
Two Princes
In the shockingly accident happened in the imperial palace, not only
Prince Yi had been assassinated, those noble Young Ladies and childes
who had come for the party were scared too. A few of them even hurt
their hands or feet. Fortunately, none of them died. Even so, the officials
were all filled with apprehension.

The Young Ladies and childes who had visited the imperial place this
time were all the daughters and sons of the principal wife of the officials
who were much more distinguished than the children of the concubines.
Their families had put a lot of effort in training them, so if something
bad happened to them, it would be a heavy loss for their families.

The officials all requested the emperor to punish those assassins.

However, since all the assassins had been killed by Prince Yi’s guards on
the spot, the emperor could not find any of them. He had to kick the ball
to Prince Yi, and asked him to investigate the accident. Thus, a blood
storm was set off.

Lord Protector’s Manor was the most unlucky among all these manors,
because two daughters and one son of the principal wives were all
injured.

Ning Huaiyuan was shot in the shoulder by an arrow flying diagonally

opposite. Ning Qingshan hurt her leg in panic. Ning Xueyan had been
weak, and at sight of the bloody scene, she fainted to the ground, and
finally, the maid managed to carry her back to the manor. In the evening,
Ning Xueyan got a fever. The doctors hurried to the three courtyards to
check and cure their wounds and illness accordingly.

It was really an unexpected calamity! Madam Dowager was so worried

and her lips blistered. She went to the Buddha Hall and stayed there with
Madam Ling there. The whole night, she was chanting the Buddhist
scripture. Madam Ling, who had been always at odds with Madam
Dowager, did not show displeasure, but willingly kowtowed and chanted
the Buddhist scripture with her. After all, the son she cared most got
injured this time.

The best things in the manor were sent to Ning Huaiyuan first. Soon,
many people could be seen bustle around his courtyard.

However, the gifts from Third Prince and Fourth Prince put Ning
Qingshan’s courtyard in the spotlight.

Third Prince was relatively fair, because he gave each of the three a gift
to express the sympathy and consolation from the imperial family.
According to some little birds, the gifts Third Prince had given to the
Lord Protector’s Manor were at least 50% more expensive than those he
had given to the manors with injured children. That meant Third Prince
had bought the gifts for the Lord Protector’s Manor out of his own
pocket.

Why did he do this? Obviously, the Lord Protector’s Manor was special
for him. Someone even said that the news of the engagement between
Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor and Third Prince
should have been announced at the party that day, but because of the
assassination, the announcement of the good news had to be postponed.
Anyway, Honored Consort Ya had taken Third Young Lady as her future
daughter-in-law, so it was normal that Third Prince sent more valuable
gifts to the Lord Protector’s Manor.

If Third Prince had sent the gifts because he wanted to marry Third
Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, why Fourth Prince had sent
gifts to the manor？
As soon as people who had dispatched by Third Prince to send the gifts
left, Fourth Prince’s men arrived. Besides, he made it clear that the gifts
were for Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. His men
brought many gifts, and most of them were sent to Ning Qingshan’s
Foggy Courtyard. Only very few of them were given to Ning Huaiyuan
and Ning Xueyan.

Everyone could tell that without Third Young Lady, Fourth Prince would
not give anything to Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Xueyan.
What did he want? Not only people from the Lord Protector’s Manor, but
also the outsiders were confused. Apparently, Fourth Prince was
interested in Third Young Lady!

Fourth Prince’s excuse of sending the gifts to the manor sounded

reasonable. He said that when Third Young Lady was injured in the
imperial palace that day, he had happened been by her side. He had
failed to find a doctor to cure her wound in time, so he felt guilty, and
asked someone to send the gifts to the manor to make up for his guilt.

However, all those who were not stupid knew that it was just an excuse.
After the assassination taking place, Third Prince and Fourth Prince had
been around the Plum Garden to handle things, while Ning Qingshan had
been in Honored Consort Ya’s palace. She did not see the assassin and
get her leg injured in a panic until she had left the palace.

Therefore, Fourth Prince and Ning Qingshan could not have been in the
same place at the same time. How could he have seen Ning Qingshan get
injured and failed to cure her in time?

It was really subtle that Third Prince and Fourth Prince had sent gifts to
the Foggy Courtyard one after another. Madam Dowager was at Ning
Huaiyuan’s courtyard at the moment. She thought it over and walked to
Ning Qingshan’s Foggy Courtyard with Mother Qin. She had been busy
caring about Ning Huaiyuan in the past few days, and had not visited
Ning Qingshan yet.

“Third Young Lady, Madam Dowager is coming,” Seeing Madam

Dowager and her servants coming, Mammy Luo hurried lifted the
curtains of the bed, and supported Ning Qingshan up while greeting
Madam Dowager.

“Grandmother!” Ning Qingshan looked even more delicate and charming

after getting injured.

“Does your leg still hurt? Can you walk a little bit? Is the medicine
effective? Tell me if it’s not effective. I’ll find some better medicines for
you,” Madam Dowager sat beside the bed and asked with concern,
grabbing Ning Qingshan’s hand. She looked so cared about her, as if
Ning Qingshan were his own granddaughter.
“Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. The medicine is very
effective and my leg is much better. I can walk a little, but not long,”
Ning Qingshan said in a soft voice.

“That’s fine. I feel relieved that your wound is not serious. I was
worrying that if you had a disability in your leg, you can’t find a man to
marry you in the future,” Madam Dowager said with a smile.

“Grandmother!” Ning Qingshan blushed with shyness.

“Are these the gifts given by Third Prince and Fourth Prince?” Madam
Dowager turned her head and looked at the table beside her, which was
covered with all sorts of silks and satins, makeup powder, ornaments, as
well as some medicinal materials. Not only was there a great variety, but
each item was uncommon. Obviously, they were all from the imperial
palace.

“Yes. They were all given by the two princes. I was just thinking about
sending them to you and let you make the decision how to handle them,”
Ning Qingshan said gently, a triumphant look flashing in her eyes, but
not showing on her face.

She had been confused when Honored Consort Shu mentioned that she
was close with Ao Mingwan in the imperial palace, and it had also made
Honored Consort Ya angry at that point. Therefore, Ning Qingshan had
made up her mind to distance herself from Ao Mingwan. However, to
her surprise, Madam Dowager could not stay calm anymore when she
knew that Fourth Prince had sent gifts to her as well. Madam Dowager
had not come to visit her in the past few days. Hearing the news of
Fourth Prince’s gifts, she immediately came. Therefore, Now Ning
Qingshan thought that what Fourth Prince had done was good for her.

Furthermore, how lucky a woman was to be loved by two princes!

What was more, she could never figure out what her aunt was thinking.
Three years ago, she had promised to marry her to Third Prince as his
principal wife. However, when she went to the nunnery, her aunt had
talked about the marriage with Lord Protector’s Manor and wanted Ning
Yuling to be her daughter-in-law. If nothing bad had happened to Ning
Yuling, she would have been Third Prince’s principal wife. Even if Third
Prince would still marry Ning Qingshan, she could only become his co-
consort.

Ning Qingshan was proud, and she could not bear that to happen. She
thought she was the most suitable woman to be the future empress.

Therefore, with Fourth Prince as her back-up, if her aunt wanted to

cancel the marriage between her and Third Prince, or only want to marry
her as his co-consort, she would marry Fourth Prince, and assisted him
wholeheartedly to take the throne. Then she would still become the
empress. Thinking about this, she felt relieved. Before Madam Dowager
coming, she had asked Mammy Luo to prepare a gift for Fourth Prince.

It was a picture she had painted. She wanted to express her thankfulness
and affection to Fourth Prince.

Originally, it was very improper for an unmarried noble Young Lady to

give a man her things. However, since Fourth Prince had given gifts to
her, she thought she should give back something to him. Nobody else
would know about this, so nobody would accuse her of such unruly
behavior.

Of course Ning Qingshan would not mention it to Madam Dowager.

“Third Young Lady, you can keep them. Since both the two princes think
highly of you, you should have a good rest, and when you recover, I’ll
invite them to our manor and show our thanks,” Madam Dowager said
with a smile, looking at her from the corner of her eyes.

“Thank you, Grandmother!” Ning Qingshan answered obediently. Then

she continued to flatter Madam Dowager and made her laugh from time
to time. Finally, Madam Dowager left the Foggy Courtyard satisfied.

Mammy Luo saw Madam Dowager off at the gate of the courtyard on
behalf of Ning Qingshan. She returned to the room and ordered the
maids out, and then closed the door.

“Has she gone? Did she say something?” Ning Qingshan asked coldly,
leaning against the cushion.
She looked totally different from what she had been flattering Madam
Dowager just now.

“Nothing. Miss, you, you really want to invite Fourth Prince here to
thank him personally?” Mammy Luo stood beside the bed and asked
uneasily.

“Yes. Since grandmother mentioned it, I should follow her suggestion.

Anyway, what I will do is just follow grandmother’s words. It’s not me
who came up with such an idea, and nobody can accuse me of that!”
Ning Qingshan smiled proudly. Although she did not know why Ao
Mingwan had suddenly shown his affection to her, at least, it proved that
she was attractive. Meanwhile, Third Prince and Honored Consort Ya
would feel pressure and the Lord Protector’s Manor would pay more
attention to her because of this. Since she could get so many benefits,
why not?

“Miss, if Honored Consort Ya finds out about it, you…” Mammy Luo
said in hesitation, pinching the handkerchief in her hands. Honored
Consort Ya was smart. If she knew that Third Young Lady deliberately
associated with Fourth Prince, she would not let go of her easily.

“Mammy, don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. Thinking of my identity

and my status, don’t you think my life is miserable?” Ning Qingshan let
out a sigh and sat straight. She looked at Mammy Luo and said sincerely,
holding her hand.

“Mammy, I take you as my only family member. I know only you really
care about me, so I won’t make a move recklessly. I’ll take care of you
when you’re old and carry out funerary duties after your death. I’ll let
you lead a happy life in your old age, and I’ll ask the emperor to give
you a title!”

She said sincerely, and she deliberately mentioned to let Mammy Luo
become the imperial mandate Mrs.! How lucky a servant would be to get
such benefits! A lump came into Mammy Luo’s throat. She walked over
and wrapped Ning Qingshan’s shoulders with her arms, her eyes red.

“Miss, you don’t have to promise me that. I’ll be happy if you’re all
right. You’re a noble Young Lady of your own mind. I’m only worrying
that it will be dangerous if you rise too rapidly.”
“I’ll be okay. Mammy, take it easy. Please redeem Xia’er’s younger
sister from the brothel tomorrow, and ask her to be a second-class maid
at Foggy Courtyard. After all, she is Xia’er’s younger sister by blood, we
should take care of her as possible as we can,” Ning Qingshan said
softly, burying her head in Mammy Luo’s arms.

“Got it. Miss, you’re such a kind person. I’ll do my best to serve you.”
Mammy Luo thought that Ning Qingshan wanted to help Xia’er’s
younger sister for the sake of Xia’er, so she immediately became
emotional. She nodded hard with tears in her eyes. At the same time, she
was more determined to do everything to her master without any
hesitation, even if she had to undergo the most severe trials.

Xia’er’s younger sister Caifen, had been sold to the brothel when she
was just a kid, and now she was the performer of the brothel. Xia’er had
just found her not long ago. Ning Qingshan had seen her once. Caifen
was very smart, and she had a deep affection for Xia’er.
Chapter 199 the Candied Fruits
from Mr. Wang
Bright Frost Garden was the most cheerless among the three courtyards.
By now, no master of the manor had visited Ning Xueyan. Madam
Dowager had only asked a servant to bring several kinds of medicines to
her, and Ning Zu’an had done nothing at all, as if he had forgotten that
one of his daughters at the Bright Frost Garden was ill out of panic.

Of course Ning Xueyan had little hope that they would come to see her.
She had fallen into ill because she was injured and she was too weak.
The first night she was carried back to the manor, she had been delirious
with fever. In her semi-comatose state, she felt as if she were in her
mother’s arms, so gentle and tolerant. Therefore, after midnight, she had
slept soundly. The next day, although she was still feeble, her fever had
gone down.

The medicine Ao Chenyi had given her was very effective, and her
wound scarred quickly after using it. Lanning carefully applied the
medicine powder on her wound. Ning Xueyan frowned in pain, and her
teeth almost got into her flesh.

“Miss, if it hurts too much, just shout it out. I have checked outside and
found nobody,” Qingyu said, felt distressed. She then held up a basin and
began to clear the medicine power around her wound.

“I’m okay. The pain will go away soon.” Ning Xueyan relaxed gradually
and leaned against the big cushion behind her weakly.

The medicine from Ao Chenyi should be a cure for knife wounds. It hurt
badly the moment the medicine powder was applied on the wound, and
people without strong-willed could not bear the pain. But after a short
while, the pain would subside, and even her shoulder was not that pain.
Because she had been injured and gotten a fever, she had not recovered
yet. After a short while, she felt weak all over.
“Miss, I checked the wound just now, and found the scar began to
harden. It seems you’ll recover in a few days,” Lanning said with a
smile, while skillfully wrapping the gauze for Ning Xueyan. She felt
relieved. She had almost scared to death when she helped Ning Xueyan
out from the courtyard of the imperial palace. At that point, Ning
Xueyan’s face had been ashen and could not walk firmly.

Now although she still looked pale, compared with the other day, she
was much more energetic.

Lanning and Qingyu felt relieved.

“I’m recovering pretty quickly. What’s going on at the Foggy

Courtyard?” Ning Xueyan closed her eyes and asked, leaning against the
cushion weakly.

“It’s said both Third Prince and Fourth Prince sent gifts to Third Young
Lady. Because of this, Madam Dowager visited her. After returning to
her courtyard, Madam Dowager also asked her servant to send many
nutritious medicinal materials,” Qingyu answered. Then she muttered in
discontent, “Madam Dowager hasn’t come to visit you yet. I wonder
who she thinks her granddaughter is!”

“She never cares about who is really her granddaughter. She only takes
the one who can bring the biggest benefits to the Lord Protector’s Manor
as her own granddaughter.” Ning Xueyan smiled faintly. She opened her
eyes and continued, “Besides, it’s good for me that they will not come to
visit me. Otherwise, if they know that I was injured by the arrow, I’ll be
in trouble.”

No one of the Lord Protector’s Manor really took care of her!

After her rebirth, Ning Xueyan was even more aware of it. If they cared
about her, they would not have waited until now. The moment when
Ning Ziying died, she had cut off the kinship with all the people of the
Nings.

So she did not care about their attitude to her. Ning Qingshan was much
valuable than the useless Fifth Young Lady now, so it was normal that
Madam Dowager paid much attention to Ning Qingshan. But she was
surprised that Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan had also given the gifts to
Ning Qingshan. Although she had been far from them that day, Ning
Xueyan had found that Honored Consort Shu seemed to talk to Ning
Qingshan unkindly.

And she had also found that Honored Consort Ya’s face darkened.

So she knew that must be something she did not know. Thankfully, she
needed not to worry about that, because Ning Qingshan was the person
concerned, not her. What she needed to do was watching what was going
on and adding fuel to the fire just in time.

After the palace banquet, Ning Qingshan and her were at daggers drawn.
With the nature of Ning Qingshan, she would not let go of her. Of
course, Ning Xueyan did not plan to avoid her.

“I wonder whom Third Young Lady wants to marry. Third Prince or

Fourth Prince?” Seeing Ning Xueyan not being annoyed, Qingyu shifted
the topic and asked.

She was not the only one who had doubts about this. Many servants of
the Lord Protector’s Manor thought in the same way.

“I don’t know. Maybe she wants to sit on the fence!” Ning Xueyan said
casually. She looked at Qingyu from the corner of her eyes and joked,
“Since you care so much about Third Sister, how about go to the Foggy
Courtyard and asked her for me? Then I can prepare the gift in advance.
Otherwise, if she suddenly makes the decision, I may have no time to
prepare it.”

“Don’t do that, miss. Please! If I go there, maybe you’ll have to come to

save me,” Qingyu said with a sad face, looking scared. She picked up the
used bandage and walked to the window. There was a brazier, and all the
bandages which had been replaced each time would be burned in it, and
then thrown away together with ashes of other things.

But because of this, sometimes, the smoke in the room would be stronger
than normal.

Fortunately, Bright Frost Garden was located in the most remote part of
the manor. Now the other two important people had been injured,
nobody would pay attention to this place.
At the point, the door curtain was lifted and Mother Han walked in. She
stood at the gate for a moment. After the chill had left her, she walked
over. Seeing Ning Xueyan look good and even can joke with the two
maids when she leaned against the cushion, Mother Han could not help
smiling. Thinking about how weak Ning Xueyan had been when she got
a fever, she was still nervous.

Ning Xueyan was born to be weak. Although she was much better than
before, she could not compare with the others. Furthermore, she had
gotten injured this time. If she was not careful enough, a combination of
injury and illness could kill her!

“Mother Han, did you get them?” Ning Xueyan raised her smiling face
and asked.

“Miss, those people really pushed me too far. I have told the shopkeepers
of those shops that you needed it, but only Mr. Lu and the other two
shopkeepers have tried their best to look for them for you. Although they
didn’t find them, they said they would immediately inform me when they
get it.”

When talking about this, Mother Han could not hold back her anger.
Those shops were all Madam Ming’s dowry. Now none of the
shopkeepers took Fifth Young Lady as their master. Moreover, they
found all sorts of excuses to deny her these things, and some of them
even said that Second Young Lady had ordered these, so they could not
give them to Ning Xueyan.

Only Mr. Lu, the shopkeeper of Tonghetang Pharmacy would like to help
her for the sake of Madam Ming. After rummaging the whole shop, he
did not find the stuff that Ning Xueyan needed. He promised that he
would inform Mother Han to pick them as soon as the stuff arrived.

“Mammy, that’s normal. Madam Ling has managed the shops for so
many years, so of course she has replaced most of the former
shopkeepers with her henchmen. Now those people only take Madam
Ling as their master. Maybe they even don’t know these shops were my
mother’s dowry. And it’s impossible that they will follow my
instruction.” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. She did not feel surprised at
all.
This was a matter of reason. Madam Ling was such a ruthless woman, so
of course she would not keep any Madam Ming’s men to help Ning
Xueyan. As for Mr. Lu, he must have something special about him, so
Madam Ling had not replaced him yet. Fortunately, she had sent Mother
Han to the shops only to test the shopkeepers’ attitude, not really wanted
something.

Their attitude was related to her next move.

“Which are the other two?” Ning Xueyan asked with a smile, a trace of
coldness appeared in her jet-black eyes.

“Mr. Wang of the candied fruit shop and Mr. Yu of the fabric shop. They
didn’t say that much, but I can tell that they really want to find them for
you. After rummaging for a long time, they didn’t find them. They
apologized to me and asked me to give these to you.”

Although those things were not valuable, at least, they showed their
sincerity.

“What did they give me?” Ning Xueyan asked curiously. She turned her
head playfully with a smile.

“Mr. Wang of the candied fruit shop gave me several cans of precious
candied fruit. It was said they didn’t have much of it in his shop. A shop
assistant was reluctant to give them to me, saying that they only have
several cans of them in their shop. Mr. Yu wasn’t that generous.
Although he picked several rolls of precious cloth for you, he had many
of this kind of cloth in his shop.

Mother Han said while taking out the candied fruit cans from her pocket,
“I have put the cloth on the table of the outside room. Miss, do you want
to have a look at them?”

“No.” Ning Xueyan shook her head slightly, smiling faintly. She looked
at the cans of candied fruit and asked, “These are Mr. Wang’s rare
candied fruits?”

“Yes. Miss, when the shop assistant saw me off, he reminded me to be

careful and not to break the can. Otherwise, you would not be able to
taste such delicious candied fruit,” Mother Han answered seriously
without any suspicion.

The faint smile on Ning Xueyan’s face changed to a sneer. “Mammy, be

care of Mr. Wang. Don’t tell him any truth. Otherwise, he will definitely
tell what you said to Madam Ling.”

Ning Xueyan might have never seen such kind of candied fruit, so she
might think it to be precious. However, Ning Ziying had eaten a lot of it,
because she liked the taste. Whenever Xia Yuhang visited the Lord
Protector’s Manor, he would have brought some to her. Although this
kind of candied fruit was expensive, it could not be taken as rare!

Obviously, the shop assistant had said and acted under the shopkeeper’s
secret instruction. Otherwise, how could a humble shop assistant
question his leader’s decision? Since the candied fruits were going to be
given to their master, how could he be so reluctant? They had just been
acting in front of Mother Han. It seemed Mr. Wang was a very tactful
person.

“Miss, you mean Mr. Wang was acting in front of me?” Mother Han was
not stupid, and she immediately understood what she meant.

“Mother Han, I saw this kind of candied fruit when I was at Cloud
Reflection Courtyard. They’re not precious at all!” Lanning stopped
what she was doing and walked over. When she saw the candied fruits,
she said disdainfully.

“Mr. Wang is so cunning! Miss, I thought that he took you seriously, so

he gave these to you. I didn’t expect that he was a typical mean person!”
Mother Han said angrily. Mr. Wang had even kept her waiting outside for
a long time. Now she knew he had just acted in front of her.

“Mammy, relax. Since he likes to act, I’ll act with her in a few days,”
Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. Although she had not recovered yet, at
least she was freer than Madam Ling. When she was better a few days
later, she would be able to go to the shop under the guise of relaxation.

“How about the two shops of the Nings?” Ning Xueyan suddenly
changed the topic and asked about another thing she had asked Mother
Han to do.
“Oh! I just wanted to report it to you! I really found some secrets there!”
Mother Han suddenly recalled an urgent matter at Ning Xueyan’s
reminder. She cried out, slapping her thigh.
Chapter 200 Investigation, and a
Past Event about Ning Ziying
“What happened?” Ning Xueyan asked.

Seeing Mother Han waving her hand, Qingyu walked out cautiously.

Although it was impossible for Madam Dowager to come now, it would

be better to be cautious.

“Miss, the plaques of the two shops in the name of Young Lady Ziying
were replaced by those of the Xia Manor. It was said that these two
shops were Eldest Young Lady’s dowry. The two shopkeepers were
newly hired and even all the shop assistants were replaced. None of them
knew who Young Lady Ziying was.”

The Ning’s shops were Ning Ziying’s property in the capital. They were
neither big nor small, and were profitable enough for all Ning Ziying’s
expenses at the Lord Protector’s Manor. When they were going to get
married, Xia Yuhang had told her that the two shopkeepers seemed to
have stolen something from the shops, and asked her to punish them.
Ning Ziying had thought that she would marry Xia Yuhang sooner or
later, so she had left the matter in his hands.

Later, all the dowry of Ning Ziying had been sent to the Xia Manor, and
the two shops had become the property of Xia Yuhang. Ning Xueyan
was a little surprised that Xia Yuhang had told everyone that the shops
were Ning Ziyan’s dowry, and replaced the plaques with the Xia Manor’s
so soon. She sneered. Thinking about this man, she was filled with
disgust. How stupid she had been to think he had done everything for her
good?

“But when I was inquiring about Young Lady Ziying, someone else
asked about her as well. I thought it might be someone from her
hometown, but after listening for a while, I realized that it wasn’t,”
Mother Han said with certainty.
She had been thinking how she could ask about Ning Ziying, without
arousing suspicion when she suddenly heard someone ask if the shop
was named ‘the Nings’, and why it turned to be ‘the Xias’?

Then someone had told him that the shop was the dowry of the Eldest
Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Since Eldest Young Lady of
the Nings had married the childe of the Xias, of course it should be
named as ‘the Xias’!

“That person couldn’t have come from Young Lady Ziying’s hometown.
Mother Wang said that the only acquaintance of Young Lady Ziying in
her hometown was an old housekeeper of their manor. He had to take
care of the houses of the Nings, so he wouldn’t have sent people here.
Besides, before her marriage, the old housekeeper had sent many
wedding gifts to Young Lady Ziying. It wasn’t possible for him to send
people here in such a short time.”

Lanning shook her head and denied immediately.

Ning Xueyan leaned against the head of the bed and looked down at her
slender fingers. Nobody could tell what she was thinking.

“I thought in the same way in the beginning, but I changed my mind

soon. Because that person even didn’t know where Young Lady Ziying
was, and he pressed the old shopkeeper many times, asking him the
whereabouts of his former master, Young Lady Ziying. He also said that
the shop didn’t belong to Ning Ziyan at all, and it was the property of
Young Lady Ziying. He questioned how it had fallen into Ning Ziyan’s
hand.”

At that point, not only the old shopkeeper had been so scared, but even
Mother Han’s face had turned pale at fear as well. The man who had
been asking about Ning Ziying did not seem to be a gentleman. His
clothes had been bulging at the waist, as if a blade or sword at his side. It
seemed he would draw out his weapon immediately once anyone had
said something he did not like. In any case, nobody would believe such
an aggressive person had anything to do with the gentle Young Lady
Ziying.

“Someone is investigating Ning Ziying?” Ning Xueyan frowned slight,

biting her lip.
Ning Xueyan recalled the woman in white at the Cloud Reflection
Courtyard. Now a man who had suddenly come to the shop to look for
Ning Ziying. She was sure he would not have been dispatched by the old
housekeeper, and she could not figure out where he had come from for
the moment. But it reminded her of the moment on the way she had
come to the capital.

When she set off from her hometown, she had led a group of servants
who drove luxurious carriages, carrying a lot of valuable dowry. But
when they were approaching the capital, the team were been streamlined
and the carriages were replaced by plainer ones in a small town.

These had all been arranged by the old housekeeper. He told Ning Ziying
that her mother had warned before her death that gold, silver and satin
were the most eye-catching things. As a lonely girl who had lost her
parents, if being found out that she had a lot of property, Ning Ziying
might get into trouble. Besides, it could even bring her death! Therefore,
reducing the number of servants and changing the carriages would be the
best choice.

Ning Ziying believed that her mother had said that out of concern for her
safety. She had been very young and had just lost her parents, so it was
normal that she would have followed her mother’s last words. She had
never doubted about her mother’s motives, and no one had suspicions
about her when she just arrived at the Lord Protector’s Manor.

When she thought it again now, she found everything was full of doubts.
What if she had come to the capital with those luxurious carriages? Since
Ning Zu’an was a powerful general, she did not believe that anyone
would dare to get him in trouble for money.

However, if not because of this, why her mother did not want the others
？
to know her whereabouts It seemed that she had been trying to hide her
identity, and even hide the fact that she had arrived at the Lord
Protector’s Manor.

“Was mother trying to hide me from those people?”

“What do they want? Why are they looking for Ning Ziying?” Ning
Xueyan wondered.
“What did those who were asked answer?” she asked.

“I heard them insist that they didn’t know Ning Ziying, and they have
never heard that Ning Ziying was the owner of the shop. Their present
master was the newly married wife of Childe Xia, the former Young
Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Since they didn’t know more than
that, that man left,”

Mother Han thought for a while and answered. The shopkeepers and
shop assistants were all newly hired, so of course they did not know who
Young Lady Ziying was, and thought that Ning Ziyan was the owner of
the shop.

It seemed it was time to take something out from the Cloud Reflection
Courtyard. Ning Xueyan had not taken them out because she was afraid
that it might arouse attention. She had hung out there recently when she
had spare time and did not find anything abnormal. Once, she even had
entered the Cloud Reflection Courtyard when there was nobody around.

It was empty inside, and those sacrificial offerings had been taken away.
Dust could be found everywhere. Obviously, nobody had come here for a
long time.

“Mammy, don’t go to the shops anymore, and don’t ask about Sister
Ziying anymore. If someone asks you about that, just say that you know
nothing,” Ning Xueyan said. She had come up with an idea.

“Miss, don’t you want to look into the matter about Young Lady Ziying’s
shops?” Mother Han asked.

“It doesn’t matter whether we look into it or not. What’s more, we’re at
the inner courtyard, so it’s not convenient to ask for something. But those
people are different from us. They seem to come specifically to
investigate things about Sister Ziying. If the shops are still there, they
will find that the Nings and the Xias have problem. We just have to
wait,”

Ning Xueyan said slowly, smiling.

Since someone was investigating Ning Ziying’s affairs, and they seemed
to be doing better than Ning Xueyan herself, she was certainly willing to
just sit back and leave others to find it out. She was sure that there was
something she did not know about her last life. There were even doubts
about how she had died. Except for the two cases of brocade, there must
be something else had aroused Xia Yuhang’s attention.

Of course, someone else was more eager than her to find everything out.

After Ning Ziying was drowned in the lotus pool, people of the Lord
Protector’s Manor kept it in secret. They only told the others that a
relative of the Nings who lodged at their manor had died, and the
outsiders even did not know her name. Since suicide was such an
ominous and a miserable thing, the manor did not hold a funeral for her.
What was more, someone seemed to be deliberately hiding the trace of
her life at the manor, as if nobody had known that she had used to live
here.

Ning Xueyan was not sure who the person was, Ning Zu’an, Madam
Dowager or Madam Ling? But since someone had come to the capital to
investigate Ning Ziying’s affairs, the person who was trying to hide her
trails must be anxious. All Ning Xueyan had to do was looking on!

“Okay. Miss, it’s up to you,” Mother Han thought it over and nodded
with agreement. She suddenly remembered another thing. “When I
walked into the manor just now, I saw Mammy Luo walk over with a
maid. The maid was pretty, but she was flirtatious in manner and didn’t
seem to be a fine upstanding girl. After Mammy Luo walked away, I
asked someone about the girl, and was told that she was Xia’er’s
younger sister. Third Young Lady pitied her for being alone, so she
brought her here to be a maid,” Mother Han said.

“Xia’er’s younger sister?” Ning Xueyan frowned, a trace of coldness

appeared in her eyes.

If Ning Qingshan had not made Xia’er her scapegoat, Xia’er would not
have been beaten to death. Ning Xueyan was sure that Ning Qingshan
must have tried another trick to get Xia’er’s younger sister into the
manor.

“She failed to frame me this time, so she came up with another trick! She
has already injured her leg, but she was still thinking about setting me
up. It seems she wants to make use of that woman from nowhere to fight
me by telling her that Xia’er died because of me,” Ning Xueyan thought.

She was not afraid of Ning Qingshan’s tricks, but she did not want to be
set up again and again.

“Mammy, pay a visit to Foggy Courtyard. Tell Third Sister that I asked
you to see whether she had recovered. Tell her that I’m sick and I’ll visit
her in person when I recover.” Ning Xueyan pointed at the gifts by the
window. They were some medicinal materials and satin that Third Prince
had sent to her.

“Miss, it seems to be improper to give the gifts that Third Prince brought
you to Third Young Lady. Since they are not prepared by yourself, she
may think that you’re not sincerer,” Mother Han suggested, looking at
the gifts scatter on the table.

“It doesn’t matter. Since Third Sister is so noble, she won’t like what I
prepared for her. Third Prince’s gifts are much better, and were more in
line with Third Sister’s status,”

Ning Xueyan said with a smile, looking at Mother Han.

Even a personal maid of Ning Qingshan thought that she was extremely
noble, so obviously, Ning Qingshan thought herself in the same way.
Although she had not expressed this in front of people after returning
from the imperial palace this time, Ning Xueyan was sure that Ning
Qingshan looked down upon her from the bottom of her heart. If Ning
Xueyan gave her the things from Third Prince, Ning Qingshan certainly
did not want others to think she was inferior to her.

Things from the imperial palace were much better than those of the
manor!

Moreover, neither Ning Xueyan nor Ning Qingshan had any valuable
things. In spite of her popularity, Ning Qingshan was an adopted
daughter. How could Madam Dowager give anything precious to her? If
she wanted to show that she was not inferior to Ning Xueyan, the gifts
she would give back to Ning Xueyan should be on par with Third
Prince’s gifts.
Ning Qingshan was good at pretending to be gentle in front of the others.
If Ning Xueyan had not forgotten to visit her and bring her gifts when
she herself was ill, Ning Qingshan would definitely return the favor, and
she would act in front of people and made them believe that she and
Ning Xueyan had a deep affection for each other. Therefore, in any case,
she would give gifts to Ning Xueyan in return that were even better than
what Ning Xueyan had given to her!

Therefore, Ning Qingshan would definitely give Ning Xueyan the gifts
that Fourth Prince had given to her that were even better than what Ning
Xueyan had given to her in return.

It was said that the gifts from Fourth Prince were much more valuable
than those from Third Prince.

These gifts were what she needed now.

“Got it. Miss, I’ll bring the gifts to her right now.” Mother Han did not
understand Ning Xueyan’s attention, but she felt assured at the sight of
the faint smile on her face. She agreed with what Ning Xueyan idea for
no reason. Since her young master had ordered, she would do it
immediately.

Mammy Han knew that her young master must have her reason, so what
she had to do was follow her instructions.

Her young master was not the Fifth Young Lady who had always hidden
herself under the wing of Madam Ming anymore.
Chapter 201 A Late Night Visit
from Prince Yi
It only took Mother Han less than two hours to return. As Ning Xueyan
had expected, she brought back the gifts Ning Qingshan had given to her.
Two maids with the gifts in their hands and several other servants
followed Mammy Luo to Bright Frost Garden with Mother Han.
Mammy Luo walked to the bed and asked Ning Xueyan about her health.

Ning Xueyan had rested for a while after Mother Han left, so she
recovered some of her energy. With the help of her maid, she sat up. She
asked about Ning Qingshan and specifically about how she had been
injured. Mammy Luo only said that Ning Qingshan had been in panic
and got her leg injured after seeing the assassins, but the wound was not
that serious, and she would recover after a few days.

Mammy Luo brought greetings from Ning Qingshan and told Ning
Xueyan that Ning Qingshan would come to visit her after her injury was
healed. She then asked the maids to present the gifts to Ning Xueyan and
hinted that these gifts were from Fourth Prince, which were even more
valuable than those from Third Prince.

Ning Xueyan smiled and chatted with her for a while before seeing her
off.

“Lanning, bring these gifts to Third Prince, telling him that I have
nothing to give him in return, so I will give him the gifts that Third Sister
gave me to show my thanks. In addition to thank him, you don’t need to
say anything else.”

Hearing the footsteps outside receding, Ning Xueyan leaned back and
said, raising her eyebrows.

“Miss, you want Third Prince knows that Fourth Prince gave gifts to
Third Young Lady? Should I tell Third Prince’s attendants that these gifts
were from Fourth Prince?” Lanning had been brought to the imperial
palace by Ning Xueyan a few days ago. Although she was not clear
about what had happened between Ning Xueyan and Ao Chenyi, she was
involved in the incident about the note. Therefore, she soon understood
Ning Xueyan’s intention.

But there were some things she still could not figure out.

“Even if we didn’t tell him, Third Prince would know these gifts were
from Fourth Prince,” Ning Xueyan said meaningfully. If Ao Mingyu was
so ill-informed, he could not even beat Ao Mingwan, let alone Ao
Chenyi. Obviously, in any respects, Third Prince was superior to Fourth
Prince.

“Got it. Miss, I’m going right now!” Lanning was a smart girl, so after
thinking for a short moment, she understood her young master’s plan.
She then left with a nod.

It was getting dark outside, and lanterns were lit up everywhere in the
Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Xueyan touched the candle wick and
shortened it with a pair of scissors. She had slept for a long time during
the day, so she was not sleepy at the moment. She then took out the
formula Aunt Xiang had given her and began to read. Aunt Xiang had
asked someone to take the formula secretly out of the imperial palace
and gave it to Ning Xueyan several days ago.

It was Qingyu’s turn to serve her tonight. Ning Xueyan had asked her to
go to sleep in the outside room.

With the stirring of the scissors, the candle wick emanated bright light.
Ning Xueyan was watching intently the candle wick while a figure
suddenly appeared in front of her. With a cold light flashing, she
immediately stabbed the scissors toward that figure.

Her wrist was grabbed forcibly and got a pinch. With a pain in her wrist,
she loosed her hand and the scissors dropped. However, before they
dropped onto the table, the scissors were caught by that person.

Ning Xueyan raised her head and looked at Ao Chenyi in front of her,
gritting her lip. He looked even taller, stronger and more aggressive than
usual in the candlelight. He was filled with a ruthless air, and the smile
on his lips was extremely cold and sinister.
“Prince Yi, what are you doing here? It’s already late, why don’t you
stay at your manor and rest?” Ao Chenyi had appeared in her room so
many times, so her fear had already turned to helplessness. Ning Xueyan
leaned back and deliberately stretched her injured arm. She really wanted
to know what this man came here for so late.

The coldness in Ao Chenyi’s eyes turned to a trace of idle smile. He

pulled a chair over and sat on it casually. “I’m here to check if my
favorite concubine is okay. Yan’er, it’s how you welcome me?”

He played with the sharp scissors in his hands. His face flickered in the
scissors’ cold light and his beautiful eyes looked even more elusive.

He looked at the girl, who was leaning against the bed head. Her jet-
black eyes were as cold as her. She had been too calm and self-
possessed, but she also made people feel that she was delicate. These
contradictory features coexisted in the same person harmoniously, as if
she should have been like this.

Now, with her long hair fallen, she looked both cold and charming. Her
beautiful hair fell, like a waterfall, making her delicate features
extremely beautiful. In the dim light, her eyes seemed to have been
covered with fog, and it made her less cold, but more delicate and
adorable.

“Prince Yi, now we were alone in the room. You don’t have to act like
this!” Ning Xueyan felt uneasy under his gaze. She turned her head to
the side, wondering what he wanted to do. She had gotten injured
because of him in the imperial place. If he wanted to play the game
again, she might lose her life.

“Why didn’t you say that it was improper to enter a girl’s room at
night?” Ao Chenyi suddenly laughed heartily with great interest. The
previous depression had gone.

“Because I know it doesn’t work for you!” Ning Xueyan sighed

helplessly. Ao Chenyi had been arrogant. He had even dared to kill those
assassins arranged by the emperor in the imperial palace, so obviously,
he was a daredevil. But Ning Xueyan knew that it was the best choice to
kill those assassins at that moment.
Ao Chenyi was ruthless, decisive, cold-blooded and noble, so Ning
Xueyan had never expected that he could abide by the moral codes, and
she estimated that he did not think it a big deal to come to a noble Young
Lady’s bedroom at night.

“Ha-ha!” What Ning Xueyan said seemed to be the flattery for Ao

Chenyi, and he suddenly burst into laughter. He then lazily put his hand
on Ning Xueyan’s injured hand, then moved it up along her wrist and
finally stopped on Ning Xueyan’s shoulder. He applied a little more
strength on her shoulder and Ning Xueyan’s forehead immediately
sweated in pain.

“Don’t try to butter me up!” His beautiful eyes flashed with a fierce look.
His hand continued to move up and then rested on her neck for a while.
Ning Xueyan had been under the warm quilt, so the moment his cold
fingers touched her skin, she could not help shivering. “I’m here to see
how you are. After all, you got injured because of me!”

Sensing the coldness on her neck, Ning Xueyan went stiff for a second,
but she then grabbed the big hand resting on her neck and pushed it
away. She took a deep breath and said with a smile, “Prince Yi, are you
here to probe Ning Zu’an’s study? I have checked and found nothing
there. He may not have what you are looking for. Even if he had it, he
must have hidden it in a secluded place, and it’s impossible to find it in a
short time. I have sneaked into my mother’s room and did not find
anything either.”

Some people were born to be thoughtful and there was some deeper
meaning behind what they were doing. Ao Chenyi was an extremely
smart person and when he did one thing, he always had other plans.
Therefore, Ning Xueyan did not think that Ao Chenyi came here to make
fun of her at such a late hour.

“It has been a few days since you got injured on the shoulder. Why
hasn’t the wound healed yet? Is it because I didn’t send gifts to you that
it is healing so slowly?”

Ao Chenyi asked with a snort, retracting his hand calmly, and something
dangerous flashing in his eyes. He stared at Ning Xueyan, as if he
wanted to find something wrong from her eyes.
It was too tired to talk to such a person! His mind was too active and it
was hard to follow what he was thinking. Ning Xueyan was silent for a
moment and then answered tactfully, “Prince Yi, if there is anything I
can do, please let me know. My wound will be healed in a few days.”

When they were talking, she raised her arm slightly. The wound that had
been pressed by him hurt badly. She thought that the wound might have
reopened.

“Why does it still hurt so much? Are you trying to fool me? You must
have heard that I’m tender to girls, so you are pretending that your
wound is not healed yet,” Ao Chenyi said with a smile in his eyes, as if
he had not seen the painful look on Ning Xueyan’s pale face.

He moved closer to Ning Xueyan while talking, as if he wanted to find

some evidence of her lying in her face.

Ning Xueyan’s body went stiff again. She clenched her fists and gritted
her lip, but did not say anything.

Seeing that the coldness came back to Ning Xueyan’s charming, delicate
face, Ao Chenyi moved a little away from her. He then took out a small
bottle from his pocket. “Replace the ointment I gave you last time with
this one. I don’t want my favorite concubine has a scar on her shoulder.
Otherwise, I will feel humiliated in front of people when I take her with
me.”

“Thank you, Prince Li.” Ning Xueyan did not say anything more, but
took the ointment from his slender hand. She knew that it was not wise
to disobey the will of people like Ao Chenyi. She should follow the
trend. If Ao Chenyi did not request her to do something that would cross
her red line, she would like to follow his will.

They each took what they wanted. Since Ao Chenyi wanted her to work
for him, he had to keep her safe and sound. If anyone dared to threaten
her life in the future, she would ask him for help. That was why she had
suddenly pushed Ao Chenyi away when she saw the arrow come toward
him. Like Ao Chenyi, she did everything with a specific purpose.

Seeing that she was so obedient, Ao Chenyi smiled with satisfaction. His
cold eyes became even darker. His long eyelashes cast two rows of
shadows over his eyelids against the candlelight. “Take good care of
yourself. I don’t want people to suspect that my favorite concubine is too
ugly when they come to visit her.”

Ao Chenyi stood up and took several steps forward to the window. He

suddenly stopped and looked at Ning Xueyan from the corner of his
eyes. “Yan’er, no matter what you are investigating, you should put my
business first. Otherwise…” he said, half-smiling.

“I won’t forget that!” Ning Xueyan was shocked, a surprise and fear in
her eyes. She had not thought that such a subtle action had aroused Ao
Chenyi’s attention. She looked down and answered calmly. She should
have thought that nobody else in this country could be better informed
than Prince Yi.

Although she was investigating Ning Ziying’s death secretly, if Prince Yi

wanted, he would know.

The window opened and then closed in the darkness. After that,
everything resumed quiet. After staring at the window for a while, Ning
Xueyan managed to strip a sleeve of her underwear and untied the
bandage from her shoulder. Her wound did not open, but it hurt to touch.
Ao Chenyi had applied much strength when he touched her wound just
now. She opened the bottle, picked some milky ointment from it and put
the ointment under her nose and sniffed it.

She could tell that the ointment was very good, even better than last one,
and it had a stronger fragrance.

She applied some of the ointment to her wound and felt very
comfortable.

This ointment seemed to be more effective!

She had just bandaged her wound casually and put her clothes on when
she heard someone knocking at the window gently. Ning Xueyan was
surprised. She looked at the window in confusion, wondering if Ao
Chenyi came back again.
Chapter 202 A Past Event…
The window opened quietly and a person in black, wearing a mask
darted in. He swiftly turned and looked at Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan
looked calm and distant and there was nothing in her expression of a
noble Young Lady startled.

“You’re a noble Young Lady. How could you not be afraid to see a man
come in at night?” The man in black removed the black cloth from his
face after he and Ning Xueyan had stared at each other for a while. It
was Ming Feiyong’s son, Ming Yuanhua!

“If fear worked, I would have been!” Ning Xueyan answered with a
frown.

“Of course it will work! You can at least cry for help. Although this
place is remote, after all, it is in the Lord Protector’s Manor. Maybe Ning
Zu’an has never taken you as his daughter, but if there is something bad
happen to you, he will feel humiliated,” Ming Yuanhua said impatiently.
He had made an appointment with Ning Xueyan, but Ning Xueyan failed
to meet him. After that, he could not find an opportunity to meet her
again.

Tonight, he managed to come to check what was going on with Ning

Xueyan.

What he said made sense. It was true that Ning Zu’an did not like Ning
Xueyan, but if something bad happened to her in the Lord Protector’s
Manor, Ning Zu’an would be laughed at by the outsiders.

However, except for the shame, this would have no any other impact on
Ning Zu’an.

“Ning Zu’an’s courtyard is quite far from here. No one could hear me
even if I shouted at the top of my lungs,” Ning Xueyan said calmly.

Looking at Ning Xueyan’s extremely calm face, Ming Yuanhua began to

feel restless for no reason. He turned around, walked to the window and
closed it. “Why didn’t you, a noble Young Lady, close the window at
night? Don’t you know it will be easy for thieves to get in? I wonder
why you became so bold now. But you were so timid before and you
even hid yourself all day in Bright Frost Garden and did not dare to show
up in front of people!”

“Things are different! If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t have been
where I am now!”

The sarcasm appeared in Ning Xueyan’s jet-black eyes. Her face was
even more charming in the candlelight, as if it had been tinted with a
faint glow.

She was talking about her last life. If she had not been murdered by Ning
Ziyan and Xia Yuhang, she would still be that happy, naive and kind
Ning Ziying.

Ning Xueyan had always hidden herself in Bright Frost Garden before,
so Ming Yuanhua had been thinking she was a coward and looked down
upon her. If she had been as brave as she was now, his auntie might not
have died miserably.

Besides, because of his auntie and Ning Xueyan, his father had left him
for ten years!

That was why the first time he had seen Ning Xueyan, he disliked her.

However, he was shocked when he saw the determined and calm look in
this weak and gentle girl’s eyes. If she had not experienced so much
pain, how could a girl of only fourteen look so calm, with vicissitudes in
her eyes.

Ming Yuanhua turned his face to the side, feeling a little uneasy. He
pulled the chair a little far from the bed and said with a tone of irony,
pretending to be calm, “How is your injury? It’s said you were frightened
into illness. You said that you were fearless, but why were you still so
timid that you were not injured by the assassins, but scared sick by them?
Your father, the great general, must be ashamed of you!”

Ning Xueyan knew that he was mocking her, but she was not angry. She
looked at him and said with a smile, “No matter whether he is ashamed
on me, as least, he can do nothing to me in front of people!
She could not figure out what Ning Zu’an was thinking, but she was
clear about what was on Madam Dowager’s mind. Girls were useful to
the family, so even Ning Zu’an disliked her, medicinal materials and
other necessities had been sent to Bright Frost Garden constantly. They
treated her quite different from what they used to be.

“What happened that day? Why didn’t you come to the appointment?
Your maid did not explain it clearly. She just said that you met Third
Prince on your way. Did he recognize you?” Ming Yuanhua’s heart beat
faster at sight of her delicate and pale face. He immediately turned his
head to the side to avoid looking at her beautiful face. She looked so
weak that his heart could not help aching.

“I happened to bump into Third Prince. He recognized me, but he did not
know what I was doing. Cousin Yuanhua, please help me to investigate
the background of Grand Tutor Ya’s granddaughter. I want to know if she
has any relative who used to live in the regions south of the Yangtze
River for at least half a year three year ago.”

Ning Xueyan did not notice the strange look on Ming Yuanhua’s face.
She pulled a corner of the quilt casually.

She had just come to the Lord Protector’s Manor three years ago, and her
mother had just died by that time. That woman had stayed at the Ning
Manor for half a year. Ning Ziying’s mother had treated her like her own
sister, and she had even asked Ning Ziying to call that woman “auntie”.
Sometimes, her mother would have closed the door of her room and talk
to that woman secretly. Ning Ziying had tried many times to overhear,
but was stopped by the servants.

Who the woman was? Why Ning Ziying’s mother who had been so
cautious trusted her so much? What was more, not long after that woman
had left, her mother died of illness.

Could that only be a coincidence?

Later, that woman had never come back again and Ning Ziying had
never heard any news about her. Before Ning Ziying leaving for the
capital, she had told the old housekeeper to inform her if he saw that
woman. She had some questions for that woman, but in the past three
years, that woman had never shown up in the Ning Manor again.
It was as if that woman had never existed in the world.

Ning Xueyan was acutely aware that something was wrong, and that
woman was the key to the mystery. When she had encountered Third
Prince on the other day, she found that Grand Tutor Ya’s granddaughter,
Ya Moqin, had the similar voice with that woman. It had immediately
aroused Ning Xueyan’s suspicion.

These two women’s voices were so similar. Was there any relationship
between them?

“Okay. I’m going to see into it for you.” Ming Yuanhua nodded and
promised without any hesitation. “My father had some difficulties in
investigating your mother’s case. That man involved in this matter is
missing. We went to his hometown, but people there said they hadn’t
seen him for a long time. Maybe he had been killed years ago.”

“Died? Impossible!” Ning Xueyan shook her head. “Mother Han was
told that this person was seen to come to our manor and then left several
years ago. If Ning Zu’an wanted to kill him in the beginning, he
wouldn’t have waited till now. So this person should still be alive.”

A coldness and disgust flashed in Ning Xueyan’s beautiful eyes. How

vicious Ning Zu’an was! She was sure that Ning Zu’an knew the truth
about what had happened to Madam Ming. In order to make Madam
Ling the principal wife, he had watched Madam Ming being framed by
Madam Ling. Or he might have been involved in framing Madam Ming.
Finally, Madam Ming had been downgraded to a co-wife.

Later, he had still accused Madam Ming of having an affair with that
man. Maybe that man was still useful to Ning Zu’an, so Ning Zu’an had
not killed him yet. How could a person be that shameless! What a scum
Ning Zu’an was!

“Scum!” Ming Yuanhua cursed, seemingly to have understood what

Ning Xueyan was thinking. He gritted his teeth and said angrily, “If my
auntie didn’t trust him and choose him as her husband, he couldn’t have
the wealth and power he has today. She had never thought that he was
such an ungrateful person!”
“Cousin Yuanhua, go back and tell my uncle to take his time. It has been
so many years. We have to be patient if we want to find out the truth. If
we act recklessly, our enemies may be alerted!

A fierce look appeared in Ning Xueyan’s dark eyes in the candlelight,

which made her delicate face looking cold.

“Okay. I will remind my father to be careful. You should be cautious as

well. The Lord Protector’s manor is as dangerous as a snake pit, and the
slightest mistake will put you in danger. My auntie has died here. Cousin
Yan’er, I, I don’t want anything bad happen to you!” Ming Yuanhua
reminded. He stood up and turned his face uneasily, a red glow on his
face.

“Cousin Yuanhua, don’t worry. I will be okay!” Ning Xueyan answered

with a sardonic look.

Of course she would not put herself in danger. She had died once, and
now she returned to avenge herself. She would not reconcile herself to
being murdered so easily.

If the Lord Protector’s Manor was the snake pit, she would like to be the
most poisonous snake!

Before leaving, Ming Yuanhua reminded her to close the window. Ning
Xueyan managed to get off the bed and closed the window. She then
came back to her bed, blew out the candle and fell asleep.

On the roof of the Lord Protector’s Manor’s highest building, an

extremely handsome young man, who looked bloodthirsty and cold, was
sitting at a corner and looking at Ning Xueyan’s room. Seeing that the
candle in the room went out, his lips twitched. He ordered his men in a
cold voice, “Check who that man is. I’m going to crush him into ashes!”

His bloodthirsty voice made all the secret guards shrinking their heads.
None of them dare to say anything at the moment, because they knew
that Prince Yi was in a rage.

“Prince Yi, that man seems to be General Ming’s son, Fifth Young
Lady’s cousin. Maybe Fifth Young Lady has something to discuss with
him, and it was inconvenient for her cousin to come to her… during the
day.” Yu Jian had to walk out of the crowd and explained to Ao Chenyi.

“Humph!” Ao Chenyi sneered but said nothing. He shook his robe and
turned to his own Manor. The secret guards followed behind him
cautiously, and soon, all of them disappeared in the darkness.

The next day…

Ning Qingshan got up in the early morning. After freshening herself, she
walked with difficulty, with the help of her maid, toward Lucky Garden
to greet Madam Dowager. All the maids and older female servants she
encountered on her way bowed to her respectfully. They all knew that
this Third Young Lady would rise high in the future.

Even if she was unable to marry Third Prince, she could marry Fourth
Prince. She had been born noble and good-tempered. What a lucky girl
she was!

She also saw Ning Lingyun on her way, and she deliberately stopped and
waited for Ning Lingyun to come. “Fourth Sister, I haven’t find time to
visit you after returning our manor. You’re even more beautiful than
before!” she said friendly with a smile.

“I was planning to visit you, Third Sister. But you’re so distinguished,

and I did not dare to come to your courtyard at will,” Ning Lingyun said
gently after bowing to Ning Qingshan.

Ning Lingyun did not look as sarcastic as she used to be and she was
cautious when she spoke. It seemed she really had an air of a noble
Young Lady.

“Fourth Sister, since we are sisters, you don’t have to be so polite. It has
been three years since we met last time. Are you engaged? If not, I can
recommend a person to you. I’m sure you will become an imperial
mandate Mrs. in the future.” Ning Qingshan said in a soft voice, pulling
Ning Lingyun’s hand, as if she did not know anything about Ning
Lingyun’s engagement.
Chapter 203 Just Like Third
Prince, I Like You, Too
“Third Sister, I, I’m engaged!” Ning Lingyun answered shyly, her face
blush.

As a whole, a daughter of a concubine like her was not good enough to

marry Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, so she was satisfied with
her engagement and had not made any trouble recently.

“You are engaged, Fourth Sister? Why nobody told me about this. What
a pity! Third Prince mentioned you to me the day before yesterday. He
said that you were the most obedient and adorable Young Lady in our
manor. He also said that you were unforgettable at the first sight,” Ning
Qingshan said with a sigh. She looked surprised at first, and then she
smiled.

“Third Prince said I was the most obedient and adorable Young Lady in
our manor and he was impressed with me at the first sight?” Ning
Lingyun’s heart thumped, a look of utter joy on her face.

She had been longing for Third Prince for a long time. “Could Third
Prince really like me?” she wondered.

“You’re kidding on me, Third Sister. Third Prince is an imperial member,

how could he… notice me, a humble daughter of a concubine,” Ning
Lingyun calmed herself down and said in a low voice, rubbing her
handkerchief.

“Fourth Sister, don’t look down upon yourself. What’s wrong with a
concubine’s daughter? I’m even only an adopted daughter. Our father is a
high-rank official with great power, and the emperor thinks highly of
him. So even you’re a concubine’s daughter, many people will fight to
marry you. Besides, we get on well with each other. Just like Third
Prince, I like you, too!”
Ning Qingshan said with a smile in a low voice while walking ahead
with Ning Lingyun, pulling her hand.

It made people feel that these two sisters were talking intimately.

Ning Lingyun’s head thundered. She was so excited and she could hardly
stay calm any more. Her heart was pounding and the great pleasant
surprise made her almost tremble.

It was a great recognition for her. She thought it must be Third Prince
who had asked Ning Qingshan to tell her this. Otherwise, Ning Qingshan
would not have said anything about this. In her memory, Ning Qingshan
was a tactful woman. Three years ago, her status in the manor had
already been much higher than her, a concubine’s daughter, and she had
almost been on par with Ning Yuling and Ning Ziyan, so now she must
be more tactful and at ease than before.

Moreover, as soon as Ning Qingshan returned to the capital, the rumors

said that she would marry Third Prince.

“That means she is telling me this on behalf of Third Prince, and Third
Prince wants me to marry him along with Ning Qingshan? He wants both
of us to marry him? Otherwise, why Ning Qingshan said this to me? And
she looks so nice to me.” Ning Lingyun thought.

“Fourth Sister, it will be a good thing if we can stay with each other all
the time. Then we can support each other and share prosperity in the
future.” Although Ning Qingshan’s voice was as low as a whisper, Ning
Lingyun’s inner defense was broken down.

She had been smug about marrying Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li. Although he was not an aspirant person, at least he was a noble
childe. It was impossible for her to marry into such a powerful family
before. In order to marry Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, she
had set a trap. The engagement between her and Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li became a great happy event for her.

However, compared to Third Prince’s love for her, this happy event was
as light as a feather!
She had admired and wanted to marry Third Prince for a long time. Even
if she could not become his principal wife, she would be the most
wealthy and noble woman in this country. What was more, almost all the
people of the manor had hinted that Third Prince was very likely to
become the emperor in the future.

Since the Lord Protector’s Manor was so powerful, she thought at least
she could become one of Ao Mingyu’s four major concubines. Or maybe
she would still have the opportunity to become his principal wife. With
that in mind, Ning Lingyun had always been thinking about marrying Ao
Mingyu. Later, she had to give it up under pressure. Now she was
suddenly told that she might still have an opportunity to marry Ao
Mingyu, she could not help being excited.

What was more, it was Ning Qingshan who had told her about this, so
obviously, Third Prince really wanted to marry her.

“But, but I’m engaged to Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.” Now
in Ning Lingyun’s mind, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li had
become a good-for-nothing. She would have born his shortcomings for
the sake of her future’s wealth and position before, but now at the
thought of this, her mind was in turmoil. Compared to Third Prince,
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was really good for nothing!

He could not compare with Third Prince both in appearance and in moral
quality. Compared with Third Prince’s wealth, Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li’s was nothing.

“Fourth Sister, if you don’t want to marry Princely Heir of Commandery

Prince Li, I have a good idea. But I don’t know if you’re willing to
follow my suggestion,” Ning Qingshan said softly, a trace of sarcasm
crossing her eyes. Ning Lingyun was still so snobbish, and she did not
even take marriage seriously. But it was not a big deal, because Ning
Qingshan was only teasing her.

“Please say it!” Ning Lingyun looked up at Ning Qingshan and said
anxiously, her eyes sparkling and her face blush.

Her engagement had been approved by her father and people of the two
manors, and even the outsiders had known it, so it was hard to cancel it.
“I heard that it was not you, but Second Sister, who had been supposed
to be engaged to Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Now since
you don’t want to marry him, you can find someone else to marry him.
Fourth Sister, you’re a smart girl. Both Third Prince and I appreciate
your intelligence and obedience. Only such people can enjoy the great
honor and wealth!”

Ning Qingshan hinted her with a smile. Looking at Ning Lingyun’s

flickering face, she smiled and let go of her hand, and then walked
forward slowly.

She could not put it too bluntly. She believed that Ning Lingyun would
understand what she meant and do what she wanted.

Ning Lingyun paused for a few seconds and then understood Ning
Qingshan’s intention. Seeing Ning Qingshan leaving, she rushed forward
in a hurry and caught up with her. “Third Sister, I, I’m afraid of Fifth
Sister!” Ning Lingyun said in a low and tremble voice.

After that incident, Ning Lingyun dared not to say anything offensive
any more in front of Ning Xueyan. Even when she visited Madam
Dowager, she tried not to meet Ning Xueyan. In order to get Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li, she had planned carefully. However, the
elaborate plan had not only been ruined by Ning Xueyan, but caused
Madam Ling and Ning Yuling to be punished as well.

Because of this, she was scared every time she saw Ning Xueyan.

And she did not dare to oppose Ning Xueyan again.

“Fourth Sister, you have to fight for what you want. Otherwise, you will
lose it forever. Marriage is about your lifetime happiness. How can you
get it so easily without paying the price?” Ning Qingshan said
meaningfully with a smile. “You have to fight for everything. Fourth
Sister, if I didn’t do the same way, how can Grandmother and father be
so nice to me, an adopted daughter?”

“I, I…” Ning Qingshan tried to convince Ning Lingyun with her own
experience. Ning Lingyun opened her mouth, but did not say anything in
addition to uttering two “I”.
“Third Sister, Fourth Sister, you’re having a great time! Would you like
to share it with me to cheer me up?” Ning Xueyan stood at the
intersection and looked at them, smiling and holding Lanning’s hand.

“I… We didn’t talk about anybody else. I’m just chatting with Third
Sister casually.” Under Ning Xueyan’s cold gaze, Ning Lingyun could
not help trembling. She immediately explained, but it could only make
people more suspicious. Her face color had come back to normal, but her
expression was still uneasy.

Ning Xueyan rolled her jet-black eyes and gave her a few more looks.
She felt Ning Lingyun was not herself today!

“Fifth Sister, are you better today? Are you on your way to visit
grandmother?” Ning Qingshan stopped and asked gently, looking calmly.

“I’m a little better. I haven’t visited grandmother for a long time. Third
Sister, I didn’t expect that you have managed to get off the bed and
walked out. Is your wound any better? I hope you don’t have any scars
on your leg. It would be terrible to have scars for girls.”

Paying no more attention to Ning Lingyun, Ning Xueyan walked over

and said with concern, looking at Ning Qingshan’s leg.

Ning Qingshan’s gentle smile froze. For a girl, her beauty would not be
perfect if she had scars. Although other people could not see the scar on
her thigh, her husband could see it. Ning Qingshan had been upset
because of this recently.

Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, Ning Qingshan rubbed her

handkerchief hard, a vicious look flashing in her eyes.

Ning Qingshan thought that Ning Xueyan must have something to do

with what had happened in the imperial palace recently. Although that
palace maid, who was accused of stealing Ning Xueyan’s bracelet, and
the eunuch, who worked for Honored Consort Ya, had not confessed
everything in front of people, Honored Consort Ya had already known
that Ning Qingshan was trying to frame Ning Xueyan. That was why she
had taught her a lesson at her palace. If Ning Xueyan had not done
anything, Ning Qingshan would not have been asked back to Honored
Consort Ya’s palace again.
Of course she would not have bumped into the assassins and hurt herself
when she came out from Honored Consort Ya’s palace. What was more,
there would be no scars on her body!

All she had suffered was because of Ning Xueyan!

What Ning Xueyan had said just now was just like rubbing salt into Ning
Qingshan’s wound.

“Thank you for your concern, Fifth Sister. It’s not a big deal. I only
sprained my leg, so of course it won’t leave any scar,” Ning Qingshan
said gently with a smile. Then she shifted the topic. “Fifth Sister, are you
okay? You look pale, and I know you are very weak. I’ll ask someone to
bring more medicinal material to you. Fifth Sister, you must make
yourself stronger, because it’s about your future.”

In fact, Ning Qingshan had not been injured in the leg, but in the
shoulder. Because she worried that other people would know that she
might have a scar, she said that she had just sprained her leg. The
shoulder injury was almost healed, but there was a scar on it, and she did
not know when it would recede.

“My future?” Ning Xueyan was a little surprised. Then she smiled
slightly and looked at Ning Qingshan meaningfully, a glow in her bright
eyes. “Third Sister, thank you so much!”

While talking, the three of them arrived at Lucky Garden. The older
female servant at the door saw that both Third Young Lady and Fifth
Young Lady coming, so she reported to Madam Dowager in a hurry.
Madam Dowager ordered her maid to ask them in.

They chatted for a short while in the room and then joked with Madam
Dowager for a moment before leaving.

Since Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan had not completely recovered,
Madam Dowager did not insist on them to stay, so the three of them
walked out the courtyard together.

“Third Sister, have you visited our mother after you returned? How
about we go to visit her now?” Ning Xueyan stopped and turned to Ning
Qingshan and Ning Lingyun with a smile.
“Mother devoted herself to the Buddha, and grandmother ordered her to
stay at the Buddha Hall, so it’s not the right time for us to be there. We
can visit her after some time when she comes out from the Buddha Hall,”
Ning Qingshan said.

“No! Let’s visit our mother after she comes out from the Buddha Hall!”
Ning Lingyun said at the same time.

They both did not want to visit Madam Ling now.

“Okay. Let’s visit our mother after she comes out from the Buddha Hall.”
Ning Xueyan smiled slightly, looking very charming. She fixed her
beautiful eyes on these two people with her lips curving up.

It was interesting! She understood that Ning Lingyun did not want to see
Madam Ling out of fear, but why Ning Qingshan did not want to visit
her either?
Chapter 204 The Reason Madam
Ming Adopted Ning Qingshan as
Her Daughter
“Xinmei, have a look at the Buddha Hall after supper. First Madam has
chanted the Buddhist scriptures for a long time, and I think she should
have calmed down!” Ning Xueyan said casually with an elegant smile,
sitting by the soft couch and leaning against a soft cushion.

Madam Ling had been so quiet in the past few days that she seemed to
be a different person. She would have tried to stir troubles at Buddha
Hall even before her son returned. Now, her son had come back, how she
could become so quiet, as if she was sincere to seek the peace of mind at
Buddha Hall.

Ning Xueyan had not figured out what Madam Ling was thinking, but
now she was enlightened by what Ning Qingshan said.

“I see!”

She had thought of the possibility before, and now she was very certain
about it.

“Got it! Miss, I’m going to visit First Madam, who devoted to Buddhist
meditation, right now. Do you want me to drop in Third Young Lady’s
courtyard?” Xinmei immediately understood Ning Xueyan’s intention.
She passed the tea cup to Ning Xueyan and answered.

“You don’t have to go to Foggy Courtyard. Xinmei, I remember your

master said that Ning Qingshan was injured in her leg, so it can’t be a
sprain.” Ning Xueyan took the tea cup and stirred the tea foam inside.
She looked calm and gentle, as if nothing could disturb her thoughts.

And it seemed that she was not talking about the delicate, reserved Third
Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, but an ordinary servant.
“Yes. My master said that he asked someone to stab Third Young Lady
in the leg and left a shallow wound. I guess her injury is quite similar as
yours. I don’t understand what’s on Third Young Lady’s mind. How can
she recover soon without careful treatment?” Xinmei said after thinking
for a short moment. There were so many people of great martial arts in
the imperial palace, so Ning Xueyan had not taken Xinmei with her. But
Xinmei knew that Ning Xueyan had been injured soon after the accident,
so she had prepared the medicinal herbs for Ning Xueyan in advance.

She had also heard Ning Qingshan’s injury. She was surprised that this
proud Third Young Lady had played down her injury by telling the
others that she only sprained her leg.

If Ning Xueyan’s physical condition was not that poor, she would not
have fallen ill because of the injury. That was why she had stayed on the
bed for a few days.

Unlike Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan had been so feeble recently and
could only get off her bed until now because she concealed her injury.

Hearing what Xinmei said, Ning Xueyan only smiled, but said nothing.
Xinmei could not understand what Ning Qingshan was doing, but Ning
Xueyan was not surprised about it. Ning Qingshan was a perfectionist, so
she was striving for perfection for everything—perfect reputation,
perfect smile, perfect gentleness…

Since Ning Qingshan pursued perfection crazily, she would not let
anyone know that she had a scar. What was more, she did not want Third
Prince to look down upon her because of the scar. She would not let the
opportunity to turn her from a sparrow to phoenix slip from her hand
because of the imperfection caused by the minor accident.

Ning Qingshan tried to keep a perfect image on any occasion.

The next day, Xinmei reported to Ning Xueyan what she had seen when
Ning Xueyan was sitting in front of the dresser and having Lanning
making up for her.

“Miss, I checked yesterday and didn’t find anything wrong with First
Madam. Even Mother Chen, who was sitting there with her looked
normal. They were talking about Eldest Young Master. First Madam
asked Mother Chen about Eldest Young Master’s injury, and Mother
Chen told her that Eldest Young Master’s injury wasn’t serious and he
would recover soon. After a few days, he would be able to visit her.”

“Nothing wrong with her?” Ning Xueyan blinked her jet-black eyes in
surprise.

As a powerful Marchioness, how could Madam Ling stay calm to be

locked up in the Buddha Hall? With Madam Ling’s personality, she
should have rushed out the Buddha Hall forcibly at the news that Ning
Huaiyuan was hurt. How could she still stay in the Buddha Hall and
chant the Buddhist scriptures at ease!

“Is there anything unusual about Mother Chen?” Ning Xueyan asked
with a frown. She felt something wrong, but she could not remember it
for the moment.

“Nothing unusual about her. But I saw her ask someone to take more
quilts and winter clothes to the Buddha Hall. She must be worried that
the Buddha Hall was too cold for First Madam,” Xinmei answered after
thinking for a while. In order to find some clues, Xinmei had stayed a
long time there on purpose to observe.

She saw that Mother Chen began to make the bed for Madam Ling after
chatting with her for a while. Since the quilts were all very thick, Xinmei
thought a quilt would be warm enough, but Mother Chen laid three quilts
on Madam Ling’s bed. Mother Chen also said that if these were still not
enough, she would ask people to bring another two quilts. Besides, those
clothes were very thick.

The Buddha Hall was lingered with the smoke of incense, and there was
a heater inside, so obviously, it was unnecessary to wear so many thick
clothes. “Ladies from rich families are different from average women.
They seem too delicate and weak!” Xinmei thought.

More quilts and winter clothes? Although it was quiet and cheerless in
the Buddha Hall, it was not cold inside. Besides, in order to pray there in
the winter, Madam Dowager had asked people to prepare a stove there.
Ning Xueyan knew that Madam Dowager could not have forbidden
Madam Ling from light the stove. After all, Madam Ling was the First
Madam of the manor.
Moreover, only people of the manor knew what mistakes Madam Ling
had made, and those mistakes did not seem to be that serious, so it was
impossible for Madam Dowager to punish her too severely. Above all,
Ning Huaiyuan was Madam Ling’s son, so he would not watch her
mother be ill-treated by Madam Dowager without doing anything.
Therefore, Madam Ling’s behavior was more suspicious.

“Could I have guessed wrong and Ning Qingshan didn’t conspire with
Madam Ling?”

Ning Xueyan lowered her head. The confusion in her eyes gradually
turned to certain. She could not be wrong. Otherwise, Ning Qingshan
would not have known that someone had poisoned her with infertile
pills. In order to keep it from Third Prince and Honored Consort Ya,
Madam Dowager had kept it as a secret, and only several Madam
Dowager’s henchmen knew it.

Therefore, Ning Qingshan would not have known it.

She had been so offended by Ning Xueyan’s words that she blurted out
that Ning Xueyan might not be able to conceive in the future. How could
she know it? It was impossible for Madam Dowager to tell her about it.
So she must have gotten the news from Madam Ling. Even she and
Madam Ling had not met with each other openly, they must have met
privately.

Or even they had not met with each other, Mother Chen and Mammy
Luo must have met.

Ning Qingshan had not been back the Lord Protector’s Manor long, so
she would not have visited Madam Ling. After the incident at the
imperial palace banquet, her leg had gotten injured, so of course she
would not have met Madam Ling in person. Madam Ling had been
locked up in the Buddha Hall because she annoyed Madam Dowager, so
the Buddha Hall was strictly guarded, and it was impossible for Madam
Ling to come out. Then most likely, the two of their henchmen had met.

However, how could they be so confident that their henchman would

convey their message clearly and accurately, without screwing things up?

“I must have missed something.” Ning Xueyan’s heart thumped.

“Mother Han, why did my mother adopt Ning Qingshan as her
daughter?” Something flashed in her mind, but she failed to catch it.
Ning Xueyan raised her head and asked seriously when she saw Mother
Han walking in.

“Madam Ming did not offer to adopt Third Young Lady. Marquis
brought her here, saying that she was the kid of his old friend and asked
Madam Ming to adopt her as her daughter so that the kid wouldn’t starve
at least. By that point, Third Young Lady was already six years old, and
you were only three,” Mother Han answered after hesitating for a while.

“Ning Zu’an asked Madam Ming to adopt a friend’s kid to be her

daughter out of pity?”

Ning Xueyan did not believe it at all. Ning Zu’an was even ruthless to
his own child, how could he be so generous to adopt his friend’s child?
There must be some hidden reason! There must be some story behind
Ning Qingshan’s origin!

“Why did Third Sister move out from Bright Frost Garden?” Since
Madam Ming had agreed to adopt her as her daughter, Ning Qingshan
should have stayed with her at Bright Frost Garden. Why had she moved
to Foggy Courtyard? Besides, every one of the manor had treated her
even much better than they treated Ning Zu’an’s biological daughter.

Hearing that, Mother Han’s face darkened. She walked close to Ning
Xueyan and let out a sigh, lost in memory. “Miss, in the beginning, Third
Young Lady was very obedient and she used to be with Madam Ming for
some time. She was pretty, smart and obedient. Although Madam Ming
was always preoccupied, she would have been amused by her. So there
was some time that Madam Ming treated her like her own daughter.”

Mother Han’s face even more darkened. “I thought that she really took
Madam Ming as her own mother because she had lost her parents. That
would be a good thing. However, once you were sick and after a long
time, you still hadn’t recovered. Madam was very anxious and she stayed
by your side for several days and nights. After you became a little better,
I persuaded her to rest for a while. When I came back, I was stunned by
what I saw.”
A horror look appeared on Mother Han’s face. She swallowed hard, as if
she could not continue for the moment.

Ning Xueyan looked at herself in the mirror and asked calmly with a
smile, “You saw Ning Qingshan trying to hurt me, right?”

“Mi-Miss, you’re right!” Mother Han stared at Ning Xueyan with wide
eyes. She was so shocked that she did not know what to say.

“Calm down, Mammy. I’m just guessing. My mother loved Ning

Qingshan so much, but I was also her child, so Ning Qingshan couldn’t
enjoy my mother’s love alone, and she could only rank after me. Ning
Qingshan is a person who peruses perfection, so it was normal that she
couldn’t bear my mother being nicer to me than to her. Since there was
nobody else in the room, it was a good opportunity for her to make a
move.”

Ning Xueyan said with an indifferent look.

“Yes, Miss. I felt strange that it was quiet in the room. I thought maybe
First Madam was in the room, so I became cautious. I walked to the
window and saw Third Young Lady take something out from her pocket
and pour it into your medicine bowl. Then she held you up and began to
feed you that.”

Mother Han paused for a while. It was horrible that a little girl of only
six had done this and she even looked as calm as nothing had happened
in front of people. No wonder that Fifth Young Lady’s illness became
more serious every time Madam Ming had left for a while. And after
more than half a month, Fifth Young Lady had still not recovered.

The more she thought, the more frightened Mother Han had become.

She had gotten her head heavily knocking on the window frame out of
fear, and it alerted Ning Qingshan. Mother Han had seen clearly that
Ning Qingshan pretended to pour the medicine onto her clothes by
accident and screamed, causing the maids and older female servants to
come in and everyone was in a mess.
Chapter 205 A Vicious Woman
Everyone present had thought that Third Young Lady was so kind that
she had already known to feed her younger sister medicine at such a
young age. Only Mother Han saw that Ning Qingshan had slipped some
drug into Ning Xueyan’s medicine bowl. But all the medicine in the
bowl had gone, so she had no evidence. Besides, nobody would believe
that a child of six years old had done something so vicious.

Moreover, after being found out by Mother Han on spot, Ning Qingshan
had not been in a panic, but handled this matter perfectly.

When Madam Ming and Mother Han walked into the room, they found
Ning Qingshan still looking naive. She repeated that she had spilled the
medicine soup onto her clothes by accident when she tried to feed her
younger sister. Looking at her wet clothes, naive face and guilty
expression, Mother Han could not help feeling chilly.

No matter how cunning, slippery, or even vicious a person was, at least,

he or she should be naive at this age.

But Ning Qingshan seemed to be born to act. Mother Han had been so
scared at that point, and she had not said anything to anyone else.

After that, the more she thought about it, the more she felt worried, so
she told Madam Ming this. Fortunately, Madam Ming had been trusted
Mother Han, so she believed what she said. From then on, Madam Ming
had not treated Ning Qingshan as well as before.

“But what happened before Third Young Lady moving out?” Lanning
could not help asking. Without evidence, Madam Ming would not have
driven Ning Qingshan out from Bright Frost Garden only because of
what Mother Han said.

Ning Xueyan looked at Mother Han thoughtfully. Mother Han looked

serious, and Ning Xueyan knew that something big must have happened
before Ning Qingshan had left Bright Frost Garden.
“A few days after that accident, Third Young Lady went to Madam
Dowager to offer her greetings. Madam Dowager found that she was in
black and blue, so she asked her who had beaten her. Ning Qingshan
didn’t say anything, but kept on crying. Later, Madam Dowager came
here with her attendants to investigate this matter. Then she said for no
reason that it was Madam Ming who had beaten Ning Qingshan. She
also said that Madam Ming acted one way to people’s face and another
behind people’s back, and she had even ill-treated a little girl of six like
this!”

Mother Han was angry when she spoke. “Madam Ming was a stubborn
person and she had always been at odds with Madam Dowager.
Therefore, hearing what Madam Dowager said, she didn’t explain and
went back to her room. Madam Dowager told everyone that Madam
Ming ill-treated Third Young Lady and took Third Young Lady to Foggy
Courtyard. Since then, people of the manor looked down upon Bright
Frost Garden even more.”

Mother Han could not hold back her anger whenever she talked about
this. Madam Ming had done nothing wrong and she had treated Ning
Qingshan so well, but everybody had thought that she was a vicious
woman! Although Ning Qingshan had not said that it was Madam Ming
who had beaten her, from her almost trembling expression, everyone
could tell that she was accusing Madam Ming. Who would think that
such a child had been acting in front of them?

Ning Xueyan sneered. It seemed Ning Qingshan was really difficult to

deal with.

She had framed Madam Ming when she was only six years old! No
wonder that she had never been sincere when she came to Bright Frost
Garden to greet Madam Ming every year before. Madam Ming had not
been warm to her.

“Miss, you must be cautious and watch out for Third Young Lady. There
is something I don’t know about Third Young Lady. I only know that
after moving into Foggy Courtyard, she endeared herself to both Madam
Dowager and marquis. It’s said she also got on well with First Madam!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful!” Ning Xueyan nodded slightly. “Putting

drug into my medicine bowl?” Thinking about this, she suddenly
frowned and her face was filled with coldness.

“Mother Han, when did Mammy Luo begin to serve Third Sister?”

Mammy Luo was Ning Qingshan’s most faithful servant, and she was
very smart and flexible. No matter how capable Ning Qingshan was, she
had been a child of six. Besides, people of Bright Frost Garden seldom
went out. Where had she gotten the drug? Since she had just come to the
Lord Protector’s Manor, how could she get the drug?

Since she had been able to get it, she must be able to get more toxic
drugs.

Moreover, as a little child, nobody would have noticed what she was
doing.

“Mammy Luo came to our manor with Third Young Lady. It’s said she
was Third Young Lady’s wet nurse. I don’t know if it’s true. But I know
that Xia’er was allocated to Third Young Lady after she had come to our
manor.”

“Was Mammy Luo close with First Madam? Did she often visit First
Madam?” Ning Xueyan asked, playing with a hair pin on the dresser. On
the smooth side of the hair pin, she saw a cold and ruthless look in her
own eyes.

If that was true, Ning Qingshan was really her sworn enemy!

“In those days, most servants of Bright Frost Garden seldom went out
the manor. Only I needed to go out to do something for Madam Ming,
buy medicinal materials or buy some fresh vegetables for you. Since you
were very young and growing, it was necessary to have some meat.”
Mother Han felt sad at the thought of the past. She wiped tears off her
cheek with her hand. It was unbelievable that a noble Young Lady had
led such a miserable life in her childhood. Nobody had ever thought that
the powerful and wealthy Lord Protector’s Manor had been so mean to
Madam Ming and Fifth Young Lady like this.

“I saw Mammy Luo chatting and laughing with several older female
servants from First Madam’s courtyard a few times. By then, Third
Young Lady was still at Bright Frost Garden. I thought that they had just
come, so it was normal that they wanted to get close to First Madam. I
didn’t take it seriously. But after that accident, I was sure that First
Madam must have been involved in it.”

Ning Zu’an was really a scum! His wife and daughter could not even get
enough food and clothes at Bright Frost Garden, and they had to be self-
sufficient, but he had turned a blind eye to this. How could a man be
cold-blooded like this? Ning Xueyan remembered that most of Madam
Ming’s jewelry had gone. They must have been sold by Madam Ming to
exchange money. Mother Han had told her that all those jewelry were
valuable, but they still could not support themselves. It must have
something to do with Madam Ling.

Madam Ling had taken Madam Ming’s dowry, her jewelry and even her
life! Ning Xueyan had made up her mind to take all these back one by
one.

“Mammy, do you believe that Ning Qingshan could get the drug by her
own?” Ning Xueyan trusted Mother Han, so she would like to put it
straightforward. She needed to know more details.

“Mi-Miss, you mean Third Young Lady got the drug from First
Madam?” Mother Han stammered. She immediately saw what Ning
Xueyan meant.

“Let’s talk about it in more depth. Since she could get the toxic drug and
slipped it into my medicine soup, is that mean that she also put vicious
drug in my mother’s medicine? Before Qingrui came to Bright Frost
Garden, my mother had already been poisoned! It’s said she had been
poisoned for a long time, but nobody could tell since when she had taken
the poisoned medicine for the first time.”

Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly. Now she was certain that it must be
Ning Qingshan, who had put the toxic drug into her mother’s medicine,
because only Ning Qingshan had the opportunity to do this. She was able
to get close to Madam Ming, and Madam Ming was an unguarded
person. Moreover, if Ning Qingshan was not useful to Madam Ling,
Madam Ling would not have been so generous to let her move to Foggy
Courtyard.
The situation was the same now. Mammy Luo must have some inner
trading with Mother Chen and other attendants of Madam Ling for a long
time. That was why Madam Ling and Ning Qingshan had felt assured to
have them convey their message. They did not need to worry that they
would screw things up by misunderstanding each other.

“Miss, you mean Third Young Lady poisoned Madam Ming? This is…
not likely!” Mother Han said in a trembling voice, her face ashen. For
her, it was already very terrifying that Ning Qingshan had put some
vicious herbs with cool attributes into Ning Xueyan’s medicine to
prevent her from recovery. If she had also poisoned Madam Ming on
purpose, Mother Han could not even find a word to describe her evil.

“Yes. I’m sure that Ning Qingshan had put some toxic medicine in my
mother’s medicine!” Ning Xueyan sneered. Time, place, and character
matched. Plus the current situation, she could tell that Madam Ling and
Ning Qingshan had colluded for a long time. Otherwise, how could an
adopted daughter been treated like a principal wife’s daughter?

Madam Ling did not seem to be a generous person!

Now it sounded reasonable that Ning Qingshan and Madam Ling had
been trade in secret.

How vicious women of the Lord Protector’s Manor were! No wonder

that Madam Ming, Ning Xueyan and Ning Ziying had died one after
another. It was impossible for a normal person to survive in a poisonous
snake pit!

“Lanning, go to Fourth Young Lady and tell her that I want to borrow an
embroidered sample from her,” Ning Xueyan said coldly after having
made her decision.

No matter what Ning Qingshan did, she had a specific purpose, so it was
impossible to be just a coincidence that she and Ning Lingyun were so
close. Since Ning Xueyan had exposed Ning Lingyun’s plot to get
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li engaged to her, Ning Lingyun
had been afraid of her every time she saw her. But this time, in addition
to fear, Ning Xueyan also saw a trace of hesitation in Ning Lingyun’s
eyes. It seemed she wanted but dared not to look at her.
Although Ning Lingyun did not say much, she had been peeping at Ning
Xueyan all the time and at Ning Qingshan sometimes, as if there was
something she could not decide.

“Obviously, Ning Qingshan is playing trick again. And this time, she is
planning to take use of Ning Lingyun to deal with me!” Ning Xueyan
thought. But it seemed that Ning Lingyun had not decided yet. Ning
Qingshan was very vicious and she was good at manipulating others
behind the scenes.

“Got it. I’m going to Fourth Young Lady right now.” Lanning nodded.
Now she had fully understood Ning Xueyan’s plan.

Borrowing the embroidered sample was just an excuse. Ning Xueyan

knew that Ning Lingyun would inquiry Lanning for information when
she saw her, so she arranged for Lanning to visit Ning Lingyun on
purpose. Although Bright Frost Garden was not that strictly guarded, it
was not easy for anyone apart from Ning Xueyan to arrange for a servant
to work here. Therefore, it was inconvenient for Ning Lingyun to seek
information about Ning Xueyan. Since they wanted to know more
information about her, Ning Xueyan would like to give them such
opportunities to ask.

As for some things, it was better to let it happen than to stop it. At least,
she could monitor every move of those people!

Fortunately, she could make preparation to fight back at the same time.

After freshening herself up, Ning Xueyan walked toward Lucky Garden
with Lanning and Xinmei. It was still early, so she did not encounter
anyone else. She chatted with Madam Dowager for a while, and then
Madam Dowager asked her to go back, saying that Ning Xueyan should
rest more. Madam Dowager also said that Ning Xueyan did not have to
visit her everyday. After all, the most important thing for her currently
was to get well as soon as possible.

Ning Xueyan knew that Madam Dowager would not really care about
her health. After Ning Xueyan falling into sickness, Madam Dowager
had to check the account books in person. Madam Dowager wanted to
take the power, but she did not want to work. Although it was Ning
Xueyan who had been managing the financial matters, she had asked
Madam Dowager to make the final decision for everything, and Madam
Dowager had enjoyed it very much. Now Madam Dowager had to work
again and she felt tired of this, so of course she hoped that Ning Xueyan
would recover soon and manage the accounts for her.

Of course, Ning Xueyan hoped herself to recover as soon as possible as

well.

As soon as she sat down after returning to Bright Frost Garden, a maid
reported, “Miss, Concubine Ma is coming. She is outside to seek an
audience with you.”

“Concubine Ma?”

Ning Xueyan was a little surprised. She did not think that Concubine Ma
had anything to do with her after that accident.
Chapter 206 Maybe Nothing Bad
Happened to My Family
“Fifth Young Lady, please, please save me! Please!” Seeing Ning
Xueyan walking out, Concubine Ma suddenly knelt on the ground at the
gate and said with tears in her eyes.

“Concubine Ma, what are you doing? You can just tell Fifth Young Lady
if there’s anything she can help. Seeing you kneeling down here, other
people will think our master is bullying you!” Mother Han was
experienced. She took a few steps forward and stood between Ning
Xueyan and Concubine Ma. She comforted and persuaded Concubine
Ma.

“Fifth Young Lady! Fifth Young Lady, if you don’t help me, I will kneel
here until I die!” Concubine Ma managed to get rid of Mother Han’s
hands and began to cry loudly.

“Mother Han, since Concubine Ma doesn’t want to say and likes to cry
here, just let it be!” Ning Xueyan said indifferently and stopped Mother
Han. She then turned and was about to walk into her room.

Concubine Ma was a little surprised when she saw that Ning Xueyan was
about to leave without talking to her any more. She was anxious and
stood up in a hurry. “Fifth Young Lady!” She called her in a sad voice,
tears streaming down.

“Concubine Ma, you can tell me what you want clearly when you calm
down. If you are trying to threaten me to do anything that I can’t do, you
can leave now,” Ning Xueyan said, looking at Concubine Ma coldly with
her icy and dark eyes.

Under her gaze, Concubine Ma felt uneasy. It seemed that Ning Xueyan
had seen through her. She immediately turned her head slightly and said
humbly, “Fifth Young Lady, I, I’m not that kind of person. I really need
your help, Fifth Young Lady.”
“Say it!” Ning Xueyan was patient. She turned around and looked at
Concubine Ma indifferently.

“Say it… here?” Concubine Ma was surprised. She then looked back.

She was at Bright Frost Garden’s gate now. When she knelt down just
now, some people had stopped to watch, even including a few maids
passing by. Therefore, it was inconvenient to say something secret here.

“We can say everything in public. Besides, Concubine Ma, I don’t think
there is anything you have to hide from people. So please put it
straightforward. Otherwise, Concubine Ma, the others will think that you
did this because of Junior Concubine Xu. As a junior, I can’t help you
with this,” Ning Xueyan said politely and distantly.

Every one of the manor knew that Junior Concubine Xu was Ning
Zu’an’s favorite concubine now. And recently, he had been staying with
Junior Concubine Xu every night. Concubine Ma had been involved in a
lot of troubles before. Although she had managed to prove her
innocence, she had something to do with it. In Ning Zu’an’s opinion,
without Concubine Ma, Madam Ling would not have been down to this
degree.

Concubine Ma had sworn that she had never had an affair with another
man, but Madam Ling was certain that she had, although without any
direct evidence. Any man would be annoyed and felt unpleasant at such
news. Besides, Ning Zu’an had married Junior Concubine Xu, who
compared to Concubine Ma, was new, pure, gentle and obedient.

So in any case, Concubine Ma would be out of favor.

Most people of the manor were snobbish, so when Concubine Ma

became down and out, nobody wanted to talk to her. Because Concubine
Ma had made a scene last time, Madam Dowager was mad at her as well.
Now Concubine Ma had to be humble and cautious in the manor.

It was abnormal that she had knelt at the gate of Bright Frost Garden and
cried loudly.

“Fifth, Fifth Young Lady, I, I really need your help for something
private. It’s about my family, so it’s inconvenient to talk about it here,”
Concubine Ma said in tears. She wiped tears with a handkerchief while
speaking in hesitation, as if she was too shy to say it because it was her
family business.

Seeing that Concubine Ma seemed to be in a dilemma, some maids and

older female servants could not help feeling sorry for her. Concubine
Ma’s family must really get into trouble. Maybe Concubine Ma wanted
to give some money to her parents, so she had come here to ask Fifth
Young Lady for help. It would be too embarrassing to say such things in
front of so many people!

Fifth Young Lady had gone too far that she was even forcing her to
reveal her family’s difficulties in public!

Ning Xueyan looked at Concubine Ma coldly. Concubine Ma had not

only forced her to agree to help her, but also spoken in such a miserable
tone, as if Ning Xueyan was bullying her. Obviously, she came to Bright
Frost Garden to act!

“Your family met with some difficulties? If you didn’t come to me for
the theatrical troupe, I may be able to help you.” Ning Xueyan suddenly
walked close to Concubine Ma with a smile. When she said the
“theatrical troupe”, she lowered her voice. She smiled thoughtfully while
looking at Concubine Ma’s face with her jet-black eyes.

Concubine Ma’s face blushed, and then turned pale. She raised her head
and looked at Ning Xueyan in a panic.

Now she just remembered that Ning Xueyan was clear with the affair
between her and her lover.

“Concubine Ma, let’s talk inside.” Ning Xueyan gave way to her politely
and gestured her in, as if she did not notice Concubine Ma’s pale face.

“No… I won’t. Fifth Young Lady, I, I suddenly remember that… I don’t

know if that person said is true. Maybe nothing bad happened to my
family!” Concubine Ma refused to get into the room almost
subconsciously. She was in a panic and she spoke disorderly. How could
she have forgotten something so important? Ning Xueyan knew her
secret!
The Fifth Young Lady in front of her was no longer the one who had
been so timid and bullied by others at will.

“Oh? So you got the news about your family from others? You’d better
make sure of it. If this causes some unnecessary trouble, your family
may really get into trouble! Concubine Ma, don’t worry. Since you’re
still Lord Protector’s concubine, nothing serious will happen to your
family!” Ning Xueyan said meaningfully with a slight smile.

Everyone thought that Ning Xueyan was comforting Concubine Ma.

However, for Concubine Ma, the words were just like thunders. “Since
I’m still Lord Protector’s concubine, nothing serious will happen to my
family! Is she hinting that if I were not Lord Protector’s concubine,
something big might happen to my family?” Concubine Ma thought.

“I, I, I have nothing to bother you now. Fifth Young Lady, thank you for
comforting me!” With that, Concubine Ma bowed to Ning Xueyan in a
hurry and turned to leave with her maid. She left in such a hurry that she
almost ran away.

Ning Xueyan winked to Xinmei and Xinmei followed behind Concubine

Ma quietly.

Concubine Ma’s appearance became a sensational affair and soon every

one of the manor knew it. At first, they thought that something big had
happened, but later, they knew that the rumors were exaggerated. In fact,
although Concubine Ma had knelt down and cried a lot in the beginning,
she had not done anything before leaving Bright Frost Garden in a hurry.
Nobody knew what she wanted to do. Maybe Concubine Ma was trying
to make trouble again!

Her panic made other people think that she must have done something
evil and worried to be found out by people.

Concubine Ma was so nervous and she was not in a mood to care about
the rumors. She had been thinking to escape from the manor before, but
now she realized that she made a mistake. How could she be so stupid to
follow that person’s words and do this? She should have known that
Fifth Young Lady was not easy to mess with.
“Concubine Ma, why did you come back so soon?” As soon as she
arrived at a quiet path, she heard a contrived voice ring out.

It was Caifen, a maid of Third Young Lady. She came here to convey
Third Young Lady’s message to Concubine Ma.

“You, you can tell Third Young Lady that I, I don’t want to leave the
manor!” Concubine Ma turned around and said seriously, looking at
Caifen.

“So you are willing to be out of favor and end up being inferior even to a
maid? Then you will have to lead such a miserable life for the rest of
your life! What a pity! You’re so pretty, and wherever you are, you’re the
most charming one among people. There are so many places you can go
after leaving the manor. It’s impossible for anyone to catch you!”

Caifen’s face went icy when she heard Concubine Ma refuse her
suggestion, but soon her attitude changed and she spoke in an
exaggerated intimate voice.

At the thought that she might be ignored by Ning Zu’an all the time if
she continued to stay at the manor, and when she grew old and died,
nobody would know her body rotten in the backyard of the manor,
Concubine Ma could not help clenching her fists. “No! I’m still young! I
don’t want to die in the backyard of the manor at such a young age!” She
shouted inwardly.

But it was not that easy if she wanted to escape. She wondered if Third
Young Lady would really help her.

Seeing that Concubine Ma was hesitating, Caifen took two steps forward
and whispered in her ear, “Concubine Ma, don’t worry. My master will
definitely help you. You know that both Third Prince and Fourth Prince
think highly of her, so in any case, she will be a Consort of Prince. Of
course it won’t be difficult for her to protect you. Besides, marquis won’t
turn his back on her for such trifles.”

With Ning Qingshan’s current status, she had no problem to protect a

concubine of Ning Zu’an. Every one of the manor knew that the two
princes thought highly of her. Therefore, compared to Ning Xueyan, a
nobody, Ning Qingshan was more likely to win.
However, as Ning Xueyan knew her secret, Concubine Ma did not dare
to make an enemy of her.

“Is Third Young Lady really willing to help me?” Concubine Ma asked
in hesitation.

Caifen’s face darkened. “There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you

don’t want to pay the price, you’ll get nothing. If you follow Third
Young Lady’s words, she will help you to leave safely and prepare the
passports you need to run far away from the manor!” she said.

She could leave if she wanted. But before that, she had to do something
for Ning Qingshan.

“But Fifth, Fifth Young Lady is very smart. I, I’m afraid of being found
out by her!” Concubine Ma stammered. She did not seem to have more
choices.

“Be found out by her? So you came back after only saying a few words
at the gate just now? If Third Young Lady knew it, you wouldn’t have
any chance to escape. And you will have to stay at the manor until you
die. It’s said First Madam is going to be released from the Buddha Hall.
Since marquis doesn’t like you as before, how can you win First
Madam?”

Caifen sneered. Seeing her white teeth shining, Concubine Ma was

almost desperate。
Hearing that she was going to report to Ning Qingshan, Concubine Ma
grabbed Caifen by the hand and pleaded, “Please… don’t tell Third
Young Lady. I’ll think it over. I’ll think it over.”

“My master is not that patient. Just tell me “yes” or “no”. My master said
that even if you did something wrong, marquis couldn’t find you after
you escaped from the manor, so he could do nothing to you. You don’t
have to worry about your family. Since marquis is such a high-rank
official, how can she be so mean to get your family into trouble. The
Lord Protector’s Manor can’t afford to be laughed by the outsiders!”

Caifen said as per Ning Qingshan had told her. Ning Qingshan had told
her to say this if she saw Concubine Ma come back in disgrace. Now she
knew that her master’s concern was justified. Concubine Ma was too
useless!
Chapter 207 A Ghost Is Not the
Most Horrible Thing in the World
What Caifen said reassured Concubine Ma. She suddenly felt relieved
and her face lit up.

If she escaped from the Lord Protector’s Manor, the affair between her
and that actor would be nothing. Since the marquis could not find them,
even if he knew what they had done before, he could do nothing to her.

No matter how capable the Fifth Young Lady was, she could not do
anything outside the manor. However, the Third Young Lady was
different from the Fifth Young Lady. She would be the Third Prince’s
concubine in the future, so she had to be able to find a way to help
Concubine Ma leave. Then Concubine Ma would go everywhere at will,
and she would have nothing to do with the Fifth Young Lady in the
future.

“The Fifth Young Lady has no advantage against the Third Young Lady,
so she will have a problem even protecting herself. Of course, she won’t
have the time and energy to deal with me!” Concubine Ma thought.

“Fine! I’ll do as the Third Young Lady tells me!” Concubine Ma said,
gritting her teeth. She had made up her mind.

Caifen moved even a little closer to her and whispered in her ear for a
few seconds. Concubine Ma nodded hard. After that, they parted,
without noticing that someone was behind a tree not far away when they
had been talking just now.

When Xinmei came back, Ning Xueyan was reading the account book
Madam Dowager had given to her. Lanning stood by her side to serve
her the brush pen and grind ink for her.

The room was quiet except for the sound of Ning Xueyan gently turning
the pages.
Xinmei lifted the door curtain and was about to speak when she saw
Lanning raising her finger to her lips as a signal to be silent. Xinmei
nodded and then came up behind Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan wrote
something on the account book after reading it for a while. Sometimes,
she stopped reading and thought for a while with a frown, and
sometimes, she marked something in a notebook.

Ning Xueyan had marked in the notebook since she began checking the
account books for Madam Dowager. The content of each line was
indicated clearly.

After a while, Ning Xueyan put down the notebook and cleaned her
hands with the handkerchief Lanning handed her.

She raised her head and asked gently, “Did Concubine Ma meet Ning
Qingshan’s attendant?”

“Yes, Miss, you guessed right. As you expected, she met a new maid of
the Third Young Lady, named Caifen. It’s said she is Xia’er’s younger
sister. I hid myself behind a tree just now and heard that the Third Young
Lady was going to help Concubine Ma escape, but only if Concubine Ma
frames you.”

Xinmei nodded, admiring Ning Xueyan even more for her wonderful
foresight.

“Concubine Ma agreed, didn’t she?” Ning Xueyan said with a smile.

Sitting down in front of the table beside the window, she took the tea cup
from Lanning. She lifted the cup lid and removed the tea foam inside.

Now Ning Xueyan knew what Ning Qingshan was plotting. “She
promised Concubine Ma to help her escape? With Concubine Ma’s
current status, it’s really an attractive offer and it’s no wonder that
Concubine Ma would like to do anything for her. If they succeed,
Concubine Ma won’t need to worry that I will expose her secret. Ning
Qingshan is really smart. Although she didn’t know what had happened
to Concubine Ma, she could convince Concubine Ma to work for her!”

“Yes. Concubine Ma didn’t agree at first. But after Caifen had relayed
the Third Young Lady’s words, she immediately agreed. Then they
talked for a short moment. Because they spoke in low voices, I didn’t
hear them clearly.” Xinmei was a little awkward when she said the last
sentence.

Caifen and Concubine Ma had deliberately lowered their voices. Since

there was no place to hide near them, Xinmei had to hide herself a little
bit far away from them, and she could not hear all the contents of their
conversation.

“It doesn’t matter. Since I have known that Ning Qingshan is the
mastermind behind it, it’s much easier for me to decide what to do next,”
Ning Xueyan said slowly. She took a sip of tea and then put down the tea
cup. “It seems that she has been on a roll recently. I should find
something to set her back on her heels.”

Because both the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince had sent gifts to her,
everyone in the manor thought highly of Ning Qingshan, even Madam
Dowager did not dare to offend her. Madam Dowager asked her
attendants to bring some nutritious medicine to Foggy Courtyard. But
Ning Qingshan seemed to have forgotten one important thing—she had
not become the Third Prince’s concubine yet.

And what the Fourth Prince had done might not be a good thing that
would raise her status!

“Lanning, give the account books back to Madam Dowager. Tell her that
in addition to the jewelry shop, the other shops’ accounts are normal. It’s
said that the shop opposite this jewelry shop is competing with it, so its
profit this month is much less than last month. Tell Madam Dowager to
inquire about the background of our competitor. I hope the two shops can
meet each other halfway. Since we are doing business, vicious
competition can only harm the interests of both sides. But that’s only my
suggestion. After all, the jewelry shop is very profitable, so Madam
Dowager should make the final decision on her own.”

Ning Xueyan spoke gently as she pushed the account books to Lanning.

“Miss, how did you know the details?” Although Lanning had been
calm, she was so surprised that she widened her eyes after hearing the
detailed analysis from Ning Xueyan.
“It’s easy. I can find everything in the account books. Of course, it’s not
the only reason for profit or loss. Since someone is playing a trick, I can
make use of it. As for the competition between the two jewelry shops, I
heard about that from Mother Han. When you connect all these things
together, you will understand.”

A graceful and icy smile appeared on Ning Xueyan’s face. She had
checked the account books for a long time, and she had not found
anything wrong, as if nothing abnormal had ever happened. However,
after examining them carefully, she had found a secret—almost all the
shops’ profit was declining this month more or less, although it was not
easy to be aware of this in such a short period.

Since Madam Ling had been in charge of the internal accounts for so
many years, of course she would not give the power back to Madam
Dowager easily!

It might be a good thing for Ning Xueyan, because she could make use
of it. Ning Xueyan had gotten the news about the jewelry shop from
Mother Han partially, but she already knew about the rest from her last
life when she was still Ning Ziying.

Once, Ning Ziyan had been showing off in front of Ning Ziying, saying
that the jewelry shop of their family was the most profitable one, even
more profitable than the jewelry shop across the street. Ning Ziying had
also known that the owner of that jewelry shop was the Third Prince.

Since Madam Ling had fiddled with the account book and made the
profit much less, then it could be an excuse for the two shops to compete.
Two of the same trade would never agree. Besides, the two shops were
on the same street, how could there be no contradiction between them?
As an imperial member, the Third Prince would not directly deal with
such trifles, but it was enough for the two shops to compete.

How could the Third Prince be untroubled by what had happened at the
imperial palace about the note and the Fourth Prince’s gifts for Ning
Qingshan?

The Fourth Prince suddenly showed his interest in Ning Qingshan. What
was he thinking? Three years ago, there had been nothing going on
between him and Ning Qingshan. But now, he suddenly showed his
intention and determination to marry Ning Qingshan. Was there any
special reason?

Anyway, Ning Xuyeyan would find out about it step by step.

She knew it was a cutthroat world. With the grievance in her last life and
the hatred in her current life in her mind, she would never back down!

She sat in front of the table, looking delicate and weak. Her cold,
lowered eyes and her graceful, icy smile did not frighten her two maids,
but reassured them.

They knew that their young master was not weak and incapable. Now
she was able to protect herself well, so she had the ability to protect them
as well.

Lanning left with the account books in her arms and soon came back
with a message from Madam Dowager. Madam Dowager would invite
the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince for dinner this evening, and she
had asked Ning Xueyan, Ning Huaiyuan, and Ning Qingshan to attend
the dinner. After all, they should thank the two princes for their gifts.

Whether or not Madam Dowager would talk about the jewelry shops to
the Third Prince was not on Ning Xueyan’s mind. She had asked
Lanning to convey her suggestion. It was not the most important thing
whether or not Madam Dowager would say something about it in front of
the Prince. But the jewelry shop was actually a good money-maker for
the manor.

Madam Ling had never gotten along well with Madam Dowager. The
jewelry shop was so profitable when Madam Ling was running it, but
now the profit was less after Madam Dowager had taken back the power.
So no matter how much less it was, Madam Dowager would feel
humiliated.

Ning Xueyan thought that Madam Dowager would definitely talk about
it with the Third Prince.

After taking a nap at noon, Ning Xueyan walked out of Bright Frost
Garden with Qingyu.
Ning Xueyan walked toward Cloud Reflection Courtyard
subconsciously. It was getting cold recently and Mother Han did not
want her to go out after supper, so Ning Xueyan would take a walk after
napping at noon when she had time. Anyway, Cloud Reflection
Courtyard was remote and was near Bright Frost Garden, so nobody
would have noticed that she had such a habit.

Standing under the designated plum tree, she glanced at Cloud

Reflection Courtyard, frowning.

Cloud Reflection Courtyard was even colder and more cheerless than
before. Nobody would like to come here. After Ning Ziying’s death, this
land had almost been abandoned by Lord Protector’s Manor. Maybe
Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan worried that Ning Ziying would turn into a
ghost and come to take revenge on them, so they had asked people to
build a wall that was not very big to separate Cloud Reflection Courtyard
from Lord Protector’s Manor.

If people came from the direction in front of Ning Xueyan, they could
not see Cloud Reflection Courtyard, which was behind the wall.

Unless they were looking from Ning Xueyan’s direction, nobody would
know about the existence of Cloud Reflection Courtyard. It had been
completely separated by Madam Ling.

Obviously, she was trying to completely erase Ning Ziying from people’s
memory!

However, no matter how hard she had tried, she could not erase some
things.

“Qingyu, keep watch for me here. I’m going to have a look at Cloud
Reflection Courtyard,” Ning Xueyan turned her head and said to Qingyu.

“Miss, you’d better not go there. It’s said that it is not clean there,”
Qingyu said nervously. Rumors about Cloud Reflection Courtyard were
more and more terrifying. Since nobody lived there, many people said it
was haunted. The wall had been built up gradually because of the
rumors.

And this project had been completed a few days ago.

“Clean? Is there any clean place in the manor?” Ning Xueyan said
indifferently. She looked down and her feather-like eyelashes cast faint
shadows on her pale face. “Haunted? Haha! The most horrible thing in
the world is not a ghost, but a human being!”

Qingyu was shocked at such laughter, sarcasm, and contempt.

“Fifth Young Lady is right. Is there any ghost in the world? Lanning was
almost murdered by the First Madam. Besides, Fifth Young Lady,
Lanning and Mother Wang mentioned that Young Lady Ning Ziying,
who lived in Cloud Reflection Courtyard before, might also have been
murdered by the First Madam and the others. They’re so vicious, they
are even more terrible than ghosts!”

Qingyu calmed down for no reason, then nodded and asked, “Miss, do
you want me to go there with you?”

Although she had stopped thinking about the ghost, she was still not at
ease letting Ning Xueyan go there alone.

“You don’t have to go with me. I’m just having a look and walking
around. Just wait for me here. Stop anyone if they come,” Ning Xueyan
said with a coldness flashing in her eyes. She then walked forward.
Where she was now was close to Cloud Reflection Courtyard’s back
door. She had been waiting for such a long time, and it was the right time
to take those things out!
Chapter 208 Those Things She
Had Hidden
Everything in Cloud Reflection Courtyard was more decaying. Weeds
sprang up at the corner and on the path. Obviously, no one had been here
for a long time. When Ning Xueyan pushed open the door of the master
bedroom, the wind blew in and the dust on the floor was stirred up. It
had been full of laughter here not long before, but now, no laughter could
be heard any more.

She walked into the room and came to the bed. She narrowed her eyes
slightly when she pushed away a needle and thread basket.

Obviously, someone had rummaged here carefully. Although that person

was cautious, Ning Xueyan still found out.

Because the thin blue thread hanging in front of the needle and thread
basket had gone, and the left and right sides of the red thread tied at the
back of the basket was no longer completely equal as Ning Ziying had
put it on purpose.

Ning Ziying had been so cautious, because her mother had repeatedly
reminded her that she should not let anyone find what inside, otherwise,
something big would happen and even bring about death. Although Ning
Ziying had not believed what her mother said, as an obedient daughter,
she had still put the thread around the basket on purpose after hiding
those things carefully.

In the past three years before Ning Ziying’s death, nobody had come
here to look for anything. However, after she had just died a few months,
someone rummaged here.

Someone had even come to Cloud Reflection Courtyard to look for

something!

Ning Xueyan took out the basket and crawled under the bed. She moved
to the left foot of the bed against the wall and took out a brick. There
were a small package and a letter. She put them into her pocket and
covered the hole with the brick gain. She then moved out from under the
bed and laid out the thread around the needle and thread basket as before.

She had a hunch that someone would come again!

She looked into the dusty mirror, brushed her hair and smoothed her
clothes before slowly walking out from the room. Then she closed the
door and took a deep breath, her gaze fixing on the lotus pool not far
away. A bloody smell seemed to emanate from her chest. After a while,
her lips twitched and a cold smile appeared on her face.

No matter for Ning Ziying or for Ning Xueyan, she would make those
murderers pay for their blood!

Ning Xueyan half closed the back door of the Cloud Reflection
Courtyard and turned around without haste, lifting her skirt hem. Qingyu
felt relieved when she saw her calm figure and she immediately walked
toward Ning Xueyan.

“Miss, is there…”

“Nothing. I just had a look casually,” Ning Xueyan said gently.

“Is there anything abnormal?” Qingyu asked after a short hesitation,

following behind Ning Xueyan.

“Nothing. Let’s go!” Ning Xueyan nodded.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan did not want to talk more, Qingyu stopped
asking. She walked toward Bright Frost Garden following Ning Xueyan.

At a high building of the courtyard, Third Prince and Fourth Prince sat
next to each other with Ning Huaiyuan by their side. After all, Ning
Huaiyuan was a man, and his injury was not that serious, so after
applying some effective medicine, he had almost recovered. Except for
one of his hands was not very handy, nobody could tell that he had been
injured.

After receiving the invitation for dinner, the two princes came much
earlier than everyone had expected. So Ning Huaiyuan was asked to
accompany them to rest and drink tea at the tall building of the
courtyard.

Ning Huaiyuan was tactfully talking about the jewelry shop with Third
Prince while Fourth Prince was looking in distance through a telescope.

This telescope was a tribute presented by other countries and there were
only very few such telescopes in the imperial palace. Fourth Prince had
just gotten it and he was very curious. When he was looking around, he
found a delicate figure in the telescope. Ao Mingwan froze for a few
seconds and then was overjoyed. He had agreed to come here for dinner
because he wanted to see this Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor.

He had fallen in love with her at the first sight. He had never thought that
there was such a wonderful girl in the world!

If he had known that the Third Young Lady of the Nings was so
outstanding, he would have engaged her three years ago and would not
leave any chance to Ao Mingyu!

Thankfully, nothing had been decided yet, so he still had a chance.

Although the rumors said that Ning Qingshan was going to become Ao
Mingyu’s principal wife, they had not been officially engaged yet and he
still had some room for manoeuvre. Besides, he had told his mother that
he was fond of Third Young Lady, and asked her mother to manage to
marry Third Young Lady to him.

However, his mother told him that things were not going well. It seemed
that Honored Consort Ya liked Third Young Lady very much!

At the thought of this, Ao Mingwan’s mood turned sour. It was not until
the girl walked into a yard that he put down the telescope. He thought for
a while, standing by the rail. Suddenly, he turned around and walked
toward Third Prince. “Third Brother, is your jewelry shop competing
with Lord Protector’s Manor’s?” he sat next to Third Prince and asked
with a smile.

“It’s not a big deal. Maybe our attendants are fighting for business.
Huaiyuan, please don’t mind. I’ll ask someone to see into it. I won’t
allow them to bid up the price and cause loss to both of us,” Ao Mingyu
nodded politely and said to Ning Huaiyuan with a laugh.

“Thank you for your concern for such trifles, Third Prince. I thank you
on behalf of my grandmother,” Since Third Prince had generously agreed
to see into this matter, Ning Huaiyuan said with a laugh as well.

“Huaiyuan, don’t worry. My third brother will solve the problem. It’s
said this account book was checked by Fifth Young Lady of your manor?
It’s remarkable that she can check account books at such a young age!”
Ao Mingwan praised with an ulterior motive.

Rumors about the dispute between Third Young Lady and Fifth Young
Lady for an account book had spread out from the Lord Protector’s
Manor and all the well-informed people had known it. People held
different views and Ning Qingshan was the focus of their discussion, and
many of them were arguing whether Ning Qingshan was a hypocritical
person.

“She is still very young, and she is only helping my grandmother to

check the account books briefly. Since she had never taken care of
accounts before, she knew very little about it. And we should thank God
that she hasn’t made any big mistakes,” Ning Huaiyuan said modestly
with a smile.

He seemed to be modest. However, far from expressing admiration for

her, he was hinting that Ning Xueyan pretended to know what she did
not and meddled in the backyard.

Ao Mingyu’s eyelid twitched, but he only smiled without speaking

anything.

“She is already so capable at such a young age! It’s said your fifth sister
is only fourteen. She can even manage such a big manor now, so she
must be able to manage a big family well in the future.” Ao Mingwan
shifted the topic and said to Ao Mingyu, who had been in silence, “Third
Brother, since you’re not married, you’d better engage such a wonderful
girl as soon as possible. I’m sure she will be the hostess of a manor in the
future.”
“It’s said Third Young Lady of the manor is also excellent,” Ao Mingyu
raised his head and said meaningfully with a smile.

“Third Young Lady is also nice, but it seems she is not as outstanding as
Fifth Young Lady. Third Brother, Third Young Lady is two years older
than Fifth Young Lady, but Madam Dowager felt assured to let Fifth
Young Lady manage the manor, so Fifth Young Lady must be very
capable. Third Brother, your manor has no hostess now, and your mother
always wants you to find a capable woman. I’m sure Fifth Young Lady is
the right person for you!”

Ao Mingwan suggested with a smile. He looked relax and natural with a

smile in his eyes, as if he really cared about Ao Mingyu.

Princes like them really needed a capable wife to manage those beautiful
ladies and their concubines of the backyard. If they could not even keep
their family in harmony, how could they manage a country?

Therefore, Fourth Prince had grasped the key of the problem when he
said this. Because Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady had fought
for managing the manor, Fourth Prince did not like Fifth Young Lady.
How could he be happy after knowing that his beloved woman had been
humiliated. But he knew that it was the right time to praise Fifth Young
Lady in front of Third Prince now.

However, to his surprise, the relationship between Ao Mingyu and Ning

Qingshan was far closer than he had imagined, and it was impossible for
him to shake it because what he said.

But it also made Ao Mingyu more depressed. He had promised to marry

Ning Qingshan, but now he hesitated a little.

He thought Ning Qingshan had framed Ning Xueyan at the imperial

palace on purpose with that note. At the thought that Ning Xueyan’s
reputation had almost been ruined by Ning Qingshan, he felt angry. He
even thought that Ning Qingshan was too cruel and ruthless.

Ao Mingyu himself was not an innocent person and he had killed and set
up many people, so he could turn a blind eye on what Ning Qingshan
had done. However, at the thought that the person who had been framed
was Ning Xueyan, thinking of her delicate figure, her weak and cold
eyes, he was upset and even distressed.

Because of this, he was angry with Ning Qingshan.

Taking the opportunity to send gifts to the Lord Protector’s Manor, he

had given the same gifts to Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan, because he
wanted people of the Lord Protector’s Manor to treat Ning Xueyan a
little better for his sake. However, to his surprise, Ao Mingwan had also
gotten himself involved in and sent the gifts only to Ning Qingshan,
causing Ning Qingshan’s status higher than Ning Xueyan’s in the manor.

What annoyed Ao Mingyu more was that Ning Qingshan had accepted
Ao Mingwan’s gifts. What did she mean? When had she started hooking
up with Ao Mingwan? Was that mean that if he did not marry her, she
would find another man for herself?

Ao Mingyu became even angrier at the thought of this. As a noble

prince, he could dump a woman, but he could not bear to be dumped by
a woman! He had come here because he wanted to know what Ning
Qingshan was thinking. He was a prince of the country, not a man who
can be chosen or dumped by Ning Qingshan at will.

It had been three years since they parted. She had changed so much!

It seemed the gentle girl, who had protected and taken care of him
wholeheartedly three years ago, was leaving him gradually.

She had become a vicious and thoughtful person!

What was she really like?

“Fourth Brother, so you think Third Young Lady is not good enough?”
Ao Mingyu raised his head slightly with a graceful and faint smile. He
rotated the tea cup in his hand and asked casually. However, there was
coldness in his eyes when he spoke.

“I didn’t mean that.” Ao Mingwan paused for a while and then continued
with a smile, “I mean she is not as excellent as Fifth Young Lady. As
Fifth Young Lady is so remarkable at such a young age, after two years,
no, after only one year, the threshold of the Lord Protector’s Manor
would be crushed by the matchmakers.”

He was intent on matchmaking Ao Mingyu. It would be perfect if Ao

Mingyu changed his mind and married Fifth Young Lady. Then he could
marry Third Young Lady. It did not matter even if Ao Mingyu could not
decide for the moment. At least he would let Ao Mingyu know that Third
Young Lady was not the best choice.

Thus, if he married Third Young Lady in the future, Ao Mingyu would

not get too angry with him.

All the imperial members were thoughtful and calculating. Ao Mingwan

looked straightforward, but he was actually not, and he was also a
competitive candidate for the throne.

“Fourth Brother, it seems you’re fond of Fifth Young Lady,” Ao Mingyu

said, pretending that he did not understand what Ao Mingwan said, an
unpleasant look in his eyes. He thought that Ao Mingwan should
mention neither Ning Qingshan nor Ning Xueyan in front of him.

“I’m not having feelings for her. Third Brother, I just think that she is a
good match for you!” Ao Mingwan knew he could not be too blunt, so
he said with a laugh.

“Huaiyuan, it seems I really need to talk about my marriage with your

grandmother. Since both Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady are so
excellent, I don’t know if they can marry me together, like the two
sisters, Ehuang and Nvying, in the legend?” Ao Mingyu said, squinting
at Ning Huaiyuan next to him with a smile.

“Ehuang and Nvying? He has really regarded himself as the emperor!”

Ao Mingwan’s face darkened.

Ning Huaiyuan was surprised. His heart sunk and his face turned pale,
his forehead sweating. It was hard to answer Third Prince. He did not
dare to say “No” to him, however, he had no right to make the decision.
Chapter 209 Fourth Prince Wants
to Help Third Young Lady Vent
Her Anger
“Third Prince, you’re kidding!” Ning Huaiyuan did not know what Ao
Mingyu meant, so he had to find a pretext for not answering him directly.

“Third Brother, I’m scared! I wondered how you could marry both of the
two wonderful girls. At least you should leave one to me! Now I know
that you were just joking!” Ao Mingwan said in response to Ao
Mingwan’s words with a smile and then shifted the topic quietly, “Third
Brother, have all the assassins after the party been caught? Our uncle is
urging us!”

This caused hatred flashing on Ao Mingyu’s mild face. He clenched his

fists and the look in his eyes turned icy.

Ao Mingyu had been too busy recently because some assassins had tried
to kill Prince Yi after the imperial banquet and also injured a number of
high-rank official’s children. Ao Chenyi had killed all the assassins and
ordered people to pile up the corps to publicize the assassination’s
failure. However, he still kept asking Ao Mingyu to catch the assassins
every day. He really pushed him too far!

But Ao Mingyu could not tell anyone, because it was his father’s
stratagem. His father had told him that if they failed to provoke Ao
Chenyi and cause chaos at the party, they should order the assassins to
kill Ao Mingyu directly. They had plotted to have the assassins mingle
with the imperial guards, and all the assassins had worn the same suits as
the imperial guards. They had dispatched forty assassins in total, and
now all their bodies were in the yard of the imperial palace.

Where could he find any other assassins?

“Those assassins appeared in all of sudden, so I think they must have

allies to help them at the imperial palace. We need to check carefully.
Even a slightest mistake will cause a disaster.” Ao Mingyu’s face
darkened, as if he did not want to continue the topic.

Ning Huaiyuan was a smart person and he would not ask for a snub at
this moment. Ao Mingwan did not want to annoy Ao Mingyu, so he did
not ask anything about this anymore. Then the three of them began to
talk about something else casually.

While they were chatting excitedly, Ning Xueyan returned her courtyard.
The moment she stepped into the room, she received the invitation from
Ning Qingshan. Ning Qingshan said that it was shining outside, so she
wanted Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun to go to her courtyard to enjoy
flowers and chat. After that, they would go for dinner together.

Ning Xueyan nodded. After freshening herself up and changing her

clothes, she walked toward Ning Qingshan’s courtyard with Lanning.

Fourth Prince watched Bright Frost Garden through the telescope from
time to time while chatting with Ao Mingyu and Ning Huaiyuan in the
tall building. Suddenly, he caught sight of Ning Xueyan and he became
excited at once. Seeing that the other two did not notice him, he quickly
stood up quietly. He walked to the rail, as if he was enjoying the distant
view, but in fact, his eyes were gluing on Ning Xueyan.

She deserved his love! No matter looking from which direction, she was
so beautiful!

It was a pity that she was too thin! It was said that she had been living in
the nunnery before, so she must have led a poor life there. That was why
she was so thin and her face was so pale. The rumors said that Ning
Zu’an liked her very much. However, no matter how well he treated her,
she was only an adopted daughter. How could she be more favored than
those biological daughters of Ning Zu’an?

At the thought of this, Ao Mingwan was a little indignant for Ning

Qingshan.

After a while, he would tell Madam Dowager in a tactful way that he

was fond of Third Young Lady, and he would let the others of the manor
know that he cared about her and would not allow Fifth Young Lady to
bully her anymore. He did not believe that she had fought with Fifth
Young Lady for an account book as the rumors said. How could such a
gentle and weak girl fight with the others for an account book? It must be
that Fifth Young Lady had set her up on purpose with some evil
intentions!

Ao Mingwan was planning to help Ning Qingshan vent her anger. He

would make that Fifth Young Lady look stupid in front of people so that
his beloved beautiful girl would vent her anger. However, he had never
thought that he mistook Ning Qingshan for Ning Xueyan.

His telescope was moved along with Ning Xueyan’s movements and
stopped when Ning Xueyan walked into a pavilion. There were already
two girls inside. The girl in the gorgeous robe must be Fifth Young Lady.
The clothes of the other girl, who sat next to her, were much plainer than
hers, but she also looked beautiful and adorable. She must be Fourth
Young Lady of the manor, the daughter of a concubine.

Ao Mingwan had known that Eldest Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor had married Xia Yuhang, and Second Young Lady had been sent
to the countryside, so only three Young Ladies were left in the manor
now. They should be the three in the pavilion. Ao Mingwan pitied even
more for the girl he loved when he saw that the other two girls were
much superior to her in both clothes and dressing.

Obviously, she was not treated as Ning Zu’an’s biological daughter,

because her clothes and dressing were quite different from the other two.
Her clothes were so plain and there was only one hairpin on her hair. On
the contrary, even the daughter of a concubine had two hairpins on her
hair. Ning Zu’an was so unfair!

Ao Mingwan was angry and all he was thinking was to help ‘Ning
Qingshan’ vent her anger. Now Ning Xueyan had walked into the
pavilion. Her eyes flickered slightly when she saw the other two chatting
excitedly. What was more, Ning Lingyun even smiled at her intimately at
the sight of her. “Is that because they have reached an agreement, Ning
Lingyun was not nervous at the sight of me?” Ning Xueyan wondered.

After greeting each other and sitting down, Ning Qingshan suddenly
began to size up Ning Xueyan. “Fifth Sister, you’re dressed beautifully
today!” she said with a gentle smile.
In fact, Ning Xueyan had not dressed up. The plain whiteness was still
the main color of her clothes. Embroidered with some small flowers, her
clothes did not seem to be that plain. She had her hair brushed briefly.
Since she would meet two princes, she should show her politeness.
However, compared to Ning Qingshan’s gorgeous dressing-up, she
looked too plain.

“Third Sister, you’re kidding on me! I know I’m poorly dressed, so Third
Sister, please don’t make fun of me anymore.” Ning Xueyan smiled
slightly. She sized up Ning Qingshan for a while and said gently with a
smile, “Fourth Sister’s clothes are also very nice. Although they are not
as eye-catching as Third Sister’s, they’re very beautiful!”

She praised Ning Lingyun by the way.

“Fifth Sister, I’m flattered! Ning Lingyun seldom said so little. With a
blush face, she lowered her head and rubbed her handkerchief. At the
thought of Third Prince, she could not stay calm any longer. She had a
different feeling this time. She knew that Third Prince had praised her
secretly, and maybe he was really fond of her. At the thought of this, she
could not help but be blush, as if she was going to meet her lover
secretly.

“Fifth Sister, you’re so sweet! We haven’t had such a fine day for a long
time! Fifth Sister and I have almost recovered, so I ask you two to come
here to chat. I have been back for a while, but I couldn’t find time to
gather with you.” Ning Qingshan stood up, poured three cups of tea and
pushed the tea cups to Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun.

Ning Xueyan smiled at Ning Qingshan and bowed to her slightly to show
her thanks. “Third Sister, thank you for your tea. I have been thinking to
chat with you, but I couldn’t find time either. I’ll make a toast to you
with the tea you provided instead of wine. I wish our family a peaceful
reunion after your return, Third sister!”

With that, Ning Xueyan raised the tea cup to Ning Qingshan with a slight
smile and took a sip of the tea.

Seeing that she had raised her tea cup, Ning Qingshan and Ning Lingyun
followed her suit and took a sip of the tea as well.
“Thank you, Fifth Sister. I’m sure your wish will come true. Third Prince
and Fourth Prince will come later. It’s good news for our manor, because
it means that the two princes think highly of our manor,” Ning Qingshan
raised her head slightly and said, seemed inattentive, triumph shining in
her eyes. Being favored by two princes, of course she was overjoyed.

“Both Third Prince and Fourth Prince will come for Third Sister. If not
because of you, the two princes wouldn’t have thought highly of our
manor.” Ning Lingyun seemed extremely smart and obedient at the
moment and as soon as Ning Qingshan finished her words, she began to
flatter her, her face full of admiration and adoration. Ning Qingshan
seemed to enjoy the flattery very much.

She could not help looking at Ning Xueyan from the corner of her eyes.
She meant to deal Ning Xueyan a head-on blow by asking her to come
over. At the thought that she was favored by two princes and even
Madam Dowager had to think highly of her, Ning Qingshan could not
help being excited. The suddenly stepping in of Fourth Prince would
bring great benefit to her.

At the critical moment, she could also take use of the favors of the two
princes on her to suppress people of the manor. She believed that before
long, Madam Dowager would ask Madam Ling to adopt her as her
daughter and then she would become the principal wife’s daughter of the
manor.

No matter she would marry Third Prince or Fourth Prince, she would
definitely become the Consort of Prince.

A cold sarcasm crossing Ning Xueyan’s eyes at the conversation

between Ning Qingshan and Ning Lingyun. Their minds were in sync, so
they must have reached an agreement. She looked at Ning Lingyun’s
cherry-red skirt embroidered with colorful butterflies for a while and
then curved up her lips.

She had never seen Ning Lingyun wear this skirt before. It must have
been made for Ning Lingyun before the Spring Festival. She wore it
today obviously because she wanted to bring out the best in herself in
front of the man who loved her. However, Ning Lingyun had been
engaged to Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Had she still had
feelings for Third Prince and tried to attract his attention by dolling
herself up like this?

How dare she! Was she not afraid of offending the Commandery Prince
Li’s Manor? Maybe Commandery Prince Li would do nothing to her, but
nobody could guarantee that he would not get Commandery Prince Li’s
Manor into trouble. Thinking about this, Ning Xueyan smiled even more
meaningfully.

Ning Qingshan understood the psychology of others well. Both

Concubine Ma and Ning Lingyun had been convinced by her and would
like to follow her words.

“Third Sister, since the two princes will come together and both of them
treat you well, I wonder which one you value more?” Ning Xueyan did
not continue Ning Lingyun’s topic, but asked casually. She hooked her
fair and slender finger around the handle of the cup and touched the cup
gently, looking inattentive.

“Fifth Sister, how could you ask such a question? Nobody can stop the
two princes from loving Third Sister. How can Third Sister choose any
of them? It can only be decided by our Grandmother,” Before Ning
Qingshan could say anything, Ning Lingyun had answered for her,
looking righteous 。
So Ning Lingyun must have totally been convinced by Ning Qingshan
and she was on Ning Qingshan’s side intently. That meant Ning
Qingshan had persuaded Ning Lingyun with a very attractive term.
Could it because of Third Prince?

Ning Xueyan believed that Ning Qingshan must have convinced Ning
Lingyun with the bait of Third Prince! Thinking about this, she sneered
inwardly. Even Ning Qingshan herself could not find a way to settle the
engagement between her and Third Prince. How dare she attracted Ning
Lingyun with Third Prince? What made her so confident that Third
Prince would definitely marry her?

It seemed that the involvement of Fourth Prince had not only given Ning
Qingshan a little more confidence, but also made her so arrogant that she
almost did not know who she was!
Fourth Prince wanted to marry her, but Third Prince began to hesitate.
Ning Xueyan wondered if Ning Qingshan would be happy for such an
ending.

By this point, it had never occurred to the three that Fourth Prince, Ao
Mingwan, had mistaken Ning Qingshan for Ning Xueyan!
Chapter 210 Third Young Lady Is
the Most Beautiful
“Everything can only be decided by Grandmother? Fourth Sister, what a
thorough understanding you have! Grandmother will definitely say that
you are more considerate and sensible than before when we meet her
later,” Ning Xueyan said in a soft voice, her delicate face full of peace
and gentleness.

Hearing that, Ning Lingyun shivered unconsciously, her face

immediately pale.

If Madam Dowager could decide everyone’s marriage, how could Ning

Lingyun be engaged to Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li? Ning
Lingyun realized that if she talked about this in front of Madam
Dowager, Madam Dowager would not be happy with her. Maybe Madam
Dowager would slap her on the spot and accuse her of hypocrisy.
Although Madam Dowager had not found any evidence to improve that
Ning Lingyun plotted to engage herself to Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li, Ning Lingyun knew that what she had done had offended
Madam Dowager.

After thinking it over, she fell into a panic, like being cast a damp over.
If everyone’s marriage had to be decided by Madam Dowager, she had to
follow Madam Dowager’s instruction to marry Third Prince or not in the
future. Even if Third Prince really had feelings for her, if Madam
Dowager did not agree, he could not marry her.

“Can Ning Qingshan make a decision on behalf of Madam Dowager and

marry me to Third Prince?” Ning Lingyun wondered.

Seeing that Ning Lingyun froze there and said nothing after hearing what
Ning Xueyan had said, Ning Qingshan was annoyed. She had planned to
give Ning Xueyan a blow with Ning Lingyun. However, to her surprise,
Ning Lingyun was so stupid that she had fallen into a panic at Ning
Xueyan’s words, and she did not even dare to shoot back.
“Fifth Sister…”

“Third Sister, Fourth Sister, it’s getting late. Let’s go and chat with our
grandmother for a while before dinner.” Ning Xueyan stood up, cut Ning
Qingshan off and suggested with a smile. She did not want to waste her
time on talking craps with Ning Qingshan. Since Third Prince had been
invited here, she was going to watch a wonderful play acted by Third
Prince, Fourth Prince and Ning Qingshan.

The sooner the play started, the better.

Since Ning Qingshan had been agitating Concubine Ma and Ning

Lingyun to deal with her, Ning Xueyan also prepared a big gift for her.
She wished that the two princes were strong minded enough, and still
dared to marry this beautiful lady, Ning Qingshan.

Ning Qingshan was extremely angry when Ning Xueyan mentioned

Madam Dowager, but she had to stand up in agreement.

As Ning Qingshan was going to go back and fix her makeup, she asked
Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan to Lucky Garden first, and she would
arrive later. Thus, the three of them left in two directions.

Ao Mingwan stood in the tall building and saw Ning Xueyan leave. He
put down his telescope, thought for a while and then turned to Ao
Mingyu and Ning Huaiyuan.

At Lucky Garden, Madam Dowager saw Ning Lingyun and Ning

Xueyan coming over and accepted their greets with a smile. She then
asked them to sit down by her side and asked, “Where did Qingshan?
The maid told me that you were drinking tea and chatting just now. Why
hasn’t she come yet?”

“Third Sister has gone back to her courtyard to dress herself up. She said
it was rare that the two princes came to our manor together, so she
should make herself up more carefully,” Ning Xueyan answered with a
smile.

“Yes, she is right. Xueyan, why didn’t you dress yourself up carefully?
You shouldn’t make the two princes think that we don’t take their visit
seriously. Go back and dress yourself up as your third sister did,” Madam
Dowager said. When she saw Ning Xueyan’s simple dress, she frowned
disapprovingly and asked her to go back.

Ning Xueyan dressed too simple, and even Ning Lingyun was better
dressed than she was.

Since the visitors were two princes, Madam Dowager had planned to
have Third Prince marry Ning Qingshan, and if Fourth Prince would like
to marry Ning Xueyan, it would be perfect. Ning Xueyan had been
checking account books for Madam Dowager recently, and Madam
Dowager thought that she was as capable as Ning Qingshan.

What was more, Ning Xueyan was related to her by blood, so compared
to Ning Qingshan, Ning Xueyan was more close to her.

“Madam Dowager, don’t bother. The two Young Ladies have already
dressed up as beautiful as flowers. If they dressed themselves up more,
my third brother and I would think them to be fairies in the mortal
world!” Laughter rang out from outside the door. The maid immediately
lifted the door curtain. An older female servant rushed into the room in a
hurry and reported, “Madam Dowager, the two princes and Eldest Young
Master are coming!”

“Ask them in immediately!” Madam Dowager said joyfully.

After a short while, Ao Mingyu, Ao Mingwan and Ning Huaiyuan

walked in. All the three of them were handsome and distinguished, but
each had his own characteristics. It was quite pleasing to the eye to see
them standing together.

Ning Xueyan lowered her head with a smile. Brothers from the imperial
family would become opponents sooner or later. Now the two princes
could still join hands to deal with Ao Chenyi. What would happen
between them without Ao Chenyi? Would they still drink together
peacefully?

Madam Dowager laughed heartily and her eyes narrowed. If both of the
two princes married the Young Ladies of the Nings, the Nings would
enjoy a long-lasting prosperity.
“Princes, please take a seat. I invited you here to show my thanks, but I
didn’t think that you have come so early!” Madam Dowager said
excitedly while ordering the servant to bring chairs for them.

The earlier they came, the more serious they took her invitation. It was
about two hours before the dinner, and now both of the two princes had
come, so of course she was glad. “Qingshan is really attractive! In order
to meet her, the two princes have come so early!” Thinking about this,
Madam Dowager decided to ask Ning Zu’an to make Ning Qingshan
Madam Ling’s adopted daughter. Then Ning Qingshan would officially
regard Madam Ling as her mother and become a daughter of the
principal wife of Ning Zu’an.

No matter she would marry Third Prince or Fourth Prince, her status
would be high enough to match them.

As for Ning Xueyan, her status seemed a little inferior. It would be

perfect if she could marry Fourth Prince as a concubine.

Seeing them sit down, Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan stood up and
bowed to Ao Mingyu and Ao Mingwan. Then they sat down on the
stools beside Madam Dowager.

Ao Mingyu could not help fixing his eyes on Ning Xueyan’s gentle and
beautiful face. She frowned slightly and her face was even paler than
before. It seemed to be true that she was seriously ill after returning the
manor from the imperial palace. “She has been very thin, and now she
looks even more pitiful. Isn’t she happy here?” he thought.

It reminded him of the note event that happened in the imperial palace.
Although his mother had stopped everyone from investigating this
matter, he had gotten the evidence little by little. “Has Ning Qingshan
really become so vicious that she can’t even put up with her younger
sister?” he wondered.

Unlike him, Ao Mingwan’s eyes sparkled as soon as he saw Ning

Xueyan. If Madam Dowager were not there, he would have rushed
toward Ning Xueyan and talked to her.

“Madam Dowager, you’re too polite. We didn’t come that early

compared to these two Young Ladies. We had to deal with something, so
we were delayed,” Ao Mingwan said to Madam Dowager with a smile.
He looked guilty, as if they had really been late.

Fourth Prince’s words made Madam Dowager misunderstand again. She

thought that Fourth Prince was so polite because of Ning Qingshan and
she became even more excited. Since Fourth Prince had a crush on Ning
Qingshan, she could ask Ning Qingshan to put in a good word for Ning
Xueyan. Then Fourth Prince would definitely agree to marry Ning
Xueyan as his concubine as she had expected.

While they were talking, Ning Qingshan arrived. Hearing a man’s voice
coming from inside, she was overjoyed. She straightened herself and
walked in the room gracefully. She bowed to Madam Dowager, and then
to Third Prince and Fourth Prince. After dressing up again, she looked
radiant and extremely beautiful.

Madam Dowager smiled and asked her to sit down on her right. She
touched Ning Xueyan by her hand graciously and said, “You’re so well
dressed and nobody is more beautiful than you in the room!”

Since both Third Prince and Fourth Prince were fond of Ning Qingshan,
of course Madam Dowager should show how much she loved her.

“Grandmother!” Ning Qingshan said shyly, blushing at Madam

Dowager’s words.

“Okay! Okay! I won’t talk about it again. Look at you! Why are you
feeling so shy? Princes, did I say something wrong? Is she the most
beautiful?” Being in a good mood, Madam Dowager turned her head and
asked. Meanwhile, she was observing the two princes’ expressions.

“Of course Third Young Lady is beautiful!” Ao Mingyu glanced at Ning

Qingshan and answered gently.

“Third Young Lady is the most beautiful!” Ao Mingwan looked at Ning

Xueyan and said, disagreeing with Madam Dowager. Seeing that Madam
Dowager grabbing this ‘Fifth Young Lady’ by the hand and being so
intimate with her, but giving ‘Third Young Lady’ the cold shoulder, he
said this firmly to show his support for ‘Third Young Lady’.
Ning Qingshan lowered her head shyly and did not see Ao Mingwan’s
unusual behavior. Ning Xueyan glanced at Ao Mingwan and wondered
why he looked at her while speaking that Third Young Lady was the
most beautiful.

Ning Huaiyuan looked at Ao Mingwan with a frown, and at Ning

Xueyan, his face flickering with confusion.

Madam Dowager was surprised as well. She could not tell why Fourth
Prince looked at Ning Xueyan while talking about Ning Qingshan. What
was more, his eyes were filled with affection when he looked at Ning
Xueyan! What was happening?

Ao Mingyu also felt something wrong. He glanced at Ning Xueyan,

Ning Qingshan and Ao Mingwan secretly.

“Madam Dowager, no girl is better than Third Young Lady even in the
whole Chu Kingdom, let alone the Lord Protector’s Manor! Everybody
knows that Third Young Lady is not only filial and loyal, but smart,
beautiful, gentle and nice as well. She deserves to be called “the most
beautiful lady” in the Chu Kingdom!” In order to defend ‘Third Young
Lady’, Ao Mingwan kept on praising her and speaking extremely highly
of her.

He had been called back by Ao Mingyu when he wanted to talk more to

Ning Xueyan at the imperial palace. He thought maybe Ning Xueyan did
not even know who he was, so he racked his brains to praise her, trying
to arouse her attention.

Ning Xueyan was shocked that this Fourth Prince loved Ning Qingshan
so much. She raised her head slightly and met Fourth Prince eyes full of
excitement. “Since he was praising Ning Qingshan, why was he so
excited when he looked at me?” she wondered.

Although Ning Xueyan was quick-witted, she would not have thought
that Fourth Prince made such a big mistake!

The other people felt something wrong as well. They froze for a while
and then fell into silence, carefully observing Ao Mingwan’s every
movement.
“The most beautiful lady in the Chu Kingdom?” Ning Qingshan became
excited as well. She raised her head shyly and said, “Fourth Prince,
you’re flattering me. I’m very plain and I don’t deserve your praise.
Third Prince, Fourth Prince, you flatter me so much!”

She mentioned Ao Mingyu on purpose to show that she treated Ao

Mingyu and Ao Mingwan alike. But everyone could hear the triumph in
her words.

“I said nothing!” Ao Mingyu corrected her with a frown. It seemed Ning

Qingshan thought that he and Ao Mingwan were competing for her. He
was a little annoyed by Ning Qingshan’s flirtatious attitude.

“I’m not talking about you. Why are you thanking me?” Ao Mingwan
was confused and said angrily when he found the Young Lady who was
speaking was not his beloved girl. Fourth Prince had been arrogant and
he would have put what he wanted to say straightforward no matter if
there was anyone around. Besides, he thought that the girl in front of him
had bullied ‘Third Young Lady’ he wanted to marry.
Chapter 211 What? She Is Third
Young Lady!
“I’m not talking about you. Why are you thanking me?”

Ning Qingshan’s smile froze at the words. Being mercilessly mocked by

Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan, she could not even sit calmly. Her face
turned pale and she felt both humiliated and angry. Her eyes immediately
turned reddish with tears. She did not know why Fourth Prince, who had
been sparing no efforts praising her with a look of adoration on his face
had suddenly spoken these.

How could she stand this?

Hearing what Ao Mingwan had said, Ning Qingshan was not the only
one to be shocked. Everyone wondered what Fourth Prince meant? Why
had he said that he was not talking about Ning Qingshan? Could there be
anyone else he was talking about?

Ao Mingyu looked at Ao Mingwan silently. His eyes flickered, but he

said nothing.

Ning Xueyan glanced at Ao Mingwan in confusion, then at Ning

Qingshan. She lowered her head again and was ready to wait and see. It
was really an unexpected episode of the play!

Ning Lingyun widened her eyes in surprise. When she saw Ning
Qingshan was about to cry, she followed Ning Xueyan’s suit to lower her
head as well. Since everyone’s status in the present was higher than hers,
of course she should not speak at will.

Madam Dowager gasped for a while and then turned her head to Ning
Huaiyuan beside her, hinting him to say something to ease the
embarrassment.

“Fourth Prince, this is my third sister!” Ning Huaiyuan cleared his throat
and said with a smile, trying to explain why Ning Qingshan had
responded his words. Since everybody had been praising Ning Qingshan,
it was normal for her to say something to show her modesty. They
wondered why Fourth Prince had been so angry and yelled at her.

“What? She is Third Young Lady!” Ao Mingwan froze for a while and
then jumped up. He pointed at Ning Qingshan and shouted angrily, as if
he had been cheated, “How can she be Third Young Lady?”

“Fourth Brother, she is Third Young Lady!” Ao Mingyu had to explain to

him. He said gently.

“Then who is she?” Ao Mingwan asked loudly in anger, pointing at Ning

Xueyan. If that woman was Third Young Lady, who the perfect and most
lovely ‘Third Young Lady’ in his heart actually was?

“That’s my fifth sister!” Ning Huaiyuan remembered the moment Ao

Mingwan and he had seen Ning Xueyan for the first time after he
returned the manor. Ning Huaiyuan had mistaken Ning Xueyan for Ning
Qingshan, so he had told Fourth Prince that the Young Lady they saw
was Ning Qingshan. He didn’t know he had the wrong person until he
met Ning Xueyan again. But he had never thought that Fourth Prince
would have made a mistake even worse than he had done.

Ao Mingwan had not only had the wrong person, but had sent the gifts to
the wrong person as well.

“You also…” Ao Mingwan widened his eyes and said incoherently after
looking at Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan for a while. Ning Xueyan
was calm, but Ning Qingshan had a mixture of shame and anger on her
face.

“I had the wrong person as well on the other day!” Ning Huaiyuan
explained helplessly.

Ning Huaiyuan had never expected that a casual remark would have
caused such a big trouble! He had been confused recently, wondering
from when Fourth Prince began to have a crush on Ning Qingshan, and
Fourth Prince had even sent some gifts to comfort Ning Qingshan and
express that she was special for him. Ning Huaiyuan had thought that
because Ning Qingshan was too charming, Fourth Prince had fallen in
love with her.
However, to his surprise, his mistake had caused Fourth Prince’s
misunderstanding, and mistaken Ning Xueyan for Ning Qingshan!

Hearing their conversation, everyone knew that the reckless Fourth

Prince had mistaken Ning Xueyan for Ning Qingshan. An obvious
unpleasant look flashed on Ao Mingyu’s face. He walked over and
pulled Ao Mingwan by the hand. “Come on! Apologize to Madam
Dowager! You’re an adult now. How could you make such a mistake?
People will laugh at you,” he said gently.

As Ao Mingwan’s elder brother, he gave Ao Mingwan an out by saying

this.

“Madam Dowager, I’m so sorry that I mistook Fifth Young Lady for
Third Young Lady and yelled at Third Young Lady recklessly. I hope you
can forgive me!” Ao Mingwan had come back to himself now and he
immediately bowed to Madam Dowager and apologized to her with an
awkward smile.

Everyone would feel embarrassing on such occasions, let alone Fourth

Prince, an imperial member.

“It doesn’t matter. Since Fourth Prince had never seen these two girls, it
was normal that you had the wrong person,” Madam Dowager said with
a smile, deliberately understating the fact that Ao Mingwan had mistaken
Ning Xueyan for Ning Qingshan.

They laughed, as nothing special had happened.

On the other hand, Ning Qingshan was ashen and began to tremble. She
felt so cold, and even her heart was trembling. Looking at Ning Xueyan’s
delicate face, her jealousy for her grew crazily, like weed. It was Ning
Xueyan again to make her look stupid in front of people!

Ning Qingshan had thought that Fourth Prince was fond of her and she
had been proud of this. She had even mentioned Third Prince and Fourth
Prince at the same time, as if she wanted them to compete for her! Now
what would Third Prince and Honored Consort Ya think of her? Even
though she was Honored Consort Ya’s niece, Honored Consort Ya would
trust her own son more.
It was all because of the b*tch, Ning Xueyan!

She would definitely kill that b*tch!

Ning Qingshan clenched her fists, eyes full of jealousy and coldness. Her
sharp nails embedded into her palm. Only with such sharp pain could she
stay sober.

She could not let herself fall apart, especially at such a moment! She
would not show her weakness in front of Ning Xueyan. What was more,
she would not make Third Prince think that she was off-key. It was not a
big deal that she could not marry Fourth Prince, because she still had
Third Prince. Honored Consort Ya had promised her that Third Prince
would definitely marry her.

Ning Qingshan repeatedly reminded herself and finally managed a mild

smile on her face.

Ning Xueyan had been observing Ning Qingshan’s expression. At the

beginning, Ning Qingshan seemed to feel aggrieved with reddish eyes,
and then her look turned to be resentful, and finally a gentle smile
appeared on her face, as if nothing big had happened. Seeing the change
in her expression, Ning Xueyan could not help but look at her coldly.

“Ning Qingshan is so hypocritical! It was no wonder that she dared to

put toxic drug into my mother’s medicine when she was still a kid!”
Ning Xueyan thought.

If Madam Ming had not taken the poisoned medicine for such a long
time, she would not have been ill for so many years and died oddly in the
end. Ning Qingshan should be mainly responsible for this. At the thought
that Madam Ming had treated Ning Qingshan so well, but Ning
Qingshan had not only put toxic drug into Madam Ming’s medicine
bowl, but also framed her up for beating her, Ning Xueyan had an
impulse to come over and slap her, and she also wanted to let Ning
Qingshan swallow that kind of poisoned medicine that Madam Ming had
taken.

Watching Ning Qingshan in agony, Ning Xueyan had no sympathy for

her. She just stared at her with a trace of coldness in her eyes. She
wanted to know how Ning Qingshan would justify herself.
“I see. Fourth Prince had the wrong person! I thought he was mad at me
because I said something wrong!” Ning Qingshan smiled gently,
pretending to be generous. Now she had recovered her composure and
like the others, and she too, had an expression of sudden realization on
her face.

Since Ao Mingwan had been talking about Third Young Lady, it was
normal for her to say in response to his words. It was Ao Mingwan, who
had said something wrong, not her!

“It’s true that I mistook Fifth Young Lady for Third Young Lady. Fifth
Young Lady, please forgive me.” As he just knew that he did not need to
fight his Third Brother for a woman, Ao Mingwan was in a good mood,
and he became more tactful when he spoke. The first part of the sentence
was for Ning Qingshan, but he turned to Ning Xueyan when he spoke the
second part.

Hearing that, Ning Xueyan bowed slightly to Ao Mingwan with a smile,

but said nothing.

Since her grandmother, Madam Dowager, was here, it was unnecessary

for her to make any decision.

“Fourth Prince, the gifts you sent to my courtyard are actually for my
fifth sister, aren’t they? I’ll ask someone to bring them to my fifth sister’s
Bright Frost Garden soon,” Ning Qingshan continued. After making a
fool of herself in front so many people, she tried to make the others feel
that she was a gentle and generous person, and forget her previous
frivolity and pride. Therefore, she immediately stood up, as if she was
going to return the gifts to Ning Xueyan right now.

“Thank you, Third Young Lady!” Of course Ao Mingwan was upset

after knowing that he had sent the gifts to the wrong person, but what
made him more upset was that he could not find any excuse to give Ning
Xueyan a gift. He was surprised that Ning Qingshan was so considerate
and offered to send the gifts to Ning Xueyan’s place, so his impression of
her began to improve and his face softened gradually, a smile coming
over his face.

“Third Sister, since Fourth Prince had sent the gifts to you, why are you
trying to give them to me? Besides, I’m a girl, how can I accept the
others’ gifts casually? Third Sister, please return the gifts to Fourth
Prince.” Ning Xueyan stood up and smiled gently, trying to stop her.

Ao Mingwan was a little surprised that Ning Xueyan refused his gifts to
his face. He thought for a while and found what Ning Xueyan said was
reasonable. A well-behaved woman should not accept a man’s gift
casually. He had been too hasty to give the gifts to his beloved woman,
so he had not thought that much.

Thinking about this, he was more satisfied with the Young Lady he
loved. She was even better-behaved than Ning Qingshan, who had been
well-known for her good manners.

A look of hatred and disgust crossed Ning Qingshan’s face. She really
wanted to lose her firmly clenched fists and reach out her fingers to
scratch Ning Xueyan’s mild face with her long nails! “A girl should not
accept the other’s gifts casually? I have accepted those gifts. Does she
mean that I’m not well-behaved?!” she thought angrily.

When she saw Third Prince looking at her thoughtfully, Ning Qingshan’s
face immediately turned pale. She suddenly stood up with panic in her
eyes and said to Madam Dowager awkwardly with a smile,
“Grandmother, I’m bringing Fourth Prince’s gifts here right now.”

“Right now?” Madam Dowager asked with a smile. Her eyes flickered,
but she still looked gentle.

“Yes, right now. Otherwise, I’m afraid that Fourth Prince will forget that
those gifts are still at my place.” Ning Qingshan’s eyelid twitched and
she managed to hide the killing intent in her eyes. She tried not to look at
Ning Xueyan, because she worried that she might be out of control and
rush toward Ning Xueyan to tear up her face hysterically.

“Okay. Shan’er, go ahead, but don’t delay too long. I’m waiting for you
to have supper,” Madam Dowager said. She reached out and patted Ning
Qingshan on the hand, trying to comfort her.

“Got it. I’ll come back soon.” Ning Qingshan nodded. She then turned
around and was about to leave.
“Third Sister, wait for a moment!” Ning Xueyan suddenly stood up and
took several steps forward, as if she had something to tell Ning
Qingshan. However, because she stood up in haste, she felt dizzy. She
covered her forehead with her hand and swayed for a few seconds before
falling onto Ning Qingshan. Lanning was standing behind her. When she
saw that her young master almost fell, she screamed in surprise, “Miss!”

She then rushed over to support Ning Xueyan.

Ao Mingwan was trying to find a chance to accost Ning Xueyan, but had
not found any yet. When he saw that Ning Xueyan was going to fall, he
immediately reached out. However, Ao Mingyu was even fast than him.
He was sitting just opposite Ning Xueyan, so it took him less time to get
up and help Ning Xueyan than Ao Mingwan did.

The other people failed helping Ning Xueyan, but bumped into each
other.

Lanning and Ning Qingshan were knocked to the ground at the same
time. Ning Qingshan’s hand was scraped by a chair foot, and she let out a
cry of pain before collapsing to the ground.

“Oh! Bleeding! Third Young Lady is bleeding!” Lanning shouted in

horror, pointing at Ning Qingshan’s hand.

Everyone turned their head and saw a trace of blood oozing out from
Ning Qingshan’s shoulder.
Chapter 212 The Wound She Has
Been Concealing
Ning Xueyan pushed away Ao Mingyu’s hand and rushed toward Ning
Qingshan. “Third Sister, which part did you get injured?” she asked
anxiously, crouching down in front of Ning Qingshan.

“Third, Third Young Lady, I, I didn’t mean to bump into you. I swear I
didn’t see you coming over,” Lanning knelt on the floor and explained
nervously, lowering her head.

Ning Qingshan covered her shoulder with her hand, her face full of
panic. She looked at Ao Mingyu subconsciously and saw that Ao
Mingyu was looking at her with thoughtful and grim eyes. Her heart
sank. Third Prince had never looked at her with such a cold and
suspicious look!

“Shan’er, are you okay? Come on! Let me check if you broke your
bone!” Seeing that Ning Qingshan could not stand up from the floor for
the moment and covered her shoulder with her hand, Madam Dowager
was so anxious that she stood up. With Mother Qin’s support, she held
Mother Qin’s hand and was about to come over to Ning Qingshan.

“No… Nothing!” Ning Qingshan pressed her shoulder with her hand and
answered subconsciously, shaking her head. She would try every means
to conceal her injury. If the others knew that there was a scar on her
shoulder, they would think that her image was not perfect.

Her shoulder injury had almost recovered, but a winding scar was left on
her skin, and it became a taboo for Ning Qingshan. As a perfectionist,
how could she bear to have an ugly scar on her body?

“How can you be okay? Grandmother, Third Sister is bleeding. Please

ask the doctor of our manor to come as soon as possible!” Ning Xueyan
turned to Madam Dowager and said anxiously, supporting Ning
Qingshan’s injured hand.
“I’m okay. Let go of me!” Ning Qingshan held back the pain and said,
gritting her teeth. She then began to push Ning Xueyan forcibly.

But there was no sign that Ning Xueyan would let go of her hand. On the
contrary, she applied more force to grab Ning Xueyan’s hand firmly.

“How could Third Sister be okay after bumping against the chair foot?
Third Sister, let me help you up.” Ning Xueyan seemed to be guilty and
nervous. However, a faint sarcasm flashed in her jet-black eyes when she
looked at Ning Qingshan.

Ning Qingshan saw the sarcasm clearly.

“Ning Xueyan is laughing at me? Yes, she must be laughing at my scar

and she wants Third Prince to know that I have an ugly scar! Fourth
Prince mocked at me just now because of her, now she is trying to ruin
my perfect image in Third Prince’s heart!”

Thinking about this, Ning Qingshan was almost driven crazy by hatred.
Being occupied by Ning Xueyan’s sarcasm on her mind, she suddenly
pushed Ning Xueyan away and shouted angrily, “I’m okay! I told you!”

Everyone was stunned by Ning Qingshan’s sudden rage. Being pushed

hard, Ning Xueyan took several steps back and fell heavily to the
ground.

Ao Mingwan acted quickly this time. He reached out and stopped Ning
Xueyan from falling to the ground.

Everybody fell silent at Ning Qingshan’s sudden rage and the room was
strangely quiet. They all looked at Ning Qingshan in suspicion,
wondering why she had overreacted like this just because Ning Xueyan
wanted the doctor to check her injury.

Seeing their skeptical look, Ning Qingshan immediately came back to

herself. She realized that this would put her at a disadvantage, so she
instantly turned to Ning Xueyan with a softened face. She apologized in
a gentle voice, “Fifth Sister, I’m sorry. But you touched my injury and it
hurt badly, so I lost my temper.”
She was hinting that Ning Xueyan had touched her injury on purpose
while pulling her up.

However, Ning Xueyan did not care about this at all, because once Ning
Qingshan’s shoulder injury was exposed in front of people, Ao Mingyu
would suspect her. It was said that Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi’s favorite
concubine had been injured on the shoulder. The injured part and
severity were as same as hers. Most importantly, that woman was very
mysterious and by now, no one had known who she was!

Ning Xueyan knew that Ao Mingyu must be investigating the

background of that woman. It was impossible for a favorite concubine
appearing at the Prince Yi’s Manor for no reason. And nobody knew
anything about her. However, since Prince Yi’s Manor was strictly
guarded, it was not easy to get any clue. Now Ning Qingshan’s shoulder
injury became an important clue.

It was Prince Yi’s man who had treated wound for Ning Xueyan, but in
that courtyard, there must be some people who worked in the imperial
palace, so it was normal that the news about her injury leaked out by
accident. Of course, Ao Chenyi must have plotted it. Otherwise, Ning
Qingshan would not have been injured in the same part as she.

Ning Xueyan guessed that even the severity of Ning Qingshan’s injury
was similar to hers!

But unlike her, Ning Qingshan had been trying to conceal her injury
from people, so the medicine she had applied on her wound must be very
common. On the contrary, the medicine Ao Chenyi had given Ning
Xueyan was very effective, and now her injury was almost invisible.
Ning Qingshan’s wound had opened with a slight touch, so it was
obvious that her injury had not recovered yet.

Ao Chenyi was a ruthless and thoughtful man, so it was impossible for

him to do this for no reason. He must be trying to lead others to associate
Ning Qingshan’s injury with his favorite concubine’s injury!

That was also Ning Xueyan needed.

“Sorry, Third Sister! I didn’t mean to do this!” Ning Xueyan froze for a
short moment and pretended to feel guilty. She pushed away Fourth
Prince’s hand and was about to walk over to Ning Qingshan. She did not
seem to mind what Ning Qingshan had done to her, as if she really
thought that Ning Qingshan had roared not because she lost her temper,
but because she touched her wound and it hurt badly.

“I’m okay. Thank you, Fifth Sister. Maybe it’s just a scratch and a brief
treatment will do.” Holding back her pain, Ning Qingshan squeezed out
a smile. She avoided Ning Xueyan’s hand again, as if she did not even
want Ning Xueyan to touch her.

Ning Xueyan did not try to approach her again. She bit her lip, seemed to
have been wronged, but she still nodded. “Third Sister, you’d better go
back to your courtyard early. Maybe there was a nail on the chair foot
and injured you.”

“Maybe! I’ll have my wound checked after returning to my place.” Ning

Qingshan responded. She only wanted to leave here as soon as possible.
She was worried about that if she stayed here any longer, her secret
would be found out. In any case, she did not want Third Prince to know
that she had a scar on the body.

“Shan’er, you can leave now. If the wound is serious, ask the doctor of
our manor to treat it for you,” Madam Dowager said, holding back her
suspicion.

Ning Qingshan was really not herself today!

“Okay! Grandmother, Third Prince, Fourth Prince, I’m going to return to

my courtyard now.” With that, Ning Qingshan slightly bowed to
everyone and left in a hurry, holding her maid’s hand.

“A nail on the chair foot?” Ao Mingyu looked at the position where Ning
Qingshan had fallen, but only found that the chair foot was smooth and
there was no nail on it at all. Ning Qingshan’s bumping against the chair
foot was not serious, and it was impossible to have made her bleeding
unless she had been scraped by a nail.

Since there was no nail on the chair at all, there was only one possibility
—Ning Qingshan had had an injury on her shoulder before. Ao Mingyu
suddenly remembered that his men had reported that Prince Yi’s favorite
concubine disappeared again after entering the Prince Yi’s Manor. It was
said that she had been locked up again.

How could a favorite concubine have been locked up for no reason? Ao

Mingyu had seen clearly at the imperial palace that Ao Chenyi was very
special to this favorite concubine. Therefore, it was even less likely that
he had locked her up as soon as they returned to his manor. It was so
strange! It seemed that the favorite concubine only appeared at some
special moments and she had been chosen for these particular moments.

“The favorite concubine who was injured? The favorite concubine who
disappeared in the Prince Yi’s Manor? The favorite concubine who was
locked up for no reason? Is that because…”

Ao Mingyu’s face darkened. Although he did not believe it, he could not
help thinking in that way!

Since Ning Qingshan got injured, she returned to her courtyard. After a
while, Mammy Luo came and reported to Madam Dowager that it was
just a scratch, not serious. She then asked for leave for Ning Qingshan,
saying that Ning Qingshan would not come to have dinner with them.
Mammy Luo also brought Fourth Prince’s gifts to give them back to him.

Madam Dowager granted Ning Qingshan leave of absence and asked

Mammy Luo to take good care of Ning Qingshan. Then she was going to
give back the gifts Ning Qingshan returned to Fourth Prince, but Ao
Mingwan said he wanted to give them to Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan
refused him, saying that she had never done anything for Ao Mingwan,
so she could not accept his gifts. Fourth Prince thought it was improper
to take back what he had been given away, so he asked someone to send
all the gifts to Ning Huaiyuan’s place.

After only having a little food during the dinner, Ning Xueyan said she
wanted to visit Ning Qingshan, so she stood up in a hurry and was about
to leave. Seeing that, Ning Lingyun immediately stood up as well, saying
that she was going to Foggy Courtyard with her. Madam Dowager
approved their requests and let them leave first.

Ning Lingyun was scared by what had happened today and she had been
filled with anxiety. Although she did not know what was really going on,
she had a bad feeling. It made Ning Qingshan look like a fool after
everyone had known that Fourth Prince had taken Ning Xueyan for her.
When Ning Xueyan had been going to check her hand injury, Ning
Qingshan lost her temper and pushed her away forcibly. In any case,
Ning Lingyun could tell there was something wrong.

She cautiously followed behind Ning Xueyan, keeping a step away from
her. “Fifth Sister, Third Sister only hit the chair, how could she injure her
hand and bleed so easily?” She thought for a while and could not help
asking.

“I have no idea. Maybe she was bumped against by Lanning too heavily,
so Third Sister got her hand injured.” Ning Xueyan frowned, looking
confused. She then turned her head and asked Ning Lingyun, “Fourth
Sister, you should see it clearer than we did from where you were just
now. Was Third Sister really knocked down so heavily?”

“I, I didn’t see it clearly. Maybe that was it!” Since it was all of sudden,
Ning Lingyun had not seen what was happening clearly. Nobody had
expected that Ning Qingshan would have bled with a slight bumping.
Normally, it would never happen. Had Ning Qingshan made herself
injured on purpose?

It was possible that Ning Qingshan wanted to vent her anger on Ning
Xueyan after knowing that Fourth Prince had had the wrong person, so
she tried to frame Ning Xueyan for injuring her hand. But why had
neither of the two princes wanted to hold Ning Qingshan up? Could that
because it was too obvious that she was framing Ning Xueyan? How
could she be scraped by a smooth chair foot?

Thinking about this, Ning Lingyun understood why Ning Qingshan’s

hand had been injured so seriously.

“Ning Qingshan is too cunning! If we marry the same person in the

future, I should be more cautious!” Ning Lingyun reminded herself
inwardly.

Finally, Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun failed to see Ning Qingshan.
When they arrived at Foggy Courtyard, they saw Mammy Luo there.
Mammy Luo greeted them with a smile at the sight of them. She said
that Ning Qingshan was uncomfortable and had gone to bed. She also
hinted that if not because of Lanning, Ning Qingshan would not have
been injured that seriously.

Ning Xueyan repeatedly promised that she would give Lanning a good
lesson after returning to her courtyard. She then left Foggy Courtyard
with Ning Lingyun.

In the study room of the Prince Yi’s Manor…

Ao Chenyi was about to go to bed. The black robe embroidered with

beautiful red manjusaka was hung on the screen and he had changed into
a suit of plain white clothes. His long black hair fell casually and there
was a trace of indolence on his extremely handsome face, making him
even more charming. However, usually nobody dared to look at his
charming face carefully.

There was a pigeon at the window. He walked over and took off a note
from it lazily.

When he opened the note, he narrowed his eyes, causing his handsome
face ruthless and cold.
Chapter 213 You Are Not Our
Own Daughter
“I have never expected that this little girl would have thought in the same
way as I and taken advantage of Ning Qingshan’s wound to arouse the
others suspicion about her!”

Ao Chenyi curved up his lips and a bloodthirsty smile appeared on his

face.

He put down the note and asked a guard into his room in a lazy voice.

A secret guard in black immediately showed up in front of him. He knelt

down and said, “Prince Yi!”

“It’s unnecessary to leak out more news about my favorite concubine.

It’s enough for now.” A relaxed smile appeared on Ao Chenyi’s red and
thin lips. He had deliberately leaked out some news about his favorite
concubine to arouse other people’s attention on Third Young Lady. Now
what Ning Xueyan had done had successfully caused Ao Mingyu’s
suspicion about Ning Qingshan.

“She coincided with me! I was thinking to arrange carefully to arouse

people’s suspicion against Ning Qingshan as well. This little girl is
becoming more and more my cup of tea!” Ao Chenyi thought.

“Got it. I’ll convey your message immediately!” The secret guard stood
up with a nod and was about to leave.

“Wait!” Ao Chenyi suddenly stopped him.

“I’m listening, Prince Yi!” The secret guard instantly stopped and
lowered his head respectfully.

“Investigate the background of the two women the old guy, Ya Rui,
asked his granddaughter to bring back. Could they be the ones I’m
looking for? If possibly, bring them here,”
Ao Chenyi said slowly, his red lips so charming.

“Prince Yi, Third Prince’s manor is strictly guarded. After the two
beautiful ladies were brought there, they have been watched by Third
Prince’s henchmen and nobody is allowed to approach them casually,”
the secret guard said with hesitation.

“If I can’t see them alive, bring their bodies here!” Ao Chenyi said with
obvious killing intent. He held up a brush pen gracefully and picked up a
note casually with a slight laugh and his eyes flickered.

“Got it!” The secret guard did not dare to say anything more. He left
with his head lowering and then disappeared behind the window.

Ao Chenyi wrote several words with the brush pen and stuffed the note
into a small bag under a pigeon’s right leg. He touched the pigeon on the
back for a moment with rare tenderness and then threw it into the air.

Ning Xueyan was about to freshen herself up when the pigeon arrived.
Hearing a sound like a bird pecking at the window, Xinmei immediately
put down the comb and walked to the window. She opened the window
and let the pigeon in. After practically taking off the note from the
pigeon’s leg, she walked toward Ning Xueyan with the pigeon in her
hands and passed the note to her.

“Miss, it’s from Prince Yi!”

Ning Xueyan turned her head carelessly with her hair hanging down
loosely. She looked at the note Xinmei passed her and played with it for
a while. Then she touched the pigeon’s snow-white back gently and let
out a sigh before opening the note. She had no idea what was wrong with
this wickedly charming Prince Yi. “He could ask me to send information
to him if he wanted, but why did he ask Xinmei to give me the pigeon?”
she wondered.

There were only two words on the note, “Nice girl!”

Ning Xueyan was shocked. It was crazy that the wicked, arrogant and
cold-blooded Prince Yi would have said something like that!
She crumpled the note and burned it with fire. Then she threw it onto the
ground and watched it burn to ashes. After that, she went to bed and
nodded to Xinmei, signaling her to leave.

Xinmei walked to the window and put down the pigeon before cleaning
the ashes on the floor with a broom. “Miss, do you want me to put out
the candle?” she raised her head and asked.

Sometimes, Ning Xueyan would read for a while before sleeping.

Ning Xueyan shook her head and sat up. She picked a book from the
table and began to turn the page. “No. I want to read for a while. I’ll put
it out myself,” she answered without even raising her head.

“Got it!” Xinmei poured a glass of hot water for her and tiptoed away.

Ning Xueyan held the book in the candle light abstractedly. Although she
was staring at the page, she did not know what it said. What on her mind
now was how Ning Qingshan had acted today. Even though Ao
Mingyu’s behavior was generally normal today, he was not that happy.
He had been lost in thought from time to time, so obviously, he was
suspicious about Ning Qingshan.

After thinking for a while, Ning Xueyan sat up and took out a letter from
the top of a small package in her pocket which she had secretly brought
out from Cloud Reflection Courtyard today. Before she came to the
capital, Ning Ziying’s mother had asked her to give this letter to
Marchioness, Madam Ming.

Unfortunately, when Ning Ziying arrived at the capital, Madam Ming

had been degraded to Second Madam. She had hidden herself in Bright
Frost Garden with Ning Xueyan all the time and refused to see any
visitors. Therefore, Ning Ziying had not had any chance to give the letter
to her. It was obvious that her mother had not been in touch with Madam
Ming for many years and she had no idea that Madam Ming had offered
to give up the title of Ning Zu’an’s principal wife. Looking at this letter,
Ning Xueyan could only let out a sigh at the strange combination of
circumstances. She thought for a while and then put the letter to the side.

Next, she saw another letter, a thin one.

The moment she saw the familiar characters, tears streamed down her
cheeks. It was a letter that her mother had written to her.

“To Ying’er”, “Your mom”.

The simple words reminded her of her last life. Before her mother died,
she had been a happy child. Even though her father had died early, her
mother had loved her dearly. However, all these had gone after her
mother’s death.

Before she could recover from the sorrow of losing her mother, their old
housekeeper had asked her to go to the capital, saying that her mother
had arranged for this. Since then, her doom came.

Now when she saw her mother’s letter again, Ning Ziying had become
Ning Xueyan!

She withdrew the letter from the envelope with trembling hands. There
were not so many words on the page, but Ning Xueyan’s head buzzed the
moment she saw the first sentence, as if she had been struck by
lightning! She wiped tears with her sleeve with a look of disbelief. After
clearly seeing the words on the letter, she felt like all her blood rushing
to the top of her head.

“Impossible! How could I not be born by mom!”

In addition to her name, the first sentence of the letter content was,
“Ying’er, you’re not actually our own daughter!”

How could that happen? In her memory, her mother, father and she had
been the only three in their family. Her father had been kind to her and
he had been an upright official. Although his rank was not very high, he
had been very influential locally. Their family relationship was quite
simple, because in addition to her father, mother and her, his father had
no concubine, and he had never allowed any maid to serve him in bed.

Her parents had been a harmonious couple and they had never fought.
Every time her father had returned home from outside, he would have
brought delicious melons to her. And she would have run to her mother
and given her half of the melon while gobbling another half of it.
Even though she had died in her last life, she remembered all the happy
moments.

Sometimes, she would have compared Ning Xueyan’s childhood with

hers and every time she had drawn the same conclusion that she was
happier than Ning Xueyan when they had been kids. Compared to Ning
Xueyan, Ning Ziying had been carefree in her childhood. After all, her
parents had treated her so well. And since there had been nobody else in
addition to the three of them, she did not need to worry to be bullied by
other family members.

But now, she suddenly got the news from her mother’s letter that she was
not her parents’ own daughter! How could she accept such a fact?

She wiped her tears with her hand and continued to read. However, the
more she read, the more shocked she was. Tears rolled down her eyes
and her vision turned to a blur.

To her surprise, she had been adopted by her parents when she was only
two or three years old. It was a day with strong wind and heavy rain
when she had been found out at the gate of the Ning Manor. She had
curled up in the porch with crossing arms and shivering body and had
almost fainted from the cold. Finally, the old housekeeper saw her and
carried her into the manor.

Her physical conditions had been very poor at that moment and in
addition to a few burns on her body, her hair tip had also been burned. It
seemed that she had just escaped from a fire. Her mother felt pity for the
cute girl, and she happened to have no children, so she had adopted her
and named her Ning Ziying.

In the letter, her mother said that she did not know Ning Ziying’s origin.
She had arranged some people to investigate it, but they failed to get any
clue. Afterwards, she was not that eager to see into this matter and began
taking Ning Ziying as her own daughter wholeheartedly. Later, she had
even arranged for her daughter’s marriage. Unfortunately, Ning Ziying
doomed to have lost her parents early and become a lonely girl.

Maybe her mother had expected that her natural parents would come to
find her someday in the future, so she had left this letter to tell her the
truth.
The last paragraph in this letter did not reveal much detailed information
and her mother had used ellipsis in many places of this paragraph.
Obviously, she had been in a mood of ambivalence at that point. She also
mentioned that if Ning Ziying wanted to investigate her own origin, she
could visit a nun called Jingkong after reaching the capital, and she
might get some information from Jingkong.

When talking about the nun called Jingkong, her mother deliberately said
that she had no idea which nunnery Jingkong had been and if it was
meant to be, Ning Ziying would find her someday. Then her mother said
some things dispensable, as if all she had known about Jingkong was her
name, and she even had no idea how old Jingkong was.

After closing the letter, Ning Xueyan was lost in thought. She recalled
every word in the letter and vaguely felt that her mother had been trying
to hide something and had not told her everything she knew.

After going through all the terrible things and rebirth, she was no longer
that Ning Ziying who was simple and naive!

Since her mother had said that she could not find any clue about Ning
Ziying’s origin, why she knew the nun, Jingkong, and was so certain that
she was the one that Ning Ziying would look for and would tell Ning
Ziying about her origin? What was more, before Ning Ziying came to the
capital, it was obvious that her mother had arranged for something to
confuse some people. Whom had she tried to hide from?

Besides, Xia Yuhang’s attitude had been abnormal. What had he wanted
to get from Ning Ziying?

Since Ning Ziyan had conceived his baby, of course Xia Yuhang should
have married her as soon as possible. However, why had he postponed
his marriage with Ning Ziyan so long time and had not killed Ning
Ziying until the night before the wedding of Ning Ziying and him when
Ning Ziying’s dowry was brought to the Xia Manor?

There must be something Xia Yuhang had wanted to get from her dowry,
so he had waited so long before killing her!

Not long after her rebirth, she had angrily thought that Xia Yuhang had
killed her because he wanted to take her property. However, after
thinking it over, she had found that things could not be that simple. Even
though she had some money and treasure, they were not enough to make
Xia Yuhang delay his marriage with Ning Ziyan. Moreover, after Ning
Ziying’s death, all her property would naturally be taken by the Lord
Protector’s manor.

Since Madam Ling favored Ning Ziyan that much, Ning Ziyan would
have no problem to bring all Ning Xueyan’s property to the Xia Manor
with her.

But why Xia Yuhang had killed Ning Ziying until the day before their
wedding? What had he wanted to get? What on earth had been in the
brocade? What her mother had hidden from her? Or maybe her mother
had been avoiding someone.

She recalled the past in her last life. Ning Ziying’s mother had seldom
brought her out. Whenever her mother could not persuade her to stay at
home, she would have put her into a carriage and asked their driver to
carry her around the city. But her mother had never allowed her to get
out the carriage alone, saying that she had been worried about Ning
Ziying getting lost.

Now when she thought it again, Ning Xueyan found it seemed that Ning
Ziying’s mother had not wanted her to show up in front of people,
instead of being worried about her getting lost.

She put the letter back into the envelope and then placed the envelope in
the small package again. After thinking for a while, she stood up and
walked toward the dresser. She pulled open a drawer and put the small
package into it before closing the drawer.

She then turned around and walked back to her bed. Lying on the bed,
she stared at the ceiling in darkness blankly with her jet-black, icy eyes.

“Abbess Jingkong? Since she is the key person to reveal the mystery, I’ll
definitely find her! Although mother didn’t say much about Ning
Ziying’s origin, when she talked about Jingkong, she was quite sure that
this nun knew something about Ning Ziying.”
Chapter 214 I’m Going to Leave
the Lord Protector’s Manor
Except for Foggy Courtyard’s main bedroom, the candles of most
courtyard had been put out. A ferocious look had replaced the gentleness
and elegance and appeared on Ning Qingshan’s face. She gritted her
teeth and looked in the direction of Bright Frost Garden, the veins on her
forehead swelling.

She had had her wound bandaged again. She had not been bumped
against too heavily, but because her former injury had not recovered yet,
it opened again. She had applied medicine on her wound, which Mammy
Luo had secretly brought to her from outside recently.

“Mammy, what did Madam Ling say?” Ning Qingshan asked, still
looking angry. Thinking about what had happened today, she became
even more upset. She grabbed the jade porcelain vase beside her made of
Runan County and threw it hard toward the wall, and she still felt it was
not enough and wanted to smash more things to vent her anger.

She had not only been humiliated in front of people, but had gotten the
short end of the stick as well today. But she could not argue with Ning
Xueyan about her wound. Otherwise, Madam Dowager would have
asked the doctor to check her injury. She had lived sixteen years and had
never swallowed her grievances in silence like this in her life, so it was
no wonder that she was so angry.

“Miss, calm down. First Madam said that she could not decide anything
now. She asked you to discuss with Eldest Young Lady about finding a
suitable person.” Seeing that Ning Qingshan was in a rage, Mammy Luo
immediately persuaded, “Miss, having a scar is not a big deal. Maybe
Third Prince will feel sorry for you after knowing that you were injured.
It’s better to let him know it than to keep it from him. And you don’t
have to behave secretly any more, as if you have something on your
conscience.”
Even Mammy Luo did not understand Ning Qingshan’s perfectionism. It
was not a big deal to have been injured at the imperial palace. If Ning
Qingshan had not hidden her wound from the others, how could she have
been so awkward today!

Ning Qingshan snorted and did not take Mammy Luo’s suggestion
seriously. She took several deep breathes and then resumed to her
composure. Madam Ling was at the Buddha Hall and she could not even
protect herself. Ning Qingshan was an unmarried Young Lady, so it was
inconvenient for her to frequently get in and out of the manor. So Ning
Ziyan was the best choice.

“Tell Concubine Ma to hurry up if she wants to leave. Otherwise, she

will have no chance anymore!” Ning Qingshan said with an icy look.
Her pale face flickered in the candle light, making her look extremely
ferocious.

Mammy Luo understood what she meant. She immediately said,

“Concubine Ma really wants to leave and she has agreed to follow
Caifen’s request. However, she still hasn’t made a move yet. Maybe she
is still hesitating. Miss, do you want us to urge her?”

“No!” Ning Qingshan immediately denied her suggestion, a creepy sneer

on her face. “Ask Caifen to persuade Concubine Ma to stay in the manor.
Tell her that First Madam will be released from the Buddha Hall in two
days. She’d better think about how to escape from First Madam’s
punishment!”

She was trying to put an end to Concubine Ma’s desire to stay.

“Got it, Miss!” Mammy Luo immediately understood Ning Qingshan’s

intention and she said excitedly.

“Let Caifen try to satisfy all Concubine Ma’s requests and tell her she
doesn’t have to ask me. If we can’t meet Concubine Ma’s requirements,
just take First Madam as an excuse. As for how to act, it’s up to you.
Let’s talk about Ning Ziyan after Concubine Ma has done what we asked
her to do,” Ning Qingshan continued.

“Okay. Got it!” Mammy Luo understood what Ning Qingshan was
thinking about. Her young master did not want to involve herself too
much in Concubine Ma’s business.

In the early morning next day, Concubine Ma appeared at Bright Frost

Garden’s gate again. This time, she stood there without making any
trouble and asked a little maid to report to Ning Xueyan.

After a short moment, Ning Xueyan asked the maid to let her in.

Concubine Ma looked weary. Obviously, she had not slept well last
night. “Fifth Young Lady, I’m going to leave the Lord Protector’s
Manor!” As soon as she saw Ning Xueyan, she said this determinedly.

Ning Xueyan was playing with a pink round fan with beautiful women
painted on it. Touching the tassels of the round fan, she smiled lazily and
raised her black-jet eyes. “Concubine Ma, are you bidding farewell to
me?” she asked.

“I…” Concubine Ma was a little surprised at Ning Xueyan’s question.

She had thought that Ning Xueyan would have asked her how she would
leave. She opened her mouth but could not utter a single word. She
suddenly lifted her skirt hem and knelt down in front of Ning Xueyan.
After kowtowed to Ning Xueyan several times, she said, gritting her
teeth, “Fifth Young Lady, I’ll do anything for you as long as you can help
me leave!”

Concubine Ma banged her forehead to the ground so hard that her

forehead swelled up quickly. It was obvious that she wanted to leave the
manor from her heart.

“Concubine Ma, you are really desperate to get out of the manor!” Ning
Xueyan said meaningfully with a slight smile.

“Fifth Young Lady, I offended First Madam, so she will definitely get
back at me after she is released from the Buddha Hall. The marquis has
been giving me the cold shoulder, so I can’t have a… baby with him in
the future. It will be my best ending if I can die of old age at the
backyard of the manor. So I prefer to run away from here. At least I can
have a chance to survive. If I continue to stay here, I may die at a young
age!”
Concubine Ma gritted her teeth and said emotionally. Apparently, what
she said came from the bottom of her heart.

“Concubine Ma, what do you want my master to do for you?” Before

Ning Xueyan could say anything, Lanning had walked over to
Concubine Ma and said coldly, “My master can hardly even protect
herself. How can she help you?”

“Fifth Young Lady, I won’t… ask too much. It’s easy. If you can let me
dress up as a maid and leave the manor following behind you, you will
be saving my life. Fifth Young Lady, I will do anything to pay you back
in the afterlife!” Concubine Ma said and banged her head twice to Ning
Xueyan. She then took out a jade pendant from her pocket, raised it high
with both hands and walked closer to Ning Xueyan.

“Fifth Young Lady, this is our family heirloom. My mother told me that
the jade pendant has been passed down for generations. It’s warm in
winter and cool in summer. Fifth Young Lady, you’re weak, so this jade
pendant suits you best.”

“You want this in return for my helping you escape the manor?” Ning
Xueyan asked calmly, looking at the jade pendant and then Concubine
Ma’s face.

“Yes! Fifth Young Lady, please save me!” Concubine Ma pleaded. She
looked at Ning Xueyan with her reddish eyes while raising her hands.

“What if I won’t help you?” A cold smile suddenly appeared on Ning

Xueyan’s face. She lowered her head slightly and looked at Concubine
Ma.

“She won’t help me?” Concubine Ma was shocked. She looked at Ning
Xueyan with disbelief in her eyes, looking both sad and angry.

“Okay, I agree!” With the cold smile on her lips, Ning Xueyan’s
moisture eyes looked as cold as ice. “Then you won’t have to hit your
head here and make my place ominous!”

She said such ruthless words so naturally. Concubine Ma’s face turned
ashen under her meaningful and fierce gaze.
“I… Fifth Young Lady… I… Thank you, Fifth Young Lady!” Concubine
Ma stammered for a while and then suddenly realized that Ning Xueyan
had agreed to help her to leave. She cried out emotionally and was about
to kowtow to Ning Xueyan again.

Her face relaxed slightly.

Finally she made it!

“Concubine Ma, since you have no place to stay after leaving our manor,
my master has a suggestion for you. The actor of the theatrical troupe is
a spoony man and he is still waiting for you. My master had thought to
help you out the manor, but she didn’t know if you would like to leave.
It’s really a coincidence that you’re asking her to help you for the same
thing! Since you love each other, it will be a wonderful thing if you can
marry that actor!”

Lanning said.

“He, he is still waiting for me?” Concubine Ma suddenly raised her head,
her hands clenching and her body shivering with excitement.

“Yes, he is still waiting for you. After you leave the manor, you can go
everywhere you want with him. As soon as you leave the capital, people
of our manor can’t find you,” Lanning continued.

“Re-really?” Concubine Ma repeated it with a dull expression. When she

saw Lanning nod, she instantly burst into tears with overwhelming joy.
She could not stay at the Lord Protector’s Manor anymore. Otherwise,
she would die here. She had never thought that her lover was still waiting
for her. Could anything be more exciting than this?

“Concubine Ma, the jade pendant smells very scented. I’m curious what
did your ancestors do? How could they keep the fragrance for so many
years?”

When Concubine Ma calmed down again, Ning Xueyan asked curiously,

pointing at the jade pendant in Concubine Ma’s high raising hands.

Concubine Ma’s heart trembled. She immediately went back to herself

and explained cautiously, “Fifth Young Lady, the fragrance is not
emanated from the jade pendant itself. As I always took it with me and it
perfumed with the smell of powder, it smells scented. Fifth Young Lady,
if you put it outside for a while, the fragrance will fade away.”

“Is the jade pendant really so precious?”

Ning Xueyan asked, staring at the jade pendant. Concubine Ma’s back
began to sweat and she could not utter a single word.

“It’s said such jade pendants carved with dragon are from the court.
Concubine Ma, is any of your family members the prince or princess of
the previous dynasty? That will be terrible! It’s said the emperor ordered
to capture the princess of the previous dynasty not long before. If his
men find that the jade pendant is from your family, all your family
members will be headed. Its fragrance comes from ambergris and people
who touch it will get the smell on their hands. There’s a kind of special
small hound at the imperial palace. Their sense of smell is
extraordinarily acute and as soon as they smell it, they will know who
touched the jade pendant,”

Ning Xueyan said gently and her moisture eyes filled with a faint smile,
as if she was chatting with Concubine Ma casually, not talking about the
great sin that might cause the beheading of a family.

Concubine Ma’s forehead began to sweat as well and she could not even
hold the jade pendant firmly. She trembled and her face was ashen.

“Concubine Ma, as long as you have touched this jade, the manor’s
people will find you. Third Young Lady is going to marry Third Prince,
so it’s easy to borrow such a special hound from the court. With the help
of the hound, they will find you and your lover following the scent, and
you two will definitely die. Of course, in addition to you two, all your
family members will die. Concubine Ma, it’s said you have a nephew
less than a year old. What a pity! Such an innocent kid will be killed
because of you!”

Ning Xueyan smiled, looking so friendly. However, Concubine Ma had

collapsed. Her face was as pale as a sheet with fear and the jade had
slipped onto the ground from her hands.
She suddenly crept forward in a hurry and grabbed Ning Xueyan’s skirt
hem. “Fifth Young Lady, please save me! Third Young Lady gave me
this… this jade pendant. Fifth Young Lady, I have no other choice. If I
don’t follow Third Young Lady’s words, I can’t escape from the manor
and I will die here!”
Chapter 215 Fifth Sister Is Not
Such a Person
“You will die at our manor if you can’t escape?” Ning Xueyan repeated
what Concubine Ma said, a relaxed smile on her face.

“Yes! Third Young Lady’s maid, Caifen, promised me that if I could give
this jade pendant to you and let you send me out the manor, Third Young
Lady would help me to leave the capital and get rid of the hunting from
our manor. Besides, she also promised me that she would give me a new
identity and the departure certificate…”

“And a large sum of money?” Ning Xueyan cut her off and said with a
laughter.

“Yes, yes! Third Young Lady did promise me that!” Concubine Ma said,
trembling a little.

“If your life is at stake, money and freedom will mean nothing to you!”
Ning Xueyan’s eyes turned cold and she satirized Concubine Ma
indifferently, “Concubine Ma, are you so confident that Third Sister will
let go of you easily? Xia’er of Foggy Courtyard was her henchman, but
you know what happened to her. Do you think that you are even closer to
Third Sister than Xia’er is to her?”

“Third, Third Young Lady wanted to kill me? How could she do that?”
Concubine Ma asked in surprise. She was not stupid, and she
immediately understood what Ning Xueyan was hinting.

“Why couldn’t she do that? It was not a big deal for her to make
someone less important her scapegoat, so she had every reason to do
this.” Ning Xueyan contemptuously looked at Concubine Ma and
continued, “I believe Third Sister has never promised you anything to
your face. That means if something bad happens, she won’t take any
responsibility. She won’t care about the death of a maid or a concubine.
And you, are very likely to be beaten to death or drown in the pool!”
“It’s… impossible!” Concubine Ma was utterly scared and she said in a
trembling voice.

“Why not? Concubine Ma, don’t you think that you are being used? You
knelt down at the gate and cried a lot when you came to Bright Frost
Garden last time. Now you came to me again and asked me to help you,
saying that you would thank me with your jade pendant if I could bring
you out the manor. If someone finds out that the jade pendant you gave
me belongs to the imperial family, I will be punished, and you will be
hunted and caught. All your family members will be beheaded. Nobody
can escape. But it will have nothing to do with Third Sister!”

Ning Xueyan sneered, a rage on her extremely beautiful face.

“Concubine Ma, you can only tell the king of hell your grievance in the
netherworld, but I don’t know if he will serve you justice!”

Ning Xueyan had no idea if the king of hell would redress an injustice
for others in the netherworld and the blood sea, but she knew that blood
would have blood.

Concubine Ma broke down mentally after hearing what Ning Xueyan

said. She seemed to have seen that all her family members were taken to
the execution ground and beheaded at noon—her obedient nephew who
had already been able to call her auntie could not say anything more,
lying on the ground in a pool of blood, her old parents died on the spot,
and…

“Fifth Young Lady, please save me! Please!” Concubine Ma was terrified
by all these possibilities. She raised her head in horror and pleaded,
looking at Ning Xueyan.

“Concubine Ma, I can’t save you, but you can save yourself!” Ning
Xueyan said with a slight smile and the rage vanished from her face.

“How can I… save myself?” Concubine Ma asked with disbelief.

Ning Xueyan gestured to Lanning. Lanning came over to Concubine Ma

and whispered in her ear for a while. Concubine Ma suddenly froze. She
looked at Ning Xueyan shockingly. Waving her round fan slightly, Ning
Xueyan turned around and walked into the inner room leisurely.
Concubine Ma stood behind her and thought for a while. She then gritted
her teeth and took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wrapped the
jade pendant carefully. After that, she put it into her pocket again.

She bowed in the direction of Ning Xueyan’s room and exited. When the
maid, who was waiting for her outside, saw Concubine Ma, she
immediately walked over and support her by the arm. She looked at
Concubine Ma from the corner of her eyes, and Concubine Ma nodded to
her quietly. Seeing that, the maid’s face immediately lit up. Without
staying at Bright Frost Garden any longer, she supported Concubine Ma
to return to their courtyard in a hurry.

After lunch, Ning Xueyan asked for leave to Madam Dowager, saying
that she wanted to do some shopping. Since the Spring Festival was
coming, she needed to buy something for the servants of the manor.
Every year, the manor would prepare two sets of new clothes for the
servants. In previous years, it was Madam Ling who had arranged for it.
This time, Madam Dowager had asked Ning Xueyan to prepare the new
clothes.

“Go ahead. Check if there is any suitable cloth at the market today. If
there is, make two sets of clothes in cheerful color for each servant,”
Madam Dowager sat on the soft couch and said with a smile, looking at
Ning Xueyan graciously. Obviously, she was in a good mood.

Although Ning Qingshan had gotten injured yesterday, in the accident,

Madam Dowager had found that Fourth Prince had a crush on Ning
Xueyan. It was a piece of good news that she had never expected. She
had been thinking that it would be good enough if Ning Xueyan could
become Fourth Prince’s co-consort, but now it seemed that Fourth Prince
was going to marry her as his principal wife.

Anyway, even if the Fourth Prince’s parents did not approve of Fourth
Prince’s marrying Ning Xueyan, it was not bad if Ning Xueyan could be
his favorite co-consort.

If Ning Qingshan married Third Prince and Ning Xueyan married Fourth
Prince, the Lord Protector’s Manor would gain an advantage from both
sides. It was no wonder that Madam Dowager was pleased at the thought
of this, so she smiled when she saw Ning Xueyan. She did not even
mention Lanning’s bumping against Ning Qingshan yesterday. Since
Ning Qingshan herself had not complained about it, Madam Dowager
did not want to stir any trouble.

Ning Xueyan knew what Madam Dowager was thinking about. She
sneered inwardly, but she did not show anything abnormal on her face.
She chatted with Madam Dowager for a short while and then left with
Lanning and Xinmei.

After returning to Bright Frost Garden, she saw Concubine Ma in a

maid’s dress. Concubine Ma had come here secretly without taking
anybody with her this time. Seeing Ning Xueyan coming over, she
walked closer and bowed to her. Then she walked toward the gate,
following behind Ning Xueyan.

Caifen had been hiding in a small intersection. When she saw that
Concubine Ma dressed as a maid and followed behind Ning Xueyan, she
triumphantly raised her smiling face and turned to another path. This
path did not lead to the inner courtyard, but to the second gate which
connected the inner and the outer courtyard. The older female servants
who were on duty at the second gate stopped her because they had never
seen her before. Caifen took out something and waved it in front of them
and the two older female servants immediately released her.

As Lanning needed to inform the doorman to prepare a carriage for Ning

Xueyan, after walking following behind Ning Xueyan for a while, she
surpassed her and walked to the gate first.

Now only Xinmei, two older female servants and two maids were behind
Ning Xueyan. Xinmei followed closely behind her, and the rest followed
behind her silently with their head lowered.

When they were going to reach the gate, they saw Lanning arguing with
someone angrily at the gate. Seeing Ning Xueyan walking over, Lanning
ran to her and complained indignantly, “Miss, the doorman said they
didn’t have any carriage for us!”

“Why?” Ning Xueyan stopped with a frown and asked unpleasantly.

“I don’t know. I was told that Third Young Lady had reserved a carriage
early and she was going to the Third Prince’s Manor soon, and Eldest
Young Master would use another carriage and he was going out right
now. All the other carriages are broken. The doorman said if you wanted
to go out, you could only use the carriage prepared for the servants!”

Lanning told Ning Xueyan angrily, pointing at the gate.

There were more than two carriages in the manor, but unfortunately, all
the others were broken. It was such a coincidence!

The doorman stood at the gate, looking awkward. It was totally out of his
expectation! Third Young Lady and Eldest Young Master had reserved
the carriages in advance. When he had tried to find another carriage for
Fifth Young Lady, he found that all the rest carriages were broken, some
had broken wheels, some had broken carriages, and some even had
broken curtains! The masters of the manor seldom went out recently, so
these carriages had not been in use for some time.

But he was still surprised that so many carriages were broken. He would
definitely be punished after a while when the marquis returned to the
manor.

“Fifth Young Lady, I’m not lying. There is no carriage that can be used.
Maybe you can discuss with Third Young Lady or Eldest Young Master
and go out with them together.” Seeing Ning Xueyan walking over, the
doorman bowed to her with a bitter face.

“All the other carriages are broken?” Ning Xueyan asked coldly.

“Yes. I don’t know what happened. A few days ago when I checked
them, all the carriages were in good condition. Somehow, when I
checked them again today, I found in addition to those reserved, all the
others were out of order,” the doorman answered.

“When did Third Young Lady and Eldest Young Master reserve the
carriages?” Ning Xueyan asked calmly.

“This morning. Their servants told me that Third Young Lady and Eldest
Young Master were going to use the carriages after lunch, so they
reserved them in advance. I didn’t mean to give you a hard time. Fifth
Young Lady, if you don’t trust me, you can ask Third Young Lady and
Eldest Young Master.” The doorman was anxious. He explained
constantly, worrying that Ning Xueyan might think that he was lying.
Fifth Young Lady was quite different from she used to be, so a humble
doorman did not dare to offend her.

“Fifth Sister, are you going out?” Ning Qingshan turned to this path from
another one with a few maids. At a glance, Ning Xueyan immediately
found the two older female servants at the end of the line were from
Madam Dowager’s courtyard.

“Third Sister, are you going out as well?” Ning Xueyan asked back with
a smile.

“Fifth Sister, wait for a moment. I still have something to handle. After
it’s done, we can go out in the same carriage, okay?” Ning Qingshan
smiled, seemed to be in a dilemma.

It seemed to be the best way for the shortage of carriages.

“But I have something urgent, so I have to go out right now,” Ning

Xueyan said gently.

“Fifth Young Lady, you’d better wait for a while. Madam Dowager
asked you to go to her courtyard and she had something to ask you!”
Mammy Luo walked out from behind Ning Qingshan and said seriously,
looking at Ning Xueyan.

“Mammy, don’t talk nonsense! Maybe it’s not true,” Ning Qingshan said
unpleasantly and pulled Mammy Luo’s sleeve, as if she was not satisfied
with Mammy Luo’s attitude.

“Third Young Lady, how could it be false? Look! Is she or not?”

Mammy Luo said helplessly. She pulled Ning Qingshan turn around and
Ning Qingshan saw a maid who stood in the last row behind Ning
Xueyan.

That maid was furthest away from them. She lowered her head and
shrank her neck, as if she did not dare to raise her head. It seemed that
she had felt people staring at her, she moved to the side a little.

“You, come here!” Mammy Luo shouted loudly, pointing at the maid.
“Mammy Luo, what are you doing? She is my master’s maid. How dare
a Foggy Courtyard’s servant order our Bright Frost Garden’s maid?”
Lanning flew into a rage and stopped Mammy Luo.

“There must be something wrong. Or why don’t you dare to let us have a
look?” Mammy Luo said aggressively.

“Mammy, stop! Fifth Sister is not such a person.” Ning Qingshan

defended Ning Xueyan again in a low voice, as if she was sincere to
explain for Ning Xueyan.

“Miss, why are you still trying to defend Fifth Young Lady? Fifth Young
Lady has done such an unbelievable thing, and she is hiding that
person…” Mammy Luo seemed to be very disappointed with Ning
Qingshan.

“Mammy Luo, what do you mean?” Ning Xueyan cut Mammy Luo off
and said with an indifferent smile.
Chapter 216 We Have Found
Concubine Ma
“Fifth Young Lady, how dare you help Concubine Ma escape? You’re
trying to dress her as an ordinary maid and bring her out our manor. How
could you… be so unfilial and immoral?” Mammy Luo decided to put
things straightforward. She shouted, pointing at a shivering maid in the
last row, whose face could not be seen clearly at all.

“Concubine Ma?” Ning Qingshan looked like being scared. She stared at
Ning Xueyan and murmured, “Impossible! How could that happen? Fifth
Sister, Concubine Ma is our father’s concubine and everything about her
should be decided by our father. You, you know how serious the
consequence will be, don’t you?”

Hearing what she said, the two older female servants following behind
Ning Qingshan turned to the maid in the last row and looked at her with
gleaming eyes. Concubine Ma’s maid had reported that Concubine Ma
was missing in the morning. She said that Concubine Ma had been very
upset recently and she could not fall asleep at midnight. She had
repeatedly mentioned a man’s name and it seemed that she wanted to
escape from the manor.

Therefore, as soon as the maid had found out that Concubine Ma was
missing, she reported it to Madam Dowager. Flying into a rage, Madam
Dowager dispatched two older female servants of her courtyard to look
for Concubine Ma everywhere. These two capable servants were asked
to check everyone going out at all the gates to intercept Concubine Ma.
They happened to bump into Ning Qingshan on the way, so they came
here with her.

The had thought that they might not be able to find Concubine Ma.
However, as soon as they arrived at the gate, they found something
wrong with the maid following behind Fifth Young Lady.

When they were talking, a luxurious carriage stopped at the gate. Third
Prince, Ao Mingyu, came out from the carriage. Seeing that people were
arguing, he stood beside the carriage door with a slight frown and did not
come over.

Several guards came out of the carriage following behind him. Seeing
that he did not move ahead, the guards stood behind him quietly.

Ignoring the aggressive Mammy Luo, Ning Xueyan turned to Ning

Qingshan calmly. “Third Sister, so you came here to intercept me on
purpose?” she said slowly with a smile.

“Fifth Sister, what are you talking about? I happened to bump into the
servants our grandmother dispatched to look for Concubine Ma when I
was going out for some business. Fifth Sister, these are not that
important. But how could you help Concubine Ma escape? Concubine
Ma will die if she flees privately. Why are you trying to help her meet
her lover privately? Don’t you know that you will ruin our father’s and
our manor’s reputation by doing so?”

Ning Qingshan looked both sad and angry when she spoke, and every
word seemed to hit the key.

It was extremely shameless if a daughter helped her father’s concubine

escape to meet her lover and make her father a cuckold!

“Third Sister, why are you so certain that I have something to do with
Concubine Ma’s missing?” Ning Xueyan asked, looking calmly.

“Isn’t she Concubine Ma? Fifth Sister, it’s useless to argue. Since
Concubine Ma is caught on spot, you’d better confess to our
grandmother and father. Anyway, Concubine Ma should take the main
responsibility and you have little to do with it.” Ning Qingshan
persuaded in a soft voice earnestly. She stared at Ning Xueyan, looking
sincere.

Everyone thought that Ning Qingshan was thinking for the sake of Ning
Xueyan by persuading her to confess her fault to Madam Dowager and
the marquis. They thought that she was really gentle and sensible.
Compared to her, Ning Xueyan’s behavior was not only hateful but also
ignorant. She was really stupid! How dare an unmarried noble Young
Lady help a concubine do such an immoral thing?
Her own reputation would be ruined because of this!

No noble childe would like to marry such a woman!

Only Ning Xueyan saw that Ning Qingshan was not looking at her, but at
the gate. Ning Xueyan had noticed Ao Mingyu standing there just now,
so obviously, it was exactly what Ning Qingshan had hoped.

However, it was useless even though she had acted perfectly. She had
been pretending to be a gentle and generous elder sister of Ning Xueyan
to Ao Mingyu’s face, but she had missed the point. Ao Mingyu would
not trust her as before after the Note Event at the imperial palace and her
concealing of her injury.

Ning Qingshan was smart, but she was destined to be ruined by her own
wisdom!

“Fifth Young Lady, please allow me to take Concubine Ma away.

Madam Dowager is waiting for her!” an older female servant from
Lucky Garden bowed to Ning Xueyan and said coldly. Then she was
going to pull that maid.

“Why are you saying that the maid of our courtyard is Concubine Ma?”
Xinmei asked. She reached out and stopped that older female servant.

“Mammy Luo told us that we would see Concubine Ma here. I was a

little surprised that we really saw her! Now we have caught her on spot
and even Third Young Lady has recognized that the maid was Concubine
Ma. Fifth Young Lady, are you still trying to argue?” Being stopped by
Xinmei, the older female servant said in an ironic tone. She had served
Madam Dowager for a long time, and she had never liked Ning Xueyan.
Now Ning Xueyan’s status was much higher than before, so she did not
dare to offend her, but she still looked down upon Ning Xueyan from the
bottom of her heart.

“Why do you believe what Third Young Lady said, but ignore what Fifth
Young Lady said? Do you mean that Third Young Lady is the master of
our manor and Fifth Young Lady is not?” Lanning said resentfully.

Mammy Luo could not stay calm any more when the two eloquent maids
questioned them one after another. She lost her temper and snorted.
“Since Third Young Lady has a decent manner, of course the servants of
our manor will take her as the master. On the contrary, what Fifth Young
Lady is doing? She has not only abased herself to be so close with a
concubine, but also tried to release the concubine to meet her lover. How
shameless!”

Mammy Luo shouted at Lanning and Xinmei angrily. Seeing that neither
of them dare to say anything more, she felt very relieved.

“How dare you! What are you talking about?” Ning Huaiyuan strode
over from an intersection. He shot Mammy Luo a cold glare, looking
angry.

He was surprised that the older female servant of Ning Qingshan was
such a big-mouth person. How dare she stood at the gate and said that his
father got cuckolded? How GROSS!

The two sisters had been quarreling at the gate and a servant kept on
saying that his father’s concubine had tried to escape from the manor to
meet her lover. What a disgrace it would be to the marquis! “What’s
going on?” Now Ning Huaiyuan could not hold back his anger any more.
He looked at Ning Xueyan coldly, waiting for her explanation.

Ning Xueyan was not surprised at Ning Huaiyuan’s sudden appearance.

Looking at his angry face, she felt even a little funny. Ning Qingshan’s
older female servant had repeatedly said that Concubine Ma was going
to escape from the manor to meet her lover. It was a disgrace to the
whole manor. As the only son of the manor, Ning Huaiyuan had to say
something to maintain the manor’s reputation. He must have stood there
and watched for a long time!

Obviously, he had not planned to show up. However, Mammy Luo had
been talking about Concubine Ma’s fleeing and her affairs with another
man, so Ning Huaiyuan could not hide himself anymore and had to show
up to calm things down.

It might not be a bad choice. After all, he had to face the problem.

“Fifth Sister, Brother Huaiyuan is asking you. You’d better tell him the
truth. It’s not worth hurting your sibling affection for such a thing!” Ning
Qingshan said anxiously, as if there was really deep sibling affection
between Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Xueyan.

“Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan are playing the carrot and stick
trick!” Thinking about this, Ning Xueyan burst into laughter. “Brother
Huaiyuan, so you feel the same way like Third Sister and take it for
granted that I’m going to bring Concubine Ma out our manor privately?
Why are you so certain about this? Did somebody tell you in advance
that the maid was Concubine Ma, and you came here to catch her on spot
when she was about to pass the gate?”

“Nonsense! You two, bring the maid here!” Ning Huaiyuan looked at
Ning Xueyan thoughtfully and shouted angrily, a complicated look in his
eyes. At Ning Huaiyuan’s command, two young male servants were
about to catch that maid.

“Wait!” Ning Xueyan shouted with a grim look. Xinmei and Lanning,
who were standing behind her, reached out and stopped the two young
male servants.

Seeing that Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Xueyan had an argument, Ning
Qingshan was very pleased, but she did not show it on her face. On the
contrary, she looked surprised, as if being scared. “Fifth Sister, how dare
you disobey our elder brother’s order? He will be the Lord Protector in
the future!” She covered her lips with a handkerchief and turned her face
slightly toward the gate.

She had looked into the mirror countless times and she knew that she
looked the most delicate and charming when she turned her face slightly.
No man could stay calm at the sight of such a beautiful, gentle and
adorable lady like her.

Looking from Third Prince’s direction, she was as charming as she

looked herself in the mirror. She was confident that Third Prince would
make the correct choice after comparing her, a Young Lady as gentle as
water with Ning Xueyan, who was so stupid and stubborn.

“Fifth Sister, what do you mean?” Ning Huaiyuan’s face darkened.

“Nothing! I just feel weird. Why the doorman said that you and Third
Sister had reserved the carriages and all the rest ones were out of order
when I needed a carriage. After we had been at the gate for a while,
Third Sister came here to catch Concubine Ma with several servants and
they insisted that Concubine Ma was hiding in my maids. Then you
showed up, and before getting this straight, you were going to take my
maid away. Wasn’t it all designed?”

Everything matched so perfectly that everyone would doubt that it had

been designed. Nobody would believe that it had not been carefully
designed, because none of these seemed to have happened by accident.

Each step was closely connected, as if everything had happened

naturally. No one would feel suspicious about a single step. However,
when people took a panoramic view of the situation, they would feel that
these perfectly interlocked events were more likely to be carefully
designed.

“Are Third Young Lady and Eldest Young Master conspiring to set Fifth
Young Lady up?” the crowd at the gate wondered, feeling confused.
Their eyes wandered over the three of them and could not tell who was
lying.

Ning Xueyan was neither humble nor arrogant when she spoke. The
smile on her lips was breathtakingly charming, but people could not feel
a trace of warmth from it. Like a snow lotus blooming at the top of an
iceberg, she looked noble, pure and extremely beautiful.

Nobody dared to look straight into her eyes.

Leaning against the carriage with his arms crossed in front of his chest,
Ao Mingyu could not help looking at Ning Xueyan, a thoughtful look in
his eyes.

For the first time, he found that the delicate and weak girl had such a
powerful aura. Ning Qingshan had been well-known for her gentleness
and generosity. However, compared to Ning Xueyan’s calm, she seemed
to be a little nervous. Ao Mingyu even felt Ning Qingshan shivering
under Ning Xueyan’s gaze.

After hearing what Ning Xueyan said, everyone was silent.

Ning Huaiyuan cleared his throat and was about to speak when he
suddenly saw an older female servant running to them. She shouted,
“Eldest Young Master, Third Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady, we have
found Concubine Ma, and she is being with Madam Dowager now!”

Everyone was shocked at the words. They all turned to the maid, who
was standing in the last row behind Ning Xueyan, trembling.

Since Concubine Ma was at Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden, who this

maid was?
Chapter 217 Ning Qingshan’s
Plan
Third Prince, who was outside, straightened himself up, and walked in
slowly, with his hands clasped behind his back. The doorman did not
dare to stop him when he saw it was Third Prince, and he immediately
stood aside. Two guards followed Third Prince in, one following him
closely, empty-handed, the other one a few steps behind them, with a
leash in his hand, and at the end of the leash was a small hound.

The maid who hid herself with the other maids behind Ning Xueyan,
looked up nervously.

She looked as ordinary as the other maids, and it was obvious that she
was not Concubine Ma, which was what everyone thought.

Ning Qingshan’s head buzzed, as if she had been struck heavily by

something. Staring at the maid, who looked so plain and bore no
resemblance to Concubine Ma at all, Ning Qingshan’s brain went
completely blank. She could not believe her own eyes. She looked at the
maid blankly, and the handkerchief in her hands was almost ripped to
pieces.

She could not speak, and she was not in the mood to show her charming
face at the best angle, a trick she had practiced countless times in front of
the mirror!

“How did that happen? Caifen watched Concubine Ma following behind

Ning Xueyan, dressed in a maid’s attire. How could she turn to be
another person in such a short time?”Ning Qingshan wondered.

“I’m… possible! It must be Concubine Ma…” Mammy Luo was so

shocked that she muttered to herself, with her eyes wide open.

“Mammy Luo, why are you so certain that it is Concubine Ma?” Ning
Xueyan sneered, but her voice was very gentle.
“We saw Concubine Ma changing her clothes and following behind you
with your maids…” Mammy Luo was so shocked that she was in a state
of panic. She received a hard slap on herface as she answered Ning
Xueyan, almost subconsciously.

“Since you saw Concubine Ma following behind Fifth Young Lady, why
did the others tell us that she was chatting with our grandmother? Was
that a ghost you saw?” Ning Huaiyuan slapped her and yelled angrily.

Mammy Luo shivered and suddenly came back to herself. She knelt and
gave a far-fetched explanation anxiously, “Eldest Young Master, I did not
see it in person. When I walked over with Madam Dowager’s two older
female servants, a maid told me this. Therefore, Third Young Lady and I
thought that Fifth Young Lady was going to take Concubine Ma out of
the manor.”

She tried to explain why she had accused Ning Xueyan of trying to help
Concubine Ma to leave the manor secretly, as soon as she arrived.

Ning Qingshan came back to herself as well. She calmed herself down
and sighed helplessly. “Mammy, I told you that you should make things
clear before you speak. You’re so quick-tempered and you always lose
your cool when people say something. You must get rid of this habit!
You’re lucky that Fifth Sister is a generous and kind person. Otherwise,
you’ll get into trouble!”

She was hinting that if Ning Xueyan refused to let Mammy Luo off, she
would be considered a selfish and vicious person.

At such a moment, Ning Qingshan was still playing tricks! What a

vicious woman she was!

Since Ning Xueyan discovered that Ning Qingshan had poisoned Madam
Ming when she was only a child, Ning Xueyan had decided to make her
pay for it. Therefore, she would not let any chance to deal her a blow, go
by.

“Third Sister, Mammy Luo is not only quick-tempered, but also able to
foresee what will happen next. She is really capable! The maid merely
told her that Concubine Ma was with my maids, and immediately she
came to a conclusion that Concubine Ma was trying to escape, and I was
going to help her to do this to meet her lover. Mammy Luo said that I
was an evil and extremely shameless daughter, and she almost wanted
me to commit suicide to make up for my mistake. Although she is only a
servant, she is even more eloquent than those censor-in-chiefs! She is
really good at framing people by using subtle means!”

Ning Xueyan said this coldly, a faint sarcasm showing in her moist and
beautiful eyes. She paused a little as she spoke each word.

“Third Sister, you really found a capable servant for yourself! If

Concubine Ma had really mingled with my maids, Third Sister, you
would have forced me to commit suicide here. Am I right?”

Ning Qingshan praised Ning Xueyan for her generosity and kindness,
hoping she would forgive Mammy Luo. However, Ning Xueyan had
already decided to fight them to the end, so she would not let Mammy
Luo off so easily.

She believed that Ning Qingshan would not miss any chance to set her
up. She shifted her eyes from Ning Huaiyuan to Third Prince, who was
walking to them, and to the small houndbehind Third Prince.

Their plan was really thorough! If Ning Xueyan did not die as they had
expected, they would frame her by saying that she had something to do
with the previous dynasty. Then she would be useless to the Lord
Protector’s Manor, and would be abandoned.

Each of her words hit home. Ning Qingshan blushed with shame, and she
almost could not say anything. However, she had to say something.
Otherwise, Mammy Luo would end up like Xia’er.

It was not because she had a deep affection for Mammy Luo, but because
Mammy Luo was too important to her. Besides, she had a secret, and
except for Mammy Luo, no one else could help her. She had to save
Mammy Luo, no matter what.

“No, no! Fifth Young Lady, I will not dare to do that. I thought as the
maid said, you really… Fifth Young Lady, if you don’t trust me, you can
ask them. They are Madam Dowager’s servants, you should believe
them.” Looking at Ning Xueyan’s cold face, Mammy Luo knew that she
would not forgive her that easily. She pointed at the two older female
servants of Lucky Garden and said anxiously.

Of course the maid who had spread rumors about Concubine Ma’s
escape had been arranged by Mammy Luo in advance, but now Mammy
Luo had to shift the blame to her. Otherwise, Mammy Luo herself might
lose her life. Mammy Luo was loyal to Ning Qingshan, but she
shuddered at the thought that Xia’er had been beaten to death not long
before, and now it might be her turn.

“Fifth Sister, it’s all my fault. I pampered these servants too much, and
they became too arrogant. But Mammy Luo is my wet nurse and I will
take care of her when she is old. Fifth Sister, you can vent your anger on
me. You can either beat me or curse me, but please forgive Mammy
Luo.”

Ning Qingshan became extremely anxious, when she saw the sneer on
Ning Xueyan’s face. Having no time to think too much, she walked to
Ning Xueyan and was about to kneel in front of her.

If Ning Qingshan knelt in front of Ning Xueyan, before the Third Prince
and Ning Huaiyuan at the gate, everyone present would think that Ning
Xueyan had forced her elder sister to kneel to her, and all the people of
the capital would spit upon her.

Ning Qingshan was even more skillful in using deadly traps! By doing
this, on the one hand, Ning Qingshan could show how she cared about
her servant in front of people, on the other hand, she could force Ning
Xueyan to agree not to punish Mammy Luo.

Ning Xueyan immediately grabbed Ning Qingshan by the hand to

prevent her from kneeling. Meanwhile, she turned around and said to
Ning Huaiyuan anxiously, “Brother Huaiyuan, come here and help me to
raise Third Sister up! What will the outsiders think of our manor, if they
know that she is willing to kneel to me, for the sake of a servant, who
tried to set me up?”

Since he had found out that the maid was not Concubine Ma, Ning
Huaiyuan had been standing aside, with an angry look on his face.
Watching what was going on between Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan,
Ning Huaiyuan had a thoughtful look and a trace of coldness in his eyes.
Since Ning Xueyan was asking him for help, he had to come over and
help Ning Xueyan lift Ning Qingshan up.

If he ignored what Ning Xueyan said and continued to watch Ning

Qingshan kneeling, Ning Xueyan would not be the only one to be
laughed at by people.

“Third Prince!” After pulling Ning Qingshan up, Ning Xueyan froze for
a few seconds, as if she had just seen Ao Mingyu. She let go of Ning
Qingshan’s hands and bowed slightly to Ao Mingyu.

“Third Prince!” Ning Qingshan pretended that she just caught sight of
Ao Mingyu as well. She looked at Ao Mingyu, with tears in her eyes,
looking pathetic and weak, as if she had been greatly wronged. She
swayed a few times and almost fell to the ground. Thankfully, the maid
by her side had quick reflexes, and caught her in time.

“What happened? What are you arguing about?” Ao Mingyu looked at

Ning Xueyan with a complex look. Then he looked at Ning Qingshan.
Although he seemed a little annoyed when he spoke, everyone could tell
that he cared about Ning Qingshan.

“It has nothing to do with Fifth Sister. My wet nurse should be blamed
for this. She believed the rumors and thought that Concubine Ma was
trying to escape from our manor, by following Fifth Sister. She was
quick-tempered and this annoyed Fifth Sister. I was trying to apologize
to Fifth Sister just now.” Ning Qingshan wiped at her tears with a
handkerchief and squeezed out a smile, but tears continued to stream
down her cheeks.

Everyone could tell how wronged she was.

She was so scheming! It seemed she was telling Third Prince about what
had happened and even though there was nothing special about her
words, after thinking it over, people would think that she was defending
Mammy Luo by describing such an incident as a misunderstanding.
Besides that, she was hinting that it was Ning Xueyan who had
misunderstood Mammy Luo, but she was making a fuss and trying to
punish Mammy Luo.
That, plus her piteous look, made her look as if she was an elder sister
who was being bullied by her younger sister. Even though she was being
bullied, as an elder sister who took the interests of the whole manor into
account, she did not speak ill of her younger sister.

This would make people think that Ning Qingshan was both generous
and sensible. On the other hand, they would be disgusted with Ning
Xueyan’s behavior. It could be a major incident or a minor one. Since it
was just a misunderstanding and nothing untoward had happened, why
did Ning Xueyan not want to let this go? It would not only ruin the
manor’s reputation, but make people feel that she was too narrow-
minded, as well.

“Ning Xueyan could not be compared with her gentle and generous elder
sister at all!”

Seeing that Ao Mingyu’s face darkened at her words, Ning Qingshan

was overjoyed. It seemed her scheme had worked well. Third Prince had
gone over to her side when he saw her wronged face, and it meant that
Third Prince still had feelings for her. It made Ning Qingshan feel more
confident about what was going to happen next.

She had told Third Prince that she was going to his manor to visit him,
but later, she changed her mind and asked him to come to the Lord
Protector’s Manor. She knew it was improper, but since she mattered to
Third Prince, it would not be difficult to explain it to him. She would tell
him that she had planned to go to his manor, when she suddenly thought
of that matter, so she had asked him to come over instead. Besides, she
had just met Ning Xueyan by chance.

She looked at the guard standing a few paces behind Third Prince and
evaluated the distance. It was still too far! Otherwise, why was there no
response from the hound?

If this matter was exposed, Ning Xueyan would definitely be beheaded!

Then what Mammy Luo had done would just be a trifling matter. Ning
Xueyan could not even protect herself, how could she punish Mammy
Luo? Thinking about this, Ning Qingshan stole a glance of Ning Xueyan,
a triumphant look in her eyes.
What would happen next did not have much to do with her, so what she
needed to do was to watch the show.

If Third Prince found out what Ning Xueyan had done, even Madam
Dowager and Ning Zu’an were unable to protect her. Besides, Ning
Qingshan did not believe that Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an would
try to save Ning Xueyan for the sake of family affection. On the contrary,
they would definitely abandon Ning Xueyan, and put all the blame on
her instead.

It was impossible for Ning Xueyan to be lucky enough and reverse the
situation again. She would watch her being punished!
Chapter 218 Fifth Sister, I’m
Willing to Take All the
Responsibility as Long as You
Don’t Get Angry
Looking at the beautiful lady’s wronged face and tearful eyes, no man
could bear to put the blame on her for those matters that had nothing to
do with her. Ao Mingyu frowned and walked closer to Ning Xueyan and
Ning Qingshan, as if he had something to say. The two guards behind
him followed him closely.

“It’s weird that Third Sister’s wet nurse’s misunderstanding has led to a
series of coincidences! When I was about go out, she stopped me, and
before I could say anything, she began to accuse me, saying that I was
going to take Concubine Ma away from the manor secretly. If Concubine
Ma had not been found at our grandmother’s Lucky Garden, I would
have died because of this ‘wonderful’ misunderstanding! Of course, it
had nothing to do with Third Sister, and everything was caused by the
bold and arrogant wet nurse.”

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and raised her childish face, her feather-like
eyelashes fluttering, as if she was sighing inwardly about her survival.
However, there was a look of sarcasm in her eyes, hidden under her long
eyelashes. “Ning Qingshan thinks that everyone is stupid and every man
will be fascinated with her beautiful face and lose their heads over her
performance!” she thought.

She knew without someone supporting her, a wet nurse would not have
dared to get in a master’s way at the gate, and frame her in front of
people.

Ning Qingshan was surprised that Ning Xueyan still showed no signs of
making any concession. Gritting her teeth, she moved a few steps closer
to Ao Mingyu. Now she was only one step from Ao Mingyu. She did not
look at Ao Mingyu, but turned to Ning Xueyan and said plaintively,
“Fifth Sister, you can say what you want. I’m willing to take all the
responsibility as long as you don’t get angry.”

Instead of shirking the responsibility, she was going to take it on herself,

as if she wanted to calm things down as soon as possible. She lowered
her head and looked at Ning Xueyan’s feet. She knew that after moving
closer to Ao Mingyu, she would be a little distance away from Ning
Xueyan. Since Ning Xueyan was talking to her, she would definitely
move closer to her, and then Ning Xueyan would be nearer to the small
hound behind Third Prince.

A trace of a ferocious smile appeared on Ning Qingshan’s lips. If Ning

Xueyan walked near them, it would be close enough for the small hound
to smell her. At that very moment, Ning Xueyan happened to lift her
foot.

However, before Ning Xueyan could move close to them, something

unexpected happened. The small hound, which had been led by the
guard, suddenly barked at Ning Qingshan and then rushed toward her.
Caught off guard, she was knocked over by the hound, and fell to the
ground.

With her beautiful, neatly combed hair in disarray, and her fair face
smudged with the dust from the ground, she looked a total mess.

Seeing the small hound baring its teeth at her, Ning Qingshan could not
help screaming, “Help! Help!”

The small hound had moved so quickly that nobody thought that it would
attack Ning Qingshan in the blink of an eye. When everyone realized
what was happening, Ning Qingshan had already fallen to the ground.
With her messy hair and dirty face, she was screaming in horror, and
nobody could tell that such a woman was a noble Young Lady.

Ao Mingyu felt very dissatisfied. If his mother had not said those words,
he would have lost his temper.

“What’s this? Why is it holding on to this?” Lanning suddenly shouted in

surprise, pointing at something under the small hound’s paw.
A guard managed to pull the small hound away, and the other guard
picked up a perfume pouch from under its paw. It was Ning Qingshan’s
perfume pouch, and it was still hanging from her waist. The guard
applied more strength and ripped off the silk thread that held the perfume
pouch. He then stood up and presented it to Ao Mingyu respectfully.

The perfume pouch was smelled a strong fragrance.

Ao Mingyu took it and froze for a few seconds. Suddenly, a trace of

coldness appeared in his eyes. He opened the perfume pouch slowly and
took out a jade pendant from it, which happened to be the one that
Concubine Ma had tried to give Ning Xueyan.

The jade pendant itself emitted a fresh fragrance, which although was
faint, could still mask the strong fragrance of the perfume pouch.
Besides, this fragrance lasted longer and was more refreshing.

Ning Qingshan was stunned. With her messy hair, she sat up and
shouted, “Why is it… here?”

It was impossible! She had asked Concubine Ma to give Ning Xueyan

the jade pendant, but how could it appear in her perfume pouch? The
fresh fragrance that came from it, was from the ambergris, which was
only available in the royal family. It was calming and refreshing. Due to
the jade pendant being in the perfume pouch, nobody could smell the
fragrance. Now that it had been taken out, and people standing near
could smell it distinctly.

Ning Huaiyuan’s face turned pale.

Ao Mingyu’s face darkened.

Ning Xueyan pretended she knew nothing. She looked at Ning Qingshan,
but said nothing, as if she had felt something was wrong.

“Third Sister, where did you get this?” Ning Huaiyuan could not stay
calm any more, and asked anxiously.

“The perfume pouch was given to me by someone from the Needlework

Room, but I have no idea where the jade pendant came from.” Ning
Qingshan had calmed down a little. She pointed at Ning Xueyan,
because she finally remembered where the jade pendant in the perfume
pouch had come from.

Last night, the people from the Needlework Room made the perfume
pouch and brought it to her. When she was at the nunnery, she had been
dressed simply, and she had no need for such kind of things. After
returning to the manor, Madam Dowager not only had her clothes made,
but also asked people from the Needlework Room to make some
accessories for her. Before she left for the nunnery three years ago, all of
Ning Qingshan’s accessories had been made by her maids.

But unlike the other accessories, the perfume pouch she had received last
night was specially made per her request, because the fragrance of the
perfume pouch could isolate the fragrance of the ambergris. It was said
that the fragrance of the ambergris lasted very long, and hounds with
keen sense of smell could still smell it several days after the ambergris
had been removed.

She had handed the jade pedant to Caifen in person, and asked her to
give it to Concubine Ma, so her hands were scented with the ambergris
as well. She had asked the people in the Needlework Room to make this
perfume pouch, and tried to mask the special fragrance of the ambergris,
so after receiving it last night, she deliberately attached it to her waist
today. Thus, the hound would not smell the fragrance of the ambergris.

However, she had never thought that the jade pendant was in the perfume
pouch, and had such a strong fragrance!

“It seems to be another misunderstanding. Third Prince, maybe some

servant of our manor sewed the jade pendant into the perfume pouch for
some reason, and sent it to Third Sister by mistake,” Ning Xueyan said
slowly, staring at Ao Mingyu’s hand.

Ao Mingyu held the jade pendant firmly. The others could not see what
the jade looked like, but Ning Xueyan knew that it was carved with a
dragon, and was made of high-quality jade.

“Yes. People from the Needlework Room must have made a mistake. It’s
not my jade pendant and I have never seen it before!” Hearing what Ning
Xueyan said, Ning Qingshan immediately defended herself loudly. She
was thinking about how to shift the blame onto others, but she forgot that
no servant of the manor would have dared to leave such a precious jade
pendant lying around so casually.

Moreover, almost all the Young Ladies would ask their own maids to
make such kinds of perfume pouches for them, and it was impossible for
them to casually use the perfume pouches from the Needlework Room.

“Guard, bring Third Young Lady to the imperial palace!” Ao Mingyu’s

face was as cold as ice. Under his grim gaze, Ning Qingshan started to
shiver.

What frightened her more was that she saw an obvious look of disgust in
Third Prince’s eyes. Although it disappeared soon, she still felt as if she
had fallen into an ice cellar. Impossible! How could he look at her like
that? Since she had saved him three years ago, all she had seen in his
eyes was always a gentle smile.

But why was he giving her such a look?

Ning Qingshan was in a panicky state.

When a guard was about to take Ning Qingshan away, a maid suddenly
walked out from behind her. “Third Prince, I, I put the jade pendant in
Third Young Lady’s perfume pouch.” The maid’s face was pale, and she
knelt in front of Ao Mingyu.

She had been standing quietly behind Ning Qingshan, and even when
Mammy Luo had been accusing Ning Xueyan, she did not say anything.
Her excessive silence had attracted Ning Xueyan’s attention and Ning
Xueyan had even given her a few more glances. Ning Xueyan had
thought that this maid was from Madam Dowager’s courtyard, but to her
surprise, she walked out from the crowd and took all the blame for Ning
Qingshan.

Everyone took a deep breath.

“Do you know what it is?” Ao Mingyu asked in a loud voice, looking at
the maid coldly.

“I, I don’t know. I picked it up from outside on the other day. It was so
beautiful, so I brought it back. I thought that only my master deserved
such a beautiful jade pendant, so I sewed it into the perfume pouch and
hung it on my master’s waist,” The maid raised her pale face and said
firmly.

Mammy Luo came to herself now, and she tried to pull Ning Qingshan
up. “Yes, yes! I remember now! She gave the perfume pouch to our
master. This morning, my master wanted to pick a perfume pouch. I
thought this one was good, so we put it on for our master. We have never
thought this would happen!” she defended Ning Qingshan anxiously,
putting all the blame on the maid.

“You picked it up from outside? Where?” Ao Mingyu’s lips twitched, a

coldness flashing in his eyes.

“I, I found it out when I was out shopping. Third Prince, I did not know
this belonged to you. Otherwise, I would not have given it to our
master.”

The maid knelt on the ground and did not dare to move, but spoke even
more eloquently and without any hesitation, she shifted all the blame on
herself.

Ning Xueyan looked at her quietly. She had been in charge of the
accounts recently. Besides, before Ning Qingshan returned to the Lord
Protector’s Manor, Ning Xueyan had helped Madam Dowager manage
the manor, and she also recruited some servants, but she had no
impression of this maid, so obviously, Ning Qingshan recruited this maid
by herself.

Caifen was Xia’er’s younger sister. Then, where did she find this maid?

Ning Xueyan did not believe that Ning Qingshan was so good that a
maid who had just worked for her for a few days, would be so loyal to
her and would even die for her.

Since the jade pendant was from the previous dynasty, it was really
extraordinary. Although the previous emperor had died years ago and the
jade pendant might have been taken away from the imperial palace and
fallen into an ordinary person’s hand, how could Ning Qingshan have
taken it so easily and framed her with it? Ning Xueyan felt confused.
Ao Mingyu suddenly stuffed the perfume pouch and the jade pedant into
his sleeve. He looked at Ning Qingshan, who was still sitting on the
ground in a mess, and then shifted his eyes to Ning Xueyan with a
thoughtful look. He then said coolly, “Guard, take the maid away!”

“Ao Mingyu does not want to look into this matter and is going to put an
end to it like this? So he was just bluffing just now?” Ning Xueyan was
surprised, a suspicious look crossing her eyes. Ao Mingyu was not that
easy to fool. Otherwise, he would not have become the front-runner to
the throne!
Chapter 219 A Well Plotted Show
Third Prince left and took away Ning Qingshan’s maid. Seeing him off,
Ning Huaiyuan walked toward Lucky Garden, ignoring Ning Qingshan,
who had collapsed on the ground, and could not get up for the moment.
He had to talk to his grandmother about this, and ask her to make a
decision.

Now, nobody would care about the little episode about Concubine Ma!

“Fifth Sister…” Seeing that Ning Huaiyuan did not talk to her, Ning
Qingshan immediately turned to Ning Xueyan, with a sad look. She
realized that the situation was turning out to be disadvantageous to her.
Many outsiders had seen what had taken place, from the gate just now.
Even though they did not know what was going on, they could tell from
her bedraggled look, that something bad had happened to Ning
Qingshan.

Both Third Prince and Ning Huaiyuan had given her the cold shoulder. If
even Ning Xueyan did not want to talk to her, what would the others
think of her? They might think that she must have done something
wicked. Otherwise, why was it that nobody wanted to talk to her when
she was in trouble?

She had been thinking so highly of herself, but now she had to make
Ning Xueyan stay with her.

If Ning Xueyan agreed to stay with her, she would have an excuse to
explain this matter.

However, before she could continue, Ning Xueyan took several steps
forward, and ignored her. She walked into the manor, following closely
behind Ning Huaiyuan. “Brother Huaiyuan, I’ll visit our grandmother
with you. By the way, I’ll check if Concubine Ma is still there.”

Ning Qingshan’s face instantly turned ashen. Watching the backs of the
two receding, plus the mocking looks from the others, her face flushed.
Gritting her teeth, she stood up with the help of Mammy Luo. She glared
at Ning Xueyan’s back, with coldness and deep hatred in her eyes.

She could not accept the fact that Ning Xueyan had escaped from her
trap again!

Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Qingshan was staring at her from behind,
and she must have an impulse to kill her now, but she did not care about
this. She caught up with Ning Huaiyuan and asked, “Brother Huaiyuan,
is there anything special about the jade pendant? Why was Third Prince
so angry?”

She really wanted to know the answer. She had left before Ning
Qingshan could say anything to her, because she did not want Ning
Qingshan’s scheme to succeed. On the other hand, she wanted to know
the origin of the jade pendant. “Could the jade pendant really have come
from the previous dynasty as I assumed, and Ning Qingshan did not get
it from Ao Mingyu?” she wondered.

She had told Concubine Ma that this jade pendant came from the
previous dynasty, because she wanted to scare her. But now, it seemed
that what she said was really true.

“I don’t know. Since Third Prince was in a rage, I did not find a chance
to ask him,” Ning Huaiyuan answered tactfully, shaking his head. He
turned his head, and with a frown, fixed his gaze on Ning Xueyan’s face
with a thoughtful look.

“Brother Huaiyuan, do you want to tell our grandmother about this?”

Ning Xueyan continued, as if she had not seen the thoughtful look in his
eyes.

“Well, at least I should let our grandmother know that Third Prince was
annoyed. You can go back to your Bright Frost Garden now,” Ning
Huaiyuan said coldly, looking at Ning Xueyan with a piercing light in his
eyes. Obviously, Ning Huaiyuan did not want to talk to Ning Xueyan,
and he was trying to get rid of her.

“But I should explain to our grandmother about the incident regarding

Concubine Ma. I’m afraid that she may believe the rumors, and think
that I was such an evil girl that I even wanted to help Concubine Ma
leave our manor.” Pausing for a while, Ning Xueyan did not leave as
Ning Huaiyan expected, but continued to walk forward with him.

Ning Huaiyuan sped up, but she still followed closely behind him.

Ning Huaiyuan suddenly stopped. He turned around and looked at Ning

Xueyan, who was a little breathless from her haste. “Fifth Sister, our
grandmother won’t have time to think about Concubine Ma’s matter for
the moment. You’d better go back to Bright Frost Garden now. I will
explain to her about what happened at the gate,” he said.

He knew that he could not hide what had happened at the gate from the
people. He had thought that Ning Qingshan was a smart girl, so when
she had dispatched someone to tell him that she had reserved a carriage,
he did not pay much attention to it. Moreover, when Ning Qingshan had
invited him to watch a show at the gate, he did not refuse. Now he
discovered that the smart Ning Qingshan did not seem as smart as
before, after staying at the nunnery for three years!

On the contrary, the Fifth Sister in front of him had surprised him the
first time he saw her, after returning the manor. She was nothing like
what he had remembered her to be.

“Okay. Thank you, Brother Huaiyuan!” Ning Xueyan nodded. Since

Ning Huaiyuan had agreed to explain for her, she knew she should not
follow him anymore, and it was not the best time to visit Madam
Dowager.

It seemed there was a story behind Ning Qingshan, no, behind the jade
pendant of Ning Qingshan! Obviously, Ning Huaiyuan had smelled the
fragrance of the ambergris and he had also seen the dragon pattern. Ning
Xueyan could tell there must be a secret that she was not aware of, and
maybe it had something to do with the previous dynasty.

And it was very likely that Ning Huaiyuan had the military medallion
that Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi, was looking for.

The jade pendant Ning Qingshan had taken out was very likely a relic
from the previous dynasty. It seemed that not only Ao Mingyu had been
shocked at the sight of it, even the whole Lord Protector’s Manor would
be shocked as well.
It should have nothing to do with Ning Xueyan, but now she had to get
herself involved. Since she had promised Ao Chenyi to find the previous
dynasty’s military medallion for him, she would not let him down.
Besides, in the current situation, the more mysterious Ning Qingshan
was, the more difficult she would be to deal with. In any case, Ao
Mingyu should have been angry with her. What had happened before and
today was enough to make anyone realize how vicious Ning Qingshan
was.

However, he had let Ning Qingshan go so easily, and only took the maid
away. It was really strange!

It seemed Ao Mingyu had spared Ning Qingshan not because he cared

about her. Although he hid it carefully, Ning Xueyan had still seen the
disgusted look in his eyes, when he looked at Ning Qingshan. Then why
had he not taken Ning Qingshan away with that maid?

“What is he trying to hide?”

“Could that jade pendant be the military medallion from the previous
dynasty?”

Sitting in front of the window, Ning Xueyan suddenly came up with a

bold assumption. But she immediately shook her head. Since Ao Mingyu
had said that Ning Huaiyuan had the military medallion, he must have
his reason. Therefore, it was impossible for Ning Qingshan to have it.

Besides, since Prince Yi was looking for the military medallion, Ao

Mingyu must have been looking for it as well. If the jade pendant was
the military medallion, why had Ao Mingyu not shown any joy on his
face? He had held the jade pendant firmly and covered half of the carved
dragon with his hand. People who were not familiar with the pattern,
could not tell that the jade was carved with a dragon.

Ning Xueyan had seen clearly that there was a mixture of disgust,
grimness, surprise, and even a trace of a killing intent on Ao Mingyu’s
face, but definitely no expression of joy.

Besides, he had not seemed to be surprised by the sudden appearance of

this jade pendant. Maybe Ao Mingyu had known that Ning Qingshan had
the jade pendant before. Or maybe, he or Honored Consort Ya had given
it to Ning Qingshan. But how to explain the disgust and the killing intent
on his face?

“Maybe I should find more information about the previous dynasty,”

Ning Xueyan thought. When she was Ning Ziying in her last life, she
had known nothing about the outside world. When she was in her
hometown, neither her parents nor the servants of their manor had ever
mentioned anything to her about the previous dynasty. If she had not
come to the capital, she would not have known that the previous dynasty
had only ended a dozen of years ago.

After arriving in the capital, she had known something about the
previous dynasty from Xia Yuhang, but she had never taken it seriously.
The so-called previous dynasty seemed quite far from her!

But now, she found that she seemed to be so close to it that she could
almost touch it. However, she could only see it, but not touch it.
Everything seemed to be shrouded in a mist.

“Lanning, has Mother Han come back?” Ning Xueyan touched her own
forehead, and turned to Lanning, who had been standing behind her
quietly. Because she had been so deep in thought for so long, she felt her
brain going numb. Ever since she had been lost in thought after returning
to Bright Frost Garden, Lanning had told all the others to leave, and then
stood behind her quietly, to accompany her.

“Miss, Mother Han came back just now. Seeing you were in a trance, she
did not come in. Wait a moment. I’ll ask her to come in right now,”
Lanning answered with a nod. She then turned and walked out. After a
short while, Mother Han, who had been waiting outside, came in.

“Miss, do you want to ask me about Madam Ming?” Mother Han asked,
as soon as she entered the room.

“Ning Lingyun said I was the rebel’s daughter. Was that because of my
mother?” Ning Xueyan asked thoughtfully. From the tone Ning Lingyun
had used and her look, Ning Xueyan could tell that she was serious at
that point. Besides, Ning Zu’an’s attitude had been very suspicious.

“Miss, I would not have brought it up if you had not asked. Madam Ming
was the daughter of the Minister of War of the previous dynasty, and she
was a well-known noble Young Lady. The Mings had been a noble
family for more than a hundred years, so in fact they were far more noble
than those who call themselves noble families of the current dynasty.”

Mother Han said resentfully, “The marquis was just a low ranking
military official. If he had not married Madam Ming, he would not have
become a general, and of course he would not have helped the present
emperor to crack down the previous dynasty, and become the new power
of the current dynasty. Finally, he even managed to demote Madam Ming
from the role of principal wife to a co-wife!”

“You mean he became so powerful because of my mother?” Ning

Xueyan knew that Madam Ming’s family was extraordinary, but she was
a little surprised that the Mings used to be so powerful. A Young Lady
from a noble family with a history of more than a hundred years had
married a low ranking official, so from the very beginning, their status
were quite different. It was a coincidence that with the regime change,
the humble man had become an influential official of the new dynasty,
and his wife, the previous noble lady, had become a rebel.

After the new emperor had ascended the throne, all the officials who
were loyal to the former emperor were regarded as rebels. This earth-
shaking change also brought the status changes of Madam Ming and
Ning Zu’an. Therefore, in Ning Zu’an’s eyes, Madam Ming had not been
suitable to be his principal wife any more, and the previous well-known
noble Young Lady might hinder his promotion and wealth.

That was why things had ended up like this.

“How did Madam Ling marry Ning Zu’an?” Ning Xueyan suddenly
thought of something, and she continued to ask after a short pause.

“In order to marry Madam Ming, the marquis repeatedly promised that
he would only have one wife, and would not marry any concubine in the
future. He seemed very sincere in wanting to marry Madam Ming, and in
order to marry her, he even knelt in front of the door of the minister’s
study room for two days and nights. Finally, he passed out and Madam
Ming felt very sorry for him. She knelt in front of the door as well,
saying if she could not marry the marquis, she would keep keeling there
until she died.”
Thinking about that, Mother Han’s eyes were filled with tears. How
distinguished Madam Ming used to be! As the most famous noble Young
Lady and the empress’ best friend, countless talented young men had
wanted to marry her. If Ning Zu’an had not moved her by kneeling in
front of the minister’s study room, how could the minister have agreed to
marry his daughter to him?

But he had been just acting. It turned out to be a well plotted show!
Chapter 220 The Tragic Fall of
the Previous Dynasty
“Everyone thought that the marquis loved Madam Ming from the bottom
of his heart, and Madam Dowager also promised that the marquis would
not marry any other woman except for Madam Ming. Finally, the
minister agreed on their marriage. After marrying Madam Ming, the
marquis was promoted quickly. Afterwards, there was a coup at court
and to everyone’s surprise, the marquis opened the gate of the city he
was guarding and surrendered with his men.

After the regime change, your grandfather died in the battle and your
uncle was arrested. He refused to surrender, so the marquis was arranged
to persuade him. The marquis threatened him with Madam Ming, so your
uncle had to agree with him. Madam Ming was very sad about this.
However, what surprised her more was that not long after, the marquis
brought his mistress to our manor. That woman was Madam Ling. She
had already had a son and a daughter by that point.”

Speaking of the past, Mother Han could not hold back her tears. A series
of blows had exhausted Madam Ming both physically and mentally.
According to the age of the b*stard, she could tell that when the boy had
been born, the marquis was promising her that he would not marry any
other woman.

Madam Ming had been utterly disappointed in the marquis, and from
then on, she had given him the cold shoulder. She had left everything
about Madam Ling to the marquis, saying that she would not get
involved in his business anymore. The couple’s relationship had become
as cold as ice.

What a tragedy that a sentimental Young Lady had married a cold-

blooded man! If the previous dynasty had not fallen, Madam Ling would
only have been a hidden mistress. Unfortunately, the old dynasty had
been replaced by the new one, and many families fell apart because of
this, and even some of them still looked uniform, they were not what
they used to be.
After giving birth to a boy for him, Ning Zu’an’s mistress had been
dreaming of becoming his principal wife. His former principal wife had
no longer been helpful for his promotion. Besides, her existence might
remind the others that she was the daughter of the Minister of War of the
previous dynasty and it would be bad for his career. Maybe because of
these, he had forced Madam Ming to Bright Frost Garden.

The outsiders thought that Ning Zu’an was a man of deep affection, and
although Madam Ming had offered not to be his principal wife, he still
let her be his co-wife, and allocated a courtyard to her to rest. However,
nobody knew that there was a big conspiracy behind it.

The scum and his vicious mistress had colluded and framed Madam
Ming. Madam Ming had already disheartened with Ning Zu’an, and after
that, she had to move to Bright Frost Garden.

“Was the military medallion of the former dynasty in my grandfather’s

hand?” Ning Xueyan asked coldly. She suddenly figured out many
things. Some of those who had suddenly appeared at Madam Ming’s
funeral used to be the noble family members of the previous dynasty.
That meant some people had had to surrender to the new emperor and
become the officials of the new dynasty.

It was said that the founding emperor of the Chu Kingdom, the current
emperor’s father, was an ambitious and talented man. That was why he
valued the talented people, even the main high-rank officials, no matter
if they had worked for the previous dynasty before or not. Unfortunately,
not long after he had founded the kingdom, this great emperor died.
Thus, the current emperor took the throne.

However, the old emperor had also announced his will to his subjects
and the current emperor before death and appointed Ao Chenyi to be the
current emperor’s successor.

Those officials who had helped the former emperor found the Chu
Kingdom were all very capable and loyal. Otherwise, they could not
have overthrown the previous dynasty. Most of them had been high-rank
officials, and after their retirement, many of their students were still
working for the court. That was why the current emperor did not dare to
depose Prince Yi now.
“Military medallion? I don’t know. Since the minister was in charge of
the Ministry of War, maybe the military medallion…” Mother Han
paused for a moment at this question and did not know how to answer.
She was just a servant of the inner courtyard, and it was impossible for
her to know such kind of things.

Ning Xueyan took a deep breath and bit her lip, a piercing light crossing
her eyes. She suddenly shifted the topic and asked, “Mammy, have you
heard of the empress of the former dynasty? Have you seen her before?”

Although Ning Xueyan was not well-informed, she knew that the
empress of the previous dynasty was an extremely beautiful lady. It was
said that the empress had caused the fall of the previous dynasty.
Therefore, in most rumors, this empress was an evil woman who had
brought calamity to the country and people of the previous dynasty.

Hearing Ning Xueyan mentioning the previous dynasty’s empress,

Mother Han’s face turned pale. “Miss, are you talking about Empress
Han? You can never talk about her! It’s a taboo to the court. If people
from the court know that we are talking about Empress Han, we will be
beheaded!” she immediately covered Ning Xueyan’s mouth and
reminded her in a low voice anxiously.

Ning Xueyan shook her head calmly, gesturing Mother Han to let go of
her. Then Mother Han removed her hand from her mouth. Mother Han’s
face was ashen and she could not help trembling with fear. Since she was
so scared, Ning Xueyan did not ask more. The previous empress was
really mysterious! The rumors said that she had led to the downfall of the
country, but in the history books, nothing about this was mentioned. The
history books only said that her surname was Han, and she had burned
herself the day the imperial city was captured.

That was all about her.

It seemed that the empress the history books recorded was not the same
one as the evil woman the rumors described. However, they actually
were the same person.

“It’s said the princess of the previous dynasty was still a child when the
coup took place. After that, she was missing,” Ning Xueyan could not
help asking.
“Miss, that princess had already died in the fire. Almost half of the
imperial palace was burnt out, so it was impossible for a child to survive.
She must have died. She had no chance to survive.” Mother Han’s face
turned blue and she shook his hand in fright.

“Mammy, I want to know if she were still alive, how old would she be
now?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly.

“Probably… sixteen or seventeen!” Mother Han answered hesitantly.

Ning Xueyan looked at Mother Han quietly. Until Mother Han felt
uneasy at her gaze and turned her head to the side, she continued,
“Mammy, do you think Ning Qingshan could be the princess from the
previous dynasty?”

“Third Young Lady? Impossible! No way!” Mother Han answered

firmly, without hesitation.

“Why couldn’t Ning Qingshan be the previous dynasty’s princess?” Ning

Xueyan muttered with a frown, a suspicious look in her jet-black eyes. It
was very different from what she had expected.

“There’s no chance that Third Young Lady is the princess. Although

Third Young Lady is about her age, she couldn’t be the princess of the
previous dynasty. I have seen the princess more than one time when I
worked for Madam Ming. If she were still alive, her appearance should
be different from when she was a child, but there should be still some
similarities. I didn’t see anything in Third Young Lady about the princess
when she was a kid, so it’s impossible that they are the same person.”

Mother Han shook her head again.

Ning Xueyan hesitated for a while and stopped asking. It seemed that she
could not solve her doubts soon, but she trust Mother Han and believed
that Ning Qingshan was not the missing princess of the previous dynasty.
But from Ning Qingshan’s manner and the way Xia’er behaved and
spoke when she had met them for the first time, Ning Xueyan still felt
that Ning Qingshan had something to do with the princess.

Besides, like a death squad member, although the sudden appeared maid
looked pale with fear, she had still taken all the blame for Ning
Qingshan. Who the hell was Ning Qingshan? Why did a death squad
member appear by her side? Although Ning Zu’an said that Ning
Qingshan was an old friend’s child, Ning Xueyan did not believe it.

Anyway, there must be some secrets about Ning Qingshan. Ning Xueyan
knew she must be more careful when she dealt with Ning Qingshan in
the future.

It seemed Ning Qingshan would escape from being punished this time.
Nobody had thought that a maid would have been willing to take the
blame for her, and Third Prince, Ao Mingyu, had let go of Ning
Qingshan so easily.

Fortunately, Ning Xueyan had gained something today. At least, she

could tell that Ao Mingyu’s attitude toward Ning Qingshan had changed.
He had been gentle when he looked at Ning Qingshan, but today, Ning
Xueyan had clearly seen the disgust look in his eyes. He had not been
treating Ning Qingshan like a lover he had waited three years for.

As for why Ao Mingyu had not lost his temper with Ning Qingshan on
spot, Ning Xueyan thought there must be some special reason.

Because of this special reason, Ao Mingyu could not offend Ning

Qingshan for the moment.

“Lanning, ask Xinmei to visit Concubine Ma secretly and inform

Concubine Ma to mingle with those kitchen staffs who are in charge of
cleaning up the kitchen waste and leave the manor,” Ning Xueyan said
coolly.

Every day after super, the kitchen staff would clean up the waste from
the day. Some people would take away the leftover food and dishes.
Since it would be getting dark when they left, nobody would notice
them.

“Miss, what if Concubine Ma is caught? She will definitely tell the

others that you helped her escape. Then you will be in danger! She did
not want to come out and it took me a long time to find her today,”
Mother Han said anxiously. After Ning Xueyan had stopped asking her
about the previous dynasty, she became much more relaxed. Now when
she heard that Ning Xueyan was going to have Concubine Ma leave, she
became nervous again.

In her mind, Concubine Ma was not a kind person. She had followed
Madam Ling’s words and tried to poison Ning Xueyan before. Now she
was trying to frame Ning Xueyan again following Ning Qingshan’s
instruction. So obviously, she was a selfish and vicious woman. If she
was caught, she would definitely sell Ning Xueyan up.

Concubine Ma had promised Ning Xueyan to go out, but Mother Han

had not seen her after waiting for a long time. Finally Mother Han had
found her with the help of other maids and sent her to Lucky Garden.

“She… had no chance to sell me out!” Ning Xueyan bit her lip and
sneered, a bloodthirsty coldness flashing in her eyes.

Concubine Ma had never been an honest person. She had broken her
word before, and she would do the same thing in the future. If Ning
Xueyan had not prepared in advance, she might have already been set up
by Ning Qingshan because of Concubine Ma. Concubine Ma had
promised Ning Xueyan that she would suddenly show up from a path
and caught Ning Qingshan off guard. If she acted as they had agreed,
Concubine Ma should have walked to them from a path much earlier
than she had shown up at Lucky Garden.

However, after waiting for a long time, she still had not come out yet.
Thankfully, Ning Xueyan had asked Mother Han in advance to look for
Concubine Ma if she failed to show up as schedule. When Mother Han
had found her, Concubine Ma said that she had gotten held up.

Obviously, she did not want to come out at all. She just wanted to watch
Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan both lose, and then she could reap the
benefits.

But Concubine Ma did not seem to be that bold! There must be

somebody else watching the backyard of the Lord Protector’s Manor!

Since Concubine Mas was so vicious, Ning Xueyan knew it was

unnecessary to show any mercy to her. After rebirth, she had always
assessed the situation carefully before action. She would never hurt
herself and people who cared about her again because of her helping
others.

Although Mother Han did not know what Ning Xueyan meant, she knew
her young master had been much smarter than before recently. Since her
young master said she would be okay, she believed that nothing bad
would happen to her. Then Mother Han left with a nod.

After supper, Concubine Ma put on coarse clothes and cautiously walked

to the door of the kitchen. She got into the prepared barrel and after the
barrel was closed from outside, she sat down with a big bag in her arms.
She took a sigh of relief and closed her eyes triumphantly, pretending to
be asleep.

The gold in the bag was the payment someone had given to her for
making Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan both lose in the fight. She had
been surprised that someone was thinking in the same way as she did.
Moreover, that person also gave her a sum of money.

“I didn’t expect that Fifth Young Lady was so cunning. Her servants still
found me even though I have hidden in such a concealed place.
Otherwise, I would have gotten more gold!” Thinking about this, she
looked a little sorry.
Chapter 221 Concubine Ma’s
Death
Suddenly, the cart stopped, as if it bumped against something. “Have I
reached my destination?” Concubine Ma wondered.

Soon, the barrel began to shake again, as if being lifted by someone.

Sensing this, Concubine Ma became more assured. She held her breath
in the barrel and did not dare to move at all.

The barrel landed firmly, as if being placed on a cart. Then the cart was
pulled away. At the beginning, the barrel shook a little, but not seriously.
Based on the distance they had traveled, Concubine Ma estimated that
they had left the Lord Protector’s Manor. She felt a little relieved. It was
really convenient to come out of the manor at this point!

After some time, the cart stopped and the barrel was lifted again.
Concubine Ma listened carefully, but heard nothing. It seemed
everything was extremely quiet outside. Then something very heavy was
hung over the barrel and Concubine Ma felt that under the weight of it,
the barrel was likely to fall. Before she could do anything, the barrel
suddenly rolled out in the air horizontally.

With a bang, Concubine Ma felt the barrel being thrown into somewhere.
The water gushed into the barrel with a splash and the barrel sunk into
the depth of the water rapidly. A barrel should not have sunk at such a
speed in water!

“Heavens!” Concubine Ma screamed subconsciously and was about to

get out the barrel. She realized that the barrel had been tied with an iron
block and thrown into the water.

The water rushed in and soon the barrel was full. Concubine Ma could
not even stand up and she sank rapidly with the barrel. In her last waking
moment, she realized that she was going to die. She had never thought
that she would die the moment she had just fled the Lord Protector’s
Manor.
If she were given a chance to choose again, she would not accept the
gold, and she would not follow the other’s words to frame Ning Xueyan.
Then she might not lose her life.

A woman in white stood by the river, watching the barrel sink with a
relaxed look. Now there were no more bubbles came out from where the
barrel sank. If nobody else had witnessed this, the barrel with an iron
block on it and the body of the Lord Protector’s Manor’s concubine
might never be found out.

“What a stupid woman! She even thought about getting the second batch
of gold. Now she can only ask the king of the hell for it!”

The woman turned to the road beside her and disappeared soon. Only a
middle-aged cart driver was left on the bank. He was in a coma beside a
cart, on which there were several big barrels.

After a while, this man woke up. He touched his head, wondering why
he had suddenly fainted here. He did not find anything wrong and pulled
the cart forward along the river bank. He would reach his destination
after crossing one more road.

A building made of bamboo stood in a bamboo forest. Although it was in

winter, it still looked fresh and elegant.

The woman in white showed up. She walked into the bamboo forest and
came over to the building. After going upstairs, she stopped behind a
bamboo curtain.

“Master, it’s done!” The woman in white stood there respectful and then
bowed to the person in the room, a gentle smile on her beautiful face.

“Are you sure Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor is the
one we are looking for?” An elegant and alluring man’s voice rang out
behind the curtain.

“Yes. I think she is!” the woman answered after a short moment of
hesitation.

“You think? You must make sure of it!” With a snort, a powerful energy
wrapped in killing intent rushed out and hit the woman. The woman’s
feet felt like jelly and she got down to the bamboo floor on one knee
with a bang with a trace of blood at the corner of her lips.

“Got it. I will try my best,” she gritted her teeth and answered with
difficulty, covering her chest with her hand.

“Continue to investigate. I don’t want to hear any uncertain answer, and I

don’t hope such a thing happen again.” The alluring voice became much
gentler and sounded so elegant and melodious.

It was as if he had not been annoyed just now.

“Got it. I’ll look into the situation thoroughly!” the woman answered and
nodded hard.

“You can leave now!” The man’s voice became cold again.

“Yes, master! I’m leaving now.” The woman in white sentimentally

looked at the tall and straight figure through the bamboo curtain and then
staggered downstairs, covering her chest with her hand.

After a while, a slender hand lifted the bamboo curtain and an extremely
beautiful man appeared on the platform of the bamboo building, his
bright green clothes fluttering in the wind. He threw the fan in his hand
to the air and then caught it again.

A brilliant and charming smile appeared on his face. However, if people

observed carefully, they could tell although he was smiling, he was not
pleased.

Concubine Ma was missing! This time, the maid did not dare to report to
anyone without making sure of it, so it was not until noon the next day
that the news spread. By that time, Concubine Ma had been missing for
the whole night.

Ning Zu’an asked his men to search every corner of the Lord Protector’s
Manor, but they found neither Concubine Ma nor her body.

This time, of course, nobody said her missing had something to do with
Fifth Young Lady of Bright Frost Garden.
Third Young Lady had stopped Fifth Young Lady at the gate and accused
her of trying to help Concubine Ma escape, but later, Concubine Ma was
found at Madam Dowager’s courtyard. This news had spread all over the
manor.

Concubine Ma had been at odds with Fifth Young Lady and she had tried
to poison Fifth Young Lady before. Therefore, the servants of the manor
did not believe that Fifth Young Lady would help Concubine Ma to
escape. They thought Third Young Lady must have misunderstood, that
was why she had said this.

Now Concubine Ma disappeared quietly from the manor, and it could not
have anything to do with Fifth Young Lady. Fifth Young Lady was still
very young and she was so weak. Besides, she seldom went out. How
could she make Concubine Ma disappear without arousing attention?
Although someone said that Lanning had gone to Concubine Ma’s
courtyard yesterday after Fifth Young Lady and Third Young Lady had
argued at the gate, someone else proved that Lanning had been there to
warn Concubine Ma, because Concubine Ma behaved strangely and she
was probably to flee.

It was Bright Frost Garden’s servant who had found her yesterday!

Therefore, Concubine Ma was more likely to have escaped by her own.

Now some sensitive people became suspicious about Third Young Lady.
It was obvious that Concubine Ma had tried to escape on her own will.
Since she had offended First Madam, and people who knew Madam Ling
well could tell that Madam Ling would not let go of Concubine Ma after
she was released from the Buddha Hall, it was normal for Concubine Ma
to have come up with an idea of escaping.

But why had Third Young Lady said that Fifth Young Lady had
something to do with her escaping? Fifth Young Lady had little contact
with Concubine Ma, so it was impossible for her to help the latter to
escape. Besides, Third Young Lady’s servant had been very aggressive
when she accused Fifth Young Lady at the gate, saying that Fifth Young
Lady was unfilial and immoral because she was going to help Concubine
Ma leave the manor and meet her lover.
Could Third Young Lady really have something to do with Concubine
Ma’s missing? Unlike Fifth Young Lady, Third Young Lady was close
with Third Prince. Third Prince was so powerful, so it would be a piece
of cake for him to take away a concubine from the Lord Protector’s
Manor.

If that was the case, why had she stopped Fifth Young Lady at the gate
yesterday?

It was said that Concubine Ma had been very close with Third Young
Lady’s maid, Caifen, recently. They had talked secretly from time to
time, as if they were plotting something.

Under somebody’s deliberate guidance, the servants of the manor

gradually associated Concubine Ma’s missing to Ning Qingshan.

At Lucky Garden…

Now only Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an were sitting in the room.
After serving the tea for them, Mother Qin exited respectfully. She
closed the door when she walked out. She did not leave, but still stayed
at the door.

She was smart and she knew that she should not listen to such
conversations. Although Madam Dowager did not ask her to leave, she
still stepped out consciously.

She was clear that the more she knew, the sooner she would die.

“Don’t waste time looking for Concubine Ma any more. She is just a
concubine. Give her family some silver and put the matter to rest.” Since
only the two of them in the room, Madam Dowager put down her teacup
and put things straightforward.

Although Concubine Ma was only a concubine, she was different from

those servants bought by the Nings, and the masters of the manor could
not end her life at will. Otherwise, if the rumors spread out, it would be
very disadvantageous to the Lord Protector’s Manor. The manor had
been in a lot of trouble recently.
“Mother, don’t worry. I have given some silver to Concubine Ma’s
family and hinted them that Concubine Ma had eloped with another man.
Her family members won’t come here to make trouble.” Ning Zu’an
nodded, an angry look crossing his eyes. He had almost forgotten what
Concubine Ma had done before, but to his surprise, she escaped from the
manor today! Ning Zu’an had asked his men to investigate carefully, and
they found out that Concubine Ma actually had an affair with an actor!

He had been cuckolded for a long time! Thinking about this, Ning Zu’an
could not hold back his anger.

“Don’t be upset about it anymore. After all, she’s just a concubine. I

reminded you to be cautious with people from poor families when you
were about to bring her in, but you didn’t follow my words and insisted
on marrying her as your concubine,” Madam Dowager said unpleasantly.

She had objected to Ning Zu’an’s bringing Concubine Ma to the manor,

but Ning Zu’an had repeatedly promised that Concubine Ma was a pure
woman, and although her family was not rich, her background was clean.
But what had she done since she came to the manor? She had tried to
poison Yan’er, and she had fought Madam Ling, and now she even
escaped! She had brought a lot of trouble to the family!

“Mother, I know I was wrong, but Madam Ling is really…” Ning Zu’an
realized that he had made a mistake, so he shifted the topic and tried to
talk about something else, but Madam Dowager cut him off impatiently.

“It’s useless to talk about that now. You should keep our manor in order.
What do you think about Shan’er? Yuan’er said that Third Prince was
very angry at that point, but he didn’t punish Shan’er and only took away
Shan’er’s maid, who had taken all the blame for Shan’er.”

Madam Dowager’s brows knitted tightly. She had been trying to avoid
talking about that matter. She had strongly opposed to keeping Ning
Qingshan in the manor, but Ning Zu’an had insisted on keeping her, so
he had adopted Ning Qingshan as his daughter. However, Madam
Dowager was still worried that something bad would happen to the
manor because of Ning Qingshan. At the thought of this, she had no
appetite to eat and could not fell asleep.
She had a feeling that Ning Qingshan was a hidden trouble, and she
would get the whole manor into trouble sooner or later.

“Mother, calm down. I knew clearly about what happened years ago. We
won’t have any trouble because of this child. Since Honored Consort Ya
is sincere to have Shan’er her daughter-in-law, I can tell she also
approved our adoption of Shan’er. Don’t worry about it anymore. Third
Prince seemed to be very angry, but in the end, he did nothing to
Shan’er.”

Ning Zu’an was also uneasy, but he still tried to comfort Madam
Dowager.

“I hope so!” Madam Dowager nodded with a heavy heart and let out a
long sigh. If Grand Tutor Ya had not asked them for help, she would not
have accepted Ning Qingshan. No matter how smart and obedient Ning
Qingshan was, Madam Dowager would not treat her as her own
granddaughter. She decided to unite the imperial family by marrying her
own granddaughters to the princes. “Zu’an, do you think that Fourth
Prince really has feelings for Yan’er?”
Chapter 222 Under What
Circumstances Is It Advantageous
for a Girl to Cancel the
Engagement?
“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll inquire Fourth Prince about it at the right time.
But since Yan’er’s status is not that high, I’m afraid that Honored
Consort Shu wouldn’t let Fourth Prince marry her. No matter how Fourth
Prince likes Yan’er, he can’t disobey his mother’s will.” Ning Zu’an
knew what Madam Dowager was thinking, and he could not help
frowning after thinking for a moment.

The problem was still Ning Xueyan’s identity. As her mother was just a
co-wife, she was not worthy of a prince.

“I don’t think so! Madam Ming used to be your principal wife, and she
was your first wife, so Yan’er is your principal wife’s daughter, and she
is much more distinguished than Ziyan and Yuling!” Madam Dowager
snorted and defended Ning Xueyan. She seldom spoke for Ning Xueyan.

No matter how low Ning Xueyan’s status was, for Madam Dowager, she
was of noble blood.

“Mother!” Ning Huaiyuan cleared his throat and cut her off awkwardly.

“Fine! Fine! I won’t bring up the past. Keep an eye on Fourth Prince. If
Fourth Prince can’t convince Honored Consort Shu to marry Yan’er as
his principal wife, at least he can marry her as his co-consort. After all,
Yan’er is Lord Protector’s daughter, so she should be noble enough to be
a co-consort of Fourth Prince,”

Madam Dowager said resentfully. She shot a glare to Ning Huaiyuan

with a complicated expression.
Ning Zu’an knew that Madam Dowager was blaming him for what he
had done years ago. He nodded obediently and did not dare to say much
fear of upsetting her again. He only promised that he would sound
Fourth Prince out.

They talked for a while before Ning Zu’an stood up and took a leave.
After seeing Ning Zu’an off at the courtyard gate, Mother Qin walked
back to Lucky Garden.

Every one of the manor knew that Third Young Lady had stopped Fifth
Young Lady at the Lord Protector’s Manor’s gate and argued with her. It
seemed she had been trying to frame Fifth Young Lady. Moreover, her
servant, Mammy Luo had even discredited Fifth Young Lady. Of course
Madam Dowager could not turn a deaf ear to such rumors. She asked
people to beat Mammy Luo twenty times with a stick as a warning to
others.

And she also stopped paying for Ning Qingshan’s expenses for three
months as punishment.

The punishment was not serious at all. However, since Ning Qingshan
had made so much trouble not long after returning to the manor, the
others did not value her as much as they used to. It was quite different
from when she had just come back and everyone had praised her.

Sitting in front of Mammy Luo’s bed, Ning Qingshan clenched her fists
and her nails coated with red nail polish deeply embedded in her flesh.

She had begun to plot everything three years ago, hoping that she would
enjoy a higher reputation than three years ago. Thus, the others might
ignore the fact that she was only an adopted daughter of the Lord
Protector’s Manor. Then she would have a grand wedding with Third
Prince and gain both fame and fortune. With this on mind, she had
endured the boring and poor life in the nunnery for three years.

However, to her surprise, after three years, she had not only gotten what
she deserved, but even Third Prince began to distance her as well. From
the disgust look in his eyes at the manor gate, she could tell that Ao
Mingyu had agreed what Ning Xueyan said.

She could not bear her careful plan to be ruined by Ning Xueyan!
She had always been the object of envy, but since she met Ning Xueyan,
she had tasted failure and jealousy.

Thinking about this, she was both angry and unreconciled.

She swore that she would never let go of Ning Xueyan.

“Miss, calm down. It’s not easy to deal with Fifth Young Lady. I
shouldn’t have been so quick-tempered to argue with her. Look at me
now! If not for your sake, Madam Dowager would have beaten me to
death.” Mammy Luo knew that Ning Qingshan could not swallow the
result, so she persuaded her, holding back the sharp pain.

Mammy Luo had regained reason and she knew that she had been too
impulsive yesterday. If she had not been overconfident and argued with
Ning Xueyan, she would not have been punished and gotten her master
into trouble. It made Mammy Luo realize that Ning Xueyan was difficult
to meddle with. If they had a head-on confrontation with Ning Xueyan,
her master would suffer a loss.

Hatred made the blood rush in Ning Qingshan’s chest. “Mammy, don’t
worry. I will be very cautious in the future,” she gritted her teeth and said
slowly.

She had been too contemptuous of her opponent and acted too recklessly.
She had thought that Ning Xueyan would have retreated in the battle, but
obviously, she herself was the loser! She had lost Xia’er, and now
Mammy Luo was punished. Both of them had been staying with her at
the nunnery for three years! Fortunately, Madam Dowager had shown
mercy and spared Mammy Luo’s life. Otherwise, nobody would serve
her and work for her as wholeheartedly as they had done.

“Miss, Fourth Young Lady…” Mammy Luo hesitated for a while, but
still wanted to talk about Fourth Young Lady with Ning Qingshan. She
had been quite in favor of taking advantage of Ning Lingyun, but now
she thought it was necessary to reconsider it. Otherwise, they might
suffer even more.

“Mammy, leave it to me. Take good care of yourself. After your wound
healed up, you can help me again.” Ning Qingshan stopped Mammy Luo
unpleasantly. Then she stood up and put down her hand. Before Mammy
Luo could say anything, she turned to leave with Caifen. Anyway, she
would not spare Ning Xueyan.

Mammy Luo shook her head helplessly and stopped talking.

Her master was so smart, so she should not have lost to Fifth Young
Lady, who was still too young. Mammy Luo felt guilty, because if she
had not been too careless, her master would not have been in trouble this
time.

“Caifen, go and visit Fourth Young Lady. Bring her some fruits and tell
her that I can’t eat so much, so I would like to share with her. By the
way, tell her that Third Prince invited us to visit his suburban courtyard.
Fifth Sister and she will go with me tomorrow. She can take anyone she
wants with her.” After returning to her room and sitting down, Ning
Qingshan said with a thoughtful look, pointing at a basket fruit on the
table.

These fruits were very fresh and it was obvious that they had just been
picked from the trees. It was not easy to have such fresh fruits in winter.
They had been produced from Third Prince’s greenhouse and the yield
was not high. After taking away her maid yesterday, Ao Mingyu had
specially ordered his servant to bring the basket of fruit to Ning
Qingshan.

It was said that Third Prince’s greenhouse was very famous in the
capital. It was located in Third Prince’s suburban courtyard and the fruit
and vegetable were fresh even in winter. Third Prince had specially
ordered the servant who brought the fruit to Ning Qingshan to tell her
about this.

Caifen immediately understood her master’s intention. “Got it.” She

nodded and took out several fruits from the basket and put them into a
salver. Then she placed the salver into another food basket and walked
out.

Ning Xueyan was reading when someone told her that Concubine Ma
was missing. This did not have much to do with her. Concubine Ma had
disappeared once yesterday, now she disappeared again! But this time,
nobody would think that Ning Xueyan had something to do with this.
Indeed, she had nothing to do with this in addition to having given
Concubine Ma a push.

Concubine Ma had been too greedy. After reaching an agreement with

Ning Xueyan, she had also wanted to set her up. She had known so many
secrets, so it was normal that she had been murdered. How miserable!
Concubine Ma had thought that she had taken advantage of others and
she had never thought she would have lost her life because of this. But
she deserved it!

“Miss, I saw Caifen head for Fourth Young Lady’s courtyard with a
basket in her hand. It seemed to be some food in the basket,” Qingyu
reported, lifting the door curtain and coming in. She had gone to send the
account books to Madam Dowager when she suddenly saw Caifen walk
toward Ning Lingyun’s place. Feeling something wrong, she had rushed
back to tell Ning Xueyan.

Many people of the manor said that Caifen had been very close with
Concubine Ma recently. However, as Madam Dowager did not arrange
for people to investigate Concubine Ma’s disappearance, and she did not
even allow anyone to talk about it, so nothing bad had happened to
Caifen yet. Qingyu thought that Ning Qingshan was trying to frame Ning
Xueyan by making use of Caifen, so she had paid close attention to this
maid’s every move.

“Was she alone when you saw her?” Ning Xueyan raised her head and
sneered. Ning Qingshan had failed to frame her and now she wanted to
make another try. Obviously, she wanted to make use of Ning Lingyun
this time. Now Ning Xueyan figured out why Ning Qingshan had been
so close with Ning Lingyun when she saw them on the other day. She
had already planned to deal with her by that point.

“What does she want Ning Lingyun to do for her? Why is she so
confident that Ning Lingyun will help her?” Ning Xueyan wondered.

“Yes, I only saw her. She looked around while walking toward Fourth
Young Lady’s courtyard. Obviously, she visited Fourth Young Lady for
some shady business!” Qingyu said angrily.

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and picked up the book beside her. She
glanced at the withered leaves of a cluster of plantain outside, her eyes as
calm as autumn water. “Qingyu, pay close attention to Fourth Young
Lady. Let me know immediately if there’s anything wrong,” she said.

Under Ning Qingshan’s instruction, Ning Lingyun would definitely

make a move. From her look on the other day, Ning Xueyan could tell
that Ning Lingyun still had feelings for Ao Mingyu. She had looked so
affectionate, just like when she had seen Ao Mingyu. When Ao Mingyu
had visited the manor some time ago, Ning Lingyun had not shown up in
front of him on purpose.

What had made her become so confident again? She was going to marry
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Could she still think about to
marry someone else?

It was so interesting!

Qingyu nodded. But after thinking for a while, she still felt not assured.
“Miss, I’m worried that Fourth Young Lady and Senior Concubine Xu
will join hands to deal with you! Do you want me to keep an eye on
Senior Concubine Xu?” she asked.

Ning Xueyan shook her head with a sneer and answered briefly, “No!”

Senior Concubine Xu was very satisfied with the engagement between

Ning Lingyun and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. If Ning
Lingyun changed her mind and wanted to cancel the engagement, she
would not dare to tell Senior Concubine Xu. With her characteristics,
Ning Lingyun would not let Senior Concubine Xu know until everything
had been settled. The person she loved was not Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li, Ao Xian, but Third Prince, Ao Mingyu.

No matter why Ning Lingyun was willing to cooperate with Ning

Qingshan to frame Ning Xueyan, this matter would have something to do
with Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

But under what circumstances did an engagement cancellation not

damage the girl’s reputation?

Ning Xueyan touched the book page slowly and looked down, a sneer on
her lips.
If Ning Lingyun had agreed to follow Ning Qingshan’s words, she would
definitely help her to deal with Ning Xueyan. Ning Lingyun was not that
patient, so she would not wait a long time before making a move.

As Ning Xueyan expected, Ning Lingyun was impatient to wait. When

she heard that Ning Qingshan had made a fool of herself at the gate, she
had hesitated for some time, but when she saw the fruits Ning Qingshan
had sent to her, she immediately made up her mind. It was obvious that
Ning Qingshan had tried to frame Ning Xueyan at the manor gate, but no
one held her accountable for this matter.

In addition to the older female servant who had made impertinent

remarks had been beaten, nobody had been punished, and even the maid
who had just brought the fruits to her was still safe and sound. It must be
because Madam Dowager did not want to offend Third Prince. It was not
a big deal for Third Prince to make the maid Ning Qingshan’s scapegoat
and spare Ning Qingshan easily.

Since Third Prince did not want to punish Ning Qingshan, of course
Madam Dowager did not dare to disobey his will.

“If I can marry Third Prince in the future, no one of the manor will dare
to offend me!” Thinking about this, Ning Lingyun’s heart thumped. After
sending Caifen away, she asked her personal maid in and whispered in
her ear for a while.

The maid immediately understood her intention with a nod. She left the
manor and headed for the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor under the
pretext of buying candied fruit for Ning Lingyun.

On the other hand, the maids of Bright Frost Garden and Foggy
Courtyard rushed back to their courtyards and reported the news to their
own masters.
Chapter 223 The Similar Clothes
“Miss, Fourth Young Lady asked her maid to convey a message to
Commandery Prince Li just now,” Caifen walked into the room and
reported to Ning Qingshan. After bringing the fruits to Ning Lingyun,
she had not left but hidden near Ning Lingyun’s courtyard. Seeing Ning
Lingyun’s maid leaving in a hurry, she returned to Foggy Courtyard
triumphantly.

Everything was undergoing as her master had expected!

“Ask that man to wait near Third Prince’s suburban courtyard. I wonder
what methods he will use to get my fifth sister’s attention.” Ning
Qingshan sneered triumphantly. She was patient this time, and she would
make Ning Xueyan fall into her trap step by step. Anyway, the idiot,
Ning Lingyun, was willing to be taken advantage of by her. Even if it
were exposed, nobody would be suspicious about her.

Qingyu ran into Bright Frost Garden in a hurry and whispered in Ning
Xueyan’s ear for a moment.

Ning Xueyan nodded and put down the book in her hand calmly. She
thought for a while and asked Lanning to come in. Since Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li had been engaged to Ning Lingyun, Ning
Xueyan paid close attention to the news about Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li. Mother Han would also bring her such kind of
news from time to time.

A playboy like Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li had never

known what ‘low-key’ was.

A piece of sensational news spread in the capital recently. Princely Heir

of Commandery Prince Li and Ya Changqing had been competing for a
popular prostitute and they had done all they could to please her.

It was very attracting news that two noble childes had a crush on the
same prostitute, so people in the capital buzzed about it. It was said that
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li lost in the competition, so this
playboy was probably in a bad mood now.

Mother Han often went out, and she had happened to hear another news
about the most popular prostitute.

Lanning was at Mother Wang’s room following Ning Xueyan’s order.

When she heard that Ning Xueyan was asking her to come back, she
immediately said good-bye to Mother Wang and walked to Ning
Xueyan’s room with Qingyu.

“Lanning, was there a rumor in the capital that Ning Qingshan was both
beautiful and talented, as well as extremely filial and loyal?” Ning
Xueyan asked casually. She stirred some powder with her fingers while
glancing at the book page.

She had just concocted the fragrant powder as per the formula, but she
was not sure if it was as same as it should be. She wanted Aunt Xiang to
have a look, but Aunt Xiang was at the imperial palace, it was not easy
to meet her.

“Yes. Such rumors had spread for a long time. But since a chain of
events had happened after her return, people’s praise for Third Young
Lady dwindled.” Lanning nodded.

“Has Ao Xian ever seen her before?” Ning Xueyan raised her jet-black
eyes and asked in a soft voice.

“Never. Third Young Lady is so proud, so it’s impossible for her to offer
to meet people like Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.” Even
Lanning could tell that Ning Qingshan was a proud person, so of course,
Ning Qingshan would not have any feelings for Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li, the playboy!

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was also from a noble family,

but he had never seen Ning Qingshan. That meant very few people had
seen Ning Qingshan.

That meant very few people were familiar with Ning Qingshan!
“Third Young Lady’s clothes should be very plain when she was at the
nunnery. Find a dress for me from my former clothes. I’m going to wear
it tomorrow,” Ning Xueyan suddenly shifted the topic and said with a
smile.

Ning Qingshan was a person for fame. Life of the nunnery should be
poor, so it was normal to wear plain clothes there. But after all, Ning
Qingshan was a Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, she would
not have worn clothes made of coarse cloth. Therefore, the clothes she
had worn at the nunnery were all made of the most ordinary brocade,
even though they were not much better than coarse cloth.

Thus, she would not have looked too shabby and people would think that
she was sincere to meditate.

It was coincident that Ning Xueyan had had no good-quality brocade

either before. Madam Ling had sent some brocade to her, but the brocade
was the commonest, no better than coarse cloth. So the quality of the
brocade was as same as Ning Qingshan’s.

When Ning Qingshan was at the nunnery, she could not wear bright-
colored dresses. Madam Ling had never had people to make any clothes
with cheerful color for Ning Xueyan. Therefore, except for the style, the
clothes Ning Qingshan had worn was almost as same as those of Ning
Xueyan’s. Of course, it was possible that they both had clothes in the
same style.

“Got it. I’ll arrange for it right now.” Lanning did not know what Ning
Xueyan was going to do, but she still nodded. She trusted Ning Xueyan
from the bottom of her heart. Her master must have her reasons for
asking her to do it.

After Lanning left, Ning Xueyan asked Xinmei to come in and said
something to her. Then Xinmei turned to leave.

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, Ao Xian, was very upset

recently. Why? It was quite simple—the most popular prostitute he liked
had been taken away by someone else. And that person was no other
than Ya Changqing, Grand Tutor Ya’s grandson!
Ao Xian would not have given in so easily and he would have gotten into
a fight if that person was not Grand Tutor Ya’s grandson. Now he could
not do this, because he did not dare to offend Ya Changqing.

Commandery Prince Li was only an ordinary imperial family member

without so much competence, while Grand Tutor Ya was really powerful.
His daughter was an honored consort of the emperor and his grandson
was Third Prince, who was thought highly of by the emperor. Ao Xian
was a playboy, but he was not stupid. He knew that he would not have
any chance to win if there was a battle between Ya Changqing and him.

But he did not want to give in like this watching such a beautiful woman
fall into Ya Changqing’s hand.

After returning to his manor, he began to walk around in his study room
without even having lunch, wondering how to rob that beautiful lady
back from Ya Changqing’s hand. He suddenly saw his personal servant
from the door, who was obvious watching him, when he was distracted.

He flew into a rage and picked up a vase near him before throwing it to
the door. “You bastard, what are you doing?” he shouted angrily.

Seeing the vase flying toward him, the young male servant shrank his
neck and avoided it. He walked over in a hurry and knelt in front of his
master. “Princely Heir, Fourth Young Lady’s maid from the Lord
Protector’s Manor is waiting outside. She said she had something to tell
you,” the servant said anxiously.

He knew his master was in a bad mood now, so he did not dare to say
irrelevant words. He had been reluctant to report to Princely Heir about
the maid’s visiting, but since she was the personal maid of Princely
Heir’s future wife, he did not dare to offend her, so he had to come over
to check if Ao Xian felt better now. However, to his surprise, Ao Xian
had lost his temper at the sight of him at the door.

“Ning Lingyun’s maid?”

“Bring her in.” Although Ao Xian was in a bad mood, he took Ning
Lingyun’s business seriously. A woman as gentle and generous as Ning
Lingyun would be the most suitable to be his principal wife, because
such a woman would not ill-treat his concubines in the future. Besides,
their families were equal in social status.

If he had followed his grandmother’s words and chosen a shrew to be his

wife, those beautiful ladies of his backyard could not survive!

That was one of the important reasons why he had chosen Ning Lingyun,
instead of Ning Yuling.

Since Ning Lingyun was only a concubine’s daughter of the Lord

Protector’s Manor, even Ao Xian messed about with other women, she
would not dare to say anything. That would be a great thing for Ao Xian.
Besides, Ning Lingyun was delicate and charming, so Ao Xian really
liked her from the bottom of his heart.

“Got it. I’m bringing her in right now.” Since Ao Xian did not curse him
anymore, the young male servant took a sigh of relief. He wiped the
sweat off his forehead, stood up, and walked out.

The next day, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li paid a visit to the
Lord Protector’s Manor, and it was a coincidence that Third Prince came
as well. After Third Prince had just entered the room, Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li arrived. If Ao Mingyu did not know that he had
not made an appointment with Ao Xian, he would have thought that they
had agreed to come here together.

Ao Xian knew that he was incapable, but he knew how to curry favor
with others. After getting the news from Ning Lingyun’s maid that Ao
Mingyu had invited her and her sisters to go to his suburban courtyard,
he came to the Lord Protector’s Manor the next day without any
hesitation. Third Prince and Fourth Prince had not shown much interest
in talking to him when they met before. Although they were polite to
him, he knew that these two princes looked down upon him.

Therefore, he was very grateful to Ning Lingyun for informing him

about the news and letting him have an opportunity to get close to Third
Prince. He was more certain that it was the most correct decision he had
made to marry Ning Lingyun.

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and Third Prince were very

polite to each other.
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li had been engaged to Fourth
Young Lady. Although Third Prince had not been engaged yet, everyone
knew that he was very close to Third Young Lady.

Third Prince came to the Lord Protector’s Manor to invite the Young
Ladies to visit his suburban courtyard. It was said that he mainly wanted
them to have a look at his greenhouse there. The quality of the fruit
produced from the greenhouse was high and was well-known in the
capital. Besides, the close relationship between Ning Qingshan and him
made the invitation reasonable.

Moreover, in addition to Ning Qingshan, he also invited several other

Young Ladies, Ning Huaiyuan, and Ao Xian, the one who had happened
to come here with him.

As soon as Third Prince put forward the proposal, Madam Dowager

immediately agreed. She was eager to have her granddaughters to get in
touch with the imperial members. Although Ning Lingyun had already
been engaged, it would be good for her to keep a friendly relationship
with Third Prince.

After freshening themselves up, Ning Qingshan, Ning Lingyun and Ning
Xueyan got in the carriage waiting outside. Third Prince had specially
prepared the luxurious carriage for the three girls.

The carriage was very spacious inside. The three Young Ladies each
brought a maid with them. After sitting down, it was still not crowded at
all.

“Fifth Sister, it was all my fault yesterday. I really thought that the maid
was Concubine Ma!” As soon as they sat down, Ning Qingshan
apologized to Ning Xueyan sincerely, her delicate face looking sad.

She was in an unremarkable and plain dress and there were no ornaments
in her hair, but it made her look more delicate and gentle. Compared to
Ning Lingyun, who was in gorgeous clothes, she looked fresher and
more elegant. So obviously, she was more charming than Ning Lingyun.

She had chosen such attire on purpose. What had happened yesterday
had aroused Ao Mingyu’s suspicion, so she decided to keep a low profile
in her dress today to show Ao Mingyu how gentle and low-key she was.
Then he might regain his confidence in her and believed that she had just
fallen into a trap by accident instead of framing Ning Xueyan on
purpose.

But Ning Qingshan had never thought that it was not for this reason that
Ao Mingyu had suspected her. In fact, Ao Mingyu suspected that she
was Ao Chenyi’s favorite concubine. Plus the jade pendant from the
previous dynasty and Ning Xueyan’s deliberate guidance, now Ao
Mingyu was full of doubts about Ning Qingshan. He knew that she was
unlikely to be that person, but like the poisonous weeds, the suspicion
grew in his heart crazily.

He had invited them to his suburban courtyard because he wanted to test

Ning Qingshan.

Ning Qingshan was not aware of this at all. She deliberately dressed as
she had done at the nunnery. On the one hand, she wanted Third Prince
to know that she was a person of few desires, so she would never harm
anyone on purpose. On the other hand, she knew that she looked both
charming and delicate in such attire, and Third Prince would definitely
be fascinated by her again.

But she was surprised that Ning Xueyan’s clothes were so similar to hers
that she almost thought that Ning Xueyan was wearing her clothes!
Chapter 224 They All Have an
Ulterior Object in View
In plain clothes, Ning Xueyan’s face looked much paler than Ning
Qingshan’s, and it made her jet-black eyes even more clear and dark
under her trembling, long eyelashes. Her paleness reminded people of
purity and niceness and her aloof temperament made her more like a
fairy.

Compared to Ning Qingshan, she was more like to arouse Third Prince’s
attention. Ning Qingshan had been sensitively aware that Ao Mingyu
had looked at Ning Xueyan more than once before they got into the
carriage.

It made jealousy spread in Ning Qingshan’s mind, like a frantic viper.

Holding back her anger and gritting her teeth, she squeezed out a smile
and talked to Ning Xueyan. She reminded herself to be patient. She
would watch Ning Xueyan step by step into the abyss. She had many
opportunities to corner Ning Xueyan and she would watch her struggling
in the trap and being tortured!

“Third Sister, it doesn’t matter. Let’s bygones be bygones. Since so many

people had been there, they could prove my innocence. Third Prince
specially asked me about it, so obviously, all the others trust me.” Ning
Xueyan smiled slightly. Her faint smile meant that she did not care about
what had happened, but her words did not sound friendly.

If everyone believed that Ning Xueyan was innocent, Ning Qingshan,

who had been criticizing her could not be innocent. What was more,
Ning Xueyan mentioned Third Prince. Ning Qingshan’s smile almost
froze and her eyes flashed with anger. She clenched her fists more firmly
and her sharp nails almost embedded into her palms.

“She is challenging me!”

She was surprised that Ning Xueyan dared to challenge her to her face.
They were all smart, so they knew what each other was hinting although
they did not say it.

Ning Qingshan knew that she should not lose temper and argue with
Ning Xueyan at the moment. Otherwise, the others would know they
quarrel again for what had happened from the manor gate yesterday. And
it would set off another round of debate. She would be utterly defeated.
Besides, due to Mammy Luo’s eagerness, Ning Qingshan’s intention had
been exposed yesterday.

In order to prove that she was innocent, she must maintain sisterhood
with Ning Xueyan and made the others think that they were getting on
well with each other. Moreover, she had her plan. Once something bad
happened to Ning Xueyan a moment later, the others would be
suspicious about her!

Ning Lingyun felt something wrong as well. After looking at Ning

Qingshan’s frozen face, and then at Ning Xueyan’s relaxed expression,
she lowered her head cautiously. She had an ulterior object in view, so
she did not dare to say much. She worried that if she said something
wrong, Ning Xueyan would see through their plot. She had suffered a lot
because of Ning Xueyan, so she was more cautious, trying to avoid Ning
Xueyan’s attention.

She blinked at her maid by her side. The maid nodded slightly.

They communicated with each other quietly without making any noise,
sitting in the utmost corner of the carriage. It seemed that she knew well
that she was a concubine’s daughter and did not dare to make a little
noise in the battle between two principal wife’s daughters. Although she
was well dressed today, she could not be compared with the other two
Young Ladies at all in terms of aura.

“Fifth Sister, are you blaming me? It seems you still don’t believe me,”
Ning Qingshan said after hesitating for a while, looking a little annoyed.
She knew she could not confront Ning Xueyan to the face, but it would
not work to show her kindness all the time. Besides, it might make Ning
Xueyan think that she was too weak.
“Fifth Sister, you can put it straightforward if you’re still mad of me. It’s
unnecessary to hide it. I’m not good at reading heart, so I’m afraid that I
will mistake your annoyance for your forgiveness of me.”

Ning Qingshan spoke loudly with a trace of anger on her face, trying to
show that she was really angry. Ning Lingyun moved a little inside, as if
she was too timid to do anything, trying to make everyone ignore her
existence.

“Third Sister, why are you so angry? I was almost cornered yesterday.
Fortunately, the injustice was redressed. Third Sister, aren’t you feeling
happy for me?” Ning Xueyan asked back calmly with a faint smile.

“The injustice was redressed? I’m not happy about this?” Each word
seemed to hit home. Ning Qingshan had not thought that Ning Xueyan
dared to repeatedly challenge her. She felt that she could no longer
pretend.

She had deliberately spoken loudly, trying to make Ning Xueyan lower
her voice consciously and stop arguing with her. After all, Third Prince
was outside.

To her surprise, Ning Xueyan had the guts to argue with her loudly. It
seemed she did not worry about their conversation to be overheard. “She
spoke even louder than I did!” Being resentful, Ning Qingshan sneered
and was about to shoot back.

Suddenly, with a knock on the carriage, Ao Mingyu’s voice rang out

clearly, “What happened?”

“Nothing! We’re talking about what happened yesterday. I

misunderstood Fifth Sister, so I’m apologizing to her.” Hearing that,
Ning Qingshan explained to Ao Mingyu gently. She immediately held
back her anger and put on a smile.

She had to maintain her gentle and virtuous look in front of Third Prince,
and she would never let Ning Xueyan ruin her image.

She decided to make a concession and give Ning Xueyan the upper hand
for the moment. But someday in the future, she would let Ning Xueyan
kneel to her and plead her for forgiveness. At that point, Ning Xueyan
would no longer dare to contradict her!

Hearing her explanation, Ao Mingyu looked at the carriage thoughtfully

and said nothing. He then mounted his horse and rode on.

“Third Prince, the girl who was speaking is Third Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor. It’s said Third Young Lady was both filial and
loyal. I have never thought that she was such a beautiful lady. Third
Prince, you’re really lucky!” Ao Xian rode forward with Ao Mingyu on
a horse. Following Ning Lingyun’s suggestion, he had come to curry
favor with Ao Mingyu. He remembered the rumors about Third Young
Lady and Ao Mingyu. And Ao Mingyu specially invited the three Young
Ladies of the Ning Manor to visit his greenhouses.

It seemed that what the rumors said was true. So he immediately came
over and praised Ning Qingshan in front of Ao Mingyu.

He had not seen Ning Qingshan’s face clearly at all, but it would not
prevent him from flattering Ao Mingyu.

Hearing that, Ao Mingyu did not seem to be very happy. He looked at

Ao Xian coolly and said, “Princely Heir, you spoke too highly of Third
Young Lady!”

With that, he spurred the horse slightly and the horse immediately rushed
forward. It seemed he did not want to talk to anybody.

It was true that Ao Mingyu was not in the mood for conversation. He had
never objected to having Ning Qingshan become his principal wife.
Whenever he thought of the moment Ning Qingshan had saved his life
three years ago, he reminded himself not to let her down. In the past
three years, he had visited the Lord Protector’s Manor each year. On the
one hand, he had paid the visits following Honored Consort Ya’s words.
On the other hand, he had really wanted to see her.

The gentle, generous girl used to be his sweetest memory.

But now, she had changed so much! Or maybe in the past three years,
she had gotten in touch with Ao Chenyi. After thinking it over, he even
suspected that she might have approached him under Ao Chenyi’s
command. Otherwise, why had she happened to be injured in the same
position as Ao Chenyi’s favorite concubine’s? Besides, she had been
trying to hide her wound from the others.

Ning Qingshan had gotten involved in a chain of events after her return.
She had been trying to frame her younger sister. Could this vicious
woman still the gentle girl three years ago?

If it were not for scruples, he would have taken Ning Qingshan away
with the maid at the Lord Protector’s Manor’s gate. His principal wife
should be both generous and gentle. Obviously, a vicious woman like
Ning Qingshan was not suitable for this role.

But for the moment, not only could he not do that, he had to protect her.
He could not let the others know that she had such a jade pendant. At the
thought of the jade pendant, Ao Mingyu was so angry that he could not
help gritting his teeth. How could she expose the jade pendant so
casually? Wasn’t she afraid that the others would investigate her origin?
In fact, Ao Mingyu did not believe that Ning Qingshan had such an
identity, because it was impossible!

But if it was possible, maybe he would benefit from it.

He must keep the secret.

Being snubbed and knowing that Ao Mingyu did not want to talk, Ao
Xian stopped talking awkwardly. He did not dare to chase Ao Mingyu,
but followed behind him with Ning Huaiyuan. Led by Ao Mingyu, the
team left the city.

After leaving the city, they passed several turnings and arrived at their
destination. Ao Mingyu jumped off the horse first and threw the rein to a
servant walking over to him.

“Third Prince, we have been waiting here for a long time. Why are you
so late?” One of the two people waiting at the gate was Wen Xueran!
The enchanting and beautiful man walked over to greet Third Prince,
playing with the fan he had taken with him all the time.

“Xueran, you have been here for a long time?” Ao Mingyu asked
politely with a smile.
“Not too long. I looked for some time and found my way here. Third
Prince, there are so many greenhouses in your courtyard. I have walked
in the greenhouses just now and found both the fruit and the vegetable
were very fresh. I also have a courtyard near here. I will follow your suit
and build up some greenhouses there,” Wen Xueran said casually, an
extremely charming smile on his face, as beautiful as a woman’s.

“Good. Ask your men here next time. I will ask the steward here to teach
them,” Ao Mingyu answered friendly.

“Greetings, Third Prince!” Another gentle and elegant young childe

came over and greeted Ao Mingyu. Ao Mingyu nodded to him.

When they were talking, the carriage arrived as well. The sisters of the
Nings got out the carriage in order and walked into the courtyard with
the support of their maids.

Ao Mingyu led the way. It was his courtyard, and he was the host, so of
course, he should show his guest the way. Ning Qingshan took several
steps forward and caught up with him. She walked side by side with him,
as if she were the hostess of the courtyard, Ao Mingyu was a little
unsatisfied, but when he saw the plain and clean clothes she wore, a
gentle look crossed his eyes. He did not say anything, but let her walk
next to him.

Ao Xian, Ning Huaiyuan and Wen Xueran walked behind them. Since
they were all noble childes at a similar age, they had a lot to talk about.

Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun walked behind the three noble childes
with their maids.

The man who walked at last in the line was another guest of Third
Prince, a delicate and elegant young man. He was distinguished in a
manor. When he saw Ning Xueyan passing him by, he bowed to her with
a smile. His natural and calm behavior made him like a gentleman, and
people could not help being impressed by him. Even Ning Lingyun had
given him a few more glances.

But when Ning Xueyan saw his face, she froze for a short moment. The
look in her eyes became icy. What a coincidence!
Sometimes, what had happened in her last and current lives made Ning
Xueyan feel like she was in a dream. She knew this man because of his
special identity.
Chapter 225 The Noble Childe
Xia Yudong
Xia Yudong was Xia Yuhang’s younger brother. He was a concubine’s
son and it was said that he was very talented.

Unfortunately, even if Xia Yudong was more talented than average

concubines’ sons, he could not be compared with Xia Yuhang, who was
so brilliant. Therefore, Xia Yudong had been keeping a low key. Among
the noble childes, he enjoyed a good reputation, and even better than the
children of some other noble families’ principal wives.

But what kind of person he was actually?

In her last life, Ning Ziying had paid a secret visit to the Xia Manor for
Xia Yuhang. It had happened that Xia Yuhang was not there, so she had
hung out in the courtyard. Later, she had fallen asleep leaning against the
swing frame. When she woke up, everything had been very quiet, and
she had vaguely heard someone plotting. To her surprise, the one who
had been speaking was Xia Yudong!

He talked about a noble Young Lady. It seemed that he had wanted to

force that Young Lady to marry him so that he would get help from her
family for his career. Ning Ziying had been so scared that she had not
dared to make any noise. She had heard all the details of Xia Yudong’s
plan. If he had succeeded, the Young Lady would definitely die after
marrying him.

As this matter was associated with the Xia Manor, Ning Xueyan had not
dared to tell Xia Yuhang. After returning to the Lord Protector’s Manor,
she had become more worried at the thought of it. Later, she had written
a letter and asked Mother Wang to bring it to that noble Young Lady,
reminding her to watch out for Xia Yudong. She had not let Mother
Wang tell that Young Lady who she was. After that, she had cautiously
inquired about the news about that Young Lady and found that nothing
bad had happened to her.
It was obvious that Xia Yudong had failed to have that Young Lady
marry him.

Ning Xueyan was surprised that she would have met Xia Yudong at Ao
Mingyu’s suburban courtyard, whose reputation was still very ‘good’.

When Ning Qingshan passed by Xia Yudong just now, although they had
only glanced at each other quickly, Ning Xueyan still noticed that they
were making eye contact. It was abnormal that Ning Qingshan had
bowed back to him. Being proud, she had never been so polite to anyone
whose status was inferior to her. Besides, they had sent information
through the eyes. Ning Xueyan had been observing their every move, so
although they had parted after exchanging a salute, she had found
something wrong.

It seemed that Xia Yudong had something to do with Ning Qingshan!

It was easy for an elegant and talented gentleman with good fame to win
girls’ hearts. Xia Yudong seemed to have realized it. His plain white
clothes were not gorgeous but still made him elegant and distinguished.
In front of Third Prince, who had a powerful aura, he did not look
humble, and it seemed that he was a man of great character.

In other girls’ eyes, he was an ideal husband candidate, but

unfortunately, Ning Xueyan seemed to have seen blood on his graceful,
white clothes!

Xia Yudong and Xia Yuhang did things in the same way. It seemed that
he had been copying Xia Yuhang. If he was maturer and more skillful, he
would be another Xia Yuhang. They both were ambitious and could do
anything for interests, even murdering.

Ning Xueyan would never forgive Xia Yuhang!

A bloodthirsty look appeared in her grim eyes. She lowered her head
slowly and did not look at Xia Yudong again.

Ning Qingshan happened to turn her head and see the scene. A trace of a
triumphant smile appeared on her face. Ning Xueyan had given him a
second look. It meant that she was impressed with Xia Yudong. But it
was normal. He was both gentle and elegant, as well as modest and calm.
No girl could resist his charm. Next, he would make a further move to
attract Ning Xueyan’s attention.

She shifted her smiling eyes from Ning Xueyan to Ning Lingyun. If
Ning Lingyun could set Ning Xueyan up with a move, she would watch
the wonderful show without doing anything. If Ning Lingyun failed, she
had to rely on Xia Yudong to deal with Ning Xueyan. It seemed that Xia
Yudong had succeeded in getting Ning Xueyan’s attention. She was
confident that after further inducement, Xia Yudong would definitely win
Ning Xueyan’s heart.

No matter how capable Ning Xueyan was, she was only a girl who
seldom came out of the manor. Although Xia Yudong’s status did not
match hers, if Ning Xueyan was fascinated by him, she would not mind
he was just a concubine’s son, regardless of the fact that she was a
principal wife’s daughter of Lord Protector. With Xia Yudong’s
character, if Ning Qingshan required, he would give Ning Xueyan away
to another man for his own interests.

Then Ning Qingshan would be the owner of Ning Xueyan’s fate!

“Ning Xueyan, you have been fighting me. I will let you feel regret to be
born in the world!”

She was very patient this time. She would watch Ning Xueyan being
tortured before death.

“Fifth Sister, what are you thinking?” Ning Lingyun was impressed with
Xia Yudong as well. She shifted her eyes from Xia Yudong to Ning
Xueyan, who was in a trance, and asked with a smile.

“Nothing!” Ning Xueyan came back to herself and answered coolly.

Then she walked inside a greenhouse with Ning Lingyun. Xia Yudong
followed two or three steps behind them politely, like a graceful noble
childe. He looked natural and mild.

After enjoying a number of greenhouses in the courtyard, they arrived at

the biggest one.
This greenhouse almost occupied half of the courtyard with all kinds of
precious flowers and grasses inside. It was winter and the ground was
covered with a carpet of snow, but in the greenhouse, it was as warm as
spring. The blooming flowers sent out the overwhelming aroma, made
people feel refreshing. Since it was very spacious inside, they scattered
to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Compared to the greenhouses which covered a small piece of land in the

Lord Protector’s Manor, these ones were too big!

Looking from a distance, everyone seemed to be drowning in the sea of

flowers. They all looked happy to visit such a wonderful place in winter.

Now there was nobody else except for Xinmei around Ning Xueyan.
They walked among flower clusters and stopped from time to time to
enjoy them.

Nobody had noticed that they were quietly walking toward the side of
the greenhouse. There were not only small potted flowers in the
greenhouse, but also some big flower trees and even some peach and
pear trees, which could block people’s vision.

It was said that Third Prince’s greenhouses in his suburban courtyard

were very famous, and they covered more areas than any other
greenhouses in the capital. The corners of the greenhouses were next to
the wall, and sometimes, Third Prince would open the door of the corner
and let the average people come in to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the
greenhouses. It gained him a good reputation among the common people.

“Has he arrived?” Ning Xueyan asked gently in a low voice, pretending

that she was smelling a flower.

“Yes. He is outside now. Do you want me to bring him here?” Xinmei

said in a low voice. She had had a look just now and seen that person
right outside the wall.

“No, let’s wait for some time. We can bring him in after lunch.” Ning
Xueyan nodded with a slight smile, a coldness in her moisture eyes
under her feather-like eyelashes.
There were so many people in the greenhouse now. Although it was
spacious inside and they could not see each other for the moment, if
something unusual happened, it would definitely arouse other’s attention.
So neither Ning Lingyun nor Ning Qingshan would make a move here.

The wolf has a winning game when the shepherds quarrel!

Nobody knew who would laugh last.

Xinmei nodded. Ning Xueyan had brought her here because Xinmei was
a martial art practitioner. With more sensitive eyes and ears than
common people, she was able to be aware of changes around in time. Of
course, Xinmei did not dare to show that she was a martial art
practitioner, because Ao Mingyu must have some martial art masters
around him, and if they found out that Xinmei was different from
ordinary people, Ao Mingyu would be suspicious about Ning Xueyan.

Fortunately, there was no need for Xinmei to use her martial art. It would
be enough that she was more sensible visually and auditorily than
average maids.

They enjoyed the flowers while walking forward. Suddenly, Xinmei

pulled Ning Xueyan’s sleeve and gestured her to stop. She listened
carefully for a moment and whispered in Ning Xueyan’s ear, “Miss,
someone is coming. Don’t move!”

They were under a tall flower tree now. The extremely beautiful flowers
on the tree were in full bloom and happened to block people’s vision.
Ning Xueyan listened carefully and heard the footsteps sound coming
from the distance. It seemed there were two people, one was light, and
another one was heavy; one was walking slowly with long strides, and
another one was walking fast with short strides.

“Ao Mingyu and Ning Qingshan?” Ning Xueyan leaned against the
flower tree, and her breath became a little slow. Ao Mingyu and Ning
Qingshan could be regarded as the hosts of the party. Instead of staying
in the center of the greenhouse, they had come to the side. It was obvious
that they had something secret to talk about, so they tried to avoid the
others on purpose.
It was indeed Ao Mingyu and Ning Qingshan that coming over. Ao
Mingyu was walking ahead with Ning Qingshan behind him. Thankfully,
Ao Mingyu did not walk too fast. Otherwise, Ning Qingshan could not
catch up with him.

“Third Young Lady, how did you get injured at the imperial palace?” Ao
Mingyu did not hide his intention and put it straight forward. Stopping
under a tree, he looked at Ning Qingshan with an elegant smile on his
face, his eyes full of concern, as if she cared about Ning Qingshan’s
injury from the bottom of his heart.

But as far as Ning Qingshan was concerned, it was a disgraceful thing

and she had been trying to hide her wound. She froze for a while after
hearing what Ao Mingyu said and then she blushed shyly. But at the
thought of the ugly scar on her shoulder, the sweetness turned to
bitterness. She had wanted to tell him about this after the scar
disappeared, but the scar had opened repeatedly, so it was impossible for
her to hide it from Third Prince if she married him.

Gritting her teeth, she looked up with reddish eyes. “Third Prince, I was
so scared at the… imperial palace. That assassin stabbed me with his
sword, and then I fell to the ground. Because I was too scared and panic,
I… didn’t notice my shoulder injury. That’s why I haven’t told anyone
about it.”

Since she had hidden her shoulder wound from people at the imperial
palace, she could not tell anybody that she had known it at the imperial
palace. Otherwise, she would have committed the crime of deceiving the
emperor, and she could not afford it. So she was very cautious even
when she was talking to Third Prince about it.

“Too scared and panic?” A mocking look appeared in Ao Mingyu’s eyes.

What kind of thing would have made her forget her shoulder wound?
Her foot injury was much less serious, but why hadn’t she forgotten it?
Obviously, she was hiding her shoulder injury on purpose!

“Cousin Qingshan, you’re my cousin by blood. We will rise and fall

together so that you can tell me everything. After all, we’re from the
same family.” Ao Mingyu comforted Ning Qingshan in a soft voice,
hiding the sarcasm in the depth of his eyes. Honored Consort Ya had
strictly forbidden them to call each other ‘cousin’, even privately, but it
sounded more intimate.

“The same family? Is Third Prince hinting that he will definitely marry
me?”

Thinking about this, Ning Qingshan’s heart thumped. She grabbed Ao

Mingyu by the hand subconsciously. She was so moved that her eyes
turned red. “Cousin Mingyu, I… I will. Since we will definitely be a
family, I won’t keep anything from you,” she said emotionally.

Ning Qingshan thought that Ao Mingyu was confessing his love for her,
so she was both excited and shyly.

“I’m still the only woman Cousin Mingyu loved.” After three years, it
was the first time for Third Prince to confess to her, so Ning Qingshan
was both surprised and overjoyed.

“In Cousin Mingyu’s eyes, Ning Xueyan is nothing at all. It’s useless for
her to be coquettish in front of Cousin Mingyu. Third Prince only loves
me!”

However, what Ao Mingyu said next made her shyly pink face
immediately turned pale.
Chapter 226 The Close Cousins
“You have just returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor, so you should try
to please Madam Dowager and the marquis, and get them on your side.
Don’t make unnecessary mistakes and stir up trouble. It will ruin your
good reputation.”

Ao Mingyu seemed very mild as he spoke to her. He lowered his head

and looked at Ning Qingshan with deep affection in his eyes.

But Ning Qingshan was sensitive to his mood, and she could tell that he
was displeased and was trying to hold back his anger. After thinking it
over, she guessed that Third Prince knew that she was plotting against
Ning Xueyan secretly. Her face suddenly turned pale.

“Third Prince, I, I’m not fighting her on purpose, but she is trying to
frame me!” With trembling lips, Ning Qingshan raised her head and said
this, appearing very aggrieved. She was so anxious that she seemed
about to cry. She appeared a little surprised and scared, but it was all an
act. It made people feel that she was really wronged, and could not bear
to talk about her grievance.

“I know you are a nice girl and won’t set people up.” Ao Mingyu
comforted her in a soft voice, with a gentle look in his eyes.

Ao Mingyu’s trust in her made Ning Qingshan feel especially happy. The
grievance in her eyes was replaced by pleasant surprise. At that very
moment, a tear dropped from her fair face. “Third Prince, don’t worry. I
won’t fight Fifth Sister, and she can do everything she wants, even if…
she… is thinking about marrying you!”

With that, tears streamed down her cheeks. Ning Qingshan immediately
lowered her head, as if she did not want Ao Mingyu to see her tearful
face. She sniffed and wiped her face with a handkerchief. When she
raised her head again, she managed to smile, which made her look both
gentle and elegant. “Sorry, Third Prince. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Ning Xueyan heard every word clearly from where she was, hidden
behind the flower tree. Her lips turned pale. She touched the calyx of a
flower with her fingers, quietly.

Ning Qingshan was really good at acting. She had pretended to be sad
and shifted all the blame on Ning Xueyan for what had happened
recently. She even managed to find an excuse for herself—Ning Xueyan
had been trying to set up her, because she had feelings for Ao Mingyu.
After all, Ning Qingshan was most likely to become Third Prince’s
principal wife.

On the other hand, Ning Qingshan also wanted to test Ao Mingyu.

“Come on! Don’t be sad. I don’t care what she is thinking about. I only
care about you.” Ao Mingyu comforted Ning Qingshan with a calm look,
wiping the tears gently from her eyes.

That was what Ning Qingshan wanted to hear. She felt relieved. Because
of Ao Mingyu’s intimate act, she looked a little shy. “Third Prince, I
understand. I will try to avoid attracting any attention from Fifth Sister.
Then she will not have any excuse to frame me.”

She was showing that she was not stupid, and she would get on well with
Ning Xueyan. If she was found to be associated with something in the
future, she could explain to the others with what she had said just now—
she did that because she did not want to get Ao Mingyu in trouble.

Ning Qingshan was clear that Ao Mingyu’s women should never be

stupid.

With a calm expression, Ao Mingyu looked at Ning Qingshan

thoughtfully, then walked forward with his hands clasped behind his
back. Nobody knew what he was thinking about. Ning Qingshan walked
slowly and caught up with him. Looking at them through the gap
between the branches, Ning Xueyan had to admit that the handsome man
and the beautiful woman were really a good match!

Ning Xueyan reached out and picked a flower from the tree, with her
slender fingers. Winding the petals around her fingers, her pale lips
curved into meaningful smile. As she had thought, Ning Qingshan would
not miss any chance to frame her!
“Am I’m fighting her because I have feelings for Ao Mingyu? She is
really imaginative and shameless!”

Third Prince was a thoughtful person, so he had not shown his feelings
on his face just now. If it was only a fight between girls, Ao Mingyu
would not pay any attention to it, but now what Ning Qingshan had done
seemed to have something to do with his strongest opponent, Prince Yi,
Ao Chenyi, so Ao Mingyu had to be more cautious. Ning Qingshan
thought that she had explained everything perfectly, but she had not
realized that it had made her seem even more suspect.

But it seemed Ao Mingyu’s attitude was also doubtful. With his

character, he should not have to repeatedly put up with Ning Qingshan,
unless Ning Qingshan was very valuable to him, and because of her
value, he would not show his suspicions about her. What was Ning
Qingshan worth to Ao Mingyu and made him help her, despite his
suspicions?

He had let her go easily yesterday, and he did not ask about her shoulder
injury, after hearing her explanation today!

Ning Xueyan was shocked when Ao Mingyu had called Ning Qingshan
‘cousin’. How could she be his cousin? The Lord Protector’s Manor had
no blood relationship with the imperial family, so it must be due to Ning
Qingshan herself. But Madam Dowager had never mentioned this
relationship between Ning Qingshan and Ao Mingyu at the Lord
Protector’s Manor.

That meant Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an did not know that Ao
Mingyu was Ning Qingshan’s cousin.

“Cousins?” It was impossible for Ning Qingshan to be related to the

imperial family, the Aos, by blood. Otherwise, she would be a
Commandery Princess or a County Princess. Such a princess would not
have disappeared from the imperial palace and showed up at the Lord
Protector’s Manor, for no reason. So Ning Qingshan must have
something to do with Honored Consort Ya’s family.

“The Grand Tutor Ya’s manor?” Ning Xueyan frowned slightly. There
were so many secrets about The Grand Tutor Ya’s manor!
“Miss!” Xinmei suddenly poked her and gestured to her to look to the
right.

Ning Xueyan turned her head to the side subconsciously, and saw a pair
of enchanting eyes. An extremely handsome man dressed in luxurious
clothes, was leaning lazily against the flower tree, with a flirtatious smile
in his eyes. Being watched by such a beautiful and enchanting man, any
ordinary woman would have blushed shyly.

But Ning Xueyan was not any ordinary woman.

“Why is Wen Xueran here? Has he been here for some time already, or
did he just turn up?” Ning Xueyan frowned, and quietly watched Wen
Xueran walking over to her, with a smile.

“Fifth Young Lady, did you hear anything just now?” Wen Xueran
smiled slightly, his beautiful eyes sparkling under the flowers and leaves.

“Princely Heir!” Ning Xueyan bowed to him and answered coolly, “If
you want to know something, just follow them.”

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min looked harmless, and he was

both handsome and romantic, but Ning Xueyan was always wary of him.
Although she did not find anything wrong about him, she knew he was
not a simple-minded person. Otherwise, he would not have helped Ao
Mingyu deal with Ao Chenyi. Besides, Ning Xueyan had had a feeling
that this man was not that simple, since the first time they met.

“Were you not able to hear what they said clearly, Fifth Young Lady? I
saw you listening carefully just now.” Wen Xueran raisend his brows in
surprise, his tone enquiring, as if he had been watching Ning Xueyan.

“Princely Heir, you’re kidding me. I have been enjoying the view of the
flowers on the tree, so I did not pay any attention to the conversation
between Third Prince and my third sister. I wonder what made you think
I was eavesdropping.” Ning Xueyan raised her head and smiled slightly.
She looked at Wen Xueran with her jet-black, innocent eyes. She did not
avoid Wen Xueran’s gaze and showed no sign of blushing or
palpitations, as if she had not seen Wen Xueran’s enchanting and
beautiful face.
A well-behaved person should never overhear another’s conversation.
Being accused like this, it was normal that Ning Xueyan to have such a
reaction. But Wen Xueran was a little surprised that Ning Xueyan could
still stay calm after overhearing what Ao Mingyu and Ning Qingshan
had said.

Wen Xueran smiled slightly, as if he had not seen the faint anger on Ning
Xueyan’s face. Leaning against the flower tree in front of Ning Xueyan,
he picked a flower. “Fifth Young Lady, what do you think about Third
Prince and Third Young Lady?” he asked with a smile.

Since Wen Xueran stopped talking about the eavesdropping, of course

Ning Xueyan would not mention it. “They are a good match. Princely
Heir, don’t you think so?” Looking through the gap between flowers at
the receding backs of Ao Mingyu and Ning Qingshan, she said gently.

Wen Xueran turned his head and watched the backs of the two as well,
curving his lips. “It’s rumored that three years ago, Third Young Lady
saved Third Prince, so it is normal for Third Prince to treat Third Young
Lady so well. The rumors have spread to the capital, saying that Third
Young Lady will be marrying Third Prince. Now it seems Third Prince
really has feelings for Third Young Lady,” he said with a smile.

“Third Sister saved Third Prince? At the imperial palace?” Ning Xueyan
turned her face and asked, looking at him with her enchanting eyes.

No one at the Lord Protector’s Manor had known about this, so it must
had taken place at the imperial palace. It must have happened when Ning
Qingshan had stayed at the imperial palace at Honored Consort Ya’s
invitation. After that, Ning Qingshan had requested to go to the nunnery
for three years. She must have been confident that Ao Mingyu would not
shift his love for her to another woman, so she had made such a decision.

Wen Xueran plucked a flower and put it under his nose. “Yes. Third
Prince has been in poor health since childhood. Once, he had a sudden
attack and there was nobody by his side. Third Young Lady happened to
see him and saved his life. So Third Prince owes Third Young Lady a big
favor.” He glanced at Ning Xueyan thoughtfully, with a smile.

“Oh? You even know about such a thing!” Ning Xueyan twitched her
lips and said this in an indifferent tone. Then she stopped talking to Wen
Xueran, and turned in another direction.

She was even more alert when it came to Wen Xueran. Only the people
at the imperial palace knew that Ning Qingshan had saved Ao Mingyu.
At least, there was no rumors about this in the capital. But Wen Xueran
knew it well, so if Ao Mingyu had not mentioned it to him, he must be
an extremely powerful person!

It was unbelievable that a playboy like Princely Heir of Commandery

Prince Min was so capable!

“Why did he tell me this? Is he trying to explain why Ning Qingshan is

so against me? Or maybe he wanted to tell me why Ao Mingyu is putting
up with Ning Qingshan. But what does it have to do with him?” Ning
Xueyan did not think that Wen Xueran had anything to do with Third
Prince’s affairs. But from his words, Ning Xueyan could tell that he was
defending Ning Qingshan.

But why?

“Fifth Young Lady, as the saying goes, what is done by night appears by
day. There are so many secrets in the world. You will know them if you
come across them.” Wen Xueran’s voice rang out from behind.
Obviously, he was smiling. Ning Xueyan was shocked and she clenched
her fists inside her sleeves. Instead of stopping, she continued to walk
forward calmly.

“Secrets?” Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min was right. She was
a person of many secrets.

The secrets about her last and current life, and her rebirth almost
weighed her down. But even so, she would not give up. Besides, she did
not believe that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min knew any
secrets about her.

She did not know why Wen Xueran talked about this to her. She and Ao
Mingyu had seen Wen Xueran showing up at the party hosted by Ao
Mingyu. But in addition to this, she had never heard about his
involvement in any political affairs. “Did he tell me about this on
purpose or is he just gossiping?” Ning Xueyan wondered.
Xinmei was walking on the right of Ning Xueyan. “Miss, that person is
following us,” she told Ning Xueyan in a low voice.

“Turn in Ning Lingyun’s direction.” Ning Xueyan knew that Xinmei was
not talking about Wen Xueran. She stopped thinking about Wen Xueran
and turned to the center of the greenhouse. She did not want to have
anything to do with Xia Yudong, but he kept on following behind her.
“What a daredevil!”
Chapter 227 The Greenhouse in
the Garden…
Ning Lingyun and Ao Xian, the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li,
were walking together. But today, Ao Xian was on his best behavior.
After exchanging a few words with Ning Lingyun, he left her and
followed Ao Mingyu. His goal today was to curry favour with Ao
Mingyu. It was rare for him to have such a chance, and there was no one
else around. He would certainly seize this opportunity.

But Ao Mingyu was now with the Third Young Lady Ning, so he could
not get too close to him, and followed him from a distance.

He did not dare to scrutinize Third Young Lady Ning, whose reputation
was very good. He only knew that she seemed to be a very beautiful girl,
and was much more beautiful than Ning Lingyun. But he also knew that
it was impossible for him to have any other relationship with the Third
Young Lady Ning, so he just followed them.

He only dared to covet her in his mind. “If I had known that there was
such a beautiful girl in Lord Protector’s Manor, I should have directly
proposed a marriage to Ning Zu’an and married her, and this beautiful
girl might have been mine now.”

The thought of that almost made his mouth water, and the look in his
eyes which was fixed on Ning Qingshan’s back, became a little
lecherous!

When Ning Lingyun saw Ao Xian, who was following the Third Prince
and Ning Qingshan, turn his eyes from the Third Prince to Ning
Qingshan and giving her a lascivious look, she knew that he must be
thinking of something evil in his mind, and was very angry. Although
she did not like Ao Xian, it did not mean that Ao Xian could show such a
lecherous look in front of her.

But after thinking about it, Ning Lingyun took another deep breath and
relaxed.
“Ao Xian’s behavior now is only good for me. Anyway, after whatever
happens later, I will have nothing to do with him. After the matter has
less influence, the Third Prince will come to the Lord Protector’s Manor
to propose a marriage. At that time, I’m sure I will become his co-
consort. The annulment of an engagement for marriage is not caused by
me, and no one will blame me.”

“Fourth Sister.” Ning Xueyan stepped out from behind a cluster of

flowers, and called out to Ning Lingyun in a soft and clear voice, with a
smile on her face.

“Fifth Sister!” On hearing the voice of Ning Xueyan, Ning Lingyun

became alert at once. She immediately averted her eyes from Ao Xian in
the distance, and carefully turned around to smile at Ning Xueyan.

“Ning Xueyan is very smart. I can’t let her discover anything.”

“Fourth Sister, do you want to have a rest over there?” Ning Xueyan
said, while pointing to a pergola, which was not far away. There were
two swings, which were not too high, and could be used for people to
rest. The swings were tied to some flower branches, and were not only
beautiful, but also enjoyable.

“OK, let’s go together.” Ning Lingyun looked over and nodded.

Ning Lingyun had to do the same with Ning Qingshan. On the surface,
she must have a good relationship with Ning Xueyan, so she obeyed
Ning Xueyan now. In this way, she could get rid of what would happen
later.

Ning Xueyan went first, and Ning Lingyun followed her. Xinmei
originally followed Ning Xueyan closely, but although Ning Lingyun
was born of a concubine, she was still a master, so Xinmei specifically
let Ning Lingyun go first. She and Ning Lingyun’s maid followed them,
and the four came to the swings.

Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun sat down on a swing separately, and
chatted with each other, while enjoying the beauty of the garden. Xia
Yudong had been waiting for a while at the corner, and he still did not
have a chance to be alone with Ning Xueyan, so he could only leave.
Otherwise, it would arouse suspicion if he, a man, waited behind the two
Young Ladies.

Originally, he wanted to meet Ning Xueyan once again, and leave a good
impression on Ning Xueyan. But now he seemed to have no chance.
Fortunately, Xia Yudong believed that the impression he made before,
was good. “If I really can’t find another chance, I need not look for
another chance. Anyway, the next stage should be enough for a woman
who has a good impression of me, to fall in love with me.”

So Xia Yudong did not approach Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan. He
just passed by and politely saluted them with a gentle smile on his face,
like a well-behaved gentleman. Seeing that, Ning Lingyun blushed and
smiled.

Ning Xueyan looked at them and showed a cold smile. Because she had
been cheated by a man in her last life, she did not trust men anymore.
Moreover, Xia Yudong was so similar to Xia Yuhang. Now, even if it
was Xia Yuhang who was standing in front of her, she could tell whether
he was sincere or not, not to mention Xia Yudong, who was no better
than Xia Yuhang.

Ning Xueyan was now basically sure that Ning Qingshan wanted to
make use of Xia Yudong and Ao Xian to frame her! “Are you afraid that
I won’t die, so you decided to use the two of them to frame me? It seems
that one will make me fall into the trap now, and the other will lead me
to be involved, in the long run. They complement each other. No matter
who will succeed, my fate will be miserable.”

Everyone had spent the longest time in the greenhouse in the garden, and
had a good time. On such a day, it was rare to see such beautiful flowers,
which those Young Ladies loved very much. Even Ning Qingshan could
not resist picking a flower and inserting it into her hair. The bright red
flower made her look charming and beautiful.

The Third Prince could not help looking at her several times, which
made her blush and feel excited. Then she looked even more charming
and beautiful.

The group of people left the greenhouse, and went to the hall to have a
meal.
There were not many people, and most of them knew each other, so there
was no screen to separate them. Only one table was set up, and they all
sat together.

Before the meal, the Third Prince had specially asked for his men to kill
a deer. The best part of the deer was selected to be roasted, and the deer
blood was served to the male guests. Recently, drinking deer blood
became popular in the capital, which was very good for men. It not only
made people feel warm, but was also nourishing.

Of course, girls did not drink. They did not dare to even look at the fresh
blood!

The Third Prince took the lead in drinking a small cup of deer blood, and
several other people also drank up. Such a small cup of deer blood was
good enough for a man’s health, and at the same time would not cause
other problems. A small cup was enough.

After the deer blood was drunk, and the small cups taken away, they
continued to talk and laugh. In the meantime, Ao Xian left to change his
clothes. A young male servant took him to the back. After taking him to
the place, the young male servant was asked to go back first, by Ao
Xian. After changing his clothes, Ao Xian wandered around the garden
at will, thinking about the invitation from Ning Lingyun, which made
him happy.

Ao Xian was a romantic man and was engaged to Ning Lingyun.

However, he was very upset about the fact that even though they were
engaged, they could not get close to each other. Unexpectedly, Ning
Lingyun invited him today. How could he refuse such an opportunity. So
he specially asked the young male servant to leave first, and he himself
stayed, to see how to get to the garden.

Yes, he and Ning Lingyun would meet in the garden that they had just
gone to. And if there was any change, Ning Lingyun would inform him
in advance.

Ning Lingyun was smart this time. She did not decide on the meeting
place. Ning Xueyan was so smart. Once she found something wrong,
Ning Lingyu would not go to the garden.
“Your Highness.” A maid suddenly appeared from afar. Seeing that no
one was around, she walked respectfully to Ao Xian.

This was Ning Lingyun’s maid. Ao Xian had seen her before. Besides,
the maid of the Lord Protector’s Manor was different from that of the
Third Prince in this courtyard, in the way they dressed. Even though Ao
Xian was a little bit drunk, he still knew it clearly.

“Your Young Lady can’t wait to see me and wants me to go now?”

Seeing that the maid was quite beautiful, Ao Xian flirtatiously reached
out to grip the girl’s chin and said this happily. Just now, he had been
thinking that the most beautiful prostitute had been taken by Ya
Changqing several days ago. He did not expect that he would be so
lucky, not long after that.

He did not regard Ning Lingyun as his fiancee at all, in his mind.
Instead, he thought of her as a romantic woman. So, he was willing to
flirt with her, if there was a chance. At present, the maid in front of him
was also beautiful. When they got married, the maid would also belong
to him. On thinking of that, he could not help feeling happy, and leered
at the maid.

“Your Highness, our Young Lady is afraid you may not be able to find
her later, so she asked me to give this to you.” The maid blushed at his
behavior, feeling shy and ashamed. She took out a sachet from her arms
and handed it to Ao Xian.

Ao Xian took the sachet and turned it over. A faint fragrance came from
it, which made him even more excited. He fondled the maid’s white and
tender face and said happily, “Fine, fine, I’ll put it on now. Tell your
Young Lady that I’ll look for her later.”

After Ning Lingyun belonged to him, this maid would also belong to him
in the future, so he was not in a hurry now.

“I’m leaving.” The maid saluted and hurried to the other side, with a red
face.

Ao Xian did not care about the maid’s departure. Originally, this kind of
thing should not be known by others. “Unexpectedly, even though Ning
Lingyun looks very respectable, she will make a date with a man
privately. Anyway, it’s a good thing for me.” Ao Xian hung the sachet on
his waist. There was already a sachet, but it did not matter there was one
more now.

During normal times when he went to the Red Light District, he would
hang several sachets on his waist. When he saw a woman he liked, he
would send one out. So he never checked these sachets when he hung
them on his waist. Of course, he did not know that at the bottom of the
sachet, the word embroidered was not “Lingyun”, but “Xueyan”.

A distinction should be made between males and females, so the lunch

time passed soon. The Third Prince had prepared places for men and
women to live in, which were separated by a wall, and was not far away.
After the meal, they went back to their respective rooms to rest for two
hours, before playing again.

There were many rest rooms in the Third Prince’s courtyard, and there
were not many people here today, so everyone rested in their room alone,
which was convenient and comfortable for them.

Ao Xian lay down in the room for a while, but he could not sleep at all.
When he thought that such a beauty would belong to him later, he was so
excited that he could not sleep and tossed and turned in bed. He felt hot
and his mind was full of the scenes of being with those women, on
weekdays.

He was very excited and could hardly rest. He and Ning Lingyun would
meet one hour later and it was still early now, but he could not sleep.
Finally, he had no choice, but to get up. He felt that as a man, he had to
arrive earlier when he made a private date with a woman.

“Anyway, I can’t sleep now. So I’ll go over and wait first. It doesn’t
matter if I have to wait for an hour.”

Instantly, he asked his servant to help him get up and get dressed. Then
he quietly went out of the courtyard, and went to the greenhouse in the
garden. At this time, he was restless and just wanted a woman to comfort
him.

Because the host and the guests were resting, the courtyard was very
quiet. Ao Xian met nobody along the way and arrived at the door of the
greenhouse in the garden. When he was about to enter the greenhouse, he
suddenly saw someone who looked very familiar, and could not help, but
stop. He was very surprised. How could she be here!

“How could it be possible!”

Chapter 228 She Is Willing to Do
Everything
The woman in a plain white dress, looking like an angel, was the
prostitute he had been thinking during the last few days and nights. How
could she be here?

Even though Ao Xian did not see her face, he clearly knew that he was
not mistaken!

Ao Xian had wooed her for some time, but in the end she had been won
by someone else. He had been depressed about it for many days, and his
heart had been in a knot since. At this time, he saw that the beauty was
not far away. The slim figure dressed simply, was a great temptation to
him.

Ao Xian was easily tempted, so he thought about it and followed her.

Compared with Ning Lingyun, this prostitute was much more attractive.
In terms of appearance, Ning Lingyun was not as beautiful as her.
Moreover, Ning Lingyun would always be his, but this prostitute was
different. Now she belonged to Ya Changqing. Ao Xian thought that it
would be a great betrayal to Ya Changqing, if he were to have a
relationship with this prostitute.

Thinking of that, Ao Xian was very happy!

“How dare he fight for this prostitute against me? How dare he keep her
so as to prevent me from seeing her! It’s said that Ya Changqing will
marry her. But so what? This woman will belong to me soon.”

Thinking that Ya Changqing would suffer losses, Ao Xian involuntarily

followed her. For convenience, Ao Xian had come out alone. At this
time, he followed the prostitute in front of him to see what she was going
to do. Of course, he would certainly find a chance to kiss her.
Maybe because he had drunk too much liquor, but he could not seem to
walk steadily now, and the scenery in front of him seemed to be
wavering. He felt hot all over, and wanted to find a woman to relax. He
could barely see the people walking ahead of him, and then followed.

At this time, his attention was focused on the figure in front of him, so he
did not notice that someone had brushed by him. When he saw a maid
standing there, cowering in fear, he shoved her away and rushed after the
prostitute. He did not know that the sachet hanging on his waist had been
changed.

Ning Xueyan did not take a nap, because Ning Lingyun came over to her
room.

“Fifth Sister, I can’t sleep. Would you like to take a walk with me?” Ning
Lingyun looked terrible and her face was pale. At first sight, one could
tell that she was in a bad mood.

“Fourth Sister, where do you want to go?” Ning Xueyan stood up in

front of the dressing table, and asked with a smile, hiding the look in her
eyes.

Ning Lingyun’s worried look looked so sincere. It seemed that she had
decided to stand by Ning Qingshan wholeheartedly to push Qing Xueyan
into the abyss.

As an old saying goes, “A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.” It looked
like Ning Lingyun would never know that!

Of course, such a selfish and vicious person as Ning Lingyun would

even betray her own biological mother, Concubine Xu, if Ning Qingshan
promised her enough benefits.

“Fifth Sister, let’s go and talk about it.” Ning Lingyun looked extremely
distressed. She sighed, took Ning Xueyan’s hand and walked out. Two
maids bowed their heads and followed.

“What’s the matter with you, Fourth Sister?” Ning Xueyan asked
indifferently, as she followed Ning Lingyun to the garden.
Now, only the three of them were resting in the womenfolk courtyard.
When Ning Xueyan went out, she saw clearly that the curtain of Ning
Qingshan’s room was slightly raised, and she sneered.

“Ning Qingshan is not resting as expected, and she must be paying close
attention to me.”

Ning Lingyun thought that her idea was brilliant, but she did not know
about the danger behind her…

“Fifth Sister, have you seen Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li?”
Ning Lingyun did not know that she was going to do to Ning Xueyan,
had already been made known to Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan. She
sighed, and talked about Ao Xian, trying to look for a topic.

“Yes. He is nice to you.” Ning Xueyan said. But her words were
meaningful. They were all smart and knew that Ning Lingyun had ruined
Ning Yuling’s engagement and replaced her. So there was no need to
mention that.

Ning Lingyun was startled and did not know what to say next. Could she
say that Ao Xian seemed interested in Ning Qingshan recently? But as a
Young Lady from a respectable family, she should not say those words.
But if she did not say that, how could she gain Ning Xueyan’s sympathy,
and then indirectly lead her to the garden?

Ao Xian would be coming soon. Besides, there was a little bit of the
estrus-stimulus powder in the sachet she gave him, but he had drunk deer
blood. The estrus-stimulus powder, together with deer blood, would
certainly make him go out of control when he saw Ning Xueyan. But
now, the problem was how to make Ning Xueyan interested in her topic,
and follow her to the garden.

“Fifth Sister, what do you think of Third Sister?” Since this topic was
useless, Ning Lingyun chuckled and immediately changed the topic,
pretending to care for Ning Xueyan. “I heard that what happened at the
gate yesterday was also related to Third Sister.”

Since Ning Xueyan was not interested in Ao Xian, what about Ning
Qingshan? What had happened yesterday at the gate of the mansion were
full of complications. It was said that Ning Qingshan had failed and
almost lost her personal Mammy. In the end, the Third Prince saved her.

So Ning Lingyun was even more dead set on Ning Qingshan. In such a
case, the Third Prince still took care of Ning Qianshan and rescued her
from a siege, and even sent fresh fruit to her after the event. The extent
to which Third Prince sheltered Ning Qingshan, could evidently be seen.
“In the future I’ll also marry into the Third Prince’s Manor, and it is
necessary to have a good relationship with Ning Qingshan.”

“And the key to pleasing Ning Qingshan is to deal with Ning Xueyan.”

“As long as someone sees Ao Xian and Ning Xueyan hugging each
other, the engagement between myself and Ao Xian is bound to be
broken off. And others will only sympathize with me and scold Ning
Xueyan for misbehaving and privately dating a man in the garden of the
Third Prince’s courtyard in broad daylight. Then Ning Xueyan will lose
her dignity and how will she survive that. It will not only ruin the
engagement, but also avenge Ning Qingshan.”

Ning Lingyun had been thinking about killing two birds with one stone,
for a long time.

So at this time, she was trying her best to lead Ning Xueyan to the
garden, and could not show anything on her face at the same time. She
had suffered losses, and she knew that Ning Xueyan was not someone
who could be dealt with by ordinary people.

Ning Xueyan was clear about Ning Lingyun’s goal. Instead of answering
Ning Lingyun’s question, she sneered and asked coldly, “Fourth Sister,
do you think Third Sister can marry the Third Prince?”

“Of course she can. The Third Prince is so affectionate toward the Third
Sister. How could he not marry her?” Ning Lingyun answered
immediately.

“Really? How do you know that Third Prince is deeply in love with
Third Sister? Through a basket of fruits? Didn’t the Third Prince
separately give it to every Young Lady in our family? Fourth Sister,
didn’t you receive any?” Ning Xueyan looked at Ning Lingyun with a
faint smile and asked.
“To every Young Lady?”

“Did you get one too?” Ning Lingyun was stunned, and asked
subconsciously.

“Fourth Sister, you really did not receive the gift? The Third Prince will
not treat us differently. We all are Young Ladies of Lord Protector’s
Manor. How could we be treated differently?”

Ning Xueyan’s words sounded like a sigh, but was actually loaded with
sarcasm.

But Ning Lingyun could not know that. She was shocked by the
significant meaning of Ning Xueyan’s words. She widened her eyes and
was speechless for a while, looking at Ning Xueyan with amazement.

“Isn’t it true that the Third Prince likes me?”

“Why didn’t I receive the fresh fruits which even Ning Xueyan received?
Just then, I saw that the greenhouse was so big and there were lots of
fresh fruits in it. And it should not be a big deal to send me some. How is
it that Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan received the fruits, but I didn’t?”

“This means that the Third Prince is not in love with me.”

“But if the Third Prince doesn’t like me, why did Ning Qingshan say that
he likes me? If the Third Prince doesn’t like me, will I have a good
marriage after I break off the engagement with Princely Heir of
Commandery Prince Li?”

“But I have contacted Ao Xian, and the sachet embroidered with Ning
Xueyan’s name has also been sent to him. My plan is already in place,
and maybe Ao Xian is in the garden now. I can refuse to go to the
garden, but how do I stop my plan now?”

“What to do now?” Thinking of that, Ning Lingyun could not help

sweating. She stood still, and dared not walk toward the garden.

“Fourth Sister, what’s wrong? Why are you not moving? The garden is
over there. Let’s go in and talk, while enjoying the flowers.” It seemed
that Ning Xueyan did not see Ning Lingyun’s pale face and asked softly.
If Ning Xueyan had said that earlier, Ning Lingyun would have been
overjoyed.

But now, Ning Lingyun only felt chills all over, and could not stand
steadily. She reached out and leaned on the maid. And she even sensed
that Ning Xueyan’s soft smile was as cold as ice.

“Fifth… Fifth Sister…”

“Fourth Sister, if you don’t go now, you will be late. Then it won’t be
good!” Ning Xueyan’s smile gradually disappeared, and she looked at
Ning Lingyun coldly.

“What… what do you mean?” Ning Lingyun found it difficult to speak.

Ning Xueyan’s eyes were magnified infinitely in front of her eyes. And
at last, only a sense of coldness was left. Facing such momentum, Ning
Lingyun unconsciously weakened and lowered her voice.

“What do I mean? Fourth Sister, are you unwilling to marry into

Commandery Prince Li’s Manor? Do you want to marry into a more
respected family?” Ning Xueyan stared at Ning Lingyun closely, and
said this, one word at a time. She was sure that it must have something to
do with Ao Mingyu. Maybe Ning Qingshan had successfully persuaded
Ning Lingyun to go with Ao Mingyu.

“I… I didn’t…” Ning Lingyun denied subconsciously.

“Let’s go and have a look, then we’ll know the answer. Maybe Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li is waiting for you there now.” Ning
Xueyan said with a sneer. She was aggressive and did not relax at all.
Ning Lingyun’s mind was in a turmoil at this time, which was the best
opportunity for Ning Xueyan.

“No… I didn’t…” Unexpectedly, Ning Xueyan even knew about this.

Ning Lingyun was so scared that she shivered and leaned on the maid,
breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Fourth Sister, if you really don’t want to marry into Commandery

Prince Li’s Manor, I have an idea to help you. But I don’t know if you’re
willing to do it?” Ning Xueyan suddenly softened her look and the smile
on her face turned mild, as if she had not been that aggressive earlier.
“What… what kind of thing?” Ning Lingyun felt regret now. Her plan
had been exposed, and the Third Prince did not like her. At this time, she
felt helpless. She looked at Ning Xueyan and sincerely hoped that Ning
Xueyan can help her.

She even forgot that she was going to frame Ning Xueyan!

At this time, she was willing to do everything which could help her get
rid out of such a predicament
Chapter 229 Xia Yudong Tries to
Find a Chance to Save Ning
Xueyan
Ning Qingshan watched Ning Lingyun lead Ning Xueyan away. Then
she let down the curtain in her hand, and there was a complacent smile
on her face. She was smart. The matter of Ning Lingyun framing Ning
Xueyan had been instigated by her, secretly. She had already known that
Ning Lingyun wanted to frame Ning Xueyan from the many clues, and
to break off the engagement with Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li too.

The best way was to let Ao Xian ruin Ning Xueyan’s innocence, and at
the same time let others discover it.

Then Ning Xueyan, whose reputation would be ruined, could only be a

concubine of Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. At the same time,
what Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li did, would also make Ning
Zu’an angry and his engagement with Ning Lingyun would be called off,
and Ning Lingyun would be free again.

It was a perfect plan, but Ning Qinshan did not believe Ning Lingyun, so
she made another backup plan. If Ning Lingyun’s plan was changed, or if
Ao Xian failed, Xia Yudong would appear to save Ning Xueyan and win
her love. The final result would still ensure that Ning Xueyan would live
a miserable life.

Ning Qingshan’s goal was the same as Ning Lingyun’s. Ning Lingyun’s
plan would have a short term effect, and easily discovered, while Ning
Qingshan’s plan would have a longer term effect According to
Qingshan’s plan, even though Ning Xueyan would finally die, it would
not affect anyone else. She just needed to stand by and watch Ning
Xueyan’s misfortune.

Ning Qingshan had failed several times when she tried to frame Ning
Xueyan, which made Ning Qingshan wary of Ning Xueyan, nor was she
optimistic about Ning Lingyun. Ning Lingyun was likely to fail this
time, but her plan was perfect.

No one would know that plan for the man who would save Ning Xueyan
had been arranged by her. Soft fire makes sweet malt. As long as she
could defeat Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan was willing to wait. “I failed
when I tried to frame Ning Xueyan before, because I was too tense, so
now, I’ll do it slowly.”

“I don’t believe that Ning Xueyan will be able to escape this time.”

While she was thinking, the curtain was raised and Feiyue hurried in.
She then carefully looked at the door before closing it, looked relieved,
and turned around.

She was the maid brought by Ning Qingshan this time. Now she was not
the henchman of Madam Dowager. She had already become Ning
Qingshan’s henchman because of the threat and benefits from Ning
Qingshan. Instead of helping Madam Dowager to monitor Ning
Qingshan, she reported fake news about Ning Qingshan to Madam
Dowager and devoted herself to helping Ning Qingshan. She wanted to
go to the Third Prince’s Manor with Ning Qingshan, and enjoy a higher
position and great wealth in the future.

“Young Lady, I have told Mr. Xia Yudong, and he is on the way to the
garden.” Feiyue wiped away her sweat. In order to avoid the others, she
had ran as fast as she could. Although it was winter, she still felt hot and
sweaty.

“Did you ask him to play it by ear, later? If Ning Xueyan finds
something wrong and tries to get away from Ao Xian, he will have to
come out and help Ning Xueyan.” Ning Qingshan sat in front of the
dressing table and reached out to remove the hairpin on her head. Today,
she dressed plainly, in order to show Third Prince that her mind had been
at peace for the last three years.

So it was impossible for her to frame Ning Xueyan. What happened at

the gate of the mansion was a misunderstanding and coincidence.

As soon as the hairpin was pulled out, Ning Qingshan’s dark and straight
hair fell to her shoulders. Feiyue came to help her take off the coat and
said, “Don’t worry, Young Lady. Mr. Xia said it will be okay. He will pay
attention to the situation and said to tell you to relax, and wait for the
good news.”

“Do you think will we succeed?” Ning Qingshan stood up and spread out
her hands, so that Feiyue could remove her clothes.

“I think it will certainly succeed. The Fifth Young Lady used to stay in
Bright Frost Garden and has never seen a handsome and gentle young
man like Mr. Xia Yudong. Now she’s out of the Bright Frost Garden and
occasionally walks around, but the outstanding men she sees belong to
others. Mr. Xia Yuhang is the Eldest Young Lady’s husband and the
Third Prince is yours. Besides Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li,
she has not seen anyone who is outstanding.”

Feiyue said this with disdain. She used to work for Madam Dowager,
who had ignored Ning Xueyan for many years. So people in Lucky
Garden also despised Ning Xueyan. Now, they even thought they were
more respected than Ning Xueyan.

After taking off her plain coat and skirts, Ning Qingshan laid on the bed
and decided to have her rest. What ever happened out there had nothing
to do with her.

Ning Qingshan closed her eyes, but was still worried, after thinking
about it. It was not easy to deal with Ning Xueyan. The past few times,
she was full of confidence at the beginning, but failed in the end.
“Feiyue, go to the garden and pretend to pick flowers for me. I want to
know the situation.”

Ning Qingshan opened her eyes and said.

Feiyue knew that Ning Qingshan was not at ease. She nodded and
answered, “Okay, I’ll go now.” Then she covered her with the quilt,
turned around, closed the door, and left.

Although there were no other maids in the room, there was a female
doorkeeper at the door. If Ning Qingshan wanted anything later, she
could ask for it from her.
But Feiyue did not expect the older female servant to leave as well. Soon
after she left, a maid came in a hurry and seemed to be looking for
something as she walked. Then the maid said something to the older
female servant. After that, the two went to Ning Lingyun’s room to look
for something. There was no one at the gate at all. A woman dressed in
plain clothes came over and saw that there was no one around. She
turned and went into the yard and went to the room on the right.

As soon as she passed by, a man staggered in. He saw the woman
disappearing into the room on the right, and hurriedly went over. The
room was not closed, and he opened the door. He was ecstatic when he
saw a set of plain clothes hanging on the screen and rushed to the back of
the screen.

Seeing the man coming in, the woman dressed in plain clothes appeared
on the other side of the screen. She smiled coldly, turned around and
walked out of the room.

There was still no one at the gate of the courtyard. The woman left
quietly. Nobody knew that in addition to Ning Qingshan and Ning
Xueyan, another woman dressed in plain clothes had also entered the
courtyard.

Xia Yudong had been waiting for some time behind a hidden tree, at the
entrance of the garden. He was a little anxious. Neither the Fifth Young
Lady Ning nor Ao Xian appeared. He felt a little uneasy and frowned.
He had seen Ao Xian leaving the courtyard in person, but Ao Xian was
not here yet.

He was not a fool and immediately realized that something was wrong.
He turned around at once and left the garden. Both Ao Xian and the Fifth
Young Lady Ning were not there, and it would arouse other people’s
suspicious if he was there alone.

Just after taking a few steps, he suddenly saw Ning Lingyun and Ning
Xueyan standing together and talking. He was stunned and instantly hid
behind the tree at the side. “Has the venue changed? But it’s obvious that
this is not a good place to start the plan. How stupid the Fourth Young
Lady Ning is.”
Xinmei had already noticed the figure behind the tree. She reached out
and gently pulled Ning Xueyan’s sleeve. Ning Xueyan nodded, and the
smile on her face became even gentler. But the smile almost looked like
a devil’s smile in Ning Lingyun’s eyes, and she could not help trembling.

“Fourth Sister, you really cannot find your earrings? Search your clothes
again.” Ning Xueyan said with a smile, and looked at Ning Lingyun with
care.

Ning Lingyun dared not think that Ning Xueyan really cared about her.
In order to cooperate with Ning Xueyan, she reached out and patted her
clothes, then shook her head to show that she could not find her earrings
in her clothes.

“Let’s look for it again. I’ll help you see whether your earrings are, on
our way here.” Ning Xueyan lowered her head, and walked forward a
few steps as she looked at the ground carefully, as if she really wanted to
help Ning Lingyun find the earrings. But she was walking towards Xia
Yudong.

There was only a tree over there. If Xia Yudong continued to hide behind
it, he would certainly be found.

Xia Yudong had to walk out of the back of the tree and pretended to see
Ning Xueyan and Ning Xueyun. He walked to them and politely saluted,
saying, “What a coincidence. Where are you going, Young Ladies?”

Xia Yudong did not mention the garden at all.

Seeing that the elegant gentleman was saluting her, Ning Lingyun
blushed and hurriedly bowed, softly saying, “Mr. Xia.”

Compared with Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, Xia Yudong

had a much better reputation. Xia Yudong was a diligent son, born of a
concubine. Although his reputation was not as good as Xia Yuhang’s, it
was still good. He also preserved his moral integrity and was different
from Ao Xian, who was always leering at women.

Besides, he was polite. He treated Ning Lingyun, Ning Xueyan, and

Ning Qingshan equally, so Ning Lingyun was very fond of Xia Yudong.
At this time, when she saw him salute her, she immediately saluted back
gently.

Ning Xueyan smiled when she saw Xia Yudong, who always pretended
to be an elegant gentleman, and Ning Lingyun, who also pretended to be
delicate and weak. She thought the two really could act well and were a
good match.

“Mr. Xia, did you see an earring? One of the Four Sister’s earrings is
missing.” Ning Xueyan said gently.

“I just came from over there and did not see anything along the way.
Fourth Young Lady, did it drop before you came over here?” Xia Yudong
had a feeling that there was a problem with Ning Lingyun’s plan, and he
did not know where Ao Xian had gone to. So he specifically avoided the
place they were about to go to, and said that to Ning Lingyun.

It meant that they would not find the earring there, even if they went to
the garden.

“Yes, Fourth Sister, think about it again. Was it been lost before we came
here?” Ning Xueyan seemed to be suddenly reminded about something,
and her eyes brightened.

“It’s… it’s possible. Could it be in Third Sister’s place? I went to her…

and talked with her in the room.” Ning Lingyun looked at Ning Xueyan’s
gentle face, and started to stutter. Looking at the coldness in Ning
Xueyan’s eyes, Ning Lingyun dared not play any petty tricks and said
whatever Ning Xueyan asked her to say.

She just wanted to get through this safely.

“I happen to be free now. Fourth Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady, let
me help you find it together.” Xia Yudong suggested with a gentle look,
when he heard that they were going to find Ning Qingshan, as if he
really wanted to help look for Ning Lingyun’s earrings. No one knew
that he wanted to find Ning Qingshan specifically, and ask Ning
Qingshan what to do next!

It was obvious that Ning Lingyun’s plan had failed, and he could not find
a chance to save Ning Xueyan for the time being…
Chapter 230 Princely Heir, Why
Are You Here?
When they arrived at the courtyard where they had rested previously,
before they entered, they saw Ning Lingyun’s maid and the older female
servant who was in charge of guarding the door, standing at the door, as
if in a trance. They were staring with horror at whatever was inside the
room, and shouting loudly.

The shrill cries even could be heard clearly in the courtyards nearby, not
to mention the courtyard here.

“What’s the matter?” Ning Lingyun forced herself to ask.

“Princely Heir… there… the Third Young Lady, they… ” The maid
reached out and pointed inside. She was so frightened that she trembled
and stammered.

Before she finished speaking, a sharper and even more frightening

scream rang out, then the sound of something falling to the ground could
be heard. The screen that blocked the view was knocked to the ground,
making a loud noise.

Under the surprised eyes of everyone, Ao Xian fell out together with the
screen, in embarrassment and his clothes were in disarray.

On the other side, Ning Qingshan sat up on the bed and clutched her
mussed up clothes tightly. Her white shoulders were exposed, and her
face was pale. She was terrified and screaming.

Ning Qingshan and Ao Xian were together, while their clothes were
awry. All the people standing at the door were too surprised to say
anything.

The loud crashing sound of the screen falling to the ground stunned the
excited Ao Xian. He looked at the people standing at the door blankly,
then turned his eyes toward Ning Qingshan, who was gritting her teeth
and staring fiercely at him, from the bed. He was also surprised and
pointed at Ning Qingshan, saying in a trembling voice, “Third… Third
Young Lady Ning! ”

He remembered that the one he was holding had been the prostitute, and
the one he had just kissed was also the prostitute. How could she have
turned into Ning Qingshan, after a short time? The Third Young Lady
Ning was going to marry the Third Prince. How could have he climbed
into her bed?

“You… why are you in Third Sister’s bed?” Ning Lingyun also stared at
Ao Xian, and pointed at him in disbelief, with tears in her eyes.

“I… I… I just wanted to have a rest. I… I didn’t know that there was
anyone here.” Being stared at by so many people, Ao Xian also knew it
was not good and hurriedly tried to stammer out his explanations. He
was fully awake now. He had intended to meet Ning Lingyun in private.
He did not know how he got lost and followed the prostitute here.
Unexpectedly, that woman was not the prostitute, but Ning Qingshan.
How could he not regret it.

At this time, he felt very guilty when he saw Ning Lingyun.

Ao Xian was anxious and confused now, and just wanted to settle this
matter, so he showed resourcefulness in an emergency, and said he just
wanted to have a rest here. Of course, he could not say that he came here
specially, or the Third Prince would kill him.

“You just took a break here instead of your own room?” A cold voice
came from behind the crowd.

Xinmei pulled Ning Xueyan back, and saw Ao Mingyu appearing at the
door with an angry look on his face.

Although Ning Qingshan was not his consort yet, Honored Consort Ya
had told Ao Mingyu about the benefits of marrying Ning Qingshan, so it
was inevitable that Ning Qingshan would marry into the Third Prince’s
Manor. But such a scandal had happened to Ning Qingshan. Although
nothing serious had happened between Ao Xian and her, according to the
current situation, it was still a scandal.
Ao Mingyu felt that he had been betrayed, and his face immediately
turned livid.

“You… how can you and Third Sister…” Ning Lingyun was also
shocked. She took two steps back, pointed to Ao Xian and Ning
Qingshan, and shivered. Suddenly, she burst into tears and threw herself
at Ning Xueyan. “Fifth Sister, let’s go back. Let’s go back.”

Ao Xian was Ning Lingyun’s fiance, but he and Ning Qingshan had been
found together in a bed. It was obvious that Ning Lingyun had been
wronged, so it was normal for her to cry at this time.

“I… I didn’t..” Ning Qingshan also came to her senses at this time. She
looked at Ao Mingyu, and anxiously explained. But Ning Lingyun’s
cries were so loud that her voice could not be heard.

“Fourth Sister, don’t cry. Let’s go back. We’ll go back at once.” Ning
Xueyan, holding Ning Lingyun to appease her, retreated to the gate of
the courtyard. It seemed that they were neither too fast nor too slow. She
and Ning Lingyun got out of the courtyard in a few steps and no one
noticed them, because it was such a mess inside.

Ao Mingyu, who was always the calmest at ordinary times, was very
angry now, because of this incident. He stared at Ao Xian, and did not
notice that the two Young Ladies of Lord Protector’s Manor had left.

Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun just took a few steps, and met Ning
Huaiyuan, who came in a hurry.

“What happened?” Seeing Ning Lingyun coming out with tears, while
holding on to Ning Xueyan, Ning Huaiyuan stopped and asked.

“Brother, you’d better go inside and have a look. Something serious

happened!” Ning Lingyun just cried and did not reply. Ning Xueyan
pointed to the yard and said vaguely.

The vague words were more frightening. Hearing that, Ning Huaiyuan
left in a great hurry. He did not care about Ning Xueyan and Ning
Lingyun, and went to the courtyard with some people. Just then, he
clearly heard Ning Qingshan’s sharp scream. He knew that it was Ning
Qingshan, who had had an accident. Then he thought that the Third
Prince had gone. How could he not be anxious.

“Your Highness, what happened?” Ning Huaiyuan walked into the

courtyard, and asked urgently before he got to Ao Mingyu. “This is the
place for women to rest. Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun are OK. Does
it mean that something happened to Ning Qingshan only?” Thinking
about the scream he heard, Ning Huaiyuan’s expression changed.

Ao Mingyu pointed to the inside of the room, with a livid look. Ao Xian
was crawling out on his hands and feet, having no time to tidy himself
up. Ning Huaiyuan could tell at a glance that he had left the bed in a
hurry. Then he looked at the Ning Qingshan who was sitting on the bed.
Ning Huaiyuan felt bad. He did not need to ask. The evidence was in
front of him.

“Princely Heir, why are you here?” Ning Huaiyuan went up, grabbed Ao
Xian’s collar, and asked angrily.

“I… I went to the wrong place. I went to the wrong place!” At this time,
Ao Xian also knew that he was in big trouble. He was very lucid now,
which was rare, and explained, cold sweat dripping from his head. He
had intended to curry favour with the Third Prince. But now it seemed
that he had failed, and made him annoyed. How could he not be worried.

Although the status of Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was

noble, compared with that of the Third Prince, it was still far behind.

“You went to the wrong place?” Ning Huaiyuan gnashed his teeth, as he
repeated what he said. He punched Ao Xian and told him angrily, “You
went to the wrong place and came to the womenfolk’s place. If you go
wrong again, will you go to the Imperial Palace?”

“Your Highness, I really went to the wrong place. At noon, I drank…

drank too much. I came out to change my clothes and was in a daze. I did
not come here on purpose…” At this time, Ao Xian could not say he had
followed someone here, no matter what happened. “I have been thinking
about the prostitute day and night, so I mistook the Third Young Lady of
Lord Protector’s Manor for the prostitute, when I was in a daze just
now.”
“If I had seen it clearly at that time, I would not have followed her, and
entered the room directly!”

Ao Xian was full of regret now. Originally, he had intended to have a

great time with a woman, who had nothing to do with others.
Unexpectedly, the woman belonged to the Third Prince. How could he
not be regretful.

“Who discovered it just now?” Ao Mingyu had also calmed down at this
time, and his face recovered a little. He strode to the courtyard and asked
the people.

Ning Huaiyuan dragged Ao Xian out of the room, and threw him at the
foot of Ao Mingyu.

“It’s… it’s me and the maid of Fourth Young Lady. She said that the
earrings of the Fourth Young Lady were missing, so she and I went to the
room to try and search for a while, but we didn’t find them. Then we
went to the Third Young Lady’s room, because she said that the Fourth
Young Lady and the Third Young Lady had been in the room earlier, and
that they might have dropped on the floor of Third Young Lady’s room.”

The gatekeeper heard the question, and knelt down hurriedly, and
explained the whole matter.

“It means that if it hadn’t been for Ning Lingyun’s maid, maybe
something would really have happened between Ao Xian and Ning
Qingshan, then I can’t marry Ning Qingshan, and those benefits will
belong to others.” At this thought, Ao Mingyu became angrier and
looked coldly at Ao Xian. “Sure enough, he is just a useless libertine.”

“Yes, when I came over, I heard the two Young Ladies of Lord
Protector’s Manor saying that they were going to look for the earrings in
Third Young Lady’s room.” Xia Yudong took the initiative to explain.

It was obvious that the Third Prince was going to look into the matter, so
he dared not hide anything. If Third Prince found out later that he knew
about the whole matter, but did not say anything, it would inevitably
arouse the Third Prince’s suspicion.
Then the whole matter was clear. Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan went
out for a walk and suddenly discovered that Ning Lingyun’s earrings
were missing. The maid came back to find them first, while Ning
Lingyun and Ning Xueyan looked for them behind the garden. The maid
could not find the earrings in Ning Lingyun’s room, so she went over to
Ning Qingshan’s room to find. But Ao Xian had come in earlier, and
gone to the wrong room and was in Ning Qingshan’s room, when they
were looking for the earrings…

“Where is the maid? Where is Third Young Lady’s maid?” Ao Mingyu

asked in a cold voice. “Shouldn’t she be guarding Ning Qingshan’s door
for her?”

“Your Highness, I… I went to the garden to pick flowers for our Young
Lady.” Feiyue also knelt down in the crowd, her face pale with fear.

Feiyue came back and wanted to tell Ning Qingshan that she did not see
Ao Xian and Ning Xueyan in the garden. Unexpectedly, Ao Xian was
here and was on Ning Qingshan’s bed, which greatly frightened her. She
was just a maid, so how could she be responsible for this. So she huddled
in one corner, and did not know what to do. Hearing the question, she
had to come out and kneel down.

“Bitch!” How could it be so coincidental! Ning Huaiyuan was so angry

that he kicked Feiyue hard and she fell to the ground.

Feiyue’s mouth was bleeding, but she dared not get up. She fell on the
ground and cried to Ning Huaiyuan, “Eldest Young Master, it was really
the Young Lady who asked me to go out. I am only carrying out the
orders of the Third Young Lady.”

Like Ao Xian, Feiyue dared not think of any other things at this time.
She just wanted to settle this matter, otherwise she would die.

“How dare you frame your master! Cover her mouth and take her away.”
Ning Huaiyuan said with a cold face.

Ao Mingyu nodded. Then one of the bodyguards behind him came,

picked up Feiyue’s handkerchief from the ground, covered her mouth
with it, and took her away.
Now that it had happened, there must be someone to shoulder the
responsibility. Ning Qingshan’s maid had not guarded her well, which
led to this matter. So they just needed to punish this maid, and ask the
people present to keep it secret. In this way, this problem would be
solved and the reputation of Ning Qingshan would not be tarnished.

Ning Huaiyuan thought so, and so did Ao Mingyu. They looked at each
other and reached an agreement. So they shut Feiyue up and made her
the scapegoat.

However, at the same time, they thought of another problem. Rather than
talking about it, Ning Huaiyuan turned around and ran out. Ao Mingyu
followed him, then stopped. He hurriedly ordered the bodyguards behind
him and shouted, “Invite the Fourth Young Lady and the Fifth Young
Lady here. I have something to say.”
Chapter 231 Third Young Lady
Failed
But it was too late when Ning Huaiyuan and Ao Mingyu thought of
looking for Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan. They rushed to the gate and
the doorman reported to them that the two young ladies had left. Ning
Lingyun cried a lot while walking out, and she could not stop crying
even after getting in the carriage with the help of her maid.

The others by her side persuaded her and the passers-by faintly heard
that she was talking about something related to her third sister and
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. It seemed that the scandal could
no longer be hidden.

As expected, Ning Lingyun’s crying on her way aroused many people’s

attention. Some snoops even followed behind the carriage to the Lord
Protector’s Manor, and they heard the conversation clearly when the
maid was persuading Ning Lingyun in the carriage.

Therefore, before Ning Lingyun could step into the Lord Protector’s
Manor, the rumors had spread, saying that Third Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor seemed to have met Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li privately and been caught by Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li’s fiancée on spot. Fourth Young Lady had been so sad and she
rushed out and returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor, crying a lot in the
carriage on her way back.

Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li had always been notorious. He

had almost fought Grand Tutor Ya’s grandson for a prostitute recently,
and this time, he even wanted to seduce Ning Qingshan! People were not
surprised by this news, because as a playboy, he had done so many such
kinds of things!

But he was so shameless to seduce his fiancée’s elder sister to the face of
his fiancée! What a scum!
People were a little doubt that Ning Qingshan, the other heroine of the
matter, would have willingly to have an affair with that playboy. Ning
Qingshan had been enjoying such a good reputation and she had
meditated at the nunnery for three years, so it was unlikely that she
would have done such a thing. Maybe Fourth Young Lady had
misunderstood her, but from Fourth Young Lady’s look, that did not
seem to be the case.

What the hell had happened?

Maybe Third Young Lady was not that virtuous and she had been acting
in front of people. The most filial and loyal woman in the country?
Maybe it was all fake!

On second thought, they thought it might be true.

Ignoring the buzzing of people, Ning Lingyun ran into the manor
tearfully. She headed for Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden directly and
rushed into the room. She knelt in front of Madam Dowager, propped her
hands against the floor and began to weep aloud. Now she had to act
following Ning Xueyan’s words.

Madam Dowager was drinking tea when she saw Ning Lingyun rushing
in. She was so surprised that the tea cup almost slipped from her hands.
“What’s wrong?” she asked unpleasantly with a darkened face, looking
at Ning Lingyun’s tearful eyes.

Ning Xueyan rushed in with Xinmei as well, gasped. Before calming her
panting, Ning Lingyun’s maid, Caiyun, had told Madam Dowager all in
detail. She also specially mentioned that Third Prince’s face had been
ashen when he saw what was happening.

Now everyone knew something big had happened. It was not only a
matter of a few Young Ladies mocking each other, but related to Third
Prince as well. At the sight of Third Prince’s bearing at that point,
Caiyun could tell that things had been going worse. Now she had to
stand on Ning Lingyun’s side. Otherwise, she might become a scapegoat.
It was not a big deal to have a maid be a master’s scapegoat at wealthy
families.
So she was deliberately partial to Ning Lingyun when she explained to
Madam Dowager. According to her words, it seemed Ning Lingyun had
been betrayed by both Ao Xian and Ning Qingshan. Meanwhile, she also
mentioned that Third Prince was in the same boat as Ning Lingyun. If
Madam Dowager wanted to blame Ning Lingyun, that meant she was
unsatisfied with Third Prince.

Caiyun had never been so smart. She performed so well and made the
cause and effect of the whole story very clear on her own.

Madam Dowager’s eyes were as cold as ice. Everyone had been in a

good mood when they left the manor, so she had never thought that such
a thing would have happened. She was a little dissatisfied with Ning
Qingshan. Ao Xian should have been engaged to Ning Yuling in the
beginning, but he had insisted on marrying Ning Lingyun. Now, he had
even had an affair with Ning Qingshan! Thinking about this, Madam
Dowager could not hold back her anger anymore.

After all, Lord Protector’s Manor was influential and powerful. What
had Ao Xian thought the Lord Protector’s Manor’s Young Ladies were?
How dare he choose them at will?

One of her two granddaughters kept on crying, and the other one froze
there in fear and could not even speak a word. It made Madam Dowager
even angrier. Unlike Ning Qingshan, these two granddaughters in front
of her were related to her by blood, and now, they were the only two
Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor that were both pretty and
well-behaved.

“Servant, give back the marriage proposal note to the Commandery

Prince Li’s Manor. Tell them that the Young Lady of our Lord
Protector’s Manor does not match Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li. Ask the Princely Heir to choose a more excellent Young Lady from
some other noble family.” The more she thought, the angrier Madam
Dowager was. She banged the table with her palm and made the tea cups
on the table shake violently.

If such a scandal spread out, who would like to marry the Lord
Protector’s Manor’s Young Ladies in the future? Ao Xian had gone too
far!
Seeing Madam Dowager in a rage, Mother Qin did not dare to say
anything. She asked someone to find the marriage proposal notice from
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and give it back to his Manor.
That meant the engagement was canceled. Besides, it also showed that
Lord Protector’s Manor did not think it a pity to call off the marriage.

When Ning Huaiyuan rushed back to the manor, the marriage proposal
notice had been given back to the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor, so
there was no room for negotiation.

It had been all of sudden when the two manors were engaged, and now
the marriage cancellation was also beyond everyone’s expectation. It was
said that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li misbehaved and he had
even had an affair with a maid of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Fourth
Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor had caught them on spot and
she had returned to her manor angrily. Then the two manors canceled the
engagement.

Of course, this was just a public interpretation. The rumors said that
Third Young Lady of the Nings misbehaved, and the person who had had
an affair with Commandery Prince Li was not a maid, but Third Young
Lady! Some people even said that they had heard Fourth Young Lady
mention Third Young Lady on her way back, and she had cried a lot.

So Third Young Lady must have an affair with Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Li!

Since they had no evidence, everyone talked about it privately. However,

although without evidence, they did not think highly of Third Young
Lady anymore. “Maybe Third Young Lady of the Nings is not as
virtuous as the rumors said.” Many people thought in the same way.

Ning Qingshan was so angry that she gritted her teeth, but she did not
dare to lose temper in front of people. After returning to the manor,
although Madam Dowager did not say anything, she did not look happy.
Therefore, Ning Qingshan could only vent her anger secretly. She
pinched Feilian’s arm forcibly and did not let go of her until Feilian wept
with pain.

She lost another maid this time. Feiyue had been left at Third Prince’s
suburban courtyard, as her scapegoat. Of course, Ning Qingshan knew
what it meant.

Her close maids and servants had been executed or punished one by one.
Who would work for her wholeheartedly in the future?

Ning Xueyan did not seem to have gotten involved in this matter, but
Ning Qingshan felt that she had something to do with it. “Since Ning
Lingyun has been afraid of me, how dare she dispatch a maid to come to
my room?” Ning Qingshan had woken up when she found that Ao Xian
was on her bed. She had been trying to kick Ao Xian out of bed when
they were found out.

If she had driven Ao Xian away secretly, nobody would have found him
on her bed, and she would not have fallen into such an awkward
situation.

She believed that if Ao Xian had found it was her who was on the bed,
he would not dare to touch her. Unfortunately, that stupid maid screamed
loudly when she had opened the door and found a man on her bed. The
scream would have definitely aroused attention.

At that very moment, Ning Qingshan had known that she had to do
something to avoid Third Prince’s suspicion. Otherwise, Third Prince
would have thought that she really had an affair with Ao Xian.
Therefore, she had kicked Ao Xian away forcibly and screamed a lot to
show her innocence.

What had happened next was out of her control. Third Prince had come
into her room. Ning Qingshan still remembered his darkened face and
icy eyes. The look in his eyes was so grim and cold, and even Ning
Qingshan, who had been good at scheming, had not dare to move or
made any noise at that moment.

Then she had watched Feiyue being taken away with a piece of cloth in
her mouth. Ning Qingshan did not feel sorry about Feiyue, but since
Feiyue was her maid, if there was something bad to her, the others would
associate it with Ning Qingshan. Even though they were just some
groundless rumors, they would ruin her perfect fame that she had built
up for years. At the thought of this, she had had an impulse to kill Feiyue
on spot.
It would be good if Feiyue had committed suicide on spot. At least, she
could keep her innocence.

Obviously, Ao Mingyu had been mad of her this time. He had left her
without speaking anything, not even pretending. At the thought of this,
Ning Qingshan could not help being resentful.

“Miss, calm down. Third Prince didn’t say anything, did he? Everyone
knows that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li walked into the
wrong room and got you in trouble. Third Prince should know it.”
Mammy Luo sighed when she saw the ferocious look on Ning
Qingshan’s charming face. She pulled Ning Qingshan’s sleeve,
beckoning her to let go of Feilian’s hand.

Ning Qingshan was still pinching Feilian’s hand. She pinched so hard
that Feilian almost could not stand firmly in pain, but she did not dare to
cry out.

“Get out!” Ning Qingshan gave Feilian a hard push angrily and shouted,
“You useless b*tch, get out!”

Feilian looked a little like Feiyue, so Ning Qingshan seemed to have

taken her as Feiyue. She stared at her fiercely.

“Got it. I’m leaving right now.” Feilian felt pain all over. She moved out
cautiously, lowering her head.

She stopped when she arrived at the door and the piteous look in her eyes
had turned to hatred. When she saw Caifen coming over from outside,
she immediately lowered her head again with a look of fear.

Caifen glanced at her contemptuously and walked into Ning Qingshan’s

room, without talking to her.

Everyone of Foggy Courtyard knew that the maid Ning Qingshan trusted
most was not the first-class maids, Feiyue and Feilian, but the second-
class maid, Caifen. Therefore, Caifen could walk into Ning Qingshan’s
room at any time without her permission.

“Miss, you mean this matter also has something to do with Fifth Young
Lady?” Mammy Luo asked when she saw Ning Qingshan’s knitted
brows.

“Absolutely! I’m quite sure about it.” Ning Qingshan crunched her teeth.
She had designed a series of stratagems to deal with Ning Xueyan.
However, nothing bad had happened to Ning Xueyan. Ning Qingshan
had never thought that she would have become the victim of her own
scheme, but unfortunately, that was the case. Later, she had searched Ao
Xian in person, and she had also reminded Third Prince to search Ao
Xian, but they had found nothing special.

It was impossible! Since Ning Lingyun had prepared to frame Ning

Xueyan by bringing Ao Xian to Ning Xueyan and being intimate to her,
she should have put something on Ao Xian. Ao Xian had not seemed to
be conscious when he was in her room, but Ning Qingshan still failed to
find anything valuable on him. She had checked the perfume pouch tied
to Ao Xian’s waist, but it looked normal.

It seemed everything abnormal had happened after Ao Xian walked out

the room!

How could it be possible?

“Mammy Luo, visit the Xia Manor again and tell Ning Ziying that I want
to meet her!” Ning Qingshan said coldly, her eyes full of killing intent
and violence. “Ning Xueyan, I’ll fight you to the death!”
Chapter 232 Ning Lingyun Was
Frightened
Ning Lingyun’s personal maid, Caiyun, had witnessed the dramatic
change of the matter and she was scared. “Miss, what shall we do?” she
asked, trembling.

She had seen that her master had to change her mind under Fifth Young
Lady’s threat. According to Fifth Young Lady’s instruction, her master
had to ask her to go to Third Young Lady’s room on the pretext of
finding earrings. Then she had seen Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li in Third Young Lady’s room.

Things had not been undergoing as Ning Qingshan had plotted and Ning
Lingyun had been on the back foot. Ning Xueyan had not only figured
out Ning Lingyun’s plot, but also hinted her that Third Prince had never
had a crush on her. It had made Ning Lingyun lose her mind. She had
subconsciously agreed to follow Ning Xueyan’s words because she was
so scared of her.

She had never thought that Caiyun would have found out something so
shocking in Ning Qingshan’s room.

However, to her surprise, the events had been interlinked and out of her
control. When she had seen the angry and grim look in Ning Qingshan’s
eyes, Ning Lingyun knew that she had to stand on Ning Xueyan’s side,
because Ning Qingshan would not let go of her.

Afterwards, she had done everything as per Ning Xueyan’s instruction.

She had plotted nothing, but only followed Ning Xueyan’s words, but
now it had caused such a big trouble and everyone was talking about it,
so she was in a panic. Things would not change according to her will,
and she was so regret that she had believed what Ning Qingshan had said
and made up her mind to deal with Ning Xueyan.

“She is only fourteen years old, but how could she be so experienced?
Ning Xueyan is such a scheming b*tch! I’m no match for her!”
“Caiyun, tell Madam Dowager that I’m sick. We should keep a low-key
in the future and I won’t meddle in the affairs of Foggy Courtyard and
Bright Frost Garden.” Senior Concubine Xu had come to her courtyard
last night and cursed her. This time, she seemed to be smart and followed
Senior Concubine Xu’s suggestion. She could afford to offend neither
Foggy Courtyard nor Bright Frost Garden.

“The higher up you go, the more benefits you’ll get!”

That was Senior Concubine Xu had told her. Senior Concubine Xu was a
smart person. Otherwise, she would not have given birth to a daughter
safely under Madam Ling’s nose. Ning Lingyun was the only
concubine’s daughter of the whole manor. So it was obvious that Senior
Concubine Xu was a woman of means. She had come to tell Ning
Lingyun not to act recklessly and wait for Madam Dowager’s
instruction.

“Got it. I’ll report to Madam Dowager immediately.” Caiyun nodded.

Like Ning Lingyun, she was extremely scared. She still felt nervous
when she recalled what had happened that day. If what had happened to
Third Young Lady had happened to her master at Third Prince’s
suburban courtyard, maybe she would be the scapegoat. At the thought
of this, she began to tremble. She thought she might end up like Feiyue
in the battle among these Young Ladies.

So she felt relieved that Ning Lingyun had no plan to compete with the
other two Young Ladies for the moment.

Both the master and the maid were so frightened. When they discussed
the next move, people of Bright Frost Garden were talking about that
matter as well.

On the day of the accident, Xinmei had already replaced the perfume
pouch that Ning Lingyun had given Ao Xian with an ordinary one
without any marks, but there was some aphrodisiac powder inside as
well. Ning Xueyan had made the powder in person. The fragrance was
faint and would not last long. It would fade away finally. That meant
when Ao Xian woke up, he could not smell the fragrance at all.
Therefore, nobody would find out the aphrodisiac powder.
“Mother Han, have you sent them away?” Ning Xueyan asked Mother
Han as soon as she stepped into her room.

“Miss, she has gone. She said many thanks before leaving and she said
that she would definitely repay your kindness if she had an opportunity,”
Mother Han answered with a smile. Things had undergone smoothly. She
had watched that woman getting in a carriage and leaving the city. She
would go wherever she wanted and Third Young Lady would never find
out that there had been another woman in plain clothes at Third Prince’s
suburban courtyard on the other day.

It was the most popular prostitute that Princely Heir of Commandery

Prince Li and Ya Changqing had competed for. She had become a
prostitute because she had no money to cure her mother’s disease. She
had sold herself to the brothel. Unfortunately, her mother’s illness was
too heavy to be cured, and not long after, her mother had died and her
younger sister had been left alone.

Since her younger sister was left unattended, the procuress had wanted to
bring her to the brothel. That woman had been reluctant to have her
younger sister stay at the brothel, but her sister was too young and it
would be dangerous for her to live alone outside without attendance.
Although she had a close relationship with some powerful men, like
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, these people would not be
willing to buy her from the brothel and marry her. So she could not take
care of her own younger sister.

When she had been worrying about it, Ning Xueyan asked Mother Han
to visit her and told her that if she did one thing for her, Ning Xueyan
would buy her from the brothel and give her a sum of money. Then she
would be able to take her younger sister away from the capital.

On the other day, Xinmei had let her come into Third Prince’s suburban
courtyard from the door of the flower greenhouse. After seducing Ao
Xian to Ning Qingshan’s room, this woman had left by the way she had
come in. Ao Xian was not familiar with Ning Qingshan, so he had
thought himself taking the wrong person, and he had not dared to tell the
others that he thought the woman he had seen was that prostitute and he
had followed her to Ning Qingshan’s room.
Although this matter had been cleverly done, Ning Xueyan still wanted
the prostitute to leave the capital. So she immediately asked Mother Han
to send the sisters away after the prostitute had fulfilled her task. They
would be a hidden trouble if they still stayed in the capital. Ning
Qingshan could not find any clue for the moment, but Ning Xueyan
worried that it would be leaked out someday because of somebody’s
carelessness. Ning Qingshan had never thought that she would have
become the victim of this affair, so she would do anything to strike back
if she knew the secret.

Ning Xueyan had a hunch that as long as that prostitute was still in the
capital, Ning Qingshan would find some clues. She wondered why Ao
Mingyu was so patient with Ning Qingshan. The more he put up with
Ning Qingshan, the more Ning Xueyan suspect Ning Qingshan’s
background. There must be some secret that she was not aware of!

On the contrary, Ao Mingyu had no fear of Grand Tutor Ya’s

granddaughter, Ya Moqin, at all.

Ning Qingshan must have something to do with Grand Tutor Ya’s

Manor. It seemed that there were many secrets about Grand Tutor Ya’s
Manor!

Seeing her frowning, Xinmei knew what she was thinking. “Miss, do you
want to inquire to Prince Yi about Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor?” she asked
in a low voice.

Xinmei was the secret guard Ao Chenyi had trained, so she was
especially sensitive for such kind of things. There must be some reason.
Otherwise, Ao Mingyu would not have put up with Ning Qingshan again
and again.

“Be patient. Somebody else must be more anxious than us.” Ning
Xueyan waved her hand and stopped Xinmei.

Ao Mingyu had put the matter to the rest and shifted all the blame on
Feiyue, but everyone from influential families knew that Feiyue was just
Ning Qingshan’s scapegoat, so they all guessed that something bad
would happen to Ning Qingshan. With Ning Qingshan’s character, she
could not swallow the result and would definitely find a way to turn the
tables.
Sometimes, more haste, less speed.

Ning Xueyan had found some problems with an account of Ning Zu’an
when she checked the account books. The account was recorded every
month and it seemed nothing wrong with it, but in her last life, Ning
Ziying had already found the problem. Now Ning Xueyan decided to
find an excuse and suspend this account. Then Ning Zu’an must be very
anxious, just like Ning Qingshan. The more anxious he was, the more
likely it was that something would go wrong.

“Miss, Third Prince has calmed this thing. Does it mean that he will still
marry Third Young Lady?” Lanning asked with a worried look. In the
long run, although Fifth Young Lady was very smart, she was still out of
favor. The marquis and Madam Dowager seemed to be nice to her, but in
the face of interest, they would not stand on her side and defend her.

Once Third Young Lady really married Third Prince in the future,
nobody would help Fifth Young Lady if Third Young Lady wanted to
deal with her.

“Ao Mingyu will definitely marry Ning Qingshan,” Ning Xueyan said
calmly with a firm tone. Looking at Lanning’s shocking face, she smiled
slightly. “But Ning Qingshan is unlikely to be his principal wife.”

Ning Qingshan used to have a perfect reputation, she was Lord

Protector’s principal wife’s daughter, Ao Mingyu had had deep feelings
for her and had been grateful to her, plus, Honored Consort Ya had been
favored her, so it should have been natural for Ning Qingshan to become
Ao Mingyu’s principal wife.

But so many unusual things had happened to Ning Qingshan recently.

She had been trying to hide her shoulder injury, and now Ao Xian had
been found on her bed and nobody could tell if they had an affair or not.
Even though Ao Mingyu had never blamed her for these, it did not mean
that he did not care. The woman he would marry as his principal wife
must be helpful to him. Ning Qingshan’s virtue was now in doubt and
her fame was even worse than an ordinary noble Young Lady’s, so she
had very little chance to marry Ao Mingyu as his principal wife.

But no matter what happened, Ao Mingyu would still marry her. From
his unlimited forbearance toward Ning Qingshan, Ning Xueyan knew
that he was determined to get Ning Qingshan and the benefits behind her.

Lanning was a smart girl and she immediately understood what Ning
Xueyan meant. Her face lit up and she asked with a smile, “Miss, you
mean we should just wait and see what Third Young Lady will do next?”

“In addition to Ning Qingshan, Madam Ling, or Madam Dowager and

Ning Zu’an will make a move soon,” Ning Xueyan said calmly with a
smile and leaned back lazily. Since Ning Qingshan had a problem to
become Third Prince’s principal wife now, Madam Dowager and Ning
Zu’an, who had been focused on Lord Protector’s Manor’s property,
would not stand by.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan would just wait and see. But she would not wait
too long.

Because someone people could not wait to take action!

Ning Xueyan had found some clues from what had happened at Third
Prince’s suburban courtyard.

Was Ning Qingshan cooperating with Ning Ziyan? They had acted so
quickly! The others might have not noticed this, but fortunately, Ning
Ziying had known the Xia Manor well and she had seen Xia Yudong
before, so she knew the situation better.

Xia Yudong was Xia Yuhang’s younger brother. Even though Ning
Qingshan was resourceful, she could not get in touch with Xia Yudong
unless someone had introduced them to each other. The person Xia
Yudong admired most was his brother Xia Yuhang.

He copied the way Xia Yuhang spoke and behaved. Since he was
obedient to Xia Yuhang, of course he would follow Xia Yuhang’s new-
married wife, Ning Ziyan’s words. Therefore, it would not be difficult
for Ning Ziyan to have him act as a ‘hero’ to save Ning Xueyan when
Ning Xueyan was in trouble. From this, Ning Xueyan could tell that
Ning Qingshan must have collusion with Ning Ziyan.

“Miss, the carriage is waiting outside. Shall we go now?” Qingyu lifted

the door curtain and asked. She had learned from the doorman that no
master had reserved the carriages today.
As she had been stopped at the gate because of Concubine Ma on the
other day, Ning Xueyan failed to go to the cloth shops. She had reported
to Madam Dowager again today and was about to choose the cloth now.

“Okay. Let’s go. Lanning, stay at home with Mother Han. I’ll go with
Qingyu and Xinmei,” Ning Xueyan stood up and said with a nod.

She was a little busy recently, but Bright Frost Garden should still be
alert, so she left Mother Han and Lanning, who was more mature, at
Bright Frost Garden.

“Got it!” Lanning and Mother Han knew Ning Xueyan’s intention, and
they immediately answered together.

The carriage had stopped at the manor gate. After that accident, all the
carriages of the manor had been repaired and they were all in good
condition now. They were available at any time for the masters. The
doorman had prepared the best carriage for Fifth Young Lady when he
heard that she was going to go out. Everyone had noticed that Fifth
Young Lady became more important in the manor.

The servants were all very smart, and they all wanted to curry favor with
her.
Chapter 233 Mr. Yu, the
Shopkeeper of the Cloth Shop
After getting into the carriage, Ning Xueyan found a comfortable place
to rest with her eyes closed.

She would mainly go to one cloth shop to tailor clothes for the servants
of the manor. That shop had been brought to the Lord Protector’s Manor
as Madam Ming’s dowry and Madam Ming used to be its owner. Now it
had been taken by the Lord Protector’s Manor, to be exactly, by Madam
Ling.

The shopkeeper, Mr. Yu, was a special person. Ning Xueyan had come
out today mainly to meet him.

She hoped that she could figure out if Mr. Yu was still on her mother’s
side or he had really already taken Madam Ling as his master. All the
shopkeepers would submit the account books of their shops tomorrow.
She would choose some people who were still grateful to Madam Ming
from these shopkeepers. The shops were Madam Ming’s dowry, so she
would not allow Madam Ling to take them!

Although not the busiest, the street in which the shop was situated was
crowded and this shop’s business was no worse than those big shops
which were in between two main streets.

Qingyu and Xinmei got out the carriage first. Qingyu went into the shop
to find Mr. Yu, while Xinmei supporting Ning Xueyan get out the
carriage.

This shop had only two rooms which were not connected, and it was not
on a main street, so it could not be taken as a big shop. However, when
they got into the shop, they found it was not small inside, as it had two
floors. There were various kinds of cloth on the first floor, and some
embroidery products and thread on the second. In fact, it was a shop of
cloth and embroidery products.
Many women were choosing cloth and embroidery products and the shop
assistants were busy serving them.

Qingyu walked over to Ning Xueyan with a very thin old man in his
sixties. At the sight of Ning Xueyan, the old man was so excited that
tears welled up in his eyes. “Fifth Young Lady?” he said and bowed to
Ning Xueyan.

“Mr. Yu. How are you?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and accepted Mr.
Yu’s greeting. Then she bowed slightly to him.

Mr. Yu was not the shopkeeper when Madam Ming had been the owner,
but Mother Han said that he had already been a senior of this shop at that
point. Later, he had been promoted from the vice shopkeeper to
shopkeeper, and had worked in this cloth shop for many years.

Although Ning Xueyan looked very young, she was calm and patient
when she spoke and behaved. Her jet-black eyes were bright and clear,
full of wisdom. As a smart person who had seen and met many different
kinds of people, Mr. Yu was sure that Ning Xueyan was not a simple girl.
He could not help nodding slightly.

It was said that Fifth Young Lady had taken her place in the manor not
long after stopping hiding herself at Bright Frost Garden. So obviously,
such a Young Lady could not be simple. Thinking about this, Mr. Yu did
not dare to look at Ning Xueyan anymore, and he became even more
respectful.

He invited Ning Xueyan to go upstairs and take a seat in a room. Mr. Yu

took the tea cup from a shop assistant and brought it to Ning Xueyan in
person respectfully.

Ning Xueyan took the tea cup. She lifted the lip and removed the tea
foam. After taking a sip of the tea, she put it straightforward.

“All the shopkeepers will hand in their account books to our manor
tomorrow. Mr. Yu, is your account book ready?”

Despite her young age, Ning Xueyan’s powerful aura and her calm
shocked Mr. Yu. He froze for a moment and then looked outside with
hesitation.
“Can’t you tell me that? My mother is meditating at the Buddha Hall,
and now my grandmother is in charge of all the affairs of the backyard.
She entrusted me to check the account books, so of course I should
inquire about this.” Ning Xueyan raised her head calmly, looking at Mr.
Yu coldly, her eyes sparkling with wisdom.

Mr. Yu could not help lowering his head, and he did not know what to
say.

Ning Xueyan had shown her identity and expressed that she should be
responsible for Madam Dowager. She had also mentioned that Madam
Ling was at the Buddha Hall. Although the outsiders did not know why
Madam Ling had been staying at the nunnery for such a long time, they
could tell that there was something wrong. As the hostess of the manor,
she was not taking care of the backyard affairs, but staying at the Buddha
Hall at the busiest time in a year! Anyone with a brain would figure out
that something bad had happened to Madam Ling.

The shopkeepers who worked under Madam Ling’s administration had

met privately and discussed the current situation. Most of them thought
Madam Ling would take power again. After all, she was the First Madam
of the manor. Even if she had made some mistakes, the punishment
would not last long. Since Eldest Young Master was the only son of Lord
Protector, who would punish his mother severely?

They believed that First Madam would be released from the Buddha Hall
by the end of the year at most. Therefore, they did not want to hand in
their account books tomorrow, and they decided to hand them in after
First Madam was released.

Mr. Yu did not quite agree with the other shopkeepers, but as a shrewd
person, he knew he should follow the trend. Otherwise, he would be
isolated, and after First Madam was released, she would not spare him.
But he knew the Fifth Young Lady in front of her was not easy to fool.

So he could not make any decision now.

“Mr. Yu, are you going to take illness as an excuse for not coming to our
manor tomorrow?” Ning Xueyan asked with a slight smile, a piercing
light flashing in her bright and icy eyes. What she said next was even hit
home more and Mr. Yu did not know what to say with trembling lips.
“Mr. Yu, do you think that the shop really belongs to Madam Ling?”

Mr. Yu knew what Ning Xueyan said was right. Madam Ling had taken
these shops from Madam Ming, but she did not dare to tell the others in
public that these shops belonged to her. Otherwise, Madam Dowager
would be annoyed. She could only hint the others privately that these
shops were her property. Such kinds of things could never be announced
openly.

Madam Ling had privately told the shopkeepers that these shops were
her dowry, but she had not dared to talk about it to them in front of other
people. These shopkeepers were all smart, and they knew there must be
something behind it. So although they had taken Madam Ling as their
master, they did not dare to say that the shops were Madam Ling’s dowry
in front of Madam Dowager.

“Fifth Young Lady, what are you talking about? I dare not think of
deceiving you and will never do so. I promise I will go to the manor with
the account book and hand it to you.”

Being awed by Ning Xueyan, Mr. Yu had made up his mind to hand in
the account book, so he answered with a smile in a hurry.

He had heard the rumors about Madam Ling’s being locked in the
Buddha Hall, but nobody knew the reason. Now Mr. Yu could tell that
this must have something to do with Fifth Young Lady. An unfavored
Young lady had gotten the powerful First Madam to the Buddha Hall, so
it was obvious that Fifth Young Lady was very capable.

Even First Madam had been punished because of her, but those
shopkeepers were still trying to help First Madam to deal with Fifth
Young Lady! How stupid! In Mr. Yu’s mind, they could not deal with
Fifth Young Lady, and anyone who offended her would get into trouble.
Even those shopkeepers who had been in their fifties or sixties were no
match for the little girl, who was only fourteen years old!

Hearing that Mr. Yu had agreed to hand in the account book, Ning
Xueyan felt relieved, a trace of smile on her face. Mr. Yu was a smart
guy, so she had made the correct decision to discuss with him first. On
the one hand, smart people would never refuse the others directly. On the
other hand, Mr. Yu was not that loyal to Madam Ling. From his look and
the cloth he had given to her, Ning Xueyan could tell that he had not
totally forgotten his former master. Then he would not contradict her to
her face. So it would be easier to make a breakthrough from him.

The grim look had been replaced by smile. Ning Xueyan asked, “Mr. Yu,
are you having any trouble?”

Mr. Yu was stunned at the words. He raised his head in surprise and
asked, “Fifth Young Lady, how did you know it?”

“You were distracted and looked outside with a frown from time to time.
You looked worried. So I guessed that you must be in trouble,” Ning
Xueyan said gently.

“Fifth Young Lady, you’re so smart!” Mr. Yu sighed. He had planned to

ask Madam Ling for help, but he had not thought that she would have
been locked up for such a long time. He had visited the manor and
inquired when First Madam would get out of the Buddha Hall, but
nobody could answer him. Now he had to solve the problem, so he had
been upset recently.

“What happened?” Ning Xueyan asked. She had asked Mother Han to
keep an eye on this shop, so she knew what trouble Mr. Yu was in. She
had asked him deliberately to prevent Mr. Yu from knowing that she had
asked people to watch him.

“I’m not to blame for this. Some people stirred trouble on purpose,
saying that a kind of cloth we sold was inferior product. They claimed
that we had mixed some low-quality thread in the cloth, and caused the
clothes they made were not strong enough. The clothes broke after their
servants had only worn them for a few days. Moreover, the clothes were
too shrunk to wear after being put into the water. Several manors ordered
this kind of cloth from us, but now they have returned it.”

When talking about this, Mr. Yu felt very upset. Before Spring Festival,
all the manors would buy some cloth to make new clothes for their
servants, so Mr. Yu had prepared a lot of this kind of cloth to meet their
needs. However, when people from the other manors had heard that the
cloth had a quality problem, they all returned the cloth. Now the
warehouse was filled with this kind of cloth, so Mr. Yu was burning with
anxiety.

“Which manor did the rumors come from?” Ning Xueyan asked,
frowning.

Mr. Yu answered with a guilty look, “I don’t know. Some people came
and stirred trouble from time to time recently. Some of them claimed that
the cloth had a quality problem, saying that the clothes they made with
our cloth broke after washing, or shank after being put into the water.
Some others said that we mixed some different thread into the cloth, and
made the cloth being stained with another color when it was put into the
water. In a word, they had found all kinds of excuses to make trouble
every few days. If they continue to do this, nobody will buy cloth from
us anymore.”

“Is there any special mark on our cloth?” Ning Xueyan asked.

There were many cloth shops in the capital, and all the cloth they sold
had their own exclusive mark.

“Yes. But each bolt of cloth has only a mark on it. While a bolt of cloth
can be used to make two or three clothes, so it’s impossible to find the
mark on each piece of clothing,” Mr. Yu said helplessly.

“There is a special mark of our shop on the cloth?” Ning Xueyan

continued.

“Yes. There is a very small mark on the inner side of the cloth. This kind
of cloth was specially made for our shop. As the old customer, we asked
our supplier to print a character ‘Ning’ on the cloth to distinguish those
from other shops,” Mr. Yu answered, looking worried. If this matter
could not be solved as soon as possible, it would lead to more trouble.

“Hey! What’s wrong with the cloth? Why hasn’t anybody answered me
till now?” When they were talking, there was a sudden noise downstairs
along with a woman’s shout.

She came again! Mr. Yu was a little annoyed. “Fifth Young Lady, this
woman is the one who claimed that all their clothes made with our cloth
had been broken,” he said.
Chapter 234 I’m Going to Buy
Some Cloth for My Servants
A luxurious and bright-colored carriage crossed the street slowly. Seeing
the big blood-red manjusaka pattern on the extremely spacious carriage,
everyone lowered their heads and moved aside, without making any
noise. Even those little kids who had no sense of danger sensed the
tension in the air. They snuggled up to their parents and looked at the
carriage in fear, closing their little mouths tightly.

All the people in the capital knew that the carriage belonged to Prince Yi,
so nobody dared to stand in his way.

Ao Chenyi leaned against the soft couch lazily, his long legs dangling
aside casually. The robe he wore was in the same color as the carriage,
making his handsome face a little enchanting. When he raised his head,
people did not dare to look at him, because the look in his eyes was too
icy. Two beautiful palace maids knelt on the two sides of the carriage,
each holding a food box above their heads.

Obviously, Ao Chenyi had no interest in the food box in the two palace
maid’s hands. He lifted the curtain, looked outside and happened to see
the carriage of the Lord Protector’s Manor stopped in front of a shop.

“Go and check who is inside.”

Although he said briefly, Yu Jian understood his intention. He reached

out and stopped the horses. Then he jumped out the carriage and walked
into the shop. An elegant and cold girl was walking downstairs, with a
trace of smile on her face. His master was so smart! As he had expected,
it was Fifth Young Lady!

“Your Highness Prince Yi, it’s Fifth Young Lady,” Yu Jian walked to the
carriage and reported in a low voice.

Ao Chenyi rubbed his beautiful and straight nose with his slender fingers
and smiled idly. “I was right. It’s that little girl! It’s said she had stirred
trouble at Ao Mingyu’s suburban courtyard. What’s she doing here?” He
ordered in a lazy voice, “Stop the carriage. The Spring Festival is
coming, and I’m going to buy some cloth for my servants.”

Yu Jian made a face and did not know what to say. “Why is Prince Yi
suddenly caring about such things?”

Of course, as a smart guard, Yu Jian was clear what his master was
thinking. He nodded and said seriously, “You’re right, Prince Yi! They
should wear new clothes during the Spring Festival.”

“Yes. Help me get out!” Ao Chenyi blinked charmingly.

The two beautiful palace maids immediately put down the food boxes
and jumped out from the carriage. They then knelt, propping themselves
with their hands against the ground. They were of the same height now,
so it was obvious that they had been well trained.

Ao Chenyi stepped on the back of the palace maids and got out the
carriage before walking into the shop. His unrivaled handsome face
looked both idle and charming and there was no usual bloodthirsty and
coldness on it. Obviously, he was in a good mood.

“Give a box of the South Sea Pearl I have just gained to that little girl.
Since she is my woman, I should give her something valuable before
Spring Festival. Otherwise, others will think that she is too shabby and
look down upon her.”

He knew this little girl was both cunning and ruthless, but he still liked
her. He was satisfied with everything she had done. What was more, he
was the master of this little wild cat. His pet must be aggressive and
should never be weak. Before he could make a fuss about Ning
Qingshan’s shoulder injury, Ning Xueyan had already taken advantage of
it and aroused Third Prince’s suspicion about Ning Qingshan. This
coincided with his idea.

He was getting even more satisfied with this little girl!

But when had Ning Xueyan, the Lord Protector’s Manor’s Young Lady,
become his woman? Since the first time they met, Ao Chenyi had taken
this little girl as his woman. He was satisfied with everything about her.
Besides, he had traded for her on one condition. So of course she
belonged to him.

It had never been on his mind whether Ning Xueyan was willingly to be
his woman!

He could not stand his pet being bullied. The usual cold-blooded Prince
Yi suddenly came up with such an idea.

He would not allow the others of the Lord Protector’s Manor to bully his
woman all the time. It was rare that he happened to meet her here. Seeing
people gathering in the shop, he knew that this little girl was in trouble
again.

Thinking about this, he strode forward. A eunuch walked ahead of him

and was about to drive away the people in his way, but he waved his
hand, gesturing him not to disturb the others. Then he stopped behind the
crowd. Several eunuchs and guards stood behind him respectfully,
lowering their heads. They did not move at all.

Seeing his black robe embroidered with blood-red flower and the
respectful manner of the eunuchs and guards, the experienced people
near Ao Chenyi left quietly. Why did this ruthless prince show up here?
Was he going to kill again?

Many people who were watching walked out the shop quietly.

It was not smart to look on what Prince Yi was doing, because people
who did this might even lose their lives!

Ning Xueyan did not notice Prince Yi’s appearance. She leaned against
the chair with a faint smile, watching the woman, who was in her thirties,
shouting in front of her.

“Are you the owner of this shop? Look! This is the dress made from the
cloth of your shop. It was suddenly shrunk by this much. Besides, its
color faded. How can I wear such a dress?” With that, she threw a small
and stained dress in front of Ning Xueyan. The dress was too small and it
was about a kid’s size. Besides, the beautiful colors on it had blended
together and formed blotches, like being stained with ink.
It really looked ugly. And it was too small for this strong middle-aged
woman.

People who were in front of Ao Chenyi did not see him, and some of
them began to feel sorry for the middle-aged woman.

“How can you prove that you bought the cloth from our shop? As far as I
know, such common cloth can be found in many shops. There are several
dozens of cloth shops in the capital. Why are you so certain that you got
it from our shop?”

Ning Xueyan said slowly, smiling.

“I’m sure I bought it from your shop! I have bought ten bolts of cloth
here ten days ago, and you should have recorded it. If you don’t trust me,
you can check the record. What’s more, I have put a thumbprint on it,”
the woman shouted confidently, placing her hands on her hips.

She raised her voice on purpose, trying to arouse more attention.

However, since Ao Chenyi stood behind the crowd, nobody dared to
walk in to stir trouble. Even if they would get money, they would not
dare to come in to watch what was going on.

According to the custom of the capital, if the customer bought ten or

more than ten bolts of cloth, the customer would be requested to leave a
fingerprint on the record. Otherwise, the customer did not need to do
this, and it would be enough after the accountant made the record.

“You mean you have bought ten bolts of cloth from us?” Ning Xueyan
said coolly.

“Yes. Ten bolts of cloth! I’m quite sure about it. If you don’t believe me,
you can ask the shopkeeper to check the account book. As a powerless
woman, I won’t make trouble on purpose for no reason. You must give
me a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, I won’t leave here,” the woman
said aggressively. Obviously, she would make a scene here if she could
not get what she wanted.

Looking at the dress on the floor and at the woman, some people were
filled with indignation.
“This shop is sucks! And your cloth is sucks! Who will dare to buy
anything from you?”

“Obviously, the color of this dress is exclusive to this shop. Are they still
trying to deny it?”

“My son also bought cloth from this shop. I doubt if it can be used. I will
bring it here and return it later. The cloth of this shop can’t be used to
make clothes at all!”

Hearing these remarks, the middle-aged woman looked triumphantly.

She had made such a right decision to come here today! Since there was
her fingerprint on the record, nobody would dare to deny that she had
brought the cloth from this shop.

“Has all the cloth been used to make clothes?” Ning Xueyan asked
casually.

“Yes, of course! All the clothes look like this one. All the cloth you sold
was fake!” the woman said firmly.

“Qingyu, go to her place with her and bring all the other clothes here. I
want to know whether all of them are broken,” Ning Xueyan said calmly,
a sarcasm crossing her bright eyes.

The triumphant smile froze on the woman’s face. Seeing Qingyu coming
over, she stammered, “It’s un-unnecessary! My home is far from here
and it will take a very long time to get there. You’d better solve the
problem about this dress. Then I will bring all the others to you.”

“It doesn’t matter. I have time,” Ning Xueyan said indifferently, ignoring
the woman’s request.

Obviously, she would definitely bring the other clothes here!

“The other clothes are in better condition than this one. This one’s
condition is too poor! And the rest clothing was being made.” Seeing
that Ning Xueyan insisted on dispatching people to bring the clothes, the
woman became anxious and immediately changed her attitude.
“So this one shrank and being stained the most?” Ning Xueyan asked
before that woman could think it over.

“Of course! This one was both shrank and being stained. So you can just
check this one,” being afraid that Ning Xueyan would ask someone to
fetch the other clothes, the woman immediately answered. She was
lying, so of course she would not lead the others to her home.

“Only this one? Are you sure?” Ning Xueyan asked again.

“Yes. I’m sure that only this one has quality problems!” the woman
confirmed.

Ao Chenyi stood behind people, a trace of smile on his charming face.

“This little girl is so cunning! She let the woman fall into her trap so
quickly!”

“Only this dress has such a big problem? Since the other clothes were
made from the same cloth, how could they be much better?” Ning
Xueyan asked with a darkened face. “The same piece of cloth can’t be so
different. Or maybe the clothes were not made from the same cloth?”

Since she looked too young, that woman had not taken her seriously.
When she became serious, she emanated a powerful aura. The woman
was so scared that she stammered and could not answer her question.

How could the same piece of cloth be different?

The crowd calmed down and everyone realized that the woman was
lying. this would have happened only when the clothes had not been
made from the same piece of cloth.

“Mr. Yu, send her to the governmental office and ask the officers to
judge. We’re law-abiding businessmen. If such things happen again in
the future, just sue them. We can bring our cloth to the court and let the
judge check it on spot.” Ning Xueyan smiled faintly, her lips pale, but
she did not show mercy when she spoke.

Businessmen adhered to the principle of ‘Harmony brings wealth’, so

this woman and the others knew that the owner of the shop would not
dare to do anything to them. Besides, it was hard for the people of the
shop to prove that the cloth had not been bought from them. That was
why the troublemakers had come from time to time. They knew that the
bigger the fuss they made, the more complicated the situation was, and
the more it would affect the business of this shop.

But nobody had thought that a Young Lady would have been so
courageous and calm. Those who had an ulterior object in view
immediately stopped thinking about making trouble. They had planned
to ruin this shop’s business by discrediting it when the Lord Protector’s
Manor’s madam had no time to take care of it, so that their own business
would be better.

But to their surprise, the Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor
was so capable at such a young age!
Chapter 235 This Is a Reward for
you From Prince Yi
Realizing that things were getting worse, the middle-aged woman rushed
out the crowd and disappeared into the distance soon, leaving the dress
on the floor.

Everyone had just realized that she had tried to blackmail this shop. They
were angry and began to curse her.

However, as soon as they saw the black robe on the tall, straight and
handsome man behind them, they all stopped cursing and went dumb.
Covering their mouths, they rushed out the shop in the blink of an eye.
“Is he Prince Yi, the terrible killer of the capital? I have never thought
that he is so handsome!” some people thought while running away.

Ning Xueyan saw Ao Chenyi now, wondering why he had come here.
She blinked her jet-black eyes and walked toward him. “Greetings,
Prince Yi.” She bowed to him.

“Fifth Young Lady, you are so eloquent! I watched a wonderful show

just now.” A trace of idle smile appeared on Ao Chenyi’s charming face.
He walked inside and sat down in the chair Ning Xueyan had been
sitting in just now. He pointed at the chair beside him, gesturing her to sit
down.

Ning Xueyan froze a little and did not know what he was going to do. No
matter what he wanted to do, she could not stop him, so she sat down in
the chair next to him helplessly. She looked at Ao Chenyi, waiting for his
instruction. She thought Prince Yi would not have come here for nothing.

“Is this your shop?” Ao Chenyi glanced at the shivering shopkeeper and
shop assistants beside him.

“It’s our manor’s,” although Ning Xueyan did not understand why he
was asking about it, she still answered.
“It’s said the shop is Madam Ming’s property, why are you saying that it
belongs to the Lord Protector’s Manor? Is your manor trying to take
Madam Ming’s dowry?” Ao Chenyi was not asking, but questioning. Mr.
Yu’s face suddenly turned pale at the arrogant words. Madam Ling did
not allow anyone to mention that the shop was Madam Ming’s dowry. If
anyone dared to talk about it, he would be seriously punished.

“Prince Yi, you’re kidding.” Ning Xueyan knew it was not smart to say
anything else except for following his lead for the moment.

“Fifth Young Lady, you’re so smart. I admire you. If you have any
difficulties in the future, you can come to me. Maybe I can help you.”

Ao Chenyi glanced at Ning Xueyan’s fair, delicate face and said with an
idle look meaningfully, a pleasant smile on his lips.

Ning Xueyan froze at the words. She turned to Ao Chenyi and looked at
him with a frown uneasily. “It seems he is really free today. He must be
so boring that he had come to care about my business! It’s said that he is
always busy. How does he have time to hang out and meddle in my
business?” she wondered.

Of course, Ning Xueyan had no reason to refuse the benefit the others
offered.

Especially the benefit was from Ao Chenyi! Since there was a deal
between them, if everything went smoothly with her, she would be more
useful to him. Anyway, it would benefit both of them, so she would like
to accept the help he offered.

Since Ao Chenyi was willing to support her, more people would have
scruples and did not dare to deal with her. If she had a fight with Madam
Ling in the future for Madam Ming’s dowry, people would not dare to
help Madam Ling after they knew that Ao Chenyi was on her side. One
of his words was worth more than ten thousands of others.

After a short moment of silence, she curved up her lips and smiled
pleasantly. She stood up and bowed respectfully again to Ao Chenyi.
“Thank you, Prince Yi. If I get into trouble in the future, I’ll definitely
ask you for help.”
“You’re welcome. I’m willing to help you because you’re my type.” Ao
Chenyi stopped talking and stood up. He waved to Ning Xueyan,
gesturing her not to say thanks anymore. He then turned to leave with his
men. After taking two steps forward, he blinked to Yu Jian. Yu Jian
understood what his master meant. He and a young eunuch, who had a
box in his hands, did not move while the others walking out the shop.

“Fifth Young Lady, this is a reward for you from Prince Yi!” Yu Jian
walked over to Ning Xueyan and said respectfully with a smile.

The eunuch walked over as well and handed the delicate box to Ning
Xueyan.

“These pearls were produced from the South Sea. Fifth Young Lady, you
can string them into a necklace.”

“Please thank Prince Yi for me,” Ning Xueyan said calmly. Xinmei, who
was standing beside her, walked over and took the box. Then she stood
behind Ning Xueyan again.

Yu Jian bowed to Ning Xueyan and turned to leave with a smile. He

walked back to the carriage and drove the horse along the street slowly.

Watching Prince Yi leave, Mr. Yu calmed down a little. He looked at

Ning Xueyan and found that she was at ease. He let out a sigh and
praised her secretly. Being so calm and at ease at such a young age, she
was truly a noble Young Lady!

The person who had been here just now was the legendary Prince Yi.
Fifth Young Lady could even stay calm in front of such a person, so she
was really something. Thinking about this, Mr. Yu was more certain that
he had made the right decision to hand in the account book tomorrow.

Fifth Young Lady was already a difficult person. Prince Yi seemed to

have been very impressed by her and he had promised her to help her in
the future. It would be no good to be her enemy.

Now he had made up his mind to follow Ning Xueyan’s words. He

decided to remind his friends, several other shopkeepers, to hand in their
account books tomorrow. They were afraid of Madam Ling, but they still
had their former master in mind. Therefore, although they had to follow
Madam Ling’s orders, they were willing to help if it was about Madam
Ming.

They had been promoted to shopkeepers from ordinary clerks after

Madam Ling had taken power, but after all, they had worked for Madam
Ming before.

After everything was settled, Ning Xueyan chose some cloth to make
New Year clothes for the servants of the manor. Then she walked out the
shop with her maids and got in the carriage. But she did not return to the
manor.

The carriage stopped from time to time in front of different shops. After
her carriage passing by, a rumor spread out, saying that Lord Protector’s
Manor’s Fifth Young Lady was favored by Prince Yi, and the beautiful
box that the maid held in her hands respectfully was from Prince Yi.

People were shocked when they heard that what in the box were South
Sea Pearls.

Normally, this kind of pearl would be embedded in the earrings or hair-

pins, and even a single piece was very precious. Now Prince Yi had
given Fifth Young Lady a box of it, so it was obvious that he thought
highly of her.

There was a story behind his admiration for her. It was said that Fifth
Young Lady had happened to be at her shop when someone was trying to
make trouble there. Fifth Young Lady was so smart and she had managed
to scare the swindler away. Prince Yi must admire Fifth Young Lady’s
wit, so he had presented her with a box of pearls.

How lucky she was to be appreciated by Prince Yi! Nobody had ever
heard that Prince Yi had given anything to anybody outside the imperial
palace.

The rumors spread quickly. After hanging out at a few shops, Ning
Xueyan walked into another shop. The shopkeeper was extremely
respectfully to her. And since then, all the shopkeepers of the shops she
went to later were even more respectful to her than to their own masters.
Afterwards, Ning Xueyan returned to the manor with satisfaction. As
soon as she stepped into the manor, Madam Dowager asked her to her
courtyard. She specially asked Ning Xueyan about what had happened at
the shop. Ning Xueyan told her the whole story and was going to give
the pearls to Madam Dowager. Madam Dowager did not accept them,
but only looked at her graciously. She praised her and presented her a set
of jewelry before let her go back.

Madam Dowager had never been so kind to anyone except Ning Yuling.

Of course she did not dare to accept the South Sea Pearls, because they
had been given to Ning Xueyan by Prince Yi. All that terrible killer
thought about was killing people. Why had he been so kind to give the
pearls to Ning Xueyan? Obviously, it was true that he thought highly of
Ning Xueyan. If he knew that the pearls had fallen into Madam
Dowager’s hand, he would definitely make a big trouble again!

No matter how bold Madam Dowager was, she did not dare to accept
things from Prince Yi. So it would be safer to keep the pearls in Ning
Xueyan’s hand.

“What? Ao Chenyi bumped into Fifth Young Lady and gave her a box of
South Sea Pearls as a good will?” Ao Mingyu’s face darkened. He threw
hard the brush pen in his hand into the ink stone, causing the ink to
splash out and stain the characters he had just written.

“Yes. Because Fifth Young Lady was smart and calm in front of trouble
and solved the problem easily, Prince Yi praised her and rewarded her
the pearls. It’s said that he also promised that Fifth Young Lady could
ask him for help if she was in trouble in the future,” the guard answered
cautiously. His master had been in a bad mood recently, and had
quarreled with his mother, Honored Consort Ya, a few days ago.

Everybody knew that he was not in a good mood, so they were all
cautious when they spoke to him.

“Go and fetch me the jade hair accessories. Send them to Fifth Young
Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor,” Ao Mingyu took a deep breath and
said with a frown.
“Third Prince, you can’t do that!” The guard was so anxious that he
could not help stopping him.

“Why? I can do anything I want!” Ao Mingyu had been impatient

recently. Hearing what the guard said, he could not hold back his anger
anymore. A grim look appeared in his eyes and made him look
aggressive.

He had put up with Ning Qingshan so many times. And now, he felt that
he had reached the limit of his patience. He had quarreled with his
mother for that shameless, stupid woman. At the thought of marrying
this woman, he was very upset.

Compared to Ning Qingshan, he appreciated Ning Xueyan more. He had

a special feeling for that cold, but smart girl.

He would tell his mother that he wanted to marry Fifth Young Lady,
instead of Ning Qingshan. Even though Ning Qingshan was more
valuable, who could prove that she was not Ao Chenyi’s woman? Ao
Mingyu had not found out whom Ao Chenyi’s favorite concubine was
yet. Now, the Prince Yi’s Manor’s courtyard was strictly guarded, and
only Ao Chenyi’s henchmen were allowed in and out.

Maybe that woman was really Ning Qingshan. At the thought of this, Ao
Mingyu felt fooled. He guessed maybe Ao Chenyi was laughing at him
secretly because he was going to marry a woman he had abandoned!

He did not want to marry that woman, but he had to! It was no wonder
that he was so upset.

“Third Prince, you’re getting angry and distracted. Remember, you

should stay calm all the time.” A man’s voice rang out from outside the
study room. The guard took a sigh of relief and wiped sweat from his
forehead. He then walked to the side quietly and pushed the door open.
He knew his master would only follow this person’s suggestion.

A graceful noble childe in green walked into the room with a smile. He
pointed at the two characters “Be Calm” on the wall and said, “Third
Prince, you’re too upset. Have you forgotten these two characters?
Nothing will go smoothly with a restless mind!”
Chapter 236 It’s Time for Me to
Get Married
Ao Chenyi was in a good mood when he returned to his manor. Instead
of heading for the study, he walked to the backyard, looking relaxed. Yu
Jian was reporting to him something, a step away behind him. He was
Ao Chenyi’s henchman, and they had grown up together.

“Prince Yi, what shall we do next?” Yu Jian asked after reporting the
latest news to Ao Chenyi.

He had learned from the imperial palace that the emperor was
determined to choose a consort for Prince Yi. Those candidates were all
from noble, but not powerful families. Every three years, the imperial
palace would hold the Beauty Contest to choose concubines for the
imperial male members. The emperor wanted to take this opportunity to
choose a woman for Prince Yi so that Prince Yi could not refuse again.
So obviously, he had been provoked and was determined to meddle in
the affairs of Prince Yi’s backyard.

“Three years on. The Beauty Contest is coming again!” Ao Chenyi

stopped and looked at the lake beside him, lightheartedly. He then curved
his lips and smiled with a sardonic expression.

“Yes, Prince Yi. Then…” Yu Jian said.

Three years ago, the emperor had planned to choose a consort for Prince
Yi, but Prince Yi had happened to be ill. The illness had lasted for a long
time, and later, they had asked a master from the temple to cast spell to
cure his disease. The master had told them that it was not good for Prince
Yi to get married. If he had done so, he would suffer from health
problems or get into trouble. Then the emperor had had to stop choosing
consort for him. Now, it seemed the emperor’s patience had worn out. He
was getting old, and he became more afraid of his younger brother.

Since he could not control Ao Chenyi directly, he must find a way to

control him through his women. At least, he could not let him marry a
nice girl who came from a powerful family.

Everybody knew what the emperor was plotting. But since he was both
the emperor and Prince Yi’s elder brother, of course he could call the
shots on Prince Yi’s marriage.

“Will any Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor attend the Beauty
Contest?” Ao Chenyi asked coldly.

“It’s said that Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady will attend the
contest,” Yu Jian answered after thinking for a while.

“Leave those people alone. I think it’s time for me to get married.” He
curved up his lips and smiled enchantingly, an icy look shining in his
charming eyes.

“Prince Yi, are you serious?” Yu Jian’s eyes sparkled and he could hardly
believe what his master said.

“Why are you so surprised? Don’t you want me to get married?” Ao

Chenyi shot a glare at Yu Jian.

“Prince Yi, I’m so glad that you finally agreed to get married! I, I’m
going to prepare right now.” Yu Jian was overjoyed because it was the
first time that his master agreed to marry. “Does this mean that I will
have a baby master soon?” he thought.

“You don’t have to clean the Fragrance Garden now,” Ao Chenyi said
lazily, as if he had not seen his henchman’s ecstatic look.

Fragrance Garden was his ‘favorite concubine’, Ning Xueyan’s

residence.

Ao Chenyi did not want Yu Jian to clean the room, because he did not
want to kill his ‘favorite concubine’ for the moment. Then the others
would think that his favorite concubine was still living in his manor. Ao
Chenyi had planned to use the palace for other purposes, but now he
changed his mind.

“What if His Majesty asks about it?”

“Leave him alone. He is so busy and he can’t find time to meddle in my
business. Besides, he can’t make a decision for my marriage.”

“Shall I go to the Lord Protector’s Manor?” Yu Jian asked cautiously.

“No, you don’t have to go. I have my plan. Put aside the affairs of the
Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice for the moment. His Majesty
is determined to find a consort for me. I must take it seriously and find a
woman I like by myself. Clear up a main courtyard. By the way, clean
and decorate the Pear Flower Garden.”

Ao Chenyi said with an enchanting smile, a coldness flashing in his eyes.

“Pear Flower Garden?” Yu Jian froze a short while and observed Ao

Chenyi’s expression cautiously. He felt relieved because he did not find
anything wrong from Ao Chenyi’s face. He was surprised that his master
would allow a woman to live in Pear Flower Garden. The location was a
little far from the center of the manor. “Is Prince Yi going to take this
place as the residence of his co-consort?” Yu Jian wondered.

But he immediately denied this assumption. Impossible! The outsiders

might know nothing about Pear Flower Garden, but Yu Jian was very
familiar with it. His master had never allowed people to enter the
courtyard easily, so it was impossible for him to have his co-consort live
inside. Even his principal wife would not be allowed to live there.

“Master, do you want to get… someone to live in Pear Flower Garden?”

“Yes. It’s time to find a new hostess for it now,” Ao Chenyi said, his eyes
shining, looked especially charming. Now even the bloodthirsty and
coldness seemed to have faded from his eyes. Then he lifted his robe
embroidered with blood-red manjusaka, making it look more luxurious
and beautiful.

He thought that making that little girl his woman was not a bad idea.

This idea had popped into his head at the sight of Ning Xueyan today.
Although he had always taken her as his woman, nobody else knew it.
He had given the South Sea Pearls in front of so many people today. That
meant he would let her by his side openly. Besides, his backyard should
have a hostess now.
If he could marry this girl, getting married did not seem to be a terrible
thing!

That little girl was so smart, so he was confident that she would not get
him into trouble. Thinking about this, Ao Chenyi was very satisfied with
the idea that he had suddenly come up with. He was eager to see that girl
panic-stricken when she heard the news that she was going to marry him.
Maybe he should visit her tonight and told her this ‘good news’!

Ning Xueyan had missed the lunch time when she returned to Bright
Frost Garden. Lanning brought a food basket to her. After having a little
food, Ning Xueyan put down her chopsticks and walked into the inner
room. She wrote a letter and handed it to Mother Han, asking her to visit
the Ming Manor and give the letter to her uncle, Ming Feiyong. She
wanted to make a big scene tomorrow, and she needed his uncle there.

“Miss, I will go immediately.” Seeing her young master arrange for

everything calmly, Mother Han shed tears of relief. She nodded and
walked out without hesitation.

Ning Xueyan put down the brush pen in her hand. She looked at the
South Sea Pearls on the dresser, rolling her eyes.

She had heard that those shopkeepers had privately discussed and they
would find excuses not to turn in the account books tomorrow.
Therefore, she had planned to visit those shops one by one to warn them.
Since Ao Chenyi had given her a box of pearls, it was unnecessary for
her to visit them one by one. Therefore, the pearls had saved her a lot of
trouble.

In order to make a scene, Ning Xueyan would not miss any opportunity.

This box of South Sea Pearls could be used for many purposes.

She smiled sweetly, looking so gentle and delicate.

But she could no longer smile when she saw Ao Chenyi at night. The
proud prince was lying on her bed, as if he was the owner of the room.
He waved his hand to her, looking kind of gentle. However, what he said
next instantly made Ning Xueyan’s graceful smile freeze.
“Yan’er, you will be my concubine in the future. Tell me, are you
overjoyed?”

“Overjoyed?” Ning Xueyan felt like being struck by the lightning and
ten thousand crows were flying overhead. She was so shocked. “What
happened? I have never said that I would marry this powerful and
bloodthirsty devil!” Nobody had said anything about it to her before, but
she could not ignore what Prince Yi said, because he did not seem to be
joking.

“You don’t look happy. Don’t you like me?” The handsome, smiling face
suddenly darkened. Even the air seemed to froze.

Taking a deep breath, Ning Xueyan calmed herself down. She widened
her bright, jet-black eyes and said respectfully, “Prince Yi, you are
kidding. You’re handsome, unrestrained with delicate air, so it’s natural
that all the Young Ladies in the capital regard you as their Prince
Charming. But I’m only the most unfavored daughter of Lord Protector,
how dare I dream of marrying you?”

Ning Xueyan finished the words without stopping. She then observed Ao
Chenyi’s look carefully. It was not that bad! At least, he did not look
grim anymore. It seemed he enjoyed her flattering very much, but his
half-smiling face still made her uneasy.

Ao Chenyi was indeed in a good mood at the moment. Since he made up

his mind to marry her, he had been feeling pretty good. He had heard a
lot of such flattery before, but he did not feel so hypocritical when it
came out of Ning Xueyan’s mouth.

“Come here!” He reached out and glanced at Ning Xueyan, looking

pleasantly.

Ning Xueyan was only a step away from him. Caught off guard, she fell
into his embrace. She smelled a faint fragrance coming from the
ambergris, which could make people refreshing.

Before she could break free of his embrace, he lifted her chin. She was
forced to face him in such a posture. Being firmly constrained within his
arms, she could not move at all. With a little panic in her beautiful eyes,
she struggled subconsciously. However, it was in vain, and she was still
held by him firmly.

The panic in her eyes turned to helplessness, her long eyelashes

trembling. She looked at his face as handsome as Asura with her delicate
charming eyes. In his narrowed eyes, she saw a trace of tenderness, but
soon it was replaced by the breathtaking charming smile.

Being so close with this Asura, Ning Xueyan felt a lot of pressure. What
made her more nervous was that their bodies were pressed together.
However, compared to this man, she was too weak and her strength
could be ignored, so their confrontation was completely out of
proportion.

Ning Xueyan stopped struggling when she realized that they were
unequal in strength.

She stared at Ao Chenyi with her bright and clear eyes, waiting for his
next move.

Ao Chenyi looked at the girl in his arms. There was a little childish air
on her extremely charming face. She had been very nervous just now,
then her panic turned to helplessness, and finally, she calmed herself
down. Her body was a little stiff, but she did not seem to be nervous
now. Ao Chenyi had an impulse to make her restless. He narrowed his
eyes and touched her lips with his finger frivolously.

“Do you know how many women wanted to marry me, but I turned all
them down. Yan’er, you’re so lucky!”

“So lucky?”

Ning Xueyan thought helplessly. Yes, she had won the lottery, but
unwillingly. Actually, she did not want to be so ‘lucky’ at all! But from
Ao Chenyi’s look, she could tell that he was serious. Ning Xueyan was
clear that it would be useless to object to such kind of things. Prince Yi,
Ao Chenyi, had never followed the other’s words!
Chapter 237 Third Sister, It Was
not Your Faul
t

In fact, it was not too difficult for her to accept the fact. She had been
hurt to the core by love in her last life and she had been reborn for
revenge, so she did not care who she would marry.

If she could survive after revenge, she wished that she would marry an
ordinary man, instead of an extremely moody and dangerous person, like
Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi.

“Prince Yi, I’m so flattered. I dare not expect to marry you.” Seeing a
trace of bloodthirsty flashing in his eyes, Ning Xueyan sighed secretly.
She shifted the topic and continued, “Prince Yi, I’m very happy that I
have you as my back.”

She knew that she could not change Prince Yi’s mind. She had thought
that the Lord Protector’s Manor would consider about her marriage in
two or three years at least. By that point, she would be strong enough and
even Ning Zu’an and Madam Dowager could not push her around at
will. But now she was still too weak, and without any mental
preparation, Prince Yi had already made his decision to marry her.

“Do you really want to marry me?” Ao Chenyi did not think it was
necessary to ask this question, but he still asked, half smiling. The girl’s
fragrant and soft body in his arms warmed his cold heart a little. He
loosed his hands slightly and touched her hair gently with his left hand.

“Yes, I do!” Ning Xueyan did not know what she could say except for
agreeing to his request.

Ao Chenyi let Ning Xueyan go and leaned back, looking at her from the
corner of his charming eyes. “Since you agreed, I’ll assume you mean it.
Then give me a love token!” he said with a smile, trying to hold back his
excitement.
“Love token?” It was a token given between lovers. Ning Xueyan was
surprised that the proud Prince Yi would have made such a request. “Is
he playing tricks again?” She took out a perfume pouch from under her
pillow and handed it to Ao Chenyi. “Prince Yi, please take it.”

She had made the perfume pouch in the past few days when she was
free. She had learned the technique from her mother in her last life, and it
was a little different from the way people of the capital made them. This
was the only one that she had made to kill time. She had not decided if
she should put it on or not, so she had only stuffed it under her pillow.

Ao Chenyi took the perfume pouch from her hand in surprise. He

observed it carefully, but did not see sewing trace. Obviously, Ning
Xueyan had sewn it beautifully and carefully. Being pleased, Ao Chenyi
patted Ning Xueyan on the head with an idle smile.

“Well done! You can make the underwear for me after moving to my
manor.”

Seeing a surprised and depressed look appearing on her fair face, Ao

Chenyi became more excited. He played with the perfume pouch in one
hand and propped his face with another one. “Since you are so sincere, I
will marry you as my co-consort.”

“What? Co-consort?”

Ning Xueyan widened her eyes and did not know what to say. She
blinked, staring at him blankly.

She did not care if she would be his principal wife or not, but she thought
it strange that this prince had knocked at her window and entered her
room at night only to officially inform her that he would marry her as his
co-consort. Besides, he had stayed in her room for such a long time!

“His Majesty will definitely choose a woman as my principal wife, and I

don’t want to disobey his order for the moment. After all, he is the
emperor, and I’m only a prince. What’s more, he is my elder brother. So
I will agree with him to choose the principal wife for me. But I will
choose the co-consort by myself,”
Ao Chenyi reached out, pinched Ning Xueyan’s chin slightly and said,
half smiling.

“Is he explaining to me?” Ning Xueyan was surprised that the arrogant,
aggressive and cold-blooded prince would have explained to her. She
blinked her bright, moisture eyes, looking at Ao Chenyi’s incredible
handsome face. There was still a sneer on his lips, but it made him look
more charming and enchanting.

He was so charming! Wen Xueran was extremely beautiful when he

smiled. Compared to him, Ao Chenyi looked more bloodthirsty and
grim, but they were both charming. Ning Xueyan felt that Ao Chenyi’s
extremely gorgeous appearance was more attractive.

Ao Chenyi applied a little more strength on his hand and pinched Ning
Xueyan’s chin. “What are you thinking? You are fascinated by my
handsome face, aren’t you?” he narrowed his eyes and said slightly,
looking very joyful.

Sensing the pain in her chin, Ning Xueyan came back to herself. Until
now she was aware that she was staring at the Asura with fascination.
With blushed face, she turned her head slightly and got rid of his slender
fingers. She then stood up and smoothed her clothes. “Prince Yi, it’s up
to you,” she answered coolly, ignoring his frivolous words.

Ao Chenyi’s face suddenly turned grim. “Solve the problem of your

manor’s backyard as soon as possible. I’m sure my princess consort can
handle the backyard affairs!” he said in a low voice.

After Ning Qingshan’s returning, so many things had happened to the

Lord Protector’s Manor’s backyard, and now Ning Xueyan had not find
a way to stop her from making troubles. She was so smart, and it should
not be a difficult problem for her to solve the problem!

There should be a long way to go for her to marry him, but it seemed he
had already thought her for his woman. Even if they got married, she
could only be his co-consort. How could he call her his princess without
thinking about it. “Don’t expect too much from a co-consort!” she
thought helplessly, holding up the tea cup on the table and taking a sip of
tea.
“Prince Yi, don’t worry. I won’t get you into trouble. I will solve the
problem soon,” she promised.

“If you’re tough enough, nobody will dare to fight you! Why should I
marry you as my co-consort if you can’t even handle the affairs of the
backyard?” The cold aura emanated from Ao Chenyi was chilling.

The woman he thought highly of should have the ability to defeat his
principal wife. If she could not even defeat an adopted daughter of Lord
Protector, she would be useless.

Ning Xueyan knew that he was complaining that she was too slow in
dealing with Ning Qingshan. She lowered her head slightly and said in a
soft voice, “Prince Yi, please calm down. I’ll take care of it.”

The battle between Ning Qingshan and her would soon be decided,
because both of them did not want the battle lasted long. Since the
Beauty Contest was coming, Ning Qingshan would not pay much
attention to her. Ning Qingshan had been taken as Third Prince’s future
principal wife, but after getting involved into so much trouble recently,
she might not quite sure whether she would still be Ao Mingyu’s
principal wife.

So after the account books had been turned in tomorrow, in addition to

Madam Ling, who had been suppressed for a long time, nobody would
make any trouble in the manor for some time to come.

Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Qingshan had no time to deal with her for
the moment. After the lunar New Year, the Beauty Contest would start.
The activity was held not only for choosing concubines for the emperor,
but also for Prince Yi, Third Prince and Fourth Prince. If Ning Qingshan
missed the opportunity, she would not be able to marry Ao Mingyu.

“Maybe I can take advantage of the Beauty Contest,” Ning Xueyan

thought.

“Okay. I hope you won’t let me down,” Ao Chenyi said meaningfully,

looking at Ning Xueyan from the corner of his eyes.

When Ning Xueyan raised her head, her jet-black eyes happened to meet
Ao Chenyi’s mysterious and grim eyes, the look in them as cold as usual.
Ning Xueyan believed that if she did something he was not happy with,
this prince might show no mercy to her. She seemed to be in danger all
the time, so she must be more cautious.

In the morning of the next day, Ning Xueyan walked to Madam

Dowager’s Lucky Garden after dressing up. Ning Qingshan had already
been there. Seeing her walking in, Ning Qingshan greeted her gently
with a smile, “Hi, Fifth Sister. Our grandmother was talking to me about
what happened yesterday. After all…”

She seemed to be too sad to continue. She wiped the tears from her eyes,
as if she had suffered a great grievance.

“Third Sister, it was not your fault. Princely Heir of Commandery Prince
Li was too reckless. How dare he do that to Third Prince’s face! Third
Sister, don’t worry. Third Prince will back you up.” Ning Xueyan
comforted her in a soft voice. The two of them pretended to be close
sisters in front of Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager nodded secretly. She thought that Ning Xueyan was
kind of generous, as there had been a conflict between Ning Xueyan and
Ning Qingshan for account book some time ago, but now Ning Xueyan
did not kick Ning Qingshan when she was down.

But Ning Qingshan’s face turned pale at the words. In addition to

sending her home yesterday, Ao Mingyu had not talked to her at all, let
alone comfort her. When she was crying in the carriage, she had thought
that Ao Mingyu would feel sorry for her. After all, it was not her fault. If
Ao Xian had not entered her room by mistake, nothing would have
happened!

But Third Prince had turned the cold shoulder to her. Even she had cried
her heart out, he did not say anything. It was a heavy blow to Ning
Qingshan. Now Ning Xueyan mentioned that Third Prince would back
her up, Ning Qingshan felt it was a satire on her.

She was pretending to be weak in front of Madam Dowager, trying to

gain her sympathy and support, so she would not fight Ning Xueyan to
Madam Dowager’s face. She gritted her teeth and swallowed it. Tears
immediately welled up and ran down her cheeks. “Fifth Sister, don’t talk
about it anymore. Anyway, I, I should be blamed. If I did not go to the
suburban courtyard, such a thing would not have happened,” she said.

It seemed she had put all the blame on herself, but it was Madam
Dowager, who had agreed on their going out yesterday, and she had gone
to Third Prince’s suburban courtyard following Madam Dowager’s
words. Seeing her tearful face, Madam Dowager said, “Come on! Don’t
cry. We won’t talk about that accident anymore. The Commandery
Prince Li’s Manor should be blamed! Fortunately, nothing serious
happened. You should be more cautious in the future. Girls’ reputation is
the most precious, so you should not make any mistake.”

Madam Dowager was warning both Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan.
She had great hopes for both of them, so of course she did not want their
reputation to be ruined. Otherwise, if they could not marry the princes as
her plan, and it would be a heavy loss both for the Lord Protector’s
Manor and for her.

“Yes, Grandmother. I will be cautious,” Ning Xueyan answered calmly

with a smile.

“Got it, Grandmother. I will certainly follow your words.” Ning

Qingshan wiped the tears from her cheeks and nodded gently.

“Grandmother, the account books will be brought here soon. I’m afraid
that they are too complicated that I don’t know how to check.” Ning
Xueyan did not want to waste too much time on Ning Qingshan’s affair,
so she shifted the topic and asked uneasily in a soft voice.

“Yan’er, you did a good job before. The account books they will bring in
are even easier, and you just need to check the figures. That’s enough.”
Madam Dowager was satisfied with Ning Xueyan’s work in charge of
the accounts. Ning Xueyan would ask her to make the final decision each
time after checking all the account books, so Madam Dowager felt that it
was more convenient than when Madam Ling had been in charge of the
backyard.

Madam Dowager was satisfied with the current situation. If not because
of Ning Qingshan, she would like to keep Madam Ling in the Buddha
Hall for a little longer.
Chapter 238 A Trouble Caused by
the Account Books
“Grandmother, I’m not that experienced. Can you find a person to help
me?” Ning Xueyan asked gently, holding up the tea cup from the table
and passed it to Madam Dowager.

“She is still too young, so she dares not to take responsibilities. It also
means that she is not ambitious.” Madam Dowager was very satisfied
with this. She turned to Ning Qingshan and said, “Shan’er, go to check
the account books with Yan’er. After all, you will take care of our
manor’s business in the future, so you should practice in advance.”

Since Madam Dowager asked Ning Qingshan to help Ning Xueyan, it

meant she had great expectations of her.

Ning Qingshan was overjoyed and she immediately agreed in a soft

voice. She felt a little relieved. At least, she knew that the Lord
Protector’s Manor had not given her up and Madam Dowager still hoped
her to be Third Prince’s principle wife.

They had both come early in the morning and had not had breakfast yet,
so Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan ate something at Madam Dowager’s
place before going to the front hall. Since all the visitors were men,
Madam Dowager specially asked the sisters to meet them at the front
hall.

Since those people were all their subordinates, Madam Dowager

arranged for a small hall beside the main hall for the meeting. After all,
those shopkeepers were only Lord Protector’s Manor’s servants. Besides,
Madam Ling had also met them there before.

“Third Sister, I heard from Mother Qin that the Beauty Contest is coming
soon. You’re also in the list of candidates. May all your wish come true!”
Ning Xueyan said gently, as if she was really happy for Ning Qingshan.
“Beauty Contest? Our manor has signed me up for the contest?” Ning
Qingshan was excited and took a sigh of relief. She worried a lot about
what had happened yesterday. Since Madam Dowager had allowed her to
participate in the Beauty Contest held by the imperial palace, she
believed that she was able to stand out in the contest. Honored Consort
Ya treated her so well, so Ning Qingshan was confident that with her
help, she would definitely marry Third Prince.

“But why has nobody told me about it? But Ning Xueyan has learned the
news from Mother Qin! Does this mean that Madam Dowager takes
Ning Xueyan more seriously than me?” At the thought that Ning Xueyan
might replace her to marry Third Prince, Ning Qingshan became both
jealous and angry. Although she was cunning and calm, she almost lost
her mind and wanted to slap Ning Xueyan.

However, she could not do this for the moment. She had been too short-
tempered recently and had gotten herself involved in the battle against
Ning Xueyan before she could gain a firm foothold at the Lord
Protector’s manor. That was why she had suffered great loss. Mammy
Luo had reminded her about it yesterday, and she thought Mammy Luo
was right. The Beauty Contest was coming, so she should not waste her
time on fighting Ning Xueyan now.

When she became Third Prince’s wedded wife, if she wanted her dead,
Ning Xueyan could not live.

“Thank you, Fifth Sister! If I rise high someday in the future, I will
certainly repay your kindness to me.” Ning Qingshan smiled, covering
her mouth with her sleeve, looking gentle and graceful. In the others’
eyes, she was still the gentle and generous Third Young Lady they were
familiar with.

Only Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Qingshan was hinting that if she
married Third Prince in the future, she would definitely revenge on her.

But Ning Xueyan did not care about it. They seemed to get on well with
each other in front of the others, but both of them knew that Ning
Qingshan had planned to set up Ning Xueyan yesterday, but
unfortunately, she had become the victim of her own plot finally. Of
course, neither of them would tell Madam Dowager about it.
“Third Sister, you must have never checked the account books of these
shops before. I wonder if you can find something wrong with them. I
hope those shopkeepers won’t fool us. It’s said Third Prince owns many
shops.” It was obvious that Ning Xueyan was challenging Ning
Qingshan by hinting that since she had never been in charge of accounts
before, even if there was something wrong with the accounts, she could
not find it out. Besides, she was also suggesting that Ning Qingshan
might be fooled by those shopkeepers.

Ning Qingshan was so angry that she gritted her teeth. How dare Ning
Xueyan look down upon her like this? She would show her and Madam
Dowager that although she was not in charge of accounts, she could do a
good job, even better than Ning Xueyan!

She had planned to only show up, but say nothing. But now, she had
changed her mind. She would surprise Madam Dowager and Ning
Qingshan and let them know who was the most outstanding. She could
do what Ning Xueyan could do, and she could also do what Ning
Xueyan could not do!

“Fifth Sister, thank you for your reminding. I will check them carefully
and nobody can fool me.” Ning Qingshan shot back, without hiding her
anger.

Then she strode into the front hall with her maid. With a faint smile,
Ning Xueyan walked in, following behind her.

The hall was separated into two parts with a bead curtain. Since they
were unmarried Young Ladies, they should not show their faces in front
of so many men.

They vaguely saw a dozen men sitting outside through the curtain. They
were all the shopkeepers of their manor. Since they heard that Fifth
Young Lady had been rewarded by Prince Yi yesterday, none of them
dared to be absent.

Although they were all here, they did not think in the same way. A few
shopkeepers exchanged glances, rolling their eyes. They said nothing but
knew exactly what the other meant.
A large pile of account books lying on the table in front of Ning Xueyan
and Ning Qingshan. They were the main account books of all the shops,
recording the general ledger relating to income and expenditure of the
year. Ning Xueyan picked one from them, checked it briefly and found
that it was impeccable, so obviously, the shopkeeper had put a lot of
effort into preparing it.

Every income and expenditure was clearly recorded.

Ning Qingshan held up an account book as well and looked through it.
She had never checked any account books before, but she was a smart
person, and she had learned a little accounting knowledge from Madam
Ling, she could also tell that the account was clearly indicated, so she
nodded approvingly.

Without speaking anything, they both began to check the account books
in their hands carefully. They would ask the shopkeepers outside to
explain when there was something they did not understand. All the
shopkeepers answered fluently, so obviously, they were very familiar
with their account books, and they knew what the two Young Ladies
were asking without even looking at the account books.

So they must have well prepared before coming to the manor to submit
the account books.

It was so quiet in the hall that only the sounds of turning pages and the
sweet female voices could be heard. All the shopkeepers had figured out
that there was more than one girl inside. They were all smart, and they
knew except for Third Young Lady, nobody could be on par with Fifth
Young Lady. It was said that Third Young Lady would become Third
Prince’s principal wife in the future.

So they became even more respectful to the Young Ladies.

After checking a number of account books, the Young Ladies did not
found any mistakes. Ning Qingshan was trying to find out some flaws
from them, but so far, she had not found any problems yet, so she could
not help frowning. She did not believe that all the shopkeepers were that
honest. She touched the account book in her hands for a few seconds and
then suddenly pointed at the account book that Ning Xueyan had just
closed. “Fifth Sister, let me have a look at it!” she said.
“Third Sister, what’s wrong? Did you find any problems?” Ning Xueyan
passed the account book in her hand to Ning Qingshan in surprise. She
seemed to have no idea what Ning Qingshan had found out.

All the shopkeepers outside could not help looking in the bead curtain’s
direction, nervously. The shrewd Third Young Lady must have found
something wrong!

“What’s the profit on the account book in your hand?” Ning Qingshan
took the account book from Ning Xueyan and asked casually.

“About twenty thousand taels of silver. What’s yours?” Ning Xueyan

asked curiously, moving closer to Ning Qingshan and looking at the
account book in her hands.

“A thousand,” Ning Qingshan said in a low voice.

“Huh? A thousand?” Ning Xueyan was shocked. She checked the

account book again, and found it was true.

“Mr. Wang, it’s said your candied fruit shop was very busy, but how
could it be a profit of only a thousand taels of silver?” Ning Qingshan
compared the two figures again and asked in a low voice. Now she
realized that she had found the flaw.

There were twelve months a year. It was impossible that a candied fruit
shop’s profit was less than a hundred taels of silver a month.

“Third Young Lady, you can’t blame me for that. Our shop is really not
doing very well. Many people come to our shop every day, but only very
few of them will buy our products, so the monthly profit is small. I have
tried my best.” Hearing Ning Qingshan’s query, the candied fruit shop’s
shopkeeper, Mr. Wang, immediately walked out from the crowd and
defended himself.

From the conversation between Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan, the
shopkeepers had distinguished the voices of Third Young Lady and Fifth
Young Lady.

“Your business is not good?” Ning Qingshan asked incredulously.

Ning Xueyan leaned back, hiding a trace of a smile in her eyes under her
trembling feather-like eyelashes. Ning Qingshan was finally behaving as
she had expected after being mocked by her. That was great!

“Yes! Third Young Lady, our shop’s business is poor. It has already been
very difficult to have so much profit,” Mr. Wang answered anxiously.

“How many employees do you have?” Hearing Ning Qingshan’s

question, Ning Xueyan knew that she had hit home.

“There are ten people in our shop, including the accountant, shop
assistants, the buyer and me,” Mr. Wang answered, wondering why Ning
Qingshan asked about this.

“The shop is located in the main street of the capital and ten people are
working for it, but it only has a profit of a thousand taels of silver a year!
Mr. Wang, you can go home! As far as I know, the rental of the shop is
more than a thousand a year. Besides, if we rent the shop out, we don’t
have to raise so many lazy people!”

Ning Qingshan patted the account book in her hand and said coldly.

It was true that the candied fruit shop was located in one of the busiest
streets of the capital. That street was the busiest and most bustling, and
the rental was very expensive. Even if the rental of an empty shop would
be more than a thousand taels of silver a year.

“Mr. Wang, you can pack your bags tonight and go home tomorrow.
Dismiss all the employees of your shop and I will tell my grandmother to
rent the shop to others,” Ning Qingshan said with a sneer.

“I, I… Please don’t…” Mr. Wang became extremely anxious. He had

never thought that Third Young Lady would have been so ruthless and
even wanted to fair him and all the employees of his shop only because
of an account book. Since half of the employees were his families, if
they were fired, he would not be able to support such a big family.

“Third Sister, there are a few shops that have only a profit of a little more
than a thousand taels of silver. I think we can fire all the employees of
these shops and rent the shops out next year. Then we don’t have to sell
anything and support a group of useless people but can get the rental
directly. It will be much easier than running shops!” Ning Xueyan said
slowly, taking out several account books.

She had checked all of them, and each of them had a profit of a thousand
plus taels of silver.

Hearing that they would be fired, the shopkeepers of these shops could
not stay calm anymore. Some of them began to sweat, and some looked
pale. They exchanged glances anxiously.
Chapter 239 Each of the
Shopkeepers Has Prepared Two
Different Account Books
“Servants, take them away.” Ning Xueyan did not seem to be annoyed
when she spoke this, but she threw hard those account books onto the
floor under the bead curtain. Hearing Ning Xueyan’s order, two male
servants, who stayed at the gate of the hall, rushed in and were about to
take the shopkeepers away. In order to make her granddaughters look
mightier, Madam Dowager had specially chosen two strong male
servants to help them.

Each of the servants grabbed one shopkeeper in each hand and were
about to walk out. If they were dragged out, these shopkeepers’ dismissal
would be a foregone conclusion. Besides, the person who had found the
problem out was Third Young Lady, who was going to be Third Prince’s
principal wife. The shopkeepers were so scared that they could not even
stand up. They regretted not having brought the real account books here.

“Third Young Lady, Third Young Lady, I have something to say!” Mr.
Wang was so scared that he could not help shouting anxiously, “The
accounts in this book are not true, but false!”

“False? Let them go,” Ning Qingshan ordered. “Can the account also be
forged?” she wondered.

“Yes, it’s… false. I have turned in the same kind of account books in the
previous years, so I brought this one this time…” Mr. Wang explained
incoherently.

“What? How dare you turn in a false account book? Servants, take him
to the governmental office. A servant who deceives his master will be
sentenced to death!” Ning Xueyan said coldly to the two male servants
beside her, in response to Ning Qingshan’s words. Although her voice
was not loud, the words sounded imposing and determined.
Hearing that he would not only be fired, but also be killed, Mr. Wang
waved his hands anxiously. “I didn’t dare to do this! First Madam…
asked me to do this. She asked me to make two account books, a real
one, and a false one and turn in the false one every year to the manor.”

To save his own life, he could not think that much, but told everything he
knew.

With a snap, an account book was thrown out from behind the bead
curtain and banged his head. Mr. Wang took several steps backward and
almost fell to the floor. “You scum! How dare you frame my mother?
Since everything of the manor belongs to her, why did she do this? How
could she have done such kind of things? You heard that my mother is
meditating at the Buddha Hall, so you shifted all the blame on her on
purpose!”

Everyone could feel the killing intent in Ning Xueyan’s words. Hearing
every word coming from behind the bead curtain slowly, the shopkeepers
who had turned in the false account books could not help trembling.

“His families will also be punished if a servant frames his master on

purpose. Mr. Wang, you should think twice before you say something.”

Mr. Wang had accused that Madam Ling was the mastermind, so he was
suspected of framing his master. As the Lord Protector’s Manor’s
madam, if Madam Ling had really asked the shopkeepers to cook the
books, that meant she had embezzled most of the profits of these shops
and the consequences could be severe.

It seemed Ning Xueyan did not believe what he said. Mr. Wang became
extremely anxious. “I’m not lying. I just did what First Madam told me
to do. Fifth Young Lady, if you don’t believe me, you can ask the others.
All of them made two account books as per First Madam’s order,” Mr.
Wang said loudly, pointing at the shopkeepers beside him.

He was desperate to distance himself from this matter, so he immediately

asked the others to prove it for him. Thinking about that in addition to
their possible execution, their families would also be implicated, the
other shopkeepers immediately confessed, trembling.

“Yes. It was… First Madam, who asked us to do this.”

“All of us would have brought two account books at this time in previous
years. First Madam kept all of them, and then gave the false one to the
Manor.”

“Third Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady, we are not lying and we are not
framing First Madam!”

They were so regretful now. If they had known that the dirty tricks would
be found out, they would not have brought the false account books here.
They had thought that if they kept the true account books in their hands,
Madam Ling would be happy and reward them after she was released
from the Buddha Hall. To their surprise, Third Young Lady and Fifth
Young Lady were so smart that they had found the problems so soon.

“Why did First Madam ask you to cook the books? Don’t try to fool us.
Otherwise, we will put all of you into jail,” Ning Xueyan said coldly.

“Because… because First Madam wanted to keep part of the silver

privately,” for fear that they would be put into jail, a shopkeeper
immediately answered.

“Since all the shops belong to our manor, why did First Madam want to
keep some of the silver?”

“Because… because…” The shopkeepers began to sweat, but they could

not give an exact answer for the moment. However, they knew if they
could not explain it clearly, they would definitely be put into jail, so they
all got ants in their pants.

“You can’t explain it? Fine! Servant!”

“Fifth Young Lady, I know the reason! I know! The shops were Madam
Ming’s dowry, but First Madam wanted to take them, so she tried to keep
the silver privately.”

Of course Madam Ling had never mentioned this to them before. But the
shopkeepers used to meet privately sometimes and they had drawn this
conclusion after discussion. They all knew that these shops were Madam
Ming’s property, so Madam Ling must have taken them with some evil
means. Being cornered by Ning Xueyan, someone blurted it out.
Hearing the words, everyone fell silent at once. Sitting behind the bead
curtain, Ning Qingshan froze in the chair and could not say anything.
She had vaguely felt that something was wrong.

Everyone outside the bead curtain froze as well at the words. “He said
that the shops belonged to Madam Ming in front of Fifth Young Lady’s
face! What shall we do?”

“Since these shops are all my younger sister’s property, Marquis, please
tell me why you did not give my sister’s dowry to her daughter, but to a
woman who took her place?” A snort came from the gate. Everyone
turned their heads and saw Ming Feiyong standing at the gate with an
angry look. Ning Zu’an stood next to him, looking very embarrassed.

Everyone knew that the dowry was brought from the wife’s side to her
husband’s family after the woman got married. If the woman died, her
dowry should be left to her children. If she had no offspring, her family
could ask her husband to give the dowry back to her family. But now, the
only daughter of Madam Ming got nothing, and all her dowry had been
taken by Madam Ling.

“There… must be some misunderstanding. These… should not be

Madam Ming’s shops,” Ning Zu’an said in a low voice. Under Ming
Feiyong’s gaze, he cleared his throat uneasily.

He had been idling about in the manor with Ming Feiyong just now and
had never thought that he would have stopped here and heard these
words. He could not help but blame Madam Ling for her greed. If she
had not tried to embezzle the silver, she would not have asked each
shopkeeper to prepare two account books, and Shan’er and Yan’er would
not have found it out. Then it would not have come to this.

He and Ming Feiyong had not planned to come to the hall, but they heard
it was very noisy here, so they came to check what was happening.

“I will get the evidence to prove that these shops belong to my sister.
Marquis, since you are so unfair, don’t blame me! I’ll see you in court!”
With that, Ming Feiyong grabbed the two shopkeepers who had spoken
just now by the hand and was about to walk out.
The two strong guards behind him followed his suit and dragged the
other shopkeepers out, grabbing one with each hand.

Ning Zu’an knew that they were going to take these people to court. If
the outsiders heard that he had tried to take his wife’s dowry, Ning Zu’an
could never raise his head high again in front of people.

Therefore, he rushed forward, reached out and stopped Ming Feiyong.

“Cousin Feiyong, calm down! let’s… talk about it.”

“Talk about what? It’s useless to discuss it with you! That vicious
woman is your wife. She has not only taken my sister’s place, but also
taken her dowry. I’m going to tell His Majesty about this and ask him to
redress justice for my sister!” Ming Feiyong said angrily, shooting Ning
Zu’an a glare. He then turned around and said to Ning Xueyan, who ran
outside following him, “I have a dowry list, and you should have a copy
of it. We can present both of them to His Majesty. He will know that we
are not lying.”

“What? There is a dowry list at Bright Frost Garden?” Ning Zu’an was
so angry that he almost coughed blood. Madam Ling had told him that
all these shops would become the Ning’s property sooner or later and it
was unnecessary to worry about it. But now Ming Feiyong had found it
out. Besides, he seemed to have evidence. How stupid Madam Ling was!
How dare she tell him so confidently that everything would go smoothly
and nobody would find it out!

“Cousin Feiyong, maybe Madam Ling mistook these shops for the
private property of our manor. Besides, Madam Ming did not say
anything about it.” Ning Zu’an gave a far-fetched explanation.

“Because my sister did not say anything, you allowed that woman to take
care of her dowry as your manor’s property? Do you regard Yan’er as
your daughter? If you don’t, I will take her away along with my sister’s
dowry. Then in the future, Yan’er will have nothing to do with the Lord
Protector’s Manor!”

Ming Feiyong said with a sneer.

If Ning Xueyan were not Madam Ming’s daughter, Ming Feiyong could
take over the dowry rightfully.
“Cousin Feiyong, be patient. Please listen to me! Of course Yan’er is our
daughter,” under the pressure, Ning Zu’an said anxiously. He then turned
to Ning Xueyan and said, “Yan’er, tell your uncle how I have treated you
and your mother? If I don’t take you as my own daughter, why have I let
you live at Bright Frost Garden all the time and live a life of luxury?”

Ning Xueyan’s lips curved into a faint sneer. It seemed that Ning Zu’an
was really cornered, so he had asked her to defend him.

“Taking me as his own daughter? Maybe for him, I’m just a person he
has to raise. The Lord Protector’s Manor is so wealthy and it’s not a big
deal for Ning Zu’an to support one more person. Besides, he can save a
lot of trouble by raising me. If he can stop raising me without getting
involved into any trouble, he might have already kicked Madam Ming
and me out of the manor!” Ning Xueyan thought.

It was a pity that Ning Zu’an’s daughter, who had lived a life of ‘luxury’
had already died because of him indirectly. She was Ning Ziying after
rebirth, whose soul was in Ning Xueyan’s body, so she was quite
different from the former Ning Xueyan.

“Uncle, father, don’t argue anymore. We should discuss what we shall do

next. Anyway, we should not make others laugh at us.” Ning Xueyan
raised her head, her young face looking calm. Instead of following Ning
Zu’an’s words, she began to persuade them.

It reminded Ning Zu’an. While he was auguring with Ming Feiyong,

they had already arrived at the gate of the manor. If their conversation
was overheard by the outsiders, that would be a terrible thing!

“Cousin Feiyong, stop! I will do everything you want. Tell me now!”

Ning Zu’an only wanted to persuade Ming Feiyong to go back.

“Feiyong, calm down. You can negotiate with your cousin for anything.
If he did something wrong, just tell me. I will definitely redress justice
for you! After all, we are a family. Yan’er is the Young Lady of our
manor, so if the manor is laughed at by the outsiders, Yan’er will also be
looked down upon.” Hearing what was happening, Madam Dowager
showed up in the front courtyard with Mother Qin, panting.
She had come here in a hurry after getting the news from Ning Qingshan.
She was very worried when she found that the situation had been out of
control and could not help shouting anxiously, leaning on her crutch.
Chapter 240 What if They Can’t
Find the Dowry List?
The tea had been served and all the unrelated people had left. Before
leaving, Ning Qingshan clenched her fists in anger, feeling that she had
been used. She shot an angry glare at Ning Xueyan, but had to walk out
the room under the complicated and angry gaze of Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager had been irritated by what had happened yesterday.

Now Madam Ling’s dirty tricks were exposed. Ning Qingshan knew
Madam Dowager must be starting suspecting her, so she reminded
herself to be more cautious for the moment to avoid any mistakes.

Madam Dowager sat in the middle chair, with Ming Feiyong on her left
and Ning Zu’an on her right. Ning Xueyan stood beside her with a
lowered head, seemed to be in a panic. Nobody had noticed the coldness
and sarcasm in her jet-black eyes.

She had taken advantage of Ning Qingshan to expose Madam Ling’s

plot, so even if Madam Dowager wanted to look into this matter in the
future, she could not blame her.

As for those missing account books, Ning Xueyan guessed that Madam
Ling must have hidden them in a secret place, where she could not find
them for the moment. Therefore, it would be a better choice to look for
clues from the new account books. Since she heard that the shops’ profits
were much less than before, Ning Xueyan had begun to suspect that
there was something wrong with these account books.

All these shops had been very profitable under Madam Ming’s
management, but why had the profits decreased so much after Madam
Ling took in charge of them? Ning Xueyan felt that it was unusual that
the shrewd Madam Ling had never claimed about it. Madam Ling must
know the reason, and maybe she was the person who had abetted those
shopkeepers to provide a false figure in public, and the rest profits had
all been embezzled by Madam Ling.
It was not difficult to check if Madam Ling had embezzled the money.

Since Ning Xueyan began to check account books, she had known better
about the Lord Protector’s Manor financial status. The account books
showed that the shops were not making much money, and the surplus
after expenditure was small. Even if Madam Ling had withheld some
money that she should pay, it was not enough. However, in her last life,
she had known that Madam Ling was very rich.

Madam Ling had spent a lot of money on buying jewelry and clothes for
Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling each year. To please Ning Ziying, Ning
Ziyan had generously given her two sets of clothes as a gift without any
hesitation. Obviously, she was not short of money.

How had Madam Ling gotten so much money?

Madam Dowager did not get on well with Madam Ling, so it was
impossible for her to give money to Madam Ling. Ning Zu’an would not
give her that huge amount of money either. Thinking about the profits
plunge of these shops, Ning Xueyan figured out that Madam Ling had
embezzled a lot of money from these shops.

Madame Ling could only do this secretly without alerting Madam

Dowager, so she had been most likely to have those shopkeepers prepare
false account books and bring them to the manor to show Madam
Dowager.

Since Madam Ling had been in charge of checking the account books
alone in the previous years, nothing wrong had ever been found. This
time, Ning Xueyan had played a trick to lock Madam Ling up in the
Buddha Hall, and taken over the account books before Madam Ling was
released. Thus, those shopkeepers had to hand in the account books to
her. To prevent them from being absent by any excuse, Ning Xueyan had
specially visited their shops to warn the shopkeepers.

Most of the shopkeepers were Madam Ling’s henchmen, so they would

hand in the false account books so that they could get rewards from
Madam Ling after her release. But those who were still loyal to their
former master, like Mr. Yu, would take a wait-and-see attitude. Of
course, some of the shopkeepers were timid, and the slightest threat
would make them turn in the true account books.
Then Ning Xueyan would be able to reveal the truth that Madam Ling
had pocketed the huge difference in profits between the true and false
accounts.

And she could make a scene starting from it!

Ning Xueyan had arranged for Ming Feiyong to come to the Lord
Protector’s Manor. Without his help, Ning Xueyan could not stir up such
big trouble by herself.

Now all the relevant personnel had gathered at Lucky Garden, and
Madam Dowager had cleared the place. Obviously, she wanted everyone
to negotiate calmly and put the matter to rest.

For a man, it was not only a disgraceful matter to embezzle his wife’s
dowry, but also would make the others think that he was an ill-behaved
person.

“Madam Dowager, what will you do to redress the justice for my sister?”
Ming Feiyong raised his head and stared at Madam Dowager with an icy
look. Since his sister died, he had not taken Madam Dowager as his aunt.

“Feiyong, there must be some misunderstanding. These shops…”

Madam Dowager let out a sigh and tried to explain it tactfully.

“Madam Dowager, if you still insist on this, we can only meet in court. I
have asked my men to take those shopkeepers away.” Ming Feiyong
knew that Madam Dowager was trying to shift the responsibility, so he
immediately cut her off. He raised his head, with a serious and cold look
on his face.

When he walked into the room, he had deliberately asked his two guards
to drag the two shopkeepers to the gate and the guards were still at the
manor gate now.

It seemed that Ming Feiyong would not make any concession, so Madam
Dowager became anxious. “Feiyong, calm down. I’m discussing it with
you. If the dowry is really Madam Ming’s, I will definitely give all these
shops to Yan’er,” she said, trying to comfort Ming Feiyong. Then she
turned to Ning Xueyan and said gently with a smile, “Yan’er, bring the
dowry list of your mother here.”
“Okay. I’ll ask someone to fetch it right now.” Ning Xueyan nodded
obediently. She then said something to Lanning next to her and told her
to ask Mother Han of Bright Frost Garden to find the dowry list and
bring it here. Lanning nodded and then left.

Hearing that Ning Xueyan asked Lanning to look for Madam Ming’s
dowry list, Madam Dowager took a sigh of relief. Madam Ling had told
her that Madam Ming’s dowry list was missing a long time ago. Without
the dowry list, Ming Feiyong could not prove that the shops were
Madam Ming’s. Even if there was a dowry list at the Ming Manor, they
would accuse that the list did not match the real one because it had been
doctored by Ming Feiyong.

If Ning Xueyan could not find the dowry list, even if the shopkeepers
were proved to have handed in the false account books, it was the family
business of the Lord Protector’s Manor and had nothing to do with Ming
Feiyong. Therefore, nobody could accuse Ning Zu’an of pocketing his
wife’s dowry. Thinking of this, Madam Dowager resumed her
composure.

“Feiyong, it was true that your sister brought a few shops to our manor
when she married Zu’an, but afterward, you know that everything was in
chaos because of the war. Almost all the manors had lost some of their
shops and only a few of them were kept. The shops we are running now
were bought after the war, so they have nothing to do with Madam
Ming,” Madam Dowager said hypocritically, but the smile on her face
became even gentler.

Even many families had been ruined and many people had died in the
war, let alone shops. Obviously, this excuse seemed to be very
convincing.

However, Ning Zu’an’s manor was not impacted by the war. After the
previous dynasty was overtaken, Ning Zu’an became the new power of
the current dynasty, so it was impossible for him to loss those shops. It
was obvious that Madam Dowager had said this on purpose. She was
planning to use it as an excuse to take possession of Madam Ming’s
dowry if Ning Xueyan could not find the dowry list.

Ming Feiyong was not that easy to be fooled. “Madam Dowager, let’s
talk about it after the dowry list is brought here,” he said coolly,
resuming his composure.

“What if they can’t find the dowry list?” Madam Dowager thought Ming
Feiyong had been tricked, so she immediately asked, her eyes shining.

Ning Xueyan sneered. As she expected, Madam Dowager must have

colluded with Madam Ling and embezzled Madam Ming’s dowry, so she
knew something about what Madam Ling had done, and she even knew
that Madam Ling had stolen Madam Ming’s dowry list! Obviously, she
had instigated Madam Ling to do so.

“What if the dowry list is found?” Ming Feiyong did not answer Madam
Dowager’s question, but asked back, glancing at Ning Zu’an coldly.

Seeing the sarcasm in Ming Feiyong’s eyes, Ning Zu’an was irritated. He
had to work under Ming Feiyong in the previous dynasty. But now they
were both the officials of the new dynasty. As the new powerful official
who was deeply trusted by the current emperor, how could he bear to be
looked down upon by Ming Feiyong, who could not on par with him
now? Besides, he was clear that the dowry belonged to Madam Ming.

So he straightened up and promised, “Cousin Feiyong, don’t worry. If

the dowry list shows that the shops belong to Madam Ming, I will
transfer them to Yan’er without any hesitation. They will be Yan’er’s
dowry in the future, and nobody is allowed to take them.”

“What do you think about it, Madam Dowager?” Ming Feiyong turned to
Madam Dowager, as if he did not believe what Ning Zu’an said. Ning
Zu’an was so angry that the veins on his forehead swelled. He was the
powerful Lord Protector, but Ming Feiyong even would rather trust a
woman of the backyard than him, so it was no wonder that he frowned in
anger.

“What Zu’an said is what I want to say. Madam Ling has been in charge
of the backyard for so many years. If Yan’er can show us the dowry list
and prove that these shops are Madam Ming’s, of course, we should give
them back to her,” Madam Dowager said righteously to support her son.

But she did not forget to shift the blame on Madam Ling.
Ning Xueyan could not hold back her sneer. Even if Madam Dowager
was very confident that Ning Xueyan could not find the dowry list, she
was still trying to put the blame on Madam Ling. Like two dogs, they
would bite each other when they were in trouble!

“Since Madam Dowager has promised me, I will trust you this time. Do
you want me to have someone come back to my manor to fetch the
dowry list?” Ming Feiyong sneered and asked mockingly.

He was hinting that if Madam Dowager did not believe him, she could
have the two lists checked for consistency.

“It’s unnecessary! Feiyong, I’m your aunt. How can I disbelieve you?”
Madam Dowager said, waving her hand, as if she was very generous.

Everyone knew that such kind of dowry lists would be carefully kept.
Since Ming Feiyong had surrendered to the current dynasty, The Ming
Manor didn’t suffer great loss and everything in the manor was still
there, so the dowry list should still be in his manor. In order to prevent
any unnecessary dispute, Madam Dowager did not ask Ming Feiyong to
fetch the list.

In fact, as Ming Feiyong had given the dowry list to Ning Xueyan for
unexpected needs, he had no more copy in his hand now. Therefore, if
Madam Dowager requested him to provide it, he could not. However,
Ning Xueyan had foreseen that Madam Dowager would not dare to do
this. Madam Dowager was a thoughtful person, so Ning Xueyan had
expected that she would not do such a stupid thing.

“So we will take the dowry list from Yan’er as the final edition?”

“Yes, you’re right.”

While they were talking, Lanning ran into the room, panting. She handed
a sheet to Ning Xueyan and said, “Miss, Mother Han found Madam
Ming’s dowry list. Here it is!”

Ning Xueyan took the sheet from her hands and looked at it. It was the
one that Ming Feiyong had given her before.
“She really has the dowry list?” Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an’s
smiles froze. They exchanged glances and could not hold back their
anger anymore. “How could Madam Ling be so careless? She failed to
steal the dowry list, but she told us that she had gotten it. What shall we
do?” they thought.

“Yan’er…” Madam Dowager spoke, trying to stop Ning Xueyan from

showing the dowry list to Ming Feiyong. If Ming Feiyong could not see
it, Madam Dowager would find a way to prevent him from making
trouble. Madam Dowager was confident that Ning Xueyan would follow
her words. If Ning Xueyan still wanted to stay at the manor, she would
dare not to disobey her order.

Madam Dowager stared at Ning Xueyan with a darkened face, trying to

put an invisible pressure on her. However, just at the very moment,
something unexpected happened.
Chapter 241 The Broken Pearled
Hair-pin
Maybe because Madam Dowager suddenly called her name, or maybe
because Madam Dowager looked too serious with her darkened face,
when Ning Xueyan raised her head and looked at Madam Dowager, her
hands trembled and the sheet immediately slipped from them and
happened to drop at Ming Feiyong’s feet.

Ming Feiyong was sitting on the left of Madam Dowager and Ning
Xueyan was also standing beside Madam Dowager.

It had happened so suddenly. When Madam Dowager had called out the
last word of Ning Xueyan’s name, the sheet had dropped to the floor.
Ming Feiyong bent over and picked it up before Madam Dowager could
say anything else.

Ming Feiyong flicked it after picking the paper up. After looking through
it, he said with a sneer, “Madam Dowager, do you want me to show it to
the court and ask the Ministry of Justice to identify if it is real?”

It was very easy to identify the authenticity of the dowry list, because the
signatures of the two families on the sheet could not be forged. Both
Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an had signed on the list when the dowry
was brought to the manor and at the bottom of the list were their
signatures.

Ming Feiyong raised the paper high in front of them. He was happy at
the sight of signatures of Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an on it.

Normally, people would not deny the facts, but Madam Dowager was
different from them. Ning Xueyan knew a person as selfish as Madam
Dowager would not give back the shops and other items in the list easily.
After all, these were worth a lot of money.

But whether she wanted it or not, she had to give them back!
As Ning Xueyan had expected, at the sight of the dowry list, Madam
Dowager froze for a few seconds and then became a little panicked.
However, soon, she recovered her composure. “Yan’er, you might have
gotten the wrong one. Is this list really left by your mother?” she asked.

She narrowed her eyes and stared at Ning Xueyan when she spoke this.
She paused for a short moment when spoke every word with coldness in
her eyes. She was warning Ning Xueyan that if she dared to say ‘Yes’,
she would definitely be seriously punished. Since Madam Dowager
could do nothing to Ming Feiyong, she had to pressure Ning Xueyan.

She was quite sure that Ning Xueyan would not dare to contradict her. If
Ning Xueyan said that list was not Madam Ming’s dowry list, Ming
Feiyong could not argue with them anymore. After all, it was Ning
Xueyan, not Ming Feiyong, who would heir to the property in the dowry
list.

If she were the same Ning Xueyan, she would say as the Madam
Dowager wished after being threatened. However, she was quite
different from what she used to be now, because that timid girl, Ning
Xueyan, had already died after Madam Ming.

As if being scared by Madam Dowager, Ning Xueyan turned her head

and checked the list carefully. “Grandmother, you suspect this is not my
mother’s dowry list? Impossible! It was found by Mother Han, and there
are your and my father’s signatures on it. It should be true,” Ning
Xueyan confirmed after several careful checks.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan did not figure out her hint, Madam Dowager
grew angry. “Check it carefully! If you mistake it, you will be severely
punished for your attempt to defraud the other’s property!” she said,
gritting her teeth.

“Defraud the other’s property? The dowry is Madam Ming’s. How can
her daughter inherit her mother’s dowry as an attempt to swindle others
out of their property? How shameless Madam Dowager is!” Ning
Xueyan thought, a coldness flashing in her eyes. She had thought that
Madam Dowager would threaten her after she showed the dowry list, so
she had found the countermeasure in advance.
After rebirth, she was totally different from Ning Ziying, the kind and
soft-hearted girl, who was so easily to be tricked!

Her jet-black eyes blinked a few times with anxiety, as if she also
doubted that she had mistaken it or maybe Mother Han had taken the
wrong list. She reached out and was about to take the paper from Ming
Feiyong. “Mother Han took the wrong list? It’s impossible! Everything
my mother left is taken care of by Mother Han, so she shouldn’t have
taken the wrong one,” she said hesitantly.

She seemed to be talking to herself, and reaching out her hand naturally.
Madam Dowager was very excited. “If Ning Xueyan gets the list, I will
find a way to have her give it to me. Then I can tear up the paper on the
pretext that it is the wrong one. Without evidence, Ming Feiyong can do
nothing to us!” she thought.

Ning Zu’an knew what Madam Dowager was thinking about. Although
he did not approve of it, he did not protest. He frowned slightly and did
nothing, going to wait and see what Madam Dowager would do next.

Ning Xueyan’s hand almost touched the paper in Ming Feiyong’s hand
and Ming Feiyong did not seem to be wary of her. Seeing her reaching
out, he passed the paper to her and asked, “Yan’er, it’s said Prince Yi also
said yesterday that the shop was your mother’s. Is that true?”

He mentioned what Ao Chenyi had said casually yesterday. Hearing this,

Madam Dowager’s heart thumped.

Why had Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi, talked about it? Ning Zu’an froze for a
while and then stopped them in a hurry. If it was someone else who had
mentioned it, Ning Zu’an would not care about it. However, he must take
every word Prince Yi said seriously, even if it was only a blurt out.

Prince Yi was extremely powerful. If he was offended, he would retaliate

against his opponent by any means. Ning Zu’an knew that compared to
his political future, the property was not that important.

“Wait a moment!” He must say something. He was in a hurry when he

spoke and he could not help raising his voice. He was trying to prevent
Madam Dowager from making a move, but to his surprise, Ning Xueyan
was scared at his words. She drew her hand back quickly, as if it had
been burned.

Her body waved a few times and she almost fell to the floor. Fortunately,
Lanning, who was standing behind her, had quick reflexes and caught
her in time. Before she managed to stand firmly, something shiny fell off
from her hair. With a clear metallic sound, it dropped to the floor and
separated from a hair-pin in front of people.

The pearled hair-pin was broken!

It was not a big deal to break a pearled hair-pin, but as soon as Madam
Dowager saw the pearl, her face turned pale. It was not an ordinary pearl,
but a South Sea Pearl!

There were a few South Sea Pearls in the manor, but she had never given
any of them to Ning Xueyan. Therefore, the South Sea Pearl on Ning
Xueyan’s hair-pin must be the one she had gotten from Prince Yi
yesterday.

South Sea Pearls were round and flawless, and people could tell at a
glance. Obviously, this pearl could not be used anymore. A small piece
of it was missing when it had hit the floor just now. The consequence
would be serious to have broken the thing from Prince Yi!

“Yan’er, when did you have this hair-pin made?” Madam Dowager
swallowed hard and asked difficultly, pointing at the pearl on the floor.

“Grandmother, Prince Yi gave me the pearl. Later, I happened to pass by

a jewelry shop, so I asked the people there to design a hair-pin for me
and embed a South Sea Pearl on it. The shop assistant brought it to me
last night after finishing it. It was plain and elegant, so I pinned it on my
hair today. Unfortunately, it was broken!” Ning Xueyan said regretfully.

She crouched and tried to put the broken hair-pin and the pearl together,
but obviously, they could no longer match each other perfectly.

“Prince Yi gave the pearl to you?” Ning Zu’an asked anxiously.

“Yes! Someone tried to blackmail us when I was at our shop yesterday.

When I was dealing with that swindler, Prince Yi walked into our shop.
He specially gave me a box of South Sea Pearls,” Ning Xueyan
explained in a soft voice.

Ning Zu’an’s face turned pale. Who would dare to break Prince Yi’s
things so casually?

“Prince Yi also said that the shop was your mother’s? he continued.

“Yes, Prince Yi mentioned this. Father, if you don’t believe me, you can
ask Mr. Yu, the shopkeeper of the cloth shop. In addition to him, some
passers-by and the shop assistant were also present. There were many
people watching,” Ning Xueyan said calmly. She then picked up the
pearl and the hair-pin and stood up.

Madam Dowager might take Madam Ming’s dowry forcibly because of

her greed, but obviously, Ning Zu’an would not do this. He knew that the
consequence would be serious if he offended the bloodthirsty devil, Ao
Chenyi. Sometimes, Prince Yi did not follow anyone’s words, so it was
useless even though Ning Zu’an was the emperor’s favored subordinate.

Ning Xueyan glanced at Madam Dowager’s greedy face and then at

Ning Zu’an’s frowned brows. Finally, her eyes fell on Ming Feiyong.
She blinked to him secretly. She had analyzed the situation in the letter
she wrote to Ming Feiyong yesterday.

“Marquis, Madam Dowager, since even Prince Yi said that those shops
belonged to my sister, he must have his reason. I will show this evidence
to him.” Ming Feiyong stopped talking. He then put the dowry list in his
pocket, stood up and was about to leave.

Obviously, he was going to sue the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Moreover, Prince Yi would also get involved in this matter. He might not
testify for Ming Feiyong in court, but at the thought that the pearl was
broken only one day after he had given it to Ning Xueyan, he might fly
into a rage. Prince Yi was a moody person, if he was annoyed, many
people might lose their lives. Although he was not the emperor, people
were more afraid of him than of the emperor because of his ruthlessness.
Nobody could tell whether he would be happy or angry next second.
Ning Zu’an made a quick decision. He stood up and reached out to stop
Ming Feiyong. “Mother, just give Yan’er everything listed on the sheet.
After all, they were left by her mother,” he said to Madam Dowager.

“But…” Madam Dowager could not bear to give away such a large
fortune. She hesitated and her face flickered. She had planned to give all
the property to his grandson, Huaiyuan. If she gave all the dowry to Ning
Xueyan, it would no longer belong to Lord Protector’s Manor when Ning
Xueyan got married in the future. She felt sad at the thought that Lord
Protector’s Manor could get nothing from it.

Thankfully, unlike Madam Ling, although Madam Dowager was greedy

and she wanted to take Madam Ming’s property, she knew what was
more important. Since Prince Yi was so powerful and cold-blooded, they
could not afford to offend him.

She suddenly remembered that the servants had told her yesterday that
Prince Yi had specially told Ning Xueyan to ask him for help if she had
any difficulty. Although she did not know why Prince Yi favored Ning
Xueyan so much, Madam Dowager knew that he might help Ning
Xueyan in this matter. If Prince Yi was annoyed, everything could
happen.

After all, money was less important than life! If they could not even keep
their lives, they would not enjoy the glory and wealth anymore.

“Yan’er, if these shops are really your mother’s, you will be in charge of
them in the future. Although Madam Ling did not behave properly, she
took over the accounts because your mother did not want to take care of
the shops.” Hearing what Ning Zu’an said, Madam Dowager changed
her mind and said with a smile, looking very amiable.
Chapter 242 How Dare You Take
Away All My Stuff
She meant that since Madam Ling had done a lot of work in managing
the shops, even she should not be credited, she should not be blamed. In
other words, she was interceding for her, hinting Ning Xueyan not to ask
back the profits of the past few years.

Until now, Madam Dowager was still reluctant to give back the money!
Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly. “What a mean and shameless woman!”
she really wished that she had nothing to do with the manor in the future.

Taking a deep breath, she said calmly, “Grandmother, I will follow your
words.”

Of course she would not spare Madam Ling and let the Lord Protector’s
Manor take advantage of her. However, she could not be openly hostile
towards people of the manor now. When the time was right, she would
definitely bring Madam Ling down completely. Madam Ling must give
back everything she had taken from Madam Ming, Ning Xueyan and
Ning Ziying!

Bright Frost Garden was full of things. In addition to the shops, Madam
Ming had brought some other precious items to the manor as her dowry,
and now they had been searched out one by one from Madam Ling’s
courtyard. However, at least half of Madam Ming’s dowry was missing,
and after searching, people still could not find them. Madam Dowager
said that those items had lost in the war, and nobody could tell where
they were.

Fortunately, Ning Xueyan did not want to search thoroughly for the
moment. If they gave back those items now, she could take this matter as
a misunderstanding, but if she searched out them in the future, she could
accuse those people of pocketing those things on purpose. As far as she
knew, part of Ning Ziyan’s dowry was Madam Ming’s property and
Madam Dowager also kept some in her private coffer. Since they did not
want to give them back, just let it be.
Ning Xueyan knew when it was necessary, she could take advantage of
it.

Ming Feiyong was monitoring the process in person at Bright Frost

Garden. With a darkened face, he crossed off the items in the list one by
one after the real things had been found. Finally, he asked Madam
Dowager and Ning Zu’an to sign on the paper with those missing items.
Since they could not be found, Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an could
argue that these items were lost in the war, but it was necessary to have
them sign on the paper as the evidence.

Madam Ling had been Ning Zu’an’s mistress before coming to the
manor, so she did not have much private property. Besides, she did not
get on well with Madam Dowager and the latter had rarely given her
anything. Therefore, after moving those things out from her courtyard,
most of the valuable decorations in her room were missing, and even her
big bed made of machilus had been removed.

Since Ming Feiyong did not argue with them for the ten years’ income of
those shops, Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an knew that they should not
go against his wish for such a trifle. Anyway, it was only a bed. Besides,
Madam Ling was still at the Buddha Hall now. When she was released,
she could buy a new bed. Thinking about this, they agreed with Ming
Feiyong’s request and asked people to remove the bed.

Now the whole Auspicious Clouds Courtyard was in chaos, as if

someone had come and confiscated most things of it.

Madam Ling got the news at the Buddha Hall. She then dispatched
Mother Chen to come back to her courtyard and have a look. After
Mother Chen told what she had seen, Madam Ling was so angry that she
almost passed out. After all, she was the First Madam of the manor and
she deserved respect. Now since even her residence had been made a
mess, everyone would look down upon her in the future. If the rumors
spread out, the outsiders would think that she had embezzled all Madam
Ming’s dowry. However, she knew the best of the dowry was in that old
woman’s hands!

Seeing Madam Ling’s darkened face, Mother Chen knew that she was in
a rage. She immediately pulled her dress and made her sit down. “First
Madam, calm down. Eldest Young Master said that Madam Dowager
would release you soon. Let’s get even with Fifth Young Lady after we
are released from here,” she said anxiously. Eldest Young Master had
repeatedly reminded her to watch First Madam and prevent her from
making trouble.

Because of this, Madam Ling had been keeping a low-key recently. Even
when Ning Qingshan had asked someone to tell her that she needed her
help, Madam Ling had asked her to discuss it with Ning Ziyan and asked
Ning Ziyan to find a person to help her. That was all because her son had
told her that if she did not make any trouble again, he would get her out
from the Buddha Hall soon.

Madam Ling was so angry that the veins on her forehead swelled. “That
little b*tch even took all my things away! They are all mine! They are all
Yuan’er’s!” she said resentfully, word by word.

She took it for granted the things that had been moved to Ning Xueyan’s
courtyard were hers. She had a hard time to accumulate these little by
little and planned to leave them to her son in the future. She could not
bear to watch Ning Xueyan, the little b*tch, take all of them from her.

At the thought that Ning Xueyan was moving out her things from her
courtyard, she felt a stab in the heart. Those were all her property!

Of course it also had something to do with her dignity. If others knew

that the powerful Marchioness had embezzled a co-wife’s dowry, she
could no longer raise her head high in front of people. That old b*tch had
disentangled herself with this matter and shifted all the blame on her!
Why had not she refuse when she gave the best of the Madam Ming’s
dowry to her?

“First Madam, don’t worry. After all, we have Eldest Young Master back
us up. Everything of the manor will belong to Eldest Young Master in
the future. Do you think that Madam Dowager will leave her things to
Third Young Lady, Fourth Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady? Madam
Dowager is very clear who her grandson in our manor is. She will
definitely leave everything to Eldest Young Master.”

Mother Chen knew that Madam Ling did not get on well with Madam
Dowager, so she immediately persuaded her.
That was she thought. No matter how much money Madam Dowager
had, she would leave it to Eldest Young Master. Since even the whole
manor would belong to Eldest Young Master in the future, how could
Madam Dowager leave her property to anyone else?

Although Third Young Lady was favored by Madam Dowager, she was
not related to her by blood. Fourth Young Lady was only a concubine’s
daughter. Fifth Young Lady’s status was even lowered than all the other
Young Lady’s and Madam Dowager had never treated her as her own
granddaughter. Therefore, it seemed that Madam Dowager treated Eldest
Young Lady, Second Young Lady and Eldest Young Master better. They
were all First Madam’s children.

Hearing what Mother Chen said, Madam Ling felt relieved a little, but
she still could not help cursing, “That old b*tch! That old b*tch…”

“That old b*tch flattered the Mings for her own interest and she even
agreed with them to remove my big bed! Has she ever considered about
my dignity?” At the thought of this, Madam Ling was so angry that she
almost coughed a mouth of blood.

She managed to hold back her anger and asked, gritting her teeth, “Was
the little b*tch again who stirred up the trouble?”

“I heard it was… Third Young Lady… It was Third Young Lady who
found something wrong in the account book and caused the trouble.
After that, Fifth Young Lady and General Ming associated it with the
dowry list of Madam Ming.” Mother Chen had found out everything
about the whole story when she was out just now. She hesitated for a
while and told Madam Ling the truth.

“First Madam, calm down. Maybe Third Young Lady did this because
she fell into Fifth Young Lady’s trap. Fifth Young Lady is very cunning.
I’m sure she had set a trap for Third Young Lady!” After telling Madam
Ling what had happened, Mother Chen did not forget to explain for Ning
Qingshan. She believed that Ning Qingshan would not have deliberately
gone against First Madam. Besides, Third Young Lady would be adopted
as First Madam’s daughter soon, so she had no reason to get First
Madam in trouble on purpose at such a moment.
“Humph! That b*tch is also a scheming girl! She dared to poison Madam
Ming when she was Madam Ming’s adopted daughter, so she is very
likely to set me up after I adopt her as my daughter!” Madam Ling said
coldly.

Ning Qingshan had been so vicious when she was only a kid. Since she
had dared to murder people for her own interest, Madam Ling thought
that she would do everything to get what she wanted. If not because she
also needed a daughter with a good reputation, she would not have been
so easy to compromise and agree to adopt the poisonous snake as her
daughter.

It reminded her of her own daughter, Ning Yuling. Madam Ling had put
a lot of effort into training her second daughter. However, she had never
heard any news about Ning Yuling after she was sent to the remote place.
Moreover, she should be blamed for Ning Yuling’s face injury, so Ning
Yuling must hate her. At the thought of this, Madam Ling could not help
feeling sad.

Her eyes turned reddish and tears streamed down. “Ling’er, my poor
Ling’er! If Ling’er is still here, why should I adopt that b*tch as my
daughter?”

Her Ling’er had been chosen as Third Prince’s principal wife, and the
two families had reached an agreement for it. But now, why was
everyone saying that Third Prince was waiting for Ning Qingshan and
Ning Qingshan would be Third Prince’s principal wife? Everyone was
talking about Ning Qingshan. Who still remembered her poor Ling’er?

Because of this, Ning Qingshan became an eyesore of Madam Ling. She

thought that Ning Qingshan had robbed Third Prince away from her
daughter.

“First Madam, you shouldn’t think in this way. Maybe Eldest Young
Master will need Third Young Lady to back him up in the future.”
Hearing Madam Ling’s words of grief and anger, Mother Chen
immediately stopped her.

“I know. That was why I have agreed to adopt that b*tch as my daughter.
When she becomes Third Prince’s principal wife, I will bring Ling’er
back to the manor and cure her face. At least, she is good enough to be
Third Prince’s co-consort. Ling’er is so beautiful. That vicious b*tch
can’t be compared with her at all!”

Madam Ling said fiercely, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Of course she was clear that she should adopt Ning Qingshan for the
moment. She had never trusted Ning Qingshan. Ning Qingshan had said
that she agreed to let Ning Yuling marry Third Prince in the future, but
Madam Ling would rather trust herself more. She believed that if
Ling’er’s face could be cured, Third Prince would definitely marry her.

“First Madam, Madam Dowager’s servant, Mother Qin, also told me that
you would be released after a few days. After all, the lunar New Year is
coming and the manor needs a Hostess.” Seeing that Madam Ling was so
emotional that she was losing her temper, Mother Chen immediately told
her the good news she had just heard.

“Hostess? The lunar New Year? The old b*tch is good at fooling people
with such words. Why didn’t she tell me that she would release me
soon?” Madam Ling said with a sneer, her eyes reddish.

“She said that she was going to let me out because the lunar New Year
was coming. It is just an excuse! In fact, she just wanted me to become
that b*tch’s adopted mother! The Beauty Contest of the imperial palace
is going to start soon. If that b*tch wants to be Third Prince’s principal
wife, her status can’t be too low. It’s impossible for her to marry Third
Prince as his principal wife as an adopted daughter of a co-wife!”
Madam Ling said coldly.

The old b*tch had given a reasonable reason, but actually, she would
release her because she had no other choice. Ning Qingshan would
attend the Beauty Contest soon and before going to the imperial palace,
her identity would be registered and confirmed again. The information
Ning Qingshan had submitted to the imperial palace showed that she was
only a co-wife’s daughter, so she was not qualified to compete for the
role of Third Prince’s principal wife if she did not re-registered.

“First Madam, since Madam Dowager needs your help and you also need
a daughter with a good reputation, it will be good for both of you to
adopt Third Young Lady as your daughter. It is too cold in the Buddha
Hall and you cannot even visit Eldest Young Master at will. After
leaving here, you can go everywhere you want. Besides, since you are
the principal wife of Lord Protector, all the Young Ladies will have to be
respectful to you.”

Mother Chen persuaded Madam Ling, passing her a cup of tea. For
Mother Chen, it was not worth for Madam Ling to go against Madam
Dowager. No matter how capable Madam Dowager was, everything in
the manor would belong to Eldest Young Master in the future. Besides,
First Madam had done this for Eldest Young Master’s own good.
Therefore, it was unnecessary for Madam Ling to take Madam Dowager
as her enemy.

“Fine! I will put up with her. But after I get out of the Buddha Hall, I will
definitely let that little b*tch die in her boots!” Madam Ling took a sip of
tea and said, gritting her teeth.

Madam Ling was planning to teach Ning Xueyan a good lesson after her
release. However, she had never thought that Madam Dowager had
signed up Ning Xueyan for the Beauty Contest, trying to marry her to the
imperial family as well.

For Madam Dowager, Ning Xueyan could become a prince’s co-consort

at least. When she saw how well Fourth Prince had treated Ning Xueyan
on the other day, Madam Dowager believed that Fourth Prince would
definitely like to marry Ning Xueyan as his co-consort.
Chapter 243 Madam Ling Was
Released From the Buddha Hall
Three days later, Madam Ling was released from the Buddha Hall. Since
they had not mentioned Madam Ling’s mistakes in public and only said
that she had come to the Buddha Hall for meditation, as soon as Madam
Dowager approved, Madam Ling was released. Madam Dowager had not
meant to get her out before the lunar New Year. However, after returning
to the manor, Ning Huaiyuan had mentioned many times in front of her
that the outsiders would laugh at the manor if they knew that the hostess
was absent during the festival.

Besides, since the Beauty Contest was coming, Madam Dowager had to
release Madam Ling early to make her adopt Ning Qingshan as her
daughter.

Moreover, Madam Dowager had shifted most blame on Madam Ling and
even Auspicious Clouds Courtyard had been turned upside down. After
all, it was a disgrace to the hostess of the manor.

Due to the reasons above, Madam Dowager had agreed to release

Madam Ling early.

In the early morning, Mother Qin came to the Buddha Hall. She offered
her greetings to Madam Ling and said with a smile, “First Madam,
Madam Dowager said that you lived an austere life at the Buddha Hall
recently. Since the New Year is coming, she said that you could collect
your belongings and leave the Buddha Hall,”

Mother Qin said very politely, as if Madam Ling had volunteered to stay
here. Madam Ling was so angry, but she did not dare to lose her temper.
She lowered her head and managed to hold back her anger. “Mother Qin,
It’s very kind of you. Please thank Madam Dowager for me. I have to
return to my courtyard and have it cleaned up, so I can’t visit Auspicious
Fortune Hall for the moment.”
After her release, she should visit Madam Dowager first. However, she
was so angry that she did not want to see her at all, so she found an
excuse for herself.

Mother Qin was a smart woman and she immediately figured out what
Madam Ling was thinking about. She then said with a smile, “First
Madam, it’s up to you to visit Madam Dowager or not.”

Madam Ling and Madam Dowager were hostile to each other, so both of
them tried to avoid meeting. After all, neither of the two would be happy
when they met.

“Mother Qin, please tell my mother that I thank her for her
consideration,” Madam Ling said, half smiling. She then helped Mother
Chen up and walked out of the Buddha Hall slowly.

Although it was cold and cheerless outside, the sunshine was shining
brightly. After punishing Junior Concubine Xu, it was the first time for
Madam Ling to leave the Buddha Hall. She stopped and covered her
eyes with her hand to avoid the sunshine.

Ning Huaiyuan was waiting outside with Ning Qingshan, Ning Lingyun
and Ning Xueyan. Watching Madam Ling walking out, he immediately
stepped forward and bowed to Madam Ling respectfully. “Mother, my
sisters and I came to pick you,” he said.

“Mother, greetings!”

“Mother, greetings!”

“Mother, greetings!” The three sisters bowed to Madam Ling one after
another.

Since people of the manor had told the outsiders that Madam Ling had
come to the Buddha Hall to pray for her family, it was normal that the
younger generation waited outside the Buddha Hall to greet her.

Madam Ling glanced at them coldly one by one. She looked at Ning
Lingyun for a while and then her eyes fell on Ning Xueyan, a viciously
look crossing them. However, she managed to hold back her anger and
even squeeze out a fake smile on her face. “You all can go back now. I
will go back and clean up my courtyard, so I have no time to stay with
you.”

“Mother, let me help you with the courtyard,” Ning Qingshan walked
over and said with a smile.

“It’s unnecessary. It’s said that some people turned the yard upside down
to find things. The outsiders will think that I’m no longer the Hostess and
can’t rule the children of the manor anymore.” Madam Ling refused
Ning Qingshan coldly. She glanced at Ning Xueyan and held back the
impulse to rush over and slap her in the face.

She was warning Ning Xueyan that as long as she stayed at the manor,
she would be the rightful Marchioness and Ning Xueyan’s fate would be
in her hands.

“Mother, don’t think in this way. As the Marchioness, you offered to go

to the Buddha Hall to pray for the whole family, so everyone of our
manor will appreciate you. Nobody will be so stupid to spread the
rumors,” Ning Qingshan said gently. Since she needed Madam Ling’s
help to improve her status, she had to try to please her.

Unfortunately, Madam Ling had never liked Ning Qingshan because she
knew that Ning Qingshan had been vicious since childhood. Now, she
heard that it was Ning Qingshan who had stirred up the trouble about
Madam Ming’s dowry, she hated her more. With a snort, she gave Ning
Qingshan the cold shoulder and walked toward Auspicious Clouds
Courtyard.

Looking at Madam Ling and then at his three sisters, Ning Huaiyuan
frowned. He then turned and walked toward Auspicious Clouds
Courtyard as well, following Madam Ling.

“Fifth Sister, our mother did not seem happy. Could that because what
happened a few days ago?” Ning Qingshan lowered her head and asked
Ning Xueyan in a soft voice, as if she had not seen how cold Madam
Ling had been toward her.

Now, Third Young Lady seemed to be as gentle, calm, and magnanimous

as she had been when she first arrived at the Lord Protector’s Manor.
Ning Xueyan knew what Ning Qingshan was thinking about. After all,
she was going to attend the Beauty Contest, so any problems on the
manor would impact her. Of course, she would not miss any chance to
humiliate Ning Xueyan, but in a more subtle way.

Obviously, she was blaming that Ning Xueyan had gone too far to move
so many things out of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. It seemed that she
felt sorry for Madam Ling.

Madam Ling had left, but her servants were still there. If they reported it
to Madam Ling, Madam Ling would hate Ning Xueyan more.

“What happened a few days ago?” “Third Sister, are you saying that our
mother was annoyed because you had found something wrong in the
account book three days ago?” Ning Xueyan asked back naturally with a
slight smile.

Ning Qingshan’s eyelid twitched at the words and she could not help
gritting her teeth. After thinking it over, she became more certain that
she had fallen into Ning Xueyan’s trap. But it was true that she had
stirred up the trouble, so Madam Ling would definitely resent her for it.
She had gotten on well with Madam Ling before, but because of this
matter, Madam Ling would no longer regard her as a friend.

After walking out of the Buddha Hall, Madam Ling had been so cold to
them, so obviously she was annoyed.

“Fifth Sister, I meant what you and your uncle did to our mother after I
had pointed out the problems in the account book. Don’t you think that
you have gone too far? Since she is our mother, you should leave those
things in her courtyard to show your filial piety.”

She meant that Ning Xueyan should give Madam Ling Madam Ming’s
dowry and she was unfilial to have taken away those things from Madam
Ling. And this was a breach of ethics as well.

“Ning Qingshan is standing on Madam Ling’s side wholeheartedly and

she really wants to cooperate with Madam Ling. She accused me because
she was trying to flattering Madam Ling!”
With a slight smile, Ning Xueyan answered, “Third Sister, you are right.
If nobody mentioned it, I would have pretended that I knew nothing
about it. However, it happened to be overheard by my uncle. Of course
he would not have turned a deaf ear to it. Third Sister, I should thank you
for it.” She looked gentle when she spoke this, but actually, she was
shooting back aggressively.

Ning Qingshan had not thought that Ning Xueyan would have shifted all
the blame on her. “She must have set a trap for me in advance!” At the
thought of this, Ning Qingshan could not hold back her anger anymore.
“Fifth Sister, you are even more eloquent than before! I did that because
I fell into someone’s trap!”

She was hinting that she had not deliberately exposed Madam Ling’s
dirty tricks. But when she spoke this, all Madam Ling’s people had gone
and now only the three sisters and their maids were left in front of the
Buddha Hall. Ning Lingyun lowered her head and did not say anything,
looking very humble.

“Third Sister, you fell into someone’s trap? You must tell Grandmother
about this. Otherwise, they may misunderstand you,” Ning Xueyan did
not make any concessions. She looked at Ning Qingshan with a smile, a
mocking look flashing in her eyes.

With that, she bowed slightly to Ning Qingshan and left with Lanning
before Ning Qingshan could say anything.

Seeing her leaving, Ning Lingyun did not dare to stay there anymore.
She took leave of Ning Qingshan in a hurry and walked toward her own
courtyard with her maid.

Ning Qingshan gritted her teeth and clenched her fists firmly, almost
losing her temper.

Ning Xueyan seemed to have said that for Ning Qingshan’s own good,
but in fact, she had been hinting that Ning Qingshan had lost Madam
Dowager and Madam Ling’s trust in her, so no matter how she tried to
flatter them, they would suspect that she had deliberately exposed the
problems in the account books and stirred up the trouble so as to create
conflict between Madam Ling and Ning Xueyan.
“Miss!” Seeing her in a rage, Caifen took several steps forward and
called her.

“I’m okay. Have you gotten the job done I told you this morning?” Ning
Qingshan let out a long sigh and loosened her clenched teeth. Then she
recovered her composure.

“I saw Second Childe Xia in the morning and told him about our plan.
He agreed with it,” Caifen answered in a low voice. She had slipped out
the manor this morning and just returned. Because Ning Qingshan was
going to the Buddha Hall to pick Madam Ling, Caifen had not had a
chance to report it to her just now.

Ning Qingshan had always contacted Xia Yudong through Ning Ziyan
before, but this time, since she had offended Madam Ling, she did not
want her and Ning Ziyan to know about their plan, so she had asked her
maid to contact Xia Yudong privately. Nobody had known that Xia
Yudong was helping her when they were at Third Prince’s suburban
courtyard. Besides, it would take some time if Xia Yudong wanted to get
Ning Xueyan, so they should be patient.

Ning Qingshan knew that Xia Yudong would definitely agree with her
plan. Since Xia Yudong had agreed to go to Third Prince’s suburban
courtyard and save Ning Xueyan when she was in trouble last time, Ning
Qingshan knew that he was an ambitious person. Xia Yudong was not
that talented and capable, so he had planned to take advantage of Lord
Protector’s influence to develop himself. Ning Qingshan had tried to deal
with Ning Xueyan by taking advantage of Xia Yudong, so it was no
wonder that they had reached an agreement so soon.

She knew that she should not make any trouble anymore for the moment,
but some things could be done quietly and slowly. When they were
exposed in the future, she would have been chosen as Third Prince’s
principal wife and those things would not affect her badly.

After making up her mind, she felt much relieved. She thought for a
while and then returned to Foggy Courtyard. She knew that after going
back to Auspicious Clouds Courtyard and seeing that everything had
gone, Madam Ling must fly into a rage. If she visited Madam Ling now,
Madam Ling would definitely vent her anger on her.
When Madam Ling returned to Auspicious Clouds Courtyard and saw
the empty courtyard, her eyes went reddish because of distress and anger.
She almost rushed to Bright Frost Garden, but was stopped by Ning
Huaiyuan at the gate. Ning Huaiyuan said something to Madam Ling and
calmed her down. Then Madam Ling walked into the room with her
servants, while Ning Huaiyuan asked people to move the new furniture
into the room.

These were all high-quality furniture, but they could not be compared
with the Madam Ming’s dowry. After all, Madam Ming had been the
daughter of a century-old aristocratic family. Madam Ling lost her
temper again and smashed a few other things. If Ning Huaiyuan were not
here, she would ask her servants to go to Bright Frost Garden and rob
everything back.

Of course, even if she wanted, it was impossible for her to rob those
things back, because Ming Feiyong had prepared another list for Ning
Xueyan, and in order to put the matter to rest, Madam Dowager and
Ning Huaiyuan, who had been cornered at that point, had signed their
names on it.

At Bright Frost Garden… Ning Xueyan was not in a bad mood because
of Madam Ling’s release.

She had gotten everything done as her plan and Madam Ling’s release
would not impact what would happen next. Tomorrow, Madam Ling
would set a banquet and officially adopt Ning Qingshan as her daughter.
Ning Xueyan did not want to stir any trouble at the banquet, but she
worried that someone might try to give her a hard time to get back at her,
so she reminded her servants to be cautious and do their jobs carefully
tomorrow.
Chapter 244 Madam Ling
Adopted Ning Qingshan as Her
Daughter
The next day, a lot of visitors came to the Lord Protector’s Manor to
attend the banquet. The carriages parking outside the manor filled the
whole street in front of it.

Ning Zu’an was the emperor’s favored official. Although his family had
some problems recently, his power did not seem to be much impacted.
But some rumors said that the emperor thought since Ning Zu’an could
not rule his manor well, he would not be able to help him rule the
country well. Because of this, he did not trust in Ning Zu’an as much as
he used to be.

But everyone was talking about Third Young Lady and Third Prince.

Someone was certain that Third Young Lady had already been chosen as
Third Prince’s principal wife and she had attended the Beauty Contest
just to go through the formality. Some rumors about Third Young Lady’s
recent improper behavior were also spreading in the capital, but since the
Lord Protector’s Manor and Third Prince had not made any moves,
people did not take the rumors seriously.

They knew for the sake of Third Young Lady, they should come and
present their gifts. Anyway, it would be very meaningful for Third
Young Lady to be adopted by Lord Protector’s principal wife as her
daughter.

In the early morning, Madam Ling was busy in greeting the guests with
Ning Qingshan, Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan. The guests paid a lot of
compliments to Madam Ling and Ning Qingshan.

After a whole night, Madam Ling had managed to calm herself down
and put on a smile in front of people, just like she used to be. She chatted
and joked with a few ladies from other manors, looking happy. Ning
Qingshan sat beside them and said something from time to time. It
seemed they had a good time.

Madam Ling wore a set of scarlet clothes today. Without the

Marchioness’ official suit, she was still the Lord Protector’s principal
wife, and she looked solemn in red. Ning Qingshan wore a green long
skirt with a slanting collar and a red padded jacket. Her hair was pinned
with a hair-pin decorated with a red-golden-peony and a pearl, making
her look fairer and more beautiful.

Today was her big day, so she had been more beautifully dressed and
people could tell her out the crowd at a glance.

Ning Xueyan was still in plain clothes as usual. She wore a light blue
long skirt, but a few flying butterflies embroidered on the skirt hem
added a touch of girlish vivacity in her grace.

Ning Lingyun also kept low-key this time. Although the light pink color
of her dress was kind of cheerful, compared to Ning Qingshan, she was
much inferior in both the dress quality and the color. Besides, she did not
put on too much jewelry.

To avoid Ning Qingshan’s attention, she had been cautious after what
had happened at Third Prince’s suburban courtyard. She followed Senior
Concubine Xu’s words and tried to keep a low profile. Today was Ning
Qingshan’s big day, not hers, so she became even more cautious, trying
to avoid stealing Ning Qingshan’s thunder and causing her
dissatisfaction.

Ning Lingyun did not dare to offend Ning Xueyan, and she knew that
she was no match for Ning Qingshan, so she’d better not offend on either
side. That was why she was more low-key than ever when she behaved
and spoke. After a few losses, she did not dare to be so mean and
mocked Ning Xueyan in front of people as she had done.

Ning Xueyan was chatting with people around her casually. It was her
first time to officially meet those noble ladies and Young Ladies. The
smile on her face was faint, but she looked decent. She greeted those
ladies one by one, showing natural elegance in her gestures. The manner
she behaved strictly followed the etiquette standard and even the way she
bowed and walked exactly complied with the etiquette dictates.
Those noble ladies could not help praising her. They had heard that Fifth
Young Lady had been timid and weak since her childhood and had never
had a formal training, but now they found that this Fifth Young Lady was
the politest and best-behaved. Madam Ming’s family was aristocratic for
generations, so of course under her training, her daughter’s manner was
exemplary.

Since Ning Zu’an had never taught her about it and Madam Ming had
been too weak to train her even if she wanted, the former Ning Xueyan
had never known how to behave in front of people. Besides, she had
been bullied by Ning Yuling and almost lost her life. Therefore, from the
bottom of her heart, she had been afraid of meeting people. She had not
even dared to meet people, how could she possibly appear well-bred to
others?

The present Ning Xueyan behaved so well because she had learned the
etiquette from her mother in her last life when she was Ning Ziying. Her
mother had been so strict in training her and had never allowed any of
her movements to be inadequate or redundant. Ning Ziying had cried a
lot for this when she was just a little girl, but her gentle mother had not
shown mercy as usual. Whenever she made a mistake, her mother would
have beaten her with a big ruler. Ning Ziying had cried many times
before she could reluctantly reach her mother’s standard.

That was why she could greet people gracefully and her elegance seemed
to be inborn.

At this point, Heng Yuqing appeared from nowhere. “Xueyan, nice to see
you again!” she pulled Ning Xueyan’s hands joyfully and said in a low
voice.

Heng Yuqing was a frank and straightforward girl, so Ning Xueyan was
very impressed by her. She was very glad as well when she saw Heng
Yuqing and immediately pulled her to the side to chat.

It was the first time they met since they had parted from the imperial
palace. Heng Yuqing did not look good and she was much thinner than
before. She seemed to be a little depressed, as if she was being bothered
by something. Although Heng Yuqing smiled and was trying to hide this,
Ning Xueyan was keenly aware that something was on her mind.
“What’s up? Yuqing, did something happen to you?” Ning Xueyan put it
straightforward. She had not noticed when Heng Yuqing had come just
now, but she could tell that she did not look good.

Hearing that, Heng Yuqing’s eyes turned reddish and she did not want to
hide it from Ning Xueyan anymore. “My mother is sick,” she answered
in a low voice, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Why don’t you stay at home and take care of her?” Ning Xueyan asked
in a low voice. For a person of filial piety, it was natural to take care of
his or her sick mother. Heng Yuqing did not seem to be an unfilial
person.

“Concubine Yun told my father that today was your manor’s big day, and
it had something to do with the backyard, so if none of our family came,
the Lord Guardian’s Manor would be blamed for not taking your manor
seriously. But my mother was still ill and she had fallen asleep after
taking the medicine. How could she get up for the moment?” Heng
Yuqing said angrily with reddish eyes.

“My mother was so sick, but Concubine Yun still asked Heng Yuwan to
invite those Young Ladies to our manor to celebrate her birthday!” Heng
Yuqing grew angrier when she spoke this. She sobbed and could hardly
continue.

Every family had its own problems. Ning Xueyan remembered that
someone had said that Lord Guardian favored his concubine very much
and wanted to get rid of his wife. She was so shocked of his fatuity.
“God protects the good. Don’t worry, your mother is not old at all and
she will be okay.” She clapped her hands and comforted Heng Yuqing.

“That woman made my mother sick, but look, she was dressed so
voluptuously and was flattering Third Young Lady of your manor!”
Heng Yuqing wiped the tears from her cheeks and said resentfully,
pointing at a woman beside Ning Qingshan.

That enchanting woman was in her thirties, and from the way she
dressed, nobody could tell that she was only a concubine. A girl about
Heng Yuqing’s age was standing beside her. Ning Xueyan guessed that
she should be Heng Yuqing’s younger sister, Heng Yuwan. Surrounding
Ning Qingshan with a few other women, they were talking to Ning
Qingshan, trying to curry favor with her.

Everyone thought that Ning Qingshan would definitely become Third

Prince’s principal wife in the future, so they were trying every means to
get close to her before she rose high. Otherwise, it would be too late!

“Xueyan, do you take me as your friend?” Heng Yuqing did not look in
Ning Qingshan’s direction, but asked Ning Xueyan, holding her hand.

“Yes. You’re my friend,” Ning Xueyan said with a nod. Heng Yuqing
had always tried to help her at the imperial palace, so Ning Xueyan had
taken her as a reliable friend since then.

“She will hold the birthday party after a few days. I want to send you an
invitation card and invite you to our manor to have fun with me. I don’t
want to talk to them,” Heng Yuqing said seriously.

Heng Yuwan would definitely send invitation cards to her friends, but
Heng Yuqing did not like them. Therefore, she wanted to invite Ning
Xueyan to attend the party. After all, she should find a person she liked
to chat with her.

Otherwise, she had to stay with Heng Yuwan’s friends at the party. She
was in a bad mood even having a look at those people.

“Okay! I will go. Just send your invitation card to me.” Ning Xueyan
knew that Heng Yuqing did not want to be alone at the party and wanted
to have someone chat with her, so she agreed to her request with a smile.

When they had just finished their words, Madam Dowager’s servant,
Mother Qin, walked over and told Ning Xueyan that Madam Dowager
was looking for her.

Ning Xueyan nodded and asked Heng Yuqing to have some fun on her
own. She then left the hall and headed for Lucky Garden.

Madam Dowager was old and she was reluctant to move about, so those
distinguished guests of similar rank and age to her would be brought to
Lucky Garden, and all the ordinary noble ladies and Young Ladies would
be brought to the front hall and greeted by Madam Ling and the three
Young Ladies of the Nings.

For convenience, although the hall was located in the backyard, it was
near the festooned door to the front yard.

Ning Xueyan left the hall and walked toward Lucky Garden. She had
only taken a few steps forward when she saw Ning Qingshan walking
toward Lucky Garden following an older female servant. Only then did
she realize that Madam Dowager had also asked someone else to go to
her courtyard.

“Mother Qin, is there any important guests coming to our manor?” Ning
Xueyan asked Mother Qin, who was leading the way, in a soft voice.

“Yes, both Third Prince and Fourth Prince have arrived and they are
offering greetings to Madam Dowager now. Madam Dowager asked you
and Third Young Lady to offer greetings to the two princes,” Mother Qin
answered with a smile.

“Greeting the two princes? It’s just an excuse! We often met them, but
why did Madam Dowager specially asked us to greet them now? She
must be playing tricks again!” Ning Xueyan thought.

But Madam Dowager’s scheme might fail again!

“Has my eldest sister arrived?” Whatever tricks Madam Dowager was up

to, Ning Xueyan did not think it would impact the result, so she shifted
the topic to Ning Ziyan.

Today was Madam Ling’s big day, so Ning Ziyan would definitely come.
Since Ning Xueyan had been at the front hall just now, she had not seen
Ning Ziyan yet.

“Eldest Young Lady has arrived and she is chatting with Madam
Dowager now. Fifth Young Lady, don’t worry. There are no outsiders at
Lucky Garden in addition to our family members.” Mother Qin thought
that Ning Xueyan was nervous, so she specially told her about this.
Seeing Third Prince and Fourth Prince walking out together, all those
smart Madam Dowagers and ladies from other manors had already gone
out to enjoy the scenery in the garden.
While they were talking, a maid rushed over in a hurry. She looked a
little familiar, but Ning Xueyan could not remember which courtyard she
was from for the moment.

“Mother Qin, please go with me! Madam Dowager was looking for an
agate chain she had put into the warehouse. But we could not find it for
the moment, and she was urging us to look for it!”

“Madam Dowager really has a poor memory! She forgot that she had
taken out the agate chain and checked it yesterday.” Mother Qin slapped
her thigh and laughed. Then she turned to Ning Xueyan and said, “Fifth
Young Lady, take your time. I have to look for the agate chain for
Madam Dowager now.”

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and nodded, gesturing Mother Qin to go

first, a complicated look in her eyes.

After Mother Qin left with the maid, Ning Xueyan walked forward
slowly. Since they had been delayed by the maid for a short while, now
Ning Qingshan had disappeared from sight. In order to arrive at Lucky
Garden soon, Mother Qin had chosen a short cut just now. Ning Xueyan
walked along the path to Lucky Garden and crossed a rockery which was
seldom visited.

Because it was remote, seldom people would come here. In her last life,
because of the same reason, Ning Ziying had rarely met the people of the
Lord Protector’s Manor here. Due to the tranquility, Ning Ziying had
especially enjoyed reading and drinking tea under the tree next to the
rockery, where there were stone table and stools.

When she had just turned the corner, Ning Xueyan stopped. She saw a
person sitting at the stone table under that tree.
Chapter 245 Xia Yuhang’s Doub
t

A man in a cyan robe was sitting there. Although he was not gorgeous,
he looked both graceful and mild.

Xia Yuhang had always waited for her here before, but later, he had met
her at Ning Ziyan’s courtyard instead. Therefore, Xia Yuhang had only
come here the first year Ning Xueyan came to the manor, and in the
following two years, only Ning Ziying had occasionally come here to
read and relax.

This man had waited for her here gently before. Now he looked up at
Ning Xueyan and smiled, just as he had done to Ning Ziying several
years ago.

“Why don’t you come here and sit for a while?” His words were
ambiguous. For Ning Xueyan, she would feel a little surprised and
offensive at the words, but when it came to Ning Ziying, she would take
it as the tenderness from the man she was so familiar with.

It was as if she had returned to her last life—at the same place, the same
man had spoken the same words to her with the same gentle smile.

His handsome face and the deep affection in his eyes had added a trace
of mildness in his gentleness and made people could not help trusting in
him.

But what had he done to her? He had watched her being drowned in the
lotus pool without doing anything!

She had given him everything she had and followed everything he said,
taking him as the man who would wholeheartedly spend his rest life with
her. However, he had not only played around with Chen Hexiang outside
the manor, but had an affair with Ning Ziyan in the manor and caused
Ning Ziyan’s pregnancy. Finally, he had watched Ning Ziying being
murdered by Madam Ling and her daughter!
She had totally trusted in him in her last life and thought that he loved
her from the bottom of his heart, but now…

When she looked back, she only felt what he said was ridiculous, so
ridiculous! “Who does he think I am? The silly girl Ning Ziying who
loved him so much? How dare he speak this to me now?”

The blood of all her body flushed to the top of her head. All this man’s
gentleness in her memory had turned to terrible scheme and hypocrisy.
At the thought her helpless death in the lotus pool and her rebirth for
revenge, she felt her heart broken and full of hatred.

“Greetings, Eldest Brother-in-law. Whom are you waiting for?” Ning

Xueyan walked over at ease and stopped in front of Xia Yuhang calmly.
She raised her head, a coldness in her jet-black eyes.

Xia Yuhang looked at Ning Xueyan doubtfully. After a while, he let out a
long sigh and said, as if mocking himself, “I’m not waiting for anyone.
I’m missing an old friend.” He then lifted the tea pot on the stone table
and poured the tea into an empty cup. “Fifth Sister, have some tea!” he
said gently.

“Eldest Brother-in-law, are you talking about my eldest sister? Since you
miss her, why didn’t you ask her to come here with you?” Ning Xueyan
asked curiously. Ning Xueyan seemed to have thought of something, she
smiled faintly and sat down on the stone stool gracefully.

Her long eye-lashes shivered and no one could saw the sarcasm in her
eyes.

An old friend? How ridiculous! They used to be the closest unmarried

couple, but now he only called her ‘old friend’. Maybe she should thank
Xia Yuhang. At least, he did not regard her as a b*tch and would miss
her, his ‘old friend’ occasionally.

“I’m not talking about your eldest sister. Fifth Sister, do you still
remember Ning Ziying of Cloud Reflection Courtyard?” Xia Yuhang
raised his head and fixed his eyes on Ning Xueyan, looking a little
emotional. People who were not familiar with Xia Yuhang would not
notice much change in Xia Yuhang’s expression.
Ning Ziying would have taken such a look and expression and the trace
of gentleness in his eyes as his affection for her. However, after rebirth
and becoming Ning Xueyan, she would only mock him for his hypocrisy.
“He is really good at pretending! He acted like it was real!” she thought.

Xia Yuhang was a hypocritical and selfish person. He always looked

affectionate when his interests were not involved.

“I have heard of Sister Ziying of Cloud Reflection Courtyard, but I have

never seen her. It’s said Sister Ziying died unnaturally, and the rumors
said that she was murdered. Eldest Brother-in-law, do you know what
happened?” Ning Xueyan asked with a slight smile. She said quickly, as
if she was really very curious. An indifferent and cold smile appeared in
her beautiful eyes when she raised her head, expressing her surprise
naturally.

Her performance was just right, neither exaggerated nor inadequate!

Her finger which hooked on the handle of the cup kept on touching the
cup gently when she was talking.

Only very few people of the manor had discussed it before, and now the
rumors had almost disappeared. After all, Ning Ziying was only an
orphan who had left her home and stayed at the manor. Since none of the
masters had mentioned this matter and nobody had complained about her
death, who would care such a trifle? So the influence of this matter had
been kept to a minimum by Madam Ling.

Xia Yuhang shifted his gaze from Ning Xueyan’s emotionless face to her
finger. He suddenly widened his eyes and unconsciously reached out to
grab Ning Xueyan’s hand. “Ying’er!” he muttered.

Everyone’s heart would be softened when they saw such a gentle

movement. In addition to Ning Ziying, nobody would have such a
habitual action.

“Eldest Brother-in-law, it’s me, Ning Xueyan.” Ning Xueyan raised her
head with a frown and stared at Xia Yuhang coldly with her bright and
clear eyes. When she saw into Xia Yuhang’s eyes, there was a ghostly,
grim look in her eyes. At this very moment, Xia Yuhang almost
immediately felt a cold hatred coming from this girl’s jet-black eyes.
He stopped trying to grab her hand and looked at her eyes carefully. Now
he was sure they were just a pair of beautiful, jet-black eyes.

Failed to touch Ning Xueyan’s hand, his outstretched hand drooped

feebly. A wind blew from nowhere and lifted their robes, causing
flapping sounds.

“Fifth Sister, I am sorry! I mistook you for Ying’er.”

Realizing that Xia Yuhang really tried to grab her by the hand, Ning
Xueyan frowned in disgust and moved back a little. “Eldest Brother-in-
law, you were familiar with Sister Ziying, weren’t you?” she pretended
to ask casually. She was full of questions about Ning Ziying’s death in
her last life, but she could not find the key to solving the mystery. Since
Xia Yuhang was an important person related to Ning Ziying’s death, she
might get unexpected information from him.

“Ying’er is a nice girl.” Xia Yuhang suddenly lowered his head, looking
very decadent. Xia Yuhang was a man of great self-control ability, Ning
Xueyan had never seen such gloomy and bleak looks on his face before.
However, things were different now. Everything had changed after Ning
Ziying’s death!

“Eldest Brother-in-law, I don’t understand why you think that Sister

Ziying is a nice girl. I know she is nice, but I take a different view from
yours. Eldest Brother-in-law, since you have married my eldest sister,
you should not miss another woman again. Besides, the rumors said that
Sister Ziying had an affair with someone,”

Ning Xueyan said with a sneer, her face darkened. She deliberately
raised her voice when she spoke the word ‘affair’. She had no idea why
Xia Yuhang waited for her here on purpose. “Is he trying to
commemorate Ning Ziying with me? How ridiculous!”

If she had not seen clearly that Xia Yuhang was also there when she was
murdered in her last life, she would have been moved by his deep
affection and thought that he was still that affectionate and helpless man.

She had a feeling that once her heart softened a little, she would get into
endless trouble in the future.
“She did not have an affair with anyone!” Xia Yuhang gritted and said in
a hoarse voice. The veins on his forehead swelled and he seemed to be
trying hard to hold back his anger.

“Oh? So you believe the rumor that someone murdered Sister Ziying,
right? Eldest Brother-in-law, who do you think the murderer was? Could
it be my eldest sister?”

Ning Xueyan asked, hitting the nail on the head. The smile on her lips
had turned to sneer.

“You…” Xia Yuhang had been eloquent, but now he was cornered and
did not know what to say. He felt like he had so much to tell her, but the
words failed to come out on the lips. He clenched his fists firmly in his
sleeves and after a while, he recovered his composure under Ning
Xueyan’s mocking eyes.

“Fifth Sister, I’m sorry for my gaffe! I only came here to mourn an old
friend,” Xia Yuhang said, a faint sadness on his face.

Not like the natural expression of emotion before he had become furious
just now, the sadness on his face was more of an affectation. “What does
Xia Yuhang want to get from me? Obviously, he asked Mother Qin to
cooperate with him in acting and lead me here. But why? Of course he
would not have brought me here only to make me watch them acting!”

Ning Xueyan put down the tea cup in her hand and stood up. Then she
took a few steps backward with perfect manner and bowed to Xia
Yuhang gracefully. “Eldest Brother-in-law, our grandmother is still
waiting for me, so I can’t chat with you for the moment. If I see my
eldest sister, I will have her here,” she said.

Whatever Xia Yuhang wanted, she would meet all changes with
constancy. She was no longer the spoony Ning Ziying, and now she saw
clearly that although there was sadness in his calm, Xia Yuhang was just
acting.

It seemed that Xia Yuhang had recovered from his grief. He stood up
with a smile and asked a young male servant beside him cleared up the
tea set. “It’s unnecessary. I will go with you,” he said to Ning Xueyan
with a smile, with his hands clasped behind his back, as if nothing had
happened just now and he was still the distinguished and graceful Eldest
Young Master of the Xia Manor.

Of course, unlike she used to be in her last life, Ning Ziying was no
longer that girl who had loved the wrong man and miserably died in the
lotus pool.

When they met again after her rebirth, Xia Yuhang was still what he used
to be, but Ning Ziying had totally changed and she was living in another
person’s body now.

Madam Dowager’s laughter could be heard from Lucky Garden from

time to time. Ning Qingshan gently snuggled up behind her and joked
with her. Ning Ziyan sat on the other side of Madam Dowager with a
smile. The graceful Third Prince and the excited Fourth Prince sat on
both sides of Madam Dowager. Everyone in the room was chatting and
laughing, and it was very cheerful inside.

The door curtain was lifted and Ning Xueyan walked in following
behind Xia Yuhang.

Since Xia Yuhang was Ning Xueyan’s eldest brother-in-law, he should

walk ahead of Ning Xueyan, but in terms of the identity of host and
guest, nobody would accuse Ning Xueyan of being disrespectful if she
walked ahead of Xia Yuhang. No one in the room had noticed that this
interesting phenomenon actually involved a different nature, and neither
Xia Yuhang nor Ning Xueyan had realized it.

Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan, had waited for some time and he had come
here specially for Ning Xueyan. “Fifth Young Lady, how did you come
with Yuhang?” His beloved woman had not only come so late, but also
walked in with Xia Yuhang, so he could not help asking in surprise.

“I bumped into Fifth Young Lady outside just now, so we came

together,” after bowing to Madam Dowager, Xia Yuhang answered with
a gentle smile. He had told the others that he felt stuffy in the room and
wanted to get some air outside, so he had left Lucky Garden for a while
just now.
Chapter 246 Diamond Cut
Diamond
Ning Xueyan walked over and bowed to Madam Dowager before sitting
down beside Ning Qingshan. She glanced at the people in the room and
figured out what Madam Dowager was thinking about. “Obviously,
Madam Dowager also takes the two princes for granted as our family
members. What makes her so confident?”

“Your mother is greeting the guests outside, so I let you have fun here for
a moment. Otherwise, you may complain that I am unreasonable and
keep you working all the time,” Madam Dowager said with a smile,
looking gracious.

“Grandmother, I know you are the best to us,” Ning Qingshan responded
her cleverly, as if it was normal without Ning Lingyun’s presence.

“Shan’er, you are so sweet!” Madam Dowager was joyful at Ning

Qingshan’s words. She patted her on the head with a smile and said,
“Well, I am tired. I will have a rest in the inner room. Keep chatting! You
are all young people, so if there is any misunderstanding, just explain it
face to face.”

Madam Dowager spoke this meaningfully and she specially looked at

Third Prince, Ao Mingyu, who seemed to be silent today. After walking
into the room, although with a smile on his face, he did not seem to be
cheerful. Madam Dowager worried that Third Prince and Ning Qingshan
were at odds with each other because what had happened at Third
Prince’s suburban courtyard.

Lord Protector’s Manor put a lot of thought and effort into making Ning
Qingshan Third Prince’s wedded wife. Maybe she would even become
the empress in the future. Therefore, there was no room for error in a
matter of this magnitude.

Madam Dowager had specially invited Third Prince here to have him
and Ning Qingshan make up. She had also asked Ning Xueyan and
Fourth Prince to come by the way. Of course, it was improper to have
two unmarried Young Ladies accompany the two princes, so to avoid
rumors, she had deliberately asked Ning Ziyan and her husband, Xia
Yuhang, to be with them.

Madam Dowager thought that her plan was perfect. After finishing the
words, she left with her maids and older female servants, smiling.

“Fifth Young Lady, Third Young Lady has arrived for some time, but
why did you come here late?” As soon as Madam Dowager left, Ao
Mingwan walked over to Ning Xueyan and asked warmly. Deep
affection could be seen in this young man’s eyes. Compared to Ao
Mingyu, Ao Mingwan was much more outgoing.

“I bumped into someone just now.” Ning Xueyan smiled, her long
eyelashes trembling. She could only answer this overzealous Fourth
Prince’s question in this way.

“Are you talking about Yuhang?” Ao Mingwan asked, looking at the

Young Lady in front of him, who was as pure as jade. He rarely had such
an opportunity to speak freely to her, so he asked in rapid succession so
that he could keep talking with this beautiful lady without wasting any
time.

“No, I mean the person I met before I met my Eldest Brother-in-law,”

Ning Xueyan said coolly. She did not want to show any interest in this
Fourth Prince, as Madam Dowager had expected. Since Ao Chenyi had
said that he would marry her, although it was only his decision, she had
to marry him in the future. Therefore, it was unnecessary to get Fourth
Prince involved. Otherwise, it might cause more trouble.

“Fifth Young Lady, I am so… sorry you were shocked by what happened
that day!” Ao Mingyu suddenly stood up and said to Ning Xueyan
gently.

He had sat beside Ning Qingshan. However, when Ning Xueyan walked
in, Madam Dowager had asked her to sit next to Ning Qingshan.
Therefore, Ning Xueyan looked more like she was sitting between Ning
Qingshan and Ao Mingyu. Nobody had noticed this just now, but when
Third Prince stood up, they found that the three people’s seating
arrangement was a bit odd.
Instead of comforting Ning Qingshan, Ao Mingyu was comforting Ning
Xueyan. It made Ning Qingshan both jealous and angry, a vicious look
flashing in her eyes.

“I was the one who was wronged that day! Ning Xueyan only ran into
my room with Ning Lingyun in a hurry, so this matter has the least effect
on her. Why did Third Prince apologize to her?” Thinking about this,
Ning Qingshan was so angry that she crumpled the handkerchief in her
hand.

“It doesn’t matter!” Ning Xueyan had not expected that Ao Mingyu
would have suddenly talked to her. She bowed to Ao Mingyu gracefully
and moved a little back to avoid herself standing between Ning Qingshan
and him.

“Princes, it’s still too early. How about a game of go?” Xia Yuhang
pointed at the two sets of go piece and laughed loudly, trying to ease the
awkward atmosphere in the room.

“Great! Third Brother, I haven’t played the game of go with you for a
long time. Come on, let’s start!” Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan, seemed in
high spirits, pulled Ao Mingyu to one of the go boards. Ning Ziyan
invited Ning Qingshan to play with her but was rejected. She then turned
to Ning Xueyan with a black go piece in her hands and said with a smile,
“Fifth Sister, do you like playing go? Let’s play a round!”

“Okay!” Ning Xueyan did not refuse her invitation, but sat down and
picked up a white piece.

There were only two sets of go pieces, and if she did not play the game,
she would have to watch the others play. No matter who sat next to her,
she would feel uneasy, so she decided to join the game.

Ning Qingshan naturally sat beside Third Prince, Ao Mingyu, to watch

them playing go. Xia Yuhang sat next to Fourth Prince. Therefore, Ning
Xueyan and Ning Ziyan were left alone.

The person with the black pieces should play first. Ning Ziyan had
chosen the black pieces, so she placed a piece on the board gently. “Fifth
Sister, since I am on the offensive, I will play first. Please go easy on
me.”
Bright Frost Garden had never had an upbringing mammy, so Madam
Ming had to teach Ning Xueyan skills like musical instrument-playing,
board game, calligraphy and painting by herself. Due to her poor health,
it was impossible for Madam Ming to teach Ning Xueyan much. Ning
Ziyan was clear about it, so she had deliberately said this, triumphantly.

Ning Xueyan placed a white piece on the board and sneered slightly.
“Eldest Sister, don’t be too modest. I’m not good at playing go, so I may
let you down.”

Among the four skills, Ning Ziying was not good at playing go.
Therefore, like the former Ning Xueyan, this was her weakness.
However, she did not take winning and losing into consideration for the
moment, and she had joined the game only because she did not want to
have anything to do with Fourth Prince.

“Fifth Young Lady, you’re not good at playing go? What a coincidence!
I’m not good at it either. How about a game between us?” Hearing their
conversation, Ao Mingwan immediately stood up and said that he was
poor at playing go either. Since he and Ning Xueyan were at the same
level in playing go, they could play together to kill time.

“Well…” Ning Ziyan had wanted to humiliate Ning Xueyan by playing

go game, but to her surprise, Ao Mingwan suddenly made such a
request. She was a little reluctant to miss the opportunity.

“It’s so coincident that Fourth Prince is not good at playing the game
either! Then play a round with Fifth Sister and see who is worse at go,”
Xia Yuhang said slowly with a smile, in response to Ao Mingwan words.

Hearing that, Ning Ziyan did not dare to object. She then stood up and
gave Ao Mingwan her seat.

Ao Mingwan was overjoyed. He had been playing go with Ao Mingyu

just now. Seeing that Ao Mingyu seemed to treat Ning Xueyan
differently, Ao Mingwan was eager to find a chance to be alone with her.
To his surprise, he had gotten such a chance so soon to play with his
beloved woman. He immediately sat down opposite Ning Xueyan
cheerfully and gave her all the black pieces.
Although he was very poor at go, he still asked Ning Xueyan to play
first, like a gentleman. He looked around charmingly with a triumph on
his face.

“Third Prince, let’s…” As soon as Ao Mingwan left his seat, Ning

Qingshan walked over and sat down on it with a blush face. Obviously,
she wanted Ao Mingyu to play with her.

However, before she could continue, Ao Mingyu stood up and smiled at

her. “Do you want to go with me to watch my fourth brother playing go?
He is really not good at it. If he is even no match for Fifth Young Lady,
everyone will laugh at him,” he said gently.

He was polite and gentle when he spoke this, just like he used to be, so
nobody could tell anything wrong with him.

Ning Qingshan was reluctant to give up such an opportunity to be alone

with Ao Mingyu, but she could not refuse him in front of so many
people. She then followed Ao Mingyu and walked to behind Ning
Xueyan to watch the game.

Ning Xueyan was surprised that after such a short time, Ao Mingwan
had sat in front of her and was about to play the game with her. Besides,
all the others had come to watch them playing. She rearranged the board
helplessly and placed a piece on the board casually. Ao Mingwan
immediately placed another one on it. Since they were both poor at go,
they were too close to call for a moment.

They continued to place the pieces onto the board one after another.

The two players were playing and did not notice the abnormal expression
of the others. They were already poor at go, and Ao Mingwan did not
concentrate on his pieces at all, so he seemed unlikely to win. On the
other hand, Ning Xueyan did not care whether she would win or not, so
she only placed the pieces casually to kill time. The onlookers could not
help but frown.

When Ning Xueyan was about to place another piece, a hand was
stretched out from behind her and pinned her fair hand onto the board
before turning it to another direction. “Fifth Young Lady, place it here.”
With that, this person loosed his hand and the piece in Ning Xueyan’s
hand dropped onto the board, not where she wanted it to be.

“Third Brother, a true gentleman should keep silent while watching a

board game!” Ao Mingwan protested. Many of his pieces were blocked
after Ning Xueyan’s piece landed. What was more, when had Ao
Mingyu come to behind Fifth Young Lady?

“Fourth Brother, are you willing to beat Fifth Young Lady to the
ground?” Ao Mingyu asked gently. Ao Mingwan did not know what to
say. Of course he did not want the beautiful lady in front of him to lose
badly. In order to keep in a draw with Ning Xueyan, he had deliberately
misplaced a few pieces.

“Fine! Fine! I won’t blame you this time, but don’t speak anything
more.” Ao Mingwan waved his hand generously.

Hearing that, Ao Mingyu smiled slightly. Ning Qingshan was standing

behind his side, a trace of grim jealousy crossing her eyes.

Ning Ziyan, who was sitting beside Xia Yuhang, saw the abnormal look
on Xia Yuhang as well. She looked at Ning Xueyan suspiciously and
observed her expression carefully.

Under so many people’s gazes, Ning Xueyan was not in the mood to play
anymore. She placed a few more pieces on the board casually and then
threw all the rest pieces into the go basket. She stood up and said
apologetically, “Fourth Prince, I lost!”

“It’s not a big deal. Let’s start again!” Ao Mingwan said, waving his
hand. He was in high spirits, and since he rarely had such an opportunity
to play go with his beloved woman, of course he did not want to miss it.
He had wanted to come to the manor and go to Ao Mingyu’s suburban
courtyard with the others on the other day, but unfortunately, Honored
Consort Shu had stopped him from doing this, so he had failed to go to
the suburban courtyard with them.

Of course he still remembered what Honored Consort Shu had told him,
and he knew that the Young Lady in front of him was too low to be his
wedded wife. However, as Lord Protector’s wedded wife’s daughter,
even if she could not marry him as his wedded wife, she could be his co-
consort at least.

“Sorry, Fourth Prince, I am so poor at go! You’d better ask someone else
to play with you!” Ning Xueyan refused him with a smile.

“Let me play with you! Fourth Brother, we haven’t played go for a long
time. You escaped from me just now. Don’t do that again!” Ao Mingyu
sat down on the seat after Ning Xueyan stood up and said with a smile to
Ao Mingwan sitting opposite him, as if he really wanted to compete with
him.

Since he was in such good spirits, Ao Mingwan could not refuse him, but
nodded in agreement instead. They restarted the game with the others
watching by their sides. Seeing nobody was watching her, Ning Xueyan
quietly walked to the corner of the room and sat down, taking a sip of tea
Lanning had handed her.

“Miss, he has been there,” Lanning whispered in her ear.

Chapter 247 Ning Ziyan Pinched
Ning Xueyan Hard False
Sisterhood
Chapter 247 Ning Ziyan Pinched Ning Xueyan Hard (False Sisterhood)

After taking a sip of tea quietly, she nodded slightly and then put down
the tea cup. Lanning stood behind her again.

After a while, Ning Xueyan suddenly stood up and was about to leave, as
if she felt so boring. Ning Ziyan’s eyes rolled and immediately shouted
in a loud voice, “Fifth Sister, are you going out for a walk? Wait for me
for a moment!”

With that, she walked over to Ning Xueyan, and before Ning Xueyan
could say anything, she had grabbed her by the hand. Ning Qingshan
moved a little, as if she wanted to go following Ning Ziyan. However,
after thinking it for a while, she gave up the idea.

“Eldest Sister, loose your hand. It hurts!” Ning Xueyan stopped walking
and said to Ning Ziyan, who was grabbing her hand firmly, in a soft
voice.

Ning Xueyan’s voice was not loud, but since the room was quiet,
everyone’s attention was attracted by her.

Ning Ziyan’s hand trembled and she immediately let go of Ning Xueyan.
Seeing that everyone was watching her, she explained awkwardly, “I just
wanted to go for a walk with Fifth Sister. I was afraid that she might go
without waiting for me, so I applied a little more strength when I held
her hand. Fifth Sister, I am sorry I hurt your hand!”

She deliberately bowed to Ning Xueyan, showing no panic on her face. It

would make people think that Ning Xueyan was making a fuss.
“It doesn’t matter. Eldest Sister, why are you in such a hurry to go out?
Are you going to handle something?” Ning Xueyan shifted the topic with
a smile and shook her hand slightly. Ao Mingwan immediately saw a red
mark on Ning Xueyan’s fair wrist from where he was. After grabbing her
hand for such a short moment, Ning Ziyan had made her wrist red, so
obviously, Ning Ziyan had applied much strength to pinch her.

“Fifth Young Lady’s hand is so red. Eldest Young Lady, it seems you are
not going to take a walk with her, but fight her!” Ao Mingwan smiled at
Ning Ziyan and spoke for Ning Xueyan.

Hearing that, everyone shifted their gaze to Ning Xueyan’s hand as she
was trying to hide it behind her back. The hand had been in Ning
Xueyan’s sleeve just now, but she had shaken it slightly and caused a
part of her sleeve rolling us and exposed her wrist in front of people.
Now everyone saw the red mark on it. “Eldest Young Lady must have
applied great force to pinch her! The red mark does not seem to be left
due to a casual grab!”

It reminded the two princes of the rumors. It was said that Fifth Young
Lady was unfavored in the manor. She had been bullied by her sisters
since her childhood and became very timid. She had been hiding herself
at Bright Frost Garden for years, and had only recently begun to show up
in public. Although they did not believe the rumors before, what was
happening provided a piece of strong evidence for it. It seemed that the
rumors were real!

Ning Ziyan had not thought that what she had deliberately done did not
catch anyone’s eye, but drew everyone’s attention to the red mark on
Ning Xueyan’s wrist instead. She began to panic.

Of course she had pinched Ning Xueyan on purpose. Both Third Prince
and Fourth Prince were present, she did not believe that Ning Xueyan
would be so shameless to roll her sleeve to check her injury in front of
the two princes. She had thought that without evidence, Ning Xueyan
could not blame her and would give a cry of pain at most. And if she
behaved at ease, nobody would think that she had really hurt Ning
Xueyan’s wrist.

“Sorry! Sorry, Fifth Sister! I was in a hurry and injured your wrist by
accident. Fifth Sister, go with me and apply some medicine to your
wound!” Ning Ziyan really wanted to slap Ning Xueyan in the face, but
she knew that she should not let the others get the goods on her, so she
squeezed out a smile.

“Don’t bother. Eldest Sister, it is not serious and will recover soon.”
Ning Xueyan waved her hand with a smile, as if she did not care about it
at all. However, plus her pale face, it made everyone feel that she was
holding back great pain.

“Fifth Young Lady, your hand was injured badly. Do you want the
imperial physician to check it for you?” Ao Mingwan did not want to
waste such an opportunity to court his beloved woman. He was not in the
mood for the go game anymore and threw all the pieces into the go
basket. Then he walked over to Ning Xueyan.

“It’s unnecessary! I’m okay! Fourth Prince, thank you!” Ning Xueyan
waved her hand and said naturally, “I have some medicines for traumatic
injuries and I’m going back to Bright Frost Garden to apply it to my
wound.”

“Those medicines were not prescribed by the physician attending to such

injuries, so you should be careful before using them. I will ask the
imperial physician to come!” Ao Mingwan said, trying to persuade her.

Ning Xueyan took a step backward, as if she was scared by Ao

Mingwan’s enthusiasm. “Don’t bother, Fourth Prince! Those medicines
are very effective. I used them before and a few days after applying some
of them, my wound would have recovered,” she said, waving her hand.

It was abnormal that a noble Young Lady had prepared such medicines
in her room, and it was even stranger that she had used them before.
Since Eldest Young Lady, who had always been gentle, had injured her
‘by accident’ so easily, it was normal that Fifth Young Lady had
prepared some medicines for injury at Bright Frost Garden!

Not only Ao Mingwan turned his head and shot Ning Ziyan a glare, even
Ao Mingyu was also looking at Ning Ziyan coldly.

“Fifth Sister, I will go with you and help you with the medicine.
Anyway, I should be blamed for your injury. I haven’t seen you for a
long time, so I was so excited just now that I grabbed your hard in a
hurry.” Under everyone’s gaze, Ning Ziyan only wanted to leave here as
soon as possible. She turned to her husband, hoping he would help her
out, but only found that he was looking at her with a complicated look.
Since even her husband did not speak for her, Ning Ziyan became more
flustered.

She had been pretending to be a gentle, graceful noble lady in front of

Xia Yuhang, and the only time she had lost her temper to his face was
because she had a conflict with Chen Hexiang at the Lord Protector’s
Manor. However, that was a very special case. Besides, she had lost her
baby because of this and made Xia Yuhang a little guilty for her.

But this time, everyone had clearly seen the pinch mark on Ning
Xueyan’s wrist. A gentle noble lady and a wedded wife of a noble family
would never do such a thing!

At this point, Ning Xueyan helped her out of her embarrassment. She
reached out and held Ning Ziyan’s hand gently. “Okay. Eldest Sister,
please accompany me to go back to Bright Frost Garden. We can just
take a walk together by the way,” Ning Xueyan said in a soft voice.

“Okay! Okay! Let’s go to have your wound treated,” Ning Ziyan

immediately answered. She then pulled Ning Xueyan outward, holding
her hand. This time, she did not dare to apply too much strength to her
hand anymore.

Ning Xueyan waved good-bye to everyone and turned to leave with Ning
Ziyan.

Rolling her eyes with a frown, Ning Qingshan lifted her foot, as if she
wanted to join them. However, after glancing at Third Prince beside her,
she put her foot down. For her, the most important thing was to dispel
Third Prince’s prejudice against her. She did not think that Ning Xueyan
would stir any trouble for the moment. Ning Ziyan was eager to leave
now, so she did not notice Ning Qingshan’s movements.

Ning Qingshan had no plan to frame Ning Xueyan today and she only
wanted to create an opportunity to have Ning Xueyan and Xia Yudong
meet privately so that Xia Yudong could impress Ning Xueyan more.
Having Ning Ziyan around just made it less convenient for Xia Yudong
to get in touch with Ning Xueyan. However, since Xia Yudong was so
smart, he should know what he could say and what he could not.
Anyway, Madam Ling had arranged for everything, so she was sure that
nothing unexpected would happen.

Thinking about this, Ning Qingshan felt assured and gave up the idea to
go with them.

Ning Xueyan and Ning Ziyan walked out Madam Dowager’s courtyard
hand in hand, but as soon as they stepped out the courtyard, they let go
of each other’s hands at the same time.

“Eldest Sister, you don’t have to go to my courtyard with me. After

applying medicine to my wound, I will be back soon.” Ning Xueyan
smiled slightly.

“That won’t do! After all, you got injured. Fifth Sister, if I am not there
when you apply medicine to your wound, the others will think that I’m
bullying you!” Ning Ziyan looked at Ning Xueyan from the corner of her
eyes and said resentfully. If Ning Xueyan had not screamed just now,
Third Prince and Fourth Prince would not have found that she was
injured.

“Eldest Sister, so you are serious that you will go with me and watch me
put the medicine on my wound?” The smile on Ning Xueyan’s lips
turned to a sneer. She deliberately waved her injured wrist in front of
Ning Ziyan and made Ning Ziyan more depressed.

“You were injured badly, weren’t you? Why are you still wasting time
here?” Ning Ziyan strode a few steps forward, but soon, she stopped
walking. “Okay! I won’t go to Bright Frost Garden. I will wait for you at
the waterside pavilion in front of Bright Frost Garden. Let’s come back
after you have your wound treated. Be quick!”

She did not want to help Ning Xueyan with the medicine at all. “That
b*tch is so hypocritical! I just applied a little more strength on her wrist
and pinched her slightly. How could she be injured badly and need to
apply medicine to her wound? After all, I am the Eldest Young Lady of
the Lord Protector’s Manor and the daughter of the Lord Protector’s
wedded wife. How can I help Ning Xueyan, the b*tch, to treat her
wound?”
“It won’t take long before my mother finds a way to deal with this little
b*tch!” she thought.

Ning Ziyan felt that Madam Ling was too soft-hearted to Ning Xueyan.
If she had the last word, she would let people spread rumors that the
b*tch had an affair with someone and then throw her into the lotus pool.
She was sure that her grandmother and father would not speak for the
b*tch. Once, her second sister had bullied Ning Xueyan and almost
caused her death, but nobody had blamed her for it.

After a while, she would meet her mother privately. She would advise
her to get rid of Ning Xueyan in the same way they had killed Ning
Ziying.

With this on her mind, she walked toward the courtyard between Lucky
Garden and Bright Frost Garden alone before Ning Xueyan could
answer.

Anyway, no outsiders would see that she did not accompany Ning
Xueyan to treat her wound. Besides, people of the manor did not dare to
offend her at all. Therefore, after Ning Xueyan had her wound treated,
she would go with her back to Lucky Garden. “How does that b*tch
deserve my service? She will be more unlucky if she dares to accept my
help!”

She had walked for a short while with Ning Xueyan because she did not
want anyone who came out from Lucky Garden to find out that she did
not accompany with Ning Xueyan go back to her courtyard. They were
walking on the way to Bright Frost Garden and there was only one place
to rest on the way. Although normally, very few people would come to
that courtyard, it was still be cleaned every day. It was a good place to
rest.

Lord Protector’s Manor was very big. It was said that it used to be a
previous dynasty’s prince’s residence. Ning Zu’an did not have many
concubines and he had only a son. Although he had four daughters, there
were still several courtyards being unoccupied. The servants cleaned the
courtyards every day. If the female members of the family came, they
could rest there. The courtyard Ning Ziyan was heading for was one of
these courtyards.
Watching Ning Ziyan walking forward without talking to her, Ning
Xueyan stopped walking. She narrowed her charming eyes with a sneer.
She had been thinking about how to make Ning Ziyan come out with her
just now, but to her surprise, she had offered to go with her. That was
great! It just so happened that she spared herself some effort.

Thinking about her miserable death in her last life and what she had
suffered in her current life, she could not hold back her anger anymore.
The lewd woman robbed her fiancé and murdered her. She would
definitely let the vicious couple pay the price!

A cold wind skimmed over her exposed eyes, but with a bloodthirsty
look in them, her eyes became even colder than the wind. “Ning Ziyan,
it’s your turn to swallow the bitterness in silence!”
Chapter 248 Madam Ling’s
Scheme Is Different from Ning
Qingshan’s
Xia Yudong had come to the manor with Xia Yuhang today. Of course,
he had not told Xia Yuhang about what he discussed with Ning Qingshan
privately.

He imitated Xia Yuhang’s every word and deed because Xia Yuhang was
the most outstanding in the others’ eyes, and people always praised him
for his literary talent, elegance, appearance and manners. Living in Xia
Yuhang’s shadow since his childhood, Xia Yudong learned everything
from Xia Yuhang unconsciously.

Because of this, he also got some compliments. Other people said that
Minster Xia was good at educating his sons, as not only his first son had
a very good manner, but his second son, whose mother was only a
concubine, was so excellent as well.

Xia Yudong behaved like a graceful noble childe in front of people. He

was obedient to Xia Yuhang and always gave priority to him. However,
nobody knew that he was very resentful about it. Since both of them
were Minister Xia’s sons and he was as excellent as Xia Yuhang, why
did everyone take Xia Yuhang as a shining star, but he could only live in
his shadow?

The concubine’s son! The concubine’s son! The fact that his blood was
not as noble as Xia Yuhang weighed on Xia Yudong’s mind like a stone.

He swore that he would definitely rise high and prove to everyone that
he was not Xia Yuhang’s follower and he could be more outstanding than
him.

To achieve this goal, he needed to marry a woman from a powerful

family. This could save him a decade or even a lifetime! Now the
opportunity was coming. If he could impress Fifth Young Lady of the
Lord Protector’s Manor and have her marry him, he might soon rise
high.

Although Fifth Young Lady was unfavored and it was said that her status
was even lower than a concubine’s daughter at the Lord Protector’s
Manor, as least she was Ning Zu’an’s wedded wife’s daughter. If he
married her, he would become Lord Protector’s son-in-law. Then
everyone would think highly of him because of his identity.

Since both he and Xia Yuhang married Lord Protector’s wedded wife’s
daughters, he would be as distinguished as Xia Yuhang in the future and
nobody would look down upon him because he was a concubine’s son.

What was more, Xia Yuhang could not attend the imperial exam next
spring, and if he wanted to attend the exam, he had to wait for another
three years. Unlike Xia Yuhang, Xia Yudong still had the opportunity to
attend the exam next spring. Therefore, he was more likely to win.

Besides, he considered himself a man of good manner and great literary

talent, so he did not thought that he was inferior than Xia Yuhang.
Moreover, he was promising and gentle with woman. Therefore, he was
confident that he would be in the good graces of the Fifth Young Lady,
who was unfavored at the Lord Protector’s Manor.

He had not had an opportunity to communicate with Fifth Young Lady

when they were at Third Prince’s suburban courtyard. If they could meet
a few more times and chat privately, he was confident that he would win
Fifth Young Lady’s heart. What was more, at the thought of Fifth Young
Lady, his heart thumped and he thought of her graceful eyebrows and
moisture eyes. Although Fifth Young Lady was very young, Xia Yudong
could tell that she would become an extremely beautiful lady in the
future.

Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan had gone to the backyard to visit Madam
Dowager. Xia Yudong could not go to the backyard for the moment, so
he had no chance to bump into Fifth Young Lady. He wondered if Third
Young Lady had already thought of this and would find an excuse for
him to go to the backyard.

Everyone at the table with him was all noble childes of the capital. They
were about the same age, so they seemed to have a lot to talk about and
these childes seemed to admire Xia Yudong very much when they talked
about poetry and prose. However, Xia Yudong had a feeling that they did
not look at him the same way they looked at other people and he saw a
trace of contempt in their eyes. After all, he was only a concubine’s son.

At the thought of this, he became resentful and stopped talking with

them. He held up the liquor pot, poured a cup of liquor and drank all of
them.

A maid with a liquor pot in her hand came over to pour liquor for Xia
Yudong. Unfortunately, she poured the liquor onto the table by accident.
Although Xia Yudong stood up quickly, the liquor still splashed on his
clothes. Shaking his wet clothes, he could not help frowning.

Realizing that she was in a big trouble, the maid immediately knelt in
front of him and apologized, “Sir, sorry! I’m sorry! I did not notice it!”

Since everyone was watching them, Xia Yudong could not lose his
temper for the moment. He held back his anger and said, “Forget it!”

However, his clothes were wet and smelled of liquor. Besides, this made
him looked untidy.

“Sir, please follow me. There are some spare clothes in that room and
you can change your clothes there,” the maid said anxiously when she
saw the stain on Xia Yudong’s clothes.

Normally, female guests would bring a suit of clothes with them when
they attended an influential family’s banquet, but male guests would not.
Therefore, the host would prepare a few sets of clothes in a wing-room to
deal with some unexpected occasions. These clothes might not be the
guests’ size, but they were better than nothing.

Some fastidious male guests would bring clothes from home as well.
That would be even better, because they could change their clothes
directly if something unexpected happened.

Since Xia Yudong was the concubine’s son, he was not that fastidious in
his daily life, so he would not bring his clothes with him to attend a
banquet.
At the thought that he would meet Fifth Young Lady after a while, he
stood up helplessly and took leave of those noble childes beside him.
Then he left following the maid.

There was a back door at the left-wing room, but the maid did not stop
after leading him through it. After tuning two corners, they came to a
path. It was a small garden and the flower fragrance could be smelled
while walking on the path. Obviously, they had arrived at the backyard
garden. A courtyard wall could be seen in the distance. It seemed that
they were in the inner courtyard now.

Xia Yudong suddenly stopped walking. “Who sent you to me? Why are
you leading me to the backyard?” he asked, a fierce look crossing his
eyes.

The maid answered cleverly with a smile, “Mr. Xia, don’t worry! My
master asked me to bring you here. Calm down! Nothing bad will
happen and after a while, you will see the beautiful lady you have been
longing for. Mr. Xia, you will be satisfied.”

“Did Third Young Lady ask her to bring me here to meet Fifth Young
Lady?” Xia Yudong wondered.

“Did Third Young Lady send you here?” Xia Yudong still felt not
assured, so he asked again.

“Of course. Mr. Xia, don’t worry. My master won’t do anything bad for
you. After all, you are the relative of our masers, if something bad
happens to you, Eldest Childe Xia and Eldest Young Lady won’t spare
my master,” the maid explained with a smile, a quirky look crossing her
eyes. Although she said that she had been sent here by her master, she
did not specify who her master was.

“She wants me to wait up front?” Xia Yudong thought for a while with a
frown and asked, pointing at the path.

“No, you should wait at the courtyard. Although there are not so many
people here, it is inconvenient for you to meet Fifth Young Lady. After a
while, Fifth Young Lady will come to the courtyard to rest. You can tell
her that you come here by mistake while looking for Eldest Childe Xia,”
The maid answered with a smile. She specially reminded, “Fifth Young
Lady is not sociable. Second Childe Xia, if you miss this opportunity,
you may not get such an opportunity again. Then it will be too late for
you to regret.”

Hearing that, Xia Yudong stopped talking and walked into the courtyard
in front of them following the maid.

Madam Ling was talking to several noble ladies about Ning Qingshan
when she was told that Xia Yudong had entered the inner courtyard.
Everyone said that Third Young Lady was both noble and beautiful, so
she would definitely have a promising future. Now Madam Ling had
adopted Third Young Lady as her daughter, so those noble ladies
immediately began to flatter her.

When they were talking excitedly, Mother Chen walked into the room
and whispered in Madam Ling’s ear for a while. Knowing that something
bad would happen to Ning Xueyan, Madam Ling was very happy and
her smiling face looked even more amiable. She turned to those noble
ladies and said, “You are all praising Third Young Lady for her beauty,
but you don’t know that Fifth Young Lady of our manor is also as
beautiful as a fairy. She is not only beautiful but also obedient.”

The noble ladies were curious when they heard Madam Ling talk about
Ning Xueyan. “Marchioness, it’s said Fifth Young Lady is very timid and
weak, and she does not behave like a noble Young Lady, but why are you
praising her like that?” someone asked.

Most guests Ning Xueyan had greeted just now were Young Ladies and
she had not come to the elder ladies yet. Besides, there were too many
guests in the hall. Unlike Ning Qingshan, Ning Xueyan was not the star
of today and nobody would have deliberately met her. Therefore, many
guests had never seen Ning Xueyan. The noble ladies were curious when
they heard Madam Ling praising her, for they all knew that Fifth Young
Lady was not Madam Ling’s biological daughter.

“Of course Fifth Young Lady is excellent. I don’t know why the others
spread rumors about her. Although she is a little timid, she is not weak.
She is just too young.” Madam Ling seemed to be speaking for Ning
Xueyan. It made the other ladies more curious. Someone suggested
Madam Ling should have Fifth Young Lady here show them how
outstanding she was.

Madam Ling immediately agreed to this suggestion and asked people to

invite Ning Xueyan. After a short while, a maid came and reported that
Madam Dowager had asked Fifth Young Lady to her courtyard and it
was impossible for Fifth Young Lady to come out soon.

“Ladies, I will ask Fifth Young Lady to greet you when she comes out
after a while,” Madam Ling said apologetically with a smile.

She was polite when she spoke this, so the others stopped talking about
Ning Xueyan with a smile. However, they became a little more curious
about Fifth Young Lady. Madam Ling seldom praised the others, so Fifth
Young Lady must be very excellent! The Beauty Contest was coming.
This Fifth Young Lady might be their daughters’ strong opponent, so
they thought that they should know more information about her. These
noble ladies immediately ask their maids and older female servants to
collect the information about Fifth Young Lady.

However, Madam Ling did not think that what she had done did not
make Ning Xueyan look stupid in front of people in what would happen
next, but got her own daughter into trouble instead.

It was Ning Qingshan’s scheme to have asked Xia Yudong to seduce

Ning Xueyan last time. However, in the beginning, Ning Qingshan had
contacted Xia Yudong through Ning Ziyan, so Madam Ling had known
her scheme from Ning Ziyan. However, this time, Ning Qingshan had
contacted Xia Yudong directly and only asked Madam Ling to create an
opportunity for Xia Yudong to meet Ning Xueyan privately. She had not
planned to get Ning Xueyan into trouble this time and only wanted her to
meet Xia Yudong and grew like him.

Ning Qingshan did not want to make trouble for the moment because she
had a long-term plan, so she kept a low-key in doing this.

Since Madam Ling had just been released from the Buddha Hall, she was
still in a rage and wanted to vent her anger on Ning Xueyan. Therefore,
she had asked her maid to lead Xia Yudong to the inner courtyard.
However, this was not enough.
She then began to praise Ning Xueyan in front of those noble ladies.
Since today was the big day of Madam Ling and Ning Qingshan, all the
guests were high-rank officials and wealthy people. It was the first time
for Ning Xueyan to officially show up in front of the outsiders at the
Lord Protector’s Manor. She had greeted some guests when Junior
Concubine Xu got married with Ning Zu’an. However, it had just been a
small party, so the guests were not so distinguished as the guests who
came today.

Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor had recently shown up
in public for the first time. Hearing that she was even better than Ning
Qingshan, of course those noble ladies would inquire about her. If Ning
Xueyan was found out that she had an affair with Xia Yudong, Madam
Dowager would definitely take measures to avoid the rumor spread.
However, since this matter would happen suddenly, Madam Dowager
would not have enough time to prevent the rumor from spreading.
Therefore, if someone wanted to inquire, they would know it.

Besides, Madam Ling would leak the news to them ‘by accident’!

As a noble Young Lady who had just appeared in public, if Ning Xueyan
was involved in such a scandal, it would be impossible for her to go to
the imperial palace to attend the Beauty Contest.

Madam Ling was sure that everything would happen next would be
under her control.

Madam Ling acted as her plan. However, although she was scheming,
Ning Xueyan had found something wrong when she received the note.

There was only one line on the note, “If you want to know the truth
about Madam Ming’s death, come to Orchid Garden.”
Chapter 249 The Accident at
Orchid Garden
An unfamiliar maid passed the note to Lanning who handed it to Ning
Xueyan.

Orchid Garden was the courtyard between Bright Frost Garden and
Lucky Garden.

Ning Xueyan believed that Madam Ling had murdered Madam Ming.
However, it was Qingrui who had been punished for it. Without any
explanation, Madam Ling had asked people to catch Qingrui and beat her
to death with sticks. Therefore, there were many doubts in this matter.
Madam Ling knew that as Madam Ming’s daughter, Ning Xueyan would
definitely want to know the cause of her mother’s death. Obviously,
Madam Ling had thought of it carefully when she designed the trap.

However, Ning Xueyan was no longer what she used to be, but Ning
Ziying, who had reborn. From the vague words on the note, Ning
Xueyan could tell that Madam Ling was going to frame her. Of course
she would pretend that she did not find anything wrong.

“I will have Ning Ziyan fall into her mother’s trap step by step!” Ning
Xueyan thought with a sneer.

Ning Ziyan walked ahead of Ning Xueyan. When she came to Orchid
Garden, only two maids were cleaning the courtyard. She looked at them
and found that she had never seen them before. She thought that they
must be new comers. Since she had moved to the Xia Manor after getting
married, it was normal that she did not know the maids. Therefore, she
walked straight to the main room without any suspicion.

A maid was cleaning the handrail with a cloth, with a basin of water
beside her. When she finished washing the cloth and walked out in a
hurry with a basin of dirty water in her hands, Ning Ziyan happened to
walk up the steps and show up in front of her. The maid was taken aback
by her sudden appearance.
She was so shocked that the basin slipped from her hands and most of
the water in the basin was poured on Ning Ziyan. Being covered with
cold water in winter, Ning Ziyan immediately let out a scream. She
reached out and slapped the maid heavily. “Bitch! Are you blind?” she
cursed angrily.

The maid took several steps back and fell to the ground. She raised her
head and looked at Ning Ziyan’s cold face. “I’m… sorry! Fifth Young
Lady, I, I did not notice…” she said anxiously, trying to explain.

“Fifth Young Lady? You did not even see my face clearly before calling
me!” Ning Ziyan flew into a rage. She had just moved to the Xia Manor
not long before, but the maid of the Lord Protector’s manor did not know
her. It was no wonder that she was so angry. She had had to swallow the
bitterness because of Ning Xueyan, and now even a maid was bullying
her!

Lifting her wet skirt hem, Ning Ziyan kicked the maid heavily. The maid
rolled down the steps and was speechless with pain and sweat.

Seeing what was happening, the other maid, who had been sweeping the
courtyard, immediately ran over and knelt in front of Ning Ziyan, trying
to intercede for her companion. “Fifth Young Lady…”

“Why did you call me Fifth Young Lady? If you dare to say it again, I
will knock your teeth out!” Ning Ziyan shouted ferociously. She had
suffered a lot just now because of Ning Xueyan. Now, she vented all her
anger on the maid.

“Got it! I dare not to say it again. Miss, your skirt is wet. There are a few
sets of spare clothes in the room. Do you want to change your clothes?”
The maid was so scared. She did not know what was wrong with Fifth
Young Lady today and why she did not want them to call her ‘Fifth
Young Lady’, but as a humble maid, this was not something she should
think of.

These two maids were new comers and had never seen the Young Ladies
of the manor before. Fearing that they would be recognized by Ning
Xueyan, Madam Ling had specially sent two new maids to the courtyard.
Madam Ling had never thought that although this could prevent the two
maids from being recognized by Ning Xueyan, however, the two maids
did not recognize Ning Xueyan either, and they had mistaken Ning Ziyan
for Ning Xueyan instead.

“I will teach you a good lesson after a while when I come out!” Ning
Ziyan felt very uncomfortable now. Hearing that there were some spare
clothes in the room, she did not think too much. She kicked the maid
who had spilled water on her clothes again and then walked into the
main room in the middle with her maid, Qiushui. Since the room was
prepared for female guests, it was normal to have some women’s clothes.

The coldness and moisture had penetrated her skin soon through her
clothes and made Ning Ziyan very uncomfortable. As soon as she
walked into the room, she could not wait to untie her coat. Qiushui knew
Ning Ziyan was in a bad mood, so she walked over to help her. As it was
winter now, Ning Ziyan had spent a lot of time putting on her clothes.
Now her clothes were wet through, so it was not easy to take them off.

“Where did that bitch come from? How dare she spill water on me? I’m
going to break her hand when I get out after a while!” Ning Ziyan
shouted angrily, trembling with cold. Finally, she stripped off her coat.
However, her underwear was also wet, although it was not that serious,
she still felt uncomfortable.

It was impossible for her to change all her clothes here. Unable to find a
better solution for the moment, Ning Ziyan could only change her coat
first. She planned to go back to her former residence after a while. There
must be some of her clothes, so she could change all her clothes there.

Seeing her trembling with cold, Qiushui did not dare to delay. She threw
the soaked coat on the floor at the screen and rushed to behind it, trying
to find a dry coat and put it on Ning Ziyan.

Xia Yudong was anxious now, very anxious. He was sitting in the room
when he heard something smash onto the ground outside. Then he heard
someone cursing angrily. In the beginning, he was taken aback. After a
while, he heard that a maid mentioned Fifth Young Lady. He thought that
Ning Xueyan had been outside, so he wanted to walk out and have a
look.

However, at the thought that it seemed that Fifth Young Lady was
cursing and beating the maid, he hesitated. He did not feel sorry for the
maid, but he knew Fifth Young Lady would not be happy if she knew
that somebody saw what she was doing. Nobody would believe that a
delicate Young Lady who was so gentle and adorable in front of people,
was so aggressive and vicious privately. It sounded like she was beating
the maid.

Fortunately, the reason he wanted to marry her was not because of her
sweetness and gentleness. Therefore, after hesitating for a while,
although he felt some resentment, it was still acceptable for him.
Anyway, As long as Fifth Young Lady would marry him, he could have
as many beautiful concubines as he wanted. It would be impossible for
Fifth Young Lady to disobey his words after marrying him.

Thinking about this, Xia Yudong was clear that he should not go outside
at such a moment. Otherwise, he might annoy Fifth Young Lady instead
of impressing her. If that was the case, he would have no opportunity to
win her heart in the future. Therefore, he moved inward a little in the
room and decided to stay here before Ning Xueyan left.

However, he didn’t expect that the maid did not only bumped against
Ning Ziyan, but also poured most water in the basin on her and made her
go in the room. Xia Yudong had to hide behind the screen.
Unfortunately, Ning Ziyan began to take off her clothes, without giving
him any time to think.

Everything happened all of a sudden and everybody was caught off

guard.

Qiushui let out a scream when she saw Xia Yudong behind the screen. At
the very moment, the firmly closed door was kicked open and Xia
Yuhang, Third Prince, Fourth Prince and Ning Qingshan appeared at the
door. They surprisingly looked at Ning Ziyan, who was standing at the
door, speechless with shock.

Seeing Qiushui, who covered her mouth with her hand and was almost
faint beside the screen, Third Prince asked a eunuch behind him to check
out what was happening. The eunuch walked behind the screen and took
a look, but he did not say anything. He walked back to Third Prince and
whispered in his ear. Third Prince nodded without speaking.
Looking at Xia Yuhang’s darkened face, Third Prince patted him on the
shoulder and then turned to leave without saying anything.

Fourth Prince was shocked as well, but soon he figured out what had
happened. He pattered Xia Yuhang on the other shoulder, half-smiling.
Like Third Prince, he said nothing and left with Third Prince. Then Ning
Qingshan walked outward following the two princes.

They were all smart. Although Fourth Prince and Ning Qingshan did not
see clearly who the man was behind the screen, they knew that they
should not watch other people dealing with their family affairs.
Therefore, they all left.

“Fifth Young Lady’s Bright Frost Garden is in front of us. How about we
go there and have a look?” After walking out of the courtyard, Fourth
Prince looked at the path in front of them and asked Ning Qingshan, as if
he was very familiar with Fifth Young Lady.

“Yes, it is my fifth sister’s courtyard. Fourth Prince, if you want to have

a look, let’s go!” Ning Qingshan answered with a smile, as if she did not
know how improper it would be when a male guest wanted to visit a
Young Lady’s courtyard without her permission. Ning Qingshan took
several steps forward and happened to stand in front of Third Prince.

“Third Prince, do you still remember the plum tree of our manor?
Although it is not as beautiful as those at the imperial palace, it is the
best one of our manor. Third Prince, do you still remember that you
praised it before? Are you willing to have a look with me?” she said to
Ao Mingyu gently with a smile.

Obviously, she was hinting that she did not care what Fourth Prince
would do, and now she only wanted to enjoy the plum blossom with
Third Prince.

“Okay! Third Brother, why don’t you enjoy the plum with Third Young
Lady? I will visit Fifth Young Lady. It’s said that Fifth Young Lady’s
courtyard is very delicate. I will take the opportunity to have a look.” Ao
Mingwan was very satisfied with Ning Qingshan’s answer, so he nodded
with a smile and found a reasonable excuse to visit Ning Xueyan.

With that, he lifted his foot and was about to leave.

“Fourth Brother, wait for a moment! It is inconvenient for you to go to
Fifth Young Lady’s courtyard alone. Since you like the buildings of
Bright Frost Garden, I will go with you,” he said calmly, looking both
natural and gentle. Besides, he used the same excuse as Fourth Prince’s
to visit Ning Xueyan.

Hearing that, Ning Qingshan’s face darkened, a trace of jealousy and

bitterness flashing in her eyes. She opened her mouth and wanted to say
something, but since Third Prince was not talking to her, she did not
know what to say for the moment. She smiled, pretending that she did
not care about it. However, she was so angry that she gritted her teeth
secretly and had crumpled her hand handkerchief in her sleeve.

Ao Mingwan looked at Ao Mingyu thoughtfully. Then his eyes fell on

Ning Qingshan’s beautiful but a little stiff smiling face. “Then let’s go
together!” he suggested with a half-smile.

After reaching an agreement, the three walked to Bright Frost Garden

together, with different minds.

Ning Xueyan had sat on the stool at Bright Frost Garden with Xinmei
applying ointment to her wound and reporting to her what had happened
after they left Lucky Garden. Of course, Third Prince and the others
would not have shown up at Orchid Garden for no reason. They had
gone there because Madam Ling asked someone to invite them to enjoy
the view of the garden.

They had found themselves around Orchid Garden while hanging about
the garden. There had been two maids at the gate. When they saw them,
the maids had looked around in alarm and one of them rushed in the
courtyard in a hurry. Feeling something wrong, they had stridden in the
courtyard following the maids. Then they heard a scream coming from
the room, so they asked the guard to kick open the door.

“How is everything going at Orchid Garden?” Ning Xueyan asked,

spreading out the transparent ointment on her wrist.

“Since Third Prince was there, I did not dare to get too close to them. I
heard Eldest Young Lady crying and explaining in the room and it
seemed that a man was shouting angrily.” Xinmei had stood behind
Orchid Garden just now. As Ao Mingyu and the others had taken guards
with them, she did not dare to move closer to the room.
Chapter 250 Madam Ling Is
Triumphant at the News of Ning
Xueyan’s Trap
Ning Xueyan felt comfortable with the coldness when she spread out the
ointment on her wrist.

After the ointment became a little dry, she pulled down her sleeve and
stood up with a smile. “Lanning, we should go out to meet people now.
If we stay at the backyard on this joyous occasion, the others may think
that we did something disgraceful and dare not to show up in public.”

All the maids in the room understood what she was hinting, and they all
laughed.

Without any hesitation, they helped Ning Xueyan dress up again. Ning
Xueyan asked Xinmei and Qingyu to stay at the courtyard and walked
out with Lanning. To her surprise, as soon as she arrived at the courtyard
gate, she saw Third Prince and the others coming over. Ning Xueyan
could not help frowning. She really did not want to see them.

Therefore, when they told her that they mainly wanted to have a look at
the buildings of Bright Frost Garden and by the way ask for a cup of tea
here, Ning Xueyan said tactfully that she had to go to the front hall to
check if Madam Ling needed help to treat the guests, and she had no
time to serve the two princes.

“Then let’s go to the outer courtyard together. Fourth Brother and I were
planning to visit the Marquis just now,” Ao Mingyu answered first.

Ao Mingyu said immediately. His smile was still so gentle as usual and
what he said sounded reasonable. Since they would pass by the flower
hall where the female guests gathered, it was normal that they went the
same way as Ning Xueyan.
Fourth Prince and Ning Qingshan immediately agreed with Third Prince.
They were all smart and knew that Fourth Prince had said coming to see
the building was just an excuse, so nobody mentioned it again.

Third Prince and Fourth Prince were the most distinguished princes
among the emperor’s sons, so many people thought that they were very
likely to succeed to the throne. Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi, was only the
emperor’s younger brother, so the emperor would not willing to have his
brother, instead of his son, to be his successor.

Therefore, a few ladies and Young Ladies with sharp eyes were excited
at the sight of Third Prince and Fourth Prince coming. They walked out
to offer their greetings to the two princes one after another.

The statuses of the ladies and Young Ladies, who sat near the door were
not very high, so they would not miss such an opportunity to curry favor
with the princes. Besides, if their daughters could show their faces in
front of the two princes in advance, they might be pleasantly surprised in
the Beauty Contest.

Rather than having their daughters become the concubines of the old
emperor, the noble families were more enthusiastic to marry them to the
young princes. The young princes represented the future and the
opportunity. Therefore, every family wanted to seize this opportunity.
Even if their daughters could not be the wedded wives of the princes, it
would be okay to become their co-consorts or even concubines. In any
case, they could enjoy great honor and wealth in the future.

Seeing the ladies and Young Ladies near the door walking out, the others
in the room also followed their suits. Madam Ling and a few
distinguished ladies were talking in the innermost part of the room and
were surprised when they saw the others going out one by one.

Madam Ling was triumphant because she had just gotten the news that
the two princes had been attracted to Orchid Garden and even heard a
woman’s scream coming from the room. Madam Ling thought that Ning
Xueyan had been caught on spot by the two princes when she was with a
man while her clothes were in disarray. Since Ning Xueyan had fallen
into her trap, Madam Ling felt utterly relieved.
“Although Ning Xueyan is smart, she is only an inexperienced girl and is
no match for me at all!” Thinking about this, she was very proud of
herself.

“What? Fifth Young Lady and a man were together in the room with
their clothes in disarray? And they were caught by the two princes on
spot?” Madam Ling shouted, seemed to be in great shock. She turned
around and stared at the maid, who was reporting to her.

The noble ladies around her had been talking excitedly. Now they all
turned to her and quieted down at once.

Madam Ling seemed to have realized that she had blurted it out and she
shouted at the maid angrily, “Nonsense! How could Fifth Young Lady
meet a man privately? There must be some misunderstanding. What the
two princes saw… might not be real!”

She spoke this tactfully as if she was defending Ning Xueyan and she
deliberately said that Third Prince and Fourth Prince had seen might not
be real. If what both the two princes had seen was not real, what could be
real? Moreover, she framed Ning Xueyan skillfully by stressing that
Ning Xueyan had met that man ‘privately’.

The maid was so scared that she immediately knelt in front of her. “I’m
sure it was Fifth Young Lady! I, I dare not lie. Fifth Young Lady is still
at Orchid Garden now. Madam, if you don’t trust me, you can have a
look in person,” the maid said, panicking.

She trembled, as if she was extremely frightened. Worrying that Madam

Ling might misunderstand her, she immediately explained to her in a
hurry.

The incident had happened at the inner courtyard and this maid was the
one who had swept the ground in the beginning and then led Third
Prince and the others to the Orchid Garden. After Third Prince’s guard
kicked the door open, she had only glanced into the room and happened
to see Ning Ziyan covering the clothes with her hands in panic and from
behind her, a terrible scream ringing out.

It was this maid who had led Xia Yudong into the room. Ning Ziyan’s
clothes had been in disarray when the others appeared at the door.
Therefore, it was impossible for her to prove her innocence.

The maid knew that the outcome was definitely settled, so she did not
dare to stay there to see what would happen next and ran out in a hurry to
report it to Madam Ling. She did not know that Xia Yuhang stayed at
Orchid Garden after the incident.

“Marchioness, you told us that this Fifth Young Lady was even more
outstanding than Third Young Lady. I’m surprised that she is so
‘outstanding’!” a noble lady beside her could not help mocking her. She
had been a little irritated when Madam Ling was talking about how
excellent Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady were just now. She
did not dare to gossip about Third Young Lady. However, she would not
miss the opportunity to gossip about this ‘outstanding’ Fifth Young Lady.

“I’m sure there must be some misunderstanding! The maid is stupid and
she must have made a mistake!” Madam Ling said and with an awkward
smile. Her smile was a little stiff, and obviously, she was trying to hide
something from the others. Before the noble ladies could say anything,
Madam Ling whispered in Mother Chen’s ear for a while, as if she
wanted to ask Mother Chen to put the matter to rest secretly.

With that, she kicked the maid kneeling on the floor heavily and said
angrily, seemed to be very disappointed in her, “Get up! Go and serve
Fifth Young Lady! Don’t blather before you see it clearly next time. How
could you say such kind of things at will? Don’t you know it may ruin
Fifth Young Lady’s reputation?”

It seemed that she had treated Ning Xueyan as her own daughter and was
trying to protect her reputation wholeheartedly.

Madam Ling really wanted to ‘catch’ Ning Xueyan on the spot and
humiliate her in front of more people. However, she knew that Madam
Dowager would immediately rush to the scene to destroy the evidence
when she knew what had happened. If Madam Ling went there, Madam
Dowager would suspect her. Therefore, she pretended to be defending
Ning Xueyan. It would not cause Madam Dowager’s suspicion and it
would give her good fame.

Honored Consort Ya had sent a message to her from the imperial palace,
saying if she performed well, the emperor might recover her
Marchioness.

Honored Consort Ya had informed her the good news as a reward for
adopting Ning Qingshan as her daughter. They had reached an agreement
secretly, so Madam Ling knew what Honored Consort Ya meant.

Therefore, for the so-called ‘good performance’, Madam Ling had to be

more generous and calm at such a moment.

Anyway, the little b*tch, Ning Xueyan’s reputation had completely been
ruined. She would either marry a concubine’s son or die. Thinking of
this, Madam Ling did not think it was necessary to go against Ning
Xueyan, so she pretended to be generous in front of people.

However, she did not know at the moment that instead of Ning Xueyan,
it was her own daughter, Ning Ziyan, who had been found out to have an
affair with a man at the inner courtyard.

“Got it! I, I dare not to talk nonsense. It was not Fifth Young Lady. I am
sure it was not Fifth Young Lady,” the maid said in a low voice with
tears in her eyes. Although she felt pain and sore, she did not dare to
protest. Obviously, she had been wronged but did not dare to go against
her master.

While they were talking, they suddenly heard someone outside say that
Third Prince and Fourth Prince had arrived. Those noble ladies and
Young Ladies in the flower hall rushed out to offer their greetings to the
two princes when they saw them. The noble ladies who were sitting at
the innermost part of the room became anxious. Since their daughters
and nieces would also attend the Beauty Contest, of course they wanted
to go out to curry favor with the two princes.

Then they all stood up and walked outward.

Madam Ling was shocked when she heard that Third Prince and Fourth
Prince were outside, but her surprise immediately turned to joy. She
rolled her eyes and became more excited. Even God was helping her!
She had been a little upset because she could not find an excuse to go to
the inner courtyard just now, but now since the two princes who had
witnessed what had happened were here, it could not be better! Even if
she mentioned it a little bit, everyone would believe Ning Xueyan having
an affair with that man.

She then winked at the maid kneeling on the floor. The maid left
obediently and Madam Ling walked out following those noble ladies
with a triumphant look.

The ladies and Young Ladies rushed out of the flower hall. Ning Xueyan
and Ning Qingshan had already been pushed to behind the two princes
and drowned in the crowd. Ning Xueyan especially retreated a little and
stopped at an ideal place where she could hear what the others in front of
her said without them noticing.

She had not been fully developed yet, so she was not tall enough to be
seen at a glance in the crowd. Besides, she was trying to avoid others’
attention. Therefore, Madam Ling would not have expected her to pop
up here. Even if she had thought of it, she could not find her easily in the
crowd.

Ning Qingshan behaved tactfully as usual. After greeting several Young

Ladies and ladies, she took a few steps backward and made way for
others generously. She was talking with some Young Ladies, but glanced
at Third Prince from time to time. Although she was not happy, she acted
to be generous.

“Third Prince, Fourth Prince, greetings!” Now Madam Ling walked out
of the flower hall. She came over to the two princes with a smile and was
about to bow to them.

“Marchioness, you are too polite! Fourth Prince and I are hanging about
and we are going to visit the marquis after a while,” Third Prince said
politely with a smile, reaching out to stop Madam Ling from bowing. It
was obvious that he still treated her as the First-class Marchioness.

It made Madam Ling very happy, her smiling face as brilliant as a

flower.

Fourth Prince, Ao Mingwan, waved his hand to greet her with a smile,
but did not say anything. If someone observed his expression carefully,
he would saw a trace of sarcasm in his eyes. He knew the woman who
had an affair with that man at the backyard was this Marchioness’
daughter.

“Princes, I apologize for Yan’er for what happened just now. I am so…
surprised. She has never behaved like this before.” The smile on Madam
Ling’s face faded away and she looked at the two princes awkwardly.
Although Third Prince had stopped her, she still made them a deep bow
apologetically.

She said this vaguely and mentioned someone’s name. Besides, she
bowed to the princes so seriously. This made the ladies who knew
nothing about what had happened at Orchid Garden felt very strange.
They could tell that something big had happened, but who was she
talking about?

Those ladies who had learned the news just now were clear that Madam
Ling was talking about Fifth Young Lady. “She denied that Fifth Young
Lady had caused the accident, but from her look, Fifth Young Lady must
have an affair with that man. The two princes in front of us witnessed
what had happened, so although she was the distinguished Marchioness,
Madam Ling had to politely ask their forgiveness,” they thought.

These noble ladies believed that Madam Ling had bowed to the two
princes was also because she did not want them to spread the news. It
seemed that it was true that Fifth Young Lady had met a man privately!
The noble ladies exchanged looks without saying anything, and they
knew what each other was thinking about.
Chapter 251 Unexpectedly, an
Assassin Came
“Marchioness, what do you mean?” Ao Mingyu was also stunned. But
then he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Seeing the Third Prince’s expression, Madam Ling thought that for the
moment, he could not remember the “Yan’er” that she was talking about
was Ning Xueyan. So she explained more straightforwardly.

“Third Prince, Fourth Prince, I am talking about the thing that the Fifth
Young Lady has done. She behaved disgracefully just now in the
backyard. With a man, she… But it was an accident and a
misunderstanding. For she is a Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor, I hope that both of you forgive her. I am here to apologize to you
for her misbehaviors.”

Madam Ling heaved a deep sigh, appearing like a loving mother who
truly cared for her daughter. Thus, when she indiscreetly mentioned the
man, she deliberately stopped talking and successfully aroused
everyone’s curiosity. These people present were at a loss. Out of
curiosity, they speculated that the Fifth Young Lady must have done
something scandalous, and the two princes happened to witness that.

Hence, Madam Ling had to come out and make small talk to explain.

“What’s wrong with the Fifth Young Lady?” Although Ao Mingyu was
still smiling, a little cold expression appeared inside her eyes.

“Just now in the backyard, the Fifth Young Lady…” Madam Ling
thought she had clearly explained this thing, but she didn’t expect that
the Third Prince still looked as if he didn’t understand the situation. She
couldn’t help looking up at the Third Prince in surprise. With such a
clear explanation and the scene that happened before, how could the
Third Prince not understand?
“Hahaha!” Standing next to them, Ao Mingwan, the Fourth Prince,
seemed to understand Madam Ling’s words, and he suddenly laughed.

Not knowing what was going on, everyone landed their eyes on the
Fourth Prince, who almost stumbled because of laughing, feeling even
more confused. Beyond that, Madam Ling stopped halfway abruptly and
didn’t even finish her words.

Ao Mingwan finally stopped laughing. Resting his hand on the forehead,

he asked Madam Ling, “Are you hinting at the fact that a man and a
woman had a secret date in the backyard?”

Bringing up the matter directly, he came straight to the point. Hearing his
words, Madam Ling felt delighted. She hurriedly seized this opportunity
and rushed to say, “The Fifth Young Lady didn’t know how to behave
properly and made a mistake. Please pardon her for doing so, Your
Highness.”

“The Fifth Young Lady? What does this have to do with the Fifth Young
Lady? Why are you talking about the Fifth Young Lady all the time?
Does the woman who was involved in this matter have something to do
with the Fifth Young Lady?” Ao Mingyu couldn’t bear her any longer.
Looking at Madam Ling’s feigned smile, he smiled coldly.

A wave of inexplicable anger emerged in his heart. When he was in the

Cold Mountain Temple, he told Madam Dowager that he wanted to take
Ning Xueyan as his co-consort. Though nothing happened after that, Ao
Mingyu didn’t care. After all, he concentrated his heart and soul on Ning
Qingshan at that time. But no matter what, he had expressed his interest
in Ning Xueyan to them.

Thus, merely for his sake, people in the Lord Protector’s Manor should
not treat Ning Xueyan too harshly. Moreover, Ao Mingyu planned to let
Ning Xueyan marry into his manor through this Beauty Contest. But
now, without knowing what exactly had happened in the backyard,
Madam Ling frequently mentioned that Ning Xueyan was involved.
Obviously, she was determined to ruin her reputation. But by doing so,
Madam Ling showed him no respect!

Suddenly, Ao Mingyu burst into anger, which greatly frightened those

ladies and Young Ladies there. They immediately felt quite strange when
they thought of Madam Ling’s words. Then, the scene quieted down.

Ning Qingshan’s eyelids twitched. Not far away from them, she cast a
glance toward Ning Xueyan. Then, she lowered her head. She continued
to chat lightly with the girls around her as if she hadn’t noticed them.
Now her whole mind was currying favor with Ao Mingyu. It was
certainly impossible for her to confront Ning Xueyan directly.

Besides, she also saw perfectly that the lady having a date with a man
was Ning Ziyan, so she didn’t know why Madam Ling firmly believed
that the lady was Ning Xueyan and what was up to this time.

“Mother, are you talking about me? What’s the matter? What happened
to me that made you think I dated secretly with a man in the backyard?”
A fine and soft voice came from behind the crowd. Then, the crowd
parted in the middle, and Ning Xueyan, who was slender and pale, came
from the back of the crowd with a sick look.

She was paler and thinner than ordinary women. Besides, she now had
tears in her eyes, and her light lips were tinged with sourness, which
made her look more pitiful. But as a noble Young Lady, she was more or
less decorous in appearance—a sweet and charming girl with a bit of
indifference and coldness. Only judging by her appearance, people
would know that she was cool by nature.

Moreover, her clothes were not messy at all, and she dressed neatly and
cleanly. Her appearance was nothing like the sorry figure that Madam
Ling had described, plus she looked natural. But Madam Ling told others
that two princes caught her dating secretly with a man. Now on the spot,
some people had already remembered that Ning Xueyan came here after
the two princes with the Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor. Thus, how could she be in the scene that Madam Ling had said at
the same time?

For a moment, those onlookers were all speechless. They looked at the
seemingly untrustworthy Madam Ling and then Ning Xueyan, who
looked aggrieved. In their hearts, they could not help feeling pitiful for
Ning Xueyan. After all, Madam Ling didn’t give birth to her, and she
didn’t appear like she was defending the Fifth Young Lady, who has lost
her own mother. They didn’t notice it before, but after thinking carefully,
they found that Madam Ling had cast a mist before their eyes. All the
time, she kept saying that Fifth Young Lady, whose personal morals had
corrupted, was having a secret meeting with a man.

Madam Ling was really a vicious person.

But to Madam Ling’s surprise, Ning Xueyan popped before her in

perfectly good condition. When her gaze swept across Ning Xueyan’s
face, Madam Ling was immediately shocked. With her mouth wide open,
she could not regain her composure for a while. At first, she thought that
her plan, which was also confirmed by her maid, was perfect. But now it
turned out that her plan failed. How could Madam Ling accept the fact
all of a sudden? In an instant, her mind was out of control.

“Obviously, the lady who dated secretly with a man in the backyard was
the Eldest Young Lady. Up to now, Yuhang is dealing with the matter in
the backyard. Marchioness, you made a mistake.” With a “good”
intention, Ao Mingwan bluntly reminded her, and even, he kindly
pointed to the backyard for her. He meant that people in the manor were
still dealing with the matter. “Will you go and see for yourself,
Marchioness?”

Ning Ziyan was dating in private with a man. It turned out that the Eldest
Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor who had married into the
Xia Manor did something shameful with a man in the backyard. She
cuckolded Eldest Young Master Xia.

As soon as such a piece of explosive news came out, everyone was so

astonished that their eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

In the capital, although Ning Ziyan’s reputation was not as good as Ning
Qingshan’s, her reputation had always been pretty good. That was why
she could marry the Eldest Young Master Xia, who was endowed with
both beauty and talent. But no one had ever thought that their marriage
would go wrong.

First, when they got married, the Lord Protector’s Manor concealed
Madam Ming’s death, which caused a scandal. Then, there were rumors
saying that Xia Yuhang had a woman outside his manor. Now, people
knew the news that Ning Ziyan had a private date with a man. Initially,
people thought that Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziyan were a perfect couple.
But now, their flawless images were almost ruined.
Madam Ling’s body trembled. Feeling that her blood rushed up to her
head, she almost fell to the ground.

“Fourth Brother, don’t talk irresponsibly. The Eldest Young Lady didn’t
go there to date with some man. It was just some strange thing that
happened in that courtyard, and Yuhang is dealing with the matter now.”
Compared to the sharp Ao Mingwan, Ao Mingyu was milder. To save
Xia Yuhang’s dignity, he even made an explanation and made others
think that the whole thing was only a misunderstanding.

“Mother, why are you still here? An assassin broke into the yard that the
Eldest Young Lady rested in. Father sent many people to search the
whole manor to catch the assassin. Has any unusual person ever come
here?” Ning Huaiyuan’s voice with a little anxiety suddenly appeared
behind them.

“Is there an assassin in this manor now?” Many people were frightened,
shivering. An assassination had happened in the imperial palace not long
ago, and everyone here still remembered it clearly. At that time, some
people from noble families were injured. Shortly after this thing, another
assassin entered the Lord Protector’s Manor. What a terrible thing it
would be!

“An… assassin?” Dizziness overcame Madam Ling, blurring her vision.

At a loss, she looked around and saw Ning Huaiyuan, murmuring.

“Yes. Yuhang and the Eldest Young Lady are identifying the assassin in
the backyard. You should also be more careful here. Father was afraid
that you didn’t know this thing, so he especially asked me to tell Mother
that you and these madams should stay in the living room for the time
being. Never stay alone, or it may cause unnecessary harm.”

Ning Huaiyuan said in a solemnity. But as soon as he finished speaking,

those madams and ladies around the two princes immediately scattered
in all directions. All of them went to the flower hall. The glory, splendor,
wealth, and rank were important, but they were not as important as their
lives. Once people died, everything was meaningless.

The crowd dispersed, leaving there only Madam Ling, Ning Huaiyuan,
the two princes, Ning Xueyan, and Ning Qingshan.
“Fifth Sister, you go to accompany Mother with the Third Sister, and all
of you should go in together. Remember, never provoke the assassin.”
Smiling gently, Ning Huaiyuan turned around and gave Ning Xueyan a
look with profound meaning.

“Is there also an assassin in the backyard?” Ning Xueyan smiled lightly.
Lifting her mouth corners a little, she sneered and immediately
understood.

“Sure enough. Ning Huaiyuan is better at plotting than Madam Ling. In

this emergency case, he could think of such a countermeasure, which
kept Ning Ziyan from losing all her reputation. But so what? Madam
Ling’s plan failed. Ning Ziyan fell into the trap made by Mother.
Moreover, Xia Yuhang had seen that Ning Ziyan, not properly dressed,
stayed with his brother.”

Sometimes, when those scandals were combined, it was enough to ruin a

person!

Madam Ling knew how to calculate and manipulate people’s hearts… So

could Ning Xueyan.

“Yes, Fifth Sister, Third Sister, you stay here to help Mother together. I
will go to the front yard with the two princes,” Ning Huaiyuan said
gently, in an earnest way. After he said this, he gave a sincere salute to
Ao Mingyu and Ao Mingwan. At this time, he didn’t need to say too
much. All of them understood the present situation so that no word was
necessary. In any case, Ning Ziyan was also the daughter of the principal
wife of Lord Protector’s Manor.

“Mother, let’s go inside and take a seat. The Eldest Brother-in-law will
handle the matter about the eldest sister, so you don’t need to worry,
Mother.” Of course, Ning Xueyan had witnessed the interactions
between them. Since Ning Huaiyuan explained the thing to such an
extent, merely for the sake of the Lord Protector’s Manor, Ao Mingyu
and Ao Mingwan would buy Ning Huaiyuan’s excuse and kept this
matter a secret. More than that, they would even try their best to support
any remarks that Ning Huaiyuan would say.

Ning Xueyan thought, “Sure enough, it is amazing to be powerful and

rich. Even two noble princes have to compromise.”
A hint of sarcasm flashed across her eyes, but Ning Xueyan hid her
emotion deep in her eyes. When she looked up, she looked indifferent
again. Politely, she bowed to the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, and
her deep eyes flickered. Pretending to be obedient, she reached out to
support Madam Ling.

But just when her hand touched Madam Ling’s clothes, Madam Ling,
who had initially been in a daze, suddenly made a movement, a big one.
Violently, she shook off Ning Xueyan’s hand and almost screamed out of
control. “A demon! You are a demon! Stay away from me! I don’t want
your help!”

This thing occurred all of a sudden. Several madams who walked behind
heard Madam Ling’s cries. Involuntarily, they stopped and looked back.

Ao Mingyu slightly lifted his lips. Although he was still laughing, his
smile became a little bit cold. Ao Mingwan’s eyes turned sharp and
vicious. Obviously, he was about to lose his temper.

A hint of jealousy appeared in Ning Qingshan’s eyes, but then she smiled
gently and covered the emotion.

“Mother, is it because that you worry about the health of the Fifth Sister
and the Third Sister such that you don’t want them to help you? Well,
you can rest assured, Mother. They are all right now.” Quickly, Ning
Huaiyuan grabbed Madam Ling’s wrist and squeezed it hard. His eyes
suddenly turned fierce. Slowly dropping the words one by one, he said to
Madam Ling.
Chapter 252 The Thing Got Even
Worse
The sharp pain at her wrist finally woke Madam Ling up. When she saw
Ning Huaiyuan holding her wrist, her eyes became red, and Madam Ling
nearly burst into tears.

“Mother, if you go on acting up, you are forcing Ziyan to take the road to
destruction!” Ning Huaiyuan’s low and insidious voice sounded in
Madam Ling’s ears, which greatly shocked her. Finally, she came back to
her senses.

Suppressing her impulse to vomit blood, Madam Ling forced herself to

smile at Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan, showing a face that looked
uglier than a crying face. Leaning against the maid beside her, Madam
Ling turned around and trudged inside. Now the news that Ning Ziyan
had an accident occupied her head. More than that, Madam Ling knew it
was her fault. “Because of me, my second daughter was disfigured. Also,
because of me, my eldest daughter’s reputation was ruined. Now… What
should I do?!”

Thinking too much, Madam Ling felt that her whole head was buzzing.
At this moment, she appeared quite dull.

After entering the hall, Madam Ling sat down, blankly. Alone, she sat
there motionless. Her whole face was all red, and her whole person
looked wrong.

Fortunately, at this time, everyone only focused on the assassin, so no

one noticed Madam Ling’s abnormal reaction.

But Ning Xueyan saw Madam Ling’s performance. Slightly lifting her
lips, Ning Xueyan showed a light, cold smile. Madam Ling became the
victim of her own evil deeds, and she would only have herself to blame.

Ning Qingshan had long since sensed that the thing about Ning Ziyan
was not simple. But anyway, she didn’t care about anything that would
happen to Madam Ling. As long as the banquet today was held, she
would be taken as the daughter of the real Legal Wife and became the
perfectly justifiable first daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Thus,
no matter what happened to Madam Ling today, it would have nothing to
do with her.

To retrieve Ao Mingyu’s heart, she certainly did not dare to bring him
any trouble at this point. Besides, Mammy Luo had sent someone to tell
her that the man who stayed behind the screen when Ning Ziyan was
changing clothes was Xia Yudong. When she heard the message, her
heart twitched. How could she be in the mood to care about Madam
Ling? Even if Madam Ling stayed there and became silly, she could still
be capable of cleverly dealing with others in the crowd.

She even dragged Ning Xueyan with her to socialize with others, trying
her best to behave great as a young lady from a noble family. Pretending
to be very considerate, she intended to show their close relationship in
front of others.

Well, Ning Xueyan also didn’t mind to show others the scene of the good
relationship between sisters, so she was very cooperative. Thus, in the
flower hall, everyone only saw the Third Young Lady and the Fifth
Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor went around like they
were natural sisters. They smiled and talked with the guests. Everything
looked peaceful and gentle.

However, the people who searched for the backyard didn’t find anyone.
Nevertheless, they had to say this result to those madams and ladies in
the backyard. Thus, they especially sent someone to notify Madam Ling.
The person who came here was the young male servant beside Ning
Huaiyuan. But before he could finish speaking, Madam Ling, who sat up
there in surprise and anger, fainted immediately after spouting a
mouthful of blood. Once again, the crowd in the flower hall fell in a
great bustle and confusion.

Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan, they carried Madam Ling back to the
Bright Frost Garden. Then, Madam Dowager came to the flower hall and
held the party in person so that the party for Madam Ling and Ning
Qingshan could go on smoothly. With the effort of everyone, joy seemed
to be overflown in the backyard again.
Of course, they didn’t truly enjoy the party and cared nothing about the
things that had happened! Now such a big thing happened, plus one of
the leading roles in adopting a daughter here even spit out blood. After
all of this, they didn’t believe the atmosphere here could really be as
happy as before. Everyone here was sensitive enough and was trying to
keep a decent appearance for each other.

Since they were here already, they should pretend to be cheerful as the
hostesses here had expected.

In the backyard, everyone could pretend that nothing had happened, but
the trouble in the menfolk courtyard got much bigger. It had never
occurred to Ning Zu’an that they would attract that person here.

Ning Zu’an faked the assassin incident to save his daughter’s reputation.
Initially, he planned to settle this matter only by asking those guards to
check around the manor. However, the incident turned into big trouble
now. In the living room, staring at Ao Chenyi, who was sitting up there,
Ning Zu’an felt so anxious that he almost spat blood.

“How did the small incident in my manor attract this bloodthirsty devil
here?”

In the hall, Ao Chenyi sat with his elbow against the chair. Others could
not tell if he was angry. There were eight imperial guards with imposing
manner standing at the door. All of them stared at Ning Zu’an, who
hurried to the hall from outside.

“Prince Yi, I didn’t know that you would come to visit me. I have
occupied with too many things at this moment, so I came here too late to
greet you.” Ning Zu’an had no idea about why this evil man who would
always bring bad luck would come to his manor. He struggled to put a
happy smile on his face and asked politely with great respect. Anyone
would stay alert when Prince Yi with changing moods came to their
doors.

“The Lord Protector’s Manor is quite lively today!” After a gloomy and
cold smile, Ao Chenyi cast a sidelong glance at Ning Zu’an. Though, in
previous, Ning Zu’an was a general who had experienced the battlefield,
he immediately felt that a foul wind and a rain of blood enveloped him,
which stiffened his smile. Being covered in coldness, Ning Zu’an
thought, “He came to my place with ill intention.”

“Today, my wife held a party to adopt a daughter. It wasn’t a big deal.

Those people are my colleagues who came together for fun.” Ning Zu’an
responded carefully.

“For fun? But I just heard that there was an assassin in this manor who
even dared to go to the backyard. I happened to pass by, and so I came
here to help you to find out who this assassin was. He must have been
bold enough to bring trouble to the Lord Protector’s Manor.” Slightly
narrowing his eyes, Ao Chenyi snorted.

“There was nothing serious. We have driven the assassin away. It’s all
right now. Thanks for your great kindness, Prince Yi.” Ning Zu’an
certainly didn’t dare to let Ao Chenyi check the thing about the assassin,
which was totally made up by him. It was originally an excuse, so how
could he find the thing out? Let alone that he was the head of the
imperial guards, which even noble families would not dare to ignore.

“Ning Zu’an, you deliberately let the assassin go!” Abruptly, Ao

Chenyi’s face became cold. With a somber look, he stared at Ning Zu’an,
faintly showing some gloomy and horrifying emotion in his eyes.

“Prince Yi, how dared I do such a thing!” Ning Zu’an was greatly
shocked and hurriedly tried to defend himself.

“Didn’t you dare to do that? Ning Zu’an, now you let such an assassin
escape. Perhaps, he will assassinate His Majesty in the future. If such a
thing happens later on, will you be responsible for this?” With a cold
face, Ao Chenyi said in a gloomy voice.

“I didn’t allow him to catch the assassin in my manor, so he said that I

didn’t want to catch this person at all. Then, he concluded that my
ultimate purpose was to let this assassin kill the emperor by deliberately
releasing the assassin!” After he analyzed Ao Chenyi’s intention, Ning
Zu’an felt angry and hateful, but he didn’t dare to say no. After all, Ning
Zu’an did not associate with Ao Chenyi before.

Though Ning Zu’an had never had any dealings with him, Prince Yi
initially could do nothing to him no matter how powerful Prince Yi was!
But today Ning Zu’an did a stupid thing and happened to fall onto Ao
Chenyi’s hands. In this case, Ning Zu’an could not peacefully end this
thing. And if he refused Ao Chenyi again, he would have to bear the
felony of assassinating the emperor.

“Prince Yi, I…” A thin layer of sweat had already appeared on his
forehead, and a gleam of harsh countenance flashed across his eyes.

“So? Do you want me to wait a little longer until the assassin goes much
further?” There was a hint of evil flashing through Ao Chenyi’s narrow,
charming eyes.

“No, please help me find the assassin, Prince Yi.” The eyes of Ning
Zu’an jumped a little, and he immediately made a decision. Stretching
out his hand, Ning Zu’an invited him to check and showed him the way.
But then he hesitated and turned around to Ao Chenyi. “Prince Yi, there
are also many other madams and ladies from other manors in the
backyard. So if your men directly break in…”

Today, these female members in the Lord Protector’s Manor were not
from ordinary families. Even the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince
were here. Ning Zu’an did not believe that Ao Chenyi would not show
respect for them.

“Relax, Lord Protector. I know how far to go and when to stop. You can
send those older female servants in your manor to check the places
where these female members stayed. And I will only send my men to
check the places where nobody is in. Is it okay?” It was rare that Ao
Chenyi behaved so considerate, so Ning Zu’an nodded immediately.

Since the imperial guards were here, Ning Zu’an naturally should send
someone to inform those people in the backyard of this situation. Thus,
another chaos occurred there. After all, the imperial guards were not
from some ordinary government organs. Even if relatives of the emperor
made a mistake, Prince Yi would not show any mercy to them. Thus,
those guests of the Lord Protector’s Manor now regretted to came here
today to join in the fun. At this moment, they could not even pretend to
smile.

The air became heavy in the flower hall. There were only several girls
who didn’t know much about worldly affairs still whispering to each
other, laughing.

Ning Xueyan sat next to Madam Dowager. When she heard the message,
a hint of surprise flashed in her watery eyes. But then she showed a
knowing expression. Slightly lifting her mouth corners, Ning Xueyan
smiled a little and lowered her head to hide the amusing emotion in her
eyes. She didn’t know why Ao Chenyi would suddenly show up here,
but this person would never do unprofitable things. More importantly, he
could always seize the best chance to act.

To offer his help in catching the assassin, Ning Zu’an accompanied Ao

Chenyi to the backyard in person, but they did not disturb those madams
and ladies in the flower hall. Well, those women had gotten the order
long ago. Now, all of them stayed in the flower hall and didn’t dare to go
elsewhere.

The imperial guards obeyed Ao Chenyi’s instruction and didn’t go into

the houses of the masters in each courtyard. Instead, they asked the older
female servants beside Madam Dowager to enter the houses to search
and back out if they found nothing. At first, Ning Zu’an was very
anxious. But now, he calmed down. After all, the so-called assassin in his
manor was only an excuse made up by him. Therefore, Ning Zu’an
would never believe that those imperial guards could find an assassin
from his manor.

Therefore, following Ao Chenyi at every step, he became increasingly

calm and collected.

He no longer feared Ao Chenyi.

“Prince Yi, my co-wife used to live in this house.” Suddenly Ning Zu’an
jumped up and rushed ahead to stop Ao Chenyi.

“Your co-wife? Was she the wife who passed away recently?” Ao
Chenyi raised his eyebrows and asked, sneering with unclear meaning.

“Yes, it belongs to my deceased wife!” Gritting his teeth, Ning Zu’an

finally decided to admit.

“Since she died, you don’t need to care it anymore. Anyway, your wife is
not in this house now.” Facing the house, Ao Chenyi lazily raised his
chin and said.

“Prince Yi, although she is not here, I really miss her a lot. If your
imperial guards mess up the things in the house, I am afraid that her
spirit in heaven will be disturbed,” Ning Zu’an said anxiously, secretly
clenching his fists under the sleeves of his robe. He had been suspecting
that that thing was in this house, but he just could not find it. If he let
those imperial guards in, Ao Chenyi probably would get that thing.

Thinking of this, Ning Zu’an had to come out to stop Ao Chenyi, and
also he pretended to be very much in love with this deceased wife. He
repeatedly mentioned how he cared about her feelings. Those who didn’t
know the situation would think that Ning Zu’an had a deep affection for
this dead wife, and he still loved her even after she died.

“Lord Protector, but I heard that your wife lived in the Bright Frost
Garden. This place was abandoned long ago. Are you suggesting that
you also think the assassin is most likely to hide in this abandoned
house? That was why you said all of this to remind me, right?” Ao
Chenyi smiled lazily. His eyes looked deep and ice-cold, like those
floating clouds drifting in the dark space at midnight.

“Yes, please, Prince Yi!” Ning Zu’an had to step back and move out of
the way. Standing by, he watched these imperial guards rush into the
house and rummaging through the chests and cupboards there.
Chapter 253 How Could Family
Affairs Be More Important than
National Affairs?
Ning Zu’an called Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan. Of course, Prince
Yi asked him to do this. Ning Zu’an let his two unmarried daughters
come here only because that Prince Yi had heard Ning Qingshan’s good
reputation. He wanted to see this lady who had gained a widely known
reputation for her loyal and filial manner.

But if Ning Zu’an let Ning Qingshan come over alone, it was highly
improper. Therefore, Ning Zu’an also asked Ning Xueyan to come here
with her. In this way, two Young Ladies from the Lord Protector’s Manor
would meet Prince Yi together. And the Third Prince who left just now
would not take it as an offense.

“So she is your Third Young Lady. She indeed looks smart and beautiful.
Have you ever planned to marry one of your daughters to me?” Not in a
hurry, Ao Chenyi smiled gently. Staring at the two girls up and down
with his pretty eyes, Ao Chenyi seemed to be very interested in them.

“Prince Yi, Honored Consort Ya had mentioned that she might want my
third daughter to marry the Third Prince.” At this time, Ning Zu’an was
truly in a cold sweat. “Does Ao Chenyi really take a fancy to Ning
Qingshan? But it is not a good thing to the Lord Protector’s Manor at
all.” Thus, he made an excuse and refused him in a hurry.

“Oh, that’s a pity. So has the Fifth Young Lady ever accepted a marriage
proposal?” Then, Ao Chenyi turned his eyes to the well-behaved Ning
Xueyan, who stood quietly on the side, lowering her head in meekness.
Slightly curved his lips into a smile, Ao Chenyi thought, “This little wild
cat is so quiet today! She has put all her talons and fangs away. Now she
doesn’t look like the aggressive girl at all.”

“She is too young, so she will marry someone only after all her sisters
are engaged.” Ning Zu’an glanced at Ning Xueyan and carefully chose
his words. It was not because he loved Ning Xueyan dearly and had pity
for her, but because he didn’t want to associate too much with Ao
Chenyi. In his opinion, the emperor would only pass the throne to his
sons, and Ao Chenyi was destined to be a loser. Thus, how could Ning
Zu’an want to get involved with him?

And with Ao Chenyi’s character, Ning Xueyan would only be another

toy of him if Ning Zu’an married her into his manor, which could not
bring any benefits to the Lord Protector’s Manor.

“Great. Those daughters of the Lord Protector’s Manor are all good.
They are as pure as the dewdrops and as bright as pearls.” Suddenly, Ao
Chenyi stood up and showed Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan a
spurious smile. Then, wearing a somber look, he glanced at Ning Zu’an
and laughed. Striding forward, Ao Chenyi walked outside. In a hurry,
Ning Zu’an quickly followed him out.

They left the puzzled Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan, who then
glanced at each other and went back to the flower hall together.

When such a thing happened, the party had to be huddled through at

express speed. As they finished their meals, all the guests departed.

After seeing these guests off, Madam Dowager especially let Ning
Qingshan and Ning Xueyan go to the Lucky Garden.

When all of them took their seats, Madam Dowager’s face turned
gloomy. Looking at them with a cold face, she questioned, “What the
h*ll is going on?” Madam Dowager didn’t indicate who she asked, but
she landed her eyes on Ning Qingshan.

After all, except for the two princes, the people present at that time were
only Xia Yuhang and Ning Qingshan.

“Grandmother, I… I don’t know what has happened, either. When I

heard someone screaming and entered the door, I saw the Eldest Sister
standing there, shivering with only long johns. Qiushui, her maid, looked
at the back of the screen, screaming. The Third Prince had sent someone
to check. But they left without saying anything, leaving only the Eldest
Brother-in-law to handle the matter alone.”
Knowing well that Madam Dowager was shrewd, Ning Qingshan didn’t
dare to lie to her. Right away, Ning Qingshan told her the whole affair
from beginning to end. This matter had nothing to do with her now, so
she should say everything clear in case she might bring trouble to
herself.

“Didn’t you see who was behind the screen?” Madam Dowager asked.
She knew the situation clearly when they left the manor. And then, Xia
Yuhang, Xia Yudong, and Ning Ziyan came back to the manor together.
Thus, Madam Dowager was pretty sure that Xia Yudong, who joined
them halfway, must be the man behind the screen.

“Grandmother, I didn’t see the man. Only the Third Prince and the Eldest
Brother-in-law knew who he was. And I suppose that the Fourth Prince
also didn’t know. But… but I’m afraid that he has figured out who this
man was.” Ning Qingshan tried very hard to recall the scene and
answered.

At that time, Ao Mingwan didn’t send anyone to check. But he patted

Xia Yuhang’s shoulder, which meant that he thought Xia Yuhang could
only seek fortune for himself. Then, Ao Mingwan must have guessed
that there was a man behind the screen. He didn’t send people to go
further to check only because he wanted to show some respect to Xia
Yuhang.

“Fifth Young Lady, when you went out with the Third Young Lady and
the two princes, your mother said a lot of nonsense. It is not necessary to
take this thing to heart. I suppose that your mother behaved abnormally
because she was afraid of the assassin.” said Madam Dowager. Ning
Qingshan did not notice that Madam Dowager’s expression was a little
calmer. After Ning Qingshan thought the whole thing over, an idea
flashed across her mind. She turned around and said to Ning Xueyan
with a gentle voice.

Madam Dowager knew everything that had happened in that house.

Moreover, she also knew the interaction between the two princes, which
reminded her that the Third Prince had once said that he wanted to marry
Ning Xueyan. Later on, a series of things happened. Since then, the
Third Prince had never mentioned this thing again, and all of them
gradually forgot about this matter.
Now it seemed that the Third Prince must have a crash on the Fifth
Young Lady!

Because both the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince valued Ning
Xueyan, Madam Dowager certainly was very kind to Ning Xueyan at
this time. Though such a big thing happened in the manor, first of all, she
should pacify Ning Xueyan’s emotion. The words that Madam Ling said
when she was out of control could make people think of many things.

At this time, Madam Dowager also should feel lucky because Madam
Ling vomited blood in time. At least, she could tell others that Madam
Ling must have been possessed by some evil thing, so she said those
crazy words and acted strangely.

“Grandmother, I’m fine. I just worry about Mother’s body. The Eldest
Sister got married, and the Second Sister isn’t here. I think it would be
much better to let me serve Mother this evening.” Ning Xueyan
suggested in a gentle voice as if she didn’t think that Madam Ling’s
abnormal behaviors were strange at all. She looked calm, and there was a
little bit of worry between her eyebrows.

Madam Dowager carefully examined Ning Xueyan for a few times.

Judging by her look, Madam Dowager was sure that she was sincere and
held no grudge against Madam Ling. Then, she nodded with satisfaction
but still refused Ning Xueyan’s suggestion. “You don’t need to care
about your Mother’s health. She was so timid that she was scared by the
assassin today. After some time, she will be fine again.”

When Mother was sick, as her daughter, it was right and proper for Ning
Xueyan to attend upon her beside her bed. Ning Xueyan certainly was
unwilling to serve Madam Ling, but she was afraid that Madam Ling
would get some evil ideas later on. She might deliberately ask her to go
to the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard and dealt with her. One should know
that all the people there were Madam Ling’s trusted people. Compared
with these people, Ning Xueyan and a few her people seemed to be much
weaker. Thus, Ning Xueyan volunteered to make this concession only to
avoid possible trouble in the future.

“Grandmother, after all, my Mother is sick. If I don’t go there to serve

her, I will feel terribly sorry.” Wearing a gloomy face, Ning Xueyan
sighed.
“Well, I know that you are love and devotion to your Mother, but this
matter should be no rush. You Mother is ill, and you are also very busy.
Not only will you continue to check the account book for me, but you
have to prepare the things for entering the imperial palace. And so do the
Third Young Lady. The two of you will represent the Lord Protector’s
Manor. Don’t make others look down upon you.”

Madam Dowager surely would not let Ning Xueyan attend Madam Ling,
and she believed that Madam Ling must have planned to frame up Ning
Xueyan once again today.

In previous, Madam Dowager might not care if Madam Ling would

murder Ning Xueyan. After all, she was a weak and useless girl that
Madam Dowager had never regarded her as her own granddaughter. But
now Ning Xueyan was much more important than Madam Ling. Since
the two princes took a fancy to her, Ning Xueyan would become one of
the princes’ co-consort after this Beauty Contest.

Madam Dowager thought that it would be best if Ning Qingshan could

marry the Third Prince, and Ning Xueyan would become the Fourth
Prince’s co-consort. But if the Third Prince got both Ning Xueyan and
Ning Qingshan, it would indicate that the Third Prince could never be
neglected because he was far more powerful than the Fourth Prince. And
if her two granddaughters could marry the Third Prince, the relationship
between the Lord Protector’s Manor and the Third Prince’s Manor would
be strengthened.

Madam Dowager thought that it was necessary. After all, Ning Qingshan
was not like Ning Yuling, who was related to them by blood. So Madam
Dowager thought that she inevitably would not put her whole heart into
the benefits of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Not only that, but they didn’t
know Ning Qingshan’s background clearly.

Therefore, at this time, Madam Dowager thought that the Lord

Protector’s Manor could secure an invincible position no matter Ning
Xueyan would marry the Third Prince or the Fourth Prince.

In this way, Madam Dowager certainly would not watch Madam Ling
make more mistakes and hurt Ning Xueyan again. Now she would
protect not only Ning Xueyan but Ning Qingshan. Thus, Madam
Dowager had already found an excuse for them to avoid Madam Ling in
advance.

Compared with Madam Ling’s body, it was much more important for her
to let the two granddaughters enter the imperial palace and join the
Beauty Contest. How could family affairs be more important than
national affairs?

And this result was exactly what Ning Xueyan wanted. Immediately, she
nodded docilely and agreed.

Of course, Madam Dowager had especially sent Mother Qin to the

Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. On the one hand, Mother Qin went there
to visit Madam Ling. On the other hand, she implicitly delivered a
warning, telling Madam Ling that she should keep her hands off the two
ladies. It was said that Madam Ling vomited a mouthful of blood and
passed out again upon hearing the messages from Madam Dowager.
However, Madam Dowager ignored her because she was very upset at
her now.

They talked for a while longer in the Lucky Garden. Then, Ning
Qingshan and Ning Xueyan left. When they arrived at a fork in the road,
Ning Qingshan suddenly stopped and slightly bowed to Ning Xueyan.
Though Ning Qingshan did it quietly and gently, Ning Xueyan could
clearly see that Ning Qingshan had bowed to her.

“Er… what is she up to now?” Ning Xueyan thought to herself.

Raising her eyebrows, Ning Xueyan smiled and reached out to stop her.
“What’s the matter, Third Sister? You are my Third Sister, how can you
be so courteous to me? I don’t dare to receive your salute.”

“Fifth Sister, your words made me feel ashamed. We had some

misunderstandings before and had some unpleasant memories. But once
we enter the imperial palace, we are still sisters from the same manor so
that we should not regard each other as an outsider from now on. I hope
that we are of one heart about this.” Ning Qingshan said sincerely and
even wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief as if she was
truly touched and cried.
“Is she making efforts to improve relations with me for the imperial
palace’s Beauty Contest? Sure enough, for Ning Qingshan, the Beauty
Contest is the most important thing.”

“What are you talking about? Some unhappy things have indeed
happened between us before, but it was only because I was too young to
be sensitive enough at that time. After we enter the imperial palace, I
naturally will be of one heart with you.” Ning Xueyan smiled and
promised without any concern.

Since Ning Qingshan was not sincere, she would not be sincere either.
Both of them would only maintain superficial harmony with each other.
Ning Qingshan chose to show her kindness to Ning Xueyan here because
she noticed that Madam Dowager seemed to think highly of her. Thus,
she intentionally wanted to show Madam Dowager that she had a good
relationship with Ning Xueyan.

Though a good relationship was a false impression, Ning Qingshan

needed it, and so did Ning Xueyan!

Moreover, Ning Qingshan deliberately showed Ning Xueyan that she

wanted to make peace with her. Also, she hinted that to achieve a high
position and gain great wealth, they should put the disputes between
sisters aside.

Besides, as the honorable Consort-to-be of the Third Prince, Ning

Qingshan believed that Ning Xueyan would not refuse her good
intentions.

As Ning Qingshan had expected, Ning Xueyan echoed her words. They
talked and laughed. Then, they said goodbye to each other and went back
to their courtyards.

Now both of them knew in their hearts that an agreement between them
had reached. In order not to bring any adverse influence on the Beauty
Contest, neither of them would stir up any trouble to each other at least
before they entered the imperial palace.

“Young Lady, there was a woman who secretly came looking for marquis
at the backdoor!” Lanning waited until Ning Qingshan walked far away
and whispered in Ning Xueyan’s ears. She knew it because Qingyu
stayed at the back door at that time and saw everything clearly.
Chapter 254 A Mysterious
Middle-aged Woman
Of course, Qingyu didn’t happen to stay at the gate of the backyard.
Since Ning Xueyan found the strange item of Ning Zu’an’s account, she
cut the cost and let Qingyu wait around the backyard gate where she had
seen someone come to look for Ning Zu’an in her last life.

Usually, only a few people would go out of the manor, so it was not easy
for others to enter the manor even through the backyard gate. But today
was different. In this manor, many people were coming and going. To go
the easier way, some servants directly passed in and out of the back door.
Thus, these guards at the entrance were much less vigilant than usual. If
someone wanted to go into the manor to find Ning Zu’an, today was his
or her best opportunity.

Ning Xueyan also checked the background of the older female servant
who guarded the back door. She worked neither for Madam Ling nor the
Madam Dowager. Instead, she was the mother of Ning Zu’an’s former
subordinate, who was disabled on the battlefield. Then, Ning Zu’an took
care of all his families and especially brought the subordinate’s mother to
his manor to guard the back door.

More than that, her wages were twice as much as that of the other
ordinary servants. Thus, in this sense, she was one of the henchmen of
Ning Zu’an.

Therefore, she must be the more suitable person who could help Ning
Zu’an to do something that he did not want other people in the manor to
know.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan let Qingyu stay here to keep an eye for this
woman. And obviously, Ning Xueyan got this important news as a result.

“Where is Qingyu?” Now Ning Xueyan was clear about what she should
do next. She nodded and asked.
“She is still there, watching the woman.” Lanning replied.

“Tell her to come back. She doesn’t need to tail others now.” Ning
Xueyan ordered. After that, she parted company with Lanning and went
to the Bright Frost Garden alone. As requested, Lanning went to look for
Qingyu around Ning Zu’an’s study.

Just when Ning Xueyan went back to the Bright Frost Garden and sat
down, Lanning and Qingyu also returned together.

“Young Lady, that woman has been hanging around the marquis’ study
for a long time. Later, she met the young male servant of marquis. It
seemed that they knew each other. After they exchanged a few words,
the servant went outside. Before long, our marquis came back and
brought the woman in his study. They haven’t come out yet.”

Qingyu had been fixing her eyes on the woman who suddenly appeared
in the manor, so she knew what exactly the woman had done!

“What does that woman look like?” Picking up the tea that Lanning
made for her, Ning Xueyan took a sip. Seemingly thinking of this
question all of a sudden, she asked while holding the teacup.

“I followed her. At first, I didn’t see her clearly. But later, it seemed that
she could not find anyone to get in touch with her and was anxiously
walking around the gate of the study. Then pretending to pass by there, I
deliberately walked over and took a glance at her. However, the woman
was very timid. When she saw me, she stepped aside shyly to hide. She
was about in her thirties and only had an ordinary appearance. I have
never seen her. I think that she didn’t live in our manor.”

Qingyu thought that Ning Xueyan only wanted to find out whether this
woman was from the Lord Protector’s Manor or not. Thus, she specially
added the last two sentences.

Ning Xueyan slightly lowered her head, and her eyes dimmed with
doubts. “An ordinary appearance? Then, she looked just so so. Well, it is
different from what I have expected. Did I make a mistake about that?
But judging by various signs in all aspects, I don’t think that I was
wrong.”
She had asked Mother Han to check the item of that account. But it
seemed that this secret was kept very tight. Therefore, they found no
trace. In any case, Ning Xueyan didn’t dare to let Mother Han check the
account openly because it would inevitably alert Ning Zu’an. Well, Ning
Xueyan always thought that there was little affection between her father
Ning Zu’an and her.

“What’s the look on marquis’ face when he saw the woman?” Rolling
her eyes and thinking, Ning Xueyan asked for details.

“He seemed to be resentful and didn’t look well. When he spotted that
woman, he just frowned and threw a few glances at her. Then he
continued to walk toward the study. Vigilantly glancing around, the
woman timidly went in after him as if she were his newly married little
wife.”

Qingyu recalled the scene at the time. She also felt very surprised. “The
whole time, the woman’s behaviors have been very strange. Could she be
the maid in our manor? But she didn’t look like one. If she was not a
maid, why would the people in the backyard go straight to find marquis
when she was here? It didn’t seem to make any sense.”

“Qingyu, let’s go to the backyard to take a look. Just now, the manor was
in great confusion. I don’t know whether or not my brothers have already
checked the matter out.” After a while of thinking, Ning Xueyan stood
up and said to Qingyu.

Initially, the Bright Frost Garden that they lived in was at the remote part
of the manor. So it was not a long way for them to go to the backyard.

Today, because of Madam Ling, the news that an assassin appeared in

the manor came out. As one of the daughters in the Lord Protector’s
Manor, it was natural for her to go to the backyard to check.

Wiping the few teardrops at the corners of her eyes, the middle-aged
woman came out of Ning Zu’an’s study and looked again at the cold
back of Ning Zu’an. Gritting her teeth, she endured the sadness in her
heart and retreated. Along the way, she walked very carefully. Lowering
her head, she subconsciously avoided almost everyone who came close
to her.
As today was a big day for Marchioness, the Lord Protector’s Manor had
many guests who were buzzing with excitement. However, after the
previous farce, all those maids and older female servants in the backyard
acted with great care because they were afraid of accidentally getting
themselves in trouble. Thus, although they saw an unfamiliar woman
walking in the manor, they all chose to ignore her.

After all, there was a party today in the manor, and First Madam had
specially transferred a few maids and older female servants to the manor
last night. Thus, it was reasonable that they didn’t know who this woman
was.

People in the manor had heard the accident happened on Ning Ziyan at
the Orchid Garden. Ning Ziyan fell into great trouble after she ran into
two maids that she didn’t know.

Just like that, the woman simply walked up to the back door. Looking at
the door from a certain distance, she breathed a sigh of relief. Out of this
gate, no one would know her. Thus, as long as she got out, no one would
recognize and stop her, and she would finally be safe.

Thinking of this, she quickened her pace to arrive at the gate as fast as
she could. But suddenly, a young girl appeared at the crossing ahead with
a maid following behind. At a glance, the woman instantly knew that she
must be a lady from a noble family, so she stood on the roadside at once.
Lowering her head and shoulder to show respect, she didn’t dare to move
a bit.

“Who are you?” A gentle voice with a touch of tenderness came into her
ears.

A pair of embroidered shoes with two hibiscus flowers appeared before

her eyes, and the skirt covered half of the two flowers.

“I came here to ask marquis for the village’s monthly allowance.”

Carefully, the woman said the answer that was familiar to her because
she had said before. Thus, she did not hesitate a little.

“The village’s monthly allowance? Which village?” Ning Xueyan

questioned closely with a smile, looking at the middle-aged woman who
kept her head low and hid almost her whole face.
“It is the village outside the city. This year the village had a bad harvest,
so marquis asked me to come over and get some yearly allowance.” The
middle-aged woman had never thought that this Young Lady before
would be interested in this. Startled a little, but still, she replied
respectfully. Facing such a well-behaved woman, Ning Xueyan could not
find a flaw.

Behind Ning Xueyan, Qingyu looked the woman up and down curiously,
but she couldn’t see what exactly had happened.

“The village outside the city is very close to the capital city. How did
you get here?” Ning Xueyan’s attitude was as gentle as ever, and there
was always a smile in her eyes. Her eyes landed on the middle-aged
woman’s plain cloth gown, her hair, and then the normal style hairpin in
her neatly combed hair.

The hairpin that had a normal style was gold, which was unsuited to the
cloth gown all over her.

“The village is quite far away. I came by hitchhiking, or I could not

arrive at the Lord Protector’s Manor at this time.” When the middle-aged
woman learned that Ning Xueyan only asked how she entered the city,
she breathed a sigh of relief and answered with ease.

“Will you go back soon?”

“Maybe I have to wait for a while because I still have something to do in

the city. I am going to see an old friend.” It seemed that Ning Xueyan
only wanted to make small talk with her. Thus, the woman became more
natural in chatting and answered without thinking.

“Oh, I can call a carriage in this manor for you. Would you like it?
Though you are from the village, you are still one of the people in the
manor.” Showing some interest to this woman on her face, Ning Xueyan
continued to ask and tried to lure her into saying something more.

“No… I don’t need a carriage. I… I will just wander around. I am going

to see a friend first and buy some daily necessities.” Upon hearing that
Ning Xueyan wanted to send her away by carriage, the middle-aged
woman anxiously shook her hands and involuntarily raised her head.
“She has an extremely ordinary face of a woman. Amid all maids or
servants in the manor, she didn’t stand out at all. Especially those
wrinkles at the corners of her eyes make her look a little older than her
age, plus there are traces of hard manual labor on her hands and feet.
Apparently, she doesn’t live a comfortable, luxurious life.” Ning Xueyan
thought. Quietly, Ning Xueyan landed her eyes on the woman’s little
chapped hands.

“It is in winter now, but the skin on her hands looks good, which is not
like the rough skin of the servants in the manor.”

“Then, go back earlier, lest you keep others waiting too long.” After
giving the woman a kind smile, Ning Xueyan stopped staring at her and
just walked forward with the maid.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan left, the middle-aged women breathed a big
sigh of relief. “Today, there is a party in the Lord Protector’s Manor, and
many guests are here. But this Young Lady doesn’t seem to come from
the other manors. So is she the Third Young Lady, the Fourth Young
Lady, or the Fifth Young Lady?”

The middle-aged woman’s eyes flickered, but she still could not tell who
this Young Lady was. With a sigh, she said to herself, “What has
happened is in the past. Even if I know who she is, so what? I became an
outsider of this manor long ago.”

Thinking of this, she continued to walk toward the back door. Seeing that
she walked over, the older female servant at the gate immediately pushed
the gate open and let her go without asking any question. The servant
watched the woman go out of the gate in silence. Then she closed the
back door, heaving a sigh.

The two of them acted extremely fast and naturally. However, Ning
Xueyan didn’t leave. Instead, she was standing behind the tree by the
path, watching them. When Ning Xueyan spotted the scene, her arch
eyebrows wrinkled a little, and she asked, “Has Xinmei gone out of the
manor now?”

Ning Xueyan felt confused. “Ning Zu’an wanted to keep her existence as
a secret. But this person, did she feel even more reluctant to be noticed
by others?”
“Yes, Xinmei has already gone there. At this time, she must have arrived
at the back door. Young Lady, is there anything wrong about the village
of marquis? It hasn’t made a profit for a whole year. More than that, the
village even needed marquis to make up a deficit. How could it be
possible?”

Puzzled, Qingyu said her doubts now as she had heard this matter clearly
not long ago.

Ning Xueyan had just found out that the book that was cooked. But now,
an unexpected error about the village also occurred. Did these people in
the village cook their books too? But the village belonged only to
marquis. Thus, even if people in the village also had to report the
account, they could just provide a general account of cash flow and
didn’t need to report it to the backyard.

Ning Xueyan could not tell whether there was anything wrong.

“Let’s go back to take a rest first. Marquis will certainly give us an

explanation. It is just that I don’t know if it is the same as what the
woman said.” At this moment, Ning Xueyan had already cooled down.
She smiled elegantly, but the corners of her lips slightly lifted with a
sneer.

Madam Ming’s marriage to Ning Zu’an proved to be the greatest

calamity of her life for Ning Zu’an was a disloyal and ungrateful man.
Eventually, she died miserably. Originally, Madam Ming was only a
concubine, but she then successfully took Madam Ming’s place. But
even after that, she didn’t spare Madam Ming and her daughter. Only
because Madam Ling was the marchioness who was the Legal Wife of
Ning Zu’an, Ning Xueyan failed to defeat her after many attempts.

Of course, it was also because Madam Ling gave birth to the only son of
Ning Zu’an.

If she had not been reborn, Ning Xueyan also could not escape her fate
to die, and all the bad things were caused by Madam Ling and Ning
Zu’an…
Chapter 255 The Qingyun
Academy
Xinmei returned in the evening but didn’t bring back many messages.

The friend that the middle-aged woman went to visit was a young
student. They seemed to be quite close to each other like they were
mother and son. The woman brought him some clean clothes to change
his clothes for washing. After chatting for a long time, they parted with
reluctance. All their acts unintentionally showed the family affection
between them.

“Young Lady, the young man came out through the side door. Right after
finishing talking with the woman, he closed the door and left. There was
no one around that I could ask for more information.” Of course, Xinmei
could not climb over the wall to enter the academy in broad daylight
because it would attract others’ attention.

“What is the size of that academy?” Lowering her head, Ning Xueyan
touched the cup in her hand and asked after thinking for a moment.

“It has an average size, not as large as those big academies in the capital
city. But it looks fairly formal. The academy is located at the west city
gate. I especially went around to its front to check and found that the
academy is named Qingyun Academy.”

There were many large and small academies in the capital, compared
with which Xinmei really didn’t think the Qingyun Academy was large.
Besides, she had never heard of the Qingyun Academy before.

The village of Ning Zu’an was in the eastern part of the city, but the
Qingyun Academy was in the western part of the city. Thus, the woman
almost crossed the entire capital city to see the young man. It was
reasonable if the woman especially went there to visit her son. But why
didn’t she say it just now? Not only that, but it seemed that she was
afraid that others would know this. Also, she refused to take the carriage
provided by the manor and chose to go there all by herself.
How could these acts of her be normal? Moreover, the village’s income
appeared to be very weird. It suffered deficit year after year, but Ning
Zu’an said nothing about it. He even sent money to that village monthly.
Ning Xueyan only stopped providing them the money for a month.
Someone from the village could not bear it and came to see Ning Zu’an
directly.

This matter must be related to Ning Zu’an.

Ning Xueyan flipped through these books to check the time that each
cost occurred. “At least, this cost that spent on the village has always
existed. Since Madam Ling was in charge of the backyard, there began
the record of this cost on the account book. It indicated that this cost
must have happened long ago. Moreover, Madam Ling had given tacit
consent to this expenditure, but she didn’t have the chance to get it from
the manor’s expense.”

Casually, she opened the account book at hand, browsing through it page
by page. “The expense of each month is the same.”

“The woman’s son is in the Qingyun Academy. But why does a son of an
ordinary servant from the village have the money to go to the academy?”

“Young Lady, how about me going to guard the Qingyun Academy’s

gate again? If that young man goes out, I can ask him some questions
that you’d like to know.” Seeing that Ning Xueyan remained silent the
whole time, Xinmei suggested.

“You don’t need to guard the door. But you can go there again to ask if
there is a student surnamed Ning in the academy. If there is such a
student, ask for his name only and don’t do anything else.” Smiling
slightly, Ning Xueyan closed the account book in her hand, and
meanwhile, she had already gotten a plan in her heart.

“Yes, I will go there soon.” Xinmei nodded and retreated.

The Lord Protector was dogged by bad luck this year. Bad things
happened in his manor one after another. When the New Year was
coming, it came to the rumor saying that the First Madam, Madam Ling,
was possessed and fell ill. Those madams who joined the party
confirmed it. Apparently, something was wrong with her. Also, it was
said that she even vomited blood on the spot.

Of course, some savvy madams maintained a wait-and-see attitude.

Sometimes, things were not what they appeared to be. Having
experienced the struggles in the backyard, they could instantly
understand what was going on without being told. Thus, to the
Marchioness of the Lord Protector’s Manor whose reputation had always
been good, these people were not as close as before. This time, they only
asked a servant to visit her, sending some gifts to show that they were
still concerned about her.

Madam Ling indeed spat out blood because she was furious. She failed
to set Ning Xueyan up and trapped her daughter instead. Xia Yuhang
happened to see the scene that Ning Ziyan stayed with a man, not
appropriately dressed. Especially just now, to inquire about more
information in the Xia Manor, Madam Ling sent Mother Chen to see
Ning Ziyan, but Mother Chen was blocked outside of the Xia Manor.
People in the Xia Manor told her that Ning Ziyan was sick now and
could not see any guests.

When Madam Ling heard the news, a mouthful of blood rushed up to her
throat. With her handkerchief, she covered her mouth and forcibly
suppressed her urge to throw up because of the smell of blood going up
through her throat. It took her a long while to calm down. Then, grinding
her teeth, Madam Ling said to Mother Chen with a ferocious look.
“What did those people in the Xia Manor mean? Yan’er is in such a good
condition, why did they say she was ill? Go there again. You must see
Yan’er. Tell them that I ask you to see her. If you cannot see her this
time, you can never come back to this manor.”

Madam Ling meant that she wanted Mother Chen to break into Minster
Xia’s manor by force. But Mother Chen was only an older female
servant, how dare her to do that? Minster Xia was an imposing highest-
ranking official. How could a servant like her force her way into his
manor? Let alone that they seemed to be on the wrong side. Moreover,
the Eldest Young Lady’s reputation hadn’t yet been restored. Thus, when
Mother Chen heard Madam Ling’s order, she drew back her neck in fear
and advised, “Madam, you’d better not deal with this thing in a hurry. I
think that you should discuss this matter with the Eldest Young Master
first. And you two can consider it carefully before making a final
decision.”

“Consider it carefully? If I take my time to discuss with him carefully,

something bad will soon happen to my Yan’er! Look at her. She was all
right when she came back to the manor. But then, bad things happened to
her one after another. I, I… That b*tch Ning Xueyan, I will never forgive
her.” With this, Madam Ling suddenly felt that a feeling of sorrow
overcame her. She took out her handkerchief to wipe the tears welling up
in her eyes. But right after that, her vicious face clouded.

Ning Ziyan would suffer a series of incidents each time when she came
back at the Lord Protector’s Manor. But up to now, Madam Ling still had
never thought that it was the traps she specially made for Ning Xueyan
that brought Ning Ziyan all the trouble, though these evil traps were all
crashed at last. Madam Ling only felt that Ning Xueyan did all of this to
her daughter.

“Mother, don’t you think it was too late for you to regret now?” An
angry voice came at the door. Mother Chen looked up and found that the
Eldest Young Master Ning Huaiyuan was standing at the door. Knowing
that he must have something to say to Madam Ling, Mother Chen
saluted him and retreated with caution, secretly breathing a sigh of relief
in her heart.

Thinking of Madam Ling’s crazy attitude just now, Mother Chen knew
that Madam Ling must not have been in bad condition.

To Madam Ling, her son was the most convincing person. In others’
eyes, he was the only son of the Legal Wife in the Lord Protector’s
Manor who was talented and had a fairly good reputation. In the future,
the Lord Protector’s Manor would undoubtedly be in his charge. Also,
Madam Ling knew that her son was rather sophisticated and tactful.
Merely through the way her son used to deal with the thing that
happened yesterday could she know it.

Ning Huaiyuan could quickly come up with such an incident about the
“assassin” at that moment and at least maintained Ning Ziyan’s
reputation outside.
Now seeing that her son was staring at her in displeasure, she
immediately became less overbearing. “I… I was very worried about
Yan’er…”

“Did you say that you worry about my oldest younger sister? But
Mother, I remember asking you not to take rash actions for the time
being. You seemed to have forgotten it again, right?” Ning Huaiyuan
strode in and took a seat at the chair on one side. His face was full of
anger and dissatisfaction.

“This b*tch girl is too crafty. I… I was accidentally fooled by her and
got your sister into trouble.” Madam Ling argued.

“Mother, I think that you must have been living extremely comfortable
these years. You always believed that your plots succeeded. But you
haven’t yet noticed that you brought trouble to my two sisters again and
again. Now that my Second Sister’s face was disfigured and her
reputation was ruined. What’s worse, Grandmother has sent her to that
terrible place. Will it be my oldest younger sister’s turn to be destroyed
next?”

Ning Huaiyuan sneered and stopped Madam Ling from defending

herself.

“So these were the traps that you set for enemies. You racked your brains
in scheming. But have you ever thought that your son and daughters are
enduring the painful consequences of your failure?”

“No, it was not like that. It was because of the extremely good luck of
that girl. Next time, I must…” Madam Ling flushed because of her own
son’s accusation, and she tried to explain that it was not her fault.

“Luck? The next time? Mother, Did I hear you right? Do you think that
Ning Xueyan could escape your traps all because of her good luck? Do
you truly believe that you can thoroughly defeat her next time? Mother, I
cannot believe that you are really so stupid. So next time, whom do you
want to bring trouble to? Me?” It had never occurred to Ning Huaiyuan
that Madam Ling was thinking about what to do the next time. Suddenly,
he burst into anger.
Bad things had happened to Ning Yuling and then Ning Ziyan. And Ning
Huaiyuan believed that it must be his turn to get into trouble the next
time. Although he didn’t think that Ning Xueyan could be so capable, he
clearly sensed the Fourth Prince was unhappy today. Others might not
know whether the matter about the “assassin” was real or not. But as
both the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince witnessed the whole thing on
the spot, so how could they not see the truth?

Usually, the Fourth Prince appeared to be careless, but he was sensible

enough. Afterward, the Fourth Prince only told him that he’d better look
out for himself. It was evident that the Fourth Prince had expressed all he
wanted to say in this advice.

Lately, people in the Lord Protector’s Manor now exerted great efforts to
try to become related to the Third Prince by marriage. It seemed that all
of them firmly believed that the Third Prince would be the future
emperor of the country. But personally, Ning Huaiyuan had a better
relationship with the Fourth Prince. This time, part of the reason that he
traveled far away this time was to run errands for the Fourth Prince. The
Lord Protector wanted to maintain a good relationship with both the
Fourth Prince and the Third Prince.

But of course, there was a difference. To Lord Protector, a daughter

could marry someone and represent another family since then. But his
son Ning Huaiyuan could not do that. Hence, Ning Huaiyuan only kept a
close relationship with the Fourth Prince and helped him to handle some
affairs in secret such that others didn’t know all of this. In this way, if the
Third Prince became the emperor in the future, Ning Huaiyuan could
easily get rid of the Fourth Prince. Anyway, Ning Huaiyuan kept all the
things that he did for the Fourth Prince as secrets.

Of course, he honestly told the Fourth Prince that since the Third Prince
took a fancy to Ning Qingshan, he could do nothing about it. Therefore,
the Fourth Prince didn’t alienate him for this thing. But this time, it was
because Ning Xueyan had warned the Fourth Prince, he became so
furious. How could Ning Huaiyuan not know that?

“How… how can I do that? I will never make such a mistake again.”
Madam Ling shook her head anxiously.
“Mother, you can slowly guide my father and Grandmother to find the
fact that the Fifth Sister is a vicious person. Then, they can certainly deal
with her. Why did you intentionally give yourself away and make others
think that her Mother framed her?” Ning Huaiyuan said.

This kind of thing could not be rushed. Madam Ling was really too
anxious.

“But, I will never let off that cheap girl.” Grinding her teeth, Madam
Ling said anxiously, feeling very reluctant to let Ning Xueyan go without
doing anything.

“Mother, when you deal with someone like the Fifth Sister, you must
either show the love between her and you or finish her off with one blow.
Since you are powerless now, you should try your best to be nice to her.
Only by doing this, others can never blame you for anything that will
happen to her in the future. Mother, you haven’t met any opponent for so
many years, and so don’t you even understand such a simple truth now?”

Ning Huaiyuan said with a sneer.

Being repeatedly humiliated by her son, Madam Ling became a little

angry from shame. Staring at him, she said, “What bullshit are you
talking about?”

“Mother, don’t you know whether what I said was bullshit or not? If you
go on making trouble like this, you are bound to hound my oldest
younger sister to death.” Ning Huaiyuan ignored her unpleasant look and
continued to say. Unconsciously, he lifted his mouth corners, showing a
trace of sarcasm. “You even asked an older female servant to break in the
Xia Manor. Mother, you are afraid that the reputation of my oldest
younger sister is not worse enough, aren’t you?”
Chapter 256 Meet Commandery
Princess Xianyun for the First
Time
Ning Huaiyuan was really upset today. A wonderful party had been
ruined by such a scandal!

It not only disturbed the people of the Lord Protector’s Manor, but also
annoyed Xia Yuhang and he had taken Ning Ziyan and Xia Yudong back
to his manor. Ning Huaiyuan knew that Xia Yuhang was not easy to mess
with and if his mother thought that she could control the Xia Manor by
marrying Ning Ziyan to Xia Yuhang, she was too naive. Ning Huaiyuan
felt that he had never seen through Xia Yuhang.

He had objected to Ning Ziyan marrying Xia Yuhang, but Ning Ziyan
had been so fascinated by this man and insisted on marrying him.

“Ziyan… Xia Yuhang won’t believe that Ziyan had an affair with Xia
Yudong, right?” Madam Ling asked anxiously after thinking it for a
while. She became listless at once at the mention of Ning Ziyan. Every
man who had seen that would think that his wife was having an affair, so
Madam Ling was really worried about Ning Ziyan now.

“No, he won’t,” Ning Huaiyuan answered with certainty.

Xia Yuhang was so smart and he would not be fooled so easily.

Madam Ling, as a loving mother, felt relieved after being assured by his
son. “Oh, that’s good! Shall I ask someone to go to the Xia Manor and
check how your eldest sister is doing?” she asked.

“Mother, although Yuhang will not misunderstand Ziyan, it does not

mean everything is okay. No man can stand the gossip about his wife’s
affair with another man. Besides, this man is his younger brother.” Ning
Huaiyuan felt ridiculous to see Madam Ling’s relaxed face and he could
not help mocking her.
If Xia Yuhang did not care about it at all, he would not have brought
Ning Ziyan back to his manor without saying goodbye to them.

“What do you think Xia Yuhang is going do to Ziyan?” Madam Ling

became nervous again.

“He won’t do anything to her in front of people. However, I cannot

guarantee that he will stay calm after returning to his manor. Mother,
you’d better not ask anyone to visit the Xia Manor and inquire
information in the few days. My eldest sister will be okay. If you keep on
inquiring information and annoy Xia Yuhang, I’m not sure what will
happen next.”

Ning Huaiyuan said, raising his eyebrows.

“What shall I do next?” Madam Ling was in a panic and she could only
ask her son for advice.

“You should do nothing except for taking care of your health. I will find
an opportunity to visit my eldest sister. Don’t stir any trouble again for a
while. Third Sister and Fifth Sister will go to the imperial palace soon to
attend the Beauty Contest. If they win in the contest, they will rise high.
Although Third Prince will marry Third Sister, it does not mean that
Fifth Sister is unpopular.”

Ning Huaiyuan came here mainly to warn Madam Ling, hoping she
would not make any trouble again. For him, That Madam Ling had
repeatedly lost in the battle between Ning Xueyan and her was because
she was too impatient and not that smart. For him, Ning Xueyan was
only a pawn and she would leave the manor and get married sooner or
later. If she was obedient, it would be good to the Lord Protector’s
Manor’s advantage.

However, if she did not follow their words, they could let her be their
scapegoat. Therefore, it was unnecessary to go against Ning Xueyan and
cause so much trouble for the moment.

“Why is Ning Xueyan going to the imperial palace to attend the Beauty
Contest? This little b*tch is not qualified to go to the imperial palace.
She must have taken Ling’er’s place!” Madam Ling did not figure out
Ning Huaiyuan’s intention, but flew into a rage at the shocking news.
“Why? Mother, it is so ridiculous for you to ask such a question. She is
the daughter of Lord Protector’s wedded wife. Why are you saying that
she is not qualified to attend the contest? Mother, to be honest, she is the
real wedded wife’s daughter of our manor. Do you still remember it?”
Ning Huaiyuan could not help scoffing at Madam Ling’s wrong-headed
persistence. He had no plan to go against Ning Xueyan for the moment.

However, he would not spare her in the future.

Since he had first seen Ning Xueyan, he had been thinking to destroy
her, but not now!

“Mother, don’t blame me for not reminding you. Both my grandmother

and my father attached great importance to the coming Beauty Contest. I
don’t hope anything unexpected happens to our manor again. Don’t do
such kind of stupid things again! Otherwise, even though you are the
hostess of the manor, my grandmother and my father will not spare you!”

Ignoring Madam Ling’s widened eyes with anger, with one last warning
word, Ning Huaiyuan suddenly stood up and walked outward, shaking
his sleeve.

The Beauty Contest was coming soon, and Ning Qingshan and Ning
Xueyan were the only two Young Ladies with good reputation among
Ning Zu’an’s daughters. Therefore, No one was allowed to make trouble
at this critical moment. His mother had already annoyed his grandmother
and his father, so neither of them had come to visit her after she fell ill.
However, she was so stupid that until now, she had not realized it yet. If
she went on like this, she might get him into trouble.

For his own future, Ning Huaiyuan would not allow this to happen.

Nothing special happened in the following days. The physician was

attending on Madam Ling wholeheartedly at Auspicious Clouds
Courtyard. It was said that Madam Ling was very sick, or so it seemed.
Therefore, Madam Dowager had to manage the affairs of the manor
again. And Ning Xueyan was still in charge of the accounts.

It had snowed for a few times this winter and snow fell from time to
time. Since Ning Xueyan was a southerner in her last life, she had liked
to watch snow scenes. She was free and had not so many things to
handle recently, so she felt very relaxed. Even Madam Dowager had
exempted her and Ning Qingshan from offering greetings to her every
morning and evening so that they could have a good rest.

This went on for some time until one day Ning Xueyan received Heng
Yuqing’s invitation card. She freshened herself up and went to the Lord
Guardian’s Manor with Lanning.

As soon as the servant reported to Heng Yuqing about Ning Xueyan’s

arrival, Heng Yuqing ran out. She pulled Ning Xueyan into the manor
excitedly. They had only taken a few steps forward when they saw Heng
Yuwan coming out from the room, shaking the fan in her hand.

“Eldest Sister, is she the guest you invited? From the way you treated
her, I really thought that she was some distinguished guest!” Heng
Yuwan had seen Ning Xueyan at the Lord Protector’s Manor last time.
She had only heard that she was the Fifth Young Lady who was
unfavored at her manor. Afterwards, it had been too noisy and she had
not found an opportunity to inquire about Ning Xueyan.

Since then, she had always thought that Ning Xueyan was a powerless
and unfavored Young Lady at the Lord Protector’s Manor and could not
be compared with the noble Third Young Lady.

Therefore, she spoke with obvious contempt.

Heng Yuqing almost lost her temper at the sight of Heng Yuwan, a fury
look crossing her eyes. Ning Xueyan pulled her hand and smiled at Heng
Yuwan. “Is this Second Young Lady of the Lord Guardian’s Manor?
Yuqing, I’m surprised that you two sisters to be so close and the
difference between the wedded wife’s daughter and the concubine’s
daughter is not obvious. I will ask the Young Ladies of other manors to
learn from you when I visit them in the future.”

How could the difference between the principal wife’s daughter and the
concubine’s daughter not be obvious? There was a world of difference
between the two! If the outsiders knew that a concubine’s daughter had
shouted at a noble principal wife’s daughter, the manor would get into
trouble and even Lord Guardian could not afford it.
Heng Yuwan froze for a while. She did not expect that the unfavored
Fifth Young Lady would have been so quick-witted and shot back so
soon. Besides, it was obvious that what Ning Xueyan said was more
reasonable.

Fortunately, Heng Yuwan was a smart girl as well. Since Ning Xueyan
was not easy to provoke, she immediately pretended that she did not
understand what Ning Xueyan was hinting. “Fifth Young Lady, you are
too polite. Please get into the room first. I will be back after greeting
Commandery Princess Xianyun,” she said with a smile.

“Commandery Princess Xianyun?” Ning Xueyan frowned slightly. She

was a little surprised that Commandery Princess Xianyun, Yun Cai’er,
would come to attend the birthday party held by a concubine’s daughter.

Commandery Princess Xianyun, Yun Cai’er, was Empress Dowager’s

relative, so she was no ordinary at all. Although Empress Dowager had
passed away, Yun Cai’er was still the emperor’s family member.
Therefore, as the eldest daughter of her family, she was titled
Commandery Princess. It was said that the emperor liked her very much
and she had grown up at the imperial palace, so she was familiar with the
princes since childhood. However, nobody could tell which prince she
was closer with.

How could such a distinguished princess come here?

“Heng Yuwan’s aunt is the distant relation of the Yun family.” Heng
Yuqing knew what Ning Xueyan was wondering, so she whispered in her
ear.

They greeted the guests in the flower hall. There were not so many
visitors and the friends who had been invited by Heng Yuqing and Heng
Yuwan were all Young Ladies. Therefore, it was inconvenient for Lord
Guardian to show up, so he only asked people to bring more ovens here.
The flower hall was as warm as spring and everyone took off their robes
as soon as they entered the hall.

This made them feel both convenient and relax.

The flower hall of the Lord Guardian’s Manor had been specially
designed with a rockery and a few streams on one side of it. There were
also a few plum trees along the streams. The plum blossoms bloomed in
the snow, emitting a trace of fragrance in the air.

There was a door near the rockery. If the guests felt stuffy in the flower
hall, they could go out and get some air here. Under the rockery were the
plum trees and a small lake, gathered streams flowing. The environment
was so elegant!

Many noble Young Ladies had come, so Heng Yuqing had to leave Ning
Xueyan alone to greet them. Ning Xueyan walked out from a side door
and saw a platform outside with handrails on both sides. There was no
handrail in front of her except for a stone table and a few stone stools,
looking both natural and elegant. If it was not winter, it would be an
ideal place to drink tea and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

“Miss!” Lanning pushed her slightly from behind, gesturing her to look
over there.

Holding up the tea cup and taking a sip of tea, Ning Xueyan looked in
the direction Lanning was pointing at quietly. She saw several strong
female servants sit there chatting. It seemed they had been tired of the
work, and were talking excitedly behind a tree.

Where they were was behind the rockery, facing the wind, and it was
obvious that it was not an ideal place for chatting. Besides, their masters
were greeting the guests in the flower hall now. Why were they so bold
to chat under their masters’ noses? It must be because the hostess of the
manor was ill, the servants were slacking.

It was too windy here and after standing for a while, Ning Xueyan felt a
little cold. She then turned around and returned to the hall with Lanning.
As soon as she stepped into the room, she felt warm at once.

The guests were talking excitedly in the hall. Since they were all Young
Ladies about the same age, they did not need to care too much about
etiquette, so they had a lot in common. Seeing Ning Xueyan coming,
Heng Yuqing pulled her to a girl in gorgeous dress and introduced to her,
“Xueyan, this is Commandery Princess Xianyun of the Lord Peace’s
Manor.”
The Empress Dowager’s clan, the Yun Clan, had been made of Lord
Peace’s Manor by the emperor.

Commandery Princess Xianyun seemed to be a very kind girl. She was

very pretty and whenever she smiled, a lovely pair of dimples would
appear on her face, making her even more amiable. She looked both
gentle and graceful. When she saw Ning Xueyan bowing to her, she
reached out to help her up and said with a smile, “Fifth Young Lady, you
are so polite!”

“Is this Fifth Young Lady of the Nings who has been in the limelight
recently? I had only heard of Eldest Young Lady, Second Young Lady,
Third Young Lady of the Nings, and had known nothing about Fifth
Young Lady. It seems that after Second Madam’s passing away, Fifth
Young Lady suddenly became well-known.” A mocking voice ringing
out beside her.

Ning Xueyan looked aside and saw a beautiful girl. She wore a pink
dress and gorgeous jewelry, looking arrogant.

“This is Second Young Lady of the Lord Peace’s Manor.” Heng Yuqing
knew that Ning Xueyan did not know other noble Young Ladies in the
capital, so she reminded her in a low voice.

“Thank you for caring about the Lord Protector’s Manor’s business,”
Ning Xueyan said with a smile, looking at Second Young Lady of the
Lord Peace’s Manor, Yun Luoluo, quietly.

In any case, it was improper for a noble Young Lady to gossip. However,
it seemed that the Second Young Lady of the Lord Peace’s Manor had
not realized that Ning Xueyan was satirizing her and was still
challenging Ning Xueyan, looking at the Young Ladies around her.
Chapter 257 The Birthday Party
of the Lord Guardian’s Daughter
“What a piece of sensational news that the Second Madam of the Lord
Protector’s Manor died at Eldest Young Lady’s wedding ceremony!
There are many interesting rumors about it,” Yun Luoluo said with a
sneer.

The way she spoke was very rude and she even made fun of Madam
Ming’s death! Ning Xueyan’s face darkened at the words, a coldness
flashing in her eyes. As soon as Ning Ziying and Ning Xueyan’s
memories merged, she had regarded Madam Ming as her own mother, so
of course she was annoyed when she heard Yun Luoluo insulting Madam
Ming.

With a sneer on her lips, she said, “His Majesty has drawn the
conclusion. Second Young Lady, aren’t you satisfied with His Majesty’s
decision? It seems you have more guts than those officials and dare even
speak out against His Majesty’s will.”

Although the Lord Peace’s Manor was Empress Dowager’s family home,
she had died and all the other noble families knew that the Lord Peace’s
Manor was declining. Only very few young men of the Yun Clan were
outstanding and they could hardly become the backbone of the manor.
Except for Commandery Princess Xianyun, the Yun Clan could not be
compared with the Lord Protector’s Manor at all.

Being polite did not mean being tolerant. Ning Xueyan did not think that
she should put up with such a person who was gossiping about her
mother. If she did not fight back, she would not only swallow the
bitterness silently but also be looked down upon by those noble Young
Ladies as well.

“You…” As Ning Xueyan expected, hearing the words, Yun Luoluo

blushed and did not know what to say.
The emperor had made his attitude known through the punishment.
Everyone knew that because the Lord Protector’s Manor held the
wedding for Ning Ziyan after Madam Ming had just died, Madam Ling
had been beaten with sticks at the imperial palace and stripped of her
title as the Marchioness. If Yun Luoluo still gossiped about this, it would
be against the emperor’s will.

“Fifth Young Lady, do you know who you are talking to? My master is
Commandery Princess Xianyun’s younger sister, Lord Peace’s wedded
wife’s daughter. Do you know which manor Empress Dowager was
from? The Lord Peace’s Manor!” The maid behind Yun Luoluo suddenly
stepped out of the crowd and shouted at Ning Xueyan. She raised her
head high and pointed at Commandery Princess Xianyun when she spoke
this.

She specially mentioned that the Lord Peace’s Manor was Empress
Dowager’s family home, hinting that in any case, Ning Xueyan’s status
was lower than her master’s.

Commandery Princess Xianyun seemed to be talking to a Young Lady

with her head lowered and did not notice what was happening.

Having got Ning Xueyan’s hint, Lanning took a step forward and shot
back. “My master is talking to your master. You are just a maid. How
dare you butt in? Did the Lord Peace’s Manor teach you to speak in this
way?” she asked in surprise with a faint smile.

Lanning was the most capable and the smartest among Ning Xueyan’s
maids. She had sensed the anger in Ning Xueyan’s words, so she
immediately fought back without showing mercy. Seeing that the maid
still wanted to say something although she was blushed with
embarrassment, Lanning continued, “Everyone present knows that
Empress Dowager was from the Yun Clan, so it’s unnecessary for a maid
to remind the Young Ladies. Since Lord Peace’s Manor is the most
distinguished lady, Empress Dowager’s family home, of course her
family is good at etiquette training. It’s said that the Young Ladies from
the Lord Peace’s Manor are as well-bred as the empress.”

“Since you know it, how dare you…” The maid shot back
subconsciously.
“How dare we? It seems you also think that the Young Ladies of the
Lord Peace’s Manor are as well-bred as the empress?” Lanning asked in
surprise.

“Impudent! Go back to your place!” Obviously, Commandery Princess

Xianyun had found them fighting, so she shouted at the maid, raising her
head.

As well-bred as the empress? That meant the Young Ladies of the Lord
Peace’s Manor were likely to be the empress in the future. However,
since the present empress was still on the throne, talking about another
woman’s potential to become the empress would be a taboo. Although
the Yun Clan was Empress Dowager’s family, nobody dared to talk about
this.

“Humph! What an eloquent maid!” Yun Luoluo said angrily in a low

voice. She was so angry that she gritted her teeth. However, since
Commandery Princess Xianyun was annoyed, she did not dare to say
anything offensive to Ning Xueyan.

“Second Young Lady, compared to your maid, my maid is not that

eloquent,” Ning Xueyan said carelessly with a smile.

Looking at her delicate and charming face, Yun Luoluo became even
angrier. She gritted her teeth and managed to hold back her anger.
Although she was reckless, she was not stupid. If the emperor and the
empress heard that some Young Lady of their manor had the potential to
be the empress, it would bring disaster to their family. Since the
emperor’s successor had not been decided yet, who dared to say that
someone had the potential to be the future empress?

It was easy to suspect that the Lord Peace’s Manor was plotting
something!

Lord Peace’s Manor could not afford the consequence of this.

“Fifth Young Lady, I’m sorry for my younger sister’s rudeness,”

Commandery Princess Xianyun apologized with a smile. She was not
partial to her sister while mediating the conflict between Ning Xueyan
and Yun Luoluo. Compared to the narrow-minded Yun Luoluo, she was
much more generous.
“Commandery Princess Xianyun, you are too modest. If Second Young
Lady did not say something insulting to my mother, I would not have
shot back,” Ning Xueyan said with a smile, neither humble nor arrogant.
She was calm when she spoke this and looked noble even in front of the
distinguished Commandery Princess Xianyun.

“Commandery Princess Xianyun, Xueyan, let’s chat over there and have
some tea.” As the host of the party, Heng Yuqing came over to mediate.
She gestured Commandery Princess Xianyun to take a seat and then sat
down next to her with Ning Xueyan.

The tables were set in a circle with a big fire oven in the middle. The
oven gave off a lot of heat and made the hall very warm.

The Young Ladies were chatting behind the rectangle tables with fruits,
desserts and tea, looking joyful.

Instead of Heng Yuwan, it was Commandery Princess Xianyun who sat

on the principal seat. Heng Yuwan and Yun Luoluo were sitting on both
sides of her. Heng Yuqing had to sit at a place far from the principal seat
with Ning Xueyan by her side, and they were far from the oven as well.
Fortunately, there were also some mall ovens in the room, so they did not
feel cold.

When Yun Luoluo found Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing sitting in the
corner, she immediately shot a contemptuous glare at them. “Birds of a
feather flock together. Unpresentable people like to get together.”

Although she did not mention their names, from the direction she was
looking in, everyone knew that she was talking about Ning Xueyan and
Heng Yuqing.

Hearing that, Heng Yuqing flew into a rage and was about to bang the
table. She was a straightforward person. If her mother had not reminded
her not to stir trouble, she would not have put up with Yun Luoluo for
such a long time. Now she could not hold back her anger anymore under
Yun Luoluo’s repeated provocations and was about to stand up angrily.

Ning Xueyan pulled her sleeve and made her sit down again. “Yuqing,
what’s wrong with you? Are you going to bite a dog if it bit you?” she
said with a gentle smile.
She was talking to Heng Yuqing in a voice neither loud nor low.
However, everyone heard it. Since Ning Xueyan was not talking to her,
Yun Luoluo did not know what to say except for gritting her teeth. If she
retorted, it was clear that what she had just said was aimed at Ning
Xueyan.

Fortunately, Commandery Princess Xianyun was a smart girl. She

pretended that she heard nothing and began to chat casually with Yun
Luoluo and several other Young Ladies. The tension was relieved and
everyone’s attention was drawn by them. Now no one was focusing on
the conflict between Ning Xueyan and Yun Luoluo anymore.

Seeing no one watching them, Ning Xueyan held up the tea cup and took
a sip of tea. “Does Commandery Princess Xianyun keep in touch with
your second sister?” she asked in a low voice.

“No, she doesn’t. Heng Yuwan said that her aunt was the remote relative
of the Yun Clan, so she could be regarded as the Empress Dowager’s
family member. However, Lord Peace’s Manor has never sent anyone
here, and obviously, no one admitted that she was the Empress
Dowager’s family member.” Heng Yuqing also felt a little strange after
calming herself down.

Every family had a few distant relatives who might be down, but
normally, no one would like to admit that he was related to such relatives
as it would lower his status. Commandery Princess Xianyun was so
distinguished, so of course she would not be proud that her relative was a
concubine.

Then what was she doing here today?

“Since your mother was ill, why did your father still hold such a big
birthday party for your sister?” Ning Xueyan asked with a frown and
glanced at those Young Ladies. All the Young Ladies present today were
the principal wives’ daughters of noble families and none of them was
the daughter of the concubine. It seemed that Heng Yuwan only made
friends with the noble Young Ladies, whose mothers were principal
wives.

How could so many principal wives’ daughters were willing to make

friends with a concubine’s daughter?
At the mention of it, Heng Yuqing became very resentful. She snorted
and answered angrily, “I don’t know what my father is thinking about.
My mother was so sick, but he followed his concubine’s words and held
the birthday party for her daughter. My mother did not want me to make
any trouble, so I came here with Heng Yuwan.”

When she talked about this, Heng Yuqing was in rage, an angry look
crossing her eyes. Her mother had become ill with depression because
her father only favored Heng Yuwan and that b*tch. He did not seem to
think that he had done anything wrong and still treated Heng Yuqing and
her mother indifferently, but spoiled his concubine’s daughter so much,
as if she were his wedded wife’s daughter.

The doctor had told Heng Yuqing that her mother might die soon. At the
thought of this, she had an impulse to rush to Heng Yuwan and slap her
in the face.

The party was really strange! The Hostess was sick but Lord Guardian
still was in a mood to celebrate his concubine’s daughter’s birthday. It
seemed he had really treated his concubine’s daughter as his principal
wife’s daughter. Could it be because he would make Heng Yuwan’s aunt
the Hostess, Commandery Princess Xianyun had come here to attend the
party?

After all, having a relative who was a lord’s wedded wife would benefit
Lord Peace’s Manor a lot.

However, Ning Xueyan was sensitive to the fact that it was not that
simple. Heng Yuqing’s grandfather was also powerful. What had made
Lord Peace so confident that Lord Guardian would definitely make
Concubine Yun his principal wife? Normally, even if Lord Guardian
really wanted to do this, he had to wait for more than half a year. Then
why did he hold such a big party for Heng Yuwan?

“Eldest Young Lady, Second Young Lady wanted you to go over and ask
you something,” a maid whispered in Heng Yuqing’s ear. Since Ning
Xueyan kept an eye on Heng Yuqing, she heard every word clearly.

“What does she want with me?” Heng Yuqing stood up and said angrily.
When she raised her head, she saw that Heng Yuwan was walking to the
side door.
“I also feel stuffy here. Let’s go over there and have a look!” Some
Young Ladies felt tired after sitting for a long time, so they also stood up
and walked to the window in small groups to enjoy the scenery and relax
themselves.
Chapter 258 The Quarrel and the
Unexpected Acciden
t

Heng Yuwan had arrived at the side door. She turned her head and smiled
at Heng Yuqing brightly before walking behind the door.

As soon as Heng Yuqing and Ning Xueyan arrived at the platform behind
the door, Ning Xueyan smelt a medicine flavor. Although the smell was
faint, as Ning Xueyan had taken a lot of medicine since her childhood,
she could tell that there was some medicine nearby.

She looked down and saw the four older female servants still chatting
behind that tree. Since she left just now, these servants had been there for
some time. It was very suspicious that they had been talking for such a
long facing the wind. Besides, Ning Xueyan felt like an older female
servant raise her head and glance over to the platform.

“What did you want with me?” Heng Yuqing asked angrily, staring at
Heng Yuwan.

“Eldest Sister, calm down. Why are you so angry every time you see me?
I just want to ask if you want me to send some delicious food to our
mother. After all, today is my birthday, so I should not neglect our
mother,” Heng Yuwan said with a smile, as if she really cared about Lord
Guardian’s wedded wife.

Heng Yuqing began to shiver with anger at the words.

Heng Yuwan seemed to be talking about a servant, not the wedded wife
of Lord Guardian, as if Heng Yuqing’s mother could not get good food
without her help. Furthermore, she was only a concubine’s daughter.
How could she speak lightly of the hostess of the manor, showing no
respect, as if she was talking about a servant?

“You… How dare you say that?”

“Eldest Sister, I don’t understand what you mean. Ah, I see! You mean
I’m just a concubine’s daughter, right? Eldest Sister, don’t worry. I will
become the wedded wife’s daughter soon. Then we will be on the same
level and nobody will look down upon me again because of my identity.”
Seeing Heng Yuqing trembling with anger, Heng Yuwan became even
more triumphant, and her smile was brighter.

It seemed that Heng Yuwan was not just saying that she wanted to
become the wedded wife’s daughter. She was hinting that if Lord
Guardian’s wedded wife died, her mother would become Lord
Guardian’s wedded wife, and then she would become the rightful
wedded wife’s daughter. Therefore, she was challenging Heng Yuqing on
purpose now, but she looked at ease with a smiling face.

On the contrary, Heng Yuqing was extremely angry. For Heng Yuwan,
Ning Xueyan was just a passer-by, so she did not take her seriously.
Anyway, Ning Xueyan was unremarked and nobody would believe what
she said.

Ning Xueyan had been thinking about the connection between the
medicine smell and those older female servants. Now she suddenly
figured it out, a coldness flashing in her eyes. However, Heng Yuqing
had been provoked and rushed toward Heng Yuwan, who was standing
on the outside of the platform, as if she would fight her to the death.
After all, nobody could stand the others insult his mother to his face.

However, everything happened all of sudden, and Ning Xueyan had no

time to tell Heng Yuqing what she was thinking about. She reached out
and grabbed Lanning by the hand as she put out her foot and caught
Heng Yuqing’s, tripping Heng Yuqing by taking advantage of Lanning’s
strength. Since she was holding Lanning’s hand firmly, she did not rush
out.

She then shouted anxiously, “Second Young Lady, how can you…”

Before she could continue, everybody heard a big bang. The Young
Ladies who were enjoying scenery and chatting by the window had
noticed the conflict between the two sisters. However, since they were a
little far from them, and the two sisters quarreled in a low voice to avoid
attention, they could not hear clearly what they were talking about.
They only saw that Heng Yuqing was in rage while Heng Yuwan was
smiling.

As they were wondering what was happening, they suddenly heard a

loud noise. When they looked in the direction, they saw Heng Yuqing
falling straight into the lake from the platform with a scream from Ning
Xueyan.

Heng Yuwan froze and looked blankly at the lake below, and then at
Ning Xueyan. She was so stunned that she could not even say a word.

Knowing that Heng Yuqing was short-tempered, she and Concubine Yun
had plotted to provoke her on purpose today, trying to make Heng
Yuqing push her into the lake out of anger. They had arranged for the
older female servants waiting there and even prepared liquid medicine
against colds in advance. However, nobody had thought that the person
who had fallen into the lake would be Heng Yuqing.

The four older female servants had been waiting for a long time. They
thought it must be Heng Yuwan in the water when they saw a person
falling into the lake from the platform and heard someone calling
‘Second Young Lady’. Therefore, they immediately jumped into the lake
and brought her to the bank. The lake was not deep, but it was very cold
in winter. After rescuing Heng Yuqing, they covered her with a warm
robe and then poured a bowl of liquid medicine into her mouth.

At the moment, all the Young Ladies had rushed to the window to see
what was happening.

They saw Heng Yuqing trembling under the robe and Ning Xueyan
standing on the platform with her maid’s help with a pale face,
speechless. Obviously, she was overwrought with fright.

Commandery Princess Xianyun came with a few noble Young Ladies

from the back door. “Fifth Young Lady, what happened? “she looked
down with a frown and asked.

Someone had taken Heng Yuqing to change clothes.

“I’m not sure. It seemed Second Young Lady said something about Lord
Guardian’s wedded wife and annoyed Eldest Young Lady. Then Eldest
Young Lady fell into the water.” Ning Xueyan seemed to have come
back to herself and answered in a low voice. She raised her head and
looked at Heng Yuwan suspiciously. Everyone knew what she was
hinting.

All the Young Ladies fixed their eyes on Heng Yuwan. Some of them did
not see clearly what had happened, and they thought that Eldest Young
Lady was losing her temper when they saw Heng Yuqing’s resentful
look. Now they knew that Heng Yuwan had provoked Heng Yuqing on
purpose, so they drew the conclusion that Heng Yuwan had pushed Heng
Yuqing into the water.

As a concubine’s daughter, she had even pushed her elder sister into the
water in winter. Clearly, she had showed no respect to a wedded wife’s
daughter and she was a vicious girl.

“I did not. Fifth Young Lady, you are talking nonsense! I did not push
her. She fell into the lake by accident and it had nothing to do with me!”
Heng Yuwan shouted anxiously, staring at Ning Xueyan angrily. She was
dumbfounded as she had never thought that she would get into trouble.

“Didn’t you say something about Lord Guardian’s wedded wife? Didn’t
you argue with Eldest Young Lady? Those Young Ladies were not far
from here when you were arguing just now, so I believe that they heard
everything clearly!” Ning Xueyan said in confusion with a frown.

Heng Yuwan had deliberately said those words to provoke Heng Yuqing.
Although she had lowered her voice, she was not sure that nobody had
heard what she said. Being accused by Ning Xueyan, she thought that
someone had heard what she said, so she did not dare to deny and had no
idea what to say.

From her look, everyone could tell that Heng Yuwan had said something
offensive about Heng Yuqing’s mother. Now they were sure that it was
Heng Yuwan, who had pushed her elder sister into the lake. Thinking
about this, the way those Young Ladies looked at Heng Yuwan changed.
All the Young Ladies present were wedded wives’ daughters. Although
they had come at Heng Yuwan’s invitation, they could not bear Heng
Yuwan, a concubine’s daughter, setting up a wedded wife’s daughter like
this.
“The Lord Guardian’s Manor is really disciplined! It seems she invited
us to come here to witness how she would bully the wedded wife’s
daughter. Obviously, she wanted to warn us!” A straightforward Young
Lady could not help mocking Heng Yuwan.

“No… that’s not the case. You misunderstood me! My sister fell into the
lake because of her carelessness. I, I didn’t push her!” Heng Yuwan
stammered with tears in her eyes, trying to defending herself.

“Carelessness? I remember that Eldest Young Lady was standing closer

to the inside than you were,” Ning Xueyan said after thinking for a
while.

“Yes, I saw them just now. It’s true that Eldest Young Lady was a little
closer to the inside,” someone said in agreement.

“It seemed that Second Young Lady sent someone to ask Eldest Young
Lady out. I saw a maid coming over to Eldest Young Lady before Eldest
Young Lady came out.” Another Young Lady remembered something.

When they were buzzing, Lord Guardian hurried over from a path under
the platform. Hearing something bad happened, he immediately came.
When he saw the female servants under the platform, he asked angrily,
“What happened?”

The servant who had reported to him did not know exactly about what
had happened and spoken in a confused way. He had no idea who had
fallen into the water. Lord Guardian knew that all the guests were high-
rank officials’ wedded wives’ daughters, and no matter who had fallen
into the water, it might cause big trouble. Therefore, he immediately ran
over at the news.

“I, I don’t know.” The older female servants had been waiting below to
provide immediate rescue in case that Heng Yuwan fell into the lake.
However, as everything had happened all of sudden and they acted in a
hurry, they did not felt anything wrong just now. Now they just
remembered that the person they rescued looked the same as Eldest
Young Lady.

At the thought of what Concubine Yun said, they were in a panic and
could not explain it clearly for the moment.
“Lord Guardian, it was Eldest Young Lady of your manor who fell into
the lake.” Commandery Princess Xianyun was the most distinguished
among the Young Ladies on the platform, so she had to walk out from
the crowd and answer Lord Guardian’s question.

“Commandery Princess Xianyun, do you know how Qing’er fell into the
water?” Knowing that the Young Lady who had fallen into the lake was
not from other manors, Lord Guardian took a sigh of relief. What he
asked was only out of politeness. He had never liked his eldest daughter
and more favored his second daughter, who always acted cute around
him.

“Lord Guardian, it’s said that Second Young Lady pushed Eldest Young
Lady into the water.” Although Commandery Princess Xianyun did not
tell the whole story, the other Young Ladies on the platform
supplemented the information fairly.

“No! Father, I did not do that,” Heng Yuwan was anxious and said loudly
to Lord Guardian below.

“There may be some misunderstanding!” Lord Guardian lowered his

voice when he heard that it was Heng Yuwan who had pushed Heng
Yuqing into the lake. Besides, he looked a little hesitant when he spoke
this. Everyone could tell that he was partial to Second Young Lady.

“Second Young Lady, more than one Young Lady saw what was
happening,” Ning Xueyan said to Heng Yuwan gently.

By now, all the Young Ladies had known that Lord Guardian was partial
to his second daughter. It was very doubtful that to celebrate the birthday
for a concubine’s daughter, all the guests they had invited were wedded
wives’ daughters. Now Lord Guardian’s concubine’s daughter had even
pushed his wedded wife’s daughter into the lake, but Lord Guardian did
not seem to want to punish her. Since they were all wedded wives’
daughters, and at the thought of their sisters whose mothers were
concubines, all the Young Ladies stood on Heng Yuqing for the moment.

“It’s no wonder that the others said that Lord Guardian’s Manor was
declining. They treat the concubine’s daughter even better than the
wedded wife’s daughter!”
“Sure enough! It’s unbelievable that a concubine’s daughter dared to
bully the wedded wife’s daughter. I will tell the people of other manors
when I go back. They must think it’s ridiculous!”

“Definitely! I will tell those honored consorts in the imperial palace this
joke when I attend the Beauty Contest after a few days.” The Young
Ladies on the platform were very resentful and began to mock the Lord
Guardian’s Manor.

Although they did not speak loudly, Lord Guardian heard every word
clearly and became anxious. If this news spread out, plus his wedded
wife was still sick, he would get into big trouble. Moreover, his wedded
wife’s family was powerful and might come to make a scene.
Chapter 259 He Turned out to be
the Man I Am Looking for
“Come down and apologize to your eldest sister!” Weighing the pros and
cons, Lord Guardian decided to be ‘fair’, so he immediately shouted at
Heng Yuwan.

It meant that he had admitted that Heng Yuwan pushed Heng Yuqing into
the winter. How could Heng Yuwan take the blame? She sobbed and
protested, “Father, I did not…”

Lord Guardian was heartbroken when he saw his second daughter

crying. However, after thinking it over and looking at the Young Ladies
present, who were all the wedded wives’ daughters of other manors, he
knew that he should not be partial to Heng Yuwan anymore. Then he
shook his sleeve and turned to leave without looking at Heng Yuwan.

Feeling unjustly accused of trying to murder her sister, Heng Yuwan ran
away, crying. Except for Ning Xueyan, the Young Ladies on the platform
did not see any point in staying, so they all left. Ning Xueyan told the
maid of the Lord Guardian’s Manor that she wanted to see how Heng
Yuqing was doing. She was worried that Heng Yuqing might fall ill from
fright after falling into the lake in such a cold winter.

All the maids had known that Eldest Young Lady fell into the water and
Second Young Lady was humiliated in front of people. Since all the
guests were noble Young Ladies, hearing that one of them wanted to visit
Eldest Young Lady, the maids did not dare to ignore her request, so they
ran to report to their master. After a short while, a maid came over and
led Ning Xueyan to Heng Yuqing’s courtyard.

After returning to her own courtyard, Heng Yuqing had changed her
clothes. She had been rescued in time. After being brought to the bank,
she was covered with a warm robe and took a bowl of liquid medicine. A
moment ago after she had brought back to her courtyard, the maid served
her with a bowl of hot and spicy ginger soup, so she felt much better
now. She asked all the others out when she heard that Ning Xueyan was
coming.

Heng Yuqing got off the bed and bowed to Ning Xueyan formally.
“Sister Xueyan, thank you very much! Without your help, I will be
accused of pushing Heng Yuwan into the water.”

Although she was straightforward, she was smart. She had been
frightened to death just now, but when she calmed down and thought it
over, she suspected that everything had been prepared—the old female
servants, the liquid medicine and the warm robe. Besides, she had been
rescued and wrapped with a robe as soon as she fell into the lake.

Everything happened in order, so clearly, this had been plotted. Plus the
obvious provocative words Heng Yuwan had said and where she had
been, all these showed that Heng Yuwan had designed this to let the
others think that Heng Yuqing was vicious and wanted to murder her
sister.

If that was the case, they would complain to her mother who was still
sick. It would aggravate her mother’s illness. At the thought of this,
Heng Yuqing broke out in a cold sweat and she was shocked by
Concubine Yun and Heng Yuwan’s evil intentions.

Ning Xueyan helped her up and let her lie in bed again. She then sat
down on the bed. “Yuqing, you don’t have to thank me. I happened to be
there when she tried to frame you. You should be more cautious in the
future,” she said with a slight smile.

Like Ning Zu’an, Lord Guardian was also a scum! Ning Xueyan
appreciated Heng Yuqing because she was a straightforward person.
Although she was a little short-tempered, she was very kind. Therefore,
she would not stand by if she could help.

However, she could not help Heng Yuqing all the time if such things
happened again, so Heng Yuqing had to rely on herself. In the same way,
if Ning Xueyan had been timid and hidden at Bright Frost Garden all the
time, Madam Ling would not spare her.

Compared to the former Ning Xueyan, who had been bullied by Madam
Ling, Heng Yuqing had her mother with her, and her situation was better.
“To avoid Concubine Yun from complaining to my mother, I attended
Heng Yuwan’s birthday party and showed my sincerity. My mother is ill
and she cannot stand any mental blow anymore. However, I did not
expect that they were so vicious and did not even spare a patient!” Heng
Yuqing said with tears in her eyes, holding Ning Xueyan’s hand.

“If I had pushed Heng Yuwan into the water today, my mother might be
enraged to death and I would be the sinner of our manor. If my uncle
came to our manor, my father would blame me for everything and told
him that I caused all the trouble.”

“If that’s the case, you would feel guilty about Heng Yuwan. Therefore,
if Lord Guardian wants to make Heng Yuwan’s mother his wedded wife,
you and your uncle can’t stop him from doing this,” Ning Xueyan said
slowly after a short silence.

The two of them figured out the whole scheme of Concubine Yun and
Heng Yuwan.

“I won’t let them get away with it! A few days ago, we received the
Beauty Contest candidate list with my name on it. However, my father
told my mother that he wanted to keep me at the manor to take care of
my mother and let Heng Yuwan attend the contest instead of me.
Besides, he wanted to upgrade Concubine Yun to his co-wife so that she
was qualified to go to the imperial palace. I am not going to give my
place to Heng Yuwan!”

Heng Yuqing sneered with reddish eyes. She had wanted to agree with
her father not to go to the imperial palace to attend the Beauty Contest.
However, she had changed her mind now and she would never give
Heng Yuwan any opportunity to rise high.

“Are all the noble Young Ladies who came today going to attend the
Beauty Contest at the imperial palace?” Ning Xueyan suddenly asked.

Since Heng Yuqing had her own plan, Ning Xueyan shifted the topic.
Every family had their own problems. She was having a hard time
protecting herself, so she could not help the others too much. Heng
Yuqing had to rely on herself. Since she was clear about the current
situation now, she would not fall into other people’s traps easily in the
future. Besides, she had a powerful uncle.
“Yes. All these lords’ wedded wives’ daughters will attend the Beauty
Contest. Their family background and appearance are all the best,” Heng
Yuqing said, wiping tears off her cheeks.

“Will Commandery Princess Xianyun also go to the imperial palace to

attend the Beauty Contest?” Ning Xueyan asked in confusion.
Commandery Princess Xianyun was so noble. How could she also attend
the contest?

“Commandery Princess Xianyun does not need to attend the Beauty

Contest, but…” Heng Yuqing hesitated for a short moment and then
lowered her voice. “It’s said that His Majesty would pick a husband for
her,” she said.

The emperor would pick a husband for Commandery Princess Xianyun?

Since she was so noble and also the Empress Dowager’s family’s eldest
daughter, the emperor would definitely choose a prince or a noble childe
as noble as her to be her husband. Only very few noble childes in the
capital could match Commandery Princess Xianyun.

Ning Xueyan poured a glass of water and handed it to Heng Yuqing. “So
Second Young Lady of the Yuns will also attend the Beauty Contest?”
Ning Xueyan asked carelessly.

“Lord Peace’s Manor will only send Yun Luoluo to attend the contest. I
heard that all the Young Ladies who came today would attend the Beauty
Contest, so she was very mean to those who were more beautiful than
her. Since she was distinguished, she thought that she would definitely
become Fourth Prince’s wedded wife, so you should be careful.”
Although Heng Yuqing was unfavored in her family, both the Hengs and
her mother’s family had reminded her about this.

Compared to Ning Xueyan, she was much well-informed.

Ning Xueyan frowned slightly, but soon a faint, confident smile appeared
on her lips.

After coming out from the Lord Guardian’s Manor, Ning Xueyan did not
return to the Lord Protector’s Manor, but asked the driver to bring her to
the west gate of the city. Finally, the carriage stopped in front of a book
shop. Lanning put on a curtained hat for Ning Xueyan and then helped
her out of the carriage.

The book shop was not big. It had two rooms and two floors. There were
some pens, inks, paper, and ink-stones downstairs and all the books were
on the second floor. There were only three or four guests on the first
floor.

Ning Xueyan picked out a few things before going upstairs. She found
there were more guests on the second floor than on the first. The books
on the shelves were piled up even taller than a man. Ning Xueyan had to
stand on tiptoe to reach the books on the top of the shelf. Lanning was a
little bit shorter than her.

Ning Xueyan happened to take a fancy to a book on the top of the shelf.
Since she was the master, of course, Lanning should take the book off for
her. However, Lanning was too short to reach the book and failed after a
few tries. “Miss, I can’t reach it,” she turned to Ning Xueyan and said
anxiously.

“Let me help you!” Before Ning Xueyan could say anything, a man’s
voice rang out loudly. He reached out a hand and took the book off
easily. He then gave it to Ning Xueyan.

This was a young man of seventeen or eighteen. Although he did not

wear silk clothes, he was neatly dressed and made people feel good.

“Thank you, sir!” Ning Xueyan bowed to him politely, taking the book
from him. She then walked to the side to read. However, Lanning
seemed to be curious about this young man and could not help observing
him. He collected those books in a mess and put them to the side. Then
he picked up a book and had a look at it before walking to a table in the
corner and sitting down.

Lanning had nothing to do for the moment, so she walked to the table
following the young man. “What are you doing, Sir?” she asked when
she saw him copying something with a brush pen on a blank book.

“I have only one copy of this book and it was ordered by a guest, but
several other guests also wanted to buy it, so I’m making some copies.
After finishing copying, I will send them to those guests,” The young
man smiled at Lanning and answered gently. He did not look down upon
her because she was only a maid.

“Sir, are you working in this shop?” Hearing what he said, Lanning
became even more curious. She blinked her eyes and looked at the words
he had copied. She had not known a word before, but during the three
years she served Ning Ziying, Ning Ziying had taught her to read when
she was free, so Lanning knew some simple words.

The young man blushed when he saw a beautiful maid come closer and
talk to him. He felt uneasy and moved a little backward. “This shop is
owned by my teacher. I will come here to help him when I’m free,” he
answered shyly.

“Your teacher? Sir, so you are still a student? Which academy are you
studying in? I wonder if you are studying in the same academy as our
Eldest Young Master!” Lanning seemed to have found that it was
improper to be so close to him, so she took several steps backward, but
still asked with a smile, looking curious.

The young man was abstracted by Lanning’s series of questions. He

stopped copying and raised his head politely. “I’m studying at Qingyun
Academy. Which manor are you from?” he asked back.

He had lowered his head or turned his head to the side when he spoke to
Lanning just now. Besides, it was a little dark in the corner. Therefore,
Lanning could not see his face clearly until he looked up. In the sunlight,
she saw a handsome, vaguely familiar face.

Ning Xueyan was in no mood to read. She fixed her eyes on the familiar
face through the veil of her hat. Undoubtedly, the young man bore some
resemblance to Ning Huaiyuan, especially his eyes and nose. He was
seventy or eighty percent like Ning Huaiyuan, or maybe Ning Zu’an.

“He turned out to be the man I am looking for!” Ning Xueyan thought.

“We came from the Lord Protector’s Manor. The Eldest Young Master of
our manor is studying at the biggest academy in the capital. Sir, do you
know our Eldest Young Master?” Lanning kept on asking, just like an
ordinary lively maid, as if she had not noticed that the young man’s face
suddenly darkened when she mentioned the Lord Protector’s Manor.
The gentleness on his face was replaced by coldness. “You are from the
Lord Protector’s Manor? Who is that Young Lady?” The young man
sized up Ning Xueyan, who seemed to be focusing on her reading, and
asked in a low voice.
Chapter 260 Sir, Are You From
the Qingyun Academy?
“Sir, are you from the Qingyun Academy?” While they were talking,
Ning Xueyan had put down her book and came over gracefully. She
bowed to the young man politely.

“Yes!” Although he was a little bit unpleasant, the young man still
bowed to Ning Yueyan politely before answering her question.
Obviously, he was well-educated.

“Sir, we are going to the Qingyun Academy to give something to a

person. I wonder if you know him.” Ning Xueyan continued with a
smile, “Sir, can you give it to him for me when you go back to the
academy?”

“Whom are you talking about?” the young man sized up Ning Xueyan.
However, he could not see her face clearly except for vaguely telling that
it was a girl with a veil.

“Ning Huaijing. Do you know him, sir?” Ning Xueyan asked in a soft
voice.

“Ning Huaijing?” The young man was so shocked and his eyelid
twitched unconsciously, the look in his eyes becoming even colder. He
stared at Ning Xueyan and answered after a while, “What’s the
relationship between you and him? Why are you looking for him?”

“I’m not looking for him. My father asked me to bring something to him.
As for what’s the relationship between us, maybe he is my father’s
nephew of our clan.” Ning Xueyan glanced at the young man’s tight lips.
Now the coldness in his eyes had disappeared, but she had seen it clearly
just now.

“Lanning, bring me the bag. I will ask this childe to take it to the
academy,” Ning Xueyan turned her head and said to Lanning.
Hearing that, Lanning ran downstairs. After a while, she brought a small
bag upstairs and placed it on the table in front of the young man.

“Ning Huaijing does not have any high-rank official relatives. Miss, I
think you must be mistaken.” The young man sneered when he looked at
the bag. He was no longer gentle and shy, but a little aggressive.

With that, he smashed his brush pen and rushed downstairs without
looking at Ning Xueyan and Lanning.

Through the second-floor window, Ning Xueyan saw him walking out of
the book shop. He was so angry that he even stop copying the book!

“Miss, what shall we do?” Watching the young man going away,
Lanning became anxious. They had come to the shop for Ning Huaijing.
How could he be so impatient and leave so soon?

This bag contained more than just homely clothes and books.

“Give the bag to the shop owner and ask him to turn it over to Ning
Huaijing of the Qingyun Academy.” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly with
satisfaction. She was pleased because Ning Huaijing did not seem to be
happy when he heard that Lord Protector’s Manor had brought
something to him. The coldness in his eyes upended his gentle image,
but it made Ning Xueyan more satisfied with him.

She did not need an overly kind person. If he was too kind, he would end
up as miserable as Ning Ziying.

It seemed that Ning Huaijing also hated Ning Zu’an, just like Ning
Xueyan did, so he would be an ideal person to help her to deal with Ning
Zu’an.

It seemed that Ning Zu’an loved Madam Ling very much and to make
Madam Ling his wedded wife, he had even played tricks and degraded
his previous wedded wife. However, nobody would have thought that
Ning Zu’an had another bastard. This young man looked about Ning
Huaiyuan’s age and there could not be much difference in their age.
After his birth, Ning Zu’an had never mentioned him in front of people
and nobody knew who he was.
Afterward, he went to the Qingyun Academy to study. Although
Qingyun Academy was unremarkable in the capital and could only be
regarded as a third-class academy, many students went there to study.
Therefore, the tuition could not be cheap. Ning Huaijing had studied in
this academy since he was very young, and by now, he had been
studying there for almost ten years. His classmates only knew that his
family was poor and his mother was a widow. In addition to this, they
knew nothing about him.

As he grew older, he began to help his teacher to copy books at the book
shop. If he had spare time, he would read some books to acquire
knowledge.

After a few years, he was kind of well-known in the Qingyun Academy.

Not only the teacher thought highly of him, but the classmates respected
him as well.

Ning Xueyan had been suspicious about Ning Zu’an, so she asked
Lanning to go to the Qingyun Academy to seek information about a
student whose surname was Ning. Lanning told her several students’
names. When she heard Ning Huaijing’s name, Ning Xueyan had a
feeling that he was the man she was looking for. She heard that Ning
Huaijing would stay at the book shop for a while every day, so she
specially came here to meet him.

Now she was very satisfied with him.

Because of Ning Huaiyuan, nobody could bring Madam Ling down.

Since Madam Ling was Ning Huaiyuan’s mother, Ning Xueyan was sure
that Madam Ling was almost invincible in the future. However, if
without Ning Huaiyuan, or Ning Zu’an had another son who was more
outstanding than him, Ning Huaiyuan might not become Princely Heir of
the Lord Protector’s Manor in the future.

Now she needed to approach Ning Huaijing gradually and put him off
his guard little by little.

Ning Xueyan knew that she should be patient and it was unnecessary to
act in a hurry. She would let the others know this person at the right time.
She wondered what Madam Dowager would think when she was told
that she had another grandson outside the manor.
They gave the bag to the accountant of the book shop. Of course, the
accountant knew his master’s favorite student. He immediately promised
that he would turn over the bag to Ning Huaijing when he heard that
what in the bag were some clothes and books from Ning Huaijing’s
family. From the way Ning Xueyan and Lanning dressed, the accountant
could tell that they were from a rich family. He was a little surprised
because he had never heard that Childe Ning had any rich relatives.
However, since they did not want to tell him, he did not dare to inquire
more.

Ning Xueyan got in the carriage with Lanning and asked the driver to
bring them back to the Lord Protector’s Manor directly. After returning
to the manor, she went to Madam Dowager’s courtyard to offer her
greetings.

Madam Dowager was a little surprised when she saw Ning Xueyan
coming back so early. “You went to Lord Guardian’s Manor, didn’t you?
Why did you come back so early?” she asked.

Madam Dowager looked out the window and estimated that it was not
noon yet, so she was surprised about Ning Xueyan’s coming back.

“The two Young Ladies of the Lord Guardian’s Manor had a quarrel, so
all the guests went back to their manors,” Ning Xueyan explained softly.
She knew that she could not hide this from Madam Dowager, because
soon, the news would spread throughout the capital. Of course, she
would not hide the news for Heng Yuwan.

“The two Young Ladies quarreled in front of so many people?” Madam

Dowager asked with a frown. She was surprised that the Lord Guardian’s
Manor was so unruly. The two Young Ladies had gone too far to fight in
front of the guests. No matter how much they hated each other, they
should solve their problems privately.

“They quarreled for a while, and then Second Young Lady pushed Eldest
Young Lady into the river,” Ning Xueyan told her the story briefly.

“Lord Guardian is becoming more useless and cannot even well

discipline his daughters! Don’t be close to the people from such families.
They treat the concubine’s daughter even better than the wedded wife’s,
so it is no wonder that their families are declining.” Madam Dowager
reminded with a look of contempt as if she would abase herself if she
had any connection with the Lord Guardian’s Manor.

Ning Xueyan was scornful at Madam Dowager’s pretentious words with

a trace of sarcasm crossing her eyes. Madam Dowager did not seem to
have realized that the Lord Protector’s Manor was no better than the
Lord Peace’s Manor while accusing the others. To some extent, the Lord
Protector’s Manor was even more shameless. However, people had not
found out all their dirty businesses yet.

After saying goodbye to Madam Dowager, Ning Xueyan returned to

Bright Frost Garden. Qingyu brought a basket of food from the kitchen
to Ning Xueyan when she knew that she had been back. It happened to
be lunchtime. After a busy morning, Ning Xueyan was really tired. Since
her trip was so fruitful, Ning Xueyan was in a good mood and took a
little more food than usual.

After Ning Xueyan finished her lunch, Qingyu cleared the table and
handed an invitation card to her.

“Miss, Fourth Prince’s men brought it to you, saying that Fourth Prince
wanted to invite you to watch the lantern show on the Little New Year.”

These were traditional customs to put the lanterns into the river, enjoy
the lanterns and race dragon boats on the Little New Year. On that
cheerful day, people would be less constrained and even the noble Young
Ladies did not have to wear the curtained hats when they went out.
Furthermore, they could hang out with their friends and stay out late.

It was heard that the brave men would confess his love to his beloved
girl that day and the girl would not think that he was offensive.

Ning Ziying had watched the lantern show on the same day in three
consecutive years. Every year, Xia Yuhang would accompany her to
watch the show. However, he had only celebrated the festival with her
alone in the first year. In the following two years, Ning Ziyan was being
with them. Although Ning Ziying did not know the affairs between Xia
Yuhang and Ning Ziyan, she had felt that the lanterns were not as
attractive as before.
It would be her first time to watch the lantern show after rebirth. She had
never thought that Fourth Prince would send the invitation card to her.

“Send the invitation card back to Fourth Prince. Thank him for his
invitation and tell him that I will watch the lantern show with my sisters
of our manor,” Ning Xueyan gave the invitation card back to Qingyu and
said calmly.

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Of course, the masters of the Lord Protector’s Manor would watch the
lantern show on this festive occasion. Although Ning Xueyan had never
been out with the others of the manor on the same day in the previous
years, she knew that Lord Protector would reserve tables in the
restaurants on both sides of the lake where the dragon boat race would be
held. After watching the lantern show, they would watch the dragon boat
race there.

She had learned it from Ning Ziyan. Obviously, as a lonely girl who was
only a relative of the Nings, Ning Ziying had not been qualified to watch
the dragon boat at the restaurant.

“Miss, I’m afraid that Madam Dowager will be unpleasant if you refuse
Fourth Prince’s invitation at such a moment,” Qingyu said uneasily,
looking at the invitation card in her hands. Madam Dowager’s servant,
Mother Qin, had brought the invitation card to her, so obviously, Madam
Dowager had known about this and acquiesced in accepting Fourth
Prince’s invitation. Therefore, it might annoy Madam Dowager if Ning
Xueyan sent the invitation back.

Ning Xueyan was clear what Madam Dowager was thinking about and
knew that she would not miss any opportunity to curry favor with the
imperial family. She leaned back and said with a sneer, “If Madam
Dowager’s servants ask about this, just tell them that the Beauty Contest
is coming, so it is improper to have too much to do with the imperial
members. Otherwise, we may make more enemies.”

It seemed that Ning Qingshan would definitely marry Third Prince.

People from other manors would not like to see another Young Lady of
the Lord Protector’s Manor being so close with Fourth Prince. The result
of the Beauty Contest was unforeseen, so Madam Dowager would not
want to make so many enemies for the moment.

Qingyu was much more experienced than before, and she immediately
understood her master’s intention. “Got it. I will ask Mother Qin to tell
Madam Dowager about what you said right now. Can I give the
invitation card back to Mother Qin by the way?” She thought for a while
and asked, putting away the invitation card.

“Okay! Let Mother Qin transfer the message to Madam Dowager and let
her think about the wording on her own,” Ning Xueyan said with an idle
smile. She was satisfied with Qingyu’s inferences.

She did not want to have anything to do with the Third Prince and Fourth
Prince for the moment. The Lunar New Year was coming, so she would
be very busy. It was easier to find out some problems by the end of the
year.

For example, the problems with the account books.

Chapter 261 Meeting Chen Qing
Again
Outside the Lord Protector’s Manor.

A ragged young man craned his neck and peered at the door around the
corner countless times. Just when he felt impatient with all this waiting,
he saw a woman coming out from the manor at a distance, and felt
relieved. He came out, waved to her and then returned to the corner.

At this time, Chen Qing was a vagrant. He was penniless, so he had to

return to the capital city.

“How dare you come back? If First Madam finds out that you are back,
you’ll be killed!” Mother Chen frowned and whispered, as she went
round the corner and saw Chen Qing.

“Aunt, it’s been so long. Is First Madam still looking for me?” Chen
Qing had suffered a lot during this period. After being told, he turned
pale with fear.

How was he to know that it was the Second Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor? It happened so fast. He had asked the man to paint
the Fifth Young Lady. Unexpectedly, the man painted Second Young
Lady instead. When he heard the news, Chen Qing felt terrible at first.
So, he immediately packed up and ran away.

“No matter how long it takes, Madam will never forget it. She will kill
you the way she squishes a bug.” Seeing him obsessed with the wrong
ideas, Mother Chen stomped and cursed in rage.

Madam Ling was a grudge holder and ruthless woman. If Madam Ling
found out that Chen Qing, who had hurt Second Young Lady, was back
to the capital city, he would be killed, and maybe she could not even save
her own life by then. Therefore, as soon as she received the message
from Chen Qing, she came to look for him, for fear that Madam Ling’s
men would discover it.
“Let her get over it. I won’t die that easily. Aunt, she started a rumor that
I had an affair with that Young Lady to destroy her reputation. At that
time, I was the one who drew the picture, which was used as evidence of
our affair. For fear that she would go back on her word, I kept the letter
she sent. If she tries to frame me, I’ll use it as evidence…”

Chen Qing said this proudly, with malice and insidiousness in his eyes.
He had suffered a lot after he ran away. He was not accomplished at
either the pen or the sword. If the situation continued like this, he would
be doomed to die. After figuring it out, Chen Qing returned to the capital
city at once. Anyway, he had the proof in his hands. If Madam Ling
wanted to kill him, it would not be easy.

Mother Chen covered his mouth, “Small ancestor, you… you dare to
threaten the Madam. Are you courting death?”

Mother Chen trembled with fear and said this hurriedly. Back then, Chen
Qing fooled her into thinking that he had burned the letter from Madam
Ling. Unexpectedly, Chen Qing had kept the letter. She was frightened
out of her wits. Madam Ling was a hard woman to deal with. Otherwise,
she would not have been able to rise to the position of First Madam of
the Lord Protector’s Manor, from that of a mistress.

“Aunt,” Chen Qing shook off her hands and said proudly, “Aunt, you
know so many secrets about First Madam. Aren’t you afraid that she will
kill you? She needs you right now, but soon, you’ll be useless. Then,
you’ll be doomed to die because you know too much. I heard that an
older female servant lost her life, after being abandoned by the madam.”

Hearing that, Mother Chen felt terrified.

She was Madam Ling’s best assistant now, but who was it before?
Madam Ling had always valued Mammy Yun most, but what had
happened to her? Mother Chen did not know the actual facts, but heard
that Mammy Yun had fled, when the manor was in chaos. Of course,
Mother Chen did not believe that. No one believed that they could
escape from the mansion. If so, Mammy Yun was exceptionally adept in
trickery.

But what if we put it in another way? Mammy Yun might have been
killed by Madam Ling to keep her mouth shut.
“Aunt, have you ever thought that she died because she knew too
much?” Seeing Mother Chen’s face turning deathly pale, Chen Qing
knew that he had guessed right, so he tried harder to persuade her.

“What … am I supposed to do?” Mother Chen asked, after she trembled

for a while. Now, she was in a state of utter distress. At the thought that
Mammy Yun was murdered, probably because she knew too much, she
felt fearful and panicky, and her heart pounded incessantly, because she
also knew a lot of things. First Madam had no time to deal with her
during this period. Perhaps First Madam would get even with her later.

“Aunt, we have insufficient evidence about how First Madam framed

that young lady. Can you go to the yard where she lives and find a few
more tokens? At that time, all the tokens that First Madam gave to me
were sent out with the picture. I hardly had time and kept only a few
tokens. If so, we can convince the others.”

Chen Qing thought for a moment and said this, as he came to his senses.
At that time, he had stolen a few glances at the lady. After drawing her,
he took some personal items from Madam Ling, such as handkerchiefs,
and put them together. All the things were “seized on the spot” and
became evidence of her infidelity. He wanted to keep a few items, but
the men sent by Madam Ling were watching closely, so he had no
chance.

Now, he thought if he had kept a few pieces of evidence, it would be

more convincing. Madam Ling said in the letter that she would send him
something to use as evidence.

“Aunt, I don’t want to deal with First Madam. As long as she does not
bother me and she can provide food for me, I will not do such a thing.
Now, I’m being driven to death. Aunt, I ever planned to look after you in
your old age and accord you a decent burial. If I die, no one will set up a
memorial tablet for you.”

Seeing that Mother Chen was still hesitant, Chen Qing added the
trimmings, and looked at Mother Chen with sincerity.

Mother Chen was a widow without a child, so she treated her nephew
like a son, in her heart. After she listened to his grievances and looked at
him, she knew that he was driven against the wall.
If he had not been framed, he would not be willing to turn against the
Lord Protector’s Manor. If the madam did not deal with her and Chen
Qing, they would keep this matter private. She nodded, “Ok, I promise
you, but you must promise me that you will not take those things out,
unless you have no alternative. ”

“Aunt, please be assured. Even if I garnered my courage, I would not

dare to turn against Lord Protector’s First Madam. If she gives me a
chance to live, I will not disclose it.” Chen Qing rolled his eyes and
patted his chest to guarantee that.

Hearing that, Mother Chen breathed a sigh of relief. She took out some
silver, gave it to Chen Qing and asked him to find a place to hide. As
long as he did not appear in front of First Madam, he would be fine.
After all, it had been so long. Moreover, Second Young Lady had run
into some trouble after the incident, which had nothing to do with Chen
Qing. Perhaps First Madam had forgotten about Chen Qing’s
involvement.

She comforted herself on the way to the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard.

Before she reached the gate of the courtyard, she saw a maid running
hurriedly toward her. When she saw Mother Chen, she caught her breath
and said quickly, “Mother Chen, where did you go?”

Mother Chen had a guilty conscience. After being asked, she thought
she’d been spotted, and cold sweat appeared on her forehead. She
shouted, “What… what’s the matter?”

“First Madam woke up and was looking for you. She could not find you.
She’s losing her temper. You’d better go back as soon as possible.” The
maid wiped away the sweat.

“Oh, OK, OK, I’ll be right there.” Knowing that she had not been spotted
when she met Chen Qing outside the manor, Mother Chen was relieved.
She relaxed, immediately replied, and hurried away.

“Mother Chen, you’re so blessed. She trusts you so much and needs you
for everything. You’re her closest associate.” The maid sighed with envy
behind her. Hearing that, Mother Chen felt her legs grow weak and
almost fell. She hurriedly reached out to hold on to the wall, so that she
did not fall on the spot.
The more you know, the faster you will die! Chen Qing’s words echoed
in her mind once again. She immediately turned pale. She did not want
to die so soon. No. She could die from some unknown cause and then it
would be said that she had escaped like Mammy Yun.

So, she had to save herself. Chen Qing was right. Having proof of First
Madam’s guilt in her hand was better than to die from some unknown
cause.

If she had vacillated earlier, she was very determined now. She gritted
her teeth, said nothing more to the maid behind her, and hurriedly ran
inside.

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Seeing that Mother Chen had staggered and almost fallen down, the maid
wanted to curry favor with her by rushing to help her. Unexpectedly,
Mother Chen stood up at once and ran off like a rabbit. Although she
was old, she could run rather fast. It was no wonder that First Madam
thought highly of her.

When Mother Chen ran hurriedly into Madam Ling’s room, she found
Madam Ling in a furious mood. Two maids knelt aside and trembled.
Madam Ling looked solemn, and her hair was disheveled, which made
her look terrifying. She always had a serious face, but now she seemed to
become more impatient and irritable.

“First Madam, are you looking for me?” Mother Chen caught her breath
and came forward to greet her.

“Where did you go?” Madam Ling cast a cold look on Mother Chen, her
eyes looking like a viper’s eyes. Her stare made Mother Chen feel
frightened.

“I… I wanted to ask the Eldest Young Master if the famous doctor whom
he mentioned last time, had gone to see Second Young Lady.” Mother
Chen dared not to say that she met Chen Qing at the gate, so she told a
lie.
“Have you seen Yuan’er?” Hearing this, Madam Ling relaxed and looked
less severe.

“I did not meet the Eldest Young Master. I wanted to wait for him and
ask, but you sent someone to look for me.” Mother Chen answered
cautiously.

“Oh, Yuan’er is not in the mansion at this time. Let’s leave this matter
aside first.” As Madam Ling waved her hands, the two maids rose
hesitantly from the ground. Knowing that Madam Ling had something
private to tell Mother Chen, they stepped back gently and closed the door
for them.

In regular times, Mother Chen felt proud, because it showed that she was
First Madam’s henchman. But now, she felt frightened and doubted if
she knew too much. She stared at the backs of the retreating maids, and
did not hear what Madam Ling was saying.

“Mother Chen, what’s wrong with you?” When she heard this, Mother
Chen trembled and came to her senses immediately. She lowered her
head and made an excuse, “First Madam, I’m thinking if Second Young
Lady’s face is getting better. Since the Eldest Young Master said the
famous doctor has excellent medical skills, it should not be a problem!”
Chapter 262 To Scare the Cat out
of the Bag
“You don’t need to worry about these things. Yuan’er said that he has a
solution, so he can do it.” Seeing that Mother Chen was absent-minded,
Madam Ling told her, with an unhappy look on her face.

“Yes. I acted beyond my duties.” Mother Chen nodded.

“Mother Chen, do you think the lords of the court will take a fancy to
that little bi*ch?” Although she did not take any action these days,
Madam Ling felt more and more anxious after she thought about it. That
little bi*ch looks pretty good, so Madam Ling was worried that she
might be selected. Until then, whether she was at court or in a prince’s
mansion, it would not be good for Madam Ling.

“First Madam, don’t worry. Although Fifth Young Lady looks good, she
is thin and weak. Looking at her face, one can tell that she is not suited to
have children. Whether she is at court or in a prince’s mansion, if she
can’t have a child, she will come to a bad end.”

At this time, Mother Chen had calmed down and was gently soothing
Madam Ling.

When it came to the matter about male offspring, Madam Ling relaxed
and headed towards Bright Frost Garden, with a malicious and proud
look. “Right. Without a son, a woman will be like a flower in the water
and a moon in the mirror, no matter how cosseted she is.”

“Yes. First Madam, you’re right.” Mother Chen responded carefully.

“However, I’m still not assured. If the little bi*ch is favored, maybe she
will do something to us.” Madam Ling still felt anxious after thinking
about it. She patted the edge of the bed hard. These days, she felt ill at
ease. She thought the Beauty Contest was beyond her control, and
something might happen.
“First Madam, if you really don’t want Fifth Young Lady to be chosen,
it’s not impossible.” Seeing that Madam Ling was distressed, Mother
Chen had an idea and immediately proposed it to her, in a low voice.

“Do you have any good ideas?” Madam Ling was overjoyed.

Mother Chen nodded, leaned her head against Madam Ling’s ear, and
whispered. Hearing that, Madam Ling started laughing and continuously
nodded. If her son knew this, he would not approve. Anyway, she did not
want to hurt that little bi*ch, but merely wanted to add a dash of
unpredictability to her situation.

“First Madam, First Madam.” When they were talking, a maid was
calling at the door, asking to be let in.

“Go and see what she wants.” Madam Ling felt less apprehensive and
more at ease, and she signaled to Mother Chen.

Mother Chen answered and opened the door. The maid at the door
reported respectfully, “First Madam, our Fifth Young Lady sent me here
to ask you if you have the old account books of all the shops. Without
them, she can’t check the accounts and check on the property.”

Hearing this, Madam Ling remembered that most of the shops of the
manor had fallen into the hands of Ning Xueyan. She could not help, but
feel distressed, because those were all her property. The da**ed older
woman took all her property to offset Madam Ming’s dowry. How could
she not feel depressed? She had operated the shops for Madam Ming for
so many years. Even if she did not achieve anything, she had still put in a
lot of effort!

Those shops were her assets. The thought of all these falling into Ning
Xueyan’s hands, made her even more determined not to let it go.

“I don’t have any of the account books right now. You ask Fifth Young
Lady to look for them by herself.” Madam Ling said spitefully.

“Yes.” Seeing Madam Ling’s dissatisfaction, the maid said nothing more.
She bowed respectfully and retreated, so that Madam Ling could not vent
her anger on her.
When the door closed, a ferocious look appeared on Madam Ling’s
pretty face.

“How dare Ning Xueyan, that little bi*ch, dare to take over her shops.”
She would never let her wish come true, which was to get hold of the old
account books and check the accounts.

To keep Ning Zu’an’s reputation unsullied, she had to give the shops to
Ning Xueyan now, because she had been caught red-handed by Ming
Feiyong. When she came out of the Buddha Hall, the issue had been
settled. Ning Zu’an had scolded her for this. However, she was not Ning
Zu’an and Madam Dowager. At that time, she still had Madam Ming’s
dowry list.

And, she had been hiding it. So, Ning Xueyan’s list was either a fake or
directly from the Ming Family. There could not be a second list.

Therefore, as long as the list was in her hands, she would wait for Ning
Xueyan to produce the two lists. Even though she was short of one list,
she would still be able to take back those shops, furniture, screens, beds,
and antiques.

So, the account books with Madam Ming’s signature should not fall into
the hands of that little bi*ch.

She would not deal with her because of Yuan’er, but it did not mean that
she would not take any action…

“Mother Chen, you go out tomorrow and ask the Vice Minister of
Justice’s Manor to send me some furniture that I used to love. Use two
big carriages to send them over.”

She had a stern look on her face.

“Yes, Madam!” Mother Chen nodded, as she understood tacitly.

In the Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan was listening to Qingyu’s

report. Qingyu specially mentioned Madam Ling’s look.

On the table, there were some flowers that Third Prince had asked
someone to send over, early in the morning. Third Prince did things
meticulously, so he would not give others something to find fault with.
Thus, he sent some to the three young ladies in the manor. Moreover, he
sent different flowers to them, so no one could say that he favored one
more than another. He treated them equally, according to their
preferences.

Ning Xueyan had taken a fancy to some of the flowers in Third Prince’s
greenhouse. She seemed to like these flowers very much. So, Third
Prince sent them to her.

She sat at the table and tore the petals off one by one. Then, she put them
in a stone mortar and crushed them gently. After they were reduced to
pollen, she put them into a small bottle carefully. The pollen were very
fine, so she had to be extra careful, otherwise, these tiny particles would
fly into the air.

“My lady, will First Madam take any precautionary measures because of
my words?” Qingyu collected the pollen carefully for Ning Xueyan, and
asked.

On the other side, Lanning was collecting another type of pollen. The
different types of pollen could not be mixed together. Ning Xueyan
divided them into two categories, and put them far apart to prevent them
from being mixed.

“When she came out of the Buddha Hall, Ning Ziyan had an accident,
and she said a lot of bad things about me, before others. Then, the issue
was patched up because of the ‘assassin.’ The people in the manor knew
that Beauty Contest is coming up. It’s unwise to make any trouble.
Madam Dowager must have asked my elder brother to warn her. So, she
will not make any trouble for the time being, but it doesn’t mean she
won’t, in the future…”

Ning Xueyan carried a wide cuff with one hand and crushed the petals
with the other hand. Her long eyelashes cast two rows of uneven
shadows on her tender face. Her face had always been pale. She had a
paler complexion than the average woman, which made her look as
white as snow.

After this period of rest, her lips turned red, which showed up against her
tender skin. Her skin looked smoother and fairer. Her black-jade watery
eyes were always shimmering. Although she was a little childlike, she
had an exceedingly beautiful appearance.

Even though Qingyu and Lanning saw her often, they could not help but
feel amazed, each time they saw her beauty.

“Why don’t you clean up?” She lowered her head and asked softly. Ning
Xueyan had not looked up, but could feel that the two maids were
distracted.

Qingyu and Lanning stared at each other. Both of them saw the
bewilderment in each other’s eyes, and became embarrassed.

Lanning said with a cough, “My lady, you asked Qingyu to say such
remarks today in order to provoke madam to launch her attacks, right?”

“No, she won’t launch any attacks now. If so, the marquis will not
forgive her, not to mention Madam Dowager.” Ning Xueyan said
confidently. She had sent Qingyu to provoke Madam Ling intentionally,
to ask her about those account books.

When Madam Ling was cloistered in the Buddha Hall, Ning Xueyan had
investigated into those account books. However, she found nothing. It
showed that Madam Ling hid them well. So, what she had to do now was
to try and scare her, so the cat will be let out of the bag. Only when she
reminded Madam Ling of this matter, could she proceed to the next step.

She hated Madam Ling, and Madam Ling hated her. She would not let
go of such an opportunity to turn the tables. Thus, those dispensable
account books became necessary evidence. She would not let it happen
to her. Now that she was no longer the First Madam who governed the
backyard, she could not take care of so many things.

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The safest way was to find a place she thought was safe to hide them
again.

Ning Xueyan guessed that they were not at Lord Protector’s Manor.
What she could do was not to seize these account books, but to figure out
their whereabouts. Only in this way, could she deal Madam Ling with a
vicious blow.

“Qingyu, when you go over to take the hamper, you should talk to the
maid from the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, as much as possible to
inquire about things over there. You should ask for more details. If
someone asks you why you are paying so attention to that, you can say
that I am concerned about Madam’s illness, nothing else.” A dim light
flashed across her eyes, as she instructed the maid.

It was time to have dinner at the Lord Protector’s Manor. The maids
from the yards of the various masters were there, at the same time. To
keep the food from getting cold, they often went over earlier. As soon as
the food was ready, they would immediately take them away. Thus, when
it was time to have a meal, the maids and older female servants from all
yards would be at the kitchen. Everyone was joking and chatting freely,
and the atmosphere was very lively.

The masters had their owns minds. The servants were laughing and
chatting together, which showed that they all got along well.

Fifth Young Lady of the Bright Frost Garden was not the Fifth Young
Lady who used to be bullied. And, she had started to manage the chores.
The maids and the older female servants knew that no one would dare to
pick on Qingyu. Even those from the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard
dared not to make trouble for her.

“My lady, if I always ask about the issues of the Auspicious Clouds
Courtyard, won’t I arouse others’ suspicions?” Hearing the order,
Qingyu felt a little anxious and said this uneasily. All the maids and older
female servants from each house were shrewd. If she kept asking, it
would inevitably create suspicion.

“Qingyu, you do what the lady says. It’s good to be a suspect. If you can
think of that, don’t you think our lady will also have that thought?”
Lanning chuckled to herself, “Don’t you understand what she means?”

Hearing Lanning’s words, Qingyu was stupefied. When she saw Ning
Xueyan giving her a spurious smile, she was suddenly enlightened. She
reached out her hand to pat herself on the head and laughed.
Chapter 263 Not the most
Reasonable but More Reasonable
The carriages from the Vice Minister of Justice Ling’s Manor, loaded
with several large pieces of furniture, came in. Although the furniture
was not expensive, it looked at least decent. Moreover, it came from the
Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor, which would make up for any regrets
that Madam Ling’s parents’ had not sent any dowry before. Therefore,
when the servants reported this, Madam Dowager nodded and said
nothing.

The Vice Minister of Justice Ling’s wife, Madam Qian and her son Ling
Yi, were in the carriage as well. Since they had a dispute in the Lord
Protector’s Manor the last time, this would be their first visit since the
incident. As Madam Ling’s family, Madam Dowager could not go too
far. She asked someone to prepare fruits and snacks, and sent them to
Mingxia Garden.

Ling Yi did not stay in the courtyard after he arrived, but went outside to
look for Ning Huaiyuan. The carriage that brought in the furniture
stopped outside the second door. They could not enter the courtyard, so
someone came to move the furniture. The staff in the Auspicious Clouds
Courtyard were few, so two older female servants who were on duty at
the door, came to help.

It was Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor’s intention. Although Madam

Dowager was dissatisfied with Madam Ling’s behavior, she needed to
spare the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor’s feelings. So, she invited
Madam Qian to have a chat for a while.

At the second door, there were a lot of people moving around and they
seemed to be busy. However, there was no real gatekeeper. Mother Chen
came out from the door. Firstly, she shouted for the crowd at the door to
clear, and asked the maids and older female servants to be careful when
they carried in the things. Then, she came to one carriage, which had
been emptied, nodded discreetly to the coachman sitting above, and
pointed to the front.
The coachman understood and drove the carriage away from the second
door. He drove in the direction she was pointing at, and went to the other
yard in front.

No one noticed that at the second door, a little girl, who was keeping an
eye on Mother Chen, put down the stool she was carrying, looked
around, and followed her carefully.

At another place, an older female servant, who was wiping the corners of
a square table, walked around from another direction, while no one was
looking. After she went down that way, she would inevitably meet the
carriage. She was ahead of the carriage.

Mother Chen never thought that so many people would pay attention to
the carriage. She instructed the coachman to turn around two corners and
finally stopped at a quiet yard. It was not small, but there were many
wing rooms inside. The male guests who visited the Lord Protector’s
Manor would usually take their rest here.

Madam Ling managed the inner courtyard. Moreover, she rarely came to
the front as a woman, let alone a girl in the Boudoir, such as Ning
Xueyan. She could not appear in a courtyard, where strange men walked
in and out. Therefore, Ning Xueyan checked around the inner courtyard.
Meanwhile, she secretly investigated the Bright Frost Garden and
Madam Ling’s private storehouse several times. However, she did not
notice anything strange.

Madam Ling had left the account books in the outer court, a place for
entertaining strange men.

Madam Ling made a smart tactical move. If Ning Xueyan’s maid had not
mentioned it, she could hardly remember it. Moreover, she knew that
Ning Xueyan was a tough nut, and she would not let go of her
possessions. Now that she remembered, she was determined to claim the
property back from Ning Xueyan.

These account books immediately became very important. Meanwhile,

she felt that it was not safe to hide them in the mansion, where Ning
Xueyan might find them. Thus, she thought the best way was to hide
them in her parents’ home. Even if Ning Xueyan was powerful enough,
she could not go there to look for them.
Therefore, Madam Ling could not wait to take the account books away,
by using the opportunity when the Vice Minister of Justice Ling sent the
furniture to her.

When the carriage stopped, Mother Chen brought the coachman to the
first wing room on the left side. Soon, two men carried out a large box
with a seal on it. It was so heavy that they were out of breath, after taking
only a few steps. The two men carried the box onto the carriage with
difficulty.

Having seen the carriage turning a corner and leaving, Mother Chen
breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her head. She was
relieved because she had not made any error in the task assigned by First
Madam.

She followed the carriage and walked to the gate of the courtyard. When
she was about to leave, she suddenly heard a small voice from the left.
Mother Chen could not help but look, and she saw someone’s clothing
flashing by, at the corner. When she saw the maid passing by as if
nothing happened, she frowned.

“Which courtyard are you from? Why are you here?” As Madam Ling’s
trusted subordinate, Mother Chen asked rudely. She came forward two
steps and stopped the maid

“I… I’m Third Young Lady’s maid. Just now, I saw someone sneaking
past, so I followed the person in front.” The maid looked smart.
Although she was terrified at first, she immediately explained shrewdly.
To increase the credibility, she pointed to the tree in front of her.

Mother Chen glanced at it and felt quite breathless, because there was a
person over there. Mother Chen thought the older female servant looked
quite familiar. Seeing that there had been an accident, the older female
servant happened to look over her shoulder. She had a furtive look.

“Fortunately, it was not Fifth Young Lady’s servant. Otherwise, First

Madam would strip the skin off me.” At the thought of that, Mother
Chen trembled and scolded the maid, “Go to work. Why are you hanging
around? Do you want First Madam to know what you are doing?”
“No… No, I’m leaving now.” The maid did not dare to say more, and
hurried back to the inner courtyard.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, she had already gone straight
ahead. She had gone too far ahead and Mother Chen could not stop her.
Fortunately, Mother Chen recognized the older female servant, who was
from Concubine Xu’s house. After the First Madam suffered all kinds of
unpleasant things, these people’s attitude had also changed and they even
dared to stare at her. She would go back and tell First Madam about this.

Although she was uncertain if they saw her moving the account books, it
was good to be careful. Mother Chen was determined to tell First Madam
that Third Young Lady’s and Concubine Xu’s servants saw her move the
box, lest First Madam blamed her, if something happened, later. When
she made up her mind, she went to the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard,
without any hesitation.

After she had walked quite a distance, Xinmei came out from another
corner. She raised the corner of the mouth and gave a wry smile. She had
deliberately made a noise to distract Mother Chen’s attention from the
maid. As her lady expected, the maids around Third Young Lady were
shrewd. Once they found that something was wrong, they would pass the
buck to their companions. Concubine Xu’s older female servant would
be found out.

Hearing that Ning Qingshan’s and Concubine Xu’s servants saw her
sneakily transferring the account books, Madam Ling almost fainted in
anger. She almost called them over to scold them. After Mother Chen’s
persuasion, she gnashed her teeth and stopped, because her son
repeatedly stopped her from acting recklessly.

For the time being, she really could not act recklessly.

Even if they saw her moving things, they would only think that she was
transporting some private property to her parents’ home. They would
never guess that those were the account books that Ning Xueyan needed.

Therefore, even if Madam Ling suspected and hated Ning Qingshan and
Concubine Xu, she could not relieve her feelings. She had to put the
interests of the Lord Protector’s Manor above everything else.
On the night of the Preliminary Eve, Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan, and
Ning Lingyun left first. After all, they were all young ladies and wanted
to see the festive lanterns. Madam Dowager also wanted them to become
closer to each other. Ning Qingshan had been living in the Buddhist
nunnery, and Ning Xueyan lived alone in the Bright Frost Garden. The
three ladies were not intimate before.

Madam Dowager wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make

their relationship more harmonious. In this way, she could consolidate
the power of her own family. When Ning Qingshan put forward this
suggestion, she agreed with pleasure.

The three ladies returned to their courtyards to dress and make up again.
Ning Xueyan’s clothing was mainly light-colored. She wore a white coat
edged with silver and a light blue Chinese-style jacket with buttons down
the front. She wore a peacock blue dress of the same color, with flowers
embroidered at the bottom. The flowers were like waves rolling over the
sea, resembling the tail feathers of a peacock. They looked lustrous yet
simple.

Her paler face was as delicate as a piece of jade against the dress.

Ning Lingyu’s clothing was gorgeous. Her dress was colored bright red
and green, which looked very attractive.

Ning Qingshan wore a light yellow dress, which was simple but elegant.
She looked beautiful and looked very dignified.

The three ladies got into the same carriage. They would be watching the
festive lanterns so that they had to go by foot. It was the day to see both
the festival lanterns and the dragon-boat races. If they were late, they
could not catch the carriage. The Lord Protector’s Manor had booked a
private room at a restaurant by the river, where the dragon boat races
would take place. When they were tired of watching the festival lanterns,
they could go there.

The dragon-boat races would take place after the festival lanterns. They
would be there in good time.

The carriage stopped at the bustling crossing, and it could not go any
further. There was a sea of people from all over. Although it was early in
the evening, the lights were already lit. Many lanterns of different
designs and colors could be found everywhere.

“Fourth Sister, Fifth Sister, can we get off to walk?” Ning Qingshan
raised the curtains and looked outside.

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The festival lanterns could not be appreciated from the carriage.

Although Ning Xueyan enjoyed the festival lanterns in her prelife, it was
the first time for her to enjoy the lanterns in this life. Moreover, the
display of festival lanterns seemed to be better than ever. So, Ning
Xueyan was a little more interested.

“Ok, Third Sister, Fourth Sister, let’s get off and walk together.” Ning
Xueyan nodded.

Seeing that both agreed, Ning Lingyun nodded. She got out of the
carriage after them. She felt inferior to them, and dared not show her
cutting edge. She was careful and kept a low profile for fear that they
might notice her, and she would die without warning.

Her aunt repeatedly told her not to confront Ning Qingshan and Ning
Xueyan. Both of them were tough nuts to crack.

Unexpectedly, they caught the attention of a young master, who was

upstairs in the opposite building, when they got off. He was leaning
against the couch by the window. He wore an extravagant brocaded robe
embroidered with black Manjusaka and intertwined with wide brims of
gold thread. His slender finger wearing a jade ring was held against his
thin red lips.

His deep eyes were filled with dark bloodthirsty Qi. He looked as
gorgeous and elegant as the black Manjusaka, blooming in the
underworld, which was embroidered on his robe. Even if it had an
elegant name, its nature, since it came from the depths of darkness and
nourished with blood, could not be changed.

“My dear concubine is coming. When she comes over, I’ll watch the
festival lanterns with her.” He said idly and confidently as he twitched
his beautiful lips, and reached out the other hand to touch the jade ring.

“Yes!” Although it sounded illogical, his guards behind him, nodded

respectfully.

The Prince’s words were not the most reasonable, but more reasonable.
Chapter 264 Accidental Rescue at
the Tea House
Ning Xueyan did not know that she had been targeted by Ao Chenyi. At
this moment, she was walking on the street step by step with Ning
Qingshan and Ning Lingyun. Their maids were surrounding them and
helping them clear the way.

“Look over there, Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister. It is a cosmetics shop.
Shall we go to have a look?” Ning Qingshan said to Ning Xueyan,
pointing at a shop across the street.

There were so many people in front of the shop because today was a very
special day without any taboo. When ladies went shopping, this kind of
store was very popular, not only because the makeup in the shop would
make them beautiful, but also because the hanging lanterns painted with
court ladies looked delectable.

Therefore, there were many people in this area. A few philanderers were
wandering around from time to time, deliberately going in and out
annoyingly. Seeing that, Ning Xueyan didn’t want to be in a crowded
place, so she frowned and refused. “Third Sister, you may go without
me, and I…”

She looked around and found a tea house behind her. There was an
extended shelter on the street where people could drink tea and rest when
they were tired.

“I’ll wait for you here,” Ning Xueyan said.

“Well then, Fifth Sister, I will take you to the tea house first, and we will
go to the opposite side,” Ning Qingshan said gently, looking around, then
brought Ning Xueyan into it. It was very early, and there were not many
people. She chose a table for Ning Xueyan to sit down at before turning
around and asking Ning Lingyun, “Fourth Sister, would you like to go
with me? I heard that if we can figure out the puzzles on the lanterns,
they will give us some top-quality rouges for free, and they are limited.”
Hearing that there would be some limited rouges, Ning Lingyun beamed.
She was unwilling to go because it would be crowded in the shop on
days like today, but hearing Ning Qingshan’s words, she was tempted.
However, when seeing the scene, she could not decide if she should go
or not.

“Come with me, please. I haven’t seen lanterns in the past three years.
Would you like to accompany me?” Ning Qingshan held Ning Lingyun’s
hand affectionately, sincerely, and gently, making the latter unable to
refuse.

“Third Sister, won’t there be too many people there? We are noble girls,
and it is not appropriate to join the crowd on the street.” Although Ning
Lingyun also wanted to go, thinking of Concubine Xu’s words, she
hesitated. Her engagement was just broken off, so she should keep a low
profile.

Although she canceled the engagement due to Ao Xian, her reputation

had been spotty, and it was normal that people gossiped about her.
Moreover, she was a concubine’s daughter who could not compare to
Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan.

If she ruined her reputation because of being among a crowd, she could
hardly get married.

“Fifth Sister, since Fourth Sister would like to go and she is afraid of the
crowd, how about we take Qingyu with us? If the three maids go ahead
and we follow, it will be safer,” seeing Ning Lingyun hesitate, Ning
Qingshan turned around and said to Ning Xueyan, who was going to
drink tea.

“You are saying that you want my maid to go with you?” Ning Xueyan
raised an eyebrow and asked leisurely. There was a hint of a sneer
around her mouth but she hid it under her lips.

Ning Qingshan had been busy causing so much trouble. She wanted to
see Ning Xueyan’s rouge shop and then instigated Ning Lingyun to go
with her. She also insisted on taking Qingyu with them. She was trying
to isolate her. What was she going to do today? It was very weird.
The Beauty Contest was coming soon. Ning Qingshan had attached great
importance to it, so it was impossible for her to raise big troubles, but for
something unimportant…

“Fifth Sister, do you agree with me? We will be back soon and you can
see us from here. If something happens, you can scream and we can hear
you.” Ning Qingshan pointed at the rouge shop across the street. It was
really close to the tea house, and under ordinary circumstances, if she
screamed, they could hear her.

But today, that was impossible! Moreover, even if they could hear her, it
would take them a long time to get over here.

“Okay, Qingyu, you go with Third Sister and Fourth Sister.” Ning
Xueyan smiled and nodded, as if she didn’t find anything wrong.

Hearing Ning Xueyan’s command, Qingyu could not say anything. She
followed Ning Qingshan and went across the street.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan was alone, Ning Qingshan became a little
complacent. She turned around and squinted at a person at the street
corner secretly, giving him a hint.

“Wow, how could a little beauty be here alone? Are you waiting for
someone? Don’t wait here. Let me take you to see the lanterns, shall
we?” Just after the girls left, Ning Xueyan heard a wretched voice.

Ning Xueyan looked up and saw three men standing at the table. They
looked obscene. She sneered. So they were waiting for her.

Xinmei, who was standing outside the tea house, was about to move
forward when she saw Ning Xueyan wave her sleeves and stop her. Ning
Xueyan did not believe that Ning Qingshan would dare to destroy her
reputation at this time. If something happened to Ning Xueyan, Ning
Qingshan would be affected and accused. The royal family valued
reputation the most and they would not allow anyone to ruin the Beauty
Contest.

Ning Qingshan took away Ning Lingyun as well as Ning Xueyan’s maid.
If something happened to Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan would surely be
implicated. It might destroy Ning Xueyan’s name, but Ning Qingshan
would be in trouble.

Ning Qingshan would never cause destruction to both sides! At least, not
now.

Looking at the exquisite, beautiful girl in front of them, the three punks
were stunningly surprised, and then they were overjoyed. They didn’t
expect to be so lucky that they would meet such a beautiful girl.

The jerks found she was silent and thought that she must be frightened.
The leading person stepped on the bench opposite Ning Xueyan and
patted his chest and said, “Little beauty, don’t be afraid. I will protect
you. Let’s go. I am taking you to have some fun.”

Actually, he was saying that if she did not go with them, they would use
some means. Of course, looking at the gorgeous girl in front of them,
they were already disoriented and could not help appreciating their good
fortune.

Seeing this, everyone around knew that the girl was going to suffer.
These men were all famous punks in the street and they often bullied
neighbors. So no one dared to stand up and stop them when seeing their
ferocious appearances.

“Stop! Who are you punks? How dare you bully a fine girl in broad
daylight. Get lost immediately,” someone shouted from among the
crowd. Before people could see it clearly, a young man walked out. He
looked very angry but handsome in tight white clothes and a big cape.

Seeing his face, all the women aside became excited, and their hearts
throbbed. What a handsome and righteous young man!

“Go and check it out. Who is he?” The proud prince, who had been
paying attention to this, became angry. He looked at the young man, but
he could not recognize him for a moment. He revealed a dangerous smile
on his face as a chilling light flashed across his eyes. His gorgeous long
eyelashes dropped two shadows on his fair face.

Someone dared to covet one of his people. He was seeking death.

“Yes, I’m on it.” The guard knew that his master was unhappy, so he had
to do it as fast as possible. He immediately went downstairs and ran
toward the shop to get first-hand information.

In front of the tea house, the three rogues never expected that someone
would dare to stop them and help the girl, so they smiled and turned
around. “Get lost? Are you talking to us? Let’s teach you a lesson today.
You can only leave if you are dead.”

They laughed arrogantly and surrounded the young man in the middle as
if they were going to fight against him together. The people around
roared and took a few steps back. They talked in low voices, but no one
believed the young man could win.

When Ning Xueyan saw the young man, she was stunned, and then she
smiled. She was relaxed and looked at him at ease, happily. She didn’t
expect that he would be here. It seemed that Ning Qingshan’s drama of
the hero rescuing a beauty would fail.

Xinmei didn’t show up because she had not received Ning Xueyan’s
instructions at this time. She stepped back into the crowd and looked at
the people in the tea house carefully. Suddenly, she saw a familiar face
flash in front of her. She was shocked. Seeing there was no one watching
her, she approached the man. The guard also saw Xinmei and shook his
head at her, signaling to her to have a talk in secret.

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They pushed out of the crowd one after another.

At this time, the young man had punched the three rogues to the ground.
They could only scream.

“How about that? Do you want to fight again?” The young man in white
pointed at them contemptuously and hooked his fingers, sneering.

“Bah, boy, do you dare to wait for our eldest brother to kick your ass?”
The three punks climbed up from the ground with difficulty and left
those malicious words before they fled away.
The young man looked handsome and his clothes were expensive. When
seeing that he acted so bravely, all the women were attracted and moved
their eyes from the shop to him. Several noble ladies who were leading
their maids could not help stopping and looking at him fondly.

At this time, Ning Qingshan was watching on the other side of the street.
When she saw the bustle happen in the tea house, she smiled and pulled
Ning Lingyun into the shop as if there was nothing going on. The first
time they met was an accident, the second time was lucky, but the third
time should be intentional.

Moreover, in this case, the beauty who was in trouble happened to be

saved by the heroic young man and she would finally feel something
toward him.

As expected, the young man finished his performance, driving the punks
away. He walked to Ning Xueyan, but before he spoke, Ning Xueyan
stood up with a naughty smile on her lips as she bowed and said softly,
“Thank you for saving me. I will let my father go to thank you some
other day.”

After speaking, she deeply bowed again, very politely.

Chapter 265 A Competition of
Earrings and Hairpins
Looking at Ning Xueyan’s mischievous look, the young man in white
could not help smiling. He sat opposite her and looked around. Suddenly
his face sank. “Where have your maids gone?”

“Tell me first, where is your servant?” Ning Xueyan smiled and asked
Ming Yuanhua. What a coincidence that she could see Ming Yuanhua
here.

After Ming Yuanhua knew her situation and her misfortune, he had no
longer ignored her.

“There was a man who was surreptitiously speaking to someone when I

saw him. He looked like he was from your house, and I wanted to ask if
there was anything wrong, so I followed him.” Ming Yuanhua smiled
indifferently and took over the teacup from the owner of the tea house.

The rescuer talked with the one who was rescued and they drank tea
together. Seeing this, the crowd felt bored and they all dispersed.

“Let me guess, is that person the reputable second son of the Xia
family?” she asked in a pleasant mood. Ning Xueyan took a sip of the tea
and put down the teacup, stroking the handle.

“My cousin, you already knew it even though you didn’t see it. Have you
known this in advance?” Ming Yuanhua didn’t expect that Ning Xueyan
had foreseen it. He frowned and felt that something was wrong. “Has he
followed you in secret recently?”

The man was Xia Yudong indeed, and Ning Qingshan seemed very
obsessed with him. Why did she firmly believe that Ning Xueyan would
be interested in Xia Yudong? How could Ning Qingshan have no idea
what happened previously at home? Or was Ning Qingshan thinking that
Ning Xueyan would believe that Xia Yudong was framed and she would
feel sorry for him?
Ning Qingshan repeatedly made her encounter Xia Yudong. When they
were in the Third Prince’s courtyard, Xia Yudong had no chance to show
up. Ning Qingshan actually wanted to help Xia Yudong be the “hero”.

Xia Yuhang was very kind to his younger brother. It was only a few days
after that matter and he already had forgotten about it.

“Where is he now?” Ning Xueyan’s long eyelashes flickered, and the

smile in her eyes became cold.

“In the alley over there. I knocked him out in the back and asked my
servant to question him. If I knew he was going to set you up, I would
have killed him.” Ming Huayuan was an expert and he didn’t think too
much at that time. When he knew that Xia Yudong was going to hurt
Ning Xueyan, he became angry.

“Cousin, don’t worry. Listen to me first.” Ning Xueyan smiled and

stopped him. She approached him and whispered. Ming Huayuan
listened and nodded. And then in the end, he stood up and said goodbye
to Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan didn’t say anything. She just stood up and
gave him a bow.

Watching him go away gently, Ning Xueyan put on a soft smile.

Ning Qingshan happened to see all of that when she returned and she
could not help showing a proud smile. But in the next moment, she put
on a panicked face and rushed over. She grabbed Ning Xueyan’s hand
and said, “Fifth Sister, what happened? I just heard that some punks have
come and harassed you. Are you okay? I should have left Qingyu with
you.”

“I’m fine. A young man happened to save me just now,” Ning Xueyan
said shyly.

“Who was the young man? Do we know him? We must let Father go to
thank him tomorrow,” Ning Qingshan asked with concern.

“Let’s talk about it tomorrow. Third Sister and Fourth Sister, have you
finished shopping or you want to continue?” Ning Xueyan seemed
unwilling to talk about it. She stood up and walked out of the tea house.
Ning Qingshan had achieved her goal. “Ning Xueyan finally has taken a
shine to Xia Yudong, but I should be patient. Since he has helped her
today, they will be tied together in the future.” Ning Qingshan stopped
asking and caught up with Ning Xueyan. They walked shoulder to
shoulder to look at the lanterns.

Along the way, most of the shops were decorated with a few different
types of lanterns at their door—some of them had puzzles, and some of
them had only a half couplet. If passersby could figure the puzzles out,
the shop owners would give them some money as a gift that was not
valuable but exquisite.

These were ordinary celebrations. Large shops had built countertops in

front and hung various lanterns on both sides. There was no puzzle on
the lanterns because the one who hosted the celebration would act out on
the stage in order to guess the puzzles.

Because normal people could attend, people would like to watch. No

matter if they could guess it or not, people would laugh on and off, and
everyone looked more and more excited.

Ning Xueyan’s group was standing in front of one of the stages. The
stage was more eye-catching than other ones because there was a person
sitting on the high platform like a master. He was the handsome and
charming Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min, Wen Xueran. And
his young servant was standing behind him.

It was a surprise that a Princely Heir like him would join the celebration
and enjoy the happiness with people. It was very rare.

His beautiful eyes could seduce people. When he looked at the crowd,
those young women screamed in low voices, blushing. Everyone knew
that Wen Xueran was a well-known handsome man and his face was
even more beautiful than a woman’s.

His face was perfect!

In the past, if people met him, they could only glance at him secretly.
Now he was sitting on the high platform, and although the ladies
blushed, they would not be willing to waste the opportunity, so they
looked at the handsome Princely Heir with starry eyes.
On the platform, there were two kinds of items: earrings and hairpins!

On the left tray were five pairs of earrings, and on the right tray were
five hairpins.

Each pair of earrings was exquisite, with ruby or opal on them, showing
gorgeous colors, and everyone knew that they were treasures.

The hairpins were as valuable as the earrings on the other side. No matter
if it was the gems, the bright lines, or the designs on the hairpins, they
were all outstanding, making many women yearn and unable to move
their eyes away. Although the handsome Princely Heir was adorable,
they could not stop staring at the jewelry.

So, while the women gazed at the ornaments avidly, the Princely Heir,
who was sitting on the stage, was looking at the women below in a good
mood. It was his style to sit on the tall platform.

He was admiring the beauties, and he didn’t need to use any effort to find
them!

Suddenly, his eyes met Ning Xueyan in the crowd. He was surprised and
then he smiled at her proudly. He shook the folding fan in his hand, and
then pointed to the tray held by his people, leading Ning Xueyan to look
inside.

At this moment, the person on the stage was talking about the rules.

“People, the jewelry here are all the treasures of our shop. They can be
regarded as boutique products. We don’t ask for anything from you. If
any lady’s jewelry is more beautiful or valuable than ours, we will give
one of the treasures to her for free. We won’t lie to you and the Princely
Heir will guarantee it.

“This is our handicraft appraiser. Everyone knows our shop and we will
not cheat anyone. We will never go back our word or not give out the
gifts.”

The host was more than 50 years old and he was very smart. He had a
ready tongue and a kind smile as if he was the manager of the shop
behind. Then he reached out his hand, looking at Wen Xueran, indicating
that he was the owner of the shop.

Being aware that they could get the jewelry on the stage, all the people
became excited.

“What if other jewelry aside from earrings and hairpins are more
valuable than these things?” someone couldn’t help asking.

“That won’t work. Our Princely Heir said that only earrings and hairpins
can win the gifts and others cannot. If something is antique, we can’t tell
its value.” The manager smiled and shook his head.

He was telling the truth. There was no way to compare the value of some
items. So the competition between only earrings and hairpins was better.
It was easier to tell which was more valuable.

From the crowd below, some people started to stand up and hand over
things like earrings and hairpins, but certainly, none of them were more
precious than those on the stage that Wen Xueran brought, so they all
retreated.

After all, they were all treasures and could not be taken outside easily.

Looking at Wen Xueran’s somewhat disdainful eyes, the girls below

became more vigorous, and more people came on stage. They took off
earrings and hairpins and compared them with the exhibit above, but no
one won.

“Young Lady, you can go up with this pair of earrings, maybe you can
win,” the maid with Ning Qingshan couldn’t help saying to her.

“I don’t know if it is inappropriate!” Ning Qingshan seemed tempted, but

she had to maintain her dignity as a noble lady, showing a little hesitation
on her face.

“Third Sister, you can go up and take a look. Today, everyone should be
happy, even if the emperor is with the people. Why do you care about
that?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and tried to persuade her.
“Third Sister, I’ll go with you. The hairpin I wore today happens to be
given to me by my grandmother. Maybe I can compare it to the
exhibits.” Seeing the items on the stage, Ning Lingyun was very excited.
However, before Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan wanted to have a try,
she could do nothing but wait. So hearing Ning Qingshan’s words, she
came forward and gave some advice.

Of course, Ning Qingshan was also very excited. She was going to the
palace, and if she could wear these earrings and hairpins, she would look
very gorgeous. So she didn’t hesitate but went to the stage with Ning
Lingyun.

Everyone in the audience was so excited when they saw two such
beautiful girls appear.

They all looked at them go on the stage. The appraiser came over and
looked at the jewelry carefully before he shook his hands to the bottom,
and stepped back. He was saying that they had failed.

The crowd laughed again.

As people laughed, Ning Xueyan saw Wen Xueran’s eyes fall on Ning
Qingshan with an unknown meaning, but he covered it behind his bright
eyes. People could only notice that he was looking at the two beauties,
but only Ning Xueyan felt that at that moment, Wen Xueran was looking
at the earrings in Ning Qingshan’s hand.

“Young Lady, these earrings…” Qingyu suddenly pushed Ning Xueyan’s

hand and wanted to say something, but Ning Xueyan shook her hand to
stop her.
Chapter 266 The Orphan of the
Former Dynasty
Earrings and hairpins? Ning Xueyan looked at Wen Xueran with
meaningful eyes. She frowned slightly. People like him could really do
this just for fun.

When they met the second time, he questioned her with a sword about a
nun’s whereabouts. Was he looking for that Jingkong?

Such a problem suddenly flashed through her mind, which was abrupt
but reasonable. She just felt that Wen Xueran was not seeking fun by
sitting up there.

But if he was not, what would be his target? The earrings, hairpins, or
pendants?

She was shocked. If he questioned her with a sword in the last life
because he was looking for Jingkong, whom she knew about, he was
likely looking for her or the earrings in her hand.

It was her family affair and she had never heard that it had any
relationship with the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min. In her
last life, when she was in the regions south of the Yangtze River, her
father and mother had never mentioned Commandery Prince Min.
Thinking of this, she also felt it was impossible. It should be a
coincidence.

“Young Lady, over there, he is asking for you.” Qingyu pulled Ning
Xueyan’s hand and led her to look over in that direction.

Looking down at her, she discovered that the Princely Heir of

Commandery Prince Min had stepped down and was standing near the
door. The little servant who had been behind him was standing behind
her now. He looked at Ning Xueyan and respectfully said, “Fifth Young
Lady, my master wants to have a talk with you.”
On the stage, Ning Qingshan and Ning Lingyun were still looking at the
earrings and hairpins one by one and they would not come down any
time soon. Ning Xueyan nodded and followed the servant to the platform
with Qingyu.

“Fifth Young Lady, why don’t you go up and have a look? Those are all
treasures of our store, and they are rarely taken out to solicit customers.”
Wen Xueran smiled at Ning Xueyan, who just arrived, smiling
breathtakingly.

“Thank you for your kindness, but I am not good at evaluating jewelry,
so I can’t judge their value,” Ning Xueyan laughed softly, glancing at the
stage, and said leisurely.

“All women like jewelry and they always have their own opinions, don’t
they? Why don’t you care about them?” Wen Xueran didn’t feel any
embarrassment about Ning Xueyan’s rejection. Instead, he folded his fan
into his hand, smiled slightly, and asked curiously.

“If a person has to live on medicine, how can she develop a high taste? I
think you will be disappointed.” Ning Xueyan forced a smile and her
eyes turned cold, not trying to hide her disaster in the Lord Protector’s
Manor.

Such things could not be concealed, and she had no intention of doing
this.

“I have seen the Fourth Young Lady’s hairpin and it is very special. I
heard that it was given to her by Madam Dowager. I am wondering if the
Fifth Young Lady has any jewelry given by your elders. May I have a
look?” Wen Xueran noticed that Ning Xueyan was unhappy, so he
changed the subject, looking at her and asking gently.

“Only girls are interested in those things. I never thought that you would
be curious about them,” Ning Xueyan said as she remembered
something.

“I admire beauties, and of course I like the objects that could make them
more beautiful, just like the Fifth Young Lady’s earrings…” Wen Xueran
said as he stretched out his hand to touch the pendant on Ning Xueyan’s
earring from Madam Ling.
“Princely Heir, please don’t do that.” Ning Xueyan’s face turned cold.
She took a step back, lifting her head a little higher to avoid Wen
Xueran’s hand. Her eyes were dark and inexplicable.

“Fifth Young Lady, I just want to take a look at your pendants. I am not
deliberately toying with you.” Wen Xueran’s eyes blinked, and he was a
little upset, as if he was being so rude because he was anxious to see the
earrings.

And his affectionate eyes were revealing an emotion. Being stared at by

such a handsome man, few women were able to remain calm. Even if his
actions were abrupt, they would seem reasonable because of his eyes.

Was it because he liked her, so he could not help doing that…

And the reason why he acted ambiguously was that he was really
interested in her…

Anyway, all these possibilities would make girls shy and unable to raise
their heads as they were thinking about it. In the end, they would be too
shy to speak to him. However, Ning Xueyan subverted Wen Xueran’s
thoughts because she was looking at him coldly.

She didn’t show any bashful expression because of his words or actions.

“My sisters are coming down, Princely Heir, see you later!” Seeing that
Ning Qingshan had come back, Ning Xueyan left without any hesitation.
She turned around and walked toward Ning Qingshan with Qingyu. Ning
Xueyan had a different feeling about the Princely Heir, who looked very
amorous.

She could not tell clearly, but in short, she knew that he was dangerous!

It might be because of his gorgeous looks. She would be the public

enemy of all the women if she stayed with him. It might be because he
set up this competition today, or even because of the way he talked to
her…

Anyway, she felt that Wen Xueran was not genuine.

Behind her, Wen Xueran beat his palm with his fan rhythmically, smiling
with interest. He had never seen a girl who could stay calm when facing
his charming actions.

“Princely Heir, Old Master asked you to go back,” a subordinate came

over and said respectfully behind him.

“He should be staying with his beauties during this period. Why he is
asking for me?” Wen Xueran turned around and returned to the store
behind him.

“He said that there was something urgent that you needed to see. You can
enjoy the festive lanterns later,” the man trotted away and respectfully
replied as if he hadn’t noticed that the son didn’t show enough respect to
his father.

“The lanterns are boring. Is the carriage ready?” Wen Xueran asked.

“They are waiting for you outside the back door,” said the man.

Wen Xueran nodded, and staggered to the back of the store. The people
had crowded around the store and carriages could not enter inside, so
they had to take the small lane at the back door. However, even though
they were familiar with the roads, it was dark in the back and could not
be compared to the front.

When Wen Xueran stepped onto the dark path, another carriage was
moving on this dark road at the same time.

Third Prince Ao Mingyu in the carriage had a dark face, and his eyes fell
on a beautiful 16- or 17-year-old girl in the carriage. Being stared at by
such sharp eyes, the girl was trembling. She had been sent here and there
along the way and was getting more and more scared.

“You were adopted when you were two or three years old, and you don’t
have any memories before that?” after looking at her for a while, Ao
Mingyu changed his expression and asked gently. He behaved in a soft
manner and showed a gentle smile, becoming an elegant gentleman
under the light.
The girl did not know who the man in front of her was, but because of
his gentle and handsome expression, she became less terrified. She
blushed and replied shyly, “Yes, when I was a kid, I was separated from
my natural father and mother. About 13 years ago, my foster parents
adopted me, but I was too young to remember anything. My mother said
that when I was found, I was well-dressed and should belong to a rich
family.”

At that time, the former dynasty had just ended. As many powerful
families fell down, their children got lost.

“Have your foster parents ever told you what happened when they met
you?” Ao Mingyu frowned and asked. .

“Nothing more than that. They said I was sitting alone at the door of his
house at that time,” the girl thought for a moment and answered honestly.

Ao Mingyu’s gaze fell on the girl, trying to decide if she was telling the
truth, before he asked, “Has anyone ever come to you since then? Or to
your foster parents?”

“No one ever came.” The girl shook her head, and because Ao Mingyu
looked gentle, she was no longer afraid. Instead, staying so close to a
young man in a carriage, she could not help blushing.

“Are there very many people like you or at your age in your area?” Ao
Mingyu looked the girl up and down and asked casually.

During wartime, there were quite a lot of orphans who were lost. The
former dynasty was destroyed and many families were separated. Many
children lost their shelter due to the war. Things like this happened a lot,
for example, the two people whom Grand Tutor Ya asked Ya Moqin to
take back from the south.

Although he had known that the chance was very small, Ao Mingyu had
to ask personally. Where was she, the princess of the former dynasty who
had escaped alive? Many years had passed, but he found nothing. Had
she died when she fled away at that time since she was only two or three
years old?
“Who are you looking for?” the girl hesitated and asked, biting her lips
worriedly.

“I am looking for my sister. She was lost that year, and I have found
nothing useful so far.” Ao Mingyu looked upset. He reached out and
rubbed his forehead, a chill light flashing across his eyes. “Has Ao
Chenyi found her already?” He should send people to watch Prince Yi’s
Manor’s back yard.

Maybe he should send the girl into Prince Yi’s Manor since he could not
figure out if she was the princess. If she was sent to Prince Yi’s Manor
and Ao Chenyi figured it out, he would not let her go like himself.

He slowly stroked the tea cup with his hand. The tea in the cup had
become cold, so it felt chilly.

“It turns out that you are looking for your sister. I… I heard that there
was such a girl… but… but her family looked after her carefully and few
people knew that she wasn’t the daughter of that family. And she seldom
went out on the street, so no one had seen her. But my aunt was working
there, and she brought the child to the masters of the family.”

The girl hesitated to finish her words. Her aunt had told her that she
should never say these words to anybody since that family had treated
the girl as their real daughter. But this man was looking for his sister, and
it should be a good thing to help the girl find her own family.

“Bang!” The tea cup fell down. As the wind blew, the curtain was lifted
slightly. Ao Mingyu’s face looked dark in the night.
Chapter 267 Someone Is
Following Us
Ning Xueyan and her sisters walked along the street, enjoying the
lanterns and laughing. After a short while, they met the housekeeper,
who came over to tell them that they had booked room No. 9 on the third
floor of Linjiang Restaurant. They had known they had booked a room,
but they didn’t know which one it was.

“Ladies, Marquis and Madam Dowager have arrived, and you can come
later,” the housekeeper said with a smile.

“All right. I will bring them to the restaurant soon,” Ning Qingshan
nodded and said gently. She was the eldest one among the girls, so she
made the decision. Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan would not disagree
with her.

While Ning Qingshan was talking to the housekeeper, Ning Xueyan and
Ning Lingyun continued to look at the lanterns.

“Fourth Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady, why is that person following us
all the time?” Qingyu suddenly pointed at the corner not far away and
asked Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan, “Does he want to hurt us?”

There was a bit of a distance between them and the man, so even though
they raised their heads, they could not see the man’s face clearly. They
only saw a young man in white clothes who was looking at them
suspiciously.

“Third Sister, look, someone is following us all the time.” Ning Lingyun
didn’t dare to make any decision now. Seeing the situation, she pulled
Ning Qingshan, who was talking to the housekeeper, and whispered in
her ears, pointing in that direction.

Although the housekeeper could not hear their words, he could see the
man. He was old, so his vision was different from these young people.
He could not see close things clearly, but he could see far objects clearly.
He could see the man clearly and knew that he was the second son of the
Xia family, who had caused troubles in the Ning family.

He couldn’t help feeling shocked. “What does he intend to do by coming

here!? Although his eyes are not focused, he is looking at the girls. Only
the three ladies are here, so who is he going to meet?”

Hearing Ning Lingyun’s words, Ning Qingshan lifted her head to look at
the man. When she saw the white figure, she frowned and could not help
cursing Xia Yudong for being a fool. “He has saved Ning Xueyan
already. Is he waiting for another chance to do that again? If he keeps
following us, Ning Xueyan will suspect him and it would ruin
everything.”

Of course, at this time, she had not known that Xia Yudong had missed
his opportunity to be a hero. When he saw that Ning Xueyan was
harassed by the punks and was going to stop it as planned, he was hit on
the back of his head. Before he could understand what had happened, he
passed out.

When he woke up, he was pressed against the wall and questioned before
he was released for no reason.

When he came out of the alley in embarrassment, everything was

finished. Ning Xueyan had joined Ning Qingshan, and they were
walking forward together.

The plan had failed and he had to tell Ning Qingshan. So Xia Yudong
followed them, trying to find a chance to talk to Ning Qingshan. Even
though he could not speak to Ning Qingshan, he had to talk to her maid.
So he followed them all the way.

He and Ning Ziyan had repeated that they were framed in the accident
that happened in Lord Protector’s Manor, and they even swore to God.
Although Xia Yuhang said nothing, his expression was gloomy. Ning
Ziyan had been locked in her yard. Even though he was not punished, he
was scolded by his father.

After that, Xia Yuhang’s mother rebuked him and summoned his
concubine to her yard. She punished his concubine to kneel on the
ground until she passed out.
Xia Yuhang’s mother ordered her female servants to send his concubine
back. They mocked him, saying that he was the son of a concubine. Xia
Yudong was pissed off, but he knew it was inappropriate to quarrel with
the hostess of the family.

In his opinion, the reason why he was treated like this was that he was
the son of a concubine. So he wanted to be superior. At this time, Ning
Qingshan sent him a message and showed him a way. In the letter, Ning
Qingshan implied that Madam Ling should be blamed for what happened
to Ning Ziyan and him.

They kind of suffered from their own actions. If the Xia family wanted to
make trouble for him, he could use this to stop them.

For this, Xia Yudong became more grateful to Ning Qingshan, and also
believed her as if he had found his backbone. So when something went
wrong, he wanted to tell Ning Qingshan first.

“Tell that person that we are from Lord Protector’s Manor and to not
follow us.” Today, Ning Qingshan took Caifen with her. Hearing Ning
Lingyun’s words and seeing Xia Yudong, Ning Qingshan whispered to
Caifen.

Because of Ning Lingyun, she could not say it too thoroughly.

Fortunately, Caifen knew her and moved backward after nodding.

Seeing that Ning Qingshan sent her maid to deal with the man, the
housekeeper frowned more tightly.

As Ning Xueyan twisted her mouth, a coldness flashed through her eyes.
As if she did not see the housekeeper’s reaction, she returned to look at
the lanterns. Ning Qingshan wanted her to be tied with Xia Yudong and
impress her with a good figure. She asked her cousin to let go of Xia
Yudong because she knew that Xia Yudong would tell this to Ning
Qingshan.

Therefore, Ning Qingshan was the one who had kept in touch with Xia
Yudong, not her.

Caifen returned after a while, but the housekeeper thoughtfully said

goodbye to Ning Qingshan, and was going to report this to Ning Zu’an.
Although it was not a big deal, considering that Ning Qingshan was
going to marry the Third Prince, nothing wrong should not happen to her.
If she did something wrong, she would get the whole family in trouble.

It was getting late, and there were more and more people on the street.
They were walking together at first but were separated by a crowd
rushing from the other direction. When Ning Xueyan looked back, she
could find no one, not even Qingyu.

She had to listen carefully but there were all kinds of voices in the crowd
and she could not hear if someone was calling her. She saw many strange
faces, but none of them were from her own family. Was she lost?

Ning Xueyan carefully walked into the store next to her. She wanted to
wait there for Qingyu. Once there were too many people and she got lost,
she had to wait in the spot where she got lost and someone would come
to find her. That was what Xia Yuhang had told her when she was lost on
a Preliminary Eve and he found her after suffering greatly.

While she was thinking about this, she staggered and fell into a person’s
arms. She tried to step back but a long arm wrapped around her and she
was tightly pressed into the other’s chest. Then she smelled a unique
fragrance.

She lifted her head in astonishment and looked into a pair of dark eyes.
The man had a chiseled face and was staring at her, holding her waist
tightly and smiling at her leisurely.

“What a coincidence! I actually met my girl. Let’s enjoy the lanterns

together.” Ao Chenyi’s eyes became more watery and dark like two deep
lakes.

“Lord, there are too many people here.” Ning Xueyan pushed him,
looking at the crowd around them. She was not wearing a veil and could
be easily seen.

“Then let’s find a place with fewer people,” Ao Chenyi lowered his head,
and suddenly whispered in her ear.

Knowing that he had deliberately misinterpreted her words, Ning

Xueyan was quite helpless. “I came out with my sisters and they were
here before.”

She was warning Ao Chenyi that someone would come back and they
should not reveal their relationship.

“That has nothing to do with me.” Ao Chenyi didn’t take it seriously,

holding Ning Xueyan into the half-open door behind him, and his guards
helped them make way.

Ning Xueyan was helpless, and she didn’t know what the prince wanted
to do today. In order to avoid being seen, she had to bury her head in his
arms. Thinking that there were guards surrounding them and it happened
suddenly, it should be impossible to clearly see her face.

However, some men in black outside the crowd suddenly showed up and
pointed their swords at Ao Chenyi, who was protected in the middle, and
Ning Xueyan, who was in his arms. The guards had to stop the assassins,
and they protected Ning Xueyan and Ao Chenyi to go through the door.
After that, they could only hear the screams from outside.

Even though Ning Xueyan was a calm person, she could not help feeling
frightened. She tried to push Ao Chenyi away to see what was happening
outside and if Qingyu was coming back at this time!

“Relax, your maid won’t die.” Ao Chenyi didn’t hold her this time. He
let her push him away, left her alone, and turned to go upstairs.

Such a proud person explained it to her. How rare! Thinking rationally,

Ning Xueyan stopped. At this time, it was definitely inappropriate to
open the door. There were many people outside, and once someone
recognized her, it would be troublesome. She had not forgotten the
gloomy eyes of the Third Prince when he doubted Ning Qingshan.

She was not Ning Qingshan, and Ao Chenyi had not too many scruples
to hurt her.

After thinking about it for a while, she followed Ao Chenyi upstairs only
to find that it was a separate private room. Ao Chenyi stood at the
window with his back to her, looking at the scene below. This was the
best position to view the scene.
Ning Xueyan walked over and quietly stood by his side. She pulled
down the window screen at her side and looked down. The people in
black were still fighting with the guards, their sword light flashing. The
people had run away completely because no one dared to linger near
such a murderous incident.

However, there were not only Ao Chenyi’s guards fighting against the
men in black, but some people wearing different types of clothing were
also fighting in front of the door.

“Are these people coming to kill you?” Ning Xueyan tried not to ask, but
she failed.

“No!” Ao Chenyi squinted at her as he grinned. He turned around and

stopped looking down and sat down on a wide chair.

“Are they…” Ning Xueyan sat down beside him and asked.

“Your cousin is the son of General Ming. He had visited you late one
night in your room, and this time, he saved you like a hero. What a
touching story!” Instead of answering, Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes,
staring at her slyly, and suddenly smiled with a weird face.

Ning Xueyan felt chilly under his gaze and was surprised by what he
said. Her dark eyes tightened slightly. Ming Yuanhua appeared only once
in her boudoir just after Ao Chenyi left. She had no idea how he knew
about it. Did he have someone keeping an eye her?

She was feeling wrong about something. “What does he mean?”

Chapter 268 Your Royal
Highness, Which Tender and
Sweet Girl Do You Want to See
“Your Royal Highness, my cousin sent news to me about my uncle. It is
always not convenient for me to go out, especially when I have to meet
my uncle and cousin.” Ning Xueyan hesitated for a moment and told him
the truth. But then, she told him somewhat ironically. “Of course, the
scene that ‘the hero saves a beauty’ you saw earlier was not planned by
my cousin. After all, the ‘hero’ did not get the chance to save ‘the
beauty’ this time, and wasted the effort in specially preparing the plot”

“Was that hero named Xia Yudong, the second son of the Xia Tian
Family?” Suddenly, Ao Chenyi smiled and asked leisurely. He seemed to
be in a good mood. He even poured Ning Xueyan a cup of water and
handed it to her, which was very rare.

“Yes.” Ning Xueyan took the cup and admitted that it was true.

“Did you deliberately let the housekeeper in your manor witness this
scene?” Ao Chenyi’s eyes narrowed, and his smile was even more
brilliant now.

“She does not like the Third Prince and is fond of hitting on the
concubine’s son of the Xia Manor. About her deeds, even Ning Zu’an is
simply at her wits’ end with her. Isn’t that the truth?” Ning Xueyan took
the teacup from Ao Chenyi and smiled a little, behaving with perfect
composure. She looked serene as if she thought that Ao Chenyi was not
there to criticize her for intentionally causing harm, but instead was
praising her.

Looking at her bright and smiling eyes, Ao Chenyi felt that he had never
met such a girl who was able to keep her cool, under such circumstances,
before.
“It is indeed a wonderful thing for me to have such a smart co-consort.”
As the corners of his eyes lifted in surprise, Ao Chenyi became less
angry and showed a brighter smile.

“Thank you for your compliment. Anyway, I am no longer your

illegitimate favorite concubine. From now on, I finally received my
status.” Though Ning Xueyan knew from Ao Chenyi’s words that he was
giving her a warning, she still smiled and replied in a gentle voice,
pretending that she did not know what he meant at all.

“Oh, are you asking me for your social status?” Curling up the corners of
his mouth, Ao Chenyi asked. He suddenly reached out and held Ning
Xueyan’s hands together with the teacup, stroking it gently. Ning
Xueyan’s hands were colder than usual, but Ao Chenyi’s hands were also
not that warm. As their hands touched, both Ning Xueyan and Ao
Chenyi felt a little cold.

Ning Xueyan could not help shivering. She had never thought that Ao
Chenyi’s hands could be so freezing.

“But didn’t you just guarantee me the status before?” Without averting
her eyes, Ning Xueyan looked at the faint smile hanging on Ao Chenyi’s
pretty lips, and gave him a slight smile.

“What a bold girl! Yan’er, I seem to like you now.” Ao Chenyi scanned
her exquisite face. “She has a face as white and delicate as snow. Her
smile is pure and clear, or it is a little childish. It is obvious that she is a
little girl that has not grown up yet. But facing me directly, such a little
girl is even bold enough to answer my questions without any hint of
fear.”

“Besides, I warned her that she could only be my co-consort if she

married into my manor, but she still stayed so collected, as if I were
talking about someone else’s fate.”

“You must be joking, Your Royal Highness. Well, I have something to

deal with, and I don’t want to cause any problems for you either. So I
will leave you in peace now.” Gracefully, Ning Xueyan stood up. Rolling
her eyes, Ning Xueyan simply did not care that she seemed to have won
the handsome, cold-blooded Prince Yi’s “favor.” Of course, from deep
inside, she did not believe his words were real.
She was even more convinced that this prince had a cold heart.

If Prince Yi said he liked something, he must be joking, or he must have

some other purposes. Thus, Ning Xueyan did not think that it was
necessary for her to talk further about this topic with him.

It seemed that the fighting below stopped only after a while, as if these
people were actually here to put up a fighting show. Thus, Ning Xueyan
certainly could not accompany Ao Chenyi on the show for too long time.
Otherwise, once Ning Qingshan found her, Ning Xueyan did not know
what kind of disturbance she would create. Ning Qingshan could make a
big deal out of nothing, not to mention that a fight had already happened.

“It’s all right. Your sister is busy enough with her own affairs now. Come
and watch a good show with me.” Ao Chenyi did not plan to let Ning
Xueyan go. In high spirits, he stood up and walked over to the screen.
From its top, Ao Chenyi took down an ink-black cloak with bright,
gorgeous flowers embroidered on it. With one glance, Ning Xueyan
immediately knew that the cloak belonged to Ao Chenyi.

Ao Chenyi took down a cloak. Then, he walked up to Ning Xueyan and

put it on her. After reaching out to fasten the cloak for her, Ao Chenyi
pulled it and pulled the hood forward, hiding Ning Xueyan’s face.
Originally, Ning Xueyan was much smaller than Ao Chenyi. With his
loose cloak covering her, no one could see clearly who was in it.

“Your Highness, where are you going?” Ning Xueyan asked helplessly.
At this time, under the hood, she could not see anything, but darkness
before her. Though she did not know what Prince Yi was up to, Ning
Xueyan was relieved. Since Ao Chenyi told her that Ning Qingshan
could hardly look after herself, Ning Xueyan was sure that no one would
find out that only she was missing.

Though partly hidden and partly visible, Ning Xueyan’s half-exposed

snow-white skin and small red lips, which were plump and glossy,
looked stunningly pretty against the black cloak.

Abruptly, Ao Chenyi lifted her hood up. Raising his long and narrow
eyes, he said, “If you don’t want others to notice you, you should rest
quietly in my arms.” With this, he pulled Ning Xueyan to the back
window. He briefly checked the direction and immediately got out of the
room after picking up Ning Xueyan. Jumping up and down a few times,
he leaped toward the place that had a light.

Outside, the wind was very strong, plus Ao Chenyi was jumping above
the houses. Thus, Ning Xueyan had to hold on to Ao Chenyi tightly, for
fear that she might fall off the roof, if he should accidentally drop her. In
fact, she was not afraid that he would make a mistake. Instead, she was
afraid that Prince Yi, who usually didn’t act according to common
practice, would do some unreasonable things.

After all, no one knew what this Prince Yi with his everchanging moods,
would do next.

Ning Xueyan clung tightly to Ao Chenyi’s slim waist, her head resting in
his arms. But still, she was acutely aware that they were actually not far
from the house that they were in earlier. It was true that Ao Chenyi had
made several leaps, but he only did that to avoid taking the straight line.
After all, there was a brightly lit street in front of them. Perhaps, people
there would see them if they happened to look up.

But the position that they occupied now was perfect. They were standing
neither in the draught nor at the forefront. Before them, a tall eave
happened to curve up. Thus, even if someone was looking in their
direction, he or she could not see them.

“Are you afraid?” Ao Chenyi’s voice echoed in Ning Xueyan’s ears

along with the warm wind, blowing upward through her beautiful hair.
Somehow, Ning Xueyan flushed, her heart fluttering slightly. At this
moment, Ning Xueyan tried so hard to stop herself from gazing at his
face, which was only a very short distance away. Calmly, she asked, “I
suppose that I’m fine. But I do not know what you are trying to spy on.”

“If I say that I am here to find out about an affair, will you accompany
me to watch the whole show?” Under the dusky night light, Ning
Xueyan could not see Ao Chenyi’s eyes clearly. She could only feel that
his evil but charming ice-cold aura, enveloping her.

“Your Royal Highness, you are so unique!” Not knowing what to say,
Ning Xueyan racked her wits and finally complimented him, her watery
eyes blinking.
“It’s rare for me to enjoy such a good show. After witnessing so many
flashes of knives and swords on the battlefields, I surely need to
experience the tenderness and sweetness of this world. Let’s watch the
pair of lovers and make tonight an unforgettable night.” Ao Chenyi
seemed to be rather happy, and even, his treacherous voice did not sound
as chilly as usual. Reaching over, he pressed Ning Xueyan into his arms.
With his excellent eyesight, Ao Chenyi could clearly see Ning Xueyan
grimace and pout.

When he saw her expression, Ao Chenyi thought in his heart. “This little
girl is getting bolder, and she even dares to sneer at me.”

“Oh, whose tenderness and sweetness would you like to see, Your Royal
Highness?” Ning Xueyan asked casually, without being aware that Ao
Chenyi had seen her look of disdain. Meanwhile, she was observing the
surroundings around the place where they sat. Then she found that there
was dim light spilling out of the place not far away from them. “Is there
a hidden window on the roof?” Ning Xueyan wondered.

To let the room be well lighted, people would specially leave a small
window at a specific part of the roof. Usually, the so-called hidden
window was loosely covered by several tiles so that the light could pass
through them to the room, but the rain could not. Since the hidden
window had little use, ordinary families would not use it. “Well, in front
of us, the light must have spilled from the hidden window.” Ning Xueyan
thought.

“But why would this family construct a hidden window here? Is it

because the room below is not a central room, and so it needs a hidden
window to get the light?”

Seeing that Ning Xueyan was lost in her thoughts and paying little
attention to his words, Ao Chenyi suddenly felt a little unhappy. All of a
sudden, he reached out and placed his hand under Ning Xueyan’s jaw.
Then, he exerted some force, trying to turn her face toward him.

However, Ao Chenyi caught Ning Xueyan off guard, because she had
never thought that Ao Chenyi would act like this. She only felt that she
could not stop herself from falling and was about to scream
subconsciously. Fortunately, she quickly came to her senses. She
hurriedly zipped her lips. Her hands instinctively reached backward and
clasped Ao Chenyi’s sturdy waist.

“Your Highness, you…” Shocked by his sudden action, Ning Xueyan

was somewhat annoyed. Looking up, she was about to say something.

But she suddenly felt something soft and cold touching the corners of her
mouth. Instantly, Ning Xueyan swallowed her words and reached out to
touch her lips subconsciously. She knew that Prince Yi could not see her
moves clearly, but she still blushed, immediately.

“Did I just touch his lips just now?” She thought.

“So did you want to kiss me so far in advance? But it is a pity that I plan
to do that after our wedding. However, since you appear to want me so
badly, I may as well satisfy you now.” A little quiet laughter followed
Prince Yi’s words, which sounded strangely lazy. Ning Xueyan could
feel his chest vibrating slightly, along with his laughter. In an extremely
overbearing manner, his hands locked tightly around her slender waist,
and he did not seem to want to let her go at all.

Now Ning Xueyan’s face was burning hot. “How could this man talk in
such a shameless way? He said all of this as if I could not wait to do
something intimate with him. I have hugged and embraced him, but I
have no other choice. What’s more, it was too early to say anything
about the marriage between us. Besides, he didn’t say it right. The
wedding he just talked about should be a matter between his principal
wife and him. It is none of my business.”

“Your Highness, the wedding night is the night between you and your
principal wife. What has that got to do with me?” Feeling angry and
ashamed, Ning Xueyan wanted to turn around. However, she could not
do so, because Ao Chenyi had no intention of removing his hand under
her chin.

“Are you blaming me for not making you my principal wife? But my
principal wife must be a wedded wife’s daughter from a noble family,
who can be considered as a real noble Young Lady.” Ao Chenyi said
rather lazily. He sensed that Ning Xueyan felt very uncomfortable, so he
released his hand that was holding on to her chin.
Ning Xueyan was speechless. “Why would he talk about these totally
unrelated things? I am not even his co-consort. How could he start
talking about the wedding? But sure enough, no normal person can
understand such a man’s way of thinking. Why would he explain the
wedding and marriage issue in such a solemn way? Is he trying to make
me understand the status that I deserve? But I clearly know my status the
whole time, don’t I?”

“Your Royal Highness, there are some people down there now. Are we
going to see them or not?” She reached out and pushed Ao Chenyi away,
removing her hand away from him to point down. Just now, she heard a
voice from below.

“Yan’er, don’t you want to listen to other lovers’ honeyed words?”

Suddenly, Ning Xueyan had an uncontrollable urge to swear. Extending

one of her hands and pressing it against Ao Chenyi’s chest, she slowly
spat out her words one by one, through her clenched teeth. “Your Royal
Highness, if I remember correctly, it was you who asked me to witness
the private scene between lovers.”

“Oh, it was me. Then, let’s watch the scene together!” Ao Chenyi
seemed to say this with great relish. He stretched out his hand and took
away a loose piece of tile which was set against the hidden window. A
faint light coming out of the window enabled them to see the scene
below clearly.

But Ning Xueyan’s eyes froze right after she saw the graceful figure of a
woman who was standing in the room. “Why is she here?”
Chapter 269 Go Down. Let’s Go
to the Linjiang Restaurant
Quickly
Although there was very little light, Ning Xueyan clearly knew that the
woman below was Ning Qingshan. “She was with me earlier. How could
she go on a rendezvous here, only after such a short while?” A graceful
man with a gentle look, was sitting on a chair. When Ning Xueyan saw
that the man was Ao Mingyu, her heart froze all of a sudden.

“What are they doing behind closed doors, after they tried to avoid all
the others?”

Ning Xueyan’s head bent lower and lower, for she wanted to get a
clearer look at the scene. Ao Chenyi, who was beside her, also pressed
close to her, his handsome face showing some excitement. Leaning close
to Ning Xueyan, Ao Chenyi looked down together with her.

Inside the room, Ao Mingyu, who was in formal attire, looked at Ning
Qingshan, and asked her mildly, “Third Young Lady, what can I do for
you?”

“Cousin, I did not plot the things that happened in the other courtyards. I
was wronged. Don’t you know that I have always loved you with all my
heart?” Her eyes glistening with tears, Ning Qingshan gave Ao Mingyu a
winsome look. Her sharp little chin made her appear even more pitiful.

“I’m sorry that I made you feel bad.” It seemed that Ao Mingyu truly
believed Ning Qingshan’s words. He stood up and walked to her. Then,
he tenderly took her in his arms and in a tone filled with utmost
melancholia, said, “In order to prevent others from gossiping I have to
keep my distance from you these last few days.”

“Your Royal Highness, you, do you really believe in me?” Overjoyed,

Ning Qingshan asked in a trembling voice, nestling against Ao Mingyu,
like a little bird. Ning Qingshan appeared as if she was unable to restrain
her joy, in her disbelief.

“How could I not believe in you? If it had not been for you, I would not
have had the chance to be here today. Even if I don’t believe in others, I
will always believe in you.” Ao Mingyu sighed, and in a voice filled
with grief said, “I am a prince, but I still cannot take a false step nor
make a wrong move. Even if I wanted to comfort you at that time, I was
afraid that others would begin to talk. Thus, first of all, I should stop
others from bad mouthing you behind your back. After all, I want you to
be my principal wife, not merely a co-consort.”

Ao Mingyu said these words with deep affection and a sad expression on
his melancholy and handsome face. Finally, Ning Qingshan’s anxious
heart slowly calmed down. “It turns out that the Third Prince is still in
love with me, and has never doubted me. It was just that he might also be
restrained by others sometimes.”

At first, she thought that she could never capture the Third Prince’s heart.
Now Ning Xueyan knew that the Third Prince just pretended to be
indifferent to her, in front of others. A slight proud expression flashed
unbidden, across her eyes. Of course, she could also hear the Third
Prince’s warnings. If even he could not afford to make a single mistake,
Ning Qingshan, who would be the Third Prince’s wife in the future,
should certainly do nothing wrong.

Especially at this time, perhaps only one mistake could drag her down
from the position of the Third Prince’s future principal wife, and
eventually become merely a co-consort.

Once again, Ning Qingshan felt that she had made a wise choice in not
dealing with Ning Xueyan for the time being. As long as she could
become the perfectly justifiable wife of the Third Prince, Ning Xueyan
would be no match for her.

“Which of the two do you think is telling the truth?” Ning Xueyan
whispered her question in Ao Chenyi’s ears, a faint smile lurking around
the corners of her lips. Both of them were so good at acting. They
seemed so sincere as if what they said was true.
“How could Ao Mingyu turn a blind eye to the fact that Ning Qingshan
might be Ao Chenyi’s favorite concubine? Similarly, Ning Qingshan also
appeared creditable in her role as a woman who was truly in love and
had genuine concern for him.”

“Do you think that they were acting? In this world, who doesn’t put on
an act? Yan’er, do you think that you have never put on an act before?
But why do I think that you are really good at acting?” Ao Chenyi’s evil
voice came to her ears. It had a weird and vicious ring to it, which could
give others a chill without being cold.

“Your Highness, don’t you put on an act too?” Suddenly, Ning Xueyan
boldly asked him this question, without fear of receiving harsh
punishment.

“I like to see the shows of others. I especially enjoy watching people

getting into their characters, when they are playing out their roles. What
an exciting show it is, when all kinds of demons with masks, run wild.”
Ao Chenyi chuckled, his voice lingering in Ning Xueyan’s ears.

“Prince Yi’s pastime is really unique!” Ning Xueyan sighed in her heart.

“Your Highness, you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. When
you are enjoying your wealth and high social status, you certainly cannot
understand the actors’ feelings. Perhaps, someday, when you are no
longer in power, you may have also to act out several roles before
others.” After pondering for a moment, Ning Xueyan responded in a soft
voice.

If Ning Xueyan did not do any acting, she would have been dead by, now
when she directly confronted Madam Ling, in her new life. Even though
she knew who her enemies were, she would have to think carefully at
each step and advance cautiously. She was afraid that a careless mistake
would bring her to the road of destruction.

“But it will take countless people’s lives to take my power away from
me. If so many people are willing to go to the nether world with me, I do
not mind accompanying them, to go the same way and covered with
blood.” Ao Chenyi’s voice sounded extremely arrogant and vicious.
Even without looking, Ning Xueyan could imagine that his appearance
would be extremely overbearing at this time. However, judging by his
domineering attitude, Ning Xueyan knew that he was right.

Now that there was great power in Ao Chenyi’s hands, it could be said
that his status in the imperial court was only second to the emperor’s.

Even the emperor was also very jealous of him, but he still did not dare
to target Ao Chenyi aboveboard. What was worse, Ning Xueyan even
had a feeling that if the emperor and the Third Prince won in the future, a
horrifying situation would happen. At that time, countless corpses would
be strewn all over the country, with blood flowing freely like streams.
Ning Xueyan knew that Prince Yi was absolutely capable of burying the
whole Chu Kingdom with him.

“So are you scared?” Seeing that Ning Xueyan was deep in thought and
remained silent, Ao Chenyi asked, with a slight smile emerging on his
cold and good-looking face. It was a question, but Ao Chenyi seemed not
to expect an answer at all. Sure enough, the smile lurking around the
corners of his lips turned bloody. With an air of superiority that only the
king of evil demons could have, he gazed at Ning Xueyan, as if he were
looking at an ant which was struggling between his fingers.

“It’s useless to be afraid. Since you have already chosen to be with me, I
won’t give you any cause to regret it.”

“Your Highness, how about listening to them?” Ning Xueyan sank into
silence again. Feeling a little confused, her eyes fell upon him, and she
sighed lightly.

At this moment, she felt as if she had seen a scene from hell full of
blood, in his being. How many people died because of him that even
Ning Xueyan could see the raging evil spirit in him, at only a mere
glance?

“Okay, then I will take a look with you, Yan’er.” He casually touched the
hair on top of Ning Xueyan’s head. Ao Chenyi’s lazy but mellifluous
voice showed that he was in a good mood. His slightly cold hands
dropped down, and he half embraced Ning Xueyan in his arms. Clinging
together, they continued to look down.
A moment later, the situation below had changed. On one side, Ao
Mingyu sat quietly in the chair. Respectfully, Ning Qingshan stayed at
the other side. It looked as if they had never shared any intimate
moments a while ago. Ao Mingyu poured a cup of tea for Ning
Qingshan. Handing it to her, he asked softly, “After some time, it will be
my eldest uncle’s death anniversary. Do you want to visit his tomb with
the others?”

“Will you be there?” Ning Qingshan asked softly. Although she did not
want to go, she could not show her true feelings on her face. This dead
man was her nominal father, but Ning Qingshan knew that she had little
affection for him. However, she still needed this nominal father to be her
link with the Honored Consort Ya and the Third Prince. Otherwise, she
would have broken off her relationship with him long ago.

“I may not have time to go, for the time being.” After a moment of
thinking, Ao Mingyu answered tenderly, his eyes fixed on Ning
Qingshan.

“Cousin, I think that it is not convenient for me to pay homage to my

father. After all, I’m now the daughter of Lord Protector’s Manor. If
Lord Protector knows this…” Ning Qingshan did not finish her sentence.
However, she still clearly expressed her concern. Since she was a
daughter of Lord Protector’s Manor now, it would be better if others did
not know that she had a relationship with the Grand Tutor Ya’s manor.

“Then, don’t go. You can just secretly hold a memorial ceremony for him
in your room. I believe that if my uncle’s spirit in heaven sees you doing
that for him, he should understand you. After you marry me, I will visit
his grave with you, so that you will have a good reason to visit his tomb
then.” Ao Mingyu said softly, with some concern. HE felt sorry for her
and looked at her with a gentler expression.

“As Mammy Luo instructed me, I did not tell him the whole story of my
life. Sure enough, it turns out that it did benefit me a lot.” Ning Qingshan
was overjoyed. She noticed the Third Prince’s expression and knew that
he felt guilty about not letting her visit her father’s tomb. Exerting great
efforts to suppress her great joy, Ning Qingshan forced herself to show
some sadness on her face. She blinked, and her eyes became a little red,
as if she was going to cry.
She stood up and bowed respectfully to Ao Mingyu. “Thank you, my
cousin. If that day comes and I can hold a memorial ceremony for my
father in a righteous way, I believe that he will finally rest in peace in his
grave.”

All these years, Ning Qingshan pretended to be a descendant of the Ya

family, and the only child of General Ya, who was said to be killed in
battle. General Ya chose to go to the fatal battlefield himself to protect
his families. Since then, everyone in the Ya family felt sorry for him.

It was just for this reason that Honored Consort Ya was willing to come
up with a romantic trap for Ao Mingyu with Ning Qingshan, when she
was in the palace. Otherwise, how could Ning Qingshan know that the
Third Prince was in poor health, and happened to be there to save the
Third Prince, when no one was around to serve him? She did all of this
only to leave an impression on the Third Prince’s mind.

Of course, in the past three years, she tried to keep a certain distance
from him in order to make the Third Prince miss her even more.
Anyway, she was too young to marry Ao Mingyu at that time. Thus, it
would be much better for her to leave him for a while. But then, she
made sure that the others constantly spread news about her to Ao
Mingyu’s ears, without him noticing. In this way, she managed to
increase and maintain her good reputation in Ao Mingyu’s mind.

Ning Qingshan said these words in an extremely gentle way and looked a
little sad, at the same time. How many men would not show their
tenderness toward such a considerate beauty, who seemed to be filled
with such sadness? As Ning Qingshan expected, Ao Mingyu sighed
softly and took her hand to pull her up. “Cousin, it’s too late now. You’d
better go back early, lest others start to suspect you, which is not a good
thing for you.”

It sounded like Ao Mingyu was worried about Ning Qingshan’s

situation, and was afraid that it would hurt her reputation if she stayed
here longer. His thoughtful words brought warmth to Ning Qingshan’s
heart. She looked as if she was about to cry. Well, this time, she did not
pretend. After all, she really liked Ao Mingyu. Previously, she was
uncertain whether Ao Mingyu truly loved her. When she saw that he was
so wholeheartedly considerate toward her, Ning Qingshan felt like her
whole heart was bathed in warmth.
Touched, she nodded. “Okay, cousin. I know that. I… I will go back as
soon as possible, but I want to see you a little longer.” The deep affection
in her beautiful eyes was too intense to be hidden. Following a sudden
impulse, she rushed to clasp Ao Mingyu round his waist, burying her
head deep in his arms.

“Cousin, let me hug you once again.” she said this coquettishly. Now
that she thought that her wishes would soon come true. Shortly, she
would not only enjoy a high status and inexhaustible wealth, but also
marry her loved one. What made her feel even better was that her
beloved was deeply in love with her. Being overcome with passion, Ning
Qingshan leaned her head against Ao Mingyu’s chest. Thus, she failed to
notice a somber and disgusted look flashing across Ao Mingyu’s face.

“Are they leaving?” Ning Xueyan suddenly felt very anxious. She leaned
back against Ao Chenyi and told him, “Let’s go down. Hurry, let’s go to
the Linjiang Restaurant.”

Hurriedly patting Ao Chenyi’s hand, she turned around to whisper in his

ear. The last sentence that Ao Mingyu said was not merely to advise or
express his concern for Ning Qingshan. What he meant that Ning
Qingshan should go and join the others from the Lord Protector’s Manor.
After all, when these people got together, the one who was not there
would inevitably attract all the others’ attention…
Chapter 270 All the Three Girls
Are Missing
“I never expected that my cousin didn’t know how to show his
tenderness toward women!” Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes and glanced at
Ning Xueyan’s face, showing her his enchanting and beautiful smile. He
then reached out to put back the tile. Carrying Ning Xueyan in his arms,
Ao Chenyi turned around and jumped away.

The wind went whistling past Ning Xueyan’s ears. Ning Xueyan felt that
the wind sounded so loud that she unconsciously buried her into Ao
Chenyi’s arms and grasped his clothes. Ao Chenyi returned much faster
than he came here. At first, Ning Xueyan didn’t adapt to such a fast
speed. But suddenly, everything went black before her. It turned out that
Ao Chenyi put the hat of the cloak on her head. All of a sudden, Ning
Xueyan felt that she was surrounded by warm darkness.

It had never occurred to Ning Xueyan that she could feel so warm even
in the dark.

It turned out that the sun was not the only thing that could make people
feel warm in their hearts.

“Well, you can come down. Do you want to stay in my arms and so
refuse to come down?” Only when Ao Chenyi’s lazy and melodious
voice sounded in Ning Xueyan’s ears did she feel that her feet had
already landed on the ground. Blushing, she hurriedly pushed him away.
Suddenly, Ning Xueyan could see the scene before her for Ao Chenyi
had lifted her hat up. She found that they were standing in an alley.
Opposite them was an illuminated street.

“Young Lady, it’s so nice to see you come back.” Staying in the dark
alley, Ning Xueyan suddenly heard Xinmei’s anxious voice. She turned
around and saw not only Xinmei but also Qingyu.

“Are there people looking for us the whole time?” As soon as Ning
Xueyan saw the anxious look of Qingyu and Xinmei, she sobered up and
asked.

“Yes, just now all you three Young Ladies separated from and lost touch
with us. Then, people from our manor were sent out to look for you. If
they still could not find you, others would know that the three of you
were missing today.” Qingyu anxiously said.

“Prince Yi, allow me to retreat first. I’m afraid other unpleasant things
will happen if these people cannot find any of us.” Ning Xue calmed
down and said goodbye softly to Ao Chenyi.

“It’s all right. Anyway, you originally are my co-consort. Since you are
merely a co-consort, I can overlook your slightly damaged reputation.”
Sparkling in the darkness, Ao Chenyi’s eyes looked deep, which also
showed a hint of a rare smile. He waved his hand generously. Then Ao
Chenyi unhurriedly stretched out to untie the cloak that covered Ning
Xueyan.

When Ning Xueyan heard that he said this thing so lightly, a slightly
shameful and annoying look emerged on her face. Biting her lips, Ning
Xueyan decided not to make a fuss about the words he just said. But she
also knew that she didn’t have the right to argue with him. They were
actually doing business with each other, and now Ning Xueyan had just
traded her marriage.

The next thing that Ning Xueyan should do was to remain loyal to Ao
Chenyi!

Just now he acted like that was not only to show his generosity, but also
to show his right. Or he wanted to express the meaning that she was
weak and powerless before him.

Ning Xueyan took a deep breath. She waited until Ao Chenyi completely
took off the cloak on her. Immediately after that, she turned around and
left with her two maids. When she got help from him, it represented that
the deal between them began. But with his overbearing manner, Ning
Xueyan had to give him anything that he wanted to get from her, only
except for her heart.

Thus, Ning Xueyan secretly decided to make her heart much stronger.
“Young Lady, after the crowd separated us, I could not find you and was
about to scream for help. But then, I saw that the Third Young Lady left
alone. After that, the Fourth Young Lady was also missing. Just when I
feel extremely anxious, Xinmei came to me and brought me here, saying
that our Young Lady will come out soon.”

Just now, Qingyu was desperately anxious. When Xinmei told her that,
she could not fully believe it. However, she still chose to believe it later
because as one of the few trusted maids around Ning Xueyan, she also
knew that Xinmei had Kung fu. In addition, Prince Yi sent her to protect
her master. Since Xinmei said so, there must be a reason.

But just a moment ago, the two of them saw Ning Zu’an rushed out of
Linjiang Restaurant with a large group of people. Then, a few servants
shouted in a hurry, saying that the three Young Ladies were missing and
everyone should go to look for them. Upon hearing this, both Qingyu
and Xinmei knew that if others knew the Fifth Young Lady hadn’t yet
returned, something bad was really going to happen to their master.

Qingyu went back and forth in a hurry. As for Xinmei, she was
perspiring with anxiousness already.

Fortunately, the Fifth Young Lady unexpectedly appeared before them.

That exalted Prince Yi even sent their master back by himself. Although
Qingyu could not understand some of his words, she didn’t care. After
all, her master came back finally.

“Is Ning Lingyun also gone?” Ning Xueyan’s eyes twinkled slightly, and
a ray of unfathomable light flashed across her eyes. “Ning Qingshan
went to meet Ao Mingyu. Who did Ning Lingyun see? Was she also
plotting something? Of course, when Ning Qingshan was separated from
others, she would secretly go to meet Ao Mingyu. But what was Ning
Lingyun doing at that time? Originally, I thought that she must be too
scared to do anything after so many bad incidents happened to her. But to
my surprise, she still acted like the restless her in the past.”

“It is normal that people are separated from each other when they are
enjoying the various lanterns. Many people have been dispersed by the
crowds at this time of every year. But how could this thing bother Ning
Zu’an? The maids of Ning Qingshan and Ning Lingyun could not be so
stupid. Then, someone must have deliberately given this matter away.”
“Let’s go to Linjiang Restaurant.” Ning Xueyan composed herself, then
walked out of the alley after taking a deep breath. She went directly to
Linjiang Restaurant on the opposite.

After arriving at the entrance of Linjiang Restaurant, she saw a servant

coming toward her. “Fifth Young Lady, you finally came back. Marquis
and Madam Dowager are terribly worried.”

He said in a rapid tone. Plus, he appeared to be extremely anxious.

Instantly, he attracted the stares of everyone around them.

“What’s up?” Ning Xueyan said in a soft voice, smiling gently.

Her clothes were simple but neat, and her hair was perfectly coiffed.
Ning Xueyan looked perfectly calm. With her pair of watery eyes, she
looked at the servant with a little curiosity. She didn’t appear as
something had happened to her. Even the two maids following behind
her looked very calm and collected.

All of them appeared as if they didn’t know what had happened at all,
and even if there was something, it was totally none of their business.

“Just now, some people said that they saw several Young Ladies were
separated from the others by the crowd. Besides, someone spotted that
the Third Young Lady…” At this time, the servant seemed to be
speaking without thinking. But then, he woke up to the situation and
immediately covered his mouth. Pointing to the upstairs, he said, “Fifth
Young Lady, you should go up quickly. Madam Dowager is waiting for
you upstairs, and I will report to marquis later on. ”

Before Ning Xueyan could say anything, he ran out in a hurry.

“What happened to the Third Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor?”

Upon hearing the servant’s words, these people around gazed at each
other, puzzled. After all, what he said did not sound good.

The location of Linjiang Restaurant was particularly good today because

it was just beside the lake at the end of the dragon-boat race’s track.
Soon, a high platform would be built by several big boats on this lake.
The emperor and the empress, as well as some of the emperor’s consorts,
would watch the race. It could be said that Linjiang Restaurant was
wonderfully placed. Thus, the Linjiang Restaurant ‘s boxes had been
booked up a long time ago.

Everyone raced to book the boxes.

The housekeeper of Lord Protector’s Manor acted too slow, so he didn’t

get a box. But luckily, the manager knew that they could not afford to
offend the Lord Protector’s Manor. Thus, the manager of Linjiang
Restaurant told him that if any box would then be available, he would
certainly reserve it for the Lord Protector’s Manor first. In fact, every
year, some of the people who had booked the boxes in advance would
not be able to come for various reasons. Therefore, the manager
promised the housekeeper that he would reserve a box for the Lord
Protector’s Manor without even the slight pressure.

When the housekeeper booked the box, Ning Zu’an asked him to find the
three Young Ladies and emphasized the reason why he would book the
room.

Today, those people who came here were certainly from either noble
families or rich families. A large part of them had already heard the good
reputation of the Third Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor. Of
course, at this time, only some servants and maids had arrived here.
Pricking up their ears, they were focusing on listening to some juicy
gossip about the Third Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor.

The draft was coming soon, and many people had been sent to the
palace. Many had heard about the three princes and the three girls who
protected the country. If they had never entered the palace, they would
consider Ning Qingshan as their opponent. People, of course, knew the
minds of their own masters. After listening to the gossip, they were ready
to speak to the masters, so as to please the masters.

Ning Xueyan’s eyes fell on the distant man, with a corner of his lips,
turned and walked upstairs. Ning Qingshan never imagined that the
Third Prince had no intention of marrying her as a consort. These small
slanders, although there was no direct evidence, sometimes catching the
wind was enough.

But a co-consort? Ning Qingshan had always been as proud as a

princess. If she knew the cousin that she was sure to marry only wanted
her to be his co-consort, would she still love him so deeply? But Ning
Xueyan certainly would not feel sorry for Ning Qingshan.

Someone like Ning Qingshan was born as vicious as poisonous snakes.

Even if you treated her well, she would not be grateful.

In the box upstairs, Madam Dowager became anxious long ago. From
time to time, she would send her maids to inquire about the news. Now
seeing Ning Xueyan come back safe and sound, she was slightly
relieved. After all, the Beauty Contest was coming, so none of the three
ladies could afford to make any mistake.

As soon as Ning Xueyan sat down, Ning Lingyun also went upstairs with
her maids. Although she looked timid, her clothes and the accessories
that she wore were neat in perfect order. It was evident that nothing
serious had happened to her. When two of the three Young Ladies from
the Lord Protector’s Manor came back, Madam Dowager was finally
able to sit down and eat some snacks.

Ning Qingshan had always been a smart girl. Madam Dowager thought
that since Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan were fine, she must also be
okay. Anyway, she was merely separated from others by the crowds.
Everything would be okay as long as the servants found her.

“Fifth Young Lady, where have you been all this time? Why did you
come back late at this time?” Facing Ning Xueyan, Madam Dowager
asked.

“Grandma, just when I was separated from my two sisters, I went back
here with Qingyu and Xinmei. It was just that we were quite familiar
with the roads. Thus, we were lost our way halfway to this place and
took a very roundabout way. Later, we asked someone who knew the
right way and finally came out of the opposite alley to get here. Only at
that time did we realize that we went the wrong way.” With full
composure, Ning Xueyan smiled and explained, wearing a slightly sorry
expression on her face.

“If I knew that earlier, I would have sent someone to act as a guide for
you at that time. Well, look at you. You could even get lost in the
imperial capital.” Madam Dowager didn’t doubt Ning Xueyan’s
explanation at all. It was mainly because Ning Xueyan had been staying
in the Bright Frost Garden for so many years. Also, one of her maids had
been keeping in the Bright Frost Garden for a very long time. Well, the
other maid, who was sent here by Ming Feiyong’s manor, didn’t look
like a clever one.

“Fourth Young Lady, what’s the matter with you?” Madam Dowager was
rather kind to Ning Xueyan, but she was not that nice to Ning Lingyun.

“Grandmother, I… I met my cousin from Concubine Xu’s family. We

stood aside and talked for a while. That was why I came late then.”
Lowering her head, Ning Lingyun spoke with hesitation.

“Your cousin is from Concubine Xu’s family. But Fourth Young Lady,
you are now a Young Lady from the great Lord Protector’s Manor. You
should always keep your high status in mind. Don’t let others look down
upon you.” When Madam Dowager heard that Ning Lingyun was talking
with someone from the Concubine Xu’s family, she drew a long face and
said unpleasantly. From her words, Ning Lingyun knew that Madam
Dowager gave a subtle warning to her.

“Yes.” Didn’t dare to say anything, Ning Lingyun replied, bowing her
head.

But how could Ning Lingyun go to meet with someone from the Senior
Concubine Xu’s family and even have a conversation with her? If
everyone on the spot remembered correctly, Ning Lingyun always
considered herself as a Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. How
could she especially go to find and talk with her previous cousin?

While they were talking, the box door opened. With a gloomy face, Ning
Zu’an appeared and rushed in angrily. Behind him was Ning Qingshan,
who was a total mess now.
Chapter 271 Families Should
Huddle Together to Have a Jolly
Time
Ning Qingshan was unlucky to the extreme!

This time, it was jolly hard luck on her!

After saying goodbye to the Third Prince, she came out in a hurry, for
she also knew that she could not stay outside for too long. Or, others
would suspect her. But she was knocked to the ground by someone just
as she was out of the alley hurriedly. What was worse, she happened to
fall into a small puddle. Though the maid quickly went to support her,
she still stumbled for a couple of paces and stepped into the puddle when
she moved back. Because of this, even the lower hem of her dress got
dirty.

But it was too late for her to change the clothes at this time. Thus, she
had to wipe the dirty corners of her dress and went straight to Linjiang
Restaurant with her maids. But to her great surprise, just when she turned
a corner, she saw Ning Zu’an coming with some servants. Ning Zu’an
was stunned as he spotted Ning Qingshan before him and then became a
little angry. After taking a glance at her, he directly turned around and
went back.

Earlier, some servants had come here to report to Ning Zu’an that the
other two Young Ladies had returned to Linjiang Restaurant unharmed
and were now with Madam Dowager.

“Third Young Lady, what’s going on with you? How did you end up like
this?”

Seeing that Ning Qingshan was in such an embarrassing manner, Madam

Dowager was first startled and then asked angrily with a sullen face,
“Where on earth did you go?”
“Grandmother, someone hit me just now, and there was a puddle behind
you. Thus, I accidentally stepped into it and damped my dress.” A little
hopelessly, Ning Qingshan replied, feeling aggrieved. She didn’t know
why the incident would happen to her when she was going on her perfect
plan. Moreover, as she entered Linjiang Restaurant, she felt that others
were looking at her with strange looks.

“But why would you get into the alley when nothing bad happened on
the street?” In an overbearing manner, Ning Zu’an took the seat. His
severe eyes swept across Ning Qingshan’s face, and he asked in a deep
voice.

“How did Ning Zu’an know that I crossed the alley to date with the
Third Prince secretly?” As Ning Qingshan thought of this, her heart
missed a beat. However, she didn’t show her mental activity on her face.
Wearing an apologetic smile, she hurriedly said, “Father, I have been
staying with my two sisters the whole time. Originally, everything
appeared fine. But all of a sudden, my two sisters disappeared. In haste, I
had to go to the dark alley to look for them because I was afraid that my
sisters might get lost.”

The explanation that Ning Qingshan offered sounded pretty reasonable.

However, once people started to suspect someone, it would be very easy
for them to doubt about everything that person said. That was how Ning
Zu’an felt at this moment. Eyes blazing like torches, he glanced at Ning
Qingshan. Then, his eyes slightly wrinkled. Though Ning Zu’an didn’t
make detailed inquiries about the facts, there was doubt in his heart.

Just now, when he found Ning Qingshan, he saw a man following behind
Ning Qingshan from the distance. However, once the man saw Ning
Zu’an rushing to them with some people, he suddenly disappeared into
the crowd. At that time, there were many people around, so Ning Zu’an
could not keep his eyes on him. Besides, he didn’t see the man’s
appearance for that moment, Ning Zu’an only felt that it was a young
man.

“Did she really take a fancy to the Minster Xia’s second son, who is
merely a concubine’s son? Perhaps, what the housekeeper said is true!”

As Ning Zu’an thought this, he would get a terrible headache. The

marriage between Ning Qingshan and the Third Prince was almost a sure
thing. At this time, if rumors about Ning Qingshan’s affair with another
man came out, the Third Prince would inevitably argue with the Lord
Protector’s Manor. Then, his perfect plan, which could benefit his manor
both ways, would crash.

Therefore, he must let others watch Ning Qingshan’s moves, for he

would never allow this unmarried daughter to do anything inappropriate.

“Be careful next time. Those alleys are normally very dark. How could a
Young Lady from Lord Protector’s Manor like you go there?” Although
Madam Dowager was not clear about the specific situation, she could tell
from her son’s angry look and Ning Qingshan’s miserable appearance
that Ning Qingshan must have done some bad things.

“Yes, I won’t do it again.” Ning Qingshan was readily to accept Ning

Zu’an’s reproach and promised quickly. Looking up, she saw Ning
Xueyan. With a slightly angry look, she blamed. “Fifth Sister, when did
you come back? Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“By doing this, she wanted to draw the attention of both Madam
Dowager and a few other people to me.” Sure enough, Madam Dowager
turned to look at Ning Xueyan, a little discontentedly. Ning Xueyan
slightly sneered in her heart. Ning Qingshan’s words showed that Ning
Xueyan had no affection for her sisters. “It looks like that Ning Qingshan
is increasingly good at transferring her trouble to others. By inferring
that I ignored her when she needed my help, she intended to make me a
cold-hearted sister.”

“Third Sister, I have been back for a while. There were so many people
before, and the crowds tore me apart from all the people that I knew
around me. Luckily, my two maids managed to find me. Then, I checked
around but did not see you. Thinking that Grandmother and father would
get anxious if they knew that all three of us were missing, I finally chose
to hurry back to Linjiang Restaurant first.”

Ning Xueyan appeared to feel a little aggrieved and explained with a soft
voice. By the way, she showed that she left that time only because she
cared about the feelings of Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an.

“Yes, Third Sister, I also came back for the same reason.” Ning Lingyun
also hurried to respond. For whatever the reasons that Ning Qingshan left
for a period, Ning Qingshan surely would not allow others to know it.
Therefore, she also disagreed with Ning Qingshan’s accusation to them.
Ning Qingshan secretly blamed Ning Xueyan and her, for they treated
their sister indifferently. But by mentioning her concern toward
Grandmother and father, Ning Xueyan retorted.

Upon hearing Ning Xueyan’s words, Madam Dowager nodded in her

heart.

Compared with Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan obviously didn’t pay

attention to the interests of the whole family and acted a little too
frivolous. The reputation of an unmarried girl should not be damaged
even a bit. Although nothing happened to Ning Qingshan today, she just
entered with a terrible appearance. Merely such a scene was enough to
cause many topics, which was not what Madam Dowager would like to
see.

“Grandmother, father, did something bad happen to my sisters?” The box

door was reopened, and Ning Huaiyuan walked in with a smile.

He came just at the right point!

“Your Third Sister slipped and made herself a mess.” Madam Dowager
sighed and told him.

“Oh, nothing serious. It was merely a fall. Just ask a maid to fetch the
clean clothes in the carriage downstairs for her to change. A lot of people
are enjoying the lanterns on the streets, and many of them fell. When I
came over just now, I also encountered a few Young Ladies packed
shoulder to shoulder, appearing in a mess. Grandmother, today is a big
holiday. It is originally a time for everyone to have fun. Who would care
about such a small incident?”

After going a circle around Ning Qingshan, Ning Huaiyuan joked.

“Huaiyuan, you are always a sweet talker…” exclaimed Madam

Dowager thought what he said was right. She loved his words. As so
many people were walking down the streets today, some incidents were
quite normal. Thus, Madam Dowager was immediately relieved and
smiled. Seeing Madam Dowager’s smile, Ning Zu’an thought it was
improper to pursue this matter further. So, lifting his mouth corners, he
also put up a smiling face on the spot to please Madam Dowager. A
furious interrogation triggered by Ning Qingshan immediately dissolved
into nothing.

When Young Ladies went on a trip outside, servants would always

prepare some clothes for them and packed their clothes in the carriages.
Thus, Madam Dowager asked some people to drive the carriages that the
three Young Ladies were in over and told Ning Qingshan to change her
clothes when the carriages arrived.

Looking at the loving father and the filial son, Ning Xueyan disdained in
her heart. It was evident that Ning Zu’an had become suspicious about
Ning Qingshan. However, he appeared as if he cared nothing about this
case. Of course, Ning Huaiyuan popped up precisely at the right time.
Ning Xueyan noticed that the maid named Caifen came in right now. She
was not behind Ning Qingshan before, but now she was standing at Ning
Qingshan’s back. Clearly, she went out to call for Ning Huaiyuan’s help
just now.

At first, Ning Xueyan thought that there were some conflicts between
Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan. But to her surprise, they joined the
alliance so soon. Ning Xueyan felt that she had to act more carefully
next.

When everyone was here, attendants started to serve dishes to the table.
After finishing eating, their carriages arrived downstairs. Ning Qingshan
went downstairs and found a place to change her clothes. Then the
dragon boat race began. One after another, everyone went up to the
window to watch the match below. Standing before the window at the
farthest corner, Ning Xueyan bowed her head, looking down.

At this time, the lake’s surface was brightly lit. Also, the emperor had
arrived. Sitting under the yellow canopy, the emperor didn’t look young
between his forty and fifty. The woman who sat next to him should be
the empress, who had neither sons nor daughters. Thus, she wasn’t so
fond of lively activities. Usually, she did not attend big banquets, but
unexpectedly, she came here today.

Behind the emperor and the empress, there were at least eight or nine
beautiful and charming concubines of the emperor.
With her sharp eyes, Ning Xueyan soon saw both Honored Consort Ya
and Honored Consort Shu were there.

On the side of the emperor, a chair was placed sideways. There sat
Prince Yi, who was the most powerful person in the imperial court
except for the emperor. Not caring about his public image, he leaned
against the chair and was watching the race with his elbows bent, his
chin in his hands. Prince Yi’s face was exceedingly beautiful, but it
looked as cold as Asura’s face. However, today, the light of lanterns
added softness to his usually hostile look.

His appearance attracted some noble Young Ladies who usually did not
dare to have any improper fancy thought toward him. At this time, they
either frequently landed their eyes on him with shy looks or talked to
people nearby prettily.

All of the Young Ladies who could present there were either closely
related to the royal family or very close relatives to the emperor’s
favored concubines.

Both the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince were also present.

However, compared with Ao Chenyi, the two of them looked less

imposing and handsome. Thus, those Young Ladies paid much less
attention to them.

When Ning Xueyan was examining the scene below, she suddenly felt
that someone was looking at her. Involuntarily, she turned around and
happened to catch Ao Chenyi’s evil but enchanting eyes. There were
lights above the lake and a moon in the sky. But none of them looked as
bright as his eyes. All of a sudden, he slightly curved his thin lips and
showed a faint smile on his face.

Without batting an eyelid, Ning Xueyan’s eyes turned away from him.
Prince Yi, who had a gorgeous appearance, still gave her an intense
pressure that could almost make her feel breathless even when they were
so far apart. Prince Yi’s bloodthirsty aura, which seemed to be brought
from the hell full of blood, had already reached his bones. But
apparently, such a face of him had fascinated some of the Young Ladies
sitting below.
Beyond their control, a few of them forgot Ao Chenyi’s viciousness and
looked at him with fixed eyes.

“Fifth Sister, what are you looking at?” Suddenly, Ning Huaiyuan’s clear
voice sounded in Ning Xueyan’s ears. Only then did Ning Xueyan find
out that Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan had already walked up to her
sometime.

A moment ago, they were by the window at the forefront to watch the
scene of bustle. But now, it was evident that Ning Huaiyuan and Ning
Qingshan didn’t come to Ning Xueyan together by accident. They
seemed to have something to say to her. Judging by their looks, Ning
Xueyan knew they came to her with ill intent.

In previous, Ning Huaiyuan came to Ning Qingshan’s rescue. Now, it

looked like that Ning Qingshan wanted to help Ning Huaiyuan to do
something which was related to Ning Xueyan…

Lifting her lips a little, she slightly moved away and saluted them
politely. “Eldest brother, Third Sister, cannot you see clearly at the
front?”

The window in the front was in a perfect position. It directly faced the
people below, from which people could watch more closely. However,
the place around the window was not large. Just now, Ning Huaiyuan
and Ning Qingshan had occupied this place, and so others had to give up
the place and go to some other places to watch. Thus, with very few
people around, this place was very convenient for them to discuss
something.

“We gave that place to Grandmother. She can enjoy the best scene
there.” Smiling, Ning Huaiyuan pointed to the place.

Now Ning Xueyan saw that Madam Dowager had been sitting there
comfortably and enjoyed the scene below, full of joy. At this time, the
dragon boats for the match had not yet arrived. But only looking at the
crowd below was interesting and fun enough. After all, it was a rare
opportunity to sit up there and watch the lively scene within which the
emperor was in.
“Since both of you don’t think my place is crowded, you can watch the
scene together with me.” The corners of Ning Xueyan’s lips lifted, and
Ning Xueyan showed them a gentle smile. Then, she slightly moved
back to avoid touching them and flashed her long eyelashes to cover the
touch of sarcasm in her eyes. It was true that Ning Qingshan and Ning
Huaiyuan came here with ill intent. Now they even took Madam
Dowager as an excuse.

“Your place is never small for us. We families should huddle together to
have a jolly time.” Affectionately, Ning Qingshan stretched out to hold
Ning Xueyan’s hand with a smile and leaned against her. Then Ning
Huaiyuan also squeezed in. This place was exactly suitable for them to
pack together.

Seeing that the three of them crowded tight against one another, other
people there had to go to other windows. Then, others might not hear the
words that they were going to say next…
Chapter 272 Third Sister Wanted
to Ask About Second Sister
“Fifth Sister, what happened to Second Sister? First Brother and I were
not there. How did that happen?” Ning Qingshan took Ning Xueyan by
the hand, and lowered her voice as if she was trying to keep the peace.

“Does Third Sister want to know about this?” Ning Xueyan smiled
faintly, with an indifferent look. She removed her hand from Ning
Qingshan’s hand, and cast her eyes on Ning Huaiyuan and Ning
Qingshan, calmly.

This was the price that Ning Huaiyuan paid for helping Ning Qingshan.
It seemed that Ning Huaiyuan wanted to do something to Ning Yuling,
either to suppress her and let Ning Yuling take the blame?

However, she did not want to intimately discuss Ning Yuling’s matter
with them.

“Yes, Fifth Sister, can you tell us what happened, exactly?” Although
Ning Qingshan was unhappy that Ning Xueyan pushed her hands away,
she still gave a gentle smile, because she was shrewd and deep.

“No, I can’t tell you exactly what happened. However, I have an idea if
you wish to know.” Ning Xueyan said, with a tinge of sarcasm in her
tone.

“What’s your idea?” Ning Qingshan thought herself clever and stared at
Ning Huaiyuan with a smirk. She asked only about a part of the matter,
and Ning Huaiyuan had replied. So, she judged that Ning Xueyan must
have played a trick. When Ning Xueyan talked about it later, she would
shout if there was something unreasonable.

With these words, she wanted to convince Madam Dowager that Ning
Yuling might have been framed. Meanwhile, she tried to use this
opportunity to take Ning Xueyan down and give Ning Yuling a chance to
return the capital city. Ning Huaiyuan had sent someone there, and it was
said that Ning Yuling’s face was much better now.

Ning Qingshan did not want to meddle in this matter. But when she saw
Ning Zu’an’s strange look, she knew that something had gone wrong and
immediately asked Caifen to seek help. Therefore, she did not reach out
to help, nor find it challenging to handle. It was not convenient for Ning
Huaiyuan to interfere with the matter of the backyard. But if the secret
was discovered, he could directly have a hand in it.

Even if she wanted to have something on Ning Xueyan, she could find
any clues. Ning Qingshan was confident about this. Although she had
planned not to do anything to Ning Xueyan temporarily, if Ning
Huaiyuan would do that, it would have nothing to do with her!

She thought so, so she asked. But when Ning Xueyan said something
else, her gentle smile stiffened.

“Grandmother, Third Sister is asking regarding the matter about Second

Sister, but I don’t know exactly what happened. Can you tell her?” Ning
Xueyan suddenly raised her voice, and spoke to Madam Dowager, who
was sitting at the first window, and looking outside with pleasure.

She said it so loudly that almost everyone in the compartment heard it.

Madam Dowager’s face darkened at once, and she turned her head
toward Ning Qingshan, as a trace of cold anger flashed across her eyes.
Ning Yuling’s matter had been the biggest scandal in the manor. Even
Princely Heir of Commandery of Prince Li had disliked her, and Madam
Ling had beaten and disfigured her.

The cherished daughter of the manor in a prominent position had become

the target for all sorts of scandals, overnight. Madam Dowager, who had
always valued the decency of the Lord Protector’s Manor, was ashamed
of Ning Yuling.

Therefore, Ning Yuling’s name was taboo in the manor.

“Third Girl, you want to know about Second Girl?” Madam Dowager
looked at Ning Qingshan indifferently. Ning Qingshan’s face paled as
she lowered her head.
She could not help thinking about it. Ning Yuling was the intended
consort for Third Prince, and it had already been settled. Even if the Lord
Protector’s Manor kept urging them to get married, Honored Consort Ya
would always say that the timing was not right, and told them to wait.
She delayed time and again until Ning Yuling had an accident.

How could Madam Dowager not get angry? She thought that nothing
would happen if only Honored Consort Ya had let Ning Yuling get
married earlier. In that case, it would have nothing to do with Ning
Qingshan. But in the end, Third Prince and Honored Consort Ya took a
fancy to Ning Qingshan.

Did Honored Consort Ya delay it, so that she could wait for Ning
Qingshan to get out of the Buddhist nunnery? Was Ning Yuling
originally a pawn? At the thought of this, Madam Dowager felt that Ning
Qingshan deliberately mentioned Ning Yuling to put herself in a good
light. Ning Yuling was no longer Madam Dowager’s indulged
granddaughter. Even if Ning Qingshan was good enough, she was always
considered an outsider in Madam Dowager’s eyes.

Now, the outsider was talking about Ning Yuling, which irritated Madam
Dowager. Her good mood disappeared.

“Grandmother, Fifth Sister talked about Second Sister, so Third Sister

mentioned about her.” Ning Huaiyuan knew something was wrong when
Ning Xueyan looked angry. Before he realized that, Ning Xueyan was
already yelling out loud.

At this moment, when he saw that Madam Dowager was looking pale, he
immediately passed the buck to Ning Xueyan.

Hearing that Ning Xueyan was talking about Ning Yuling, Madam
Dowager turned to Ning Xueyan and looked sullen. At the other window,
Ning Zu’an was full of doubts. Everyone knew that Ning Yuling almost
killed Ning Xueyan. Did Ning Xueyan mean to get even with him?

The so-called biological father and blood relationship claims were false.
Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly but looked surprised. She looked at Ning
Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan, saying, “First Brother, do you mean that I
purposely called you here to talk about Second Sister?”
Ning Huaiyuan was stupefied and had a grim look in his eyes, which was
a bit unusual for him. He had been in a close conversation with Ning
Qingshan in front of everyone. Now, he turned against Ning Xueyan.
Everyone in the house saw it.

“First Brother, Grandmother has repeatedly urged that no one in the

manor should mention it. Did I go against her on purpose? Even so, I
won’t mention it before you and Third Sister. Everyone knows that
you’re the most obedient. If I speak harshly, you will tell grandmother.”
Ning Xueyan said calmly.

Her dark eyes were quiet and cold. Ning Huaiyuan even thought that
there was a look of disdain in them. He never expected that Ning Xueyan
would be so tough. He had thought it would be nothing, but a mere
mention. He intended to make Ning Xueyan a scapegoat, but he never
thought that this delicate girl was so decisive.

Ning Qingshan felt wronged. She wanted to hit the edge ball and did not
mean to deal with Ning Xueyan. Firstly, she thought that Madam
Dowager disliked Ning Xueyan. Secondly, Ning Huaiyuan would
arrange everything after that. Besides, she was doing this for Ning
Yuling. Therefore, Ning Xueyan would put the blame on Ning Huaiyuan,
and it would have nothing to do with her.

Unexpectedly, Ning Xueyan fires at her after she barely spoke two
sentences, but she could not explain it. She could not say that what she
said was wrong? She and Ning Huaiyuan were not the most respectful
towards Madam Dowager? No matter how much she argued, she would
lose. If she did not explain, it would show that she had a guilty
conscience.

She could not help but hate Ning Xueyan at this moment. She thought
that Ning Xueyan was too clever!

Of course, she would not allow herself to be accused without offering

any resistance. As she rolled her eyes, an idea suddenly struck her. She
raised her head and had tears in her gentle eyes. She looked at Ning
Xueyan blankly, with incredulity, hurt, and some complicated sadness.

“Grandmother, don’t… don’t blame Fifth Sister. It’s… It’s my fault!”

After she said this with difficulty, she could not help but break down in
tears. It seemed that she was concerned about Ning Xueyan and suffered
from injustice to cover up for Ning Xueyan. She even reached out to pull
Ning Huaiyuan, which showed that she was asking Ning Huaiyuan not to
fight with her.

“Third Sister, why are you… are you always doing this?” Ning Huaiyuan
pretended to be exasperated at her failure to make good. He was dragged
along for a few steps and stopped.

“Anyway, she’s Fifth Sister. I felt grateful for Second Madam’s many
years of upbringing. My debt to her is beyond measure.” Ning Qingshan
wiped her tears with a handkerchief as if she was willing to do
everything to pay a debt to gratitude.

Ning Qingshan showed her loyalty, that she would not be ungrateful to
the Lord Protector’s Manor. It was said that Madam Ming had beaten
and scolded her, but she was still grateful to her. Madam Dowager had
always been kind to her, so that she would be more thankful toward her.
After she finished speaking, Madam Dowager was not as sullen as
before.

Ning Xueyan sneered that Ning Qingshan never missed the chance to
show her loyalty. Ning Qingshan wanted to make Ning Xueyan a
scapegoat and boost herself. Ning Qingshan thought Ning Xueyan would
have nothing to say, because Ning Huaiyuan was there. Madam Dowager
and Ning Zu’an valued Ning Huaiyuan too much, so she could not
compare with him.

Ning Qingshan knew that, so she would fight against her secretly. But
because she was too eager for a quick success and her statements had a
lot of loopholes.

Ning Xueyan laughed and showed a touch of helplessness. “Third Sister,

you said that you wanted to know about Second Sister. How can you say
so much and even speak of repaying an obligation? Third Sister, please
be assured that Grandmother will know how filial you are because she
has been listening to you.”

Her words were simple, and she never minded who was right and wrong
before. On second thought, one could find something else. Even if Ning
Xueyan mentioned Ning Yuling first, why would Ning Qingshan return
to the subject about repaying an obligation? What she said before,
seemed to be not worth mentioning. Why did she speak of that?

Moreover, Ning Xueyan added, “Grandmother has been listening to

you.”

That meant that Ning Qingshan had intentionally informed Madam

Dowager.

“I… I did not mean that. Fifth Sister, how can you… you say that about
me? Fifth Sister, I wanted to help you.” Ning Qingshan blushed and then
felt wronged. She looked at Ning Xueyan with teary eyes, as if she
suffered from injustice.

“Fifth Sister, you’ve gone too far!” Ning Huaiyuan said, with a hint of
profound determination in his eyes.

“First Brother, you were with Third Sister. Why did you come over to
me? It should be better to view the scene from over there!” Ning Xueyan
gave a soft smile.

“I left because of Grandmother.” Ning Huaiyuan answered. They had

thought of an excuse, but he did not believe that there were flaws.

“First Brother and Third Sister exchanged endearing words for some
time there. Even if you are not siblings, you are better than that. Then,
you left it to Grandmother, so you’re so obedient.” Ning Xueyan laughed
gently.

If they wanted to show filial piety to their grandmother, shouldn’t they

have left the position to Madam Dowager from the beginning? Why
would they discuss it for a long time before they practiced filial piety? At
best, they were careless. At worst, they might have been discussing
something. They were not even siblings. Was it really good for them to
be so intimate?.
Chapter 273 The Affectionate
Third Prince Ao Mingyu
At this point, there was no need to say too much. The meaning was all
inside it.

Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan chatted warmly with each other for a
while. Then they came to Ning Xueyan. They normally weren’t so kind
to her, but now both of them came here. It seemed that they came with
evil intention.

Anyway, it was impossible that Ning Xueyan first mentioned Ning

Yuling.

Madam Dowager was also old and experienced. She looked at Ning
Huaiyuan indifferently and showed some disapproval. Ning Xueyan was
no longer who she used to be. If everything went well, she would marry
into the imperial family. No matter which family she married into, what
Ning Xueyan represented was the same as Ning Qingshan, so she could
not be offended.

Seeing the sadness in her grandmother’s eyes, Ning Huaiyuan reacted

quickly. He pressed his hand against his nose with malicious intent and
bowed to Ning Xueyan, saying apologetically, “Fifth Sister, I’m sorry.
Maybe I misunderstood you just now. I came a little late and heard you
talking about Second Sister. I thought you mentioned it. Please forgive
me.”

Hearing his words, Ning Qingshan couldn’t stop crying. She was
ashamed and angry. She didn’t expect that Ning Huaiyuan would
suddenly change his statement. So it was she who deliberately mentioned
Ning Yuling and broke Madam Dowager’s heart?

Ning Xueyan didn’t expect that Ning Huaiyuan would apologize to her
openly. People who didn’t know the story would think that he was a
modest gentleman. But from the surprise on Madam Dowager’s face and
the satisfaction on Ning Zu’an’s face, it showed that Ning Huaiyuan was
a man who knew when to eat humble pie and when to hold his head high.

For a moment, there was a hint of sarcasm in her eyes, but then it was
hidden at the bottom of her eyes.

Ning Xueyan shifted her eyes and silently looked at Ning Huaiyuan.
Ning Qingshan was overwhelmed with shame and rage. She raised her
lips slightly and stretched out her hand to hold Ning Huaiyuan. “Eldest
brother, we are biological brother and sister. Don’t act like a stranger.”

A misunderstanding? That was OK, but it depended on who

misunderstood!

She deliberately added the words “biological” brother and sister, so that
Ning Qingshan gnashed her teeth with hatred. She clenched her fists
tightly inside her sleeves, and her face became stiff. That damn Ning
Huaiyuan, how could he say such words at this time, to put her at such a
disadvantage?

“All right, you are brother and sister. Why are you arguing? Third Young
Lady, you’re a big girl now. You should watch your mouth in the future.
Don’t always think confusedly. As long as the Lord Protector’s Manor is
there, you’ll have a family behind you. Don’t think too much.”

Madam Dowager’s words were very harsh, which was equivalent to

hitting Ning Qingshan in the face and even faintly threatening her. The
corners of Ning Qingshan’s eyes twitched twice, and she only felt that
the air coming out of her nose was frozen. “That damn Ning Xueyan, she
only said a few words and Madam Dowager’s impression of me is
getting worse.”

She gritted her teeth to suppress the hatred in her heart. She lowered her
head shyly and had to admit it. “Yes, Grandmother. I didn’t hear clearly.
I thought that Fifth Sister mentioned it.”

“Come here and see it. Yuan’er, go over to Zu’an. Don’t huddle
together,” Madam Dowager looked at them indifferently, opened her
mouth slightly, and ordered.
Everyone could see that Ning Qingshan was making excuses. Except for
these masters, everyone else was a servant. Who would dare to talk about
Ning Yuling here and make Madam Dowager unhappy? Of course,
Madam Dowager wouldn’t expose her at this time. She still needed to
save the Third Prince’s face.

The Lord Protector’s Manor and the Third Prince’s Manor had to be
close to each other, so Ning Qingshan was indispensable. If Ning
Qingshan became estranged from the Lord Protector’s Manor, it would
not be good for the Lord Protector’s Manor.

After thinking about this, Madam Dowager didn’t want to pursue this
matter anymore. But in her mind, she was secretly more vigilant of Ning
Qingshan. She could not trust her because Ning Qingshan was not a
daughter of her own family. Moreover, she was full of nonsense and
finally put her grandson in trouble.

In Madam Dowager’s opinion, Ning Huaiyuan was a good person and

had performed well. At most, he was confused by Ning Qingshan for a
while. It seemed that she wanted Yuan’er to stay away from Ning
Qingshan in the future. Since they were not biological siblings, it would
not be good for them to be so close to each other.

This was just a small fight, and everyone had evil intentions. Then they
went back to watch the dragon boats.

By this time, the dragon boats below were already visible in the distance.
The people on both sides cheered. Some young men even popped their
heads out from the windowsill and shouted. The crowd was passionate
and excited. Even the emperor sitting in the dragon chair could not help
raising his head and looking into the distance.

Several dragon boats flew over from afar. Each dragon boat had 10
strong young men in it, each rowing on one side. Like flying boats, the
boats were in front of them in an instant. Several young princes in the
middle of the platform couldn’t help jumping and shouting, cheering for
their favorite team.

The shouts from both sides were earsplitting, and then came cheers,
louder and louder.
Ning Xueyan found that except for Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi, who was still
lazily leaning on the other side, even those imperial concubines couldn’t
help showing an exciting look. He was the only one looking at the lake
in boredom, and his eyes were deep and peaceful. The shouts and
jumping for joy seemed to be from a painting. However, he was outside
the picture, which was somewhat inconsistent with the pattern.

Or, there was no coordination at all, which moved her!

Wasn’t she the same…

They were lively outside, but she was not. She was full of doubts and
resentment in her heart after she was reborn from the blood.

She was unhappy because she was ruthlessly abandoned by Xia Yuhang
and killed by Madam Ling and her daughter. But why did Ao Chenyi do
this? Wasn’t he the most powerful Prince Yi? Wasn’t he the emperor’s
younger brother, and even the emperor couldn’t do anything to him?
What was the reason that he couldn’t see the joy and excitement in
ordinary people’s faces?

“Look, Young Lady.” Xinmei walked over to Ning Xueyan and pointed
down.

Ning Xueyan composed herself and saw the Third Prince, Ao Mingyu,
smiling at her gently. He fixed his eyes on the window in front of him,
where Ning Qingshan was.

Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes slightly. In this case, Ao Mingyu

seemed to be affectionate toward Ning Qingshan. He was making trouble
for Ning Qingshan. On both sides, many people saw him doing this.
Many noble families targeted the two princes. So what if they said that
Ning Qingshan was the predetermined Third Prince’s concubine?

Some of the noble young ladies from noble families were unconvinced.
Looking at Ya Moqin, who was standing beside Ao Mingyu, from where
Ning Xueyan was standing, one could see Ya Moqin’s jealous eyes. She
followed Ao Mingyu’s gaze and stared at him. She was Ao Mingyu’s
first cousin.
At the thought of this, something flashed through his mind. Elder male
cousin, younger female cousin?

Ning Qingshan also addressed Ao Mingyu as her cousin in private. She

didn’t know what her relationship with Ya Moqin was, so she had to take
advantage of today’s matter to check it out.

The Third Prince must have planned Ning Qingshan’s disappearance and
the servant who was waiting for her at the door. Ning Qingshan was
vicious, but she didn’t expect that Ao Mingyu, who was affectionate to
her, didn’t intend to marry her as his consort. Ao Mingyu had hinted that
she would be the co-consort.

It was late at night. It was not good to make people suspicious!

These specious words were what Ao Mingyu meant. If people suspected

that she was ill-behaved, Ning Qingshan would not be the consort. Of
course, it was Ning Qingshan’s fault and it had nothing to do with the
Third Prince.

But when Ya Moqin held Ao Mingyu to say a few words, Ao Mingyu

looked up at Ning Qingshan. It showed that he attached importance to
Ning Qingshan in his heart.

Ya Moqin pulled him several times before he seemed to realize it. He

lowered his head and gently said something to her. Then, he turned to the
other people behind him and said something. However, he always fixed
his eyes on Ning Qingshan, who was upstairs. Seeing that, Ning
Qingshan was delighted and held her handkerchief shyly. Her beautiful
eyes were sparkling.

At this time, the Dragon Boat Race outside had ended. The emperor
brought the empress and concubines back to the palace. However,
everyone else returned to their original compartments. It was still early.
It was said that there would be fireworks in the capital today. Everyone
chatted and waited for the firework feast.

At the door of the private room, someone knocked. It was a clever maid.
Seeing Madam Dowager, she said respectfully, “Madam Dowager, I’m
from the Grand Tutor Ya’s Mansion. My Young Lady is upstairs. She
wants to invite several Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor to
chat with her.”

Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor? Ya Moqin? Ning Xueyan realized something.

The Third Prince had been distracted while talking to her. She had met
Ya Moqin before and knew that she was unruly and loved Ao Mingyu.
However, she was not like a person who wanted to talk nicely with Ning
Qingshan on this occasion.

“Is she the First Lady of the Ya’s Mansion?” With Madam Dowager’s
approval, Ning Qingshan came forward and asked with a smile.

“Is Ya Moqin looking for me now? She doesn’t know me. Could it be
that the Third Prince deliberately said so in order to avoid others’
attention? As for inviting Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan, of course, it’s
to avoid gossip”. She became ecstatic and blushed.

“Yes, it’s our Eldest Young Lady. Third Young Lady, Fourth Young
Lady, and Fifth Young Lady, please come with me,” the maid
respectfully answered.

Madam Dowager was happy to see that the maid of Grand Tutor Ya
respected Ning Qingshan so much. Ning Qingshan had a better
relationship with Honored Consort Ya’s family, which would be more
beneficial to her. So, she happily said that they would all go there.

“Fourth Sister, Fifth Sister, since Miss Ya has invited us, let’s go
together!” Ning Qingshan held back her pride, turned her head, and said
to Ning Xueyan and Ning Lingyun gently.

Of course, Ning Lingyun was willing to have such an opportunity to chat

with the daughter of a powerful family. Everyone knew that Ya Moqin
was the most difficult aristocratic lady to chat with. Even Ning Yuling
had suffered a loss from her before. Moreover, she might meet the Third
Prince. Now that Ning Lingyun had lost the engagement, she couldn’t
stop her wishful thinking of Ao Mingyu.

“Grandma, I’m not going. I left in a hurry just now and sprained my foot
slightly.” Ning Xueyan pretended that she didn’t see Ning Qingshan’s
complacency. She smiled and refused in a soft voice. Ao Mingyu was not
kind, so she didn’t want to be part of Ning Qingshan’s business.
Chapter 274 Ning Qingshan Cast
the Blame on Ning Xueyan
Seeing that Ning Xueyan refused, Ning Qingshan did not dissuade her.
She said goodbye to Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an, then went
upstairs with Ning Lingyun.

Third Prince Ao Mingyu booked the No. 5 private room upstairs. But at
this time, he was not in his private room because the Fourth Prince had
called him over. They drank and talked with each other in the Fourth
Prince’s private room. He left his private room to Ya Moqin, who had
come with him.

Before leaving, he expressed his regret. He wanted to call Ning

Qingshan over to meet Ya Moqin.

Three years ago, when Ning Qingshan went to the imperial palace, she
didn’t meet Ya Moqin, so they didn’t know each other.

“Cousin, don’t worry. Even without you, I can get to know the Third
Young Lady in a while. Cousin, you don’t have to worry.” Seeing Ao
Mingyu’s repeated warning, Ya Moqin burned with jealousy. Ning
Qingshan, right? In recent years, she had talked about her because Ning
Qingshan was so famous in the capital city.

But at that time, her cousin only said that he was not familiar with her.
He said that he had seen her in the imperial palace once or twice.
Unexpectedly, she had successfully seduced him as soon as she returned
to the capital. According to his character, she must have tempted him
because he had mentioned Ning Qingshan again and again. Then she
thought of her grandfather, who had repeatedly told her to be his cousin’s
co-consort and left the position of consort to Ning Qingshan.

An evil fire had been burning in her heart. She could not find an
opportunity to teach this bitch a lesson.
If she wanted to be his cousin’s wife and suppress her for the rest of her
life, she would have to whistle for it.

She was the high-ranking imperial tutor’s legitimate granddaughter and

the Third Prince’s younger female cousin. Who was she? A bastard, who
was picked up from nowhere, dared to get her cousin and even dared to
make her retreat to the co-consort. At the thought of this, Ya Moqin
gnashed her teeth with hatred.

“Why, why did that humble woman take no account of me?”

Therefore, after Ao Mingyu left, Ya Moqin asked her maid to invite Ning
Qingshan here so that she could have a good meeting with this bitch.
This bitch was shameless enough to exchange love glances with her
cousin in front of so many people, including the emperor and the
empress.

When Ning Qingshan and Ning Lingyun came in, they saw Ya Moqin
standing in front of the window. Hearing the sound of people, she turned
her head and looked at Ning Lingyun, who was a little timid. At first
glance, she knew that she was a bit disgraceful. She was uncertain if she
was the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor or the Fourth
Young Lady. Looking at her watery eyes, Ya Moqin thought that she was
a bitch.

Coupled with Ning Yuling, the Lord Protector’s Manor was a fox’s den.

“Are you Ning Qingshan?” Ya Moqin asked rudely. She sized up Ning
Qingshan from head to toe and pointed at her.

She couldn’t see her clearly just now. Now that she saw Ning Qingshan’s
face clearly, she was even angrier. Ning Qingshan had already changed
her clothes at this time. Although it was a spare dress, it was also a set of
gorgeous garments. Coupled with the gentle and delicate look on Ning
Qingshan’s face, she looked more beautiful.

But this was a man’s opinion. Now it was Ya Moqin on the opposite side.
Of course, she was more convinced that she was a vixen and wanted to
seduce others. That bitch not only seduced her cousin but also made him
agree to her being the consort. Did she think that she, the legitimate
granddaughter of Grand Tutor Ya’s manor, was dead?
“Yes, I’m Ning Qingshan, but First Miss Ya?” Although Ning Qingshan
didn’t see the Third Prince in the room and felt quite disappointed, she
responded to Ya Moqin generously.

But what answered her was a fierce slap from Ya Moqin, which made
Ning Qingshan stumble two steps and almost fall down.

“Third Young Lady Ning Qingshan, haven’t you have been purifying
your heart and restricting your passions in the Buddhist nunnery for three
years? How did you come to seduce my cousin shortly after you left the
Buddhist nunnery? I’m most ashamed of a person like you, a prudish
bitch.”

Ya Moqin scolded her fiercely. She stretched out her hand and tried to hit
Ning Qingshan again.

This time, Ning Qingshan avoided her attack. She did not need to endure
her attack. Then, she pushed Ya Moqin’s hand away and said coldly,
“Eldest Young Lady Ya, does Grand Tutor Ya know what you said?”

Grand Tutor Ya also agreed with her background. The reason why
Honored Consort Ya allowed her to marry Ao Mingyu was that she
thought she was a descendant of the Ya family. So, neither Grand Tutor
Ya nor Honored Consort Ya would object her to becoming the Third
Prince’s consort. However, the idiot Ya Moqin in front of her knew
nothing.

She was reminding Ya Moqin that she should launch attacks only after
figuring out the truth. But, her words sounded provocative to Ya Moqin.
She didn’t expect that Ning Qingshan not only hid but also dared to
provoke her. Ya Moqin was trembling with anger. “Bitch, what do you
mean by saying this? Will Grandpa be afraid of you?”

“Miss Ya, I don’t know where you heard me say that. Although you have
a noble status, I’m also the legitimate daughter of Lord Protector’s
Manor. It seems that you don’t have the right to hit me.” Ning Qingshan
was furious now. She covered her face with her hand and felt a burning
pain in the place where she was beaten. It was swollen. She knew that Ya
Moqin had hit her heavily.
She couldn’t bear it. She thought that if she were a descendant of the Ya
family, the Grand Tutor Ya’s mansion would be sorry for her. Without
her nominal father, Ya Moqin might not have passed away a long time
ago. How could she tyrannically abuse her power here and bully her?

“How dare you talk back to me!” Ya Moqin was furious. She was used to
being arrogant. She only showed her mercy to Ao Mingyu. She was used
to hitting people and killing people without scruples. In order to please
her, those servants all received beatings voluntarily. Now that she was
attacked by Ning Qingshan, she simmered with rage.

“Bitch, it’s said that you had an affair with Ao Shang from Commandery
Prince Li’s Manor? But now you dare to seduce my cousin. Bitch, I beat
you because I think highly of you. You are so shameless that you dare to
marry the Third Prince’s cousin. You are evil and disgusting. I don’t
know how many men you have tempted. Were you tainted in the
nunnery? When I go back, I must tell my aunt to investigate you
carefully and have her find out how many men you’ve seduced.”

At this time, she cursed loudly, regardless of the sound spreading in the
silent night through the half-open door.

She had heard about the matter that happened in the Third Prince’s
courtyard before. Although it was about Ao Xian and Ning Qingshan’s
maid, Ya Moqin had an intuition that it had something to do with Ning
Qingshan. After that, she asked her cousin, but her cousin didn’t say
anything. Instead, he asked her not to talk nonsense.

Whether or not he let her, she wanted to say it.

She not only said it but also said it in front of Ning Qingshan. Anyway,
other people didn’t know what had happened at that time. They couldn’t
prove if it had something to do with Ning Qingshan. Today, Ya Moqin
planned to put all the blame on Ning Qingshan, whether it had anything
to do with her or not.

How shameless she was to seduce her cousin!

Ya Moqin accused her of seducing the man and suspected that she did
not follow the rules when she was in the nunnery. Ning Qingshan was
ashamed and angry. No one could make that clear, especially at this
critical moment when her reputation could not be stained, so she could
not allow Ya Moqin to scold her again and again.

Looking around, Ning Lingyun didn’t know where Ning Lingyu, the
only person who could stop the fighting, had gone. At present, she could
only rely on herself.

“Miss Ya, the matter in the Third Prince’s courtyard has nothing to do
with me. I went with Fifth Sister and Fourth Sister that day. I was not
familiar with the Third Prince when I was in the nunnery. Fifth Sister is
also the legitimate daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor and was
familiar with the Third Prince. On the day I went to the courtyard, the
Third Prince invited Fifth Sister as well.”

Ya Moqin reminded Ning Qingshan of what had happened in the

courtyard. At that time, she might have fallen into Ning Xueyan’s trap.
Now, she was exceedingly wrathful and had a grudge against Ning
Xueyan.

If it weren’t for her, the Third Prince wouldn’t be aloof from her. Of
course, she wouldn’t have been scolded by Ya Moqin right now.
However, she couldn’t be tough, which made her feel embarrassed and
irritable. Thinking about it again, if Ya Moqin’s words attracted everyone
else, she would be the one to lose face.

At that time, the matter was not clear. However, the Third Prince did not
care about it, so other people chose not to mention it. But if Ya Moqin
made such a scene today, how would others think of her? If she lost her
reputation, how could she be the Third Prince’s wife?

Therefore, an idea flashed through Ning Qingshan’s mind. Holding back

her anger, she put all the blame on Ning Xueyan. At first glance, she
knew that Mo Yaqin in front of her was ruthless and tough to deal with.
If she knew that Ning Xueyan had an affair with the Third Prince
secretly, Mo Yaqin would shift her jealousy of her on to Ning Xueyan.

“Ning Xueyan?” Ya Moqin asked suspiciously, her eyes flickering.

Recently, it was well-known that the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor was gorgeous. That made Ya Moqin uncomfortable,
not to mention if she had an affair with her cousin. Especially when her
cousin had said Fifth Young Lady Ning several times, she did not think
that he was uninterested in her.

“Yes, Fifth Sister is beautiful and gentle. It’s not surprising for her to win
a man’s heart. Miss Ya, you have never seen Fifth Sister before.
Otherwise, you would think that she is the most beautiful woman. Many
people say that the first beauty in the capital must be Fifth Sister.”

Seeing that Ya Moqin’s interest was aroused, Ning Qingshan covered her
swollen and burning-hot face with her hands and hailed Ning Xueyan
with a smile. On the surface, she was sincerely praising Ning Xueyan.
Not a single woman was willing to admit that she was not as beautiful as
another, and she might have something to do with her lover.

With Ya Moqin around, Ning Xueyan would come to no good.

Ya Moqin growled, “Ning Qingshan, don’t think that it has nothing to do

with you even if you get your Fifth Sister involved. If I find out that she
did not have an affair with my cousin, you’ll be in trouble!”
Chapter 275 Ning Lingyun
Pretending to Be Ill and Not
Going Upstairs
“Don’t worry. You can find out what happened between them.” Ning
Qingshan gritted her teeth and held back her anger. She was clear-headed
now and remembered that Ao Mingyu treated Ning Xueyan differently. It
could be seen that Ning Xueyan must have something to do with the
Third Prince. If she said so, Ning Xueyan wouldn’t be wronged.

“Okay, okay. Come on. Go and invite the Fifth Young Lady here. Tell
her that my cousin and I are waiting for her.” Hearing Ning Qingshan’s
words, Ya Moqin looked pale. She gritted her teeth and spoke with
hatred. She wanted to see what the little vixen looked like.

The Lord Protector was a fox’s den. She just caught a big fox, but she
didn’t expect that there was also a little one. Today, she had to teach the
little fox a lesson.

After receiving the order, the maid immediately went downstairs and
went to the private room of Lord Protector’s Manor. She pushed open the
door and walked up to Madam Dowager with respect. “Madam
Dowager, why didn’t the Fifth Young Lady come? My Young Lady and
Third Prince are there. They invited the Fifth Young Lady to have a
chat.”

“Again?” Ning Xueyan looked away from the window and looked at
Ning Lingyun coldly.

Ning Lingyun came back in a panic and only said that all were noble
people upstairs, and she was not so gregarious. After Madam Dowager
looked at her with disdain, she shrank to one side. She did not look as if
nothing had happened.

Ning Xueyan still remembered that Ning Lingyun was quite proud when
she went upstairs. However, she didn’t look good after going upstairs
and downstairs. At first glance, she knew that something had happened.
“Perhaps Ya Moqin is upstairs and the Third Prince is absent. When the
two women meet, Ning Qingshan, who always wears a mask, will
inevitably suffer a loss to face the arrogant Ya Moqin.”

“Now, has she put the blame on me after suffering a loss?”

“Fourth Sister, won’t you go upstairs? Let’s go together!” Ning Xueyan

smiled and turned to Ning Lingyun, who didn’t say a word after entering
the room.

Ning Lingyun had planned to meet the Third Prince. Unexpectedly, she
didn’t see the Third Prince. Instead, she bumped into Ya Moqin. After
she came in, she didn’t say a word and saw Ya Moqin slap Ning
Qingshan. First, she was stunned, then she left. Later, she hurriedly took
the maid’s hand and ran away.

However, she didn’t dare to tell the truth because she was afraid that Ya
Moqin would deal with her. Thus, she pleaded that she was not
gregarious and hid in the corner tremblingly, fearing that someone would
find her acting strangely. With a shudder, she looked up and faced a pair
of cold eyes.

With a slight tremble, she forced a smile and declined in a low voice.
“Fifth Sister, I won’t go. You are all legitimate sons and daughters. I’m a
daughter of a concubine. After all… my status is lower.”

At this time, she did not dare to return. She just wanted to get away.

“Fourth Sister, if you don’t go upstairs, I won’t go either. Anyway, I’m

not familiar with the Third Prince and Miss Ya.” Ning Xueyan refused
the maid with a smile.

Madam Dowager’s face darkened because she would not let go of any
opportunity to make friends with the royal family.

So before the maid replied, she made a claim, “Fourth Girl, Fifth Girl,
you go upstairs to accompany the Third Girl. You can’t leave your sister
alone.”
Although she said it with a smile, Ning Lingyun and Ning Xueyan knew
that Madam Dowager had ordered them to go, so they had to go.

“Yes, Grandma,” Ning Lingyun said with a pale face.

“Yes, Grandma!” Ning Xueyan smiled and answered gently. She looked
calm.

Compared with Ning Lingyun, Ning Xueyan was superior. Even though
she had been ill-bred for so many years, she was still much better than a
concubine’s daughter. Madam Dowager smiled and looked at Ning
Xueyan kindly. “Go ahead. Go ahead. Go and have fun. You should play
with other young people.”

“Grandma is right.” Ning Xueyan nodded, followed the maid, and went
out first. Ning Lingyun hesitated for a moment, gritted her teeth, and
followed. Even if she was unwilling to do so, she dared not say anything
in front of Madam Dowager. If Madam Dowager knew that Ning
Qingshan had been beaten and she did not report it when she came back,
she would find herself in serious trouble.

After they went through the door and turned to the stairs, Ning Lingyun
suddenly reached out to cover her stomach, screamed in pain, and bent
down. The maid behind her hurried to help her, “Young Lady, what’s
wrong with you?”

“My… my stomach hurts…” Ning Lingyun said in pain. She lowered her
head and covered her stomach with her hands. She looked to be in so
much pain that she couldn’t finish a sentence.

“Fourth Sister, how are you doing? Do you want to see a doctor?” Ning
Xueyan smiled with understanding. She knew that Ning Lingyun didn’t
dare to go up, so she deliberately did this. She squatted down and asked
Ning Lingyun with concern.

With the Third Prince’s intelligence, he wouldn’t humiliate Ning

Qingshan, would he? What she needed to do next was stall. She believed
that there would be a bigger surprise after that…

“No… no, it doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine… after I have a rest. You can go
upstairs now, Fifth Sister. I… I’ll come over later.” Ning Lingyun looked
to be in pain, but she pretended to be concerned about others. She
covered her stomach and spoke with difficulty.

She didn’t want to go upstairs. Even Ning Qingshan was beaten, so Ya

Moqin would beat them one by one. Seeing Ning Qingshan being beaten,
she was quite happy. Of course, she would be happier if Ning Xueyan
was slapped a few times. “Isn’t she a legitimate daughter who is high
above the masses? Isn’t she so amazing?”

“She will be beaten and scolded by others at will. If she sees Ning
Qingshan and Ning Xueyan lose face one after another, Madam Dowager
will not think that the daughter of the principal wife is more powerful
than me, a concubine’s daughter.”

“How can I let Fourth Sister stay here alone? I’ll stay here with you.
When Fourth Sister is no longer in pain, let’s go upstairs together. If you
still feel pain, we can go back to find Grandmother and ask her to find a
doctor.”

Ning Xueyan had expected Ning Lingyun’s trick, so she said this to her
gently.

“Sister, our Fourth Young Lady is ill. Our Fifth Young Lady wants to
take care of her. Please report to the Third Prince and Young Lady Ya
that if Fourth Young Lady isn’t hurt, our two young ladies will come
soon. But if she is, we can only visit them next time.”

“No… no, Fifth Sister. I… I’m fine. I’ll be fine in a while. You can go
upstairs first.” How could Ning Lingyun bother Madam Dowager? If
Madam Dowager knew that Ning Xueyan lost the opportunity to play up
to the Third Prince and the Young Lady of the Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor
because of her, she would be punished severely. She covered her belly
with one hand and shook it desperately with the other.

Xinmei had received Ning Xueyan’s hint a long time ago. At this time,
she immediately came over and spoke to the maid of Grand Tutor Ya’s
Mansion, who was standing aside and watching coldly.

“Fourth Young Lady, our young lady has long desired to know you. She
felt sorry that she did not have time to greet you. Can you go upstairs
with Fifth Young Lady first? It so happens that His Royal Highness’s
imperial physician is at his side. Can I call a physician to see you?”

Grand Tutor Ya’s maid saw clearly that Ning Lingyun ran away when Ya
Moqin slapped Ning Qingshan. Now, Ning Lingyun deliberately made
such a scene because she dared not go. If she did not go, the Fifth Young
Lady would not go at the moment. Therefore, the maid humiliated Ning
Lingyun.

Everyone knew that Ning Lingyun was pretending to be sick. How could
she dare to let the imperial physician see her, a concubine’s daughter?

Hearing that she was going to invite the Third Prince’s imperial
physician, Ning Lingyun panicked with sweat on her forehead. She
shook her hand and said urgently, “No… I don’t need it. I feel… better.”

She was pretending to be sick. The imperial physician would be able to

tell that at a glance. If she were found to have feigned sickness, she
would be embarrassed. Moreover, if Madam Dowager knew about it, she
would come to no good. Her marriage inexplicably would come to
nothing. Now her marriage hadn’t been settled yet, so she didn’t dare
make Madam Dowager angry.

Ning Lingyun knew that she was not as noble as she used to be. At least,
Madam Dowager worried about the Commandery Prince Li’s Manor in
the past.

“Fourth Sister, are you… better?” Ning Xueyan gently said as she stalled
with Ning Lingyun. Her eyes were full of concern as if she was worried
about Ning Lingyun.

“I… I’m better. Let’s… let’s wait a little longer.” This time, Ning
Lingyun didn’t dare to ask Ning Xueyan to go upstairs first. She leaned
against the railing of the stairs and stood up a little bit. She was so scared
that sweat was on her forehead and she looked pale. She seemed to be
sick.

Her eyes were rolling. She didn’t dare go upstairs. Now she didn’t know
what Ning Qingshan had been beaten for. Ya Moqin asked the maid to
call Ning Xueyan. It was evident that she had evil intentions. Whoever
went upstairs now would be in trouble.
But this maid insisted on threatening her without persuading Ning
Xueyan to go upstairs first. She knew that she had to go today.

She was in a dilemma. Ning Lingyun was in great confusion, and she
didn’t know what to do. She was anxious like an ant on a hot pan, and
she didn’t know how to escape.

“Fourth Young Lady, I’ll hold you to see if you can move. If it’s okay,
why don’t we take a little step forward?” However, the maid of Grand
Tutor Ya’s Mansion didn’t want to let her go at all. On the other side, she
held her hand with concern and gestured for her to raise her foot — one
step at a time.

This meant that she had to move to the private room upstairs.

She had to take Ning Lingyun with her. Ning Lingyun had seen Ya
Moqin beat Ning Qingshan before. Although Ya Moqin was Grand Tutor
Ya’s granddaughter, Ning Qingshan was also high-ranking. As the
legitimate daughter of Lord Protector’s Manor, she couldn’t be beaten
easily.

Ya Moqin was arrogant and overbearing. She hit Ning Qingshan

regardless of the situation. However, the maid was smart, so she wanted
to threaten Ning Lingyun to not say anything. However, what happened
at that time occurred too fast. As soon as Ya Moqin started to fight, Ning
Lingyun immediately ran away. The maid couldn’t stop her.

Now it seemed that the Fifth Young Lady would never leave Ning
Lingyun behind. So, the maid would put all her focus on Ning Lingyun.
She had to make Ning Lingyun go upstairs. Otherwise, the Fifth Young
Lady would not go upstairs. Then, she could not accomplish her task and
she would be in trouble because the Young Lady had a bad temper.

This was also the reason why the maid fixed her eyes on Ning Lingyun.
Now, Ning Lingyun was in a dilemma, so she had to walk up step by
step with the help of the maid.

“Fourth Sister, wait. Who is that?” when Ning Xueyan passed the stairs,
she suddenly cried out in a low voice as she grabbed Ning Lingyun’s
hand and pointed at one place.
Chapter 276 Disturbances Arise
Again for Eavesdropping
Right now, they began to pop their heads up and saw the floor above
them. Ning Xueyan was pointing at a private room, whose door was half-
open so that they could hear Ya Moqin’s sarcasm. Her voice was loud as
if she was talking about something, but they could not hear it clearly.

They could see that there was a male figure in a gorgeous robe standing
at the door of the private room. He seemed to eavesdrop on what was
being said inside. They could only see his back, so they did not know
who he was. But judging from the clothes, he was either rich or noble.
However, it was strange that a man stood in a private room with two
women inside to eavesdrop.

Ning Xueyan’s voice was not loud, so she didn’t disturb the person.

Ning Lingyun was looking for an opportunity. When she saw the figure
in front of her, she rolled her eyes. Stopping to pretend to have a
stomachache, she quickly walked up two steps. She pointed at the man at
the door and shouted, “He… he is eavesdropping on the Third Sister.”

Her voice was quite loud, not softer than the quarrel between Ya Moqin
and Ning Qingshan. At least, more than half of the volume of their
quarreling disappeared in the room, with only lingering sound outside.

When they tried to listen carefully, they could not hear it.

Ning Lingyun hoped that something happened over there so that she
didn’t have to go to Ya Moqin’s private room. Of course, she tried her
best to shout. Not only those in the private rooms upstairs, but also those
downstairs could hear everything. For a moment, many doors of the
private rooms upstairs and downstairs were opened. They didn’t know
what had happened outside.

“Bang!” Ya Moqin came over and opened the door, facing Ao Xian, the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, who had no time to escape. She
immediately said with anger and sarcasm, “What’s wrong with you? Are
you worried that I’ll hurt Third Young Lady Ning? So you’ve come to
eavesdrop on us?”

All the noble young ladies in the capital heard of Ao Xian’s romantic
affairs. Everyone looked down upon him. They didn’t like Ao Xian, the
Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, who had no real power. Ya
Moqin was mocking Ning Qingshan just now, so she was irritated. Now,
she was raging at Ao Xian.

Upstairs and downstairs, when everyone heard these words, they were
stunned. “Did something happen?”

“Eavesdrop? Who wants to eavesdrop on you? Look at yourself. Is there

anything worthy of my eavesdropping?” Ao Xian was not a person to be
trifled with. He looked at Ya Moqin’s towering chest and spoke to her
with disdain. There was a bit of obscenity in his eyes, which was very
annoying.

Ya Moqin was ashamed and angry when he looked at her. She blushed
and cursed, “Yes, of course, you didn’t come to see me, but to see your
lover. Didn’t you have an affair in my cousin’s manor? You said it’s a
maid? How disgusting.”

She was annoyed by Ao Xian, so she dared to say anything. Besides, she
did not care about the big fox or the little fox. As long as they hooked up
with her cousin, she would not let them go. Now, she met Ao Xian, who
humiliated her, so she immediately glared at him and fought back.

“Miss Ya, how… how dare you talk nonsense!” Ning Qingshan couldn’t
bear it anymore. If she let Ya Moqin continue, she wouldn’t be able to
show her face tomorrow.

“Why don’t I dare say it? If you dare to do it, why don’t you let others
say it? Is there any justice?” Ya Moqin glared back without any effort
because she didn’t like Ning Qingshan. Now, she scolded them together,
which made her feel very happy.

“Ya Moqin, don’t slander me.” Ao Xian was furious. He had seen the
Third Prince lowering his head because of the matter in the courtyard.
Although it was a misunderstanding, he and Ning Qingshan were lying
together in a mess. They seemed to be caught in the bed by the Third
Prince, so now, everything the Third Prince said was reasonable.

Today, the Third Prince was in a rare good mood. He had allowed Ao
Xian to watch him play chess with the Fourth Prince. Just now, the Third
Prince needed to find Mo Yaqin, so he asked him to call her. As soon as
he arrived at the door, he heard that there seemed to be women
quarreling inside. He was curious and listened from outside the door.
Unexpectedly, something happened.

Now that Ya Moqin spoke of that scandal, he suddenly felt ashamed. He

was used to being arrogant, and he was a jerk. Ya Moqin humiliated him
again and again, so how could he bear it? He came over and slapped her,
and scolded her, “Watch your mouth.”

Since he was going to argue with Ning Yuling in front of others, of

course, he would do it now.

Ya Moqin didn’t expect that Ao Xian would hit a woman, so she was not
on guard against him. She was beaten a step backward and fell heavily to
the ground. She covered her face with her hands, and her face was
swollen. Although Ao Xian was weak, he was a man. Ya Moqin couldn’t
resist him.

Things went on like this. Her maid had already left Ning Xueyan and
Ning Lingyun behind and rushed over to help her.

“How… how dare you hit me!” Ya Moqin gritted her teeth and angrily
said. She stood up with the help of her maid and was about to make a
scene. She had never suffered such a big loss.

“What’s going on?” A clear voice with unpleasantness came from the
door. The two people who were making noise saw Ao Mingyu, the Third
Prince, who was standing outside the door with a bad look on his face.

“Cousin, he…he hit me.” Ya Moqin’s tears dropped when she saw Ao
Mingyu. She threw herself into Ao Mingyu’s arms and sobbed. She cried
like pear blossoms bathed in the rain. However, Ning Qingshan, who
looked even more pitiful than her, looked at Ao Mingyu with tears in her
eyes. Her crystal tears fell silently. She bit her lips slightly and
suppressed her grievance. In any case, she had suffered losses.
“What are you doing? Take your Young Lady aside to have a rest,” Ao
Mingyu said with a gloomy face. Although he helped Ya Moqin up, he
pushed her to the maid who followed her.

Then he turned to Ning Qingshan, looked at the palm print on her face,
and asked softly, “How did you get hurt?”

This question made Ya Moqin nervous. She didn’t care about her
grievances and rushed over to explain. She didn’t dare to let her cousin
know that she had hit Ning Qingshan on purpose. But when she heard
what Ning Qingshan said, she breathed a sigh of relief. She stopped and
glanced at Ning Qingshan. Ning Qingshan was clear-minded, so at least
she didn’t complain about her in front of her cousin.

“I… I’m fine. I’m not careful…” Ning Qingshan’s tears fell one after
another, but she turned her head and wiped her tears with her
handkerchief as if she didn’t want Ao Mingyu to blame her. However,
the imprints on her face were real, and everyone could see that it was a
palm print.

“Your Highness, when I came here, I saw First Young Lady Ya hitting
Third Young Lady Ning. I really couldn’t bear it, so I stood up and
argued with First Young Lady Ya.” Ao Xian didn’t agree to let her go.
He came to his senses and realized that he had beat the imperial tutor’s
granddaughter and the Third Prince’s cousin. When he went back, his
grandmother might break his leg.

Last time when Ning Lingyun broke off the engagement, he was beaten
by Consort Dowager and couldn’t get out of bed for a few days. She
warned him that if he made trouble again, she would break his leg. At
this time, he had to defend himself, so he blamed it all on Ya Moqin.

They started to get rowdy. Although it was not convenient for others to
come directly to see the fun, they could listen to them. Hearing Ao
Xian’s explanation, they all felt that he was over-enthusiastic. This
bastard had never been so enthusiastic. Was there an affair between him
and the Third Young Lady of the Ning’s Mansion?

“All right, you can leave right now. Ao Xian, go back and tell Fourth
Brother that I won’t go back for the time being.” Ao Mingyu didn’t want
to pursue this matter. He waved his hand and had Ao Xian go back.
“But she beat the Third Young Lady, and I…” Ao Xian looked at Ao
Mingyu in a daze. Then, he looked at Ya Moqin, who was staring at him
angrily. Finally, he cast eyes on the pitiful Ning Qingshan. He couldn’t
react for a moment.

“Go!” Ao Mingyu’s face turned cold. If he continued to make trouble,

everyone would lose face.

“Yes.” Ao Xian shrunk his neck. No matter how unreasonable he was, he

knew that the Third Prince was angry. Since the Third Prince had said
that he would not pursue him, he did not dare to talk nonsense and turned
around to leave.

“Fifth Young Lady, Fourth Young Lady, come in and talk.” Ao Mingyu
glanced at Ning Xueyan, who was walking over, and Ning Lingyun, who
was hiding behind her, and smiled faintly.

Ning Xueyan smiled quietly and nodded. Then she stepped inside and
stayed to see the fun. As soon as Ning Lingyun saw her entering, she had
to follow her in. The door was closed silently, separating the curious ears
outside.

“Third Young Lady Ning, Moqin is spoiled by my maternal grandfather,

so she is a little arrogant. If she is sorry about Third Young Lady, please
forgive her for my sake.”

After closing the door, Ao Mingyu comforted Ning Qingshan softly.

After all, if this kind of thing escalated, it would be different from his
original intention. Now, it was just the right moment.

“Cousin…” Ya Moqin shouted unhappily, “Ao Xian hit me just now.”

“Moqin! If you are so arrogant, there is no room for you in our

mansion!” Ao Mingyu’s face darkened as he shouted at her. Ya Moqin
immediately burst into tears, but she bit her lip and dared not say a word,
knowing that her cousin was furious.

She kept thinking about marrying Ao Mingyu. Did Ao Mingyu dislike

her now? The smart maid pulled her clothes hard, indicating that she
should not be impulsive now.
Ya Moqin was speechless. Although Ning Qingshan hated her very
much, she couldn’t show it on her face. She said gently with red eyes,
“Third Prince, I’m fine.” At least she couldn’t confront Ya Moqin head-
on now. When she became the Third Prince’s wife, Ya Moqin would be a
co-consort at most. She would have many ways to make this idiot die.

The Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor backed Ya Moqin. However, she was not
only supported by the Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor, but also by the Lord
Protector’s Manor. In this way, she was much more potent than Ya
Moqin. It could be said that she had everything that Ya Moqin had. She
also had what Ya Moqin didn’t have. How could Ya Moqin compare with
her?

It was just that her own identity could not be revealed to others now, so
she was at a disadvantage.

“Third Young Lady, I have an imperial physician here. I’ll take a look at
your wound first and escort you back to the manor later. I’ll send
someone to tell Madam Dowager.” Ao Mingyu considered every aspect
well.

Ao Mingyu rebuked Ya Moqin and put on a peacemaking attitude. Ning

Qingshan pretended to be generous, gentle, and could not say anything,
so she agreed immediately. So the imperial physician came in and looked
at Ning Qingshan’s and Ya Moqin’s injuries. The injuries were not
serious, so he left two ointments for them and withdrew.

Ning Xueyan was about to apply the ointment to Ning Qingshan, but Ao
Mingyu stopped her.

“Fifth Young Lady, please wait a moment.”

Chapter 277 The Carriages
Moving Forward, It’s Dangerous
“What’s the matter, Third Prince?” Ning Xueyan handed the ointment to
Ning Lingyun, and asked her to apply the medication on Ning Qingshan.
No one noticed the alertness in her eyes. She did not think Ao Mingyu
would notice it in such a situation.

“Fifth Young Lady… Could you do me a favor?” Ao Mingyu hesitated

for a moment, as if he was too embarrassed to speak.

Ning Xueyan did not say anything and waited quietly for Ao Mingyu to
speak. Her jet-black eyes were cold and indifferent. She did not want to
have anything to do with Ao Mingyu, but it was evident that the Third
Prince was not of the same mind. Although he did not turn his head,
Ning Xueyan knew his eyes had a trace of jealousy in them.

Ao Mingyu used to feel rancor for Ning Qingshan because he wanted to

pull Ning Qingshan down from the position of the first wife. At the same
time, he also wanted to remove Ya Moqin, who was arrogant and
domineering, from the position of the first wife. Killing two birds with
one stone would be an ideal move, but she did not think it had anything
to do with her.

So, she did not say anything and waited for Ao Mingyu to speak.

“Fifth Young Lady, could you go downstairs with me? I want to talk
about Third Young Lady and apologize to the marquis.” Ao Mingyu
asked gently.

The gazes directed at her, from behind him, were even colder. The two
ladies, who were applying the medication, were looking at her with envy,
jealousy, and hatred.

It seemed that Ao Mingyu had done Ning Xueyan a favor. As the most
promising Third Prince, he had invited Ning Xueyan to accompany him
downstairs and explain to the Lord Protector’s Manor. Of course, he did
this for the sake of the Lord Protector’s Manor and that of the Grand
Tutor Ya’s Manor, and even for the sake of friendship between liegemen.

Anyway, both Grand Tutor Ya and Ning Zu’an said that they would
support Ao Mingyu. The relationship between them was harmonious,
and they could not have some conflicts due to their little sisters. It was
reasonable for Ao Mingyu to do something like this.

“But why her?”

Outside, many people were staring at them. If she was with Ao Mingyu,
it would set a lot of tongues wagging and lead to a lot of rumors.

“Your Highness, please go ahead. I’ll help Third Sister to take a look
before coming over.” Ning Xueyan refused directly.

The smile froze on Ao Mingyu’s face. Ao Mingyu narrowed his eyes

slightly, but he did not say anything more. He turned around and walked
out.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan refused Ao Mingyu without any hesitation and
was indifferent, with Ao Mingyu’s warning, Ya Moqin did not do
anything to Ning Xueyan. She asked the maid to apply the medication on
her, meekly. This time, she and Ning Qingshan were both injured. Both
of them had slapped each other. It seemed that neither of them lost out.

After waiting for a while, Ning Xueyan thought it was about time, so she
opened the door and went out. Anyway, she had to give face to Third
Prince, Ao Mingyu. Now that she had promised him, she had to show her
face.

When she returned to the private room, she found that Ao Mingyu was
still there. After greeting Ao Mingyu, Madam Dowager asked a few
questions about Ning Qingshan’s current situation and knew that she was
fine. So she asked her to accompany Ning Qingshan. Ao Mingyu must
have said something before, so Madam Dowager did not appear to be
angry.

“Is the thing between Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and Third
Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, true?”
“Maybe. Otherwise, why did First Young Lady Ya make such a fuss?
Moreover, when First Young Lady Ya bullied Third Young Lady just
now, the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Yi came out and slapped
her. If it had nothing to do with her, he would not have done this for
Third Young Lady.”

“But didn’t the Third Prince and the others say that the maid had
something to do with the Princely Heir?”

“It’s not like there’s no such thing as a maid taking her master’s place.”

“The First Young Lady of the Honored Consort Ya’s Mansion is

arrogant. She is also rude. If someone marries her and she becomes the
first wife, the backyard will be in trouble…”

Some people were whispering at the corner of the building. Ning Xueyan
did not see who they were, but she knew what it meant. They were
insinuating about the relationship between Ning Qingshan and Ao Xian.
Besides, they held Ya Moqin in disdain. As the Hostess, she should be
generous and dignified.

If Ya Moqin were the Hostess, she would have to deal with all the
concubines in the backyard.

It was difficult to guess what the Third Prince was thinking about.
Maybe he had another suitable candidate for the position of the legal
wife, so he demoted the two noble, legitimate daughters.

When she went upstairs again, Ya Moqin had already left. She felt that it
was not suitable for her to stay with Ning Qingshan.

The slap on Ning Qingshan’s face came from Ya Moqin. After all, she
was a woman. After putting some medication on the imprint, her face
was still a little swollen. There were no other traces of any other injuries.
At this time, it seemed that Ning Lingyun was talking with her, so her
face returned to its usual gentle demeanor.

From her appearance, no one could not see anything.

However, Ning Qingshan was a hypocritical sort. She knew when and
how to put on a mask.
“Fifth Sister, what did Grandma and Father say?” Seeing Ning Xueyan
pushing the door open and coming in, Ning Qingshan suppressed the
resentment in her eyes, and asked softly.

“Third Prince said that he would send us back later. Grandma and Father
knows about it and asked Third Sister to go back and rest early.” Ning
Xueyan smiled gracefully. She stood three steps away from Ning
Qingshan, and had a faint smile on her face.

It was not difficult to guess what was going on in Madam Dowager and
Ning Zu’an’ minds. They would not miss any chance to get close to
Third Prince, Ao Mingyu. Since the Third Prince had asked them to do
so, they had to do it.

While they were talking, Third Prince had come back. Seeing that Ning
Qingshan was ready, he took them downstairs. It happened in his private
room, so it was normal for him to send Ning Qingshan and others back.

Perhaps as an apology, he had called for three carriages, one for each of
them. The Third Prince ordered several guards to send them to the Lord
Protector’s Manor, and then went upstairs.

As a prince. he was considerate and kind enough to do this.

“Fifth Young Lady, please get in this carriage.” When Ning Xueyan was
about to get in a carriage, a guard beside her suddenly pointed at the last
carriage and said.

This carriage was slightly different from the previous two carriages.
Regardless of the material or the decoration, it was somewhat more
luxurious than the first two carriages. However, it was not that obvious.
If the guard had not pointed it out, she would not have noticed it in the
dark.

Ning Qingshan was walking to the first one. Hearing this, she suddenly
stopped and turned to look at the last one with a frown, and had a trace
of suspicion in her eyes.

Ning Lingyun’s face darkened.

“It turns out that the Third Prince has given me a special one. Thank you,
Your Highness.” Ning Xueyan bowed to the guard with a smile as if she
had not noticed anything. She seemed to be in a good mood and was
about to enter the carriage.

“Fifth Sister, how can you let Fourth Sister go in the last carriage? There
is always a difference between the legal wife’s daughter and the
concubine’s.” Ning Qingshan covered her mouth with her hand, and
gently stopped her.

The ranking could be from young to old or from the legitimate daughter
to the daughter of a concubine. If it was based on a child to a child, Ning
Xueyan would get into the last carriage. If it was from the legitimate
daughter to the daughter of a concubine, Ning Xueyan should get into
the second one. However, people would not be too particular about that
on a regular trip, as long as they were agreeable.

But since Ning Qingshan mentioned it deliberately, she could not say
that she was wrong. The guard standing by the carriage opened his
mouth, but had no reason to say no. They looked at the second one and
the third one, which were all behind, so he did not say anything.

“Oh, then I’ll take the second one.” Ning Xueyan looked at the third one
reluctantly, but she went along with Ning Qingshan’s words and got into
the second one.

At this time, Ning Qingshan had already got into the first carriage, and
Ning Lingyun naturally went to the last one, happily.

As soon as she got in the car, Ning Xueyan’s face darkened. She lifted
the curtain and peeked out of the window. Then, she whispered to
Xinmei, “Xinmei, do you have any idea that if I am able to get into the
first car and sit with Ning Qingshan?”

The guard’s insistence gave her a bad feeling. At this time, she felt even
more uneasy when she saw that the carriage was about to move.

“Young Lady, if you want to go ahead, I have an idea.” Looking at Ning

Xueyan’s serious face, Xinmei thought for a while and said.
“Young Lady, if this carriage breaks down while you are on the road,
then you have to get on to another carriage. The guard who followed you
can’t say anything.” Xinmei looked around, opened the curtains to look
outside, and whispered.

Qingyu sat in front of the curtain and stared cautiously at the driver.

“How about that guard’s martial arts skill? Will he know that you have
tricked him?” There was a flash of uncertainty in Ning Xueyan’s eyes.
She just felt that something was not right, but she did not know what was
going to happen. If Xinmei was discovered to have martial arts skills,
maybe the loss would outweigh the gain. Ao Mingyu’s guard was not the
mediocre sort.

“Don’t worry, Young Lady. In terms of martial arts, that guard is not as
good as me. If I’m careful, he will not be able to spot the flaw.” Xinmei’s
eyes fell again on the guard who was riding on the carriage. At this time,
the carriages had already moved forward. He was riding a horse not far
away from them, with nothing exceptional going on.

Ning Xueyan said nothing and frowned slightly. This was the last resort.
She should not let others know that she had a maid who was skilled in
martial arts. As the light flashed by, the scenery outside the window
passed slowly by. After turning at a crossing, it went to another road.

Ning Xueyan knew that this road would lead to the Lord Protector’s
Manor. In fact, it was closer to the Lord Protector’s Manor because it
could bypass the crowded streets. However, this road was a side road, so
a section of the road was remote. She usually did not go this way. In her
last life, Ning Ziying secretly came out with Xia Yuhang, and walked
through this road.

“Xinmei, don’t damage the wheel, as long as you can frighten the horse
slightly.” Immediately, Ning Xueyan made up her mind.

The carriage was now at a junction of three roads. Ning Qingshan’s

carriage was turning a corner, so her carriage slowed down. After Ning
Qingshan’s carriage had turned the corner, it was her turn. If they went
straight there, there were still some streets. If they went off course, there
were some remote places…
Chapter 278 Enjoying the Tea,
Changing the Carriage
Observantly
“Your Highness, do you want Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s
Manor to enter your manor?” At this time, an elegant young man was
sitting in the Third Prince’s private room. He picked up the chess pieces
and slowly put it down. It seemed that he asked this question
nonchalantly.

“My father will choose a legal wife and two co-consorts for me this time.
It should not be difficult for me to ask for another concubine.” Sitting
opposite the young man, Ao Mingyu looked relaxed, as if he was talking
about a mere dog or a cat. Of course, in his eyes, it was not difficult.

She was a co-wife’s daughter. Since he took a fancy to her, he was

determined to marry her.

As a prince, he could have a consort, two co-consorts, and two

concubines. At most, the women in his manor were only madams and
maternal aunts. These positions had always been vacant. He would not
sell them off if he did not derive anything from it.

The ones in the running for the co-consort’s position were Ning
Qingshan and Ya Moqin.

After today’s incident, both of them had lost their credibility. Even if
they were of noble lineage or rumored to be his legal wife, there would
inevitably be many objections. Mother had said earlier that Father valued
him very much, and would not allow such a woman to become his wife
and ruin his reputation.

As for Ning Xueyan, he felt that he was being kind to her. At least, he
had given her the title of a concubine. She had been officially taken into
the imperial family, and her son would also be a direct descendant of the
imperial family. Even if she could not help him, he felt that he had not
mistreated her, because he was interested in her.

After all, no woman could become his concubine that easily.

His gaze fell on the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor,
who was said to be of no significance before. Although she was childish,
her eyes were cold and deep, and were filled with intelligence and
indifference. Even if he was standing in front of her, he could not get her
full attention.

When had a woman been able to resist his charms?

“Your Highness, you’re too impulsive. I heard that the Fourth Prince also
took a fancy to her.” The young man gave a faint smirk. He moved his
chess piece and swept away a piece in Ao Mingyu’s hand, blocking his
move.

“She can only be Fourth Brother’s co-consort at most. It’s obvious that
she has no status in the Lord Protector’s Manor. Honored Consort Shu
won’t allow Fourth Brother to marry her officially. I’m also trying to
help her. Otherwise, if she enters the palace and fails to join the Beauty
Contest, and irritates the Honored Consort Shu, she will be doomed
forever.”

Ao Mingyu took that for granted. Without looking at his blocked piece,
he took the opportunity to place the chess piece in his hand to stop Xia
Yuhang’s moves. His movements seemed like that of a big dragon,
timely and decisively.

He meant that he had done Ning Xueyan a favor. With her status, Ning
Xueyan was not good enough to become Ao Mingwan’s wife. If Ao
Mingwan insisted on it, the Honored Consort Shu might have her killed.
Then, the Beauty Contest would be held. For a while, she would live in
the imperial palace. With her status as one of the four imperial
concubines, it would not be a problem for her to kill a powerless woman
in the emperor’s harem.

It was Xia Yuhang who was playing chess with him. The day before
yesterday, the incident between Ning Ziyan and Xia Yudong had
occurred. Everyone thought that Xia Yuhang lost his temper in his own
house. Nobody would have thought that the person who was playing
chess with the Third Prince, Ao Mingyu, was Childe Xia?

Of course, no one expected Childe Xia, whose official career had been
blocked, because of his blemished reputation, was now the best friend of
the Third Prince, Ao Mingyu. He was also the chief adviser.

“Your Highness, there might be a change if you act in haste.” Xia

Yuhang said meaningfully, with a deep and serene look in his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s just a woman.” Ao Mingyu said with disdain,
indicating that he would not abandon official business for personal
reasons.

The horse pulling Ning Xueyan’s carriage was shocked and tried to rush
away before it turned a corner. The driver pulled the reins desperately
and managed to avoid hitting anyone. The two maids screamed in fear
after a few rumbles. Everyone was shocked by this incident and looked
at the carriage. They did not know who was in the carriage.

“Young Lady, what’s the matter? “The guard dismounted from the front
and asked hurriedly.

“Sir, can you go to the tea shop in front and get us a bowl of hot water?
Our Young Lady was so frightened that she fainted.” Xinmei pulled the
curtain aside, poked her head out, and said anxiously.

There was indeed a tea house in front of them, but it was quite a distance
away. One could see it from afar, but it was still a long way to go. But
when the guard heard that Fifth Young Lady was unconscious, he had no
choice, but to go to the tea house and ask for a bowl of hot water.

As soon as he left, Qingyu and Xinmei lifted the curtain and supported
Ning Xueyan, who seemed about to faint, to the front of the first car.

“Third Young Lady, our Young Lady is afraid. Can we stay in your
carriage?” Qingyu stepped forward and asked.

“Okay, let your young lady get in the carriage. Be careful and don’t
bump against her.” How could Ning Qingshan not know what had
happened? Knowing that the people in Ning Xueyan’s carriage were
frightened, she was taking pleasure in her calamity. When she heard
what Qingyu said, outside the carriage, she quickly restrained her joy
and said softly.

There were so many people outside the carriage. Even if she did not want
to, and she could not say it. Ning Xueyan had guessed this point.

Qingyu and Xinmei helped her get on the carriage and she leaned against
the seat. The carriage was not big. For Ning Qingshan and her maid, it
was spacious. But now, there were three of them. Ning Xueyan slumped
against the seat and occupied more than one seat, so the carriage looked
crowded.

Ning Xueyan coughed twice in a low voice. It seemed that she was not in
a good condition. Her face had always been too pale. She looked very
weak and seemed to be about to faint. “Qingyu, Third Sister’s carriage is
too crowded. We… we’d better go back.”

When she said that, even though she was about to climb into the
carriage, it seemed that she was going to get off. How could Ning
Qingshan let her get off? She had just entered the carriage and clearly
said that she came over because she was afraid. How could she get off
again in such a short time? Others would only think that she could not
tolerate her sister.

“Fifth Sister, don’t go. Just come with me. Let the two maids go to the
carriage at the back.” She made the necessary arrangements.

If there were two fewer people in this carriage, of course, it would be

much more spacious.

“Third Young Lady, don’t drive us away. If we leave, who will take care
of her? Please don’t drive us away.” Qingyu had just climbed into the
carriage, suddenly knelt on the front seat next to the driver, and pleaded
loudly. Xinmei, who was beside her, also knelt directly.

“Hey, wasn’t this elder sister feeling well just now? Why is she getting
rid of her younger sister’s maids in such a short time?”

“Could it be that she did it on purpose? Her younger sister is seriously

ill, but she does not want to let anyone take care of her. What does she
want to do?”

“Isn’t she a femme fatale who is superficially generous, but makes

stealthily attacks?”

“Which manor are they from? Look at how fierce this elder sister is.
She’s really…” The horse became frightened, which had attracted
everyone’s attention. Now, they saw what was happening. So, there were
indeed various contentions. In the carriage, Ning Qingshan felt regret
and was angry.

“You, get off and go to Fifth Young Lady’s carriage.” She gritted her
teeth and pointed at Caifen.

Although no one knew that she was the one in the carriage now, it would
probably be known by tomorrow.

“Yes, Young Lady. Be careful.” Caifen glared at Qingyu angrily and

raised her head as if she was trying to provoke her. However, she still got
out of the carriage helplessly. The situation forced them to accept reality.
In this case, she was the only one who had to get out of the vehicle. She
rushed over angrily, lifted the curtain, and sat inside.

“Thank you, Third Sister.” Holding Qingyu’s hand, Ning Xueyan tried
her best to sit up and thanked Ning Qingshan. At this time, Xinmei
squeezed herself in.

“We are sisters, you don’t have to be so polite.” Ning Qingshan

suppressed her anger, and pretended to be her gentle and generous self.

At this time, the guard brought a bowl of water and handed it through the
door of the second car. He said respectfully, “Young Lady, please have
some water.”

Caifen was sulking inside. She took it and said snarled out her thanks,
“Thank you, Sir!”

She poured the water from tea bowl into her mouth and did not give it to
the vicious woman. She pushed the maid away from the Young Lady.
Although she believed that she would not do anything to the Young
Lady, she felt it would be very humiliating to separate her from the
Young Lady.

The guard saw nothing unusual and rearranged the seating arrangements.
The three carriages continued on their journey, toward the secluded path
at the junction.

This time, not far away, the lights on the side gradually went off.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the outside. The driver suddenly pulled
the reins and stopped. The guard rushed up with his horse. But before he
could ask check into the matter, a fight had started. Ning Qingshan and
Ning Xueyan pulled the curtains aside and looked outside.

Several figures rushed toward the carriage, holding sharp swords in their
hands, but could not get near it because the guard was standing near the
first carriage. They did not succeed and rushed to the two carriages
behind them. With a flash of swords, the two coachmen behind were
injured, and then they toppled off the carriages immediately.

In the morning, two masked men whipped the horse hard, and the horse
carriage seemed about to go off the side road. However, the side road
was merely a lane. The horse could not turn around, but instead stumbled
and stopped. In the last carriage, Ning Lingyun suddenly rushed out in a
disheveled state. She screamed in horror, while running toward the first
horse carriage.

“Young… Young Lady.” In the second carriage, Caifen also dashed out
in panic and rushed to Ning Qingshan.

When the masked men saw the two of them coming over, they grabbed
them and dragged them back. Their shrill screams could be heard even at
a distance.

Ning Xueyan held Xinmei’s hand tightly, trying hard to suppress the cold
fear in her heart. If she had been in the two carriages behind, she would
almost certainly have been captured by the masked man and lose her
reputation. She did not know what she had done to provoke Ao Mingyu,
who wanted to ruin her like this.
Chapter 279 Some Coincidences
Made Her Countermeasure
Slightly Superior
Even though there were no other outsiders here, these guards and
coachmen had all witnessed the terrible scene. If this tragic thing
happened to her, Ning Xueyan knew that it would be effortless for Ao
Mingyu to threaten her with it.

Just now, she felt very strange because Ao Mingyu’s guards specially
told her to sit in the last carriage. However, it was common knowledge
that the last one was the easiest to be left behind. Ning Xueyan didn’t
know what Ao Mingyu meant by doing this, but she was sure about one
thing—next, at least Ning Qingshan’s carriage would be safe.

After the farce caused by Ao Xian today, Ning Qingshan‘s reputation

was on the edge of being ruined now. If anything more happened to her,
she could not even join the Beauty Contest. But how could Ao Mingyu
allow such a thing to happen? Thus, Ning Qingshan must be in the safety
zone. It was also the reason why Ning Xueyan struggled to send herself
into Ning Qingshan’s carriage.

“Who is making trouble here?” Suddenly, a bunch of people rushed over

from a distance. The one at the forefront riding a horse came here first.
Behind him were some people marching with measured steps.
Apparently, they were a team of patrolling soldiers.

“Come here quickly. We are protecting the families of Lord Protector’s

Manor. Some people tried to assassinate them.” When the guard saw
these soldiers coming, he shouted in a hurry.

It was a public security team in the capital. When those soldiers heard
that some people tried to assassinate the family members of Lord
Protector’s Manor, they immediately rushed over. Those masked men
saw that the situation was not good, so they quickly let go of Ning
Lingyun and Caifen and dispersed in an uproar. When the soldiers rushed
over to catch them, all those masked men had already run away.

They left only two women, Ning Lingyun and Caifen, who were
standing outside the carriage. Then with hair straggling over their
shoulders, the two of them ran to Ning Qingshan’s carriage while crying.
What a miserable scene!

“Where is the Fifth Young Lady?” At this time, the guard’s face
dramatically changed. Looking at the noiseless second carriage, he
instantly grabbed Caifen, who ran over, and he asked anxiously. His
target of doing all of this was the Fifth Young Lady. But how could the
Fifth Young Lady be so calm without any reaction? A bad feeling arose
from the bottom of his heart.

“Sir, are you looking for me? I’m fine with my Third Sister!” The curtain
behind him was lifted silently. Ning Xueyan’s pale face showed up under
the light of high raised lanterns and torches.

“You… You… Why are you in this carriage?” The guard’s face turned
blue, and he almost could not hold the sword in his hand.

“The horses of our carriage were frightened just now, which greatly
scared our Young Lady. So she specially came here to huddle with the
Third Young Lady.” Qingyu’s head cropped up from the carriage. After
checking the situation outside, she explained. Then, she happened to see
Ning Lingyun rushing over in a mess. In a surprise, Qingyu gazed at her
with eyes as large as copper bells. “Fourth Young Lady, what, what
happened to you? Were you injured?”

Ning Lingyun was in a mess now. Just now, a strong masked man held
her in his arms. She struggled hard, and even the accessories on her head
fell off. Now with disheveled hair and mess clothes, Ning Lingyun
appeared as if she had been raped no matter how others looked at her.
Seeing her look like this, all those soldiers who came up later to help
were guessing which lady she was.

Upon hearing Qingyu’s words, they immediately understood that this

lady was the Fourth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Besides
her, it seemed that there were two other Young Ladies of the Lord
Protector’s Manor in the intact carriage before.
Everyone on the spot could tell that the person who came from behind
the Fourth Young Lady must be her maid. That was to say, these masked
men must have dragged the Fourth Young Lady and her maid down from
the carriage. Then, these two girls ended up in a mess like that. Although
nothing more serious had really happened, they looked so miserable as if
these men had truly raped them.

That was how the leading soldier misinterpreted the scene he had seen.
Of course, the timid maid that Ning Lingyun initially brought with her
was still lying in the carriage, shivering. She was unable to move now,
and others directly ignored her.

Scratching and scrambling, Ning Lingyun climbed into Ning Qingshan’s

carriage. Immediately after she got onto the carriage, she held Ning
Xueyan’s hand tight with a complicated look full of jealousy, hatred,
disgust, and suspicion flashing in her eyes. “You… Did you already
know…”

“Fourth Sister, the Third Prince arranged the carriages for us. Now that
nothing happened to the Third Sister’s carriage. However, the carriages
of you and me had been hijacked,” Ning Xueyan said slowly. With calm
eyes, she looked at Ning Lingyun as if she hadn’t noticed that Ning
Lingyun’s hard pinch made the red mark on her arm.

Ning Lingyun was stunned for a while. Slowly, she turned her eyes to
Ning Qingshan and watched her intently with a vicious look. Then she
suddenly let go of Ning Xueyan’s hand and burst into tears.

“What do you mean, Fifth Sister? Are you implying that I have
something to do with those attacks aimed at you?” Ning Qingshan’s face
turned livid with rage under the light. She was fed up already because
her maid Caifen was forced to get off the carriage just now. And now
right after she heard that Ning Xueyan hinted at Ning Lingyun that she
plotted all of this, Ning Qingshan immediately smiled coldly. “Fifth
Sister, it seems that you treat me as a fool. I have always been earnest
and sincere to you, but you actually thought that I was scheming for
something.”

“But Third Sister, I say nothing about that. I was just telling her the truth.
Are you unwilling to admit the fact, Third Sister?” Ning Xueyan’s voice
sounded a little aggrieved, but she looked perfectly calm. A faint smile
even emerged on her face. She looked as if she had not been wronged at
all.

Ning Qingshan became so furious that she said with a cold face, “Fifth
Sister, you can think in whatever way you want. Anyway, I have a clear
conscience.”

After saying that, she directly got off the carriage and went to the
carriage behind. Pulling Caifen who followed after her, Ning Qingshan
got on the carriage that stopped in the middle. The two coachmen were
only injured and did not die. At this time, they also finished bandaging
their wounds and sat back behind the shafts of the carriages.

Because the team of soldiers were afraid that something bad would
happen again, they directly escorted them to the Lord Protector’s Manor,
and the group of people went all the way back to the manor in peace.

The guard brought the carriages back after the three Young Ladies
arrived at the Lord Protector’s Manor and returned to their own houses.
Then, he went straight to the Third Prince’s to report on completion of
his task.

“Come in!” Ao Mingyu was still playing chess with Xia Yuhang. He just
set a chess piece when he heard the knock on the door, so he answered
the door casually.

Xia Yuhang smiled slightly, making no comment. He seemed to be

focused on the chessboard. Carefully studying the move that Ao Mingyu
just made, he didn’t even raise his head.

When the guard came in, he first saluted respectfully and then reported,
“Your Royal Highness, the Fifth Young Lady got on the first carriage and
stayed with the Third Young Lady. So only the Fourth Young Lady and a
maid were scared.”

Slowly, Ao Mingyu stopped smiling and asked thoughtfully, “Why was

she with Ning Qingshan?”

“Somehow, the horse was frightened, and the Fifth Young Lady was also
shocked. That was why she went to stay with the Third Young Lady.”
The guard was vague about the details and didn’t dare to mention that
Ning Xueyan sent him away with an excuse at that time.

“Well, it looks like an accident, doesn’t it?” Ao Mingyu frowned, but

then appeared relieved. “After all, she is merely a frail unmarried girl in
a noble family. It was normal for her to feel afraid. Who knows? It might
be an accident. But this time, she was lucky enough to avoid the huge
embarrassment.”

Without saying anything, Ao Mingyu waved his hand to motion the

guard to leave.

Seeing Ao Mingyu no longer pursue the matter, the guard breathed a sigh
of relief and retreated cautiously. He then closed the door for the Third
Prince. The guard did not dare to speak out the suspicion in his heart. “At
first, the Fifth Young Lady sent me away. Then she went to the carriage
at the forefront. After that, a maid came out of the first carriage and
stayed in the second carriage instead of her. At that moment, I certainly
could not realize that things had already changed. That was why I would
make such a mistake.”

“But is all of this only a coincidence?”

“If I knew that the Fifth Young Lady had gotten into the Third Young
Lady’s carriage, I would try my best to send out secret signals to stop
those masked men from rushing out. Then nothing serious would happen
next. I always feel that this weak and sick Fifth Young Lady doesn’t look
like someone easy to deal with.”

Of course, without any evidence, the guards did not dare to tell Ao
Mingyu what was in his mind. Besides, it was evident that his master
was interested in the Fifth Young Lady. Thus, he thought it would be
much better for him not to get involved in the things between them.
Perhaps, his Royal Highness would fall in love with the Fifth Young
Lady. In that case, as a humble guard, he might get killed even without
knowing why. Thus, the guard thought that the less he talked, the fewer
mistakes he would make, and if he kept his mouth shut, he could make
no mistake.

In the room, Xia Yuhang placed another piece. Raised his eyes, he
smiled gently. “Your Highness, you have lost.”
Ao Mingyu looked down. “Exactly. The piece that Xia Yuhang set just
now destroyed the overall composition that I had made. Now I can
hardly recover the situation again.” He then couldn’t help laughing and
put the other chess pieces on the chess basket next to him. “You’re right.
I lost the game. After all, I played a little casually and hastily. I’ll find a
chance to play with you next time and defeat you.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for our next game.” Xia Yuhang stood up and said
goodbye. Ao Mingyu sent him to the door and turned around.

Xia Yuhang went downstairs and walked to a corner, looking toward the
box of Lord Protector’s Manor. He spotted the shadows on the window.
Seeing that the master of the manor had not left, he turned around and
left with an insidious smile on his face.

When Ning Zu’an and Madam Dowager came back, they heard that
something happened to the three sisters on the way and became very
anxious. Later, they were soon relieved when they knew that only Ning
Lingyun met with an accident.

The next morning, Ning Lingyun went into the Buddha Hall on the
excuse of praying for Madam Dowager. Senior Concubine Xu knelt in
Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden for a whole day. But Madam Dowager
still didn’t forgive her, nor did she allow her to visit Ning Lingyun. For a
while, a very depressing atmosphere enveloped the Lord Protector’s
Manor tight. Everyone in the manor knew that Madam Dowager was
angry.

Well, in Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, Madam Ling was in a good

mood. Now, whoever in trouble was not her daughter, so it had nothing
to do with her. Actually, her son told her that he wanted to find a way to
get Ling’er back these days. But he didn’t give her a reply up till today.
Madam Ling felt so anxious that she got up early in the morning only to
wait for him.

After all, Ning Yuling who ended up like that was her favorite daughter.
Also, her delicate face was finally disfigured by Madam Ling’s slap,
which made Madam Ling guilty and sad. Therefore, when Madam Ling
heard that her daughter’s face had almost recovered, she certainly would
put her whole heart into getting Ning Yuling back to the capital.
Finally, Ning Huaiyuan came to her place. But when he had just spoken
a few words, Madam Ling couldn’t help asking, “Yuan’er, what about
your Second Sister? When can she go back to the capital? After all, the
Spring Festival is coming. Whenever I remember that she stay at that
small place alone, I will feel very sad.”

With this, she picked up her handkerchief and covered her eyes with it,
feeling bitter in her heart.

Ning Huaiyuan thought for a while and said, “Mother, don’t worry. I
think that we should wait until my two sisters are in the imperial palace
to join the Beauty Contest. Then Grandmother will have no
granddaughter around to accompany her. At that time, she will definitely
allow my Second Sister to come back if we ask her.” Yesterday, he
wanted to take a chance to mention the Second Sister, but Ning Xueyan
ruined his chances.

“But it will take a long time for us to bring her back. Perhaps, the New
Year will have been over already. Your Second Sister has always been
spoiled. How can she get used to living in such a small place in the
countryside? I cannot imagine how terrible she looks like now after
suffering so many tortures. Anyway, that d*mned old woman has many
granddaughters. She will never care if anything happens to my Ling’er.
But Yuan’er, you should remember that Ling’er is your biological sister.”

In broken sobs, Madam Ling said. Her eyes turned red, and her tears
immediately fell.

“Mother, I certainly know that the Second Sister is my natural younger

sister. But the thing to get my sister back cannot be rushed. Or, we can
ask my father to do this. Mother, Junior Concubine Xu has already
become my father’s woman. Thus, you don’t have to be so stubborn. It
seems that you don’t have the style of the Legal Wife at all.” Helplessly,
Ning Huaiyuan urged.

During this period, Madam Ling stirred up too much trouble. Ning Zu’an
only visited her the first day when Madam Ling was released from the
Buddha Hall. Later on, he hadn’t paid a single visit to Madam Ling’s
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. Instead, his newly-loved Junior
Concubine Xu got good out of Madam Ling’s misfortune because Ning
Zu’an had been staying at her palace except for the study. But as soon as
Madam Ling remembered that Junior Concubine Xu served Ning Zu’an
in bed under her eyes, she would gnash teeth in hatred. Whenever Junior
Concubine Xu came to her place, Madam Ling would make a long face.
Chapter 280 Maybe the Back
Door Is Not Sealed
Seeing Madam Ling’s serious face, Ning Huaiyuan knew what Madam
Ling was thinking about. He advised her again, “Mother, you have a son
and a daughter. Why are you afraid of a concubine, one of a maid origin?
Even if she is the most favored concubine now, she is just a plaything.
After a while, when my father does not like her anymore, you can beat
and scold her. It’s all up to you, Mother. Why are you unhappy now?”

“That little bi*ch, I wanted to keep her for you before, and she agreed. I
did not expect that she would hook up with your father only a few days
after I went to the Buddha Hall. What a shameless bi*ch!”

When Madam Ling talked about this, she wanted to scratch Yu Lian’s
enchanting face. She had known that this bi*ch would have an affair. To
prevent her from serving Ning Zu’an in bed, she specifically told her that
she would give her a title when Yuan’er came back if she went with him.
Unexpectedly, she was still so dissatisfied with her lot. Madam Ling felt
that she had been betrayed.

That was why she still did not acknowledge Concubine Xu’s identity.

“Mother, what’s the point of saying these things now? It is better not to
mention them now. Now she is my father’s concubine. It’s not
appropriate for you to repeat this.”

Ning Huaiyuan rubbed his forehead helplessly.. He did not know what to
do with his stubborn mother. Should this matter be brought up now? And
whenever they talked about little Concubine Xu, they would always
mention it. If outsiders heard it, something might happen.

“Mother, do you want Second Sister to come back?”

“Yes, of course, I do!” When Madam Ling spoke of Ning Yuling, she
nodded vigorously and stopped scolding Yu Lian.
“Father dotes on little Concubine Xu the most now. Mother, you have to
be good friends with her. Ask her to say a few more good words in my
father’s ear so that Second Sister can come back.”

Ning Huaiyuan said this seriously.

Madam Ling was happy when she heard that Ning Yuling might come
back. But when she thought that she had to ask Yu Lian for help, she
gritted her teeth in anger. However, looking at her son’s determined eyes,
she knew that it was a good idea. So she said, “Okay, Yuan’er, don’t
worry. Mother will go and make friends with Concubine Xu.”

“Just let the bi*ch be happy. Once Ling’er came back, this bi*ch will
certainly suffer.

“Mother, this is the style of the legal wife. No matter how spoiled little
Concubine Xu is, she can’t get the better of you as long as I’m here.
Now, if you treat her well for my father’s sake, my father will be happy.
As for what will happen in the future, it all depends on you.” Ning
Huaiyuan hinted.

Ning Xueyan’s words calmed Madam Ling down. After thinking for a
while, she realized that it was true. She was the First Madam of Lord
Protector’s Manor, and no one could compare with her. Besides, she as
the legal wife, had given birth to a son, who had grown up well and had a
good reputation in the capital city. The Lord Protector’s Manor would
belong to her, so how could that little bi*ch compete with her, in the
future?

If she tried to please her, she would keep her. If she dared to fight against
her, she would sell her to the brothel.

Seeing that Madam Ling had calmed down and seemed to be thinking
about something else, Ning Huaiyuan knew that Madam Ling had made
up her mind already. His mother was not stupid. She was smart enough
to rise to the position of the legal wife in the Lord Protector’s Manor,
from a woman who had nothing initially. But recently, she ran into
numerous problems, which made her flustered, so that she did something
wrong.
After speaking a few more words to Madam Ling, he went to the
backyard.

Yesterday, he went to Minister Xia’s Manor to look for Ning Ziyan, but
he did not see her. He only saw Xia Yuhang, who said that Ning Ziyan
was in meditation, so she could not see him for the time being. Of
course, Ning Huaiyuan knew that that was only Xia Yuhang’s excuse.
After all, Ning Ziyan’s reputation had been ruined. It was already good
that Xia’s Manor did not say anything else.

So, he did not ask anymore. He asked Xia Yuhang to take Ning Ziyan to
a private room at night and have a reunion dinner. Although Xia Yuhang
did not agree, there was nothing wrong with his request. He also asked
him to go to the Cloud Reflection Courtyard to look for something,
saying that Ning Ziyan wanted it.

Whether Ning Ziyan or Xia Yuhang wanted it, Ning Huaiyuan had to
take it seriously, so he went to the Cloud Reflection Courtyard at this
time.

As soon as he walked through the wall that separated the Cloud

Reflection Courtyard from the Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Huaiyuan
saw Ning Xueyan sitting under the tree, reading leisurely.

The wind blew her half-dry long hair. A few strands fell on her tender
white face, which made her look more delicate. Her skin was as white as
snow, and her skirt fluttered in the breeze. The wide, snow-white cloak
enveloped her. Only a slender hand stretched out from under the cloak
and flipped through the pages.

The sun shone in front of her. After some time, her face, which had
always been pale, had a faint flush and she looked extremely beautiful.

Ning Huaiyuan frowned and looked at her from afar. He stopped, and his
eyebrows twitched. There were mixed emotions in his eyes, some happy,
some disgust, some resentment, and some insidiousness…

“Young Lady, the Eldest Young Master is here!” Lanning found Ning
Huaiyuan standing in the corner and pushed Ning Xueyan, who appeared
to be in a trance.
Ning Xueyan put down her book and raised her head. Looking at Ning
Huaiyuan, who was approaching one step at a time, she bowed slightly
and said with a gentle smile, “Nice to see you, Eldest Brother. What are
you doing here at this time?”

After saying that, she looked around in surprise. This place was almost
out of the range of the Lord Protector’s Manor, except for its proximity
to the Bright Frost Garden.

“The eldest sister asked me see if the books she wanted are in this
courtyard. She said that she had lent them to Sister Ziying before.” At
this time, Ning Huaiyuan had already stopped worrying. He smiled and
said calmly.

“This… Sister Ziying likes reading too? Brother, can you tell me about
Sister Ziying? The servants in the mansion don’t dare to say anything
about her. It is as if she is a taboo subject”, Ning Xueyan pointed at the
Cloud Reflection Courtyard and asked curiously.

“I… I don’t know. Most of the time, I am not in the mansion, and only
my first sister was on good terms with her.” Ning Huaiyuan said
indifferently. At first glance, she knew that he was not interested in
talking about it.

“Oh, I thought you and sister Ziying were also very close to each other. I
heard that my Eldest Brother-in-law and Sister Ziying had a good
relationship. A distinction should be made between males and females.
So, I thought that you were there to accompany them. That did not seem
to be the case.” Ning Xueyan said with a smile on her face, as if she was
not aware of Ning Huaiyuan’s darkened face.

“Who told you that Ning Ziying and Yuhang were very close?” Ning
Huaiyuan grabbed Ning Xueyan’s hand and asked in a harsh voice.

“Brother, it hurts.” Ning Xueyan frowned and cried out in pain. Lanning
hurried over to hold Ning Huaiyuan’s hand and said hurriedly, “Eldest
Young Master, you are hurting my young lady.”

Ning Huaiyuan finally came to his senses. He quickly relaxed his hand
and apologized to Ning Xueyan, “Xueyan, I’m sorry. This news came as
a shock. Who in the manor told you this? How can you talk nonsense?
She is already dead. We can’t ruin her reputation.”

“Eldest brother, I don’t know who said that. The day before yesterday,
when I went to visit my grandmother, I went to the rockery in the garden
to have a rest. Then, I heard two older female servants saying that.
Today, I saw you, so I just enquired casually.” Ning Xueyan said. Her
long eyelashes fluttered, as she tried to suppress the hatred in her eyes.

Sure enough, the Eldest Young Master of Lord Protector’s Manor, who
was said to have a good reputation, knew that Madam Ling and her
daughter killed her.

How much did they hate her in her previous life? So many people
watched her fall to her death, but no one reached out to save her. No one
considered the bonds of kinship. Those so-called flesh and blood
affection belonged to them. As for herself, in their eyes, she had long
been dead…

Who would bother about a dead person?

“That is just foolish talk. Fifth Sister, don’t believe it. Sister Ziying’s
reputation is good.” Hearing that it was the older female servants’
gossips, Ning Huaiyuan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he
needed to bring some order to the mansion so that no further confusion
or gossip would be spread.

“Yes, I dare not.” Ning Xueyan nodded slightly and watched Ning
Huaiyuan go to the Cloud Reflection Courtyard alone.

To find a book? The book Ning Ziyan lent to her? Could Ning Ziyan be a
person who liked reading?

She sneered slightly. She had guessed that since Xia Yuhang was looking
for something at her place and could not find it. There could not be
anything in her dowry. Then, he would come to Cloud Reflection
Courtyard again and get Ning Huaiyuan to come over?

Did Xia Yuhang dare to say what he was looking for? He wanted to
rummage through her things, but he could not just come over and do
that.
Sure enough, when she bent her head to read again, a black shadow
blocked the sunlight in front of her. When she looked up and narrowed
her watery eyes, she saw that it was Ning Huaiyuan, who had just passed
and returned. A faint sneer flashed across her eyes.

“Fifth Sister, why is the courtyard blocked off?” Ning Huaiyuan frowned
and asked, pointing at the Cloud Reflection Courtyard, not far away.

He had turned around the corner and was about to go in, but he found
that the door had been bricked up and he could not get in.

“I don’t know, either. Maybe the door was bricked up after they finished
building the wall. I saw someone starting a project here from a distance.”

Ning Xueyan smiled and said this innocently, glancing at the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard.

Madam Ling had asked Qingyu to build a wall in front of the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard, as she wanted to separate this place from the
whole Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Xueyan had asked Qingyu to
mention it casually and then “extended” Madam Ling’s meaning. Of
course, the servants would seal the gate of the courtyard.

Since the First Madam said that she did not want to see this courtyard, as
she thought that this courtyard was ominous, they tried to seal it off as
much as possible, so that the First Madam would not be affected by the
bad luck. Then, they had to report this matter to Madam Ling. But at that
time, Madam Ling had already entered the Buddha Hall, so Ning Xueyan
had to pay them for the work.

As a reward, of course, they were paid a little more than the agreed sum.
So, these people were happy and felt that they had understood First
Madam’s meaning. Otherwise, why would the First Madam give them
more money? There was a rumor that the First Madam must have
something to do with the young lady who died there. Otherwise, why
would the First Madam feel so guilty?

Of course, Ning Huaiyuan was not aware about this, so he did not know
that the courtyard had been sealed.
“Eldest Brother, the front door is relatively close to the wall. It might be
sealed accidentally.” Ning Xueyan closed the book with her slender
hands and turned to look at the back door. The expression in her eyes
became more and more sardonic. “Maybe the back door is not sealed.”

Of course, that place was not completely sealed. It was left open for
those who were looking for things…
Chapter 281 The Cloud Reflection
Courtyard Is Haunted
Hearing that the back door may not be sealed, Ning Huaiyuan hesitated
for a moment, then walked to the back door which was just round the
corner.

The back door of the Ningying Courtyard was facing the direction of the
Bright Frost Garden. But when one came from that direction, one could
not see the back door directly, because of a side room that was located
there. Part of the room jutted out and hid the back door from one’s view.
Only when one walked round the side of this room, then could one see
the entrance of the backyard.

Most of the people came through the main entrance. Only the maids and
the older female servants went through the back door due to the
convenience.

Ning Huaiyuan had orders from Xia Yuhang today, so he had to go to the
Cloud Reflection Courtyard to do a search. Xia Yuhang did not say what
it was. He just asked Ning Huaiyuan to send Ning Ziying’s books to him.
Ning Ziying liked reading books. These books were nothing special, so
they were not part of her dowry.

They were not valuable ancient books, but the usual fiction books.
People read them to kill time when they were idle, and no one would
care about them. After Madam Ling and her daughter drowned Ning
Ziying and her maid, no one really bothered about them. Of course, these
things should still be piled up in the same place.

The narrow back door was indeed not wholly sealed, mostly because no
one gave it a second look. So, a few bricks were laid casually across the
door. If one removed the bricks slowly, it should not be a problem to
enter, because the bricks were just randomly piled together.

However, when Ning Huaiyuan came over, he did not even think about
doing that. He did not have a servant with him. As a noble young master,
he could not remove bricks in person, as this would cover him with mud.

But he told Xia Yuhang yesterday that he would bring Ning Ziying’s old
books to him by today. After all, Ning Ziyan’s current situation was not
good. It was better to avoid making trouble over such a small matter.
After making up his mind, he decided to get someone to remove the
bricks from the back door.

After making up his mind, he strode back. When he passed by the tree,
he found that Ning Xueyan was no longer there. He could not help
looking over at the tree where she had just stood. He frowned slightly
and walked over.

It was not long before he came across two young male servants .
Thinking that the back door was not that big, he decided that the two of
them would be able to move the bricks.

Ning Huaiyuan was not Madam Ling. He had thought that Madam
Ling’s behavior of sealing the Cloud Reflection Courtyard was
inappropriate, which was almost equivalent to telling others that some
mystery underlied Ning Ziying’s death in the Cloud Reflection
Courtyard. The courtyard had been sealed off when someone had just
died. With the wall outside, it was almost impossible to cover it up
totally

Now it would be even worse if everyone knew that he was going to

remove the bricks from the back door.

The two young male servants were about 13 or 14 years old. They saw
the sizes of the bricks at the back door and felt that it was not a big deal.
So they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

Ning Huaiyuan stood behind them and watched them work.

The first few pieces were removed easily. The bricks were laid entirely
outside the back door, and the back door was closed. Once the bricks
were removed, the back door could be seen. At that time, he could just
enter the courtyard by asking the older female servant to open the door
for him.
The back door was not big. The two of them stood in a row, and it was a
bit of a squeeze. After removing the first few bricks, it was estimated
that one could jump into it. Thus, one could stay inside, while the other
took the bricks away. In this way, the work would be faster. So, a servant
jumped into the small space.

However, he did not know how he tripped, as he suddenly fell. He

subconsciously stretched out his hands to hold on to the tightly closed
back door to steady himself. However, he did not expect that the back
door was not locked. The momentum of his fall was so strong that he fell
inwards.

To his surprise, there were several bricks behind the half-closed door. As
the door was pushed open, the bricks fell in a cloud of dust.

The young male servant closed his eyes to avoid the dust, before he was
hit on the head by a falling brick. “Ah!” He screamed and started
bleeding profusely from the head. He immediately fainted and fell to the
ground.

When the young male servant jumped in, Ning Huaiyuan was looking
casually around, with his hands behind his back. He looked thoughtfully
at the plum tree where Ning Xueyan had stood earlier. His eyes had a
complicated look. When he looked to see if there was anything
something unusual, suddenly he saw the young male servant’s head
bleeding as he fell with a flop on the ground.

The young male servant standing outside was stunned. He shivered and
gawked at the half-open door.

“What’s wrong?” Ning Huaiyuan came over and asked.

“Eldest… Eldest Young Master… there are… ghosts, there is… a ghost.”
Hearing Ning Huaiyuan’s voice, the young male servant outside
suddenly screamed as he pointed at the back door. Right now, the back
door was slightly ajar. When he heard the young male servant’s cry, he
looked up and saw a white shadow sliding through the back door.

The servants in the manor had mentioned that this place was haunted.
When he recalled that, the servant was scared.
“What are you talking about? Go and see to him.” Ning Huaiyuan’s face
darkened, and he said coldly.

“Yes… yes… I’ll go and check it out. After getting chided by Ning
Huaiyuan, the young male servant looked inside with trepidation. When
he saw the young male servant lying there with his head bleeding, and
seemed lifeless, he trembled even more. Although he said that he would
check it out, he did not move.

The medium-sized boy was quite bold ordinarily. But when something
like this happened, he was not able to recover in such a short time. He
only remembered the stories about the Cloud Reflection Courtyard in the
mansion. He also heard that an older female servant and a maid had
disappeared in the courtyard for no reason, which even alarmed the First
Madam. But there were no conclusions to all these tales.

“If you start spouting nonsense again, you will not go back tonight.”
Hearing the servant’s continuous shouting, Ning Huaiyuan was furious
and shouted.

Seeing that his Eldest Young Master was angry, the young male servant
dared not leave him on his own. He trembled as he went inside. Then, he
managed to get the young male servant out. This time, Ning Huaiyuan
could not remove the bricks, because he had to tend to the servant’s
injury first. He had no choice but to leave with the two young male
servants.

He had to check the young male servant’s condition, before making any
further plans.

Although the young male servant’s head was bleeding, at least he was
still alive. However, the servant outside was shivering. It was evident
that he had been scared out of his wits. Along the way, they came across
many servants. The uninjured young male servant held the injured one.

Both of them looked pale and scared. Those who knew nothing about it
would think that they had been in a fight. All kinds of speculations ran
rampant at that time. Seeing the Eldest Young Master’s gloomy face, no
one dared to ask for the reason. Looking at where they had come from,
some people privately guessed that something had happened in the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard.
Many servants were whispering. Some of them even remembered what
had happened before. At that time, there were indeed two people
missing. The First Madam had sent people to investigate, but found
nothing. Could it be that something… had happened over there?

Ning Huaiyuan did not expect such a trivial thing to cause such
widespread panic in the manor. When the older female servant and the
maid disappeared, he was not back yet. When he came back, nobody had
told him about this matter. So, he naturally did not expect that the chain
reaction would be so great.

Although there had been an accident, he still had to enter the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard.

So when he saw Housekeeper Lu of the inner courtyard after turning a

corner, Ning Huaiyuan hurriedly called her and said, “Mother Lu, find
someone to remove the bricks that are blocking the door in the backyard
of the Cloud Reflection Courtyard. I’ll go into the Cloud Reflection
Courtyard later.”

Housekeeper Lu was Madam Ling’s henchman. Of course, she knew

what had happened there before. So, when she heard what Ning
Huaiyuan said about the Cloud Reflection Courtyard, her hands and feet
started trembling. Looking at the servant who had been hit by the falling
brick, and whose head was bleeding, and then at the other servant, whose
face was pale and sombre, her face paled immediately.

“Eldest Young Master… they… they were injured at the gate of the
Cloud Reflection Courtyard?”

“They were accidentally hit by the bricks. Let me know after you remove
all the bricks.” Ning Huaiyuan said indifferently. Without looking at the
stewardess, he went to the study room. He was bored at having to wait
outside. Remembering that he had something to do, he went to meet the
Fourth Prince first.

“Eldest Young Master, Eldest Young Master…” Before Mother Zhang

could say anything, Ning Huaiyuan strode away and left her to settle all
the tasks.
“Mammy…” The maid who followed Mammy Zhang said, with a pale
face, “It’s said that… there’s… there’s…a ghost in that… that… place!”

“What are you talking about? If you continuing saying that, I will rip
your mouth apart. Go and ask a few people to come over and demolish
the brick wall at the back door of the Cloud Reflection Courtyard.”
Although she was also afraid, Mother Zhang, who had gone through all
the vicissitudes of life, stamped her feet and shouted.

“Yes, I’ll go right away.” The maid ran out in fright.

In the Bright Frost Garden.

Ning Xueyan was sitting in front of the window and reading a book. If
Xia Yuhang was here, he would find that the book had been taken from
the Cloud Reflection Courtyard. There were Ning Ziying’s notes in the
book. Ning Ziying’s handwriting was delicate and elegant, much like the
people’s impression of her at that time.

It was a very ordinary poem, but she found something she was not
familiar with.

“Young Lady, five or six servants have gone to tear down the bricks.
Housekeeper Zhang of the inner courtyard asked her maid to tell us not
to send people from the Bright Frost Garden.” Lanning came in and
reported. When Ning Xueyan came back, but Lanning had not left yet.

The bricks had been placed on the back door for a long time already.
There was grass growing around the slightly closed door. If nobody
exerted any strength, it could not be opened at all, and the bricks on it
could not be removed.

After the master was gone, the back door was overgrown with weeds,
which had sprouted all around the bricks. It grew all over the back door
and was messy and tangled. If one was not careful, it was easy to trip and
fall.

The area where the bricks had been demolished was small, and it was
easy to tear down the bricks inside. They only had to jump inside and
start tearing down the bricks.
As for white shadow that the other young male servant saw, it was just a
piece of white cloth that wad hanging by the door. When the door was
opened, the white strip of cloth dropped to the floor. At that time, the
servant was in a panic and did not dare to look around carefully. Of
course, he did not see that it was only a piece of white cloth that had
dropped, and made him so panic.

So everything went according to Ning Xueyan’s plan.

“Has Xinmei arranged for everything there?” Ning Xueyan carelessly

turned over the pages of her book, and tilted her head. Under her elegant
long eyelashes, her eyes were filled with hatred. Madam Ling thought
that she could easily conceal this matter after sealing the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard. Unfortunately, she did not have the same idea.

Lanning looked at Ning Xueyan with admiration and answered, “Xinmei

is back. She told me that everything has been done per your
instructions.”
Chapter 282 That’s How Rumors
Spread
What happened next scared those servants who initially did not believe
in the stories told.

As soon as they passed, a servant jumped in and slipped. Then they saw
a dark, red bloodstain under the door. Some people said that it was the
place where the young male servant had hit his head. How could the
bloodstain darken so soon after his fall? It was certainly a strange
phenomena.

When another servant pushed the door open and entered, a few bricks
fell from it. Although they did not hurt their heads, they were hit on their
arms and screamed in pain.

In theory, no matter who had left the bricks, it had already injured many
people. How could such a thing happen? Thinking about this, they all
had an eerie feeling about the place.

After that, everyone was trembling with fear. They were afraid that if
they were careless, they would get into trouble. However, there was still
a servant who had been hit by another brick. This was quite normal.
While working, one would inadvertently hurt themselves or others,
because of carelessness.

However, this injured man said that he saw a white shadow flashing past,
before the brick in his hand dropped and hit another person in the foot.

Sometimes, this was how rumors started. Anyone with a guilty

conscience, would get extremely ill at ease once the rumors spread.
Then, they would even think that the weakness in the feet and hands had
something to do with ghosts and gods. They felt that they had no
strength, and their eyes wandered from time to time. They always felt
jumpy and found it hard to work. Later, they did not even dare to lean
against the door and shrank back in fear.
They finally removed the bricks at the door. All of them were sweating,
and their faces were pale. Once the steward said that their work was
done, they quickly disappeared. It was said that one or two of the timid
ones fell sick after they went back. For a while, the dead Young Lady
Ning Ziying’s name was again circulated in the Lord Protector’s Manor.

It was said that she died an unjust death, so she could not go peacefully
to the netherworld, and her soul wandered around the yard all the time.
Therefore, the First Madam had asked people to seal up the yard.

The Eldest Young Master had ordered someone to open the door, and
then this disaster happened.

When Ning Ziying came to the Lord Protector’s Manor, she kept a very
low profile. Most of the servants did not know why there was another
young lady and where she came from? They knew nothing about her,
except that she was an orphan daughter of the Ning family, and came to
seek refuge with the marquis, who was the patriarch of the Ning family.

Ning Ziying only brought a maid and a wet nurse. Then, she lived
quietly in the inner courtyard of the Lord Protector’s Manor. She did not
have much contact with the other people in the manor. She did not need
to greet the Madam Dowager and the First Madam. Therefore, few
people knew about her existence in the manor, during those three years.

Sometimes, when they saw her together with the Eldest Young Lady and
Master Xia, no one felt that anything was wrong.

But to everyone’s surprise, she jumped into the lotus pond, the night
before the wedding of the Eldest Young Lady and Master Xia. This made
people suspicious. Why did she commit suicide? Thinking about their
close relationship with her, it was a little fishy.

The maids and older female servants, who had seen this young lady, said
that Ning Ziying was very beautiful, much more beautiful than the well-
known Second Young Lady, at that time. How could such a beautiful
lady commit suicide at a young age? It was something very strange,
indeed.

However, at that time, the situation in the manor was too chaotic. The
First Young Lady got married, and the Second Madame died of an
illness. Then, the First Madam was punished for this matter… all these
things happened, one after another, so it was forgotten. Later, someone
said that an older female servant and a maid disappeared in the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard, so it was said that there was a ghost in the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard.

These rumors were deliberately spread in private, but those masters, who
had their hands full, did not know.

After Madam Ling asked people to build the wall, more rumors were
spread. One was that the First Madam had a guilty conscience, and
perhaps the young lady did not die due to jumping into the lotus pond.
However, they were only rumors, after all. Many people did not believe
them, because there was no particular evidence.

But now, it was different. Some of them were injured, some were sick,
and some were said to have seen ghosts. For a time, the rumors in the
manor were rampant. Even Madam Ling heard about these rumors in the
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard.

“First… First Madam, what should we do? Will… will she come for us?”
Mother Chen had helped in carrying out the murder of Ning Ziying. She
was so scared that her face turned pale. She stood in front of Madam
Ling, quivering with fear.

Just now, several maids and older female servants in the courtyard were
gesticulating wildly. She thought that something had happened, so she
followed them and asked. Hearing that the Cloud Reflection Courtyard
was haunted, she was scared and rushed back to report to Madam Ling.

“It’s impossible. How could there be a ghost? When Ning Ziying was
alive, she was not able to face up to us. How could she come back … ”
Although Madam Ling’s face was blue and red, at least she was calm.
She gritted her teeth and said, “Someone must have deliberately made
such a mess. Go and ask who was the one who wanted to go into the
Cloud Reflection Courtyard, and who asked to remove the bricks.”

In her opinion, it must be that person who was deliberately trying to stir
things up, by pretending that there were ghosts. When she found that
person, she would never let him or her go!
“First Madam, it’s, it’s the Eldest Young Master. He… he wanted to go
to the Cloud Reflection Courtyard to find something, so he asked people
to move the bricks.” Mother Chen had already inquired about it, so she
knew that Ning Huaiyuan was the one who started all this trouble.

“Why did he go to the Cloud Reflection Courtyard? Did someone ask

him to go?” Madam Ling asked gloomily.

“I heard from Eldest Young Master’s servant that Master Xia wanted to
get something from the Cloud Reflection Courtyard. So, he is helping
him to get it,” Mother Chen answered.

“Bang!” Madam Ling threw the teacup in her hand, onto the marble
floor. It was smashed to pieces immediately. She said angrily, “What
does Xia Yuhang want to do? Could it be that he can’t bear to part with
that girl? Did he regret marrying Yan’er? Now that she’s dead, does he
want to remember her by keeping her stuff?”

“First Madam, this may not be the reason. Master Xia has always been
very solicitous about Young Lady Ziying’s things.” Mother Chen
hurriedly tried to soothe her.

This reminded Madam Ling about Xia Yuhang’s behavior. At that time,
when the dowry was delivered to the Manor, the servants came back to
report that Xia Yuhang, as the groom, had personally, with some people,
gone to check the dowry. He even looked through it from time to time, as
if he was looking for something. However, his eyebrows were always
furrowed.

The servant who delivered the dowry was shocked as he thought that
Childe Xia was not satisfied, so he came back to inform Madam Ling.

“Mother Chen, is there any mystery in that” Madam Ling’s eyes were
wild. At that time, she did not think too much about it as she was
preoccupied with her plans of killing Ning Ziying. Now, she felt that
something was wrong, and her heart was filled with all kinds of
emotions.

“First Madam, I also don’t know what he wants. In a few days, it will be
the Lunar New Year. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the
Eldest Young Lady, as a bride, will return. Then, you can ask her
directly.”

Mother Chen was just a servant of the inner courtyard, so she did not
know much about what was happening outside. She had to shift the topic
from Xia Yuhang to Ning Ziyan. She knew that Madam Ling had been
worried about Ning Ziyan since that thing happened. She lost all desire
for food and drink, because she was afraid that something terrible would
happen to Ning Ziyan.

Therefore, after hearing her what she said, Madam Ling nodded and felt
that it made sense. However, the situation at the Cloud Reflection
Courtyard was not optimistic. After thinking for a while, she asked, “Can
I invite some Taoist priests or monks to conduct a religious rite? After
all, it seems weird.”

“First Madam, you can’t! If there is a Taoist priest or someone else

during the Lunar New Festival, Madam Dowager will be unhappy.
Besides, it might make things even worse at the Cloud Reflection
Courtyard? We can’t let others spread more rumors.” They had
committed a guilty deed. After that, no one took care of Ning Ziyan’s
affairs, because not many people knew about her.

Therefore, this matter could be suppressed in the manor, and nothing

serious happened. Otherwise, it was bound to arouse suspicion as to why
Ning Ziying would commit suicide by jumping into the lake the night
before Ning Ziyan got married.

“Ask Housekeeper Zhang to investigate. If anyone dares to gossip and

spread rumors about the Cloud Reflection Courtyard, he or she will be
severely punished.” Madam Ling said fiercely.

“Yes, I’ll go now. How about the Eldest Young Master?”

“Let Yuan’er do as he wishes.” Madam Ling had made up her mind at

this time. She would let Xia Yuhang do what he wanted. When Ning
Ziyan came, she would inquire about her. The rumors about the Cloud
Reflection Courtyard in the manor had to be suppressed. At this time, she
felt a little regret. At that time, she had been impulsive and asked people
to build the wall that surrounded the Cloud Reflection Courtyard, and
this action had been widely discussed.
Now that she had the bricks removed again, it seemed like she was trying
to cover it up.

However, this did not seem like the usual rumors. Fear grew in people’s
hearts. Even if it was suppressed by force, the fear in their hearts could
not be controlled. If they did not speak about it openly, it would just fill a
lot of people with fear. They might suddenly lose control and their fears
would erupt.

What’s more, this matter had gone too far to be kept under wraps.
Although it did not take a long time for Madam Ling to suppress it,
everyone in the manor knew it, except for Madam Dowager Liu, who
had been cultivating herself in the courtyard and did not care about
anything. Many people, who initially did not pay any attention to it,
suddenly began to take note of Cloud Reflection Courtyard. After all, it
was scary should it really be haunted.

Ning Huaiyuan came back after lunch. His servants had been warned
before he came back, so no one complained to him. Since Ning Ziying
moved in, Ning Huaiyuan had never been here. When he entered the
door, he felt unhappy when he saw the wild grass growing on the ground.

When he entered the room, there was dust everywhere. Even a slight
movement made all the dust fly up. How could they turn it over? They
walked around in the inner room, but they did not find any books.
However, in the outer room where the maid sat, they discovered that
there were two books on the ground. They picked up and flipped through
the books. They were Commandments for Women and so on.

They found nothing else, so they picked up the two books and left the
Cloud Reflection Courtyard.

The books were delivered to Xia Yuhang that night. Sitting under the
lamp in the study, he looked at the two books in front of him in
astonishment. His eyes were full of complicated emotions. The air was
so stifling that he found it hard to breathe. After a while, he reached out
his hand and turned the pages.

The notes were written in a small seal script of the plum blossom. He
had not seen this kind of handwriting for a long time, so his hands
twitched and trembled slightly. He slowly touched the words and found
that the ink marks were not old…
Chapter 283 Secrets Hiding in the
Book of Family Names
The book was an old book, but Ning Xueyan had never seen this line of
small characters before. If this was the case, had they ever been seen by
anyone before?

It was the Book of Family Names, a very common book, and a child’s
primer. In her previous life, her mother had personally imparted
knowledge to her. The Book of Family Names was the first book she
learned from. She was familiar with everything in it, and she even knew
which page had some creases on it.

She brought this book to the capital in memory of her mother.

So, this book meant a lot of her, as it was something she treasured from
the past.

However, such a book was a little different from the usual books. If
Qingyu had not accidentally sprinkled water on the book, the
handwriting would not have appeared. And she never thought that there
would be so many characters in this ordinary book.

The characters gave her a creepy feeling.

Ye:

I hope this message finds you well. The grievances have been
accumulated for a long time, and the situation is hopeless. God’s will
makes fools of people, and I cannot turn this around. Zi’er is still young,
and you… should not take the plunge. Leave as soon as possible!”

It was signed off as: Your Husband, Tong.

On the blotted page, there were not only the characters, but also
bloodstains. Ning Xueyan could almost smell the blood from it. It was a
bloodletter, meaning it had been written in blood. The dark red
handwriting pierced her heart like a sword, and she felt a stabbing pain.
This book was hers, a gift from her mother. It was the first book that her
mother had given her. Her mother read all the words in this book with
her. But why were these characters in her book?

She crumpled the handkerchief in her hand into a ball, rubbed in her
hand, and then unfolded it. The line of blood-stained characters almost
made her lose her cool.

As the paper slowly dried, the characters on it faded gradually and could
hardly be seen clearly. However, everything in front of her had already
stuck in her mind. The characters on it had been printed word by word.
She was very sure that it must have something to do with her.

When she was in Jiangnan City, both her father and mother called her
Ying’er. But who was that Zi’er? There was also a Zi in her name. When
she first met Ning Ziyan, she thought she was in the same generation as
“Zi.” But when she saw the names of Ning Yuling and Ning Lingyun,
she found that there was no one with the same name in the same
generation of sisters.

Later, she learned that girls were not named according to the generation
name, so her “Zi” and Ning Ziyan’s “Zi.” was a coincidence. Was she
this Zi’er?

As for this “Ye” and “Tong,” she had never heard of them. There was no
such character in the names of her father and mother, so it could not be
them. But if were not them, how could this book fall into her hands? The
blood-stained characters, together with the wide bloodstain, appeared in
her mind, one by one.

Why did he write those words in this book? It must have been an urgent
and helpless situation. The husband must have written the last words
reluctantly, before his death. He had asked his wife to escape with his
child. Wasn’t that from the previous dynasty?

Such a conversation suddenly appeared in her mind.

“Ying’er, this is the first book that I gave you. You should take good care
of it and keep it all your life.” The woman’s voice was gentle.
“Yes, Mother. Ying’er will take good care of it and keep it all my life.”
She answered innocently, in a childish voice.

“Ying’er, even if you get married in the future, you have to set out in a
bridal sedan chair with the book inside, and then pass it down to your
children, okay?” The woman said with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll pass the book to my children. But Mother, what is marriage?”
The little girl asked blankly.

She touched the pages with her trembling hands and could stay calm
anymore. Was this her biological parents’ last words? Otherwise, why
did her mother remind her about the value the Book of Family Names
time and again? These long-lost childhood memories had disappeared
without a trace. But now, with the appearance of this bloodletter, some
traces of her memories suddenly reappeared.

Zi’er? Ying’er?

Another thing suddenly came to her mind. The mysterious woman,

whose voice was similar to Ya Moqin’s, seemed to have addressed her as
Zi’er when she first saw her. Then, her mother laughed it off and said
that she was Ying’er, instead of Zi’er.

She still remembered that her mother looked extremely natural at that
time. She patted her head casually and let her read and play the lyre as
usual. Her mother had assigned these tasks for her. In the morning, she
played the lyre and read books. In the afternoon, she rested and could
walk about in the garden.

And her mother, who had always been calm, suddenly made an
incoherent statement. At that time, it was in the afternoon.

There seemed to be thousands of knots in her mind, but she did not know
how to start unraveling them. She only felt that these knots were so
entangled, that it was hard for her to breathe. The deeper she was
involved, the more chaotic it became. It was so messy that she almost
wanted to cut everything off and start all over again.

“Cut everything off and start all over again?” Ning Xueyan exhaled a
long breath from her chest and leaned back to calm herself down. This
matter could not be rushed. If she managed to find the nun named
Jingkong, she could figure out everything. However, she had to think
about Xia Yuhang first. What did he want to do with these books?

Thinking back to the past, he had even rummaged through her satin
clothes. Perhaps he was looking for something like paper or tiles, or
anything that could be put in a book. Of course, it could also be put in
cloth, so that others could not see it…

“Young Lady, someone from Madam Dowager’s side, would like you to
go over there. The servant said that all the young ladies and concubines
are already there.” Lanning came in with this message. Anxiously, she
looked at Ning Xueyan’s pale face. Since the blood-red characters
appeared on the page, the young lady had been sitting alone in the room
for almost four hours.

During this period, Lanning also came in and poured tea into her cup.
However, she looked at the sky, frowning and seemed to be in a daze.
Since she knew the young lady and had been with her for a long time
already, Lanning had never seen such a look on her face.

Even though the young lady looked soft, the firmness in her eyes had
never gone away. She had never seen such a look of hesitancy on her
face before.

“Okay, let’s go!” Ning Xueyan touched her forehead and gave a faint
smile. She stood up and straightened Lanning’s skirt. But when she
walked to the door, she went to the kitchen, after a moment’s thought.
She asked about the dishes for dinner and added some dishes that
Madam Dowager liked. Then she turned to the Lucky Garden.

Madam Dowager was happy today, so she had agreed to let everyone
have dinner together at the Lucky Garden. If it had not been for this
book, Ning Xueyan would have gone earlier. Fortunately, it was not late.
She went to Lucky Garden, together with Lanning and Qingyu.

When they reached the door, they bumped into Ning Huaiyuan, so they
entered Madam Dowager’s courtyard together.

The room was full of people, and Ning Qingshan was already there. She
was chatting and laughing with Madam Dowager. At the same time,
there was junior Concubine Xu, who was now the most favored. Thus,
she was not as timid as before. She and Ning Qingshan made Madam
Dowager laugh time and again.

The other concubines smiled and said something appropriate from time
to time. Even Senior Concubine Xu, whose daughter had been locked up
in the Buddha Hall, looked good and laughed merrily. She did not seem
to be estranged from Madam Dowager, because of Ning Lingyun.

Ning Zu’an had not appeared yet. He was still dealing with affairs in the
study, and he asked Ning Huaiyuan to come first.

“Fifth Young Lady, you’re finally here. Madam Dowager has called you
many times.” Seeing Ning Xueyan, Junior Concubine Xu smiled at her
and then turned to Madam Dowager. “Madam Dowager, look at Fifth
Young Lady. She came late because she was dressing up to please you.
You should not blame her for coming late.”

Ning Xueyan saw that the clever Junior Concubine Xu was grinning, and
her eyes gradually turned cold. She thought that she had nothing to do
with her at all, but it seemed that she was trying to find fault with her.

Was she picking on her for coming late?

Madam Dowager, who was initially happy and gay, now had an angry
look on her face. The dinner was already prearranged, but Ning Xueyan
was the last one to come. If she had no reasonable reason, her lateness
could not be justified.

“Fifth Girl, why are you here so late?”

“Grandmother, please forgive me. I was in the kitchen just now and
asked about the food tonight. Then, I added some dishes. So, I came a
little late. Sorry, if I made you worried.” Ning Xueyan answered calmly.
She cast a thoughtful look at Junior Concubine Xu. She was wondering
if there would be someone commenting about her late arrival. She didn’t
expect that the first person would be her, whom she had no dealings
with.

Hearing this, Madam Dowager smiled again. She pointed to a seat at

Ning Qingshan’s right and asked her to sit down.
“Madam Dowager, look, I told you that Fifth Young Lady would not be
so thoughtless. It turns out that she went to check the kitchen for you.
Madam Dowager, you should not tire her out. She is still young and
should have time to have fun.”

Not only did Junior Concubine Xu become bolder, but her tongue
became even more glib. This time, she spoke up for Ning Xueyan, to
make her feel more comfortable. If she had not seen a trace of pride in
her eyes, Ning Xueyan would have thought that Junior Concubine Xu
was trying her best to show off during her first appearance.

It was interesting. A man whose heart was not content was like a snake
that tried to swallow an elephant. She was such a person!

“You’re a good talker. No wonder Zu’an always said that you were very
sensible. When the First Madam went to cultivate in the Buddha Hall,
you helped her in the affairs of the manor. Later, Third Young Lady and
Fifth Young Lady will be going to the palace to join the Beauty Contest.
You can help First Madam to manage the affairs. She has praised you for
your ability before.”

Madam Dowager said this with a smile on her face. She agreed without
hesitation, especially when she mentioned Madam Ling, which meant
that Madam Ling had also agreed to this matter. The other concubines,
who also had something to say, immediately stopped talking.

Would Madam Ling agree to this kind of thing? Ning Xueyan blinked
her watery eyes slightly. Following Junior Concubine Xu’s eyes, she
looked at a particular person and narrowed her eyes. “Does it have
anything to do with this person now?”
Chapter 284 Put on Airs to
Collude with Each Other
“It’s my good fortune that Madam Dowager and First Madam think so
highly of me. However, I’m green and inexperienced. If I can’t make the
decision, I will be mocked.” Junior Concubine Xu looked vexed, as if
she did not have the confidence to handle the situation.

“Ha, ha, ha.” Seeing her timid look, Madam Dowager laughed. She
pointed to her forehead and said with a smile, “What are you afraid of?
I’ll help you. Nobody will dare to make fun of you.”

Madam Dowager was in charge and did not need to check the accounts
every day. This was also the reason why Ning Xueyan was able to check
the accounts. After all, Junior Concubine Xu was not Ning Xueyan, so
she could not be compared with Ning Xueyan, whether in identity or
status. Therefore, Madam Dowager was bothered about this.

After the Lunar New Year, when Ning Xueyan left, it was inevitable that
Madam Ling would be the one in charge. She would arrange for her to
take over some things, so that Madam Ling would not be the one who
would have the sole authority. Madam Dowager had planned all this
before. She thought that Madam Ling might not be willing to do so, so
she sent someone to test her. Unexpectedly, Madam Ling was
magnanimous enough to say that Concubine Xu was pretty good.

Madam Ling had created a terrible fuss when Junior Concubine Xu had
become a concubine. Madam Dowager was very happy to see that
everything was now peaceful. So, she sent a lot of medicinal materials to
Madam Ling, asked her to take a rest first, and then take charge of the
family affairs after the New Year.

“Thank you for your support, Madam Dowager. With Madam Dowager’s
encouragement, I feel confident. I’ll help the First Madam to manage the
family affairs.” Junior Concubine Xu said joyfully. Suddenly, she rolled
her eyes and looked from Ning Xueyan to Ning Qingshan.
“Madam Dowager, all the young ladies of Lord Protector’s Manor are
beautiful. It’ll be amazing if Second Young Lady would be able to join
us too.”

“I seem to have reminded you before not to bring up the Second Young
Lady’s name.” Madam Dowager’s face darkened, as she said coldly.

“It’s… it’s my fault. It’s all my fault. Madam Dowager, My apologies.”

Junior Concubine Xu was stunned. Then, she reached out and slapped
herself hard. Immediately, half of her face turned red and swollen, and
even her eyes were red. She knelt in front of Madam Dowager.

She looked thoroughly ashamed of herself, as if she was blaming herself

for having provoked Madam Dowager.

“Well, be careful next time. It’s not a big deal. Mother Qin, help Junior
Concubine Xu up.” Seeing that she was so frightened and had beaten
herself till her face was swollen, these actions showed that she respected
Madam Dowager greatly. Madam Dowager’s face softened a little and,
she ordered Mother Qin, who was standing aside, to help her up.

Mother Qin only ordered her to help Little Concubine Xu to rise, and
asked someone else to get the ointment. Nobody expected that Junior
Concubine Xu would slap herself. Besides, she was not pretending, and
had really hit herself hard.

Ning Qingshan looked at Junior Concubine Xu from head to toe, with a

trace of a thoughtful smile on her face. “Junior Concubine Xu rose to the
position of a concubine from a maid, after serving Ning Zu’an. She is a
tough character.” Ning Qingshan had underestimated her ordinarily. Was
it because of Ning Yuling? She looked at Ning Huaiyuan, who was
sitting at the side and did not say a word.

She looked at the Junior Concubine Xu, whose lips had curved into a
smile. She did not forget that she felt discontented as soon as Ning
Xueyan entered the manor. Of course, she was very happy to see Ning
Xueyan being bullied at any time. For the time being, she would not deal
with Ning Xueyan. She could not do anything until she entered the
palace officially. But it did not mean that others could not do it. She
wanted to see what the junior concubine was going to do.
“What an earnest child. I told you not to say it, but if you said it
inadvertently, then forget it. Why did you have to slap yourself like that?
Zu’an will think that I was the one who hit you.”

Madam Dowager chided her.

“Madam Dowager, what are you talking about? I’m just a concubine, and
my destiny depends on your words. Marquis is filial. How could he
misunderstand you? Besides, you’re the kindest person. If I don’t slap
myself, you will never have punished me like this.”

Junior Concubine Xu lowered her dignity to flatter Madam Dowager.

The better Madam Dowager felt, the more pleasing it was to her. She
replied kindly, “You’re so good at talking. Hurry, apply some medicine
so that it will not be swollen. Now, it’s New Year’s day. Others will think
that something bad had happened.”

“Madam Dowager, it’s all my fault. When I heard that the Second Young
Lady’s beautiful face had recovered fully, I could not help being eager to
tell you the good news. Madam Dowager, I won’t do it again. I will
listen to you.”

As she applied the medicine, Junior Concubine Xu cried out in pain.

While she did this, she also spoke to Madam Dowager with a guilty
smile on her face, as if she really had not been aware of it.

“Ning Yuling’s face has healed?” Madam Dowager was stunned. She
frowned slightly and turned to Ning Huaiyuan. “Yuan’er, has your
second sister’s face recovered?”

When Ning Yuling had been sent away, there was a palm print on her
face, with red and swollen particles at the tip of each finger, and it
looked really disgusting. Madam Dowager felt scared when she thought
of this appalling look. How did it happen to be Madam Ling’s palm
print?

So, she asked the doctor of the manor to dispense some medicine and
sent her away directly. Anyway, it seemed that she was unable to
recover. Madam Dowager felt heartbroken when she thought that this
beautiful girl was ruined. After all, she had spent a lot of effort to
cultivate her. How could she be ruined that easily?
However, she had to do it. Not only did she look like that, but she also
revealed Madam Ling’s secret. It happened after Madam Ling slapped
Ning Yuling. Moreover, it was related to the Marquis of Ping’an and the
scandal between Ning Yuling and Ao Xian. So, Madam Dowager could
only make a prompt decision at that time. She put all the blame on Ning
Yuling and sent her away directly.

But if Ning Yuling’s face had already healed, it meant that she might take
advantage of her face again to get benefits. Madam Dowager’s heart
skipped fast.

Ning Xueyan had been watching the scene coldly. When she saw that
Junior Concubine Xu was carelessly talking about Ning Yuling, there
was a hint of coldness in her smiling eyes. No wonder Ning Qingshan
and Ning Huaiyuan mentioned Ning Yuling that day, and Madam Ling
praised Junior Concubine Xu in front of Madam Dowager, it turned out
that they had compromised for Ning Yuling.

Were they going to bring Ning Yuling back to the manor? Well, since
these people had not given up and wanted to bring Ning Yuling back, she
would respect their wishes, as there would be unexpected gains.

She took the teacup, took a sip, and put it aside. Her fingers were
wrapped around the handle of the cup, and she continued to look at it
quietly.

“Grandmother, the wound on Second Sister’s face has healed. The nanny
who taught her also said that Second Sister’s behavior now is different
from before. She has the demeanor of the first wife’s daughter of an
aristocratic family. She is no longer capricious.”

Ning Huaiyuan stood up and told this to Madam Dowager, with a smile.

“Is her face completely healed?” Madam Dowager asked uncertainly. At

that time, the doctor of the manor had shaken his head vigorously to
indicate that there was nothing he could do about Ning Yuling’s injury.
He did not even know how she got injured.

“She has recovered completely.” Ning Huaiyuan said with certainty. He

smiled at Madam Dowage and looked at Ning Xueyan gloomily. Then,
he smiled at Madam Dowager again. It was Ning Xueyan who had
ruined his plan that day, so he wanted to see what Ning Xueyan’s
reaction would be like.

However, Ning Xueyan did not respond at all. She just smiled and
listened to their conversation.

“That’s good. It’s too lonely for a girl, who is still single, to stay by
herself in her hometown. Mother Qin, send someone to pick up the
Second Young Lady tomorrow. Although it’s late for the Spring Festival,
we can still have a family reunion after the New Year.” Madam Dowager
said with a smile.

She seemed to be in a good mood.

“Yes, Madam Dowager. I’ll send someone to pick up the Second Young
Lady soon.” Mother Qin agreed with a smile.

Ning Huaiyuan heaved a sigh of relief. After receiving a satisfied smile

from Junior Concubine Xu, he smiled faintly and sat down again,
without paying any attention to her.

Seeing that Ning Huaiyuan was ignoring her, Junior Concubine Xu was
stunned, but then she greeted Madam Dowager with a smile again. As
she spoke, Ning Huaiyuan came back. The banquet was ready, and
everyone was seated. Several concubines were waiting at the side, and it
was quiet for a while.

After dinner, Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan, and Ning Huaiyuan walked
out in a group. Ning Xueyan walked in a different direction. She turned
around as soon as she left and went to the distant Bright Frost Garden.
However, Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan went out side by side. It
was rare for them to be together.

“Eldest Brother, why don’t you come to my Foggy Courtyard to talk?”

The two chatted idly. After a while, Ning Qingshan stopped and pointed
at a road beside her feet. Then, she raised her beautiful eyes and asked
with a smile.

“You’re about to enter the palace to join the Beauty Contest. I don’t
understand why.” Ning Huaiyuan stopped, looked at the direction of
Foggy Courtyard, and said.
“Eldest brother, I’m leaving. Don’t you have anything to say to me?
After I came back, I have not spoken to you properly. Three years ago,
your relationship with me was not like this. Is it possible that you now
have Fifth Sister, so you don’t want me as your sister?” Ning Qingshan
asked coquettishly.

Three years ago? Sister, Ning Huaiyuan’s face darkened under the
moonlight. His eyes twitched and there was an indescribably profound
look in them.

“Third Sister, what are you talking about? You and Fifth Sister are both
my biological sisters. There is nothing different between you and Fifth
Sister.”

“Of course, it’s different. Eldest Brother, it doesn’t matter even if we’re
too close. Everyone knows that we’re not related by blood. Even if I…
I’ve been thinking about you in my heart, I won’t feel guilty. Eldest
brother, what’s your thought on this?” Ning Qingshan smiled slightly and
suddenly leaned over. She leaned against Ning Huaiyuan’s chest and
almost clung to his arms. She whispered in a gentle and charming voice.

“Third Sister, why are you talking like that?” Ning Huaiyuan’s eyes
turned cold. He did not push Ning Qingshan, but his eyes were full of
complex and cold emotions.

“Don’t worry, Eldest Brother. I’ll support whatever you do. Just like
yesterday, when you asked Second Sister to come back, I agreed without
hesitation. Even though I was framed by Fifth Sister and reprimanded by
Grandmother, I don’t care. Eldest brother, do you know what I mean?”
Ning Qingshan raised her head sadly, and looked at him.
Chapter 285 Let Mother Wang
Get Away With a Clever Device
“What do you mean, Third Sister?” Ning Huaiyuan’s face suddenly
turned cold and harsh.

“Eldest Brother, I don’t mean anything. I… I don’t want you to be sad.

From now on, no matter where I am, you will always be on my mind.”
After saying that, Ning Qingshan’s eyes were filled with tears, and she
seemed brokenhearted. Suddenly, she pushed Ning Huaiyuan away,
turned around, and trotted back to the Foggy Courtyard.

Caifen, the maid, had intended to turn around and go out. Hearing the
sound of her running feet, she quickly chased after her.

Ning Huaiyuan stood there and looked at the direction where Ning
Qingshan disappeared to. He frowned and turned to his courtyard, after a
while.

In the past three years, a lot of things had changed. When they met again,
both of them had changed almost beyond recognition. That pure and
gentle sister was no longer the same. Furthermore, he had been a little
obsessed with her. How could it be possible that she had bewitched him?

Moreover, if he wanted something, but he could not get it, he would

rather destroy it!

Since she was about to go to the imperial palace to join the Beauty
Contest, Ning Xueyan also had some arrangements to make The first
question was whether Mother Wang would stay or go. Since she was not
in the manor, it was not safe for Mother Wang to stay here. Madam Ling
would soon take over the running of the inner courtyard, so she would
have thousands of opportunities to kill Mother Wang.

However, it was not appropriate to send Mother Wang out like this. It
was reasonable for her to come in, but it would make her look guilty if
she left hastily now.
The next day, news came from the Bright Frost Garden that Mother
Wang was seriously ill. Both the doctor of the manor and those hired
from outside, could not diagnose what her illness was. They said that she
had a high fever that did not seem to be subsiding. They were afraid that
it might be time for the manor to prepare for her funeral.

During the Spring Festival Holiday, who would want to have such an
unfortunate event happening? Moreover, she was just a servant. Madam
Dowager instructed the older female servant to look for Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan met the older female servant in Mother Wang’s wing room.

As soon as the older female servant entered the door, a strong medicinal
odor filled her nose. The whole room seemed to be infused with the
smell of medicine. It was very pungent. Ning Xueyan sat there with a
worried face on her face, and she was frowning.

“Fifth Young Lady, I was sent by Madam Dowager. She told you that if
there is no hope for recovery, you’d better send her away as soon as
possible. It’s not that our manor is harsh. We can’t let her bad luck rub
off on the whole manor during the Spring Festival.” The older female
servant stepped forward and bowed to Ning Xueyan, respectfully.

The atmosphere in the room was very unpleasant. She had the feeling
that the skinny and pale older female servant on the bed was on her
deathbed. The older female servant felt unlucky that she had to visit a
dying person. She deliberately stood far away and casually glanced at the
bed. Then, she decided to return and report to Madam Dowager.

Ning Xueyan deliberately sighed and said, “We said before that we
would take good care of her. I did not expect such a thing to happen.
What will the others think of our manor?”

“Exactly. So many people were there at that time. If we send her away
now, others will think that we do not carry out our promises. We will
lose all credibility,” Lanning said.

“Fifth Young Lady, don’t worry. Madam Dowager said that we will only
be relocating her. Then, we will still provide nutritious food and drinks
for her and get doctors to look after her. We are not mistreating her. If
she dies, we will give her a decent burial. But, we can’t do this kind of
thing in the manor.” The older female servant implicitly expressed
Madam Dowager’s meaning.

She could hold a funeral in any form, but she could not hold a funeral in
the mansion.

“Grandmother said this? Can’t she bend the rules a little?” Ning Xueyan
looked embarrassed.

“Madam Dowager said that as long as you don’t do it in this mansion,

you can do whatever you want.” The older female servant did not want
to linger in such an unlucky room. She tried her best to persuade the
young lady and explained Madam Dowager’s intention again. In the
lunar New Year, the master did not want to encounter any unlucky
matters, and neither did the servants!

“After all, this is my fault. We have a manor in Eastern City. I don’t

know if we can put Mother Wang there. Although it’s not our mansion,
it’s still our manor. Even if she’s going to… it will show that we are not
shirking our responsibilities. If anyone should talk about it, they can’t
say that we did not carry out our duties.”

Ning Xueyan thought for a while and was hesitant to put forward the
idea she had. After she finished speaking, the person on the bed coughed
loudly again.

Lanning rubbed her back soothingly, while sighing, “Alas, I don’t know
if she can survive.”

“Madam Dowager said that the Fifth Young Lady could do whatever she
wants. Now I’m going to prepare a carriage and send her there.” Seeing
the situation in front of her, the older female servant wanted to leave as
soon as possible. Anyway, Madam Dowager said that the Fifth Young
Lady could do whatever she wanted, as long as Mother Wang left the
manor.

Madam Dowager asked her to follow the Fifth Young Lady’s order and
she did not even need to report back. So, she promised her immediately.

“Then… that’s it!” Ning Xueyan stood up helplessly.

“Okay, I’ll ask someone to harness the horse to the cart right away. It’s
closer to the gate, so I’ll get someone to wait for you at the back door.
Fifth Young Lady, you’d better hurry.” Having received Ning Xueyan’s
consent, the older female servant immediately heaved a sigh of relief.
She said something, tried to fan away the smell of medicine around her
nose with her hand, turned around, and left. The smell of medicine was
so strong that it nauseated her.

When the older female servant left, Mother Wang, who was lying on the
bed and pretending to be ill, sat up. Before the doctor came, Mother
Wang covered her hands with the warmer. So, they thought that her high
fever had not subsided yet. Besides, Mother Wang was from the south.
She deliberately ate some spicy food, so she flushed a bright red, and her
tongue appeared coated. It seemed that she was on her deathbed.

The smell of medicine was disgusting because she had specially added a
few strange-smelling herbs.

“Mother Wang, there is a housekeeper called Madam Yu at the place

where you are going to. She is the one I asked you to find this time,”
Ning Xueyan said to Mother Wang, who was sitting on the bed.

“Don’t worry, Young Lady. I know. I’ll figure it out.” Mother Wang
stood up with Lanning’s help, tidied herself, and answered.

Since she heard that Madam Ling had intentionally injured Ning Ziyan,
Mother Wang sincerely admired Ning Xueyan and also expressed her
willingness to follow Ning Xueyan. This time, she went to that manor for
two reasons. On the one hand, Ning Zu’an was there, so Madam Ling
could not interfere. On the other hand, it was Madam Yu, whom Ning
Xueyan felt that it was necessary to understand.

Lanning and Qingyu held Mother Wang and brought her to the carriage
at the back door. After putting her into the carriage, a little maid jumped
onto the carriage and left with them.

They bought the little maid from a broker. She started serving Mother
Wang yesterday. Today, she accompanied Mother Wang to the manor
outside the city. They told her that if she served Mother Wang well, her
salary would be doubled. The little maid was pleased and promised Ning
Xueyan that she would serve her well.
Qingyu sent Mother Wang to the back door, but she did not go back on
the pretext that she was buying some snacks for Ning Xueyan. Seeing
that she had handled this important matter well, the older female servant,
who was sent by Madam Dowager, was in a good mood. So, she did not
bother about the little maid, asked her to bring back more snacks for the
Fifth Young Lady, and asked her to take care of her carefully.

Qingyu nodded repeatedly, turned around, and went out of the back door
of Lord Protector’s Manor. She walked around a wall and then turned
into some shops selling preserved fruit to buy some snacks. Finally, she
walked into an alley, looked around, and knocked on the door of a small
courtyard.

As the door opened, a tall young man of 17 or 18 years old stood there.
When he saw Qingyu, he was stunned at first, and then he was happy.
“Qingyu, why are you here?”

“Mammy asked me to come over. I have something to tell you.” Qingyu

was somewhat bashful, and her face turned a little red.

“Come in and have a chat ” Hearing that Mother Han asked her to come
over, Han Dazhuang hurriedly opened the door to let Qingyu in.

The courtyard was not big, consisting of only one principal room and
two wing rooms. Ning Xueyan bought this courtyard for Mother Han
after she came out of the Bright Frost Garden. Usually, Han Dazhuang,
Mother Han’s son, lived here. Qingyu had been here with Mother Han
before, so she was familiar with this place.

“Brother Dahuang, Mammy asked me to tell you that you should pay
more attention to Childe Ning of the Qingyun Academy. If he runs into
any problems, you should help him. If there is anything wrong, you have
tell her immediately.” Although Qingyu was blushing, she repeated the
instructions she was told to give, word for word.

Speaking of this, it was a matter of fate. When he went out once, Han
Dazhuang saw a few ruffians bullying a teenager. He drove them away
and then got to know Ning Huaijing. Once when Han Dazhuang chatted
with Mother Han, the Bright Frost Garden knew who he was.
“I know.” Han Dazhuang nodded. He had quit all his other jobs and was
now doing odd jobs at the Academy, in order to be near Ning Huai Jing.
Of course, Ning Xueyan did not send him there for him to build up a
good relationship with Ning Huai Jing. Some things had to be done with
precaution, beforehand.

“In recent days, if anything unusual happens to Young Master Ning,

Brother Dahuang, you must tell the Mammy,” Qingyu warned again. Of
course, these instructions were from Ning Xueyan. Mother Wang had
already gone to the manor protected by Ning Zu’an. If Madam Ling had
any doubts, she would have it checked out. Maybe she would look for
the Qingyun Academy.

It was not the right time for Ning Huaijing to show up. Ning Xueyan had
to ensure that no one knew of his existence, so she had to arrange for
someone person to help Ning Huaijing secretly. When he thought
something fishy was going on, he had to inform Ning Xueyan
immediately. So, Mother Han’s son was the most suitable candidate.

“I got it.” After finishing their chat, Han Dazhuang took out a beaded
flower. His candid face was somewhat bashful, but he still handed it over
and said, “Qingyu, I saw it on the street. It’s… very beautiful, suitable
for you. I don’t know whether you will like it or not?”

“I… I like it!” Qingyu blushed prettily. She glanced at Han Dazhuang,
bit her lips, took the beaded flower, turned around, and ran out shyly.
Although she wanted to stay and have a talk with Han Dazhuang, she
was always shy. Besides, Ning Xueyan ordered her to deal with some
essential things, so it was not the right time to talk now.
Chapter 286 What’s on Madam
Dowager’s Mind
After Mother Wang, who was “dying of illness” had moved away,
Madam Dowager was in a good mood. She specifically asked Ning
Xueyan to come to Auspicious Fortune Hall, trying to comfort her. After
talking to Ning Xueyan for a while, she asked people to bring some
clothes and ornaments which were all newly made. The Beauty Contest
would last for a long time. Since every candidate’s conduct and character
needed to be examined carefully, the competition would take at least a
month.

All the candidates were all noble Young Ladies. It was said that some of
them would be chosen as the wedded wives and co-consorts of the two
most powerful princes. Therefore, they should be more careful. The Lord
Protector’s Manor would send Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan to
attend the contest. Madam Dowager was very confident that they both
would marry the two princes in the way she thought was best for the
Lord Protector’s Manor.

Madam Dowager was planning to marry one of them to Third Prince and
another one to Fourth Prince. As Ning Xueyan’s status wasn’t high
enough, she could only be a co-consort. But Madam Dowager did not
think there was anything wrong with that. From Fourth Prince’s attitude
toward Ning Xueyan, she could tell that he was fond of her.

It would be perfect to marry Ning Qingshan as Third Prince’s wedded

wife and Ning Xueyan as Fourth Prince’s co-consort. Of course Madam
Dowager would not make them look shabby or the others would laugh at
them. She specifically prepared various kinds of clothes and jewelry for
them so that they would not be looked down upon by other noble Young
Ladies in the imperial palace and shame the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Madam Dowager made different types of clothes for them this time.
Although Ning Qingshan’s clothes were not all red, the skirt hems and
collars were red. On the other hand, all Ning Xueyan’s clothes were
bordered with pink. Only very a few of them did not have a pink border,
but they were all pale pink. This was not bad, but nobody would be
happy with such deliberate pink.

“Xueyan, come here and have a look at these clothes. I have had these
made for you. Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor should dress
up decently,” Madam Dowager said with a smile, pointing at a pile of
colorful clothes.

“Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. In fact, I don’t need so

many clothes. If my sisters like them, you can give these to them,” Ning
Xueyan said softly. She reached out and touched the clothes, looking as
if she was a little reluctant to give them to the others, but still said this
generously.

Seeing that, Madam Dowager nodded with satisfaction. She touched

Ning Xueyan’s head and said with pity, “Yan’er, you’re closest to me by
blood. I really love you. If your mother… hadn’t made that mistake, you
would have been the daughter of Lord Protector’s wedded wife. Alas, it’s
also the will of heaven. I was also disappointed with your mother, so I
just left her alone, and you also suffered because of this…”

Madam Dowager said with a sigh. There was sadness in her eyes when
she talked about Madam Ming, as if all Ning Xueyan had suffered
because of Madam Ming, and she had turned a blind eye to Bright Frost
Garden and left Madam Ming and Ning Xueyan alone because she was
so angry about what Madam Ming had done.

Clearly, she was shifting all the blame to Madam Ming. Anyway, Madam
Ming was dead, so she could not defend herself.

“Grandmother, what happened to my… mother?” Ning Xueyan sneered

inwardly, but she did not show anything abnormal on her face. After
hesitating for a while, she raised her head and looked at Madam
Dowager. Although her face was pale, she was determined.

“Your mother… You were just a young kid when it happened. I don’t
want to talk about it. Anyway, your mother wasn’t well-behaved!”
Madam Dowager shook her head, as if it was painful to recall the past
and she did not want to tell Ning Xueyan everything.
“Grandma, what kind of person was my mother?” Ning Xueyan asked
softly, biting her lip.

“Xueyan, don’t ask anymore. Let bygones be bygones. Although she

made a mistake, she is still your mother, so you should never hate her or
blame her. You’ve had a hard time over the years because of her, but
after all, she is your mother!” Madam Dowager looked generous, as if
she did not want to look back into the past and if she brought up it again,
it would be disrespectful for the dead.

Ning Xueyan’s eyes glinted. Madam Ling had bullied Madam Ming and
her to this extent, but in Madam Dowager’s eyes, it was because Madam
Ming had asked for it. Madam Dowager was repeatedly hinting her that
if Madam Ming had not done anything disgraceful, she would not have
led such a miserable life for so many years. What a vicious old woman!

For so many years, Madam Dowager had turned a deaf ear to Bright
Frost Garden. Ning Xueyan had almost died several times because of
Ning Yuling, but instead of punishing Ning Yuling, Madam Dowager had
blamed and seriously punished Madam Ming, who had tried to protect
Ning Xueyan. Before Ning Zu’an rising high, he had to rely on Madam
Ming’s father’s support and he had promised to marry only one woman
in his life.

They were all lying! Otherwise, why were Ning Huaiyuan, Ning Ziyan
and Ning Yuling all elder than her? Why soon after Madam Ming was
useless to Ning Zu’an, had she been found having an affair with
someone and replaced by Madam Ling, who had been eager to be the
wedded wife? Why had Ning Xueyan’s status at the manor even been
worse than a servant?

No matter how Ning Yuling cursed or beat her, she had not dared to fight
back.

In the end, Madam Ming had been murdered by Madam Ling. However,
now Madam Dowager was telling Madam Ming’s daughter that her
mother should be blamed for everything and she had forgiven her
mistakes. It sounded so ironic!

“Grandmother, can I go to my father’s study to find some books. I want

to kill time at the imperial palace by reading.” Ning Xueyan seemed to
be obedient and she did not ask further. Her long eyelashes trembled,
casting a pair of curved shadows on her face and adding a hint of
coldness in her extreme beauty.

She did not seem to be in a good mood, and looked somewhat lonely.

Madam Dowager was trying to draw Ning Xueyan to her side. From her
words and depressed look, she knew that Ning Xueyan was not happy.
Now Ning Xueyan was useful to the manor, so Madam Dowager would
not upset her for such trifles. She pretended not to have noticed her
abnormality.

“Okay, go ahead. If you can’t find any book you like in your father’s
study, you can look some up in your brother’s study. Don’t spend all
your time reading. It’s necessary to keep in touch with those noble
Young Ladies.”

“Yes, Grandmother, I will follow your words,” Ning Xueyan stood up

and answered. After saying goodbye to Madam Dowager, she walked to
the front yard with Xinmei.

She had inquired about it and knew that normally, Ning Zu’an was not in
his study at this time.

Nobody was allowed to enter Ning Zu’an’s study without permission.

The servant at the door froze for a while when he saw Ning Xueyan
coming over with a maid. He immediately took a few steps forward and
bowed to her respectfully. “Greetings, Fifth Young Lady!”

“Madam Dowager asked my master to find some books in the marquis’

study and take them to the imperial palace,” Xinmei walked out from
behind Ning Xueyan and said, raising her head.

“Got it. Fifth Young Lady, this way, please!” Since they came on Madam
Dowager’s order, the servant did not dare to stop them, but watched Ning
Xueyan and Xinmei entering the study.

Ning Xueyan had once come to the study and seen Wen Xueran in the
room. It seemed that there was nobody inside today.
The door of the study was half closed and with a slight push, it opened.
When Ning Xueyan was going to step in, Xinmei suddenly pulled her
sleeve and shook her head at her quietly.

Ning Xueyan looked up and saw the four treasures of the study on the
table in the middle of the room. The table was neatly arranged and
everything on it was in order. There was a bookshelf on each side of the
table. After all, Ning Zu’an used to be a military man, so he did not have
many books. Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Huaiyuan’s study had the
largest collection of books in the manor.

On the tall bookshelves, rows of books were neatly arranged. Obviously,

they were carefully taken care of everyday. However, Ning Xueyan saw
a book strangely hanging from the top of the shelf. It was half-opened
with a corner folded and half of the book protruded from other books, as
if someone had left in a hurry and failed to put it into its original place.

“Who has been here today?” Ning Xueyan stopped the servant who was
about to leave and asked.

“Nobody. The marquis went to the court in the early morning and hasn’t
come back yet,” the servant answered. Usually, Ning Zu’an would not
have returned to the manor at this time. Servants who had served him for
a long time knew this well.

Ning Xueyan looked back and stopped walking further into the study.
“Have you been here all the time?” Narrowing her eyes, she stared at the
servant and asked coldly, her eyes full of scrutiny.

The servant did not know what this Fifth Young Lady meant. He secretly
looked up and happened to meet her thoughtful and cold eyes. He was
shocked and lowered his head in a hurry. Before he could answer,
Xinmei’s voice rang out coldly. “The marquis’ study is such an important
place. If you found something unusual, you must report to the marquis
immediately. Otherwise, nobody can defend you if something goes
wrong.”

Although Xinmei was only a maid, what she said made the servant
tremble. A few days ago, another servant had been beaten to death on
marquis’ order because he lost something of the study. Thinking of what
had happened just now, the servant could not help feeling guilty and
broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead.

“I, I’ve always been here!” he stammered.

“If that’s the case, anything bad happened to the study should have
something to do with you. You can’t make up your fault even with your
life,” Ning Xueyan said softly. However, to the servant, her voice
sounded terrifyingly grim. He opened his mouth and his face flickered.

“Can it be that there is something wrong with the marquis study? That
servant who was beaten to death was also the marquis’ henchman, but he
died before he could say anything.” Thinking of this, the servant was
frightened.

“Fifth Young Lady, I, I just left for a short while.” The servant knelt in
front of her, sweating with fear.

He was not lying. He had left for a while when he saw a pretty maid
waving at him in the corner just now. Thinking that she might want him
for something, he had run over to her. However, that maid had gone
when he arrived at where she had been and he had to return to the study.
After that, he had not seen anyone in the study before Ning Xueyan
came.

“Fifth Young Lady, I really just left for a while.” After finishing his
words, the servant kept kowtowing to Ning Xueyan, showing that it had
nothing to do with him.

“Get up. Look, did you drop that book?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly
and asked the servant to stand up. Then she asked, pointing at the half-
fallen book.

The location of the book was very suspicious. The servant’s face turned
pale and he said anxiously, “I arranged the books on that shelf, but I
didn’t see the book hanging there.”

“Even though you didn’t drop the book, you have been guarding here, so
you should be blamed for it. Could that be some assassin or spy from
other manors rummaging my father’s study?” Ning Xueyan sized up the
servant and curved up her lips. However, there was a hint of coldness in
her gentle smile.

The servant turned pale with fear and began to sweat. “Spy! Hurry up
and come here! Some spy broke into the marquis’ study!” he suddenly
shouted.
Chapter 287 Weird, a Sudden
Change in the Study
“What happened?” As soon as Ning Zu’an came in, he saw a crowd of
people buzzing in his courtyard. A maid who had been found out in a
corner of his study was trembling. It was said that she came from Foggy
Courtyard.

“Marquis, I was guarding the courtyard just now when I suddenly saw a
maid waving at me. I had thought that you asked her to find me, so I
went over. But when I arrived there, she had gone. Later, I found a book
in the study was about to fall down, so I asked people here to check and
they found this maid.”

Since the servant had made up for his mistake, he raised his head high
when he answered. Ning Xueyan and Xinmei had told him just now that
they was willing to give him the credit for finding the abnormality, so he
was very grateful to Ning Xueyan and took her as his savior. If she had
not happened to come to the study by accident, he would end up the
same way that servant who had been beaten to death had done!

Therefore, when Xinmei suggested him not to mention Fifth Young Lady
so that the marquis would more believe what he said, he had agreed
without any hesitation. And he had even felt more grateful to Fifth
Young Lady.

“Is this maid from Third Young Lady’s courtyard?” Ning Zu’an asked
with a darkened face.

“Yes, I sent someone to inquire about it. Everyone said that she was
Third Young Lady’s maid. She told me that Third Young Lady wanted to
bring some books with her to go to the imperial palace, so she asked her
to find some here!” the servant said angrily, pointing at the maid
kneeling in front of Ning Zu’an.

As he almost lost his life because of this maid, of course he was angry.
“Did your master ask you to come here to look for some books?” Ning
Huaiyuan asked coldly, looking at the trembling maid in front of him
with a grim look.

“My master wanted to read, but Foggy Courtyard didn’t have any new
books for the moment. Marquis, I thought that you must have many
books, so I came to ask if you could lend some to my master. I didn’t see
anybody when I came here, so I entered the room directly. I was thinking
to bring back a few books at random for my master, but suddenly, I heard
someone coming. I was afraid that you would punish me, so I hid here.”

Although the maid was trembling, she could speak clearly. She then told
Ning Zu’an the whole story.

“Didn’t your master ask you to come here to look for books?” Ning
Zu’an asked again with a sneer, looking even grimmer.

“Marquis, she is lying. How could it be so coincidental? I have been

guarding at the courtyard gate. As soon as another maid tricked me out,
she walked into the courtyard. Later, I have been in the courtyard but
didn’t hear anything unusual in the room, so she must be trying to avoid
making noise. She crept on tiptoe to prevent herself from being found
out, so obviously, she slipped into your study on purpose,”

The servant shouted, pointing at the maid. At the thought that he almost
died because of this maid, he could not help gritting his teeth angrily.

“Marquis, I… Because I didn’t see anybody here, I entered your study by

mistake and I didn’t dare to make any noise,” the maid explained
anxiously. It was obvious that she was eloquent, but Ning Zu’an’s
servant was also very smart. He immediately shot back loudly.

“According to the rules of our manor, without the masters’ permission,

nobody can enter their rooms at will. You slipped into the study and
rummaged the marquis’ stuff secretly. Who can afford it if any important
document was missing?”

“I, I…” The maid was anxious. She looked around, as if she was looking
for somebody. However, all the people around her were Ning Zu’an’s
servants. They all looked at her indifferently and nobody was willing to
defend her.
“Guards, beat her to death with sticks!” Ning Zu’an ordered coldly. He
was the host of the manor. No matter what the purpose of the maid’s
entering his study, it was a provocation to his authority. Besides, another
maid had deliberately distracted his servant. Clearly, there must be
something wrong with that.

Two guards came over and dragged the maid out, each taking a hand.

“Marquis, please spare my life! I really entered your study by accident. I

didn’t mean to offend you… Uh, uh, uh!” The maid’s mouth was stuffed
with a towel and she could not speak anymore. Then she was dragged
out the courtyard. Everyone knew that people who broke into the
marquis’ study would die. They wondered why the maid was so bold to
do such a thing.

“No one is allowed to enter my study without my permission in the

future,” Ning Zu’an said sternly, looking at the servant.

“Yes, yes! Got it!” The servant was so scared and he felt chilled under
Ning Zu’an’s blade-like gaze. He immediately knelt to the ground and
answered respectfully.

“If you’re tricked out again, you’ll be beaten to death as well,” Ning
Zu’an said coldly before turning to go into his study. The servant
collapsed on the ground and could not utter a single word, trembling.
What a narrow squeak! Without Fifth Young Lady, he would have
become a corpse now.

Ning Zu’an opened the door of the study and looked at the book that was
almost falling down, his eyelid twitching. After entering the room, he
walked about and then sat down in front of the table with a frown. He did
not think that it was necessary for Ning Qingshan to send someone of
Foggy Courtyard to his study.

“Did the maid come for that? But how did a young girl like Ning
Qingshan know about it? Besides, she was just an orphan adopted by
me,” Ning Zu’an wondered. If it were not for the special identity of the
person who had sent Ning Qingshan to him, he would not have brought
her to the manor and treated her as her own daughter.
In Ning Zu’an’s eyes, Ning Qingshan was a well-behaved girl and even
smarter and more sensible than any of the children in his manor. He was
pleased whenever the little girl looked at him with a considerate and
obedient gaze. When he heard that Madam Ming had ill-treated this kid,
he had been very angry. Therefore, he had immediately followed Madam
Dowager’s words and moved her to Foggy Courtyard.

Ning Qingshan proved by her actions that she was a considerate girl. Not
only Madam Dowager thought highly of her, but the outsiders knew that
Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was both filial and
loyal as well. Everyone thought that she was a true filial daughter. The
Lord Protector’s Manor’s family education was well-known because of
her. Everyone would thumb up when they mentioned the Young Ladies
of the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Ning Zu’an thought that it did him good to have adopted her as his
daughter and even his own daughters were no better than her. Now both
Honored Consort Ya and Third Prince were fond of her and Third Prince
had come to inquire information about her each year in the past three
years. It made her a hundred times more valuable and people of the Lord
Protector’s Manor also thought highly of her.

“But why did she send her maid to my study?” Ning Zu’an was puzzled
and began to doubt Ning Qingshan’s motives.

“Marquis, Fifth Young Lady is coming. It was Madam Dowager who

asked her to come,” the young servant walked in quietly and reported.

“Let her in!” Ning Zu’an was a little surprised but then nodded. He
wondered why Ning Xueyan came at this time.

The servant walked out and signed Ning Xueyan in, bowing and giving
way to her. Ning Xueyan had saved his life just now, so he showed his
kindness to her from the bottom of his heart.

Ning Xueyan stepped over the threshold of the study and hesitated for a
while at the gate before walking in. She stopped in front of the table and
bowed to Ning Zu’an. “Greetings, Father,” she said.

“What are you here for?” Ning Zu’an asked with a frown.
“Grandmother worried that I would be boring at the imperial palace, so
she asked me to come here and get some books. I want to read poetry
books. Father, do you have some?” Ning Xueyan asked softly. She
looked natural and dignified with clear eyes.

“Find some yourself!” Ning Zu’an said casually, pointing at the

bookshelves on both sides.

“Father, whatever. I’ll read them in my spare time, so any poetry book
will be okay,” Ning Xueyan said in a soft voice, showing no intention to
check the bookshelf.

Her face was pale and she looked weak. However, with the calmness and
patience, she had the air of a noble Young Lady. She glanced at the
bookshelf, showing no interest in it.

Ning Zu’an picked up the teacup offered by the servant and took a sip.
“Why did you suddenly think of coming to find books here?” he looked
at Ning Xueyan and said slowly, full of doubt.

“My third sister told me that you have a lot of books, so I wanted to
come to have a look. There are only a few books in my Bright Frost
Garden. I’m going to the imperial palace soon. I’m afraid that people
there will laugh at me as I read too little,”

Ning Xueyan answered naturally with a hint of shame and bitterness on

her face, but there was no other meaning in her words.

Although Ning Zu’an had not paid much attention to Ning Xueyan’s
situation in Bright Frost Garden, he knew something about it. He had
asked Madam Ling to hire an etiquette mother for Ning Xueyan, but
Madam Ling had told him that the etiquette mother thought that Ning
Xueyan was too naughty to teach. After that, he had never thought about
it anymore.

Even if Madam Ming had taught Ning Xueyan in person, there were only
a few books in Bright Frost Garden.

But how had Ning Qingshan known that he had many books? If she had
never come to his study, she would not have known it and encouraged
Ning Xueyan to come here to find books. Ning Zu’an frowned slightly
and said, “I don’t have as many books as your brother. Why don’t you
find some at your brother’s study?”

“Father, my third sister said it was improper to borrow books from my

brother and bother him all the time, so she suggested me to borrow them
from you,” Ning Xueyan answered.

A hint of anger flashed on Ning Zu’an’s face. “Ning Qingshan was afraid
of disturbing Ning Huaiyuan, but not me? It seems she has no respect for
me and doesn’t care if I will be disturbed!” he thought. When he recalled
that Ning Qingshan’s maid had been here and rummaged through his
study secretly, Ning Huaiyuan became even more suspicious.

“What does she want from me?”

He stood up, walked to the bookshelf and casually pulled out a few
books. He looked at the half-fallen book and found it was a book on
criminal law. “Does this kind of book really suitable for a noble Young
Lady?” he wondered.

“Yan’er, take these books with you. If they are not enough, you can ask
your brother for more. He has many such books.” With that, Ning Zu’an
handed the books to Ning Xueyan with a trace of warmth on his face.

“Okay! Thank you, father!” Ning Xueyan nodded, showing a grateful

and gentle look. She then bowed to Ning Zu’an and left.

“Wait! What’s in your hand?” Ning Zu’an’s eyes suddenly fell on Ning
Xueyan’s hand.
Chapter 288 A Delicate Pearl
Flower
“Father, nothing. I picked it up in the corner outside the courtyard just
now. It was beautiful, so I want to have a look,” Ning Xueyan hesitated
for a while and answered. She bit her lip and blinked her jet-like moist
eyes, looking a little shy. After all, it was disgraceful for a noble Young
Lady to pick up a flower that other people dropped.

It was an exquisitely crafted bead flower, which was made of a real

flower. With a blooming flower pinned on a holder made of small pearls,
it was no worse than those head-ornaments made of gold or jade.
Besides, this elegant and delicate bead flower also made people feel the
craftsman’s ingeniousness.

In fact, it was very simple to make such a bead flower. There was a
hidden button on the holder which would buckle the flower up when it
was inserted in the holder. Thus, a beautiful and fragrant bead flower was
produced. Moreover, there were even fresh dew drops on the flower.
Ning Zu’an had seen the holder before.

A few days ago, Madam Dowager had praised Ning Qingshan for her
ingeniousness in front of Ning Zu’an, saying that the pearl head-
ornament she had worn was made of a real flower. Ning Qingshan had
paid no attention to it in the beginning, but as it had been so delicate, and
the winter jasmine had been plucked from their courtyard, Ning Zu’an
took a closer look at it.

It seemed the bead flower in Ning Xueyan’s hand was the one pinned on
Ning Qingshan on the other day!

“Did the maid who tricked you out wear this flower?” Ning Zu’an turned
to the servant standing aside, a trace of coldness flashing on his face.

Hearing that, the servant immediately widened his eyes and looked at the
flower. Actually, he did not remember whether the maid had worn the
bead flower or not. He only remembered that she was pretty and he could
not help chasing after her. That was why he got into trouble.

He wanted to say that he had not seen it clearly. However, when he

looked up at Ning Zu’an and saw the grim look on his face, he
swallowed the words.

He then turned to Ning Xueyan blankly and saw her smiling. She looked
at him with a gentle smile and there was an earnest look in her eyes. The
servant suddenly understood something and nodded hard. “Marquis, I
remember that the maid pinned a flower to her head, but I was very far
from her, so I didn’t see it clearly. Now I’m sure it was the same as this
one.”

The flower had been brought in by Fifth Young Lady. Although he did
not know what Fifth Young Lady meant, no matter what the cost, he
would prove that he had seen this flower to repay her for saving his life.

Ning Zu’an’s’ face darkened. Managing to calm himself down, he said

gently, “You don’t know who dropped these flowers. As a Young Lady
of our manor, you shouldn’t pick up such kind of things.”

“Yes, I know I was wrong! I’ll throw the flower away soon,” Ning
Xueyan immediately admitted her mistakes and said, ashamed.

“You are going to the imperial palace soon and you may be the hostess
of a manor in the future, so you should put our manor’s dignity first and
never penny wise and pound foolish,” Ning Zu’an said.

Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly. How hypocritical Ning Zu’an was! He

had agreed with Madam Dowager to marry her to be Fourth Prince’s co-
consort, but now he was hinting that she might be a wedded wife.
However, since she had been pleasantly surprised today, she did not care
about Ning Zu’an’s attitude.

Madam Ming had been sad and desperate about Ning Zu’an. She had
never expected anything from him, so she had never been disappointed.
For scum like Ning Zu’an, showing kinship tenderness was only for
power.

Both Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an were like this!

After saying goodbye to Ning Zu’an, Ning Xueyan left with a look of
shame on her face before Ning Zu’an could say anything. When she
arrived at the door, she dropped the bead flower to the ground and
stepped on it without mercy while uttering a low scream.

“Fifth Young Lady, you…” The servant rushed out on Ning Zu’an’s
order. When he saw the broken bead flower, he stopped talking.

“What’s wrong? Is there anything my father wants to tell me?” Ning

Xueyan asked, as if she had not recovered from the shock yet.
Obviously, she had stepped on the bead flower because she slipped.

“Nothing. Fifth Young Lady, mind your step!” Failing to keep the bead
flower from being trampled, the servant twitched his lips and said
helplessly. The marquis had given the order too late. Now the bead
flower had been crushed by Fifth Young Lady’s tread by accident.

Since the servant did not say anything special, Ning Xueyan walked out
of the courtyard where the study was under Xinmei’s support. When she
looked back, she saw the servant run back in a hurry. He must be eager
to report to Ning Zu’an.

“Xinmei, go to Foggy Courtyard later. Tell Third Young Lady that I have
just taken a few books from our father’s study and if she wants to read,
she can come to my place and pick some. By the way, tell her that you
have prepared some ornaments for us on our grandmother’s order. Ask
her what kind of ornaments she likes.” Ning Xueyan raised her brows
slightly and looked calm, quite different from the panic she had looked
like when she stepped on the bead flower.

Of course the bead flower was not Ning Qingshan’s. Ning Xueyan had
noticed it a few days ago when Ning Qingshan came out with such a
bead flower on her head. Then Ning Xueyan specifically found a jewelry
shop and asked people there to make a similar pearl holder and also
pinned a winter jasmine to it. Although she had been hiding it on herself,
she did not think that it would come in handy one day.

But after all, it was a fake one. Even though Ning Zu’an had been
deceived for a while, if he showed the bead flower to Madam Dowager,
he would know that Ning Xueyan was lying. Therefore, Ning Xueyan
had destroyed it to convince Ning Zu’an that it was Ning Qingshan’s.
If it was Ning Qingshan’s bead flower, both the maid who had tricked
the servant out and the one who had sneaked into Ning Zu’an study to
look for things must have been sent by Ning Qingshan. Putting these
things together, even if Ning Zu’an had never suspected Ning Qingshan
before, he would be suspicious about her this time.

If the military medallion of the previous dynasty was really hidden in the
study, Ning Zu’an must be very cautious and even the slightest
abnormality would arouse his attention. With Ning Zu’an’s character, if
it had something to do with Ning Qingshan, he would definitely get to
the bottom of it.

Although Ning Qingshan had Third Prince behind her, Ning Zu’an
would see into it cautiously.

Ning Qingshan’s origin was a mystery. However, even Ning Xueyan

wanted to, she could not find out the truth about her origin and she did
not even know where to start with the investigation. Unlike her, Ning
Zu’an had brought Ning Qingshan to the manor, so he must know how to
investigate. Therefore, what Ning Xueyan needed to do was to wait for
the result of his investigation.

There must be a secret about Ning Qingshan’s identity which made even
Third Prince, Ao Mingyu dare not to offend her.

“Miss, what if Third Young Lady doesn’t wear the bead flower?” Xinmei
was Ning Xueyan’s henchman now. Of course she knew why Ning
Xueyan had asked her to say this to Ning Qingshan.

“She will wear it,” Ning Xueyan said affirmatively, with a sneer on her
lips.

To keep a good relationship with Ning Xueyan, of course Ning Qingshan

would put on the novel bead flower to show that she did not mean to
compete with her for the jewelry that Madam Dowager had prepared for
them. Or maybe she would do this to make Ning Xueyan think that they
were close. Then Ning Xueyan would lose her guard against her and
follow everything she said.

Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Zu’an must have blocked the news about
what had happened in his study and would certainly observe the reaction
of other people in the manor. As the maid she had sent had not come
back yet, Ning Qingshan must be extremely anxious now. Therefore,
when she knew that Ning Xueyan just returned from Ning Zu’an’s study,
she would definitely come to inquire about information. Because of this,
she had to get on well with her more.

Sure enough, as soon as Ning Qingshan heard that Ning Xueyan had just
come back from Ning Zu’an’s study, she immediately said that she
would come to pick a few books. Besides, she repeatedly hinted that she
was not interested in the jewelry Madam Dowager offered, and if Ning
Xueyan liked, she could have all of them.

However, when she hurried to Bright Frost Garden with the new bead
flower on her head, she heard that something bad happened to Ning
Xueyan in the garden.

Ning Qingshan met Lanning on the way when she was about to arrive at
Bright Frost Garden. Lanning and Xinmei came over in a hurry and told
her that Ning Xueyan had an accident in the garden. As they were in a
hurry, they only spoke for a short while with Ning Qingshan and did not
tell the whole story clearly. When Xinmei passed Ning Qingshan by, she
bumped against her and made her almost fall to the ground.

Fortunately, Xinmei and Caifen had quick reflexes and caught her in
time. Xinmei apologized repeatedly, saying that she was in a hurry
because she worried about her master. Ning Qingshan really wanted to
slap her in the face, but since she wanted to ask Ning Xueyan for
information, she would not do that. She could only disguise it by
pretending to be gentle.

“What happened to your master?” she asked, gesturing for Caifen to stop
Lanning who was walking behind Xinmei.

“I have no idea. It was said that my master was startled in the marquis’
study. She tripped over a stone and almost fell into the river on the way
back,” Lanning had not gone to Ning Zu’an study with Ning Xueyan and
Xinmei, so she spoke in a vague way to express that she was not clear
about what had happened.

“Then let’s go and have a look at my fifth sister together,” Ning

Qingshan said with concern in her eyes.
“Yes, Third Young Lady. This way, please!” Lanning was anxious to go,
but she could not leave Ning Qingshan alone. She felt a little wronged
when she found that Xinmei had been out of sight.

Because of Ning Qingshan, Lanning walked much slower. When Ning

Qingshan arrived at the garden, she was told that Ning Xueyan had
returned to Bright Frost Garden from another path. She had only
sprained her ankle, so it was not serious.

This made Ning Qingshan very depressed, but she had no choice but to
turn around and head for Bright Frost Garden. She had to know what had
happened in the study.

However, to her surprise, before she could reach halfway, a maid ran
over from behind, panting. Seeing that Lanning was there, she whispered
in Ning Qingshan’s ear, gasping.

Ning Qingshan’s face instantly turned pale like a sheet. She did not look
right and almost could not stand firmly, trembling.

“Go! Let’s go back!”. Now she had no time to go to Bright Frost Garden
to inquire Ning Xueyan about the information. Biting her teeth, she
calmed herself down and managed to turn in the direction of Foggy
Courtyard. Neither she nor her maid, Caifen had noticed that the bead
flower on her head had gone.
Chapter 289 A Coincidence Might
Cause a Disaster
In Foggy Courtyard, only Ning Qingshan and Mammy Luo were in the
inner room. Both of them looked pale.

After a while, Ning Qingshan asked with a gloomy face, “Was she really
beaten to death by my father?”

“Yes. When the marquis saw that maid, he immediately ordered people
to beat her to death with sticks. It’s said that he didn’t even give her an
opportunity to explain.” Mammy Luo’s face turned blue. Another maid
had been beaten to death by Madam Dowager, and now this one was
beaten to death by Ning Zu’an. Mammy Luo had thought that after
leaving the nunnery, they would enjoy incomparable honor and wealth
following Ning Qingshan, but now the servants had been beaten to death
one by one, and it would be her turn next.

“Can we ask them to send another maid like this one? We can tell them
that this maid was caught by my father due to her carelessness,” Ning
Qingshan said, biting her teeth, but her face softened a little.

“Miss, the maid who took the blame for you last time for what had
happened at the gate was sent by them. Today, we lost another one. They
told us last time that if anyone else they sent to us died, they would leave
us alone and never send anyone here again.”

Mammy Luo’s face was ashen. She walked to the window and looked
outside, lowering her voice.

“Mammy, don’t worry. I’m sure that they will send us more people. They
have to take my identity into consideration.” Although Ning Qingshan
did not look good, she raised her head and said proudly, “As long as they
still want to achieve big goals, they will need me.”

“Miss, we…” Mammy Luo was not as confident as Ning Qingshan. At

the thought that the sword almost cut off her neck last time, she was
frightened.

“Mammy, relax! You can promise that person that we’ll be more careful
next time. Tell him if he fails to send more people here, I may be killed
in the imperial palace. If I die, it won’t do any good to them. Besides, he
should know that I do this for him!” Although Ning Qingshan was a little
worried, she calmed herself down at the thought of this.

She looked even more arrogant. Her identity was unique. Since that
person had made great efforts to find her, of course he would not
abandon her easily. Thinking about it, she felt relieved. Anyway, due to
her special identity, that person would not let her die easily.

“Got it, Miss. I’ll find a way out soon.” Seeing that Ning Qingshan had
calmed down, Mammy Luo was a little relieved, as if she had found
something to fall back on. That was right. Her master was so
distinguished, so losing a few maids was not a big deal.”

What was more, Mammy Luo thought that her master meant well to help
that person to investigate Ning Zu’an. Nobody had thought that Ning
Zu’an would have suddenly appeared. By now, Ning Qingshan did not
know exactly what had happened yet.

After all, Ning Qingshan was very calm. She stopped Mammy Luo, who
was about to leave and said, “No, don’t go out today. Act as nothing has
happened. Let’s talk about it in a few days.”

Since a maid from her courtyard had just been beaten to death, if her wet
nurse was found running out of the manor in a hurry, other people would
think that there was something wrong. Besides, that person had told Ning
Qingshan not to look for him except for something extremely urgent.

That person had offered to come to meet her every time before.

“Yes, Miss, you’re right!” Mammy Luo said, looking at Ning Qingshan
with admiration. Now she had completely calmed down. She touched her
forehead, closed her eyes and took a long sigh, suppressing her
astonishment. Ning Qingshan’s servants had been beaten to death one by
one gave her a sense of foreboding, so Mammy Luo had lost her cool.
“Mammy, go to Bright Frost Garden later and tell my fifth sister that I
can’t visit her because I have to deal with some problems. Ask her to
pick several books for me at will,” Ning Qingshan ordered. She had
rushed back in a hurry, so she had to explain it to avoid suspicions. Now
she had known what had happened in the study, so she did not have to
inquire Ning Xueyan about it.

“What should I say if Fifth Young Lady asks me what’s wrong with
you?” Mammy Luo nodded but immediately asked uneasily.

By the look on her master’s face when she walked into the room,
Mammy Luo could tell that something bad had happened. Therefore, she
was sure that the moment her master had gotten the news, she must be
panicked. It was said that Fifth Young Lady’s maid had also been there at
that moment.

“Tell her that a maid broke the jade my mother left to me.” Ning
Qingshan thought for a while and reminded, “Mammy, tell her that I’m
heartbroken now. The maid was so reckless and broke the only memorial
my mother left to me, so I’m very distressed. Don’t say anything more.”

Although she could not see her own face, she knew that she must have
lost her composure just now. It sounded reasonable to use the jade left by
her mother as an excuse.

“Yes, I’ll go now.” Mammy Luo nodded and was about to turn to leave.
However, she was stopped after only taking a few steps forward.

“Mammy Luo, wait!”

“Miss, is there anything else you want me to tell Fifth Young Lady?”
Thinking that Ning Qingshan had something else to tell her, Mammy
Luo asked in surprise.

“No, Mammy. My father is investigating this matter, isn’t he?” Ning

Qingshan’s face was gloomy and there was a strange look in her eyes.
How could she forget that sometimes, misfortune was a blessing in
disguise? She should take special measures at critical moments. She
would show her ability to that person while putting Ning Xueyan under
her feet. Why not?
“The marquis will definitely see into this matter. Maybe he will suspect
Third Young Lady,” at the thought of this, Mammy Luo had a headache.
She lowered her voice subconsciously, for fear of being heard by Ning
Zu’an by accident.

“If I can prove that the maid came to our manor with ulterior motives
and had nothing to do with me, my father won’t doubt me anymore,”
Ning Qingshan said coldly. “Those maids were all brought in our manor
by Mammy Xing, the human trafficker, right?”

Most of the servants in the Lord Protector’s Manor were the Ning
family’s servants’ children, but some were bought from human
traffickers. Mammy Xing specialized in human trafficking. Since
Madam Dowager had planned to change the servants of Bright Frost
Garden, most of the maids who had been brought in the manor recently
were sent there.

Considering that Ning Qingshan was about to return, Madam Dowager

had also specifically picked some smart maids for her. Both the maid
who had sneaked into the study and the one who had taken the blame for
Ning Qingshan last time at the gate had been brought in the manor at that
time.

As soon as Mammy Xing had brought the servants to the manor, Madam
Dowager had selected a few smart maids and sent them to the Foggy
courtyard. Then she had sent all the rest servants to Bright Frost Garden
and asked Ning Xueyan to choose some. In general, she had bought
those servants mainly for Ning Xueyan, as Ning Xueyan and Madam
Ling had already been on bad terms by then.

“Miss, do you want to get Fifth Young Lady involved in this matter?”
Mammy Luo’s eyes lit up, but she frowned soon. “But it has nothing to
do with Fifth Young Lady!”

“My grandmother bought those maids mainly for her. Except for my
maid, Ning Xueyan also went to the study. What a coincidence that she
was also there! Why did she show herself as soon as my maid was
caught? Besides, she also wanted to pick this maid before!” Ning
Qingshan said with a hint of complacency on her face.
Although this reason sounded kind of reasonable, it was too far-fetched.
Mammy Luo hesitated for a while and did not know what to say.

“Mammy Luo, go to Bright Frost Garden and tell Fifth Young Lady
about me. Then find a way to go out with someone of Bright Frost
Garden to find Mammy Xing,” Ning Qingshan said confidently with a
trace of malicious jealousy in her eyes.

“Got it, Miss! I’ll go to Fifth Young Lady’s courtyard right now.”
Mammy Luo rolled her eyes and immediately understood her master’s
intention. It was impossible for her to have any henchman of Fifth Young
Lady go out with her, but it would be easy to ask an ordinary older
female servant to do this.

When Mammy Luo arrived at Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan was
resting in the room. Hearing that Ning Qingshan had sent her henchman,
Mammy Luo to her place, she asked Lanning to ask her in.

“Fifth Young Lady, is your foot better?” Mammy Luo bowed to Ning
Xueyan and asked with concern.

“I’m fine. What’s wrong with my third sister? Did anything happen just
now?” Ning Xueyan put down the book in her hand. There was a faint
glow in her eyes in the sun and nobody could tell what she was thinking
about.

“Fifth Young Lady, a careless maid broke the jade left by my master’s
mother, so my master was not in the mood to chat with you for the
moment. She asked me to apologize to you on behalf of her. As for the
books you brought back from the marquis’ study, my master said that
you could give any two of them to her at will. When she is in a better
mood, she will come to apologize to you in person,”

Mammy Luo replied quickly and explained the matter in a reasonable

way. She smiled apologetically, as if she really felt sorry that Ning
Qingshan could not come.

“It doesn’t matter. Please bring these two books to my third sister. When
my foot is better, I’ll visit her.” Ning Xueyan smiled gracefully, pointing
at the two poetry books on the table. Lanning walked over and took the
books. She then handed them to Mammy Luo.
“Thank you, Fifth Young Lady! Are you sure that your foot injury is not
serious? It will need 100 days to recover if you injured your muscles or
bones. Fifth Young Lady, you must take it seriously. Why don’t you ask
a doctor to come over and apply some ointment to your foot?” Mammy
Luo took the books and looked at Ning Xueyan’s foot resting on a small
stool with concern. Qingyu was massaging the foot for Ning Xueyan,
squatting on the floor.

“It’s unnecessary. I’m okay!” Ning Xueyan shook her head and refused,
with an uneasy look on her face.

“Oh, I see! Fifth Young Lady, you must be worrying that the doctor will
see your bare foot!” Mammy Luo seemed to have realized something.
“Fifth Young Lady, don’t worry. I know a doctor who specializes in
treating traumatic injuries. I’ll ask him for some ointment and you can
have your maid spread it on your foot. Thus, the doctor won’t see your
foot.”

How could a Young Lady’s foot be seen casually?

“Really?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly, as if convinced.

“Of course. I have sprained my foot too. The other doctors said that it
would take at least 100 days to recover. However, not long after applying
the ointment, people couldn’t find out that my foot was injured. If you
don’t run too fast, it will be okay.” Mammy Luo promised, pattering her
chest. Seeing that Ning Xueyan was almost convinced, she tried harder
to persuade her.

Of course, it would be okay to have an ordinary servant of Bright Frost

Garden go out with her. However, if this person was Fifth Young Lady’s
personal maid, it would be more convincing. This idea suddenly
occurred to Mammy Luo as soon as she saw Ning Xueyan’s injured foot.
Besides, she did know a skilled doctor who specialized in treating
traumatic injuries.

What a coincidence!
Chapter 290 The Warm-hearted
and Kind Mammy Luo
While Mammy Luo crouched down to look at her foot with concern,
talking to Qingyu, Ning Xueyan pointed at the Lucky Garden’s direction
and then at the door quietly. Xinmei understood what she meant and
nodded. She then left for Lucky Garden. Among all Ning Xueyan’s
maids, she was the swiftest one.

Ning Xueyan was in charge of the accounts of the manor now, so she did
not have to report to Madam Dowager every time she went out.

However, Ning Xueyan still strictly followed the rules and never went
out without Madam Dowager’s permission.

Ning Xueyan’s foot was not injured at all and she had deliberately asked
her maid to tell Ning Qingshan about her injury. She did not wanted to
talk to Ning Qingshan about the details of what had happened in the
study and she had tricked her out just to get the bead flower on her head.
She knew that Ning Qingshan would hear that Ning Zu’an had beaten a
maid to death soon.

She was sure that after hearing the news, Ning Qingshan would not have
the mood to chat with her and would definitely return to Foggy
Courtyard. Since Ning Qingshan was a cautious person, it was normal
for her to send someone to explain it to Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan had
thought that it would be the end of this matter until Mammy Luo told
something that surprised her.

Mammy Luo tried so hard to convince her and she did not seemed to be
lying when she said that she knew a skilled doctor for trauma. However,
Ning Xueyan did not believe that Mammy Luo would really care about
her, especially when Ning Qingshan had just suffered a heavy blow. Now
even Ning Qingshan was in a panic. How could Mammy Luo be in the
mood to mind her business?
However, Mammy Luo not only cared about it, but also looked sincere,
as if she could not bear to see Ning Xueyan delay the treatment of her
foot injury. Of course this aroused Ning Xueyan’s suspicions. Seeing that
Mammy Luo was looking at her foot, Ning Xueyan could not help
sneering.

Ning Qingshan was now suspected by Ning Zu’an. At the critical

moment, if she wanted to clear herself of suspicion, the best way was to
distract Ning Zu’an’s attention. It seemed that Ning Qingshan was trying
to frame her again! Talking about peaceful coexistence before going to
the imperial palace to attend the Beauty Contest was complete nonsense!

At the critical moment, Ning Qingshan knew what was more important,
so did Ning Xueyan.

Ning Qingshan never really wanted to get along with Ning Xueyan, so
Ning Xueyan would not mean to make peace with her.

Qingyu seemed to be a simple girl. She rubbed Ning Xueyan’s foot for a
few times, but immediately let go of her when she heard Ning Xueyan
groaning. “Mammy Luo, is my master’s foot injury really serious?” she
asked, panicking, Mammy Luo, who was squatting on the floor like her.

“It seems to be serious. Fifth Young Lady will go to the imperial palace
in a few days. What can we do about it? The consequences could be
severe if Fifth Young Lady can’t be cured in time. Then Madam
Dowager will definitely be angry.” Seeing that Ning Xueyan and her
maid were about to take the bait, Mammy Luo tried harder. She frowned,
as if something bad was going to happen.

“Miss, why don’t you have me go out with Mammy Luo? After all, the
most important thing for the moment is to treat your foot,” Qingyu stood
up and suggested anxiously.

“I don’t want to bother Mammy Luo. Besides, my third sister is not in a

good mood…” Ning Xueyan did not finish her words, as if she was
ashamed to trouble others.

“Fifth Young Lady, it doesn’t matter! My master is in a bad mood now,

so she doesn’t want us to serve her by her side and only wants to sit in
her room alone. Since I’m not busy, I can help Qingyu to find the doctor
for you. It won’t take long,” Mammy Luo recommended with a smile, as
if she was really warm-hearted.

“Er…” Ning Xueyan hesitated for a while. She lifted her injured foot, as
if she wanted to check her injury. However, as she lifted her foot slightly,
she frowned in pain and could not help putting it down. Since her foot
could not even be lifted, her injury must be getting worse.

“Miss, you’re going to attend the Beauty Contest in the imperial palace.
If Madam Dowager knows that we failed to take good care of you and
caused such a big trouble, she will kill us!” Seeing that Ning Xueyan
could not even lift her foot, Qingyu was extremely anxious.

Beauty Contest was a big event held by the imperial family. Moreover,
Madam Dowager had paid so much attention to it, so everyone in the
manor knew that she had high hopes for the contest. If she found that
Ning Xueyan’s foot was injured before going to the imperial palace, she
might actually kill Ning Xueyan’s maids.

Hearing that, Ning Xueyan did not know what to say to refuse her
suggestion.

“Fifth Young Lady, don’t hesitate anymore. The sooner, the better for
such kind of things. You may recover soon if you apply the ointment to
your injury, but if you leave your injury alone, nobody could tell what
will happen,” Mammy Luo stood up as well and suggested, looking at
Ning Xueyan and Qingyu who were still hesitating.

Ning Xueyan made up her mind soon and stopped hesitating at Mammy
Luo’s words. After all, going to the imperial palace to attend the Beauty
Contest was a matter of her future marriage, so she could not make any
mistakes.

“Mammy Luo, I’ll ask Qingyu to bring the books to my third sister later.
Please help me to find the doctor with Xinmei. Xinmei is swift, so you
can come back sooner after getting the ointment,” Ning Xueyan raised
her head and said to Mammy Luo gently.

Of course she would ask Xinmei to go with Mammy Luo. No matter

what tricks Mammy Luo was going to pull, Xinmei was capable enough
to deal with her. Besides, as a secret guard, Xinmei had been specially
trained, so she was very alert. With Xinmei by her side, it was absolutely
impossible for Mammy Luo to do anything secretly.

Thinking that Ning Xueyan had taken the bite, Mammy Luo was
overjoyed. She was a little disappointed that Ning Xueyan did not send
the outspoken maid, Qingyu, to go out with her, but at the thought that
she could trick one of Fifth Young Lady’s henchmen out, she was very
proud of herself. Xinmei was so young, so Mammy Luo was confident
that she could deal with her easily.

She felt relieved now.

“Miss, Xinmei went out just now. I’ll check if she is back!” Lanning said
to Ning Xueyan.

“Miss, are you looking for me? I’m back!” When they were talking,
Xinmei’s voice came from outside. She lifted the door curtain and
hurried in.

“Xinmei, go out with Mammy Luo to get some ointment for trauma from
a doctor. My foot will recover soon after the bruises fade away with the
help of the ointment and massage,” Ning Xueyan said.

“Yes, I’ll go right now.” Xinmei had hurried to report to Madam

Dowager about Ning Xueyan’s foot injury just now. Hearing that,
Madam Dowager had been extremely anxious and wanted to come to
visit Ning Xueyan immediately. However, Xinmei had told her that the
injury was not very serious and Third Young Lady’s servant, Mammy
Luo, said that it would heal soon after applying some ointment to the
injury, and now Mammy Luo was going to find the doctor she knew with
someone from Bright Frost Garden to buy the ointment.

Since everything was ready, Mammy Luo left Bright Frost Garden with
Xinmei.

“Xinmei, shall we go out from the front gate or the back door?” As soon
as they walked out, Mammy Luo asked with a smile. According to her
opinion, since no one else knew Fifth Young Lady’s foot injury, to avoid
disturbing others, it would be better for them to sneak out from the back
door.
Xinmei knew what she meant. However, since she had reported it to
Madam Dowager, it was unnecessary to sneak around. “Mammy Luo,
let’s go through the front gate. The older female servant at the front gate
is familiar with me,” she replied with a smile.

More people would see them if they went out from the front gate.
Mammy Luo was a little surprised, but she did not say anything and
walked toward the front gate with Xinmei happily.

“Miss, what does Third Young Lady want to do?” Seeing Mammy Luo
leaving with Xinmei, Qingyu asked in surprise. Mammy Luo was too
warm-hearted today, especially when Third Young Lady was in a bad
mood. It was really suspicious!

“Ning Qingshan wants to shift all the blame to me.” Ning Xueyan looked
down and smiled slightly. Ning Qingshan always tried to stir up trouble.
It also revealed that she was nervous now, worrying that Ning Zu’an
would investigate her. What she had asked Mammy Luo to do was to
frame Ning Xueyan.

“Miss, what shall we do?” Qingyu widened her eyes in shock.

“We don’t have to do anything, but wait and see what she will do next.”
Ning Xueyan smiled quietly. She picked up the teacup by her hand and
took a sip of the tea. With the bitterness of the tea seeping into her heart
bit by bit, a sneer appeared on her lips. Although she had no idea what
Ning Qingshan would do to get her involved in this matter, Ning Xueyan
knew that it was an important part of Ning Qingshan’s scheme to trick
her maid out of the manor.

It was a pity that Ning Qingshan had not noticed that her bead flower had
lost. It was said that the bead flower was the only one in the manor and
Ning Zu’an had seen it.

“Lanning, tell that servant that the marquis will definitely investigate
what happened in the study today. For his own good, he must tell the
others that he found the maid stealing from the study. If he dares to go
back on his word, the marquis won’t spare him.”

“Got it, Miss!” Lanning nodded and walked out immediately.

Ning Xueyan wanted to warn the servant to keep his words. Otherwise,
Ning Zu’an would be the first one to punish him.

It did not take Xinmei long to come back. She said that after bringing her
to the doctor’s place, Mammy Luo had made an excuse to leave early.
Therefore, Xinmei had not taken the ointment from the doctor, but
followed behind Mammy Luo. She had seen that Mammy Luo walked
into a courtyard after hanging about outside for a while and making sure
that nobody was following her.

Xinmei asked a passer-by and knew that it was the human trafficker,
Mammy Xing’s courtyard. She then went back to the doctor and took the
ointment.

“The human trafficker, Mammy Xing?’ Ning Xueyan murmured,

wondering what this had to do with Ning Qingshan.

“Miss, I know Mammy Xing,” Lanning walked over and said. “Many
servants of our manor were bought from her in the past two years.”

“Does this mean that she knows Madam Dowager?” Ning Xueyan
smiled slightly with her frown unfurled.

“Yes. Last time, she sent a group of servants to our manor. Miss, do you
remember that Madam Dowager asked you to replace a group of servants
of our courtyard?” Lanning reminded. Ning Xueyan had contrived to
make Ning Zu’an discover that there was something abnormal behind
Madam Ming’s death. Later, Madam Dowager had found out that
Madam Ling sent somebody spying on her. Being irritated by this, Ning
Zu’an and Madam Dowager had ordered to replace most servants of
Bright Frost Garden.

But what did this have to do with Ning Qingshan?

Ning Xueyan felt confused as to why Ning Qingshan thought that she
could shift the blame to her by getting her involved in, because she did
not think that she had anything to do with this matter. “Can she somehow
connect me with the maid of her courtyard?”

She suddenly thought of something, “Human trafficker, the maid, and I?”
“Lanning, did Madam Dowager send all the servants they bought last
time to Bright Frost Garden?” Ning Xueyan put down the book in her
hand slowly with a faint coldness between her eyebrows.

“Miss, I don’t know about this. Why don’t you ask Mother Han? She
chose all the servants.” It was Mother Han who had been in charge of
Bright Frost Garden’s affairs at that moment. Therefore, most servants
had been chosen by her and Ning Xueyan had not done much about it.

Lanning walked out to find Mother Han. After a while, Mother Han
stepped in. Hearing what Ning Xueyan asked, she recalled for a moment
and then answered with certainty, “Miss, although Third Young Lady
hadn’t returned to our manor by then, Madam Dowager chose several
smart maids and sent them to Foggy Courtyard before asking us to
choose.”
Chapter 291 Horror in the
Garden, Father and Daughter
Fough
t

Thinking of this, Mother Han was a bit angry. She had agreed to send
some people for the Young Lady to choose from, but a few good ones
had been sent to the Foggy Courtyard. What’s more, among the
remaining people, some were sent to Junior Concubine Xu. However,
she managed to send her sick sister to the Bright Frost Garden, using
another method.

Initially, only a few people were selected for Bright Frost Garden. With
the addition of a sick person, they were even more shorthanded. So, they
were unable to finish their tasks.

Ning Xueyan’s face changed slightly when she saw the maid sent to her,
and who was later sent to Foggy Courtyard. This matter not only
revealed Ning Qingshan’s plot against her, but also the extent of Ning
Qingshan’s power. When Ning Qingshan was still in the nunnery, her
trusted subordinate had been sent in.

How could she have done it so discreetly? What kind of person was Ning
Qingshan? And what was the relationship between her and Senior Grand
Tutor Ya? Were the maids at the gate of the manor and the ambitious
maids in the study sent by Grand Tutor Ya? What did Grand Tutor Ya
want to do? Or did Grand Tutor Ya know that Ning Zu’an had a military
medallion from the previous dynasty?

Since it was the military medallion from the previous dynasty, it was
undoubtedly of no use. Why would so many people keep it in mind?

Both Ao Chenyi and Grand Tutor Ya were fighting for this military
medallion. Since everyone knew that Ning Zu’an had this military
medallion, how could he keep it safe? Although he had some power,
Grand Tutor Ya was superior to him, not to mention Ao Chenyi. How
could they not force Ning Zu’an to take it out?

However, both of them were acting very furtively. What was the
meaning of this military talisman?

“Young Lady, Young Lady…” Hearing Lanning’s voice, Ning Xueyan

roused herself from her reverie. She reached out and touched her
eyebrows. Her dark jade-like eyes were dark and deep.

“Lanning, was Qing’er ill the day before yesterday? Go and see her later.
Maybe she will check out this group of maids in the manor. Reveal the
inside story to her.”

She would cope with any difficulties in a tactful manner. Since Ning
Qingshan wanted to take advantage of the maids sent to the manor, she
had to be prepared. No matter where Ning Qingshan had come from, she
would not let her go, because she had murdered Madam Ming viciously,
and framed her for abusing her.

In Ning Zu’an’s study, he paced about in frustration. After thinking for a

while, he strode out.

A young male servant trotted behind him and asked, “Marquis, where are
you going?”

“I am going to the Lucky Garden!” Ning Zu’an said coldly. This time, he
was full of doubts about Ning Qingshan. He was not sure about Ning
Qingshan’s pearl flower, so he asked the servant to pick the crushed pearl
flower up, and put it in a small box, ready to show it to Madam Dowager.

Although the pearl flower had lost its shape, and even the winter jasmine
on it had rotted, it still had the form of a pearl flower. If he could not
figure it out, Ning Zu’an could not calm down. He felt as if there was a
vague feeling of great danger, like someone was watching in the dark.

If Ning Qingshan’s actions were questionable, then the person who sent
her to him, would also be under suspicion. He had deliberately sent Ning
Qingshan to himself. Was there something that he was not aware of?
Everyone knew that Prince Yi was the most influential person in the
court. However, the emperor thought otherwise. He was loyal to the
emperor, so he wholeheartedly followed the emperor’s will. He wanted
to find a backer for his son. Recently, he thought that everything would
go well. If his two daughters were sent to the two manors respectively,
he would have nothing more to worry about.

However, Ning Qingshan’s scandal had happened at this time. If she had
other plans to marry into the Lord Protector’s Manor, he had to be more
careful.

Along the way, he gradually calmed down and slowed down a little.
Anyway, this matter still needed to be investigated into carefully, so he
should not be so anxious at this moment.

While he was pondering on this, he heard someone whispering behind

the bushes. It was a woman’s voice. In the past, he would not have
stopped, when he heard a woman’s whisper. But today, when he
remembered the maid in his study, he could not help but stop and ask
coldly, “Who is there? Why are you sneaking around?”

“Is that you… father? I’m sorry, I did not that know that you would be
here at this time, and I have inadvertently disturbed you.” Ning Xueyan
held Lanning’s hand and appeared from behind a big tree. She never
looked very robust, so people always felt that she was delicate. However,
the coldness in her eyes made gave her an elegant and calm demeanor.

“Why are you here?” Ning Zu’an looked at her, showing his bad mood.

“I was about to send Third Sister two books. Just now, she heard that I
took a few books from the study. When she was about to come over,
something unexpected happened,” Ning Xueyan said gracefully and
calmly. Her voice was gentle and soothing.

“What happened?” Ning Zu’an glanced sideways at her, and asked.

“I heard that a maid broke a piece of jade left by Third Sister’s mother,
due to carelessness. Third Sister was sad and went back to Foggy
Courtyard. I don’t know how that careless maid can break such an
important item. It’s no wonder that Third Sister was shocked.”
Ning Xueyan explained in a soft tone.

“Jade?” Ning Zu’an frowned. He did not remember that when he brought
the girl over, there was a jade piece left by her biological mother. In the
manor, Ning Qingshan did not tell him that she had a certificate from her
birth mother. He remembered that when she came to the Lord Protector’s
Manor, she replied that she had a tremendous shock at a young age, and
could not remember anything about her biological parents, when Madam
Dowager asked her.

“When did this piece of jade left by her mother appear? What does it
mean to be shocked again?” Ning Zu’an’s eyes flashed with a trace of
suspicion, and he could not help frowning.

The circumstances regarding Ning Qingshan was getting more and more
suspicious!

“There are only two books. Let a maid send them over.” Looking at Ning
Xueyan’s pale face, Ning Zu’an felt pity for her and said gently.

“It’s not a big deal, but I need to check it out. I don’t know what
happened to Third Sister. Just now, she sent her personal mammy to
fetch the books. But because of my sprained ankle, she brought my maid
out to look for a doctor and to buy medicine as well. Now, she has not
returned yet. Third Sister must be worried, so I will go and check it out.”

Ning Xueyan explained casually as if she did not understand what he

meant.

“Since the master is feeling sad, the older female servant is still busy
with other people’s business?” Ning Zu’an’s face turned cold. “Can there
anything more odd than this?”

“Your foot is injured. Go and have a good rest. Why don’t you go to
Foggy Courtyard? Go back. I have some books, and I’ll ask someone to
send her some.” Ning Zu’an’s eyes fell on Lanning’s hands, which were
holding the books, and then on Ning Xueyan’s raised left foot. There was
a little warmth in his look.

“Yes, father. Then… I’ll go back first!” Ning Xueyan did not expect
Ning Zu’an to speak so caringly. She was stunned at first, but then she
bowed her head and said respectfully.

“You go first.” Ning Zu’an waved his hand, indicating that she should
leave first.

“Yes, Father!” Ning Xueyan nodded, turned around to hold Lanning’s

hand, and walked forward, with difficulty. She moved her left foot a little
slowly as she stepped forward. Fortunately, she moved slowly. The left
half of her body was supported by Lanning, so people who were not
aware of her injury, could not tell that she had been hurt.

It seemed that she deliberately did not want anyone to see her sprained
ankle.

“Yan’er…” Seeing that Ning Xueyan was about to disappear behind the
tree, Ning Zu’an suddenly called out to her.

Ning Xueyan turned around in astonishment, and looked at Ning Zu’an

in surprise.

Although it was winter, there was a faint trace of sweat on her pale
forehead. She gave a forced smile. Her weak body shivered in the cold
wind. However, she drew herself up, without showing any signs of
timidness or inferiority.

Although she was in pain, Ning Xueyan tried her best to maintain the
dignity of a noble young lady. Ning Zu’an’s face became even more
gentle and he even showed a rare display of kindness that Ning Xueyan
had never seen before. “Yan’er, be careful. You’ll enter the palace in a
few days. Don’t miss out on any important events because of your injury.
If you need anything, send someone here and don’t do anything by
yourself.”

Hearing this, Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind, but she gave him a
grateful look. “Thank you, father. I don’t need anything.”

“Go!” With a gleam in his eyes, Ning Zu’an nodded to show that she
could leave.

This time, Ning Xueyan held Lanning’s hand and walked all the way. He
did not stop her again. When he saw Ning Xueyan’s figure disappear, he
stood for a while and went straight to Lucky Garden.

“Young Lady, the Marquis is gone!” Seeing Ning Zu’an leave, Lanning
whispered to Ning Xueyan. She pulled out the handkerchief to wipe the
cold sweat from Ning Xueyan’s head.

Of course, it was true, but it was not due to the pain on her feet, but that
of her hand. Just now, when Ning Zu’an wanted her to turn back, Ning
Xueyan pinched herself hard with one hand. Her sharp nails dug into her
flesh, causing cold sweat to break out on her forehead. Then, she turned
her head. If not, Ning Zu’an would suspect her.

In Ning Zu’an’s mind, she was not the suspect.

The so-called blood relationship and the relationship between father and
daughter was nothing but a joke. Ning Zu’an never showed any love for
her. Now the reason why he treated her more kindly was that she would
be useful to the Lord Protector’s Manor. Fortunately, she never had any
feelings for the manor.

She could have a mother-daughter relationship with Madam Ming, but

she hated Ning Zu’an and everything that he represented. In the vast
Lord Protector’s Manor, she could not feel any warmth.

Fortunately, she did not want to talk to them of warmth at all, because
there were a lot of blood debts. The poor, timid but kind Fifth Young
Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Xueyan, had already died. The
one that survived was Ning Ziying, who was born to be bloodthirsty and
was full of hatred…

“Let’s go back now and see how the Lord Protector’s Manor will
celebrate the Spring Festival!” Ning Xueyan took Lanning’s
handkerchief, wiped the cold sweat on her forehead, and chuckled.

Today, it should be New Year’s Eve. However, everyone in the Lord

Protector’s Manor was full of suspicion. How interesting!

Lanning looked at the smile at the corners of Ning Xueyan’s mouth. It

was a gentle smile, but somehow, it gave her a strange and weird
feeling…
Chapter 292 Specially Prepared
Maids
“What? Do you mean the pearl flower? That one with winter jasmine?”
Madam Dowager was shocked.

“Yes, mother, please see if this is the one?” Ning Zu’an opened the small
box in his hand, and a broken pearl flower appeared in front of Madam
Dowager. The pearl flower was broken, leaving only a little residual
powder and calyx on it. The original color could no longer be seen.

Madam Dowager took the box and checked it. Then she answered with
certainty, “It belongs to Third Young Lady. Do you mean that you found
it at the door of your study?”

“The young male servant said that a maid holding a pearl flower, was the
one who lured him away. It was at this time that the girl from Foggy
Courtyard entered the study. When I went in, I saw her rummaging
through the books, which were placed on the bookshelf.”

Ning Zu’an said in a low voice. When he confirmed that the flower was
Ning Qingshan’s, he felt more and more certain that there was something
wrong with her. Some problems that he had not bothered about during
her childhood, were also revealed, such as the biological mother that
Ning Qingshan mentioned.

“Mother, did she ever talk about her biological father and mother to
you?”

“She never said anything about them. When Third Girl came here, she
was still young. I asked her about her biological father and mother
before. She said that she had a headache and could not remember, so I
never asked again.” Madam Dowager thought about it and said slowly.
Then, she looked at the pearl flower in her hand, and put it aside.

“Mother, do you think… the Third Girl is…” Ning Zu’an paused and
looked serious.
Madam Dowager’s hand went limp and her walking stick almost fell to
the ground. She slammed her hand on the table beside her, and said,
“No… it won’t. I’ve seen that child once. She doesn’t look like this.”

At first, she did not have enough momentum to say that, but then her
words became more and more dubious. It seemed that she had exposed
herself unwittingly, while trying to cover up her tricks. The cold wind
blew outside the window, and Madam Dowager’s face turned green.

“Mother, wasn’t she only two or three years old when you saw her?
When she was five or six years old, she must be a little different. Did
you feel that they were somewhat alike in appearance?” Ning Zu’an did
not give up and asked again. He had not seen her at that time. He had
never seen her before, so he could not tell whether they were alike, even
if he had his doubts about that..

“It’s impossible. Honored Consort Ya will never allow her to marry into
Third Prince’s Manor.” Madam Dowager suddenly looked more
determined than ever. She touched her aching hand and gently rubbed it,
but her eyes were cold.

With Honored Consort Ya’s personality, how could she let her son marry
a rebel’s daughter in order to provoke the emperor, so that the Third
Prince would not be able to ascend the noble throne?

Hearing Madam Dowager’s firm words, Ning Zu’an hesitated. “But if it

weren’t for that, what would Shan’er, a weak girl in the boudoir, be
looking for in my study?”

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence. Maybe this maid is not hers. Someone
might be deliberately trying to frame her?” Madam Dowager asked
uncertainly. In her mind, she trusted Ning Qingshan. She had watched
Ning Qingshan grow up from a little child to a beautiful young lady.
Now, she was about to become the Third Prince’s consort.

“Coincidence! How could it be a coincidence! I know my young male

servant. He would never tell a lie. This time, he affirmed that he must
have been lured away by a maid. If the maid broke in by accident, I
won’t have anything to say. But what does it mean when she lured my
young male servant away, at the same time?”
Compared with Madam Dowager, Ning Zu’an was more rational,
because he was a man. After Ning Xueyan left, he questioned the young
male servant several more times. Every time his answer was the same, so
he had to believe it.

” Zu’an, is it related to Fifth Young Lady?” Madam Dowager suddenly

asked.

“It’s unlikely that it has something to do with her. Mother said that it’s
also your idea that she was looking for the books.” Ning Zu’an shook his
head. Just now when she looked back, he saw that Ning Xueyan was
forcing herself to walk with light steps to cover up the wound on her
face. However, she was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on her
head.

Now, it seemed that everything Ning Xueyan said was true, but what
Ning Qingshan said was too mysterious. So, he was suspicious of Ning
Qingshan.

“Madam Dowager, Third Young Lady is here.” While they were talking,
Mother Qin came to the door and reported. Just now, when Ning Zu’an
came in and spoke to Madam Dowager, Mother Qin consciously walked
to the door, and stood guard at the entrance for them.

“Let her in.” Madam Dowager looked at Ning Zu’an, and sat up straight,
with a faint smile on her face. Ning Zu’an also picked up the teacup,
wiped the tea foam on the surface with its lid with one hand, and slowly
took a sip, looking relaxed.

Ning Qingshan followed Mother Qin and came in. When she saw Ning
Zu’an, she bowed to Madam Dowager respectfully and then to Zu’an.
Then, she stood in front of Madam Dowager with a calm look.

“Third Girl, why are you here at this time? Didn’t you say that you
would be going to Cold Mountain Temple to burn the first incense stick
of the day, in the evening? Why not have a rest first?”

In the aristocratic circle of the Chu Kingdom, it was customary for

people to burn the first incense stick of the day. The night before, young
ladies of noble families, who were unmarried, often left for the temple in
a group, after dinner. They waited to burn the first incense stick of the
day early in the morning, to pray for their families. For the safety of
those ladies, the childes of aristocratic families often escorted their
sisters to the temple.

Then, they would keep a night vigil and have a party together!

In other words, this was also a way for young people to gather together.
Usually, the daughters of aristocratic families had a lot of restrictions in
all aspects. It was rare for them to have such a relaxing time. Of course,
everyone was very excited about this outing. This time, the temple that
the Lord Protector’s Manor had booked was Cold Mountain Temple.

So, they had already booked three rooms in Cold Mountain Temple.
After dinner, Ning Huaiyuan would escort Ning Xueyan and Ning
Qingshan to Cold Mountain Temple.

“Grandmother, I have not burned the first incense stick of the day with
the other rich young ladies for a long time, so I came here to ask if there
were any changes since the past three years. If there is anything different,
you can guide me.” Ning Qingshan stood behind Madam Dowager
obediently, and started to massage her back.

“There’s nothing different from the past few years. You, young people,
can stay away from us, old people.” Madam Dowager said with a smile.
She held Ning Qingshan’s hand and walked in front of her. Then, she
patted the stool beside her and gestured for her to sit down.

“Really? That’s great. I want to go there with Caifen and Feilian.” Ning
Qingshan said joyfully.

This reminded Madam Dowager that only a first maid now accompanied
Ning Qingshan. The other one who was with her, seemed to be a second-
class maid.

“Third Young Lady, isn’t there a shortage of people in your courtyard?

Let the broker send you some more. What a coincidence! A few days
ago, the broker informed Mother Qin that there are a few smart maids.
Coincidentally, your courtyard lacks staff. Let the broker send a few
more maids for you to choose from. It’s not enough for you to have only
one first maid.”
Madam Dowager sent Ning Qingshan two maids, but Feiyue died, as a
result of being a scapegoat, so only Feilian was left. Ning Qingshan was
about to enter the palace, so she could bring two maids with her. If she
brought a second-class maid with her, people would laugh at her.

Ning Zu’an smiled and watched them chatting quietly.

“Well, all right, thank you, Grandmother!” Ning Qingshan did not refuse.
After thinking for a while, she agreed. With tears of gratitude in her eyes,
she bit her lips and lowered her head slightly. One could almost see the
tears of gratitude in her eyes, and her expression became softer.

Seeing that Ning Qingshan agreed, Madam Dowager asked someone to

invite Mammy Xing to come over.

“Did you send anyone to my study to get books today, Shan’er?” Ning
Zu’an put down the cup in his hand, and asked.

“To get books? No, I heard that Fifth Sister took several books from your
study. Is there something wrong?” Ning Qingshan looked at Ning Zu’an
blankly, as if she did not know what had happened. Ning Zu’an did not
let anyone know that he had punished the maid.

“Your Fifth Sister took a few books from my study. Don’t you want
them?” Ning Zu’an asked calmly.

“No, if I need them, I can get them from Fifth Sister. Anyway, Fifth
Sister will be entering the imperial palace with me.” Ning Qingshan
shook her head gently, indicating that she did not need a book.

She did not want to have anything to do with the “study” at all. She
avoided everything about “books.”

Seeing that she denied it, Ning Zu’an did not ask anymore. Instead, he
chatted with her. Madam Dowager interrupted and said a few words from
time to time. They seemed to be in harmony with each other.

Not long after, Mammy Xing arrived. She brought more than a dozen
maids and asked them to wait outside. After entering Madam Dowager’s
room, she greeted Madam Dowager, Ning Zu’an and Ning Qingshan.
Then, she began to flatter Madam Dowager, putting a smile on her face.
“Madam Dowager, all the maids I brought this time, are smart. None of
them are bad. Third Young Lady, you must try your best to pick some
good ones. It will not as bad as the last time. I’m sure that you will pick
all the good ones.”

“Did the Third Young Lady get some bad maids last time?” Madam
Dowager asked, with a smile.

The older female servant Xing’s face, changed slightly, and she became a
little stiff. She casually said, “The last time, all the maids were meant for
the Fifth Young Lady, so the maids she chose were especially for the
Fifth Young Lady.”

Her words were very far-fetched. Madam Dowager’s face darkened.

“What do you mean by ‘were chosen for Fifth Young Lady’?”

“Madam Dowager, I… I didn’t mean anything by that.” Seeing that

Madam Dowager was unhappy, Mammy Xing immediately stammered
and stared blankly at her, anxiety showing on her face.

Ning Zu’an snorted at the side, and his face became very cold. His gaze
fell on Mammy Xing like a cold blade.

Seeing that Ning Zu’an and Madam Dowager were angry, Mammy Xing
shivered and explained to them hurriedly, “Madam Dowager, Marquis,
some of the maids I sent to Fifth Young Lady last time were originally
meant for Fifth Young Lady’s courtyard. In fact, it’s not a big deal. The
servants who sent those maids specially told me to send them to Fifth
Young Lady.”

“Someone deliberately sent people to Fifth Young Lady?” Madam

Dowager was furious. She did not expect that such a thing to happen
under her nose.
Chapter 293 Sinister, Madam
Dowager’s intention to kill
Aroused
Ning Qingshan stood behind Madam Dowager with her head lowered,
looking delicate and weak, as if she would readily go with Madam
Dowager’s arrangement.

When Mammy Luo came back, she had told her that everything had been
settled and Mammy Xing had promised. Mammy Xing would shift the
responsibility regarding the matter of the maid onto Ning Xueyan. Even
if the maid did something outrageous, it would have nothing to do with
her. Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an would only suspect Ning Xueyan.

Mammy Xing knew how to act according to the real situation. Now, she
knew that it was almost time, so she pretended to be scared and said,
“Yes, Madam Dowager. Someone deliberately asked me to arrange for
the maids to be sent to Fifth Young Lady. I thought it was not a big deal.
Maybe Fifth Young Lady has seen these maids and wanted all of them,
so I did not tell you.”

Hearing what she said, Madam Dowager became angry. She immediately
pulled a long face and scolded her, “Madam Ming is a good-for-nothing.
Sure enough, her daughter is insidious. She looks good, but she is full of
trickery.”

Madam Dowager had thought that Ning Xueyan was kindhearted, during
this period. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She
gasped as she was scolding Ning Xueyan.

Ning Qingshan patted Madam Dowager’s back to calm her down and
said softly, “Grandmother, don’t be angry. Maybe Fifth Sister wants to
choose the maids she likes. I am sure it does not mean anything else.”

It seemed as if she was trying to soothe Madam Dowager, but in fact, she
was putting the blame on Ning Xueyan for sending someone to Bright
Frost Garden.

“She doesn’t mean anything else? She can play tricks at such a young
age. It is terrible! Go and ask her to let me know what’s going on, and
who she is scheming against.” Madam Dowager finally calmed down.
She pounded the ground heavily with her walking stick as she ranted.

Xiangmiao, who was waiting aside, knew that Madam Dowager was
furious, so she hurriedly asked Ning Xueyan to come over.

“Grandmother, you picked a few maids for me last time. Is she interested
in them? If so, it’s not… good. It seems that I took her maids,” Ning
Qingshan said uneasily as if she suddenly thought of something. She put
her hand on Madam Dowager’s shoulder and did not move.

“Her maids? They have not entered her courtyard yet. How could they be
her maids? What is she trying to do? Where did these people come from?
How could she make a deal with them to enter Bright Frost Garden in
advance? She thinks too highly of herself!” Madam Dowager was
furious when she saw Ning Qingshan’s scared eyes. She pounded the
corner of the table and felt that she had been wrong about Ning Xueyan.
She did not expect her to be so vicious.

Madam Ming’s matters were too much of an entanglement. Madam

Dowager did not say anything on the surface, but she felt guilty in her
heart. She had been indifferent to Madam Ming for so many years, partly
because of this. Seeing Madam Ming’s face reminded her of some
unbearable past.

So in her mind, Madam Dowager never wanted to see Ning Xueyan.

After Madam Ming’s death, she was relieved. As for Ning Xueyan, she
thought that the sick and weak girl would die sooner or later without
Madam Ming’s protection. Unexpectedly, this girl came out of Bright
Frost Garden and was publicly noticed by everyone else.

Later, she also found Ning Xueyan to be useful and began to accept her
as her granddaughter!

However, no matter how kind she pretended to be, Madam Dowager did
not want to see Ning Xueyan at all, as it brought back too many
memories of her past. In this past, she played a bad role.
However, Ning Xueyan seemed to become more and more useful, which
almost made Madam Dowager think that she had forgotten about the
pressure she brought on her. However, it was only what she thought.
When the layer of “belief” was lifted slightly, Madam Dowager’s eyes
were full of doubts about Ning Xueyan.

She suspected that Ning Xueyan was here to take revenge and avenge
Madam Ming.

Therefore, as Mammy Xing and Ning Qingshan stirred up trouble, she

could not sit still. She only felt that Ning Xueyan’s motive was
execrable. In vain, she wanted to treat her as a real granddaughter.
Unexpectedly, Ning Xueyan turned out to be ungrateful and vicious.

“Grandmother, don’t be angry. Fifth Sister did not mean it.” The angrier
Madam Dowager was, the happier Ning Qingshan was. At this time, she
was trying to comfort Madam Dowager. But her words were like pouring
boiling water on oil.

“She did not mean it. If she did not do it on purpose, why did she ask
someone to play a trick to send all the people she picked here to Bright
Frost Garden?” Madam Dowager growled. Suddenly, she thought of
something and turned to Ning Qingshan. “Third Girl, the maids you
picked can’t be used anymore. Give them all to her later, so that she
won’t be able to plant spies around you. It will be easy for her to frame
you in the future.”

At that time, it was Madam Dowager who picked the people first. So, she
could not be sure whether those whom Ning Xueyan felt satisfied with
had been chosen by her, and sent to Foggy Courtyard. Madam Dowager
looked indifferent and felt that Ning Xueyan was hypocritical.

Ning Zu’an sat by the side and did not say anything. He was a man, after
all. Compared with Madam Dowager, he was more rational. It was not
the time for the whole thing to come to light. So, he sat on the side and
waited. How about the maid? The matter regarding the maid happened in
the morning, and such a thing happened in the afternoon. What a
coincidence!

“Who is playing tricks here…”

As soon as Ning Xueyan came in, Madam Dowager’s expression became
icy. She looked at the older female servant standing aside and Ning
Qingshan, who accompanied Madam Dowager, warmly, and Ning Zu’an,
who stared at her with a scrutinizing look. With a smile, Ning Xueyan
came forward and greeted them gracefully.

Seeing Ning Xueyan coming in, Ning Qingshan walked out from behind
Madam Dowager and walked up to her. She deliberately lowered her
voice and said with some concern, “Fifth Sister, why did you take your
time in coming? Grandmother is angry and has been waiting for a long
time.”

It seemed that she was deliberately reminding Ning Xueyan. However, in

a quiet room, everyone could hear her.

Madam Dowager snorted on the spot and pounded the ground with her
walking stick hard. She also felt that she had been waiting for a long
time. Knowing that she was waiting for her here, Ning Xueyan still took
her time, and did not take her seriously at all, Madam Dowager was
angry.

“Grandmother, I sprained my ankle, so I was late. What happened? Did I

offend you?” Ning Xueyan asked with a smile. She was neither humble
nor pushy. She pulled her hand out from Ning Qingshan’s and stepped
back to keep a distance from Ning Qingshan.

She did not want to appear to be on intimate terms with Ning Qingshan,
in front of Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager glanced at Ning Xueyan and said coldly, “You have a
silver tongue. How can you provoke me? If you’re discontented with
your lot, and you don’t restrain yourself from evil doings, the Lord
Protector’s Manor will not tolerate you.”

“Grandmother, do you think I have done something wrong?” Ning

Xueyan’s eyes fell on Ning Qingshan, who felt a little proud.

“Look at who she is!” Madam Dowager pointed at Mammy Xing

standing aside, and shouted at Ning Xueyan. She had made up her mind
that as long as Ning Xueyan’s face had an abnormal color, she would
lock her up and never let her come out again.
If she was accused of being “unfilial,” even Ming Feiyong could not
stand up for her. Then, she would be locked away in the back garden of
the Lord Protector’s Manor, and her life would depend entirely on her. At
most, she would be raised to the same level as Madam Ming, until she
would not be able to survive. In that case, as her grandmother, she had
done her best.

The position of co-consort was important. However, if she were not

uniform and one-hearted with the Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Xueyan
would be a mortal malady. She had to be nipped in the bud. Indecision
invariably lead to trouble. It was not unreasonable for Madam Dowager
to want to continue enjoying the glory and wealth from the previous
court to the present.

At this time, she already wanted to kill Ning Xueyan…

Ning Xueyan calmly looked at the older female servant standing aside,
and then at Madam Dowager’s angry face. She blinked and did not say
anything for a while. She did not understand the situation. However,
Xinmei, who was standing beside her, suddenly pointed at the older
female servant and said in a hoarse voice, “Young Lady, this is the
person whom the Mammy left for me to see. I thought she had something
to do, so I followed her. It was the older female servant who opened the
door at that time.”

Did Mammy Luo secretly meet with Mammy Xing just now? Her words
made Madam Dowager’s face turn green and pale again. She became
gloomier, feeling full of anger.

“I… I didn’t see Mammy Luo. I didn’t see her.” Seeing everyone’s eyes
falling on her, Mammy Xing became anxious. She did not expect
Mammy Luo to be so careless. She waved her hands to show her
innocence.

Ning Qingshan’s smiling face froze. Mammy Luo had come back and
said that everything had been done. She thought that she had casually
found an older female servant to watch the door. Unexpectedly, she was
Ning Xueyan’s personal maid. She had a bad feeling in her heart.

“Just now, Mammy Luo came to our Bright Frost Garden and saw that
our young lady’s foot was injured, so she insisted on helping our lady to
get the medicine. I followed her out. As soon as we arrived at the store,
Mammy Luo ran away.” Xinmei answered.

“Mammy Luo, did she go out? How come I was not aware?” Ning
Qingshan pretended to know nothing and turned blankly to Caifen, who
was standing behind her.

“I don’t know, either. But when I came here just now, I saw Mammy Luo
instructing the older female servants in the courtyard not to be lazy. She
must have been here all the time!” Caifen, who was following behind
her, immediately spoke up for Mammy Luo.

“Grandmother, whenever I send people out, I will report to you. You

should know it, right?” Ning Xueyan turned to Madam Dowager and
said softly.

What? Madam Dowager knew that Mammy Luo went out with Xinmei?
Ning Qingshan almost spat out a mouthful of blood. She thought
Mammy Luo was a prudent person. She could have found someone from
Bright Frost Garden and sneaked out from the back door. Why did she
have to disturb Madam Dowager?
Chapter 294 Warning, Mammy
Luo Was Tortured
“But… but this doesn’t mean that Mammy Luo and Mammy Xing have
met!” Ning Qingshan could only insist on this, and said with a forced
smile.

“Are you Mammy Xing?” Ning Xueyan gently turned to Mammy Xing.
Her jet-black eyes were like pieces of ice. Seeing that, Mammy Xing
lowered her eyes, and replied in a low voice, “Yes!”

Mammy Xing felt regretful at this time. If she had known that the Fifth
Young Lady would be so difficult to deal with, she would not have
accepted Nanny Luo’s money and promised to deal with this matter. She
looked like a hard nut to crack. Up to now, she was still calm and
graceful, which completely overshadowed third Young Lady, who was
said to be the one most likely to become the Third Prince’s wife.

Could it be that the rumors were wrong? The Fifth Young Lady standing
in front of her had a legal wife’s demeanor. The Third Young Lady, who
always pretended to be stupid, seemed inferior, when compared to the
Fifth Young Lady.

“I heard that most of the servants in the manor were sent to the manor by
you during these two years?” Ning Xueyan smiled and asked her gently,
as if the atmosphere was not that tense.

“Yes… they were sent by me.” Hearing that she did not ask about what
had happened before, Mammy Xing let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

“Grandmother, Xinmei did not say that she saw Mammy Xing following
the Mammy. Why is Mammy Xing so sure that it’s Mammy Luo? It’s
said that Mammy Luo went to the nunnery with Third Sister three years
ago. However, Mammy Xing did business in the mansion only two years
ago. How could she tell that it was Mammy Luo at a glance? She denied
that she saw Mammy Luo before we spoke?”
Ning Xueyan said softly. Her voice was neither loud nor harsh, but it had
a hint of sarcasm.

Her words made Mammy Xing feel uneasy and nervous. Her face was
pale, and her body trembled so much that she could hardly stand.

Madam Dowager’s face darkened because she did not expect it to be like
this. It was not Ning Xueyan but Ning Qingshan, who was the schemer.
Ning Qingshan lured Ning Xueyan’s servant out to cover up. She sent a
servant to talk to Mammy Xing alone. As for what she had said before,
she must have spoken to Mammy Xing.

“Grandmother, I don’t know anything about Mammy Luo. I’ve been in

the courtyard all the time, and I don’t even know when Mammy Luo
left.” Regardless of Mammy Luo’s upbringing, Ning Qingshan shifted
the blame squarely onto Mammy Luo’s shoulders, just like what Xia’er
did before.

“Guards, come over and beat this older female servant” Ning Zu’an
finally could not help shouting. Two guards came over and gave her two
slaps. Then, they kicked her out of the room. One of the guards pulled at
her clothes and went out, while the other slapped and kicked her from
time to time.

Ning Qingshan’s face was pale. She looked up at Ning Xueyan, who was
still looking at her gently, as if what she had just done was just a farce.

“Grandmother, I…” Ning Qingshan raised her head and looked at

Madam Dowager timidly. She wanted to make another move.

“Stop it. Go.” Madam Dowager was so angry that everything turned dark
before her eyes. There was no doubt to this matter. First, Ning Qingshan
deliberately mentioned the maid. Then, she brought Mammy Xing here,
and Mammy Xing said something. Coupled with Ning Qingshan’s
words, how could Madam Dowager, who had lived through two
dynasties, not understand?

It was Ning Qingshan who envied Ning Xueyan and set up a trap on
purpose. Otherwise, a mammy would not have dared to frame her master.
This reminded Madam Dowager of the event that happened when Ning
Qingshan had just returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor. At that time,
she lost a servant. Unexpectedly, she had not been smart. She thought
that Ning Qingshan, who was not her biological daughter, was the most
intelligent and the most promising one among her granddaughters. But
now, what was going on?

Madam Dowager never expected that Ning Qingshan would frame her. If
it was not for Third Prince who supported Ning Qingshan, she would
slap her directly.

“Yan’er, Shan’er, you can leave now!” Ning Zu’an was calm. He waved
his hand at Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan, indicating that they should
leave.

“Yes.” Ning Xueyan did not hesitate. She bowed to Madam Dowager
and Ning Zu’an and went out.

Ning Qingshan wanted to say something, but when she saw the Madam
Dowager’s livid face, she knew that the Madam Dowager would not
listen to whatever she said. Fortunately, she believed that Madam
Dowager would not punish her. She was not Ning Xueyan, a good-for-
nothing orphan girl. She was about to become the Third Prince’s wife,
which was good enough for Madam Dowager.

But thinking of the possible consequences of this matter, she

immediately turned pale. What she feared most was not Madam
Dowager, but Ning Zu’an. But when she saw Ning Zu’an’s gentle but
gloomy face, she felt scared. She wanted to eliminate Ning Zu’an’s
suspicion in this matter, but unexpectedly, Ning Xueyan turned the tables
on her.

Ning Xueyan was so cunning that she let the maid follow Mammy Luo.
Initially, as long as Madam Dowager suspected Ning Xueyan, the maid
who went to Ning Zu’an’s study to check would become Ning Xueyan’s
maid. Now everything was over, and Ning Zu’an would doubt her
intentions. Thinking of the consequences, she was scared.

“No, I must tell my aunt about it and let her find a solution. I can’t let
Ning Zu’an find out about anything.”

Thinking of this, Ning Qingshan no longer hesitated. She hurriedly

turned around and walked out. As soon as she reached the door, she
heard the sound of porcelain breaking. She knew that Madam Dowager
was still angry and was smashing things. She dared not look back. She
hurriedly took two steps and lifted the curtain to go out.

After throwing a cup of tea, the Madam Dowager was still trembling
with anger. She did not expect that a little girl would frame her. During
the past few years, she treated this ungrateful granddaughter as her own
and supplied her with food and other things. She did not expect that she
would plot against her.

Ning Zu’an frowned and comforted Madam Dowager. “Mother, don’t be

angry. I felt strange when Mammy Xing came here and said that there
was something wrong with the maids at the same time when something
happened in the front yard.”

“Guards, beat Mammy Luo to death!” Madam Dowager pounded the

table with a cold face and growled.

“Wait, Mother, she will soon become the Third Prince’s wife.” Ning
Zu’an stopped the impulsive Madam Dowager, waved his hand, and
asked Mother Qin to take other servants away.

“If so, she will think that the Lord Protector’s Manor is easy to bully?”
The Madam Dowager gritted her teeth and snarled. She was angry with
Ning Qingshan now. Madam Dowager never thought that she treated her
good intentions as maliciousness. At the thought of that, she was furious.

“Of course, it’s not easy to bully the Lord Protector’s Manor, but she
came here well-prepared. But now, it’s not the right time to attack her.
The Third Prince and Honored Consort Ya have become her supporters.”
Ning Zu’an did not look good, but at least he could stay calm.

This was not a simple struggle in the backyard. How could Ning
Qingshan know that there was something in his study room? How did
she dare to send someone to search? It seemed that Madam Dowager had
chosen the maid for Ning Qingshan. If she had no supporter, how could
Ning Qingshan do such a thing?

“Mother, I’ll go to the study. You don’t have to kill that older female
servant. She will still be the daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor
when she enters the Third Prince’s Manor.”
Thinking of the documents in the study, Ning Zu’an could not calm
down. He stood up and took his leave. The reason why he took her in
was not because of her appearance. Instead, the person who sent her here
was prestigious, so he had to accept her. Did Grand Tutor Ya have no
intention?

He said that she was an orphan of a military colleague. However, many

people died in the battle. Where did Grand Tutor Ya find this child?

Ning Zu’an had never doubted these things before, but now he began to
be suspicious.

Mammy Luo’s punishment was meted out when Ning Qingshan arrived
at Foggy Courtyard. She would be beaten 20 times for instigating the
Third Young Lady to be disrespectful toward her parents.

The two older female servants from the Auspicious Fortune Hall were
ferocious. They tied Mammy Luo down and brought her to the garden to
give her a beating, without letting her say anything else.

Initially, this kind of punishment of beating people would not be carried

out in the garden, for fear of disturbing the master. But now, Mammy
Luo was tied up in the yard and was beaten until she screamed. Even
Caifen, who had always been acid-tongued, was so scared that her face
turned pale. She twisted her handkerchief with her fingers, and could not
say a word.

“Young Lady… we… we…” When Mammy Luo screamed for the last
time, suddenly the courtyard fell silent. After a while, Caifen roused
herself. She looked at Ning Qingshan blankly, and shivered as cold sweat
ran down her forehead. She felt as if she were at death’s door.

“Third Young Lady, we have carried out the punishment of flogging.

Please check” The older female servants’ deep voices came from
outside.

Ning Qingshan moved her almost numb legs and helped Caifen to stand
up, with a gloomy face. This was Madam Dowager’s warning. The crime
of ” unfilial piety” was enough to make her have no room to plead for
Mammy Luo. As for hitting Mammy Luo in her courtyard and the so-
called check, it was the Madam Dowager’s counterattack.
Madam Dowager was telling her that as long as she was the daughter of
Lord Protector’s Manor, she had to cooperate with the Lord Protector’s
Manor. Otherwise, this charge would be enough to pull her down from
the high position.

Ning Qingshan realized that her marriage with the Third Prince had
something to do with the Lord Protector’s Manor backup. Otherwise,
why did he not marry Ya Moqin? So, she could not lose Madam
Dowager and Ning Zu’an’s favor. She could not afford to break off ties
with them, so she had to obey the order to check it.

She struggled as she walked outside and saw Mammy Luo lying on the
bench, with her body all bloodied. If she had not seen her move
occasionally, she would have thought that she was dead.

“Thank you for my grandmother’s warning. Please tell her that it’s all
my fault. I beg her pardon for being young and ignorant. I was blinded
by jealousy.” Ning Qingshan slipped from Caifen’s hand and fell to the
ground. Suddenly, she burst into tears in front of the two older female
servants.

“Third Young Lady, we will inform Madam Dowager about what you
have said.” The two older female servants did not expect Ning Qingshan
to forget herself. They steadied themselves after taking two steps back.
Then, they looked at each other and said this to Ning Qingshan. Finally,
they left without waiting for Ning Qingshan’s reply…
Chapter 295 Ning Qingshan’s
Regre
t

The news that Third Young Lady had lost her favor spread throughout
the manor. Many people did not believe it before. However, they were
finally convinced when they heard that Third Young Lady’s wet nurse
had been beaten 20 times in the garden.

No servant had ever been beaten in the master’s courtyard before.

Furthermore it was the Spring Festival, which would make the master
feel unlucky. So, they believed that Third Young Lady had lost favor
with Madam. Some servants who were going to Foggy Courtyard in
order to please her, were now thinking twice about moving over.

But, some people thought it was fine. They were sure that Third Young
Lady would soon become the Third Prince’s wife. So what if she lost
Madam Dowager’s favor now? At her age, she would get married when
she was selected. So, it did not matter whether the Madam Dowager
liked her or not, at that time.

The servants in the manor had different opinions, but they found the
atmosphere was very tense. Except for Fifth Young Lady’s Bright Frost
Garden and First Madam’s Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, the other
places were filled with gloom.

This matter had nothing to do with Madam Ling. When she heard the
news, she sat up and felt much better. She always thought that Ning
Yuling was the most qualified person to be the Third Prince’s wife. The
reason why Ning Qingshan could take the position now was due to
Ling’er’s accident. So, she always thought that Ning Qingshan had
usurped Ning Yuling’s place. She was happy to hear that Madam
Dowager had counterattacked Ning Qingshan.

Besides, when she moved the account books to her parents’ home last
time, Ning Qingshan secretly sent people to keep an eye on her. Maybe
she even plotted against her behind her back. Unlike Madam Dowager,
Madam Ling was aware of the aspects of Ning Qingshan’s true character.
She knew that Ning Qingshan even dared to poison Madam Ming when
she was young. So, Madam Ling always thought that Ning Qingshan was
a vicious woman.

In the Bright Frost Garden.

Lanning saw Qing’er rushing out of the door of Bright Frost Garden,
with tears in her eyes. She dusted herself off and turned back to Ning
Xueyan’s inner room, in a good mood.

The environment was tranquil and peaceful. Ning Xueyan leaned back
on the couch and read a book. The sunshine outside the window came in
obliquely, shining on her tender face. Her black hair, long eyelashes, and
the curved shadows that could be seen, made everything seem quiet.

“Did Qing’er go out?” Ning Xueyan asked casually, flipping through the
book, without raising her head.

“Yes. Qing’er became anxious when she heard that someone was going
to settle the matter about getting people in. She was so scared that tears
streamed down her face. I tried to comfort her, telling her that it would
be fine. Even if someone found out about that, no one would care about
it now, because it was Junior Concubine Xu who tried to put her in
Bright Frost Garden. After all, Junior Concubine Xu is now the popular
favorite of the marquis.”

Lanning served Ning Xueyan a cup of tea, with a smile.

There was a faint smile in Ning Xueyan’s eyes. She raised her lips and
said with a tinge of sarcasm. “Junior Concubine Xu, Xu Yulian, a maid,
she thinks that she has soared up into the sky with one start. After a
period of peace, won’t they start to get restless? That’ll be just right.
Let’s see what those people will do next.”

The mansion was restless.

Ning Qingshan had created such a big scene today in trying to shift Ning
Zu’an’s attention to herself. She took advantage of her people to take
Mammy Luo out of the manor. She wanted Ning Xueyan to take the
blame for her. Ning Qingshan was so good at killing people with a
borrowed knife. If she had not been prepared and had reported to Ning
Zu’an first, Ning Qingshan would probably have succeeded.

When she was young, she was wicked and merciless. Now, she was even
more vicious. However, Ning Qingshan had always been cunning, so she
could not always outdo her so easily. Therefore, when she faced Ning
Qingshan, Ning Xueyan could not relax her guard even for a moment.

However, she did not expect that Ning Qingshan would take the
initiative to give her the evidence. For what had happened this time and
before, Ning Qingshan had made a fool of herself and exposed her
biggest secret this time. Ning Zu’an would undoubtedly investigate it.
With Ning Zu’an holding her down, it would not be easy for Ning
Qingshan to stay in the dark, like a viper.

The reunion dinner that had been arranged was not a cheerful affair, and
even the food did not taste good.

Madam Ling did not come, giving the excuse of being ill. Ning Lingyun
was locked up in the Buddha Hall. Except for the most favored Junior
Concubine Xu, all the other concubines were trembling with fear. They
did not dare to make any loud noises. Madam Dowager’s face darkened,
and Junior Concubine Xu’s jokes failed to make her burst into laughter.
In the end, Junior Concubine Xu’s voice became lower and lower, and
finally died out in the end.

There were no expressions on Ning Zu’an’s and Ning Huaiyuan’s faces.

They sat at the table, eating calmly.

Ning Qingshan looked at Madam Dowager, with tears in her eyes from
time to time, looking pitiful and full of regret. She tried to beg for
Madam Dowager’s forgiveness. After a few mouthfuls of rice, she took
the initiative to stand behind Madam Dowager, helped her to get the food
and cutlery, and asked Junior Concubine Xu to have dinner, so that she
could serve Madam Dowager.

Madam Dowager did not seem to notice what she was doing. It appeared
as if the one standing beside her was still Junior Concubine Xu. She
enjoyed the food in the same manner, without any change in her attitude.
After half a day of rest, Madam Dowager had returned to her usual state
of mind. Although her face was gloomy, she seemed not to be angry at
all.

It was said that Madam Dowager Liu was also ill, so she did not come
out to have dinner with everyone this evening. Ning Xueyan lowered her
head and ate her meal. Like the other people at the table, she did not see
anything different. The atmosphere was very dull, and she did not seem
to enjoy a happy reunion dinner. It was more like she was eating her last
meal, not knowing when the next meal would be.

Since Madam Ming’s death, Madam Dowager Liu had rarely appeared in
public.

Of course, no one enjoyed the meal. After dinner, the concubines left
hurriedly, and Ning Zu’an and his son went to the study. For a while,
only Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan, and Madam Dowager were left in
the room. After the servants served tea, they quietly left, leaving only
Mother Qin and Xiangmiao standing behind Madam Dowager.

“Grandmother, it’s my fault. I should not be jealous that Fifth Sister has
won your heart. Grandmother, please forgive me. I won’t do this again!”
After the others left, Ning Qingshan knelt on the ground and crawled
forward on her knees. She put her hands on Madam Dowager’s knees
and cried. She looked up at Madam Dowager pitifully, and said,

“Envy your sister? I don’t know why you should be jealous of your Fifth
Sister?” Madam Dowager sneered, pushed away Ning Qingshan’s hand,
and shouted.

Jealousy? Ning Xueyan sneered. Ning Qingshan dared to say that.

Ning Xueyan had been neglected by the people of Lord Protector’s

Manor since she was a child. Even her biological father and grandmother
were indifferent to her. Although they were her blood relatives, they
never gave her any family affection. Even a passer-by would not take
such an attitude toward an orphan and a widow.

Unexpectedly, even so, some people were jealous of her. Ning Qingshan
thought highly of her. She gently stroked the handle of the teacup,
lowered her head, and listened to how Ning Qingshan made up her tale.
“Grandmother, I was blinded by jealousy. Although Fifth Sister has lost
her biological mother now, she still has a grandmother and a father who
loves her. However, I have nothing. I always regarded you as my
grandmother, but… but those people in the manor don’t regard me as
such. They always say that… I ‘m adopted… Grandmother, I’m wrong. I
thought that if something should happen to Fifth Sister, I will be the only
one in your eyes.”

Ning Qingshan burst into tears. She raised her swollen eyes and looked
at Madam Dowager imploringly.

“Although I favor your Fifth Sister, did I not care about you? Why do
you think that I love your Fifth Sister more than you? Why do you want
to hurt your Fifth Sister?” Madam Dowager asked this coldly, with a
gloomy face.

“It’s… it’s my fault. I’ve always been self-abased. I heard some servants
talking about Fifth Sister and me. I don’t know why I lost my head.
Grandmother, please forgive me. I won’t do this again. I’ll get along well
with Fifth Sister. It will never happen again. When I enter the palace, I’ll
take care of her.”

Ning Qingshan cried bitterly, she looked up at Madam Dowager with

tears in her eyes. She looked sincere as if she would die if Madam
Dowager did not believe her and accept her apology.

“Well, if such a thing happens again next time, I won’t forgive you. Go
and apologize to your Fifth Sister.” Seeing that Ning Qingshan was in
such a pitiful state, Madam Dowager sighed and relaxed a little. She
finally relented and said.

Seeing that Madam Dowager relented, Mother Qin hurried to help Ning
Qingshan up. “Third Young Lady, don’t blame Madam Dowager. She
has always treated you as her biological granddaughter. Whatever those
biological granddaughters have, you have too How can you be jealous of
your Fifth Young Lady?”

“Yes, I lost my head for the time being. Fifth Sister, you… please forgive
me. Otherwise, I… I can’t face my grandmother. Even if I die, I can’t
repay her great kindness…” Ning Qingshan could not help crying again.
In the event that Ning Xueyan did not want to forgive her, she would
kneel to express her apologies.

Both Ning Qingshan and Madam Dowager were getting better at acting.
One of them regretted it so much that she almost committed suicide,
while the other was generous enough to say that there would be no next
time. It was because they had to cooperate and would receive mutual
benefits. Thus, Ning Qingshan could continue to act like this.

Seeing that Ning Qingshan came to her, Ning Xueyan had a faint
sarcastic smile on her face. Tears were streaming down her face, but her
eyes were full of viciousness. Despite this, Ning Qingshan showed that
their sisterhood ties were deep. “Third Sister, you’re too kind.
Grandmother has forgiven you, so how could I not forgive you? After
all, in Grandmother’s heart, she wholeheartedly treats you as her own
granddaughter.”

Madam Dowager treated Ning Qingshan better than her biological

granddaughters. As her granddaughter, Ning Xueyan never felt any
affection from Madam Dowager! However, she loved Ning Qingshan,
her fake granddaughter most. On the one hand, Ning Qingshan was
sweet-tongued and talkative. On the other hand, it showed that Madam
Dowager was ruthless toward Madam Ming and her daughter. She
treated an outsider better than her granddaughter.

Madam Dowager was very satisfied with Ning Xueyan’s magnanimity,

but her words also reminded her of her intentions. Maybe Ning Qingshan
did not take it seriously at all. She was angry and waved her hand. “It’s
getting late. You two dress up and go to Cold Mountain Temple. Don’t
let the other Young Ladies wait for you.”
Chapter 296 Praying at Cold
Mountain Temple During the
Spring Festival
When Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan arrived at the Cold Mountain
Temple under Ning Huaiyuan’s escort, a few carriages had already been
parked in the parking lot in the courtyard.

Although the Cold Mountain Temple was well-known, it was located in a

secluded place. Therefore, not so many noble Young Ladies had chosen
to come here during the Spring Festival. As Ning Yuling preferred lively
places, Cold Mountain Temple was not her first choice, and people of the
Lord Protector’s Manor had never come here to fight for burning the first
incense in the previous years.

It was Ning Qingshan who had proposed to come here, and she also
specifically asked Ning Xueyan for her opinion. Ning Xueyan also liked
this kind of quiet place in her previous life and she felt more relaxed here
than those noisy places. That was why she did not refuse when Ning
Qingshan had made the proposal.

Seeing the two large carriages coming over, the little monks knew that
there were noble guests and immediately came out to greet them.
Although they were all kids, these little monks were all very smart.
During the Spring Festival, these noble Young Ladies would definitely
donate a lot of money, which would be enough for their temple to last for
a long time.

The courtyard had been booked for a long time. Ning Xueyan, Ning
Qingshan and Ning Huaiyuan’s rooms were close to each other. After
tidying up, they would go to the main hall first, where the abbot of the
Cold Mountain Temple would give a lecture later. After that, everyone
could stay and drink tea in the wing room beside the main hall, and the
little monks would add the lamp oil and tea for them.
When it was at 11 o’clock at night, everyone could burn incense in the
hall.

After tidying up, Ning Xueyan walked out of her room with Xinmei and
Qingyu. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Ning Qingshan coming out
from the opposite door with Feilian and Caifen.

“Fifth Sister, would you like to take a walk with me?” Ning Qingshan
was no longer pitiful, like she had been in front of Madam Dowager. She
covered her mouth with her sleeve when she smiled, looking graceful.

Today was the New Year’s Eve. The monks knew that the noble Young
Ladies and childes would stay up tonight, so they kept the road brightly
lit from the guest rooms to the main hall, made it quite different from
usual.

“Well, Third Sister, since you are willing to get along with me, let’s go
together!” Ning Xueyan said calmly with a faint smile.

“Fifth Sister, it’s normal for sisters to have some minor conflicts. Are
you really mad of me?” Ning Qingshan smiled gently and walked out.

“Is she hinting that as her younger sister, I shouldn’t be too mean?” Ning
Xueyan wondered. She did not know whether she should ridicule Ning
Qingshan’s ‘generosity’ or laugh at her about this. “She is so generous to
me that she had forgotten that she just framed me recently and promised
Madam Dowager in a pitiful manner, like a little white lotus.”

However, this was not what Ning Qingshan used to say. Ning Xueyan
could tell from her words that she was not as kind as she appeared.
“Does she want to have a falling-up with me? But this is not in keeping
with her principle of pretending to be perfect. What’s Ning Qingshan
going to do?” Ning Xueyan walked forward while looking up to Ning
Qingshan with a trace of cold suspicion in her eyes.

“How can I be mad of you, Third Sister? Our father and grandmother
will not blame you either. Third Sister, since you’re not related to our
family by blood, it was normal for you to have done such a thing. But if
it were me who have done this, our father and grandmother would have
definitely taught me a good lesson. I don’t take what happened today
seriously, so Third Sister, you don’t have to worry about it.”
Ning Xueyan shot back leisurely. In the candlelight, her thoughtful eyes
were as dark as black jade.

She was reminding Ning Qingshan that she was only an adopted
daughter. Even if Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an did not favor Ning
Xueyan, after all, she was the daughter of the principal wife of Lord
Protector, so she was different from Ning Qingshan. She was hinting that
even if Ning Qingshan had been adopted by Madam Ling, Madam
Dowager and Ning Zu’an would not really take her as their family.

Ning Qingshan knew that Ning Xueyan was not easy to deal with, but
she had not thought that she was so acrimonious. At the thought that her
plan fell flat and she had ended up being suspected by Ning Zu’an
because Ning Xueyan had gotten the advantages all the time, the smile
on her face disappeared.

“Fifth Sister, you’re so eloquent. Thank you for your magnanimity!”

It was obvious that she was sarcastic! Ning Xueyan was more certain
about her judgment now. Ning Qingshan did not seem to be friendly
today and she did not even hide her sarcasm when she spoke.

As hypocritical and insidious as Ning Qingshan was, if she had not hated
Ning Xueyan to the extreme and could not put up with her anymore, she
would not have spoken in this way. Ning Xueyan’s eyelid twitched
slightly and she became even more cautious.

Ning Qingshan had never confronted Ning Xueyan like this before. Even
if she had wanted to frame her, she would have shifted the blame to
others. When Ning Qingshan invited her to take a walk with her just
now, Ning Xueyan had thought that she wanted to explain the collusion
between Mammy Xing and her. Ning Xueyan believed that she would
give her countless hypocritical explanations.

Or maybe she would shift all the blame to Mammy Luo.

Or perhaps she would tell her that Mammy Luo had misunderstood her
and she had nothing to do with this matter.

Normally, whatever way she tried to explain it, she would distance
herself from the matter. However, to Ning Xueyan’s surprise, instead of
falsely explaining what had happened, Ning Qingshan shot back at her.
“Is she fed up with me or is she up to something?”

“Or maybe she doesn’t take me seriously, thinking that I won’t stand in
the way of her grand plans and she doesn’t have to carefully maintain her
hypocritical and perfect image in front of me.”

There must be a reason for a person’s change, especially for a person like
Ning Qingshan who had always pretended to be kind in front of people.
It made Ning Xueyan more suspicious about her. Unlike hot-tempered
Ning Yuling, Ning Qingshan would not say anything offensive for a
moment’s pleasure. But if it were not for this reason, why had Ning
Qingshan lost temper in front of her?

“Third Sister, you must be jealous of me because our grandmother favors

me more. But what about Second Sister? It’s said she is going to come
back soon. It was Second Sister who was engaged to Third Prince. I
wonder what will happen when she returns to our manor. Maybe Lord
Protector will marry two of his daughters to Third Prince.”

Ning Xueyan pretended that she did not figure out what Ning Qingshan
hinted. Covering her lips with a handkerchief, she smiled gracefully and
walked forward following Ning Qingshan.

Ning Yuling loved Third Prince and wanted to marry him

wholeheartedly. Even Honored Consort Ya had acquiesced to her being
her daughter-in-law. If nothing had happened later, Ning Yuling would
be Third Prince’s wife. Although Ning Qingshan had not returned to the
manor when the accident happened, Ning Xueyan did not believe that
Ning Qingshan knew nothing about it.

“What happened to Second Sister is over. Fifth Sister, do you want such
a notorious woman to marry Third Prince?” Ning Qingshan glanced at
Ning Xueyan from the corner of her eyes and sneered. She had to
seriously take the matter, which made her lose her temper. At the thought
that her carefully plotted scheme had almost fallen through because of
Ning Yuling, she was in a bad mood.

Although Ning Qingshan had followed Ning Huaiyuan and mentioned

Ning Yuling in front of people, saying that she also wanted Ning Yuling
to go back to the capital city, it did not mean that she liked Ning Yuling,
that stupid woman.

Sure enough, Ning Qingshan had kept an eye on the outside world
during the three years when she was in the nunnery. It was said that she
had been in the nunnery to meditate wholeheartedly and would not greet
any visitors, even her family members. However, if she had paid no
attention to what had happened outside of the nunnery, how could she
know so much about Ning Yuling? Ning Xueyan remembered that it was
not in the peaceful and quiet nunnery when she had met Ning Qingshan
for the first time.

Since Ning Qingshan had appeared there with her face masked, of course
she could appear in other places. Ning Xueyan even had a hunch that
Ning Qingshan had gone to the nunnery for her reputation or great
benefit. As for whether she had stayed in the nunnery or not, Ning
Qingshan was the only one who knew.

“Third Sister, as for the reputation…” Ning Xueyan said with a smiling
face as brilliant as a flower, as if she really cared about Ning Qingshan.
“It seems that the rumors about you have spread a few days ago. But
don’t take it seriously, Third Sister. Anyway, the rumors can’t reach the
imperial palace.”

Everyone knew how to pretend to be innocent. Third Prince had set such
a trap and Ning Qingshan had already fallen into it. Ning Xueyan was
just looking on at her trouble indifferently and adding fuels to the fire
occasionally.

At first, Ning Qingshan had kept a gentle smile on her face. However,
what Ning Xueyan had mentioned just now had been troubling her for
days. Besides, she could not help feeling that Ning Xueyan was sneering
at her at the sight of the smile on Ning Xueyan’s face. It reminded her of
the rumor spread since that night that she had an affair with Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li and had been caught by Third Prince on
spot in his suburban courtyard, and finally, she had made a maid her
scapegoat.

What was more, someone said that she had been together with Princely
Heir of Commandery Prince Li before she was found with her mussed-
up clothes that night. It was said that as soon as she had just entered the
Linjiang Restaurant, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li came, so
they had arrived at about the same time. Later, Ao Xian had defended
Ning Qingshan when she had an argument with Ya Moqin, so everyone
was more certain that they really had an affair.

Ning Qingshan thought that it was all nonsense and Third Prince would
not believe it. She was sure that after a few days, those people would feel
bored and stop spreading rumors. However, to her surprise, after so long
time, the rumors did not die down but grew stronger. That was why she
had tried to set Ning Xueyan up out of anger today.

She would not allow any rumors about her spreading and she must do
everything possible to avoid Ning Zu’an doubting her. Otherwise, her
position as Third Prince’s wife would definitely be swayed. However,
Ning Xueyan had mentioned this again and again. How could she bear
it?

She suddenly turned around and glared at Ning Xueyan coldly. “Fifth
Sister, enough!”

It was obvious that she could not bear it anymore. Ning Xueyan smiled
slightly and raised her head with a confused look in her eyes. “Enough?
Third Sister, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Fifth Sister, you must be very happy if I can’t marry Third Prince. Am I
right?” Ning Qingshan looked at Ning Xueyan fiercely with coldness and
hatred in her eyes. She still remembered the special look on Third
Prince’s face when he mentioned Ning Xueyan. She had found that Third
Prince treated Ning Xueyan differently from others when he saw Ning
Xueyan for the first time, so she had been trying to stop his feelings for
Ning Xueyan from escalating and she would never let Ning Xueyan
marry Third Prince.

“Are you trying to mess up my marriage so that you can marry Third
Prince? Who do you think you are? How can a co-wife’s daughter
become a prince’s wife? Only in our Chu Kingdom can co-wives be
regarded as wives. In other countries, they are no different from
concubines. How dare a concubine’s daughter dream of being the
distinguished Third Prince’s wife?”
Ning Qingshan said with disdain. She stared at Ning Xueyan gloomily
with a ferocious look on her face.
Chapter 297 Is She Really the
Princess of the Previous Dynasty?
“What? I’m trying to mess up her marriage in order to marry Third
Prince?”

Ning Xueyan curved up her lips with coldness in her jet-black eyes.
Looking at Ning Qingshan fearlessly, she said calmly, “Third Sister,
don’t get me involved in the matter between you and Third Prince. I have
nothing to do with Third Prince, but please respect my mother. If you
look down on her, why did you call her ‘mother’ so intimately before?
After she had passed away, you started calling Madam Ling ‘mother’.
Third Sister, you are really something!”

She did not care what had happened between Ning Qingshan and Ao
Mingyu, but Ning Xueyan did not think that there was any reason for
Ning Qingshan to humiliate Madam Ming.

“I’m really something? Of course! If you were not jealous of me, Third
Prince would have fallen in love with me,” Ning Qingshan said in a low
voice with obvious hatred in her eyes.

“Jealousy? Third Sister, what makes you think in this way? Because
you’re favored by our grandmother?” Ning Xueyan asked calmly with a
trace of smile on her lips, which was sarcasm and ridicule in Ning
Qingshan’s eyes. Besides, Ning Xueyan also used the same reason that
she had told Madam Dowager before.

“Of course you’re jealous of me! I’m noble and you are no match for me.
I’m the perfect match for Third Prince. Besides, I’m excellent in all
aspects and it won’t be difficult for me to rise higher in the future.
However, you have always been against me and gotten me into trouble.
If it weren’t for you, our father wouldn’t have suspected me and Third
Prince would not have distanced from me.”

The more Ning Qingshan said, the angrier she became. Her elegant eyes
were covered with a hint of hatred because of her deep jealousy. It was
hard to believe it was Ning Qingshan, who had always put a perfect and
gentle smile on her face in front of people.

It sounded that Ning Qingshan was so noble that words could not even
express her nobleness. It reminded Ning Xueyan of what Ning
Qingshan’s maid Xia’er had said when they first met. Xia’er had also
hinted that her master was incredible noble. It made Ning Xueyan
suspect that Ning Qingshan was the princess of the previous dynasty
again. If that was not the case, how could an adopted daughter think
herself extremely noble? It seemed that Ning Qingshan was hinting that
she would become the empress in the future.

“Third Sister, though your identity is noble, I’m not worse than you.
Why do you think that you fit Third Prince better than I do?” Ning
Xueyan raised her eyebrows with a look of disapproval.

“You!? You think yourself excellent? Are you good at music, chess,
calligraphy, and painting? Can you compose poems and songs? Can you
be graceful and natural, born noble?” Ning Qingshan did not want to
pretend to be gentle anymore. She looked at Ning Xueyan, biting her
teeth, and shouted angrily, raising her voice unconsciously.”

If it were not for the fact that they came late and there was no one in the
guest rooms, many people would have gathered to watch.

Ning Xueyan was surprised, but soon showed a cold smile on her face.
She had never thought that Ning Qingshan was so narcissistic. “Born
noble? Is she really the princess of the previous dynasty?” If that was the
case, it was no wonder that Ning Qingshan was so proud of herself and
thought that she was born superior to others.

Of course, it was normal for her to think that she would become empress
in the future. However, since she called Ao Mingyu ‘cousin’, it was
impossible for her to be the princess of the former dynasty.

The previous regime had only been overthrown for more than a decade
and there were a lot of rumors about it. It was said that the last emperor
of the previous dynasty had no son and only a daughter who had been
very young when he was deposed from the throne. Maybe the princess
had not died in the fire in the imperial palace. Seeing Ning Qingshan’s
frantic look, Ning Xueyan only felt ironic.
Even though Ning Qingshan was that princess, the former dynasty had
collapsed. Every new sovereign brings his own courtiers. The succession
of regimes affected far more than just a few families, so Ning Xueyan
was confused about why Ning Qingshan thought that she would enjoy
the splendor and be superior to others all the time. And she even framed
others for this purpose.

When she was still a kid, Ning Qingshan had already known how to
poison others and frame others. After growing up, she was even more
ruthless and vicious. Was it because she was the noble princess of the
former dynasty that everyone had to give way to her and anyone who
blocked her way would die?

In a word, she was too self-righteous. Since the previous dynasty had
been replaced, of course the former emperor’s daughter was not a
princess anymore. She had been supreme before, but now she was
nothing at all. As she could not even show herself in public, how could
she think highly of herself? Who would still think of her as a princess?

In the final analysis, Ning Qingshan did not know much about the
current situation and still thought it was great that she was the princess of
the former dynasty. She thought that she was a perfect match for Third
Prince, Ao Mingyu, but never thought about whether other people
thought in the say way. In the other’s eyes, she was only an adopted
daughter of Lord Protector. Even though she had a good reputation, she
was no more than an adopted daughter. After all, except for Ning
Xueyan, she was different from Lord Protector’s own daughters.

In Ning Zu’an’s eyes, Ning Xueyan was no better than a maid of their
manor.

Ning Xueyan thought that Honored Consort Ya played the most

important role in making other people thought that Ning Qingshan would
become Third Prince’s wife. If Honored Consort Ya had not highly
recommended her, Ning Qingshan would never become Third Prince’s
wife. Now since she had aroused Third Prince’s suspicion, she could not
marry Third Prince as his wife anymore.

Ning Qingshan’s identity was doubtful, but it was not the time to argue
with her. Thinking about this, Ning Xueyan turned around and walked in
another direction.
Suddenly, she saw a figure in light yellow robe flash past her and she
stopped. However, before Ning Xueyan could think about it, she was
grabbed by the hand and forcibly pulled back to where she had been.
Seeing that Ning Xueyan almost fell to the ground, Xinmei immediately
walked over to support her. She turned her head slightly to one side,
signaling Ning Xueyan that someone was in that direction.

“Third Sister, no matter how outstanding and noble you are, I don’t want
to compete with you.” After standing firmly, Ning Xueyan raised her
head and said calmly. Against the lantern light and moonlight, her fair
face looked graceful and calm. Obviously, she was not flustered by Ning
Qingshan’s sudden loss of control.

“Ning Xueyan, stop dreaming of marrying Third Prince. Even if you can
marry him, I will trample you underfoot. If I want you die, you can’t
live!” Ning Qingshan said arrogantly.

“Third Sister, it seems you are very confident to become Third Prince’s
wife,” Ning Xueyan said emotionlessly with coldness in her eyes.

“Of course you can’t guess the relationship between Third Prince and
me!” Speaking of Ao Mingyu, Ning Qingshan could not help feeling
triumphant. As she was Honored Consort Ya’s niece, whatever her
reputation, Honored Consort Ya would help her. It was Honored Consort
Ya who had created the opportunity for her to approach Third Prince
three years ago.

“Ning Xueyan, you’d better give up! I have saved Third Prince’s life, so
you can’t rob him away from me!”

Ning Xueyan was amused by Ning Qingshan’s arrogance. “You have

saved his life? Third Sister, you must have made it with some tricks!”
she retorted casually. When she saw Ning Qingshan’s shocked look, she
chuckled and continued, “Third Sister, it seems I’m right. Otherwise,
how could a powerful prince be saved by you, a delicate Young Lady?”

Ning Qingshan was stunned. “You… stop talking nonsense!” she looked
around and shouted angrily.

“I’m right, am I? Third Sister, I feel sorry for you for doing anything to
marry Third Prince.” Ning Xueyan shook her head and stopped talking to
Ning Qingshan. She then walked quickly forward. Since someone in
yellow was on the path, she did not want to head for that direction to
avoid bumping into someone she did not want to see.

It should be Third Prince or Fourth Prince. In the capital city, only these
two princes would have come to the temple with their men and stay up at
night on New Year’s eve in the previous years. But neither of them had
shown up by now. It was more likely to be Third Prince, because only he
could be so patient. If it were Fourth Prince, he would have jumped out
long ago.

How could it be so coincident?

Ning Xueyan was still wondering whether Ning Qingshan was the
princess of the former dynasty or not. From the way Ning Qingshan
acted and spoke, she should be, but in fact, it was impossible.

Ning Qingshan was reluctant to let go of Ning Xueyan, so she took a few
steps forward, but was stopped by Xinmei. Hearing someone coming,
she immediately stopped walking and put on the usual gentle and
peaceful look, looking even a little weak and delicate.

Her arrogant and ferocious look had disappeared. She did not follow her
until she saw Ning Xueyan turn the corner.

Until Ning Qingshan was out of sight, a young man in light yellow robe
walked out of a corner with a darkened face, followed by a guard and a
eunuch.

Ao Mingyu had never expected that he would have seen this. At the
thought that Ning Qingshan was so vicious under her gentle appearance,
he could not hold back his anger anymore. He clenched his fists out of
anger. He had been guilty for setting up Ning Qingshan before.

He had thought that if Ning Qingshan was not Ao Chenyi’s favorite

concubine, he would definitely treat her sincerely. After all, she had
saved his life three years ago. But what had he heard just now? The
woman was so wicked that she had set up a trap for him three years ago.
It was no wonder that there had been nobody around him when he fell ill
that day.
Even the pills that he had always placed in his pocket was missing.
Besides, he had been at such a remote palace at that moment. Ao Mingyu
clearly remembered that Honored Consort Ya had asked him to gather
some plum flowers there for her that day, saying that since nobody had
usually gone to that place, the plum flowers were the best. That was why
he had gone so far.

He was surprised that his mother had framed him for that b*tch. If Ning
Qingshan had not ‘saved his life’, he would not have been so obsessed
with her and given an adopted daughter of Lord Protector any
opportunities to become his wife. It turned out that this b*tch had been
acting all the time!

“Your Highness, shall we go to the main hall?” The eunuch asked him in
a low voice when he saw Ao Mingyu was in a bad mood.

“Why not? Let’s go!” Third Prince, Ao Mingyu loosened his clenched
fists and said with a gloomy face. Since that b*tch dared to plot against
him, he would show no mercy. “Mother, since you want me to marry her,
I’ll follow your words. I’ll definitely marry her!” he thought.

Now, he had made up to marry Ning Qingshan and would not change his
mind even if his mother stopped him from doing so.

He would do this for both the bargaining chip behind Ning Qingshan and
Ning Qingshan herself.

Since she was so vicious, she should not blame him for being cold-
blooded!
Chapter 298 A Powerful Man
The hall was dark and serene, without any light. It was empty and
nobody could tell how big it was.

When the heavy door of the hall was pushed open, a frightening sound
could be heard. With the wind blowing the curtain, it was chilling. Ning
Qingshan was also scared, but she still forced herself to walk into the
hall, while Caifen was left at the door.

The door of the hall was closed as instructed.

“Is… there anyone?” Ning Qingshan stopped, clenching the

handkerchief in her hand tightly. As soon as the door closed, her
surroundings were in darkness and she could not even smaee her own
fingers.

“Scared?” The drifting voice seemed to come from all directions, but she
could identify it was a man’s voice. The voice sounded weird, but it
reassured Ning Qingshan.

“My identity might have been found out,” Ning Qingshan tried to calm
herself down and said. It was a mysterious woman who had contacted
Mammy Luo before but never shown her face. If she had something to
inform Ning Qingshan, she would have told Mammy Luo to take a
message for her. However, Ning Qingshan knew that the woman had a
master who was supposed to be a man. Could this man be her master?

“That’s why you’re looking for me?” The drifting voice came again,
which made people feel a kind of irony and surprise.

“You told me that I could contact you directly for something urgent! It’s
really urgent!” After calming down, Ning Qingshan said with grievance.

Whenever she wanted to meet that woman for something urgent, she
would let the pigeon off. Before she left home today, she had let off the
pigeon with a note attached to its leg, saying that she would go to the
Cold Mountain Temple today and wanted to meet that woman there to
discuss something important. When she had been in her own room just
now, she found a note thrown through the window, informing her to
come to this Buddha hall.

Ning Qingshan was surprised that it was not the woman who had come
this time, but a man, who might be the woman’s master. This excited her.

“Tell me, who discovered your identity?” The drifting voice was cold
and it seemed that its owner was not very interested in what Ning
Qingshan said.

“Ning Xueyan! Fifth Young Lady, Ning Xueyan of the Lord Protector’s
Manor found out my identity. You must get rid of her, or my identity
might be exposed and it would ruin your great plan,”

Ning Qingshan said, gritting her teeth. She hated Ning Xueyan so much
and thought that Ning Xueyan had ruined all her plans. Since she met
Ning Xueyan, she had always been at a disadvantage and everything had
been against her. It seemed no matter what Ning Qingshan did, Ning
Xueyan could find a way to deal with her. Ning Qingshan had planned to
get rid of Ning Xueyan on her own, but unexpectedly, she had aroused
Ning Zu’an’s suspicion.

Ning Qingshan had too many secrets, so she was nervous when she knew
that Ning Zu’an was investigating her. However, compared to Ning
Zu’an, she hated Ning Xueyan more. If it were not for Ning Xueyan,
Ning Zu’an would not have suspected her. Therefore, she wanted Ning
Xueyan dead. She must die!

To avoid that man’s refusal, she deliberately said something threatening,

which meant that if he did not kill Ning Xueyan, his plan would fall
through once she was exposed. Although she did not know why, Ning
Qingshan could tell that this man was protecting her. That meant she was
important. Therefore, she thought that the man would have to put up with
her even she said something threatening.

“Pa!” A hand reached out in the darkness and slapped Ning Qingshan in
the face. Ning Qingshan turned around and fell heavily to the ground.
She immediately felt a burning pain in the corner of her mouth from
where something warm flowing down. Being shocked and painful, Ning
Qingshan covered her face with her hand subconsciously.
“Do you really think I can’t do without you, so I have to protect you? Do
you believe I can kill you right now?” The cold voice drifted from
somewhere and penetrated Ning Qingshan’s skin, which made her feel
the strong killing intent instantly. Wasn’t this person protecting her all
the time? Why did he suddenly become so violent?

“I… I don’t. I’m just afraid that other people will know it.” Her tone
softened and her eyes were filled with horror.

Ning Qingshan was really scared. She had always thought that this man
was protecting her, so she was not afraid when she heard his voice.
However, now she was really frightened.

This man was unpredictable and did not play by common sense, so it was
impossible for anyone to control him.

“Humph! You’d better be careful! If your identity is discovered by that

person, maybe I’ll really…” The man warned with emotionless voice.
Ning Qingshan felt someone’s hand touching her swollen face and two
beams of cold light fixing on her. The hand was so cold, without a trace
of warmth.

“Yes, I… I’ll be careful. I’m going to the imperial palace to attend the
Beauty Contest soon. I’ll be more cautious after marrying Third Prince.”
Ning Qingshan nodded hard and emphasized that she was useful. She did
not dare to move and her body went stiff when the cold hand ran across
her face and disappeared in the endless darkness.

“This man is so powerful!” she thought.

“Are you talking about Ning Xueyan?”

“Yes, it’s her!”

“I got it. I don’t want this kind of thing to happen again.” The drifting
voice was so cold that Ning Qingshan was chilled to the bone.

It sounded that the man would deal with Ning Xueyan soon. “No, no, I’ll
be careful not to arouse suspicion anymore.” Ning Qingshan felt relieved
and answered subconsciously. She was so excited that she almost forgot
her situation.
Ning Qingshan believed that as long as this man took action, Ning
Xueyan had little chance to survive. “Ning Xueyan, how dare you go
against me? You’re dead!” she thought.

No one responded to her in the darkness, as if that man had never been
here. Ning Qingshan collapsed on the ground. After a while, she could
not help asking in a low voice, “Are you, are you still there?”

Her voice was no longer as arrogant as before, but more fearful and
pitiful. Even though people could not see her face clearly, they could feel
as a weak woman, how helpless and scared she was now. She even
changed into a pitiful look, like a wounded little rabbit.

Ning Qingshan had practiced this expression and movement many times
in front of the bronze mirror. Although now her face was swollen and her
mouth was broken, Ning Qingshan still believed that the man would pity
her as long as he saw her as she was now. Men were born to pity for
weak and beautiful women.

As this man was so powerful, she wanted to capture him.

After finishing speaking, Ning Qingshan maintained her current posture

and quietly waited in the darkness with an expectant look in her eyes.
She was waiting for the prey to hook. She could not see anything in the
darkness, but she was sure that the man would definitely see her clearly.
Otherwise, he could not have touched her face with perfect accuracy.

Unfortunately, she seemed to be wrong again. Nobody answered her at

all in the darkness.

She suddenly heard someone knocking on the door of the hall. “Miss!
Miss!” Caifen called her in a low voice.

“What’s the matter?” Ning Qingshan stood up with a trace of shame and
anger on her face. She had not expected that the man had gone for a long
time, but she was still sitting on the ground and waiting for his reply. So
stupid!

When she pulled open the heavy door and saw Caifen standing at the
door nervously, her face darkened.
“Miss, it seems that someone is coming over there. Shall we hide?”
Caifen pointed at the lanterns in the distance and asked Ning Qingshan.

“Let’s go!” Ning Qingshan nodded and walked toward a path outside of
the Buddha Hall. If people saw her here, gossips would rise again. She
had heard just now that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li also
came. It was so annoying. It seemed that he would appear wherever she
went. What a nuisance!

“Miss, your face…” Caifen hurried to catch up with Ning Qingshan.

When she suddenly saw a trace of blood on Ning Qingshan’s swollen
face, she could not help screaming.

“Shut up!” Ning Qingshan said viciously and glared at Caifen coldly as
if she was going to kill her.

Under her cold gaze, Caifen lowered her head in horror and did not dare
to speak anymore. She followed behind Ning Qingshan carefully without
saying a word.

“Miss, they’re gone.” Xinmei, who was carrying the lantern, stopped
when she saw Ning Qingshan leaving with her maid, Caifen from a
distance.

“We’ll just walk around here before leaving.” Ning Xueyan had come
here on the pretext of looking for a handkerchief. She had been walking
in front of Ning Qingshan, but after a while, Xinmei had told her that
Ning Qingshan was gone.

Ning Xueyan had not taken it seriously at the beginning. However, when
Xinmei told her that Ning Qingshan was not going in the direction of the
hall where they were going to meet, she immediately became alert.

Ning Xueyan had never given up on her vigilance against Ning

Qingshan. On the one hand, Ning Qingshan was really vicious. Like a
poisonous snake always spying on people, she hid in a dark corner and
waited for the right time to rush out and kill people. On the other hand, it
was because of her mystery.

Although she could not be certain of Ning Qingshan’s identity yet, Ning
Xueyan had a hunch that it was a big secret that had something to do
with her previous life or this life.

She asked Qingyu to go to the main hall first. She then walked around
the Cold Mountain Temple casually with Xinmei, carrying lanterns. Ning
Qingshan had walked so fast and when Ning Xueyan wanted to catch up
with her, she had already disappeared. When they arrived, before Ning
Xueyan could find anything, Xinmei heard the sound of the door opening
and closing. She looked carefully and found it was no other than Ning
Qingshan.

From a distance, nothing seemed to be amiss with Ning Qingshan.

“Miss, shall we go to the hall and have a look?” Xinmei asked in a low
voice while pretending to look for something on the ground. It was
impossible for Ning Qingshan to appear in a dark hall for no reason.
Thinking of Ning Qingshan’s mystery, everyone would want to find out
what had happened.

“No! Just look for the handkerchief.” Ning Xueyan said in a soft and
determined voice, fixing her eyes on the ground coolly.

This place was full of oddities, so Ning Xueyan did not think it was right
to enter the hall at this time. How unwise it would be to expose herself in
front of her enemies!

“Fifth Young Lady, are you looking for something? Let me help you!” A
clear and loud voice came from behind them pleasantly. Ning Xueyan
looked back and saw an enchanting and extremely beautiful face as well
as a pair of lovely charming eyes in the lantern’s light.
Chapter 299 The Beauty in Ao
Xian’s Hear
t

Ning Xueyan had not expected to see Wen Xueran here. What surprised
her more was that he was being with Princely Heir of Commandery
Prince Li, Ao Xian! Wen Xueran saw them first. Now Ao Xian was one
step away from him, followed by two servants. They happened to appear
in a corner behind Ning Xueyan and Xinmei.

“Greetings, Princely Heirs!” Ning Xueyan recovered her composure

soon and bowed to them to offer her greetings. She then straightened up
and asked with a smile, “Princely Heirs, what are you doing here?”

“We were tired of listening to the monk chanting in the front hall, so we
came to the backyard, thinking that we might see some beautiful ladies
walking on the snow in the moonlight.” Wen Xueran winked at Ning
Xueyan frivolously, his charming and amorous eyes even more attractive
and watery. If those bold young girls saw him, they would definitely
scream with surprise.

It turned out that the abbot had started to preach in the Buddha hall.
Obviously, the two of them were not that kind of people who would sit
there and listen to the preaching absorbedly, so it was inevitable for them
to sneak out and take a stroll.

Ao Xian nodded to Ning Xueyan from behind. He had been excited

when he saw a Young Lady just now. As Wen Xueran said, beautiful
ladies did not like to listen to the preaching either and they would slip
out as well. However, when he saw it was Ning Xueyan, he stopped
fantasizing.

Among all the Young Ladies of the capital city, Ao Xian was most afraid
of the ones from the Lord Protector’s Manor now. Ao Xian thought no
matter who she was, he should stay away from her, because he and these
Young Ladies were meant not to be together. Every time he got close to
them, there would be quarreling, fighting and romantic troubles.

It was not a big deal if it was only common romantic troubles.

Unfortunately, it was related to Third Prince, so Ao Xian was upset
recently and he felt uneasy when he heard about the Lord Protector’s
Manor.

When he found it was Ning Xueyan, he was in no mood for romance. He

stood in the distance and did not even intend to come over to greet her.
Seeing Wen Xueran greeting Ning Xueyan warmly, he remained
unmoved. If it were not for the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s
Manor, he would not have had such bad luck recently. He had gotten
much humiliated because of them. Besides, he had been severely
punished several times by Madam Dowager and even gotten beat up last
time!

Since then, Ao Xian had been quiet for a while.

“Princely Heirs, since you are hanging about, I won’t bother you.” Ning
Xueyan did not want to get involved in their affairs, so she said goodbye
with a gentle smile.

“What? Fifth Young Lady, are you going back to listen to the boring
scriptures again?” Wen Xueran opened the valuable folding fan in his
hand and waved it. Under the gaze of his amorous and enchanting eyes,
any girl would blush and lower her head.

He walked around Ning Xueyan for a while and asked with interest.

“The scripture is dull or not depends on the listener. Princely Heir, you
don’t want to listen to it because your mind is restless,” Ning Xueyan
said gracefully and calmly with a smile. She looked at Wen Xueran at
ease with her jet-black eyes, neither avoiding nor shy, looking extremely
natural.

It seemed that she was looking at an ordinary person, instead of an

unparalleled beautiful man.

“My mind is restless? No, no, no!” Wen Xueran shook his fan hard, as if
to prove Ning Xueyan’s mistake. He blinked at Ning Xueyan with his
right eye and curved his lips into a charming smile, like a cunning fox. “I
have always been at peace, as I am now, with the intention of…”

The more he said, the more indecent he became.

“Princely Heir, I have to leave. My third sister is waiting for me in

front.” Ning Xueyan interrupted Wen Xueran and bowed to him again.
She did not see any point in listening to him any longer, so she said
goodbye and went straight ahead before Wen Xueran could say anything.
Turning the corner, it would be the main road.

“Hey, hey… Fifth Young Lady! Fifth…” Seeing that Ning Xueyan
ignored him, Wen Xueran laughed and closed the folding fan in his hand,
pointing at Ning Xueyan from behind with it.

“Forget it! She is gone! All the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s
Manor are very strange. You’d better not provoke them in the future.”
Seeing that Ning Xueyan had left, but Wen Xueran was still calling her,
Ao Xian became impatient. He had hoped that Ning Xueyan would leave
soon, because he was sure that anyone who met the Young Ladies of the
Lord Protector’s Manor would be out of luck for three years!

Unfortunately, he always bumped into them wherever he went.

Wen Xueran turned his head and blinked his enchanting eyes. “Brother
Ao Xian, don’t you think she is a great beauty?” he raised his hand
casually and asked with a smile. “I remember you love such kind of
beautiful woman best.”

“Great beauty? No woman is more beautiful than the one from the
previous dynasty. This one? She is too young and I don’t think she is that
beautiful!” Ao Xian said disdainfully.

“Although she has not fully developed yet, I’m sure after two years, she
will be the First Beauty in our country,” Wen Xueran affirmed with a
smile.

“First Beauty? It should be the girl I saw half a year ago. She was about
15 or 16 years old at that time. So gorgeous! It was a pity that she was
gone before I could see her face clearly. Alas, I wish I had gone after
her.” Ao Xian recalled the beauty he had seen in the night market half a
year ago. The moment the wind blew her veil, he had known what great
beauty meant. He had been stunned at the first glance.

When he came to himself, the beautiful girl had disappeared. At the

thought of her, Ao Xian could not help feeling regret for having been
fascinated by her that night and forgetting to chase her.

“A 15 or 16-year-old girl? Brother Ao Xian, are you kidding me? She

even more beautiful than Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s
Manor?” Hearing that Ao Xian had met such a beautiful girl before, Wen
Xueran’s eyes lit up, as if he were very interested.

“Third Young Lady is very beautiful, but not as beautiful as that girl.” At
the thought that he was much luckier than Wen Xueran because he had
seen that girl’s face at least, Ao Xian felt proud, as if he had taken
advantage of something.

“Is she really that beautiful?” Wen Xueran did not believe it.

“Of course! It’s a pity that the beauty disappeared all of a sudden and I
have never seen her again since then.” Ao Xian sighed, feeling sad. If
such a beauty was willing to marry him, he would like to get rid of his
bad habits, be loyal to her and never fool around with any other woman.

“Is there anybody beside that beauty at that moment? Maybe she was
hiding in someone’s house, but you didn’t pay attention to it.”
“Swoosh!” Wen Xueran opened his fan again and shook his head slightly
in an unrestrained manner, as if he was sighing for Ao Xian.

It reminded Ao Xian of something. His eyes lit up and he suddenly

laughed out loud. Without saying anything, he turned around and
returned by the way they had come. He had been feeling sad that he
could not see that beauty. After being reminded by Wen Xueran, he
suddenly remembered that he had seen a familiar figure at that time. This
person was also in the Cold Mountain Temple today!

“No! I must ask that person where the beauty is!” Ao Xian thought.

Wen Xueran narrowed his eyes behind him, with a charming smile on his
face.
Ning Xueyan and her maid did not go back to the Buddha hall
immediately. They were still looking for her handkerchief. Although it
was just an excuse, she had to pretend to be looking for something to
avoid suspicion.

When Ning Xueyan returned to the Buddha hall where the abbot was
preaching, she saw a dozen noble Young Ladies and childes sitting in the
room. Ning Xueyan quietly found a place in the corner and sat down. All
the maids and servants were left outside the hall, so it was quiet inside
and only the abbot was preaching.

Ning Xueyan was far from the pulpit, so she could not hear the abbot
clearly. She looked up and saw Ning Qingshan sitting not far away from
her. Obviously, she had just come as well. Her position was also very far
back and unremarkable. To Ning Xueyan’s surprise, Wen Xueran and Ao
Xian were also there. Ao Xian’s mind was not on the scripture at all. He
looked around, as if he was looking for somebody.

As for Wen Xueran, he was secretly making eyes at those beautiful

Young Ladies who were looking at him. Under his flirtatious glances,
those Young Ladies were all blushed. It seemed only very few people
were absorbed in the abbot’s preaching.

Finally, the abbot finished preaching. He stood up and bowed to

everyone in the room. He then walked out with a few eminent monks,
looking straight ahead. Some little monks came over and led the Young
Ladies and childes to the wing room. It was still too early, so everyone
could sit together and drink tea while chatting and go to sleep after
burning the first incense.

Ning Xueyan walked behind them. She walked out of the hall until
everyone had left. When she arrived at the door, she suddenly heard a
woman’s sharp and angry voice. Ning Xueyan frowned and looked at the
two in front of her. What a coincidence! She knew both of them.

The one who was shouting was Ling Xue of the Vice Minister of
Justice’s Manor.

“It’s your own fault. Why are you blaming me? If you didn’t stand in my
way, I wouldn’t have bumped against you and it wouldn’t have broken!”
Ling Xue said in a sharp voice.
“Miss, what you said doesn’t make sense. My master has given way to
you to let you go first when she saw you rushing from behind, but you
didn’t slow down and still knocked her against the door! Otherwise, this
bracelet wouldn’t have broken. Our master’s grandmother gave her this
valuable bracelet. You have to pay for it!”

The maid who followed the delicate Young Lady said angrily, pointing at
the broken jade bracelet on the ground.

“How can it be valuable? It’s just an ordinary bracelet. Besides, you

failed to avoid me, so you can’t blame me for it. Don’t try to blackmail
me. I’m not that easy to be fooled!” Although a trace of panic crossed
Ling Xue’s face, Ling Xue immediately said with bravado.

“How shameless you are! My master is a noble Young Lady. How can
she blackmail you?” The maid was unconvinced and said angrily,
pointing at Ling Xue.

Ning Xueyan had known what kind of person Ling Xue was when she
was at the Lord Protector’s Manor. Much like Ning Yuling, Ling Xue
was also very bossy. From what was happening, Ning Xueyan could tell
that Ling Xue had broken that Young Lady’s bracelet in order to get
ahead of the others, but she refused to admit it.

Since the Lord Protector’s Manor had decided to go to the Cold

Mountain Temple to burn the first incense, it was no wonder that Vice
Minister of Justice’s Manor, which had a marriage relationship with it
sent people here.

“What’s going on?” A man showed up at the door with a clear and loud
voice. Against the shadow behind him, he looked tall and straight.
Chapter 300 Accident, a Fire in
the Buddha Hall
Ning Xueyan quietly retreated to the shadow behind her and looked at
Xia Yuhang coldly.

“Elder Brother!” The delicate Young Lady seemed to have seen the
savior and immediately cried with reddish eyes. Before she could speak,
tears rolled down. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, lowered
her head and wiped her tears.

“Cousin Yuhang!” Ling Xue also called out in a low voice. She looked at
Xia Yuhang in front of her in a daze, and then at the delicate Young Lady
who stood behind him, confused.

“Eldest Young Master, our Young Lady was in poor health and could not
walk too fast, so we walked behind the others slowly. However, this
Young Lady suddenly rushed out from behind, bumped against our
Young Lady and broke her bracelet. This is a gift from our Young Lady’s
grandmother and it’s the first time for her to wear it today. How can she
explain to her grandmother after returning to our manor?”

The maid who followed the Young Lady said angrily, pointing at the
bracelet that was broken into two pieces on the ground as evidence.

“Well, it’s nothing serious. I’ll explain to our grandmother when I go

back. Don’t worry,” Looking at the bracelet on the ground, Xia Yuhang
said gently to the wronged and sad Young Lady standing aside.

The maid was still somewhat unconvinced. “It’s too much! How could a
noble Young Lady act in this way?” she whispered angrily while
squatting down to pick up the bracelet.

Being accused by the maid, Ling Xue’s face turned pale. Looking at the
delicate and weak Young Lady, who was still wiping her tears secretly, as
if she had been greatly wronged, and then at the Young Ladies and
childes who were watching them, she felt a little embarrassed.
“I just broke the bracelet by accident! Why are you acting like I’m
bullying you?” Ling Xue’s face blushed with embarrassment and anger.

“Hey, why are you so aggressive? Did my master offend you or blame
you? You broke my master’s bracelet, but she didn’t even say anything.
It’s normal that she showed her grievance at the sight of our Eldest
Young Master.” The maid was annoyed by Ling Xue’s arrogance. She
rose to her feet and stood in Ling Xue’s way, as if she was afraid that
Ling Xue was going to beat her master.

It was humiliating for Ling Xue. She was Vice Minister of Justice’s
daughter. How dare the maid to treat her as a scoundrel!

Xia Yuhang came over and patted the Young Lady on the shoulder.
“Well, it’s all right. Leqian, don’t cry. It’s okay. Our grandmother won’t
blame you,” he comforted her softly.

Leqian was his younger sister. She was timid since childhood and rarely
showed up in front of people. She had not expected that she would have
met the fierce woman, Ling Xue this time.

“Elder brother!” Perhaps Xia Yuhang’s comfort had worked. Xia Leqian
raised her head with reddish eyes and walked closer to him timidly. She
did not even dare to look at Ling Xue.

“It’s all right. Do you want to have a rest first? I’ll send someone to call
you when the time is nearly up,” Xia Yuhang said gently.

Xia Leqian nodded. She left the hall and walked toward the guest room,
following the maid obediently.

“Miss Ling, my sister is timid. I hope you can forgive her if she did
something wrong,” After Xia Leqian walking away, Xia Yuhang turned
around and said to Ling Xue calmly.

“I, I…” Although Ling Xue was cheeky, she felt embarrassed now. She
had bumped against Xia Leqian and broken her bracelet, but now Xia
Leqian’s brother was apologizing to her! Seeing the half-smiling faces of
the crowd, she knew that they must be laughing at her secretly.
The look on her face kept changing. When she was in embarrassment,
she suddenly saw Ning Huaiyuan coming out of the wing room. She
could not help crying and called Ning Huaiyuan with grievance, “Cousin
Huaiyuan!”

Ning Huaiyuan had walked in front of the crowd just now. He had not
taken it seriously when he heard something seemed to have happened
behind him. However, after taking a few more steps, he heard someone
talking about the Lord Protector’s Manor. He then stopped with a frown.
He looked around and saw Ning Qingshan not far away from him, but
did not find Ning Xueyan. Therefore, he turned and walked back.

However, to his surprise, he did not see Ning Xueyan, but saw Ling Xue
here. He froze for a while and turned to Xia Yuhang.

“It’s not a big deal. The girls ran into each other accidentally.” Xia
Yuhang nodded slightly.

Ning Huaiyuan knew Ling Xue’s character very well. “Ran into each
other? It must be Ling Xue’s fault. And she might also have gotten the
Young Lady of other manors into trouble,” he thought. However, Ling
Xue seemed to be fine all over, so he knew that she was not hurt.

“Well, since nothing happened, let’s go to the front and have a rest.”
Ning Huaiyuan sighed. He had to meddle in this matter, because Ling Yi
had hung out after sending his younger sister here and asking Ning
Huaiyuan to take care of her.

Ling Xue was too ashamed to say anything. She followed Ning
Huaiyuan to the wing room with grievance.

Since there was nothing interesting to watch, all the onlookers left. But
Xia Yuhang did not move, as if he had seen Ning Xueyan in the shadow.

Since he had seen her, Ning Xueyan did not hide, but walked out
gracefully. The girl walking out from the shadow had a pale but
extremely delicate face. Under her long eyelashes, were a pair of jet-
black eyes that were beautiful and moist, as if being covered with a layer
of mist.

However, the smile on her lips was distant and indifferent.

“Eldest brother-in-law,” Ning Xueyan bowed to him and smiled slightly.

“Fifth Young Lady, why did you stay alone in the back?” Xia Yuhang
asked gently. The light of the hall was flickering in his eyes which made
people unable to tell what he was thinking.

“How is my eldest sister? I haven’t seen her since last time.” Instead of
answering his question, Ning Xueyan talked about Ning Ziyan with a
smile. After the accident, Ning Ziyan had not shown up in the Lord
Protector’s Manor yet.

“She is a little uncomfortable. Fifth Young Lady, if you are free, you can
come to our manor to see her and chat with her. She is so boring.” Xia
Yuhang invited her with a soft smile.

“I… I’m not in good health, so I think I’d better not go. I’m afraid that I
might infect my eldest sister and make her as sick as I am.” Ning Xueyan
shook her head and refused. She did not think there was any sisterhood
between her and Ning Ziyan. Of course, she did not believe that Ning
Ziyan would take the initiative to invite her to the Xia manor.

“It’s okay. You two can relax together and talk with each other. It might
be good for both of you,” Xia Yuhang still persuaded patiently with a
gentle and graceful smile, as if he did not understand what Ning Xueyan
meant.

Ning Xueyan glanced at him with a slight coldness on her face. “I’m sure
I’ll visit my eldest sister when I have a chance in the future,” she
responded casually, wondering what happened to Xia Yuhang. She did
not think that she had anything to talk to him.

With that, she lowered her head and walked toward the wing room,
hiding the coldness in her eyes.

In her previous life, she had lost herself in his gentleness. During the
three years they had been together, she had thought that he loved her
from the bottom of his heart. She had even told herself that she would
make him happy and follow every word he said after marrying him.
However, she had gotten nothing but died a miserable death. It all
because she had believed the words of the wicked by mistake due to lack
of the experience of judging people.
With such a painful experience, she would not make the same mistake
again after rebirth. Ning Ziying had just died not long ago, but Xia
Yuhang had already had both a beautiful wife and a concubine. He must
have forgotten what he had promised Ning Ziying and of course, he
would never know that Ning Ziying, who had been drawn into the lotus
pond that day, had been reborn with hatred.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan had already gone to the wing room, Xia
Yuhang’s eyes flashed with something that soon disappeared. With a
gentle smile on his face, he then walked toward the wing room slowly,
keeping three paces behind her.

As it was rare to have such an opportunity to relax, the people in the

room were talking excitedly. Although the Young Ladies were a little
shy, because their brothers were also there, they did not feel uneasy.
Therefore, they were more cheerful than usual. Ning Xueyan found a
chair in the corner and sat down.

The room was very warm with a few stoves in it, people could feel the
warmth as soon as they came in. Ning Xueyan sat on the chair lazily. She
was not in good health, so normally, she had already fallen asleep at this
moment. She leaned against the back of the broad chair with her eyes
closed and was going to nap for a while. When the time came, she would
burn the first stick of incense and then go back to her room to sleep.

She did not sleep well because she had the dream that had not appeared
for a long time.

In her dream, beaten black and blue, she was pushed into the lotus pond
by those evil servants under the command of Madam Ling and Ning
Ziyan. Through the bloody twisted water, he clearly saw the ruthlessness
in Xia Yuhang’s eyes.

Suddenly, the cold lake began to burn inexplicably. In the wild fire, the
palaces were collapsing and everyone was running wildly in horror. Ning
Xueyan seemed to have seen herself running. People were running in
front of her and the flame almost burnt her face. She could clearly feel
the heat.

It seemed that someone was calling her and shaking her, trying to push
her away anxiously. However, she felt that her body was so heavy and
she could not move at all. She saw a figure in the fire, wondering what
made her so sad that she could not even breathe. The heavy feeling
almost crushed her.

“Miss, miss… Hurry up! Something’s wrong!”

“Something’s wrong?” Ning Xueyan could tell that the voice was just in
her ear. She was shocked and suddenly opened her eyes. Looking at
Xinmei’s face in front of her, she could not come back to her senses for
the moment.

Why did the scene she had never experienced suddenly appear when she
was drowned in her dream. And just now, she had felt that it was not a
dream, but real.

“Miss, hurry up. There’s going to be a fire! Let’s go!” Seeing that she
was still in a daze, Xinmei pulled her up and hurried out.

“What happened?” Ning Xueyan stood up and ran out with Xinmei.
Hearing the scream and seeing the Young Ladies beside her staggering
out behind their maids, Ning Xueyan was really awake. She asked while
running behind Xinmei.

Xinmei was fast, but she did not exceed Ning Xueyan’s limit. “I don’t
know either. It’s said an oil lamp in the hall of the palace beside us fell
down and caused the fire. It was too late when people found the fire and
it is about to spread here now, “she explained while trying to avoid bump
against people.

Qingyu followed them closely.

It was not until they had rushed out of the palace that Ning Xueyan
found that the other side of the hall, where they were going to burn the
first stick of incense was on fire. The fire was very strong and had been
burning for a while. Many people rushed over, trying to put out the fire,
but judging by the current situation, they could neither put out the fire
nor stop it from spreading.
Chapter 301 Danger, Night Attack
“Miss, let’s go to the back room. It’s not safe here.” After running to a
safe place, Xinmei stopped.

Ning Xueyan was out of breath as she ran with Xinmei. Her pale face
glowed with a faint blush, and she could not speak, but only nodded.
This place was indeed unsafe. It was too close to the fire, and everyone
was running around. Now many Young Ladies were walking toward the
back wing rooms under the escort of their maids.

The Buddha hall was all burned, so of course nobody could burn the so-
called first stick of incense there.

When Ning Xueyan caught her breath, Xinmei and Qingyu escorted her
to the backyard. After staying a little far away from the fire, Ning
Xueyan calmed down. The guest rooms in the backyard were far away
from the halls in the front, so although the front hall burned so badly, the
fire could not spread to the backyard.

After turning another corner, they would arrive at the guest room zone.
Many Young Ladies had come back and waited in their own rooms,
while the childes had gone to the front yard to help put out the fire with
their servants.

The fire was so strong that even though these Young Ladies had returned
to their guest rooms, no one dared to sleep. They trembled by the
window, hoping that the fire would go out soon. This night was bound to
be a sleepless night.

In this weird atmosphere, Ning Xueyan did not sleep either. She sat in
front of the bed for a while before walking to the window to watch the
fire outside.

After sending Ning Xueyan back, Xinmei went out to inquire about
information and had not returned yet, leaving Qingyu to make tea for
Ning Xueyan in the outer room.
“Miss, hurry up! Something terrible happened!” The door was slammed
open and Qingyu rushed in with a pale face. She pulled Ning Xueyan’s
hand and ran out. “Miss, I saw some men in black rushing into the guest
rooms…” she whispered breathlessly.

Before she could finish speaking, they heard a sharp scream coming
from the courtyard next to them.

“Miss, run!” Hearing the scream, Qingyu sped up and pulled Ning
Xueyan out of the room. Meanwhile, all the other Young Ladies who had
heard the scream also ran out. However, they suddenly saw a group of
men in black rushing to them with sharp swords in their hands. The
Young Ladies immediately scattered, screaming.

The men in black also scattered to chase them.

Since there were assassins in the guest rooms, no one would dare to stay
here. Besides, there were only women in the backyard, and men had
gone to the front yard to put up the fire.

Holding Qingyu’s hand tightly, Ning Xueyan did not escape. She hid in
the shadow of the corner, and did not dare to move at all.

Just now, she had seen Ning Qingshan rushing out of the room with her
maid with a triumphant look on her face. Ning Qingshan had specially
looked at the door of Ning Xueyan’s room before mingling with the
panicked Young Ladies who were running for their lives. At that time, an
assassin had already rushed to Ning Xueyan’s room. If she had not
escaped early, she would have been caught by the assassin in the room.

“Miss, what, what should we do?” Even though Qingyu was much
experienced than before, she had never seen anything like this. If Ning
Xueyan had not held her hand tightly and she was not willing to leave
Ning Xueyan alone, Qingyu would have run away long ago!

Hiding in the shadow, Qingyu could not help shivering, with the upper
teeth bumping against the lower teeth all the time.

Ning Xueyan was sure that the incident was premeditated. The fire had
been set in the front yard, and the noble childes and their servants as well
as the guards would definitely bring people there to help put out the fire,
leaving only those noble Young Ladies or the first maids in the backyard,
who seldom did rough work.

Therefore, none of them could resist the assassins’ attack.

Ning Xueyan even confirmed that these assassins had been staying here
for a long time. Otherwise, how could they rush in when almost
everyone had entered the guest rooms. Due to her poor health, Ning
Xueyan had been walking behind everyone, so she was the last to return
to the guest room.

What did they want? Why did they wait until everyone had returned to
their rooms?

Running away was not a bad idea, but Ning Xueyan knew her own
physical conditions well. She would definitely be out of energy after
running for a while, so she would be caught first. That was why she had
stopped, turned around and pulled Qingyu to the shadow behind the wall
where there was a large fish tank. The two of them were small, so
nobody would find them easily if they couched there.

All they could do was pray that the people in the front yard would get the
news and come back soon.

As for her current situation, whether running away or staying here was
actually very dangerous. However, she would definitely be caught if she
ran out, and there might be a hint of vitality if she remained here. She
had had a glimpse of those men in black just now and noticed that there
were dozens of them. Now most of them had gone to chase the other
Young Ladies, and only a few were left.

The danger was relatively small to stay here. As long as she held on for a
while, the people in front would come back and the few men in black
would definitely escape. Then she would be safe.

However, sometimes, things would not go as people expected. They

suddenly heard footsteps coming from the rooms. Apparently someone
was coming. The shadow of death fell upon them at the sound of the
light footsteps. Undoubtedly, that person was coming in the direction
where they were hiding.
Ning Xueyan pinched Qingyu’s sweat-stained hand, lowered her breath
as smoothly as possible, trying to avoid revealing her whereabouts. At
this moment, she was really nervous and her heart beat fast. The person
should be not far from them, just a few steps away.

He was approaching step by step.

Ning Xueyan loosened Qingyu’s hand, reached out and touched her own
hairpin. If she remembered correctly, the hairpin on her head was the one
she usually wore. What was special about this ordinary pearl hairpin was
that it had a sharp end. Ning Xueyan had almost been attracted by this
unremarkable hairpin as soon as she saw it.

Because it gave her a sense of security.

Holding the sharp hairpin tightly in her hand, she listened carefully to
estimate the distance of the man from them by the footsteps. It seemed
that he was very close to them, so close that almost right in front of
them. She bit her slips hard with determination in her eyes, a trace of
warm and fishy liquid oozing from the corner of her mouth. The
footsteps were close to her ears. She could not just sit and wait for death!

“I can’t die without struggling as I did in my last life!” she thought.

This time, no matter who wanted to kill her, she would make that person
die with her.

However, something unexpected happened. Qingyu jumped out abruptly,

bumping heavily against a man in black, while shouting at somewhere in
front, “Young Lady, hurry up!”

The man in black had not thought that a daredevil maid would have
suddenly jumped out. Being knocked back two steps, he tripped
somewhere and fell to the ground. When he was about to stand up, he
found himself pinned to the ground by the maid.

Qingyu continued to shout at somewhere in front anxiously while

holding the man in black hard. The man suddenly jumped up and rushed
forward to chase the Young Lady who was not in front at all, dragging
along Qingyu.
How could Qingyu take such a risk? If she fell into the hands of this man
in black, she would almost have no chance to survive.

Ning Xueyan’s brain was almost blank. How could Qingyu do this?
Subconsciously, she ran out of the shadow to chase Qingyu, who had
been pulled away by that man. After running out the door in a hurry, she
saw Qingyu being dragged to the backyard.

Regardless of concealing her whereabouts, nor of her physical strength,

Ning Xueyan chased her up. She would not let Qingyu be taken away by
those people, and she would no longer let the people around her die for
her. In her last life, she had watched Xiang’er being beaten to death in
order to protect her, and then drowned in the lotus pond.

In this life, she would no longer let anyone around her die for her!

Breathing violently, she felt heartbroken. Tears streamed down her

cheeks while blood at the corner of her lips dripping to her clothes and to
the ground.

Unknowing where she got the strength, she chased after Qingyu
desperately and finally arrived at the back hill.

“I almost missed someone here!” With a hoarse voice ringing by her ear,
a man in black appeared in front of Ning Xueyan. Looking at the
beautiful girl in tears in front of him, the man was stunned, and then he
became overjoyed. He had not imagined that he would have been so
lucky to find such a beautiful girl here.

Ning Xueyan focused all her attention on Qingyu now. When she saw
someone blocking her way, she shouted angrily, “Get out of my way!”

Since all she was thinking about was Qingyu at the moment, she had no
fear of the man in black in front of her.

“Little beauty, you look so good even when you’re angry. I didn’t expect
to meet such a beautiful girl like you. How lucky I am!” The man in
black said with a flash of wickedness in his eyes.

“You want to go against all the noble families? You’re playing with
fire!” Ning Xueyan knew what he meant and shouted angrily.
“Little beauty, don’t worry! No one will know this. When I sell you to
the brothel in the future, your family will put you to death without our
help. Who will care what you have suffered?” the man in black said
triumphantly. The noble families valued the reputation the most. If Ning
Xueyan got defiled, she would definitely die.

No one would care how she had lost her virginity.

Of course, this man only said this to frighten Ning Xueyan. The order
they had received was that they could kill a few maids by the way. This
girl was so beautiful, so he did not want to let her go. Anyway, he could
excuse himself by saying that he thought it was a maid. It was normal to
make mistakes in the darkness.

Although it was a pity to destroy such a beautiful girl, compared with his
own life, he still felt that it was safer to kill her after getting what he
wanted.

“I’m from the Lord Protector’s Manor. I don’t believe you dare to do
anything to me!” Ning Xueyan managed to calm herself down and said,
clenching the hairpin tightly again. She widened her eyes to look for
opportunities while distracting the attention of the man in black.

“Lord Protector’s Manor? Which Young Lady are you?” The man was
stunned and stopped walking to her.

“Yes, I’m the Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor.” Ning Xueyan
had not expected that the man would have stopped at her words. She
paused for a moment and said firmly.

“You look like you’re only 13 or 14 years old at most. So you must be
Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor! What a pity! Such a
beautiful girl will be destroyed soon!” The man in black sized up Ning
Xueyan and suddenly understood something. He then continued with an
indifferent smile, “It’s useless even though you’re the Fifth Young Lady
of the Lord Protector’s Manor, because none of you is useful except for
that one.”

With that, he reached out and was about to pull Ning Xueyan.
Chapter 302 Your Highness, Did
the Third Prince Do i
t?

Ning Xueyan subconsciously wanted to hide, but she had no strength to

do so because she was out of breath after running for such a long
distance. She was immediately pulled back by someone, dragged back
two steps, and stumbled into the arms of the man in black.

Ning Xueyan bit her lower lip hard and used her remaining strength to
push the person aside. Her sleeve came apart with a tearing sound, and
she stumbled to the side.

Seeing this, the man in black pulled a part of her sleeve and threw it
away. He ran a few steps and reached out to pull Ning Xueyan again.
When he reached out halfway, he suddenly felt a sharp pain. Before he
could scream, his arm had been cut off.

“Don’t let him commit suicide. Take him back. Cut him into pieces!” His
voice was icy and filled with bloodthirsty hostility. The vast, black cloak
flapped in the wind and enveloped the shadow. On his handsome and
mysterious face, his eyes seemed to be blood-red under his long
eyelashes.

“Yes.” A shadow behind him rushed up, kicked the man in black, who
was about to commit suicide, to the ground, and punched him a few
times. The man in black spat out mouthfuls of blood and fainted.

“Your Highness.”

“Take her away.” Ao Chenyi’s eyes fell quietly on Ning Xueyan, who
had slumped to the ground. She looked very embarrassed, with a missing
sleeve, and other parts of her clothes ripped apart. The moonlight shone
on her pale face, and the blood at the corners of the mouth was reflected
on her face. She bit her lips tightly.
Her long hair was in a mess. At this moment, her long black hair, white
face, red blood, and the cold light on her hands, indicated her
decisiveness, cruelty, hostility, and indifference, which was completely
different from her weakness.

Looking at Ning Xueyan for a while, Ao Chenyi slowly walked over,

squatted down, took off his cloak and held her in his arms with great
care. Under the moonlight, the handsome man’s eyes were cold and
unfathomable. As he walked, the Manjusaka from hell became more and
more bloody.

“Your Highness, there are several noble ladies over there. What should
we do?” A guard appeared in the dark and knelt in front of him.

“Kill a few, leave a few.” With hostility in his slanted eyes, he reached
out to check the girl’s breath. “Go and save that girl.”

“Your Highness…” The guards were confused. They were here to meet
trick with a trick. How could they focus on a maid? But when they saw
the Prince’s look, the guards sensibly shut up and turned around to find
the maid from the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Lotus Pond, drowning, burning, collapsing, screaming, chaos, the feeling

of the skin burning, painful struggles… The scenes in front of her
changed again and again, like a trotting horse lamp. As if she had been
trapped in a circle of endless dreams, she could not escape from this
cycle.

She was almost sure that it was true. She was dreaming, but she was
powerless to struggle. She seemed to be suppressed by something, so she
had no strength at all. Even though she felt a piercing pain, it was still
useless. Sometimes, she also thought that she was just a bystander.

Seeing the tall tower collapsing over and over again, and the flames
shooting up to the sky, everyone was running away in panic. A huge
pillar of fire fell from the sky and hit her on the head.

“Ah!” Ning Xueyan suddenly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the
handsome face above her head. The man was gazing at her intently. She
looked into his filmy jet-black eyes.
Ning Xueyan stared blankly at Ao Chenyi without blinking. Her mind
was blank. Then, she closed her eyes, tilted her head and fainted again.

“Imperial physician, what’s wrong with her?” Ao Chenyi stood up and

sat on the nanmu wood chair. A wild gleam came into his black eyes. He
asked Master Mingyue, who was standing by the bed, with a strange
smile at the corners of his mouth.

“Prince, don’t worry. The Fifth Young Lady has recovered. She has to
rest for a while. It’s okay.” The imperial physician looked at Ning
Xueyan’s face. Although she looked still pale, she looked much more
serene. It showed that she was out of danger, so he answered carefully.

Hearing that Ning Xueyan was fine, Ao Chenyi waved his hand casually.
Then, the imperial physician sensibly left.

Sitting in the chair, Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan, who was lying
quietly on the bed. When he saw cold sweat appearing on her forehead, a
trace of complexity flashed across his eyes. Then, he got up again and
took out a handkerchief from under his cuff. He narrowed his eyes and
gently wiped the sweat on her forehead.

“If you’re not strong enough, don’t risk your life. I thought you were
smart, but you are so stupid.” Seeing her frown uneasily and her hand
twitch convulsively, he snorted and reached out to hold her hand
reluctantly. Even though his hand had always been cold, he could still
feel the coldness in her hand.

He lowered his head and looked at the hand in his hand. Her hand was
slender and powerless. It was so transparent that he could see her veins.
When it lay stiffly in his thin and big hand, it was almost half the size of
his hand. He held her hand in his cold palm to warm her hand.

The hand in his palm slowly relaxed.

“Prince, the Third Prince asks to see you.” A eunuch reported

respectfully at the door of the outer room.

“Let him in!” Ao Chenyi slowly let go of Ning Xueyan’s hand,

straightened his robe sleeve, lifted the curtain, and strolled to the outer
room. He sat down on the chair in the middle and looked coldly at Ao
Mingyu, the Third Prince, who was walking in.

“Uncle.” Ao Mingyu came in and bowed to Ao Chenyi respectfully.

“What’s the matter?” Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes, picked up the tea on
the table, and took a sip. His eyes were full of arrogance and bloodlust.
He looked at him with disdain.

“Uncle, it’s lucky that you’re here today. Otherwise, all these noble
ladies would be dead. I want to express my gratitude to you”. Ao
Mingyu clenched his hands tightly under his sleeves, but then he relaxed.
The killing intent in his eyes turned into a warm smile. When he raised
his head, he was still the gentle Third Prince.

He was the most valued son of the emperor these days.

“Mingyu, weren’t you here too? What are your guards doing, leaving
such a big loophole? How many people are still missing?” Ao Chenyi
said impatiently.

“There are two or three. The road at the back of the mountain is
complicated, so we can’t find them in such a short time, and they may
have fallen somewhere.” Ao Mingyu’s eyes were full of respect, as if he
admired Ao Chenyi.

“Then go and find them as soon as possible. Otherwise, they might die as
well.” Ao Chenyi waved his hand impatiently, as if he was driving a fly
away. His tone was lazy and indifferent.

Ao Mingyu, of course, recognized the sarcasm in Ao Chenyi’s words. He

could not help clenching his fists, his blue veins exposed.

There were about ten daughters of aristocratic families who had gone to
the Cold Mountain Temple to burn the first incense stick of the day.
Now, only six of them had been found. Three of them were dead, and the
whereabouts of four of them, were uncertain.

“Yes, I’ll ask my guards to find them now. If I get any information, I’ll
let you know.” Ao Mingyu suppressed his anger, kept his gentle smile,
bowed to Ao Chenyi respectfully, and left.
“Go ahead. I hope those people are still alive.” Ao Chenyi had a sinister
smile on his handsome face, which made Ao Mingyu’s heart twitch.

He did not know how things had turned out this way. He needed to kill
only one or two noble ladies. Unexpectedly, not only had three of them
died, but also, some of them were missing, including the Third Young
Lady and the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, the
Young Lady of Minister Xia’s Manor, and a man from the Vice Minister
of Justice Ling’s Manor. Either way, all the ladies had high statuses.

However, they were all missing. How could Ao Mingyu not be

frightened?

Now he only hoped that all of them would be safe. Nobody could be
blamed because this thing happened so suddenly. Everyone ran away and
stood on their own merits. No one could blame others. Even if he was
there at that time, others could not blame him. Since it was so chaotic, it
was good enough that he sought to protect himself.

But now, Ao Mingyu felt a sense of crisis. Why did Ao Chenyi suddenly
appear? He even saved a few people and sent people to help put out the
big fire in the main hall. Compared with Ao Chenyi, he was a good-for-
nothing. However, others would only compare him with Ao Chenyi.

In comparison, Ao Mingyu was inferior to Ao Chenyi. How could Ao

Mingyu be willing to be inferior to Ao Chenyi all the time?

So now, he was determined to do something. He strode out and

immediately led his guards to search the back of the mountain again,
because most of the people had fled there.

Seeing Ao Mingyu leave, Ao Chenyi got up and went inside. When he

lifted the bead curtain, he saw Ning Xueyan leaning against the bed with
a pale face.

“Your Highness, did the Third Prince do it?” Ning Xueyan raised her
head and looked at Ao Chenyi quietly, clutching the quilt tightly.

It sounded like a question, but there was a firm look on her face.
Ao Chenyi suddenly chuckled. Although his laughter was pleasing, it
was ice-cold, as if a sharp sword had pierced into one’s heart, which was
appalling. Then, he stopped laughing and said coldly, “Yan’er, do you
know that your whole clan will be implicated if you try to frame the
royal family?”

“Your Highness, don’t worry. I won’t get you into trouble.” Ning Xueyan
looked at Ao Chenyi quietly, with a hint of stubbornness on her delicate
face. “First, when I spoke about the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, the man in black was stunned. He was afraid of the
young ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor. But later, according to my
experience, I confirmed that I was not the person they were looking for.
I’m the only one who came here today. Since he was not looking for me,
he must be looking for Ning Qingshan.”

“You think he did it just because of that?” Ao Mingyu’s eyes were as

cold as ice chips.

“Yes, that’s enough,” Ning Xueyan said coldly. She was hiding
something. Ao Mingyu must have heard clearly that Ning Qingshan had
plotted against him. Ao Mingyu, a high-ranking prince, had always
thought highly of himself. Now he found that he had been framed by
Ning Qingshan three years ago. How could he not be angry? Besides,
when she entered the Buddha Hall, Ao Mingyu had other intentions.
Chapter 303 The Third Prince Ao
Mingyu’s Care
“Oh, are you sure that Ao Mingyu did it? Will you take revenge on
him?” Ao Chenyi came over, with a faint smile on his face. He sat down
beside her bed, and suddenly reached out to hold her thin and weak
shoulder.

“No, I’m telling you that Ao Mingyu is ambitious.” Ning Xueyan raised
her head and looked steadily at the handsome and sly face in front of her.

“You’re honest. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll send you to him?” Ao
Chenyi’s thin lips curved slightly, revealing a hint of sarcasm.

“Prince Yi, will you?” Ning Xueyan asked in reply. She stared at Ao
Chenyi with her jet black eyes. Although she was nervous, she looked
calm.

“Well, I like your honesty. Besides, how can my princess be bullied?” Ao

Chenyi stretched out his hand to grab Ning Xueyan’s cold little hand and
warmed it in his palm. Suddenly, he smiled meaningfully.

“Prince Yi, have you seen Xinmei and Qingyu?” Ning Xueyan lowered
her eyes to hide the darkening of her eyes, and a trace of sadness
appeared on her pale face.

Xinmei went out to find out more information, but she has not come
back yet. Qingyu went to her rescue and tried to draw away the men in
black. She did not know where they were, so how could she not be
worried?

“These two girls are useless. Why don’t you abandon them?” Ao
Chenyi’s voice suddenly became cold.

“No, don’t do anything to them. They are all good.” Hearing the killing
intent in Ao Chenyi’s voice, Ning Xueyan became anxious. She held Ao
Chenyi’s hand and said this urgently. Prince Yi was so moody that he
intended to kill them all.

“Why are you so sure that they are in my hands?” Seeing that she took
the initiative to hold his hand regardless of her fear, Ao Chenyi suddenly
felt good. His sly gaze softened, as he played with her delicate hand, in
his hand.,

Seeing his reaction, Ning Xueyan was relieved and burst into tears. How
could she be sure that Qingyu and Xinmei were all right? It was just a
beautiful hope. Looking at Ao Chenyi’s current situation, she was both
sad and happy. “Thank you for saving our lives, Prince Yi.”

“What will you do to repay my kindness?” Ao Chenyi asked, a relaxed

smile appearing on his handsome face. “Would you like to marry me?”

“Yes, I’m willing to marry you.” Although she blushed, Ning Xueyan
did not hesitate. Her life, Qingyu’s life, and even Xinmei’s life had been
saved by Ao Chenyi. Ning Xueyan knew how miserable her life would
be if Ao Chenyi had not come to her in time. So at this moment, she was
sincerely grateful to Ao Chenyi.

She agreed, not because she was scheming, but because she had no
choice, no conditional exchange.

It must be due to gratitude, as she answered without any hesitation. It

must be!

It seemed that Ning Xueyan’s words pleased Ao Chenyi. He glanced at

her lazily, pushed her hands away, and stood up. “Your maids are all
outside. I’m tired.”

Was he telling her that she could leave? Ning Xueyan understood.

She immediately endured the dizziness in her head, and stood up by the
edge of the bed. She wore the same clothes as before, with the sleeves
and many parts of the clothes torn. Fortunately, it was a cold day, and she
had worn an additional layer of clothes inside, so the torn parts were not
that visible at the moment.
She moved a few steps. Except for feeling a little dizzy, she was fine.
She did not suffer any injuries and immediately walked to the door.

“In the future, stay away from Ao Mingyu. You are his sister-in-law.
Don’t let him take advantage of you.” Ao Chenyi’s languid words came
from behind, which almost made her lose her balance.

How could this moody and arrogant prince take this groundless thing so
seriously?

Ignoring her weakness, she sped up and rushed out, with a red face.

Outside the door, Xinmei and Qingyu saw Ning Xueyan coming out.
Both of them were excited. Knowing that it was not the time to talk, they
helped Ning Xueyan to the back of the mountain. At this time, it was
before dawn, and the surroundings were dark. Under the guidance of the
guards, they hid in a prepared place.

All the people had been found, and this made Ao Mingyu heave a sigh of
relief. Fortunately, nothing happened to the other four. The whole thing
ended with several Buddhist halls getting burned down, three noble
ladies dead, and dozens of maids who were killed. Although the other
seven young ladies were fine, they were injured.

One of them fell off the mountain, and broke her legs. The other had hit
her head, and had not woken up from her coma yet.

Generally speaking, it was fortunate that in this incident, most of their

lives and wealth were preserved.

Because of the large number of injured people, Master Mingyue, as well

as the imperial physician of Third Prince and Prince Yi, were asked to
treat the wounded. After Ning Xueyan was found, she felt dizzy and
uncomfortable when they helped her back to the guest room. Fortunately,
Xinmei had prepared the pills given by Ao Chenyi. She soaked a pill in
water and fed it to Ning Xueyan. After a short rest, she felt much better.

When she was drinking water with Xinmei’s help, Qingyu suddenly
came in and reported that the Third Prince had come over to check on
her.
Since such a big event had happened, Ao Mingyu must have come to
visit her, because he had always been a gentle prince. Ning Xueyan
thought for a while and nodded. At that time, she could not be affectedly
unconventional. She asked Xinmei to put down the curtain of the inner
room and invited Ao Mingyu to the outer room. Then, they talked
through the curtain.

“Fifth Young Lady, are you all right?” Ao Mingyu’s gentle voice came
from outside the curtain.

“Thank you for your concern, Third Prince. I’m fine now.” Ning Xueyan
leaned against the edge of the bed and said softly. Her eyes fell on the
tall figure behind the curtain. Ao Mingyu was not sitting, but standing in
front of her curtain?

“Fifth Young Lady has always been in poor health, and now you’re so
frightened. I have asked the imperial physician to come over and treat
you.” Ao Mingyu’s voice became softer and softer.

“Thank you, Your Highness. but Prince Yi’s imperial physician came to
see me already, and left some medicine for me. I’m fine now.” Ning
Xueyan smiled faintly, and looked at the figure at the other side of the
curtain, coldly. If she felt grateful to Ao Chenyi, she would certainly be
deeply disgusted with Ao Mingyu.

She and her two maids had almost died, without even getting a decent
burial.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan did not like Ao Mingyu, who pretended to care
about her. He plotted everything secretly, and now he pretended to care
about others. Ning Xueyan hated his acting, no matter what his purpose
was.

Therefore, she was even more indifferent than before.

Ao Mingyu did not seem to notice Ning Xueyan’s attitude. He looked at

the curtain in front of him with some worry, and said, “Is he my uncle’s
imperial physician? He has excellent medical skills, but… you’d better
let my imperial physician check over you again. Maybe he doesn’t have
any suitable medicine.”
“Suitable medicine?” Ning Xueyan sneered. “Ao Mingyu even brought
suitable medicine.” Ning Xueyan was a little uncertain, but now she was
sure that it was Ao Mingyu.

“Your Highness, you’re too kind. Prince Yi’s medicine is not bad.” Ning
Xueyan refused again.

Ao Mingyu did not seem to understand what she meant. He said again,
“Fifth Young Lady, if you don’t want to see the imperial physician, I can
ask my nanny from the palace to check your condition. If something is
wrong, she can treat you in a timely manner.”

His tone sounded concerned. If she had not known that Ao Mingyu had
been the evil backstage manipulator of the disaster, Ning Xueyan would
have been confused by his gentle and graceful performance, and thank
him for his quick rescue. But now, she only felt disdain.

“I don’t want to bother you, Your Highness. If it’s convenient for you,
you can go and see my Third Sister. I heard that her face is swollen,”
Ning Xueyan said softly.

Xinmei said that Ning Qingshan was fine, when she came in to serve her.
However, Ning Qingshan had hit something, and her face was swollen.

Ning Xueyan did not believe that her face was swollen due to her hitting
something. It seemed that she had been slapped more than once. The so-
called ” hit by something” was to avoid attracting people’s attention.

Most of the noble ladies were injured because of the collision, the fall, or
the hitting against hanging tree branches when they fled. However, Ning
Qingshan was punched in the face by a man, which meant more than
injury.

It meant that Ning Qingshan was caught by the man in black and fell into
his hands. Was she only slapped a few times? Some matters could not be
said aloud, and she did not want to think about it anymore.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan refused repeatedly, Ao Mingyu’s expression

changed slightly, and his eyes darkened.
After searching the back of the mountain and finding all the missing
people, he brought the imperial physician to Ning Xueyan’s place. He
planned to force her to give him what he wanted, so he especially asked
his servants to kill one or two maids to frighten Ning Qingshan.

Those young ladies would get a fright, but it would not be a big problem.
Who knew that such a big mistake would lead to the death of three
young ladies? Even the woman he liked almost got into trouble. He
could not help being angry. However, it was useless to be angry, because
all those young ladies were dead.

Thinking that Ning Xueyan had mentioned Ao Chenyi repeatedly, he felt

angry that Ning Xueyan seemed to be a little grateful to, and had faith in
Ao Chenyi. Did Ning Xueyan have a good impression of Ao Chenyi
because the hero saved the beauty in time? Thinking of this, his eyes
became darker.

But then, he smiled and softened his expression. He gently looked at

Ning Xueyan at the other side of the curtain and said,

“Don’t worry. Your Third Sister’s injuries are external. Fifth Young
Lady, you’re not in good health all the time. I’m afraid that something
bad will happen to you, so I came to your place first. My uncle’s imperial
physician is always arrogant. I’m afraid that you have not received good
treatment.”

“Prince Yi’s imperial physician is very arrogant?” Ning Xueyan asked in

surprise. Although she did not think it was possible, she still asked.
Chapter 304 Jealousy Ning
Qingshan
Seeing Ning Xueyan asking, Ao Mingyu immediately thought that she
was interested in Ao Chenyi. He became angry for no reason, but he said
with a gentle smile, “I should not be saying that. After all, he’s my
uncle’s subordinate. But if I don’t tell you, I’m afraid that you would not
believe me. In the past, a concubine in Prince Yi’s Manor was pregnant.
She asked the imperial physician to go over. But, he looked down on her
status, so, later the concubine and the unborn child died, because he took
his time to treat her. However, my uncle showed no interest in it, because
he trusts him too much.”

“Does this mean that Ao Chenyi is ruthless and regards people’s lives as
worthless? Or that Ao Chenyi’s women are not valued, and nobody cares
about them, even if they die?” Ning Xueyan paused for a moment.
Logically speaking, she should not have enquired further into Ao
Mingyu’s remarks. However, she was curious about Ao Chenyi, so she
hesitated for a moment.

Seeing Ning Xueyan’s hesitation, Ao Mingyu felt that he was right. He

suppressed his anger and said, “Fifth Young Lady, don’t you believe me?
My uncle never cares about women. If the imperial physician had come
over a little earlier at that time, still my uncle’s temper towards
women…”

He did not finish his words, but his meaning was quite clear.

Everyone who had heard of Ao Chenyi’s temper knew that Prince Yi was
temperamental, cold-blooded, and heartless. Ao Mingyu was not wrong
in saying that. However, he repeatedly said it, so this made one
suspicious that Ao Mingyu, who had always been gentle and elegant in
public, would speak ill of a man behind his back.

It was not in character with the Third Prince’s gentlemanly demeanor.

“Young Lady, Caifen, the Third Young Lady’s maid, came over and
asked if the Third Prince is here?” Qingyu’s voice came from outside the
door at the right time, interrupting the strange silence that suddenly
descended in the room.

“Your Highness, please go over and visit my Third Sister first. I’ll go
there when I’m fine,” Ning Xueyan said, taking the opportunity.

“Well, in that case, I’ll go and see Third Young Lady first.” At this point,
Ao Mingyu could not stay any longer. With that, he took his people with
him to Ning Qingshan’s place. The men in black he sent out were all
dead, but he did not have the details.

So, he should have been the first to rush over to Ning Qingshan. But
when he came to the courtyard, he changed his direction. It seemed that
he had other thoughts about Fifth Young Lady. Since he had taken a
fancy to her, he would go to the imperial palace and talk to his mother
later. He was worried that she would not agree. Now that something had
happened to Ning Qingshan, she would agree to let Ning Xueyan enter
his manor.

He believed that his mother would not oppose his getting a concubine.

Ao Mingyu made up his mind and stopped pestering Ning Xueyan. As

soon as he came out, he saw Ning Qingshan’s maid waiting anxiously at
the door.

“Third Prince, our Young Lady is seriously injured. Please come over
and have a look.” Ning Qingshan was indeed severely injured. Her face
was swollen, and she was screaming in pain.

Ao Mingyu nodded and looked at the imperial physician outside the

door. Then, he turned around and walked toward Ning Qingshan’s room,
followed by the imperial physician.

When he entered Ning Qingshan’s room, he saw the curtains of the inner
room were wide apart. Compared with Ning Xueyan’s prudence, Ning
Qingshan seemed frivolous. Ao Mingyu frowned, but then he walked in.

“Third Prince.” Ning Qingshan’s voice was full of sadness and timidity.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked quite a sight with her swollen
face.

“Why is it swollen like this? Who beat you up?” Looking at Ning
Qingshan’s face, Ao Mingyu was angry and asked.

The imperial physician stayed outside the room. There were only Ning
Qingshan and Feilian, who was in front of her bed in the room. Ao
Mingyu’s question showed that he attached great importance to her, and
he did not regard her as an outsider. He asked who had hit her, as if he
wanted to avenge her.

“Third Prince, I… I don’t know. A man suddenly jumped out and

slapped me twice.” She felt that at least someone cared, so her eyes
turned red and her tears fell. She wiped at her tears with a handkerchief.

But she did not dare reveal the whole story. The men in black who
caught her were not just one person. When she said that she was the
Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, one of them came up
and slapped her twice, and the other pretended to want to kill her. She
pushed one of the men in black away and escaped, but the two men did
not let her go. They chased after her all the way and slapped her twice.
Then, she ran again, and they slapped her again…

Along the way, she was in a panic and scared. She did not even know
how many times she had been slapped. In the end, she was in a daze and
then fainted. When she woke up, the people sent by Ao Mingyu arrived
and rescued her from a tree. At that time, she was hanging on a tree.

Of course, she could not climb up the tree by herself, so it must have
been someone else who had hung her on the tree.

She did not understand why they treated her like this. They had agreed to
deal with Ning Xueyan, but why did they do this to her? Did the two
men in black get the wrong person?

When the main temple hall was on fire, Ning Qingshan was the first to
go back to the guest room with her maid. The reason why she responded
so fast, was that she said that Ning Xueyan had discovered her identity.
Although the mysterious person did not say that he would deal with Ning
Xueyan, according to her speculation, he would do it, sooner or later.
So, she had been getting ready.

When the hall was on fire, she came back to wait for the next step. The
appearance of the man in black confirmed her speculation. At the same
time, the first to be injured was the maid. She also saw it happening. At
that time, she felt that the mysterious man deliberately did so many
things, targeting Ning Xueyan.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan was bound to die!

Therefore, she, with Caifen and Feilian, followed the others. When she
escaped, she could not help smirking at Ning Xueyan. She was sure that
Ning Xueyan would not survive, because she had offended her.

She followed behind the crowd and listened to the stricken cries in front
of them. She could sense the panic of those women. Only she was calm.
The superiority almost made her laugh out loud. Look, it was all because
of her. Because of her noble status, those who offended her had no
choice, but to die. Meanwhile, many people suffered along with her.

However, she could never imagine that she would be in danger, and
almost died there.

Thinking of that terrifying moment, Ning Qingshan became sadder and

could not stop crying.

“Third Young Lady, don’t be afraid. It’s over, and no one will hurt you.
It’s okay now, it’s all right.” Looking at Ning Qingshan, whose face was
swollen and crying, Ao Mingyu showed a trace of disgust in his eyes.
Then he gave a gentle smile, sighed and softly comforted Ning
Qingshan, who was losing her self-control.

“Third Prince, I…” Ning Qingshan still wanted to say something, but Ao
Mingyu interrupted her softly.

“Well, stop crying. Ask the imperial physician to apply some medicine
on your face and have a good sleep. Everything will be fine.”

Because of Ao Mingyu’s concern and gentle eyes, Ning Qingshan’s eyes

were filled with infatuation, and her heart was pounding. Having felt that
Ao Mingyu was sincere toward her, she was very touched and nodded
intently to indicate that she would listen to him.

Ao Mingyu asked Feilian to call the imperial physician in. The imperial
physician had seen Ning Qingshan’s injuries. It was frightening, but it
was all skin trauma. According to the imperial physician’s medical
assessment, they were all minor injuries. He retreated after leaving some
ointment to heal the wound and relieve the swelling.

Ao Mingyu did not stay any longer. He said that he wanted to visit the
other injured people, so he left with the imperial physician.

Ning Qingshan applied ointment on her face and felt a little better. Then,
she asked Caifen beside her, “How’s your wound? Is there anything
wrong?”

She was scared and panicky before, so she did not care much about Ning
Xueyan.

“I heard that the imperial physician has attended to Fifth Young Lady
earlier. She is already resting. It’s said that she’s fine,” Caifen replied.

“The Third Prince went to that bitch’s room first.” Ning Qingshan burst
out in anger, jealousy and hatred showing in her eyes.

“I don’t know. When I went there, the Third Prince was in Fifth Young
Lady’s room, and the imperial physician was waiting outside the door. I
wanted the imperial physician to see you first, but the imperial physician
said that the Third Prince did not say anything, and he could not come
over. The Fifth Young Lady must have held him back.” Caifen thought
for a while and said angrily.

Feilian was helping Ning Qingshan to put away the ointment boxes. She
lowered her head and said nothing.

“Bitch! B*tch! B*tch!” Thinking that Ning Xueyan was trying to seduce
Ao Mingyu, Ning Qingshan was filled with hatred. She bit her lips and
thought, “There must be a mistake. How could Ning Xueyan not die?”

She was biting her lips hard, filled with bitter hatred, which affected the
injury on her face. She felt so much pain that her face contorted in agony.
She wished she could go and rip up Ning Xueyan’s beautiful face right
now.

Thinking of her face, she immediately remembered her own face and
calmed down. This time, her face was severely injured and swollen. It
would take at least a few days for her to recover. She would soon enter
the palace to join the Beauty Contest. If she went there like this, she
would not dare to see anyone. Therefore, for now, she should take care of
her face first.

“Master, why didn’t you save her?” At the corner of the temple, a
woman in white lowered her head and stood in front of a wall, as if she
was talking to the wall in front of her.

“Save, does she need to be saved? I thought she was smart, but she was
so stupid. When she was discovered, she was stupid enough to know
nothing.” A cold snort came from the other side of the wall, with a hint
of sarcasm.

“Master, would you like to remind her?” The woman in white hesitated
and asked respectfully.

“It’s not necessary. Since she thinks so, do as she likes!” The man said in
a cold voice, with a hint of anger.

The woman in white knew that her master was angry, so she asked
cautiously, “Will the Fifth Young Lady Ning…”

Her master had said before that if the Fifth Young Lady found out about
the Third Young Lady’s secret, they should kill her. However, they had
not selected a specific time. Such a thing had happened in the Cold
Mountain Temple before they took action. So, she did not dare to decide
whether she should take action now.

No matter who was behind this action, it was impossible to be this

delicate Fifth Young Lady. So, it must be someone else who doubted
Ning Qingshan’s identity.

“Don’t make a move first, lest the idiot leads us in the wrong direction.”
The man said coldly, and then he left.
Chapter 305 A Dispute Between
Servants
This incident that happened at Cold Mountain Temple was a big disaster.
More than half of the Great Buddha’s Hall at Cold Mountain Temple was
burned down, and the girls who had gone there to burn incense, were all
injured. And, three principle wives’ daughters were dead. For a time, the
capital city was in a mess, and security was very tight.

The two daughters who were about to be sent to the imperial palace were
injured, especially Ning Qingshan, whose face was swollen. Madam
Dowager was worried and immediately asked the doctor to treat her. She
had to let her heal before entering the imperial palace. She sent precious
herbs to Ning Qingshan’s Foggy Courtyard.

Madam Ling, who was in the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, felt

distressed and had not been able to eat well for a few days. She secretly
cursed the older woman for giving away Yuan’er’s things to others.

Although she was distressed, Madam Ling di not dare to say anything
more. She was no longer the one who held the power. After so many
things happened in the manor, Ning Zu’an did not treat her the way he
used to. He spent most of his time in Xu Yulian’s place. A few days ago,
he came to see her because she had treated Xu Yulian a little gently, but
then he left.

When she thought of this, Madam Ling gritted her teeth in hatred. One
day, she would take over the power of the housekeeper and sell out the
seductresses. Weren’t they good at hooking up with others? She would
sell them all to the brothels, as they seemed to specialize in this kind of
collusion.

Of course, Yulian, Concubine Xu, and Ning Xueyan were among them.

“First Madam, don’t be angry. Second Young Lady will be coming back
soon. Although Third Young Lady is good-looking, she is not as delicate
as Second Young Lady. Although Second Young Lady’s reputation has
been slightly tarnished, as long as she is willing to keep a low profile, no
man would let a beautiful lady like the Second Young Lady, go.”

Mother Chen knew why Madam Ling was angry, so she buttered her up.

Recently, Madam Ling was always in a bad mood. The servants of

Auspicious Clouds Courtyard had received countless beatings. Although
Mother Chen was Madam Ling’s henchman, she had been kicked twice
by Madam Ling. Therefore, she spoke more carefully and paid
compliments to Madam Ling.

Hearing what she said, Madam Ling’s anger subsided a little. She asked,
“How many more days till Ling’er arrival?”

“I don’t know, either. The Eldest Young Master said that it would be
after the Lunar New Year. I guess it should be soon.” Mother Chen
responded carefully. Since she was uncertain, she passed the buck to
Ning Huaiyuan. Otherwise, Madam Ling would scold her for being
incompetent and useless.

Since the Second Young Lady had an accident, the First Madam had
been moodier than before. When she was angry, she did not care who
they were. She would scold people in public and even attack them
directly. Mother Chen, who had suffered a lot, was cautious every time
she dealt with her.

“It would better if she is disfigured. I’d like to see if the Third Prince will
marry my beautiful Ling’er, or the ugly one.” Madam Ling pointed to
Foggy Courtyard with disdain. When she heard that the womenfolk who
went to Cold Mountain Temple had met an accident, she stood up
happily and waited for the “good news” coming from outside.

If the two girls died in Cold Mountain Temple, Ling’er, the only
unmarried woman, would multiply in value. Even if her reputation was a
little bit bad, it should not be a big deal, with the support of the whole
Lord Protector’s Manor. Although Ning Yuling had already lost her
virginity, Madam Ling chose to forget it.

Anyway, as long as the Third Prince wanted the support of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, he had to marry Ling’er.
She thought so, but the truth was different from what she expected.
Neither of the two girls were badly hurt. It was said that Ning Xueyan
was not injured, only badly frightened. Although Ning Qingshan’s face
was swollen, it was only a surface trauma. It was not a big deal. The
moment Madam Ling, heard this, she smashed two vases on the spot.

She could not wait to strangle those two girls on the spot.

Mother Chen knew that Madam Ling was talking about Ning Qingshan,
so she immediately lowered her voice and said in a hurry, “First Madam,
this can’t be said. If the Madam Dowager and Marquis know it, it will be
terrible. I’m afraid that even Second Young Lady will be involved.”

She knew Madam Ling’s plan. Ning Yuling could not participate in the
Beauty Contest, which meant that she could not directly enter the Third
Prince’s Manor. After Ning Qingshan became the wife of the Third
Prince, they needed Ning Qingshan’s approval if Ning Yuling wanted to
enter the Third Prince’s manor. So, Madam Ling could not afford to
offend Ning Qingshan for the time being. At least, Madam Ling could
not say anything. until Ning Yuling entered the Third Prince’s Manor and
defeated Ning Qingshan.

“Humph, I know. But I’m so angry. These two bitches have not died yet.
They’re lucky.” When Mother Chen mentioned Ning Yuling, Madam
Ling snorted and lowered her voice, because it mattered a lot. Of course,
she knew that Ling’er would be blocked by Ning Qingshan, when she
entered the Third Prince’s Manor.

“Yes, First Madam, you’re right. I think you should regain the marquis’s
favor and not allow him to ignore you. If she gives birth to a son, there
will be a dispute with the Eldest Young Master. Although he only has
one son, the title of Princely Heir has not been settled yet.”

The reason why Mother Chen said this was because she suffered
indignities at the hands of an ordinary maid at Bright Frost Garden. She
was even angrier, when she found out that the maid was Junior
Concubine Xu’s younger sister.

This was how it all happened.

This morning, Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady were sent back
to the manor together. All the people in the mansion were busy carrying
out Madam Dowager’s instructions. Then, Mother Chen was preparing a
bowl of tremella porridge for Madam Ling. The porridge was not ready,
so she chatted to a familiar, female cook, while waiting. When she came
back after she finished her chat, she saw an unknown maid taking her
porridge. She could not help being furious.

She immediately came over and scolded, “Little bitch, where are you
from? How dare you touch First Madam’s porridge? Do you want to
die?”

However, the maid stood firm and refused to return the porridge. She
glared back at Mother Chen and said, “The Madam Dowager told us to
take care of our Young Lady first. It’s more important to make sure she
recovers fully. Our Young Lady is going to join the Beauty Contest. Will
the First Madam be entering the palace and joining the Beauty Contest?
Does she need to maintain her beauty and keep her youth?”

Her words were harsh. Mother Chen had never experienced anyone
speaking to her in that way before. She was so angry that she trembled
all over. She was about to slap the maid, but the maid avoided her blow.
So, Mother Chen fell to the ground, and the maid even stepped on her
and strutted off with the hamper.

Since she was with Madam Ling, Mother Chen had been the top dog in
the manor. Mother Chen had never been beaten before. She stood up and
was about to rush over, but the familiar, female cook stopped her. She
told her that was Junior Concubine Xu’s younger sister. The Marquis
now favored junior Concubine Xu. She might give birth to a Princely
Heir, so nobody dared to offend her at this time.

To please her and convince her that Junior Concubine Xu was the
favored one, she especially told her what happened before. A few days
ago, someone talked about her younger sister’s arrival. The Marquis was
furious and ordered that if anyone dared to say her sister had been ill-
gotten, he would sell them to the most inferior place.

Therefore, nobody in the manor dared to offend her younger sister. They
dared not irritate her, for fear that she might complain to Junior
Concubine Xu, which would aggravate the Marquis.
“What did you hear?” The title of Princely Heir had not been settled yet,
which was also a thorn in Madam Ling’s heart. When she heard Mother
Chen’s words, she immediately asked about it, discreetly.

“I…” Mother Chen hesitated for a moment. She wanted Madam Ling to
help her vent her anger, but she was afraid to irritate Madam Ling.
Looking at Madam Ling’s face, she dared not say it directly.

“Tell me. I’ll not take it out on you.” Madam Ling’s face darkened, as
she knew that there was something wrong.

“Yes, I heard that Junior Concubine Xu… had an idea about the Princely
Heir’s position. First Madam, you must be careful.” Mother Chen
walked to the door and carefully closed it. Then, she returned to Madam
Ling and said in a low voice.

“How can she, a bitch, dare to think of the Princely Heir’s position? Is
she tired of living?” Madam Ling immediately became angry.

“First Madam, please lower your voice and listen to me.” Mother Chen
quickly reached out and pulled Madam Ling. “The Marquis has always
liked the Eldest Young Master, but why didn’t the Marquis make him
Princely Heir? Furthermore, the Marquis is in his prime now. If he has
another son he likes, the consequences will be…”

Mother Chen hated that maid so much that she hurt Madam Ling with
her words. She knew that Madam Ling had been dissatisfied with the
fact that Marquis did not appoint the Eldest Young Master as the
Princely Heir. She also knew that Madam Ling cared about this, so she
came straight to the point.

“Bitch, bitch, they are all bitches!” Madam Ling was full of hatred. She
picked up the teacup next to her and wanted to throw it on the ground.

“First Madam, please don’t do this. If so, the Marquis will look for the
coquette more frequently.” Mother Chen hurriedly grabbed the teacup
from Madam Ling, and tried to calm her down.

“Hmph, she wants to give birth to a Princely Heir? It’s impossible.”

Madam Ling looked ferocious. “I’ll make sure she has no heir.”
“First Madam, please don’t do this. The Marquis warned you about
Concubine Ma’s matter. If you do this again, the consequence will be
serious.” Mother Chen whispered in Madam Ling’s ear, “I have an
idea…”

Hearing what she said, Madam Ling turned from anger to joy. She
nodded vigorously and said to Mother Chen, “You can do it yourself. Get
someone to keep an eye on that bitch. It will be impossible for her to
give birth to a Princely Heir.”

In Bright Frost Garden.

Ning Xueyan sat on a couch, leaning back and reading a book leisurely.
She was not severely injured, so she looked good after a short rest. As
the sun shone on her face from the window, her face had a pale, silvery
hue. Lanning made a cup of tea and put it on the table in front of the
couch.

“Young Lady, Mother Chen went to the male servant’s place, and I
followed her. She did not stay long before she came out.” Lanning
reported.

“How about Qing’er?” Ning Xueyan smiled and put down the book
gracefully. Then, she took the tea and took a sip, with a hint of sarcasm
in her dark jade-like eyes. When she persuaded Yulian to be the
concubine, she knew that Qing’er would not act dutifully. As expected,
Mother Chen took a beating after someone incited her. Now, she was
going to look for trouble for Madam Ling.

“Didn’t Xu Yulian and Madam Ling work together to deal with me?
Then let them make trouble first!”

“I listened to you and flattered her first.” Lanning was disdainful of

Qing’er, who used to be gentle and weak. Since the Junior Concubine Xu
was in favor, Qing’er seemed to get promoted after her. She usually acts
like a delicate lady in the courtyard and does nothing. She even scolded
the little maids in the garden. If the young lady had not ordered her,
Lanning would have driven her out of Bright Frost Garden.

“We’ll enter the palace in a few days. Let Mother Han keep an eye on
Auspicious Clouds Courtyard and Junior Concubine Xu. She doesn’t
have to intervene in anything.”

Ning Xueyan was about to enter the palace, so she had to instruct them.
She set up this trap to distract Madam Ling’s and the ambitious Junior
Concubine Xu’s attention. In this way, she could finish the Beauty
Contest in a better way. If she did not distract Madam Ling’s attention,
Mother Han would probably have an accident when she came back, like
the last time she went to the Cold Mountain Temple.

She would never be like what she was, in her previous life, not even
being able to protect the people around her…
Chapter 306 Officially Entering
the Palace and Joining the Beauty
Contes
t

The Beauty Contest was scheduled to be held on the eighth day of the
lunar month.

In the drawing-room of the Lord Protector’s Manor, Madam Dowager

looked at Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan with satisfaction. She could
not hide the smile on her face.

Ning Qingshan was wearing a light green garment and a peacock skirt
embroidered with gold. She had on an agate belt, which was adorned
with blue, small fringed beads around her waist. Her black hair was
combed into a fashionable drifting cloud bun, which added a bit more
charm to her beauty.

Ning Xueyan’s dress was relatively elegant. She wore a silver-white

breast-high Ru skirt, which looked ethereal. She had incredibly slender,
delicate facial features, and flawless, white-jade skin. There was only a
dangling ornament in her simple bun, and a few strands of black hair fell
around her ears. Although her lip color was light, she looked young,
innocent, and was as elegant and beautiful as a lotus.

At first glance, it seemed that Ning Qingshan was more outstanding, but
after careful observation, one could tell how beautiful Ning Xueyan
would be, after she grew up.

Therefore, Madam Dowager was very satisfied with both her

granddaughters.

“Fifth Girl, why didn’t you wear the hair accessories that you wore the
last time? Don’t you like it?” Seeing only a golden dangling ornament on
Ning Xueyan’s head, Madam Dowager showed a little displeasure. She
had asked someone to prepare the hair accessories and sent them to the
two courtyards. Ning Qingshan had a lot of ornaments on her head, while
Ning Xueyan’s hair looked a bit bare.

The Beauty Contest was an important matter. If something happened

unexpectedly, the Lord Protector’s Manor would lose face.

“Grandmother, I’m still young and can’t wear that exquisite jewelry, so I
did not use them for the time being.” Ning Xueyan smiled and bowed
gently.

Although the jewelry given by Madam Dowager was exquisite, Ning

Xueyan did not like them, so she only picked one to wear.

“Third Young Lady, you are always sensible. After you enter the palace,
you should take care of your Fifth Sister. She has rarely been to the
palace. As an elder sister, you have to take some responsibilities. Even if
there are problems between the two of you, it should be set aside. When
you’re away from home, you represent the Lord Protector’s Manor. You
should know that you have the honor only with the support of the Lord
Protector’s Manor.”

Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, Madam Dowager did not blame her.
Instead, she looked at Ning Qingshan, and issued a warning.

The last sentence meant that only with the support of the Lord
Protector’s Manor, they would have the honor. If there was no support
from the Lord Protector’s Manor, they would be nothing. No matter if it
was the Third Prince or the Fourth Prince, they would not marry a
woman without any background.

The reason why Madam Dowager mentioned this to Ning Qingshan was
because Ning Qingshan had schemed against Ning Xueyan. According to
Madam Dowager, no matter what Ning Qingshan’s background was, she
was still the Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. If something
happened to the Lord Protector’s Manor, she would not be able to get
any benefits.

The Third Prince was interested in Ning Qingshan, and he was

determined to marry her. The list of the Beauty Contest had already been
handed in, so Ning Qingshan had no choice, but to take part in the
selection. For today, Madam Dowager would not let allow any untoward
incidents to take place. There would be no entanglement between Ning
Qingshan and Ning Xueyan.

That would harm the interest of the whole Lord Protector’s Manor.

Hearing the meaning behind Madam Dowager’s words, Ning Qingshan

felt angry and full of hate, but she did not dare to vent her anger. She
forced a smile and said, “Grandmother, I’ll listen to you. Both Fifth
Sister and I are daughters of the Lord Protector’s Manor. It is closely
related to us. Fifth Sister, please forgive me if I did something wrong to
you.”

She said this to Ning Xueyan and even bowed to her. How could Ning
Xueyan let her bow to her in front of Madam Dowager? She quickly
reached out and said, “Third Sister, how can you say that? I have already
forgotten about what happened before. As sisters, we should be united.
In that case, we can rely on each other.”

Seeing them speaking to each other softly and bearing no grudges,

Madam Dowager nodded with satisfaction, indicating that they could go
out.

They bowed to Madam Dowager and went out with their maids.

Since they were going to the imperial palace to join the Beauty Contest,
everyone could bring a few maids. Ning Xueyan took Lanning with her.
Among the three maids, Lanning was the most careful. Xinmei stayed
outside, so it was convenient for her to take care of Qingyu and Mother
Han. If she found Madam Ling or Ning Yuling coming back and making
trouble when Ning Xueyan was absent, she could go to the Prince Yi’s
Manor to deliver a message.

Of course, Ning Qingshan chose her closest maid, Caifen, who had been
promoted to a first-class maid.

Both of them entered the carriage outside the door. Ning Qingshan was
in the front, while Ning Xueyan was in the back. Ning Huaiyuan rode
beside them and escorted them to the imperial city.
Outside the Imperial City gate, a long queue of carriages quietly parked
at the entrance of the Wuping Gate. The carriages in front formed a long
line. The inspection seemed to be so rigid that the line moved very
slowly.

“Young Lady, are you going to marry Prince Yi?” Lanning lifted the
curtain and looked at the progress outside the carriage. They would not
be able to enter the imperial city for a while, so she lowered the curtain,
and asked in a low voice.

Ning Xueyan had told her confidants about it.

Ning Xueyan leaned against a cushion and her black-jade eyes were
filmy. After a while, she corrected Lanning, “I’m going to Prince Yi’s
Manor.”

Ao Chenyi had chosen her as the co-consort. Ning Xueyan thought that
only the principal wife could have a say in that.

“Young Lady, Prince Yi may be mighty, or he might be able to become…

But with your family background and moral quality, aren’t you qualified
to be a principal wife?” Ning Xueyan had mentioned it when she was
dressing up this morning. At that time, her trusted subordinates were all
stunned. Lanning had not quite recovered from such a piece of shocking
news. For a moment, she only felt that the so-called co-consort position
was an insult to Ning Xueyan.

Her young lady was talented and beautiful. As the daughter of a legal
wife of the Lord Protector’s Manor, she was not inferior to anyone else.
How could she not be the principal wife?

“Lanning, the Lord Protector’s Manor has nothing to do with me!” Ning
Xueyan drawled, with coldness and contempt in her eyes.

Ning Xueyan always felt that being the daughter of a legal wife of the
Lord Protector’s Manor was a joke. Nobody treated her like a legal
daughter. She knew how all the people in the manor treated her. Even
though Madam Dowager looked kind now, she only treated her as an
useful pawn.
Madam Dowager wanted to take advantage of her to get the maximum
benefits for the Lord Protector’s Manor. They never cared whether she
would live or die.

In this respect, Madam Dowager was not even comparable to Madam

Ling. Madam Ling at least cared about her children, but Madam
Dowager was vicious enough to plot against her blood relatives.

Therefore, she had never relied on the Lord Protector’s Manor, and she
never wanted to rely on it at all. She never cared about the principal wife,
Madam Dowager, and the marquis. There would be days to come, and
now it was just a beginning.

As the carriage and horses slowly entered the palace, the carriages of the
Lord Protector’s Manor followed them into the palace gate. Seeing the
carriages entering the palace gate, Ning Huaiyuan, who sat on a big
horse, looked at the carriage disappearing from his sight with a gloomy
and complicated expression.

“Eldest Young Master, we can go back. Madam said that Second Young
Lady might arrive soon, so she asked you to pick her up outside the city.”

Madam Ling had been paying attention to Ning Yuling’s return for a long
time. As early as two days ago, she had said that she might arrive today.
Thinking about the time, she had asked someone to inform Ning
Huaiyuan in advance. However, the young male servant could not help
reminding him, when he saw his Eldest Young Master was still looking
on.

Ning Huaiyuan nodded, turned around, and rode out of the city with his
servants.

In the Ten-li Resting Station outside the city, a simple carriage was
parked there. It were an unimpressive carriage and there were a handful
of subordinates inside. A beautiful maid standing at the door of the
carriage, asked in a low voice, “Young Lady, the Eldest Young Master
has not come yet. Should we wait here or go back by ourselves?”

There was silence behind the curtain. After a while, she heard a woman’s
gloomy voice, “Wait!”
“Yes!” The maid did not dare to say anything and retreated to the
carriage.

The master did not get out of the carriage to rest, so neither did the
others. The cart driver was sitting at the head of the carriage, and the
servants were standing around the wagon. They stood still outside the
station, and in silence.

It was a piece of enclosed land around the Wuping Gate.

All kinds of carriages remained on this empty field. Two rows of

eunuchs stood in two wing-rooms. No one dared to take this occasion
lightly. Even if the daughters of principal wives of aristocratic families
had noble statuses, they had to bow here and consciously lowered their
voices.

When she helped Ning Xueyan get off the carriage, Lanning saw many
young ladies walking out of the carriage. She even saw Heng Yuqing
from a distance. She had not seen her since she fell into the water that
day. Although she looked a little haggard, she was in good spirits. She
nodded with a smile.

Heng Yuqing also saw her and smiled.

They were in the Emperor’s palace and this was such a solemn moment,
when the Beauty Contest was about to begin. Therefore, it was not a
good time for them to gossip about the old days.

Finally, a eunuch in red came over to declare the imperial edict. All the
people knelt on the ground silently. After he finished the long sentences,
all the people shouted, “Long live!”

The eunuch in red repeated the rules of entering the palace to all the
ladies. After that, they walked in with their maids. As the last person
entered the gate of the inner palace, the two tall vermilion gates were
slowly closed.

Everyone followed the eunuch quietly. Only the rustling of their clothes
could be heard in the high and narrow corridor.
After walking out of the narrow corridor, they had officially entered the
inner palace. The crowd followed the eunuch along this twisting passage
way. Suddenly, they were stopped by a group of people.

Ning Xueyan stood behind and looked over, only to see a gorgeous
carriage with many eunuchs and palace maids standing on both sides. No
one knew which palace the imperial concubine was from.

However, at this time, what was the purpose of stopping the group meant
for the Beauty Contest?
Chapter 307 Honored Consort
Ya’s Enthusiasm
“Are they all here for the Beauty Contest?” Honored Consort Ya sat on
the carriage, with a smile on her face and asked gently.

She was beautiful and refined, so she was very popular in the palace.
Besides, she had a son. Compared with the Empress, who had no
children, she was the most influential person in the whole palace. Of
course, she was in charge of the Beauty Contest.

“Yes, Your Highness. They are all daughters of noble families.” The first
eunuch, who led the ladies into the palace, came in a hurry and answered
respectfully, when he heard that the Honored Consort Ya was in front of
him.

“They’re beautiful. It seems that there will be more younger sisters in the
palace this time.” Honored Consort Ya smiled gently and gazed at them
with a soft look.

“They look good, but how can they compare with you, Honored Consort
Ya?” The chief eunuch said with a smile. Everyone knew that Honored
Consort Ya was the Emperor’s most trusted person. Even the Empress’s
status was lower than Honored Consort Ya’s in the palace. Besides, there
was the Third Prince in the palace. People in the palace naturally knew
where their place was.

“Did the Third Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor come?”
Honored Consort Ya asked with a faint smile.

“Yes, yes, she came some time back!” The chief eunuch said, pointing at
Ning Qingshan, who was standing in front of him. Everyone knew the
Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor would become the
Third Prince’s consort. So, he had to keep an eye on her. That was why
he remembered her so well.
Ning Qingshan stepped forward and bowed to Honored Consort Ya
respectfully.

“It is said that the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor is
also here. Come here!” Honored Consort Ya looked at the crowd, as if
she was looking for something. At this time, when she mentioned the
Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, the eunuch was
stunned. He looked around carefully and searched for Ning Xueyan.

All the portraits of these beautiful ladies had been sent to the palace
earlier, so the chief eunuch had seen them. Besides, all the ladies were
from noble families, and most of them had been to the palace, so the
chief eunuch knew them. However, the Fifth Young Lady had never
appeared in the chief eunuch’s mind.

For a moment, he was stunned. “What does Honored Consort Ya mean?”

Although Ning Xueyan stood at the back, she also heard Honored
Consort Ya’s question. She blinked her watery eyes, walked up to
Honored Consort Ya, and bowed respectfully. “I pay my respects to
Honored Consort Ya. I hope that Honored Consort Ya will have good
luck and good health.”

“She is a fabulous person. No wonder you’re so valued.” Honored

Consort Ya looked at Ning Xueyan from head to toe, as if she was seeing
her for the first time. After a while, she said with a meaningful smile.

Ning Xueyan’s heart jolted. She frowned slightly. “Does Honored

Consort Ya mean that someone is interested in me? Ao Chenyi?” Ning
Xueyan denied the name directly. “Ao Chenyi is arrogant and he could
not get along well with Honored Consort Ya. Who else can that person
be?”

After she finished speaking, Honored Consort Ya waved her hand. Two
palace maids came over with a small white jade box in their hands.
When the box was opened, there was a jade bracelet inside.

“You two sisters are both delicate. I have always liked you very much. I
hope that you will support each other in the future. I will reward you
with this thing.”
Honored Consort Ya smiled and waved to Ning Qingshan, who was
standing aside. Then, she said with a smile.

“Your Highness, I’m afraid to accept!” Ning Xueyan bowed hurriedly.

As her long eyelashes fluttered, she was trying to cover up her
annoyance. Honored Consort Ya asked them to support each other at this
time and place, indicating that she wanted them to get along well with
each other. On that day, Honored Consort Ya also intended to let Ning
Qingshan and Ning Yuling live together in peace.

She did not expect that the same thing would happen again. Honored
Consort Ya wanted her and Ning Qingshan to get along well with each
other.

But at this moment, it was no longer like that day, when there were no
outsiders. At that time, there was only Madam Dowager calling the shots
for her. At this time, she was alone, so she could not afford to humiliate
Honored Consort Ya, in any case. But if she accepted it, everyone would
understand what it meant. Then…

Ning Xueyan had sharp eyes, and she had already noticed that there were
two words written on the white jade boxes. One of the boxes was
addressed to Ning Qingshan, “First-class,” while the other one had
“Second-class.” written on it. The Beauty Contest had not been held yet,
but it was already clear which one was better. At the same time, it was a
hint to everyone that Ning Xueyan would also enter the Third Prince’s
Manor, but her status would be slightly lower.

But Ning Xueyan did not want to accept the hint. She raised her eyes and
glanced at Ning Qingshan. She believed that Ning Qingshan did not want
to admit that either, so she did not come up to get the reward.

“Why are you afraid? Don’t you like my gift?” Honored Consort Ya
asked with a smile. She looked natural and gentle, and every smile on
her face looked very tender.

Her words were aggressive and it was clear that she would not let Ning
Xueyan muddle through this. At the same time, she glanced at Ning
Qingshan vaguely. Ning Qingshan, who was standing beside her,
lowered her head, with anger in her eyes. If it were her, she would not
have done such a rude thing, but she did not appreciate it.
However, Honored Consort Ya could not say anything before the crowd
of people.

“Your Highness, please calm down. I’m full of respect for you, but I did
not do anything for you. That’s why I did not accept your gift. If I accept
your gift for no reason as soon as I enter the palace, the other ladies will
have objections to the unfair treatment. I will feel uneasy here, and the
others will gossip about you and ruin your reputation.” Ning Xueyan said
with dignity and gentleness.

Ning Xueyan’s words were very tactful.

Most of it was about herself, but she mentioned Honored Consort Ya

along with it. After all, it was a Beauty Contest. It was a highest-ranking
contest because all the candidates were the daughters of noble families.
This time, the two princes’ consort and the co-consort would be selected
from the competition.

Even Prince Yi’s consort and co-consort would be selected.

Honored Consort Ya was trying to intervene in the contest even before it

started. In fact, she was interfering too much in the matter. Although she
was only second to the Empress in the imperial harem, she was less
justifiable than the Empress. Moreover, she was too biased. If someone
took it seriously, he could even use this condition against Honored
Consort Ya and the Third Prince.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan’s subtle speech could be regarded as a favor to

Honored Consort Ya. She would not offend Honored Consort Ya.

“What a smart child. She is not only good-looking, but also eloquent and
thoughtful. She is adorable. Well, since there is no difference between
her and others at this time, I’ll reward you after the contest.” As
expected, the Honored Consort Ya looked more gentle. She looked at
Ning Xueyan with a smile and waved her hand to the side.

Two palace maids left with the boxes in their hands.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan came
forward and thanked her respectfully.
Then, Honored Consort Ya did not stay anymore. She left in the carriage
to give way to the ladies. The palace maids and eunuchs lined up neatly
in the two wing-rooms.

After Honored Consort Ya’s carriage went off, everyone followed the
chief eunuch again. After the episode, Ning Xueyan felt the people
around her giving her looks of envy and jealousy. Everyone knew that
the Third Prince was the favorite son of the Emperor. It was unusual that
one could marry into the Third Prince’s Manor.

Wasn’t it said that the Third Prince had taken a fancy to the Third Young
Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor? What about the Fifth Young Lady?

Many people’s eyes wandered between Ning Qingshan and Ning

Xueyan. However, one of them was still smiling, refined, and elegant,
while the other was indifferent, cold, and beautiful. No one could tell
that if anything was wrong. Because of what Honored Consort Ya had
done before, they were united.

Ning Xueyan bowed to Ning Qingshan slightly. Ning Qingshan wore an

amiable smile on her face, showing no sign of unpleasantness.

What did this mean? More eyes wandered between them as if they were
trying to dig something out.

Today, they went to the palace first, but the Beauty Contest had not
started officially yet. The chief eunuch took them to Shuyu Palace and
asked people to arrange accommodations for them. Because there were
not many people, each of them could be assigned to a room. The maids
would make the beds and arrange the rooms. The ladies were told again
that they were not allowed to leave at will. Without a call, they could
only stay in the Jade Palace. Otherwise, no one would bear the
responsibility of the nobles being disturbed.

After his admonitory talk, everyone left and prepared to sort out their
arrangements. It was said that there would be a stewardess in the palace
coming later.

“Fifth Sister, how did you manage to get the attention of Honored
Consort Ya?” Ning Qingshan suddenly stopped Ning Xueyan, who was
about to leave, with a smile, and asked her carelessly.
The corners of Ning Xueyan’s eyes twitched. From Ning Xueyan’s
angle, she could see a hint of jealousy and hatred in Ning Qingshan’s
eyes. With Ning Qingshan’s shrewdness, how could she not know what
Honored Consort Ya meant just now? Was she here to denounce her
publicly?

“I don’t know. Maybe when I was in Cold Mountain Temple, I was with
the Second Sister. I took advantage of her presence and was introduced
to Honored Consort Ya.” Ning Xueyan said with a gentle smile, “Third
Sister, do you know that Second Sister will be returning to the manor
today. Maybe she has arrived at the manor already. Unfortunately, we
have entered the palace and missed her return.”

Ning Xueyan said that she had benefited from being with Ning Yuling,
which made her feel uncomfortable. However, there was nothing wrong
with her words, which made Ning Qingshan feel embarrassed. But when
she saw the curious eyes of the people around her, she immediately held
back her anger and forced herself to smile a stiff smile.

“Second Sister is coming back. What a coincidence. When we go out, we

must meet her. We have not seen each other for three years.”

She could not be angry here and give the others a chance to ruin her
reputation. Anyway, she had already been in the imperial palace. She
didn’t believe that her aunt wanted to marry Ning Xueyan to her cousin.
The Beauty Contest was beginning, and there were many variables in it.
She would make a fool of Ning Xueyan again and again. In that case, she
believed that her cousin would not be willing to marry Ning Xueyan, and
her aunt would not like a woman who did not deserve her reputation.

Therefore, she was not anxious. The stiffness in her eyes turned into
malice. She would never let Ning Xueyan get what she wanted. She must
make a fool of her…
Chapter 308 The Past Events
Disclosed, Honored Consort Ya
Conceded
Ning Qingshan was secretly taken away by the people of Honored
Consort Ya that night.

“Aunt.” Seeing Honored Consort Ya sitting high in the hall, Ning

Qingshan felt wronged and immediately burst into tears. She went
forward and knelt in front of Honored Consort Ya’s knees, tears
streaming down her cheeks.

“What’s wrong? Why don’t you come up and talk?” Seeing Ning
Qingshan so aggrieved, Honored Consort Ya rubbed her forehead and
gestured for her to sit down. Then she waved her hand and all the other
palace maids and eunuchs left, leaving only one confidant behind.

“Aunt, do… are you feel satisfied with Ning Xueyan? Don’t you want
me?” Ning Qingshan stood up obediently, and looked at Honored
Consort Ya pitifully, with tears in her eyes.

“Shan’er, how can I not want you? You’re my closest relative. I’m
relieved that the Third Prince is with you.” Honored Consort Ya’s head
ached. She sighed and comforted her niece.

One of them was her niece, and the other was her son. She hoped that
they would be in love with each other. Besides, it was not just a matter of
the two of them. Some of her father’s arrangements and some of Ning
Qingshan’s means made this marriage necessary.

Ao Mingyu did not say anything before, but he was making trouble at
this point. How could Honored Consort Ya not feel worried?

“Since you want me, was it my cousin’s idea today?” Ning Qingshan’s
tears were about to fall. She looked at Honored Consort Ya with a pitiful
expression.
“Shan’er, did you accidentally reveal what happened three years ago?”
Speaking of this, Honored Consort Ya was also angry. If it were not for
that, she would have not have done such a stupid thing for her son today,
and left a handhold for others. It ended with nothing definite, because of
Ning Xueyan’s discomfort.

Thinking of this, Honored Consort Ya became more annoyed, and her

face darkened.

“What happened three years ago? What happened three years ago?” Ning
Qingshan was stunned at first, and her face suddenly turned pale. Her
lips trembled. “Aunt…Aunt, are you saying that cousin knows about the
incident that happened in the imperial palace… three… three years ago?”

It was her secret and also the start of her confidence in Ao Mingyu. She
had always thought that she would find a place in her cousin’s heart, if
there was such a thing. But what did Honored Consort Ya mean now?
Did she mean that her cousin knew that she and her aunt had schemed
against him?

What… what should she do?

Would her cousin abandon her? Would he not marry her because of this?
She was anxious and started to sweat. She looked at Honored Consort Ya
blankly, hoping to hear a different answer from her. It was not the worst
answer she had thought of.

“Yes.” Unfortunately, Honored Consort Ya dashed her hopes. She could

not stand up any longer and felt weak. She hurriedly grabbed on to a
chair and sat down. Her legs were trembling.

“Don’t worry. I said it was all my doing, and it was all my idea. You
don’t know anything about it, so it’s not your fault.” Honored Consort Ya
could not bear to see her so frightened. She sighed and stretched out her
hand to hold her trembling hands.

“Aunt, you said… said it’s your idea? Cousin… cousin, did he believe
it?” Hearing that Honored Consort Ya had taken all the blame, Ning
Qingshan finally felt like she had been given a lifeline. She immediately
held Honored Consort Ya’s hand and cried with excitement. Just now,
she thought it was all over with her cousin.
Given her cousin’s haughtiness, how could he allow her to lie to him?

“Although he does not trust others easily, he still trusts me like a mother.
Don’t worry, he won’t trouble you anymore, but how did you let him
find out?” Honored Consort Ya had a headache when she thought of this.
It was not a big deal at first, but now it caused so many problems. Her
son was so determined that she was caught unprepared.

She did not know why her son thought of what happened three years ago.

“Aunt, I don’t know. I did not tell anyone about it. When I was in the
palace, I lived here alone. Apart from me, there were only the servants in
your palace. Could it be that the people in your palace said something
that my cousin found out?”

Ning Qingshan said this resolutely.

Her words were reasonable. Honored Consort Ya thought of the people

who might have known about it and felt that she should handle the
people in her palace. She nodded and said, “Maybe it’s the people in my
palace. Well, I’ll investigate it later. Now it’s Yu’er who is creating
trouble for me because of this matter. He said that if he needs to marry
you, he must marry Ning Xueyan.”

Sure enough, the Third Prince was interested in Ning Xueyan. He

threatened her aunt with this matter. Ning Qingshan was both jealous and
angry, but she couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.

The incident happened three years ago, and it was because of her.

However, she was reluctant. How could she accept that Ning Xueyan, a
coquette, would be entering her cousin’s Prince’s Manor? No, she could
not let that happen.

“Aunt, do you think the Lord Protector’s Manor will marry her to
Cousin?” Ning Qingshan asked bitterly, but she could not let it show on
her face. Instead, Ning Qingshan had a look of concern for Honored
Consort Ya.

Her words brought some bad memories to Honored Consort Ya. At first,
it was because the Lord Protector’s Manor was unwilling to marry their
two daughters to Yu’er. Madam Dowager of the Lord Protector’s Manor
had secretly refused. Otherwise, it might not have fueled Yu’er’s
obsession. Now, he forced her to accept Ning Xueyan, due to the past.

Ning Xueyan had not entered the door yet, but their mother-child
relationship was already disharmonious So, it was impossible for
Honored Consort Ya to like Ning Xueyan.

“Don’t worry. As long as the chips are enough, the old woman will let
her go.” Honored Consort Ya sneered.

“Aunt, do you want Ning Xueyan to be a co-consort in the Prince’s

Manor?” Ning Qingshan asked in horror. She clenched her fists under
her sleeves and wished she could appear in front of Ning Xueyan right
now and scratch her face.

She would never allow Ning Xueyan to marry the Third Prince, and
become the co-consort.

“I think that I will not allow her to have a high status, so as not to make
things difficult for you in the future. But as the daughter of the main wife
of the Lord Protector’s Manor, she should be an imperial concubine at
least. Shan’er, how about making her a concubine?”

Honored Consort Ya thought for a while and said this helplessly. Of

course, she did not say it all out. Ao Mingyu was angry about the past.
For her niece’s sake, she even framed him, regardless of him being her
son. He doubted that even if Ning Qingshan had not shown up at that
time, it would not matter if he died or not.

Because of this, the relationship between the mother and the son was
inharmonious. Honored Consort Ya tried her best to make up for it. After
all, no matter how close she was to her niece, her son was the one closest
to her. Besides, her son might ascend the throne, so Honored Consort Ya
was worried about falling out with her son. She thought that it would be
a trivial matter to take a concubine for her son.

As long as her son did not blame her because of what happened three
years ago, she did not think that it would be a big problem. Even if Ao
Mingyu proposed to take Ning Qingshan as his co-consort, she agreed,
after thinking over it for a while.
As for the two daughters of the Lord Protector’s Manor, one would be a
co-consort, and the other would be a concubine, which would be not
suitable. As long as she gave the corresponding benefits and made some
promises to the Lord Protector’s Manor, there should be no problem with
the Lord Protector’s Manor. However, there would be a problem with
Ning Qingshan because she was slated to be the principal wife of the
Third Prince, but now she would only be a co-consort. Thus, Honored
Consort Ya was embarrassed to tell her the truth.

However, what her son said was also reasonable. Her niece had
misbehaved. When in the yard, someone saw Ning Qingshan, not
properly dressed on the bed with the dissipater Ao Xian. Then, on New
Year’s Eve, it was said that Ning Qingshan fought with another of her
nieces because of Ao Xian. What’s more, his son also said that someone
in black had caught her. And, it was hard to know what had actually
happened in the darkness.

Her son was the closest to her. Thinking that her son, a prince, had to
marry Ning Qingshan, who had lost her reputation, she felt sorry for her
son, who had been made a cuckold. Therefore, Honored Consort Ya
agreed with Ao Mingyu’s words and decided to make Ning Qingshan his
co-consort.

As long as she treated Ning Qingshan well after their marriage, it would
make up for her lack of status.

After Honored Consort Ya made up her mind, she wanted to find a

suitable daughter-in-law. Of course, she could not say these words to
Ning Qingshan right now.

“A concubine? Ning Xueyan will be a concubine?” Ning Qingshan was

stunned.

“Yes, Yu’er said that he would marry her as a concubine, instead of a co-
consort. Shan’er, do you feel relieved now?” Honored Consort Ya
answered with a smile, looking gentle and calm.

The status of a concubine was lower than that of a co-consort. Thinking

that her cousin did not ask Ning Xueyan to be the co-consort, Ning
Qingshan became less angry. She snorted and said, “Aunt, she will gain
extra advantage even as a concubine. She is a maid who does not know
anything. How can she become my cousin’s concubine? If she’s
unpresentable in the future, what will people think of him?”

“Unpresentable? As the daughter of the principal wife of Lord

Protector’s Manor, she can’t be that bad, right?” Honored Consort Ya
asked in surprise.

“Aunt, you don’t know the truth. She has been locked up in Bright Frost
Garden for so many years. Father and Grandmother looked down on
them. She did not even have a Mammy to see to her upbringing, and her
mother was the one who taught her. She could only write a few words.
How would it be possible for her to know anything about lyre-playing,
chess, calligraphy, and painting? If she enters my cousin’s manor, she
will disgrace him.”

.Ning Qingshan’s tone was disdainful at this moment.

“Didn’t the Lord Protector’s Manor get anyone for her at that time?
Didn’t she even have an upbringing mammy ?” Honored Consort Ya sat
up straight, her face darkening.

“Of course not. Aunt, if you don’t believe me, you can ask the others. At
that time, no one paid any attention to the people in Bright Frost Garden.
They watched them grow and die without any interference. How could
they ask someone to teach them?” Seeing Honored Consort Ya’s
hesitation, Ning Qingshan’s ridicule for Ning Xueyan grew.

“But, Yu’er…” Honored Consort Ya hesitated. Although a concubine

was not as good as the consort and co-consort, she would be a
concubine, which could be regarded as the daughter-in-law of the royal
family. She could not let Yu’er lose face because of her.

“Aunt, if you don’t believe me, why don’t you check it out first? If you
produce the evidence, my cousin will drop the idea forever. Anyway, it’s
not your fault, but Ning Xueyan’s fault. He can’t blame anyone.”

“Check her out?” These words reminded Honored Consort Ya, and her
eyes lit up. “Well, let the young ladies gather together to perform in two
days. If she’s unqualified, she’ll be eliminated.”
“Yes, Aunt! that’s a good idea!” Ning Qingshan said with a smile. A
trace of cruelty flashed across her face. “It’s not that simple. If the news
that she can’t do anything gets out, Ning Xueyan will never marry well
in her life!”
Chapter 309 The Hate-filled
Caifen
Once they entered the palace, they had to learn the rules and etiquette of
the palace. Although all of them had studied it in their manors before, it
was still not enough, according to the imperial palace’s standards.
Therefore, all of them were supplied with maids who specialized in
palace etiquette. They were required to be well drilled in all aspects of
palace manners.

If there was something wrong, they would have to do it all over again.
They were not cut any slack because of their noble status. At the end of a
day, even Ning Qingshan’s knees were sore, and her legs were numb.
When the maid helped her back to her room, she could not stand it.
Honored Consort Ya did not take care of Ning Qingshan in this aspect. It
expressed that she made no exception for anyone.

“Third Sister.” After walking a few steps, she saw Ning Xueyan being
helped by a maid. Ning Xueyan looked pale and haggard. It was evident
that she was not feeling good.

Seeing Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan let go of Caifen’s hand and came
over, as if she was worried about Ning Xueyan. “Fifth Sister, are you all
right? Do you want to see an imperial physician? Don’t get sick at this
time. I can’t bear this responsibility in place of grandmother and father.”

“Third Sister, I’m fine. I’m just a little tired.” Ning Xueyan sat down on
a stone bench and said softly to Ning Qingshan.

“You’re not in good health all the time. Don’t carry on if you’re not all
right. Let’s talk to Honored Consort Ya. Maybe she will reduce the
intensity of your paces if she knows you’re weak.” Ning Qingshan sat
down on the stone bench with a sincere and kind look on her face.

“No, thanks. I heard that things will be better tomorrow. So, I won’t
bother you anymore.” Ning Xueyan shook her head and held her
forehead with one hand. She looked sleepy. She did not know anything
before, even if she had been practicing hard in the manor, but it was still
not enough. It was inevitable that a Mammy would scold her.

At the thought of this, Ning Qingshan was quite happy.

Tomorrow, Ning Xueyan, do you think you will be free tomorrow?

Unfortunately, you will have a hard time tomorrow. She would
deliberately create problems for Ning Xueyan, so she did not believe that
she would not make a fool of herself.

“Since you don’t need the physician, you’d better go back and have a
good rest. Don’t get too tired. There are other things to be done
tomorrow.” Ning Qingshan pretended to be a good, elder sister at this
time. All the young ladies who passed by, looked confused. The
relationship between the two Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s
Manor was terribly strange.

“Third Sister, I’ll go back now!” Ning Xueyan nodded and gave a forced
smile. She seemed not to be in good spirits. Lanning carefully held her
arm, and she stood up. Then, she leaned against Lanning and walked into
her room.

Ning Xueyan’s room was a little far, but Ning Qingshan’s room was in
the first row, so it was convenient for her to go in and out. The last one
was not popular among the ladies, because of the long distance. They all
lived in the front, so the rooms in the first two rows were occupied. In
the last row, there were only a few people, and several rooms were
empty.

Several people, who had been assigned to the last row, asked to be
moved to the front, by all means. Ning Xueyan always liked peace and
quiet, so she did not care about it.

After turning two corners and knowing that Ning Qingshan had already
disappeared, Ning Xueyan stood up straight and walked in slowly. She
was not tired at all after the training. Ning Xueyan had not learned
anything, but Ning Ziying knew everything. Moreover, under her
mother’s strict requirements, she was thoroughly accomplished.

Even the stewardess who tried to find something wrong, could not find
fault with her. She let her practice by herself and did not exert any
control over her. She deliberately showed signs of fatigue, when she saw
Ning Qingshan, because she did not want Ning Qingshan to suspect
anything. But now, it seemed that Ning Qingshan was suspicious.

Ning Qingshan’s caring attitude was indeed suspicious!

Besides, the smugness on her face showed that Ning Qingshan must have
ulterior motives.

“Lanning, you go to the Eldest Young Lady Heng later. You tell her that I
asked you to go there to see if she has any silk threads because I want to
embroider a handkerchief when I am free. Then, you ask her privately if
she knows anything about the arrangements for these few days.”

“Yes, I’ll go in a minute.” Lanning nodded, sent Ning Xueyan back to

her room, and went over to Heng Yuqing’s place.

Heng Yuqing was in the room in front, in the second row. Ning Xueyan
and Heng Yuqing had talked about it when they met before, so she knew
the exact location, even though she had not visited her officially yet.

Ning Xueyan went back to her room to have a rest, and then she heard
Lanning’s hasty footsteps.

“Young Lady, I heard that tomorrow, all Young Ladies will have to show
their talents, be it playing a musical instrument or dancing as the first
choice. Now, many young ladies have asked their families to bring their
familiar traditional musical instruments and costumes to the palace.”
Lanning was shocked when she heard the news and had hurried back.

“Tomorrow? It’s so fast!” Ning Xueyan’s eyes were calm, with a trace of
coldness in her jet-black eyes. Everyone except her, knew about it. Ning
Qingshan was so exceptionally adept in trickery. She kept all the news
from her, and wanted to catch her off guard tomorrow.

“Young Lady, do… do you have any familiar musical instruments or

dresses that you need? Eldest Young Lady Heng told me that she asked
someone to get them for her. Do you want her to take them for you…”
When Lanning asked Ning Xueyan, Lanning’s voice became softer and
softer, and she even looked a little angry. After she followed Ning
Xueyan, she knew that the young lady in front of her was smart, but she
had never learned anything formally.

The Lord Protector’s Manor had mistreated her, so there were no

instruments or dancing dresses for her.

“Lanning, go ask Eldest Young Lady Heng to tell Xinmei that I want a
dancing dress.” Ning Xueyan stood up and looked out of the window.
Her eyes were cold and dark. Was it just a competition? Ning Qingshan
would not let such an opportunity go. She even felt that this sudden
competition had something to do with Ning Qingshan.

Furthermore, on the first day, the chief eunuch had not said anything
about the arrangements for these days. Why did such a thing suddenly
happen?

No matter in her previous life or this life, she had never danced in the
Lord Protector’s Manor, so no one knew that she knew how to dance.
But no one knew that in the south of the Yangtze River, these were all
her compulsory projects. Her mother had strict requirements on every
project she had to learn.

“Young Lady, I… I don’t know if you have a dancing dress.” Lanning

blinked and asked in confusion.

“I don’t know either, but Xinmei will know.” Ning Xueyan chuckled.

“Yes, I’ll go and tell Eldest Young Lady Heng immediately.” Lanning
was stunned at first, but then she smiled. She nodded and was about to
go out when she suddenly stopped. “Young Lady, can you dance?”

“Yes!” Ning Xueyan said with certainty, with a faint smile on her face.

Lanning did not feel relieved until Ning Xueyan gave her a firm answer.
The Young Lady said she could, so she could.

Because they would have a song-and-dance competition, they had to rest

early so as not to be short of energy tomorrow. Besides, many well-
informed young ladies also knew that the performance was not only for
the imperial concubines, but also for the Emperor, several Princes, and
Princely Heirs.
On such an occasion, if one made a fool of herself, she would never be
able to show her face again. It was not just about the failure in the
Beauty Contest.

If one performed well, she could even make a blockbuster. Thus, all the
beautiful girls pulled up their socks, and prepared to make an excellent
performance to gain more points for themselves.

In the evening, the maid, Caifen, secretly returned to Ning Qingshan’s

room.

“How did it go?” Ning Qingshan asked behind a pearl curtain. She was
playing the zither and practicing a little, while in the room. She felt it
was not bad. Hearing the voice, she knew that Caifen had come back.

“Young Lady, everything is ready. That eunuch was not willing at first.
Then, he immediately agreed with a smile, after I gave him the
banknotes you prepared. At first, I thought he was a person who did not
covet money.” Caifen lifted the bead curtain and came in with disdain.

“Does not covet money?” Ning Qingshan sneered. She sat down on a
stool covered with brocades, lifted the teacup at the table, and took a sip.
“A eunuch, who’s in charge of musical instruments, doesn’t have much
money. He seldom has such a chance to get money. How can he not be
greedy for money? Does the eunuch know who you are?”

“He did not get a good look at me. There are a few pock-marks on my
face. Even if I stand in front of him tomorrow, he will not remember who
I am.” Caifen wiped several charcoal dots on her face with a
handkerchief, and said this proudly. She believed that in the dim light,
the eunuch could only see a few pock-marks on her face, and had not
seen her face clearly.

“That’s good. Caifen, thank you!” Ning Qingshan nodded with

satisfaction, and then sighed helplessly. “Now I only have you and
Mammy Luo as my henchmen. If it weren’t for my helplessness, I would
not have let you take this risk. I’m such an incompetent master.”

“Young Lady, I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid to do anything for you and
my sister.” Seeing that Ning Qingshan was concerned about her, Caifen
was touched, but then she gritted her teeth with hatred.
If it weren’t for Ning Xueyan, she would have been reunited with her
elder sister. At that time, her elder sister said that everything had been
arranged and asked her to wait for her. However, when she came over,
she saw her elder sister’s bloody and cold body. At the thought of this
scene, Caifen was full of hatred for Ning Xueyan.

Her sister was her only relative in the world, but now she had been killed
by Ning Xueyan. She hated her!

Therefore, she was willing to cooperate with Ning Qingshan to frame

Ning Xueyan. Was there anything better than taking revenge for her
sister and becoming the Young Lady’s henchman?

Dusk had fallen. In most of the rooms, the lights had been turned off.
The rooms in the last row were the quietest. There were only a few
people. So, there was no sound at this time. After helping Ning Xueyan
to prepare for bed, Lanning blew out the lights. She went outside,
frowning and sighed gently. The Young Lady had fallen asleep, but she
could not sleep. The Eldest Young Lady Heng’s people did not bring
anything back.

How could she not be anxious? However, the Young Lady did not seem
to be worried, and had fallen asleep early.

Nothing was ready for the competition tomorrow. What could be done
about it?

Suddenly, she heard a slight sound. When she looked up, everything
went dark. She fell on the bed, without knowing what was going on…