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 col
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 nei
"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 d
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
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
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 rep
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 gla
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 w
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
"What will you do now?" Ning Xueyan had to take two quick steps to catch up with Ao Chenyi's pace. "Destroy the nine barbarian states alongside Wen Xueran?""No." Ao Chenyi raised an eyebrow and smiled mysteriously. "I'll negotiate with Wen Xueran."Confused, she repeated, "Negotiate?""The people of the nine barbarian states have always been different from those of the central plains. They're valiant and barbaric. For many years, they have wanted to invade us. If it weren't for the princes of Annan holding down the front, the nine barbarian states would have attacked us a long time ago. Annan troops have fought the nine barbarian states more than our troops did, and they have a better chance of winning too."Ao Chenyi said calmly. He didn't like the nine barbarian states in the slightest. If it weren't his father forbidding him from going to the faraway hinterland of the nine barbarian states, where death was almost certain, he wo
It didn't take long for Qingyu to return from the Lord Protector's Manor with a new piece of news. It was said that there had been a haunting in the prayer hall of the manor.Rumor had it that an older maid became ill from the fright of seeing a ghost.A long time ago, the Cloud Reflection Courtyard was said to be haunted too. No one dared to come close at that time, not even during the day. Even though the rumors died down later on, a few people who were deeply affected by the events said that the situation was still grave then.Therefore, even though only a maid had seen the ghost, the rumors spread like wildfire in the manor.The prayer hall used to be Madam Dowager's favorite spot. It was later used to imprison Madam Ling for some time. Now that Madam Ling was dead, everyone feared that she was the ghost. It was said that Madam Ling was an evil woman when she was alive. Even in death, she might become a malicious ghost. The sit
Ao Chenyi was so close that his handsome face was all that Ning Xueyan could see, and he didn't look all that happy. Then, she realized that she had been holding tightly onto a strand of his black hair.She flung her hand and hastily released the strand of hair in her hand. She even caressed the hair on his temples with a wide smile. "Why are you here? When did you come? Why didn't you wake me up?"Ning Xueyan looked truly confused as if she really didn't know that she had grabbed Ao Chenyi's hair until it hurt."Playing dumb, huh?" he said coldly, frowning at her. His slender fingers reached out and lightly pinched the wing of her nose."Ouch!" Ning Xueyan held her nose pitifully. Her limpid eyes seemed glazed over as if brewing tears."Now you know it hurts!" Ao Chenyi's thin lips were curved into a smile. He was satisfied to see her not daring to voice her frustration.Ning Xueyan nodded firmly without
"Can you remember it now?" Ao Chenyi narrowed his eyes and knocked on their table with his slender fingers. His voice sounded a tad threatening."I… I really can't remember." Ning Xueyan felt like she had thought of all the possible answers but she was still coming up empty. She had no choice but to admit her fault."You really can't remember?" His beautiful eyes curved into a charming arc and his expression was sinister. Sure enough, this was a bad situation to be in. She didn't even hesitate to grab his hand with a bright smile on her tender face."Even if I can't remember, you can still remind me, right?" She knew it would pay well to cajole this man.Ao Chenyi wasn't polite with her either. He turned his hand over and pinched her soft face. His expression had improved considerably. There was a faint smile on his face as he asked, "If I tell you, can you really understand and remember what it is?""Of course I can!"
It seemed that at this point of the letter, the Empress couldn't continue anymore. There were only tear stains on the paper, followed by wide empty spaces.Then, the Empress said how reassured she was that Madam Ming would be taking care of her newborn. Madam Ming would be a fine mother. She had also asked someone to watch over Madam Ming and the newborn. Their statuses in the previous dynasty had vanished like smoke. Time was always moving forward and the changing of imperial dynasties was inevitable.The only tragedy was the eternal separation of her from her husband, and of her from her daughters.The only reason she had written the letter was that she couldn't help herself. If she never said anything, her child would never know the truth. That would have been for the best. Yet, she couldn't accept this, so she would hand the letter to the person who would be looking after Madam Ming. If Ning Ziying's identity was revealed to the world one d
The news of Ning Zu'an's death shocked everyone in the Lord Protector's Manor. Even though the title had been passed onto Ning Huaijing, Ning Zu'an was the patriarch of the family. Even without the title, he was still the most authoritative figure in the manor.Madam Dowager collapsed as soon as she heard the news of his death. She became ill and bedridden, unable to get up.Ning Xueyan couldn't leave the palace freely due to her status as the Empress. She sent Qingyu and Mother Han to the manor and had them inquire about Madam Dowager's health in her place. Mother Han returned to Prince Yi's Manor afterward while Qingyu entered the palace to report to Ning Xueyan.It was inconvenient for Mother Han to live in the palace because she had a son to take care of. Instead of entering the palace with Ning Xueyan, she stayed in Prince Yi's Manor as the housekeeper. Ning Xueyan was prepared to release her from the manor when the situation stabilized in
"The Empress discovered a secret tunnel under Chenyuan Palace by accident. She never told anyone about it. She even killed the maid that discovered the tunnel with her and accompanied her in walking through the tunnel. In other words, she was the only one who knew about it," Ning Xueyan explained.This was the Empress' secret. To prove it, she used Yun Luoluo's incident as an example. When Ning Xueyan was drugged in Chenyuan Palace, the Empress wanted to take her to a room. There, a man would sneak into the palace through the secret tunnel.If Ning Xueyan woke up and discovered herself in disheveled clothes in the presence of another man, she would surely panic. To protect her secret, she would surely agree with whatever the Empress wanted. The Empress wanted to use Ning Xueyan to force Ao Chenyi into accepting his "affair" with Yun Luoluo.Unfortunately, Ao Chenyi had appeared all of a sudden. She didn't dare to do anything with him around, so
Ao Chenyi didn't try to persuade her this time. This had bothered her for so long that she would continue to suffer for it if she didn't cry it out now. He held her tighter and allowed her to wet the front of his robe. She didn't brawl. All she did was close her eyes and let her tears stream down her face. When her tears finally dried, she sat quietly in Ao Chenyi's embrace for a long time.It was so quiet inside the room that she could finally calm down.Her hands were being held so tightly in Ao Chenyi's hand that she could feel the callus in his palm. He was Prince Yi, the late Emperor's beloved prince who grew up to be the infamous Demon King. Those who mentioned his name would often be frightened and alarmed. Only she knew how difficult his life had been.Ao Chenyi was still young when he drew his elder brother's jealousy and suspicion. He was framed, imprisoned, and nearly died. His fiancee abandoned him at his lowest point, sought shelte
"It was and wasn't an accident. He could only blame himself. No matter what, he was the one who forced my hand and cornered me to this state. He ruined my everything. Him dying in my hands could be considered as his retribution."The Empress began to look calm again. She turned her head and stared at Ning Xueyan with a trace of sadness in her eyes. "I invited you here to ask you to let go of my family. It's all my fault and has nothing to do with my family. They're just a small and useless noble family. In exchange for their safety, I'll tell you a secret."Her voice had lost her previous agitation and anger, leaving only a sense of helplessness. She had never put any hope in her family. She thought that she would be able to help her people after gaining power but now that she was in trouble, she was worried that her family would be implicated and sentenced to death.She had resented her family countless times for marrying her off to the Empero