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
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 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
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 capita
"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 ye
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 woul
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 m
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, w
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
"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