Ning Xueyan shivered inwardly. It looked like she was right. This was a man who both made good on his word and wouldn't tolerate any annoyance. She hadn’t factored such a person into her plans. Right now, she could only stay humble.
"I apologize, my Prince. I did not intend to manipulate you. The circumstances have forced my hand."
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?"
"There are already those who would abuse, humiliate, and harm me. What do I have 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.
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 arrived with the others while she was hiding, and two stone-faced guards watched the entrance, making it impossible for her and her maid to return to the mourning 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 mocking her for being so useless.Chin raised, she asked rudely, "You there, what happened earlier? Why did Father come and then leave so abruptly?""A noble guest came to pay his respects to my mother," Ning Xueyan replied indifferently.Qingyu put
"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
"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 s
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 report
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 w
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 Z
"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 wh
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 yea
"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