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 opp
"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.
"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
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
"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
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 Thi
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 shoul
"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 ca
"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
"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