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.
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 t
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 additi
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
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
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
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 f
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 Xuey
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 exce
"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