By the time the bellyband was sent to Bright Frost Garden, it was already night time.
From the layout of the clothes placed on the table, it was obvious that it was a complete set, together with the bellyband. This type of clothes-making method was rarely seen. People usually made only an outer garment. But in aristocratic families, a full set of clothes would be made, and the materials used were extremely precious.
On the one hand, it was to show respect. On the other hand, it was to show the family's extraordinary background.
However, the foundation of the Lord Protector's Manor was not strong, so they had never tried it before. This time, Madam Dowager learned from the noble families how to show that the Lord Protector's Manor had a strong background too. She thought that the people in the imperial palace would respect them. But she did not expect that such a thing would happen in the end.
"Young Lady, I heard that First Madam w
Everyone saw Mother Qin walking in, and then they heard the sound of a teacup breaking. It was obvious that Madam Dowager was still angry. After a while, they saw Mother Qin coming out with a smile."Good news, First Madam. Madam Dowager says that you can go back now, and you do not have to kneel in the courtyard anymore." Mother Qin said to Madam Ling and then turned to Ning Yuling and the others. "Well, Second Young Lady, Third Young Lady, and Fifth Young Lady, you are all filial. Madam Dowager is aware of that. Go back and have a good rest now. The ground is still wet; hopefully, it will not do you any harm. We do not want Madam Dowager to feel distressed again later."Mother Qin was indeed Madam Dowager's trusted subordinate. She had a smooth tongue, and no one could find fault with her. She even flattered the three young ladies by saying that Madam Dowager did not punish Madam Ling due to their filial piety. Meanwhile, she even showed her concern for t
Seeing Ning Xueyan coming out, Lanning came forward to report. "Young Lady, I heard that he came to see the First Young Master. Then, he went to see the First Madam. I don't know when he came here."She was waiting at the gate of the courtyard and did not go in. Every time she came here, she would think of her dead young lady and grieve in her heart. Therefore, she often stopped at the gate of the courtyard, but she could still see it clearly from where she was.So, when she saw Xia Yuhang standing there and calling out to her Young Lady. Lanning hated Xia Yuhang as much as Ning Xueyan when she saw him. Her hatred of him was equal to her Young Lady Ning Ziying's love for him. This man abandoned the gentle Young Lady Ning Ziying and married the Eldest Young Lady of the Lord Protector's Manor. Everyone knew what it meant.Since he had taken the initiative and gained benefits, why did he act like he loved Ning Xueyan so much now? Lanning was worri
"Are you saying that someone changed the material on purpose? Why would the person change the material you don't like to the material you like?"After thinking about it, Lanning felt there was something wrong, but she could not figure out what was wrong. So, she turned around and asked Ning Xueyan, who was holding the set of clothes in her hands.Ning Xueyan picked up the clothes, put them to the tip of her nose and sniffed them. Then, she looked at them under the sun, and a half smile crossed her lips. As expected, they had really put in a lot of effort. Under the sun, there was a faint trace in the sleeves. A person would not be able to tell if he or she did not look closely.Nobody would scrutinize the clothes from the embroidery shop in the sunshine, inch by inch.Although she did not know the specific intention, there must be a follow-up. She looked down and chuckled. It appeared that those people would not give up until she d
"If there's a problem, you can just say it." Madam Dowager felt that Ning Yuling was pleasing to the eyes now, so she asked." Eldest Brother-in-law came to see Eldest Brother just now. He said that Eldest Sister fell into the water, got injured and became ill." Ning Yuling frowned slightly and looked anxious. "Last time when something like that happened in our Manor, my mother said that Eldest Sister was seriously injured and could not be hurt again. But this time, I don't know if it's serious..."Her words were not obvious, and she deliberately avoided stating something. However, everyone present knew that it was about Ning Ziyan's abortion. Madam Dowager's eyebrows were furrowed. If a woman suffered bodily injuries, it would affect her reproduction system.For Madam Dowager, Ning Ziyan's reproduction status was also related to the friendly relationship between the Lord Protector's Manor and the Minister Xia's Manor. If Ning Ziyan really had
Ning Xueyan wore a set of thick plain-white clothes today, but it was a bit old. As the Young Lady of the Lord Protector's Manor, it would be a shame for her to go out in such clothes."Yes, Fifth Sister, your dress is a bit old. Fortunately, Grandmother made new clothes for us. You can choose a new suit of clothes. Anyway, I'll choose one. It's shows grandmother's love for us, and I like those clothes very much." Ning Yuling said with a smile.Her words were subtle. If she did not wear it, it seemed that she had failed to live up to Madam Dowager's good intentions. So, Ning Xueyan had to wear it.Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and rubbed her handkerchief with her fingers. Then she covered her mouth to hide a trace of sarcasm. As expected, there was something wrong with the clothes, and it was also related to Ning Yuling. Ning Yuling was afraid that she would not wear the clothes, so she put pressure on her intentionally.Since it was
"Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady has entered the carriage. Shall we go ahead of her?" Ning Yuling's maid, Yanyue, lifted the corner of the curtain and saw Ning Xueyan getting into the carriage in front of her. She reported to Ning Yuling in a low voice."No, if so, it will arouse the little bi*ch's suspicion." Ning Yuling scratched her hand, feeling a little itchy."But what if they misjudged the target and bumped into you?" Yanyue put down the curtain in her hand, shifted her body, and said this uneasily. When she thought that there might be danger later, she could not calm down. If she were not careful, she would die as well."It's impossible. They may bump against our carriage at most." Ning Yuling sneered smugly with a trace of hatred in her eyes. She subconsciously scratched her wrist. This time, Ning Xueyan would be either dead or disabled. If she had good luck, there was still Xia Yuhang.This time, Ning Xueyan would not be abl
"Fifth Sister..." Xia Yuhang wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Ning Xueyan again. "Eldest Brother-in-law, you should go there quickly. Otherwise, Second Sister might die."Xia Yuhang looked at the anxious-looking Ning Xueyan, who was sitting, with one hand on the ground, and still neatly dressed. A trace of darkness flashed in his eyes. He had no choice, but to mount the horse and chase after Ning Yuling's carriage.Ao Chenyi sat on the horse with no expression on his face, and looked coldly at the thin and weak girl who had fallen to the ground. After seeing a drop of blood next to her hand on the ground, there was a trace of anger in his cold eyes. He pulled the whip out from the wheels of the carriage, reached out his hand, and wrapped it around Ning Xueyan's slender waist, enclosing her in his hold.Xinmei hurriedly got up from the other side and helped Ning Xueyan up.The situation was critical. Even Xinmei, as a
As expected, something terrible had happened to Ning Yuling. When she walked into the crowd with Xinmei, Ning Xueyan heard the unidentified laughter of the onlookers. The expressions of the onlookers were quite different from those on her side. And, the crowd here was huge, much more than those on her side.Some people jumped on their feet and smirked as they took a look inside.Inside, Ning Xueyan saw that Ning Yuling had hurriedly pulled on a robe in her panic, and sat in front of the carriage. The carriage was all right and so was the horse. The cart driver was unharmed, and stood at the side. Xia Yuhang's robe was gone, and he was wearing an undergown. He stood aside and had a depressed look."Second Sister, what's wrong with you?" Ning Xueyan rushed to Ning Yuling and crouched down in front of her. She saw Ning Yuling biting her lips and giving her a gloomy look. Ning Yuling did not say a word, but her eyes were full of hatred.
"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