She had a little dull ache in her head, but it was not severe. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at the snow-white mosquito net hanging above her. After a while, she touched her head and did not know where she was. Suddenly, the last scene flashed through her mind. She became alert, and her eyes widened. Where had she been taken to?
"You're awake? Do you want to fall again?" A pleasant, enchanting voice could be heard, but its tone was cold.
When she heard the voice, Ning Xueyan relaxed. Her sense of vigilance disappeared without a trace, leaving only questions in her mind.
How could it be Ao Chenyi?
When she turned her head, she saw Ao Chenyi sitting on a chair. He was holding a dossier, and did not turn his head.
"Prince Yi, why... why am I here?" Ning Xueyan asked in a hoarse voice. She remembered that she had been drinking tea with Ning Huaijing.
"Yan'er, are you unwilling to come and visit me?" T
The place was located next to the teahouse. Ning Xueyan made a discreet entrance. Yu Jian was waiting outside. When he saw Ning Xueyan coming out of the room, he stepped forward and greeted her respectfully. He pointed to one side, "Fifth Young Lady, this way."Ning Xueyan nodded and followed him. When she turned round a corner, she saw a hidden ladder. Under his guidance, she walked to the room and saw Ning Huaijing, who was lost in thought, walking around the room.Ning Xueyan had been walking ahead, and there was nothing unusual about the place. When he came out, suddenly Ning Xueyan disappeared and he was immediately dumbfounded. At this time, a person came over and whispered to him, "If you want to see the Fifth Young Lady, follow me."Ning Huaijing followed him into the room without giving it a second thought. Then, the man asked him to wait there and he left. Up till now, he had been waiting for more than two hours. Ning Huaijing was ver
"Grandmother, I heard that something happened to the Second Sister at that time, and I was lucky to escape unhurt, so I asked Eldest Brother-in-law to check it out. You must find out how Second Sister's and my carriage were tampered with. Where did the startled horse come from? Why did it suddenly rush out? If it were not for Prince Yi, I would have died on the spot."Ning Xueyan raised her head and looked straight at Madam Dowager. Although there was no anger on her face, she could not hide the hatred in her eyes. Anyone who encountered this situation would feel angry. After she asked someone to investigate, Madam Dowager found that someone had tampered with the carriages.Ning Ziyan was sick, so she had a message specially delivered. Madam Dowager had asked her two granddaughters to visit her yesterday. How could someone come up with such a detailed plan in two days? Was it Zu'an's political enemies using every means to deliberately ruin the reputation of
"Madam, Madam, do you think this letter is for Childe again?" The older female servant was panting heavily and sweating profusely. She handed the letter to Madam Qian.Madam Qian took it and looked sullen. It was written on such a colorful envelope and addressed to Young Master Ling Yi.Thinking of this, Madam Qian felt a pain in her heart. "This is my son's weak point. He always flirts with wicked women outside. After being ignored for some time, a few women will write letters to him. This letter could not be sent to the gate of the Vice Minister of Justice's Manor. They must have figured out how to send the letters to the back gate."Some of them were thrown directly from the top of the wall, while some were thrown at the door. The older female servant who was in charge of the back door would always bring them inside. After encountering this a couple of times, Madam Qian ordered the older female servant to bring the letters to her directly. A
Bought an island? An island in the capital city? A famous young master in the regions south of the Yangtze River? After thinking for a while, Ning Xueyan was moved and took a look at Heng Yuqing's invitation card. As expected, beside her name, there was a line with words written in small print, "I heard that Childe Yueming of the regions south of the Yangtze River bought a Peach Blossom Island, which has beautiful scenery."After reading it twice, Ning Xueyan smiled in surprise. It seemed that this island was not a real island, but a place in a courtyard. It was known as the Peach Blossom Island, and as the name suggested, peach blossoms flourished well in the location. Since she came to the capital, she had become Heng Yuqing's confidante. Although their characters differed, they were sincerely on friendly terms with each other.She found that it was still some hours before the appointed time. So, she put down the invitation card and said with a smile, "Te
"Yes, Elder Sister Feng, I will not dare to do that anymore.""It's good that you remember. Don't forget how that person died last time... Don't you know what the Young Master's temper is like?" The sharp voice softened a little.Then an echoing sound was heard. The sound of the footsteps gradually faded away, until they could not be heard anymore.Heng Yuqing took a deep breath and looked at the peach blossoms. She could not see clearly from where she was. It was not far away, but she could only hear the sound of voices, but could not see the person. "This maid sounds fierce. How could Childe Yueming hire such a fierce maid?"Feng Lian?Ning Xueyan touched a peach branch gently. The rough bark pricked her hand, and the corners of her mouth quivered slightly. Brother Hua's first maids were Feng, Hua, Xue and Yue. And the person who shouted just now should be Feng Lian.She did not see anyone else, except F
The two maids and a young male servant were very efficient, so they prepared the feast in a short time. There were not many dishes, only three. The peach blossom wine was sweet, but not intoxicating. Moreover, Wen Xueran's young male servant had prepared some fresh fruits for them, which won over Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing's hearts.Peach blossoms, flowing water and fat crucian carps were all ideal and in addition, fresh fruits and fragrant wine, only added on to the good atmosphere.Sitting in a pavilion of falling petals, they had their fill of the red peach blossoms. A breeze blew from time to time and the flowers gave off a faint fragrance. The whole peach forest was a fairyland in this world, fascinating people, and intoxicating their souls."Come on, ladies, I'm here to propose a toast to you." Wen Xueran's gown fluttered in the breeze, and his drawling voice sounded in the pavilion."Thank you, Princely Heir."
"If it had been only a few years ago, you might have had a chance to meet Sister Ziying. But now, what's the point of talking about this?" Ning Xueyan sighed."A beautiful girl often has an unfortunate life. Fifth Young Lady, you're wrong if you say that I did not have a chance to meet Young Lady Ziying. Look at what this is."Wen Xueran stood up with a smile. With a bang, he folded the fan in his hand. Then he put it on the table next to him, turned around, and took a scroll from the young male servant. The scroll was not big, but it was much smaller than an ordinary one, at a glance. There was also a light brown silk cover, which showed that it had been meticulously kept.Heng Yuqing also looked over curiously.When the scroll was unrolled, everyone looked sideways and saw a simple street. The people coming and going were lively. The full moon was in the sky. On a bridge in the middle of the picture, a girl dressed in plain cloth
Wen Xueran left Peach Blossom Island in a good mood. He had taken the draft from Xia Yuhang, but the person in the painting was not Ning Ziying. Now, he had confirmed Ning Ziying's identity.In the carriage, Ning Xueyan opened the painting again. She looked at the picture with her jet-black eyes and frowned. She was silent.Lanning also looked at the picture by her side. After a while, Lanning could not help saying, "Young Lady... She doesn't look like Young Lady Ziying!" At first glance, she found that everyone in the painting looked right, so she did not pay too much attention to the woman in the painting. But when she looked at her carefully, she discovered that her features were slightly different."That's not Sister Ziying," Ning Xueyan said with certainty.She might have thought that the person in the painting was her, because she was angry just now, but now she could see that they were different. The woman in the picture was
"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