The two young ladies from the Lord Protector's Manor respectively became Prince Yi's and the Third Prince's concubines. The news spread throughout the capital. The Lord Protector's Manor had invited relatives and guests for this affair. The road leading to the gate was thronged with visitors.
There were two royal co-consorts from the manor. Since the founding of the country, this was something that had never happened before. Even those relatives who were not closely related to them also came to pay a visit to their house. Those people of the Ning clan who were scattered throughout the capital, were coming in from all directions. Ning Zu'an was not only the Lord Protector, but also the leader of the Ning clan.
Today, they would entertain their relatives and worship their ancestors.
Although it was not the birthplace of the Ning clan, there was a small family temple beside the Lord Protector's Manor, because Ning Zu'an, the leader of the Ning cla
"I... I..." The maid could not speak for a moment. She pointed to the place and shivered. The rumors about the past came to her mind. It was a dangerous place in the Lord Protector's Manor. Some people were injured, some were so scared that they became sick, and some even died without leaving behind a corpse.Usually, no one dared to come here. It was said that the master who used to live here died for no reason, so she was always haunting this place. She had been drifting about all the time, and now she was looking for a substitute!"What are you talking about? Why don't you show us the way? I'll talk to the Marchioness later." The senior aunt said unhappily.The crowd began to talk all at once. Being urged by so many people, the two maids had no choice, but to move forward. However, their faces were so pale, it was as if they were transparent. Their feet felt weak. The more they thought about it, the more afraid they became.They
Madam Ling had dealt with Ning Ziying herself, so how could she not know about it?That night, Ning Ziying was drowned in the lotus pond, but there was no one else in the Cloud Reflection Courtyard. The next day, Madam Ming met with an accident. Madam Ming was called over by the Empress and was punished. When she came back, she did not forget to get someone to rip off the cloth tied to the stone. Even if someone found it, it could be said that Ning Ziying had drowned herself in the lotus pond.Originally, Madam Ling planned to retrieve their corpses from the water to be buried after Ning Ziyan got married. But because of Madam Ming's death and Ning Ziyan's marriage, Ning Ziying's death could not be revealed. Therefore, Madam Ling asked people to take Ning Ziying's clothes and buried them in a place to avoid any new problems cropping up unexpectedly.Anyway, even if someone found Ning Ziying's body in the lotus pond, it could not proven that it
Although it was already spring, it rained in the evening, so the weather was cold. In the evening, all the courtyards closed their doors early. What happened in the backyard had already been spread throughout the manor. Now, not only was Madam Ling ill, but Madam Dowager was sick too.Coupled with the cold rain, all the people in the mansion felt that the atmosphere felt eerie and their hearts were chilled.Ning Huaiyuan stopped Ning Xueyan, who had just come back from Madam Dowager's place. His face was sullen, and his eyes were fixed on Ning Xueyan's face, with a cold and complex expression.Ning Xueyan stood still and pulled Lanning, who was in front of her, behind her. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Ning Huaiyuan with her jet-black, jade-like eyes. She did not attempt to avoid him. This was the first time she had seen him since the last time they met."You planned this, didn't you?" Ning Huaiyuan went straight to the poi
After such a bizarre occurrence, the atmosphere in the whole Lord Protector's Manor was very depressing. All the servants were trembling with fear. They were afraid that if they were not careful, they would make their masters angry and get themselves killed.The news that an orphan girl had been tortured to death in the backyard of the Lord Protector's Manor spread very quickly. Everyone was concerned about this matter. But there was another thing that had quietly started. Prince Yi's, the Third Prince's, and the Fourth Prince's marriage partners had already been settled. Then, they needed to go through the preparation process.In order to show that Prince Yi was different from the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, Prince Yi's marriage would be held one month earlier than that of the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince. Prince Yi would get married immediately. However, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince had to get married after one month. His two nephe
In her previous life, Xia Yuhang had uttered some words of affection. Simply to make one point clear, he would have stated ten points to her.But now, he had done a lot, by only saying a little.She did not deliberately pretend to be stupid, but she did not dare to accept it. But at this moment, she did not know, and she just wanted to cry. All she wanted to do was to pour out all the grievances and concerns in her heart. She felt inexplicably guilty.He seemed to be stunned by her sudden sadness, and then he took his hand off her waist. He touched her back with some unskillful tenderness, as if he was afraid of scaring her. He was so gentle, not as cold as usual, and this made her cry even more."Okay, don't cry. If you continue to cry, your maid will think that I am bullying you." He even said that in a helpless voice, which was beyond her expectation. However, for some reason, her tears could not stop flowing, as if she was expu
Commandery Princess Xianyun had no choice but to come, because this trouble-causing cousin was her grandfather's favorite grandson.If such a thing happened, he would die for sure. Although the imperial concubine in the palace was not favored, the emperor frequently asked for her. She was not like the beauties in the cold palace, whom no one cared about.How could she let her grandfather's most beloved grandson be executed? And the key to this matter was Prince Yi, Ao Chenyi. After all, her cousin relied on Prince Yi's authority. If Prince Yi supported him, the imperial concubine would not be a problem. However, the problem was that Ao Chenyi did not seem to be a person who was fond of meddling in others' business.It created a tremendous uproar in the palace and the emperor immediately summoned the people from the two families, as well as Prince Yi. However, Prince Yi did not appear. Perhaps Prince Yi was busy, as they could not find him for a
The disaster at the Lord Peace's Manor was settled satisfactorily. It was said that the young master who had been beaten to death had spoken rudely and insulted the current Prince Yi. His words could get the whole family in trouble. When she heard that her younger brother had said such a thing, the crying beauty immediately fell silent.The family of the victim did not pursue the matter, and since it involved the powerful Prince Yi, it was settled quietly. They asked the Young Master of the Lord Peace's Manor to pay a large sum of money. The two families reached an agreement outside the court. Nobody knew whether the Lord Peace's Manor had promised something in private.However, what shocked everyone was that Commandery Princess Xianyun had proposed to enter Prince Yi's Manor together with the co-consort. The Empress rejected her proposal. However, Commandery Princess Xianyun insisted on doing so. She knelt in front of the Empress' palace and asked for the
Concubine Yu's courtyard was not far away from Ning Xueyan's Bright Frost Garden. It was also at the edge, and it was smaller than an ordinary yard. When Concubine Yu first came to the manor, Madam Ling said that there was no vacant space for her, so she cleaned up a utility room for her. Therefore, the courtyard was not big.Hearing that Ning Xueyan was coming, Concubine Yu immediately went to the gate of the courtyard. Although Ning Xueyan had not officially married into Prince Yi's Manor yet, it was already confirmed, because the imperial edict had been issued. How could a concubine of the Lord Protector's Manor neglect someone with such a high status?Seeing Ning Xueyan, Concubine Yu welcomed her into the room. She asked the maids to leave and then came back.Ning Xueyan looked around with a smile. It seemed that Concubine Yu was a cautious person. She had only been in the manor for a few days, and the people around her had been arranged by
"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