When he looked at Ning Xueyan's thin figure and pale face and the gentle expression with magnanimity, he had a little complicated expression, but it then vanished.
"The Cold Mountain Temple's dispute was caused because of an outsider, after all. Since we are family members, testing family connections with blood drops would not have a problem. Anyway, we have the same bone and flesh. If we have any disputes, others will simply see us as a laughingstock." Ning Zu'an relaxed his expression and said as dim light glittered in his eyes.
Hearing these words, Ning Xueyan only thought it was funny. When Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling framed her, no one uttered a word to defend her. Now when the two people got their retribution, Ning Zu'an talked about the love of sisters and the bone-and-flesh affection with her. Did it mean that she needed to visit the Xia Manor to show her sisterly love to prove that she truly cared about the love of sisters?
"I'll bear t
Previously, Ning Xueyan already thought that the two of them should have joined hands. Since Ning Huaiyuan went to Ning Qingshan's place now, next they would probably make all efforts to deal with her. Testing family connections with blood drops in the Cold Mountain Temple had eliminated the opportunity to frame Madam Ming. Therefore, in order to turn Ning Huaiyuan into a wife's son again, they would have to make Madam Ling a co-wife.This was almost impossible. As for the current situation of Madam Ling, as long as she did not give the word, the woman would have no chance to be a co-wife. It was not that as a daughter, she could interfere with the affairs of his father's wives and concubines, but mainly that Madam Ling murdered Madam Ming and she was the only daughter of the latter.So, if she came out to say a few words, these words would be more useful than the words of anyone.As long as she allowed Madam Ling to be a co-wife by claiming th
The scenery in the garden was very beautiful. All the way, there were peach blossoms, green willows, rockeries, and flowing water. Although it was not extremely big, it had its elegance. Lanning led the way, Ao Chen Yi and Ning Xueyan followed her, and the few eunuchs with a serious expression walked after them, but they were seven or eight steps away.Anyway, it looked strange, but if this action was done by Prince Yi, everyone could only smile and say this was common."I just asked you to send a few things here, but why did you come here yourself?" Ning Xueyan looked at these few eunuchs behind her and deliberately said in a whisper. Originally, she wanted to use Ao Chenyi to suppress the evil people in the mansion. As long as he sent a few things here to show that he backed her, that was enough.Unexpectedly, this man did come here in person.Ning Xueyan said these words extremely naturally, but after she said them, she felt a l
"If he has, he will. This is the only way to make his master quickly release his anger," Ao Chenyi said with a faint smile, but he suddenly changed the subject. "Want to raise such flowers?""Flowers?" Ning Xueyan was still thinking about the military medallion. Now when she looked at the flourishing peonies in front of her, she realized it after a long time, but she shook her head, blinked nimbly, and suddenly said with a smile, "These are my Third Sister's flowers, not mine."Ning Qingshan liked to show in this way that she was favored, indicating that she was different from others in the eyes of Honored Consort Ya and Third Prince.Unlike Ning Qingshan who liked a high-profile, Ning Xueyan preferred to be low-key.A co-consort should behave in the manner of a co-consort, but if she threatened the position of the consort and the consort was powerful, she would bring herself a disaster."Since you don't like them, you
"Miss, when Third Young Lady returned to her courtyard, it is said that she had smashed all the porcelain items in the room." Qingyu walked in happily. She had a stronger body than Ning Xueyan had, so she had long recovered as of now.When she saw that the peonies that she had carefully prepared and was ready to use to show off were all plucked and thrown on the ground, no matter how shrewd Ning Qingshan was, she could not stand it this time and smashed all the porcelain items in the room. When she was in the mansion, Ning Qingshan liked to pretend to be cool-headed, generous, and gentle most, but why didn't she pretend now?"Qingyu, keep a close eye on the affairs of the Foggy Courtyard." Ning Xueyan smiled and folded the wedding robe in her hand carefully. The robe was officially finished, and she had finished her task."Since Prince Yi has said so, does Third Young Lady still dare to do harm to you?" Qingyu asked with bewilderment.
As expected, when Third Prince Ao Mingyu arrived, Madam Dowager asked a servant to the Bright Frost Garden to summon Ning Xueyan.Madam Dowager's so-called manners and rules were always vulnerable in front of the royal family members. Fortunately, Ning Xueyan did want to go there today, so after changing a dress, she went there with Lanning from the Bright Frost Garden. Unexpectedly, she met Ning Lingyun on the way.Seeing Ning Xueyan coming, Ning Lingyun stopped at once and called her gently, "Are you also going to grandma, Fifth Sister?"There seemed to be some nervousness and anticipation on her face, and she seemed to want to go together with Ning Xueyan very much, but she was afraid that Ning Xueyan would not want to.Compared with her previous image, Ning Lingyun's current image was indeed something reborn. The delicate and timid Ning Lingyun in front of her was completely different from the one in her memory—she was tart and
"Third Prince, look at this ornament..." Ning Zu'an said hesitantly as he saw Third Prince's face sink. Now when this matter was put before Third Prince, although he knew that Ning Qingshan could not have a relationship with Prince Yi, he was still so angry. If he did not know about this matter, it would cause much trouble."This is the ornament I left with my uncle's care. As for my uncle giving it to Third Young Lady, this is my idea. Just take it, Third Young Lady Ning." Ao Mingyu took a deep breath, and then his expression gradually calmed down, and a gentle smile even appeared on his face.No one in this room believed these words, but for the Lord Protector's Manor, the aim of asking Third Prince to come was to take out the ornament Prince Yi granted to Ning Qingshan in his presence to get rid of his suspicions. Now that Third Prince gave such a reason, everyone just took it as a fact.This meant that the most critical part of this problem
If it had been any normal day, Madam Dowager would never have let Housekeeper Ruan in. But now she had a distressed look on her face because she was very sensitive about the porcelain issue. Without thinking too much about it, she waved her hand and said, "Go and ask her to come in. Why does she want to report about the porcelain? Is there someone else's porcelain in the manor that has also been smashed by the cat?"After saying that, she found that Third Prince was also here. However, if she retracted what she said earlier, it might seem obvious and would be somewhat embarrassing.Ao Mingyu said with an easy-going smile, "Madam Dowager, please go ahead with what you have to do. I am not doing anything anyway."Originally, he did not want to visit Ning Qingshan's courtyard. In the Cold Mountain Temple, at the time when he was slapped by Ao Chenyi, Ning Qingshan was in the room and must have witnessed it. When he thought that he had lost face wi
"Father, my maid is not sensible. Please forgive her for my sake!" Ning Qingshan had to plead for Caifen. Indeed, she had to do it because she was the one who smashed the porcelain and had asked Caifen to pass on a message. If pushed to the extreme, Caifen might start to talk nonsense."Third Sister, don't beg for mercy for them. Look at the people around you, they were just chasing a wildcat and ended up breaking all the fine porcelain in your room. Later, in order to shirk responsibility, they deliberately stirred up trouble. How did Mammy Luo discipline them? If you do not punish such a maid severely and if all the people in the manor were to follow what they do, what will we do then?"Ning Xueyan showed a bit of anger, as if she was defending Ning Qingshan. Then she continued, "Third Sister, don't worry. I won't let anyone bully you. She did not even listen to you, took the opportunity to stir up trouble and her attitude is so impertinent. She even thou
"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