When Xiangrong arrived at the Pear Flower Garden, Ning Xueyan was about to leave with Lanning and Qingyu. She stopped her footsteps when she saw Xiangrong.
"Consort Ning, the Princess said that she has been feeling under the weather lately and asks that you take care of any business in the manor. The matters at the Fragrance Garden, in particular, can't be taken lightly. If they need anything at all, you should help procure them. In a nutshell, we can't go against the Prince's intentions. Here are some floral tea leaves that the Princess personally prepared. It's a small amount, but please try them, Consort."
Xiangrong came up with a smile and spoke respectfully as she presented the teabag in her hand.
Qingyu stepped forward and took the teabag before retreating to Ning Xueyan's side.
"Please relay my thanks to the Princess. But I'm afraid I won't be much help to the Fragrance Garden. I heard that the Prince manages that place hims
An anxious-looking Heng Yuqing was pacing around the shopkeeper's room in Yuyan Shop. When she saw Ning Xueyan push the door and enter, she immediately pulled her to the chairs on the side and made her sit still."My family is going to send me to Prince Yi's Manor." Heng Yuqing was so panicked that her eyes had turned red.Heng Yuqing would be entering Prince Yi's Manor? Ning Xueyan was stunned for a moment. Ao Chenyi had only gotten married, and no matter how one put it, Heng Yuqing ought to be the last person to be sent to him."Yuqing, calm down and tell me what is going on." Ning Xueyan took the anxious Heng Yuqing's hand and pulled her to the chair beside her.Lanning retreated from the room, closed the doors, and guarded outside with Heng Yuqing's maid."Concubine Yun told my father that Prince Yi looked at me a few more times the last time he saw me. She said that he seemed interested in me and that his current
"What do you mean now..." Ning Xueyan thought for a while, raised her jet-black eyes to look at Heng Yuqing and asked.Before she figured out what Heng Yuqing was thinking about, she did not think that she should voice her opinion first.Now that things had developed to this point, everyone could see that there was something fishy about it. Heng Yuqing was straightforward, but she was not stupid. Concubine Yun's behavior was so different. After thinking about it for a while, Ning Xueyan could sense that there was something going on. Commandery Princess Xianyun stayed in Prince Yi's Manor every day as if she did not care about anything. Ao Chenyi had apparently neglected her.She was neither happy nor angry, but remained calm and composed. However, inwardly she was not as cool as she looked.Since Ao Chenyi told her about Commandery Princess Xianyun's family background, as well as the matter about the Empress Dowager and the Lord Pe
When Heng Yuqing returned to the Lord Guardian's Manor, she met Heng Yuwan, who had just returned from outside.Heng Yuwan was wearing a light yellow top, which came with a long pink skirt. She was beautiful and was more graceful than Heng Yuqing. Her charming eyes made her look gentle, but her coquettish behavior made people feel that she was somewhat frivolous.Just like now, when she saw Heng Yuqing coming back, she stood at the door and fanned her face with her handkerchief, looking enchanting. She did not look like the Young Lady of a noble family, the Lord Guardian's Manor, at all."Oh, it's my eldest sister? Didn't they say that you have been taking care of your mother in bed and is very filial? Why did you sneak out to play? Is there something fun going on that is so tempting that you even left your mother, who was ill in bed?"Heng Yuqing did not expect to see Heng Yuwan at the door. When she heard what she said, her face
"No one has sent me any message. I went to see Heng Yuqing. She was very anxious. Her father's concubine had no good intentions." Thinking of Heng Yuqing's situation, Ning Xueyan sighed. She was in the same situation that she used to be in. At least, her mother was ill, but she could protect her. What happened in the Lord Protector's Manor was more terrible."It seems that Xianyun is really anxious!" Ao Chenyi said with a faint look in his eyes, "If it were not for Xianyun stirring up trouble behind our backs, how could a concubine dare to mention such a thing?"Ning Xueyan poured herself a cup of tea and took a sip. Her long eyelashes fluttered and she asked in confusion, "Why is the Empress so kind to Commandery Princess Xianyun? Why did she help her with such a thing?"The competition between a wife and a concubine was a taboo for all families. As the Empress, who had no children, she should be dignified and self-respected. A motherly model
Ning Xueyan leaned against his chest, listening to his powerful heartbeats and feeling his hands gently stroking her hair, and then she had an uncontrollable smile on her lips.People always have greedy hearts. In her previous life, she died so miserably, so she didn't want to mention love anymore.But when he loved so passionately that she had to respond, she then realized that he was not doing this attentively alone.She said that if he lived, she lived!He said that he would not leave her in life or death!Both of them understood the meaning of it. They just cuddled together like this silently for a long time. A wind came inside through the window, making some of her hair fall. He extended his thin long hand over, gently rolling up her…This lasted for a long time, and then there was a knock on the door, which finally brought the two hugging people back to reality.Eunuch Zhu stood at the d
"What? Consort Ning will invite several good young ladies having close relationships with her to a banquet held in the mansion tomorrow?" Commandery Princess Xianyun hardly believed what she heard. She suddenly put down the handkerchief in her hand and glared at Qingyu in front of her, shocked.She only had one thing in her mind. "Ning Xueyan is crazy. She was reprimanded by Ao Chenyi when she went to the Moon-embracing Tower, but she even dared to do this. This is really crazy!""Outsiders do not know about the situation of Prince Yi's newly married princess and consort, but don't we know about it ourselves?"All the people in the mansion know that the prince really doesn't have much interest in me, his princess, and Ning Xueyan, his consort. Besides, we have just been in the mansion for a few days. Before she gets familiar with all the people here, she even wants to think about holding banquets. What on earth does she want to do?
She remembered how she had been scolded when she tried to stop Concubine Yun from letting Heng Yuqing marry into Prince Yi's Manor. Concubine Yun said that a man of Prince Yi's temper would never fall for Heng Yuqing. Now that she had seen what great beauties Commandery Princess Xianyun and Consort Ning were, it was obvious that Heng Yuqing was far inferior to them.If even such charming and beautiful women failed to win Prince Yi's heart, Heng Yuqing wouldn't stand a chance.Still, she was worried. Lord Guardian's Manor was a great example. Heng Yuqing's mother was much prettier than Concubine Yun, but the latter still won Lord Guardian's favor. She had once overheard her nanny secretly telling others that appearances were important when it came to liking someone, but other factors were too.Who knew if Heng Yuqing would somehow get Prince Yi to fall for her?Thus, upon receiving Concubine Yun's order to follow Heng Yuqing to the
Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing took the left road, where the flower garden was. The road to the right led to the Princess' courtyard while the middle road led to the Prince's study.Heng Yuwan's forehead was sweating again.She stared squarely at the middle road. For a moment, she couldn't move her feet."Second Young Lady, let's go. We don't want to let my master and the First Young Lady wait for too long," Lanning said politely, smiling."You all can go ahead. I need to take a break. My feet hurt." Unexpectedly, Heng Yuwan shook her head and held onto a nearby tree to stand still."I'll stay here and accompany you then, Young Lady." Seeing that Heng Yuwan couldn't walk anymore, it went without saying that her maid would stay with her."It's all right. You can go first. I'll join you after a short break." Heng Yuwan shook her head, rejecting the maid's offer. She didn't want anyone to follow her.
"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