Ning Xueyan stayed dazed for a long time after waking up. It took her a while to recognize that she was in a familiar place, the third floor of the Moon-embracing Tower and Ao Chenyi's room. Only then did the vigilance in her eyes fade.
"You're up? How are you feeling?" Ao Chenyi's voice reached her ears. It was a pleasant baritone voice that wasn't gloomy. If anything, it made her feel all soft on the inside.
He had always been an introvert with great self-control. It was rare for him to show how he felt.
Ning Xueyan leaned her head against him and said softly, "I'm fine. I just didn't expect Xia Yuhang and Ning Qingshan to be so crazy."
She wasn't lying. She did think that Xia Yuhang would be desperate enough to do something to save himself but didn't anticipate how far he would go. Just to get Ao Mingwan to help him, he kidnapped her and tried to send her to Ao Mingwan's bed.
The reason he colluded with Ning Qingsha
A commotion swept through the capital as soon as the sun rose as another major incident followed the discovery of Prince Xiang's concubine having an affair with other men. There were assassins infiltrating Prince Yi's Manor, Prince Xiang's Manor, and Prince Fu's Manor. It was said that quite a few were injured but the biggest number of dead bodies were found in Prince Yi's Manor. Prince Yi was so badly injured that he was still in a coma and the guards were left without a leader. The assassins were able to take advantage of the lack of leadership and exploited the loopholes.Fortunately, the three princes were well-protected and stayed safe.There was, however, another scandal. It was said that Grand Tutor Ya's granddaughter and Prince Fu's soon-to-be consort, Ya Moqin, was found beside Prince Xiang's bed. When the Emperor's men rushed to Prince Xiang's bed, they found Ya Moqin leaning against Prince Xiang's bed. What was most coincidental was that Prince X
Ya Moqin somehow got wind of the news that Ao Mingyu's life was in danger that day, so she sneaked out of the backdoor and headed to Prince Xiang's Manor. The guards at the manor knew her, and thinking that she had business with the prince, they allowed her in. She made it all the way to Ao Mingyu's bed using the same excuse. Right at that moment, Ao Mingyu happened to regain consciousness.While she was serving him with tea and water, the Emperor's men arrived.In one massive stroke of coincidence, this scene was witnessed by everyone."Forget about Moqin. Her scandal isn't a big deal. But Ning Qingshan…" Grand Tutor Ya was similarly irritated at the mention of Ya Moqin, but she was nevertheless his granddaughter. Now that her granddaughter had lost her position, he should at least have her give birth to the heir.In a rare display of disobedience toward Grand Tutor Ya, Honored Consort Ya said unhappily, "Father, how can I explain
Prince Yi's Manor was the only manor that stretched from north to the south on the street that it was located on. Its heavy mahogany door was tall and imposing. Each day, several guards would be standing still in front of the door. Just their appearance was enough to make visitors cautious.Whoever the visitor was, he or she would inevitably feel defeated in front of such a door and manor.The backdoor of Prince Yi's Manor, also called the side door, wasn't located on the same street. In fact, there was more than one of them. The manor was so large and occupied such vast land that several backdoors were prepared for the sake of convenience. There were three backdoors in the manor. For ease of communication, the one facing the east was called East Gate, the one facing the west was called West Gate, and the one facing the north was called North Gate.Food items such as fruits and vegetables were often brought into the manor through the East Gate.
Fiddling with the hairpin in her hand and looking at it shine under the sun, an unconfident Heng Yuqing asked, "Xueyan, what do you think about this hairpin? Is it pretty?"Knowing her grandmother was about to celebrate her birthday, she invited Ning Xueyan out to get her help in picking a gift for her grandmother. They were inside a popular ornament shop in the capital, a shop that spanned eight rooms. All kinds of gold and silver jewelry could be found here, enough to highlight the wealth of the shop.The aristocrats in the capital liked coming here mostly because of the variety of the jewelry available but also because of its novel designs. The shop would introduce a new series of ornaments and jewelry once in a while, which earned the favor of the aristocratic ladies in the capital.Heng Yuqing was holding a set of opal ornaments. It wasn't the most expensive set in the shop but it was valuable for the detailed carving of the word "Longevit
It was none other than Hua Qiuying!When Ning Xueyan saw Hua Qiuying with her maid, she became certain that Hua Qiuying and Heng Yuwan showed up here one after another for a reason. They must be connected. After all, Hua Qiuying mentioned the birthday banquet at the Lord Guardian's Manor in her letter to Commandery Princess Xianyun.Hua Qiuying peered into the shop before entering through the door. This time, Heng Yuqing waited outside for a moment and then followed suit with her maid. Ning Xueyan, in her seat upstairs, could no longer see any of them.Lanning was also looking out of the window, following her master's line of sight. They couldn't see them anymore. She thought for a moment before turning to Ning Xueyan. "Young Lady, will Eldest Young Lady Heng be fine?""She'll be fine. Well, at most, they'll be uncomfortable to see her. Heng Yuwan and Hua Qiuying wouldn't do anything excessive in public. Besides, when we were shopp
Wen Xueran stopped at the door and said, without turning around, "If… you're in trouble in the future, you can come to Annan and look for me." Only then did he leave.He knew very well that they would have nearly no chance of meeting again after this meeting. He never took their so-called marriage agreement seriously in the past, for he never lacked women around him. Even the most cold-hearted women would show a shy, timid smile after meeting him.Yet, right now, all he wanted was for the woman behind him to leave with him. He wouldn't demand anything of her anymore.He had been mistaken from the very beginning. He thought it wouldn't matter even if she married Prince Yi, that she would follow him without hesitation after learning about her identity. He thought she was just a secret chess piece that he placed in Prince Yi's Manor.Ao Chenyi was never a gentleman, and her health was so frail. Even if she would eventually grow up and
Ao Chenyi watched how Ning Xueyan put up a strong front and how she was unable to say anything despite feeling awkward and peeved under his oppression. He stared at her red face as he pinned her underneath until he started to chuckle in a superb mood. He shifted his body sideways, his handsome eyes carrying a trace of affection.Of course, he could see that his little wild cat was being bashful, so bashful that her face was fiery red. Her little face was as red as the clouds at sunset, making her pale face look more lively than usual. Affection rippled through his heart, and he pulled her to his side, hugging her close."The Feudal Prince of Annan's rebellion has been in the works for a long time. The three princes of Annan were forced to surrender back then, and my father only accepted them because their territory is close to the border and intersects with the nine barbarian states and they're the kind to use their fists rather than words. The nine barbari
It didn't make much for a wise person to understand the Emperor's feelings about Ao Chenyi. Ning Xueyan heard, way back when she was in the Lord Protector's Manor, that the Emperor was in poor health, a stark contrast to Ao Chenyi's youthful vigor. This was plenty of reason for him, especially when Ao Mingyu and Ao Mingwan weren't worthy opponents for Ao Chenyi.These factors made it very likely for the Emperor to use this opportunity to attack Ao Chenyi.The rebellion of the Feudal Prince of Annan would soon plunge the nation into chaos, allowing him to take advantage of the crisis for personal gain. If an incident were to break out during this time, it would be easier for him to deal with Ao Chenyi than in peaceful times."It's all right. He can't do anything to me." Ao Chenyi patted Ning Xueyan's head. He could see the panic in her eyes. With a languid laugh, he added, "He still doesn't know about Annan's rebellion, but I already do. While h