"Look, it"s Fifth Sister. Why are carrying a hamper at this time? Grandma has already eaten. Don"t you think it"s too late for you to send her food now?" Ning Xueyan and Lanning encountered Ning Lingyun who was on the way to Lucky Garden. Ning Lingyun saw the hamper in Lanning"s hands and could not help but mock Ning Xueyan.
Ning Xueyan did not take Ning Lingyun"s sarcastic ridicule seriously. Ning Lingyun, the daughter of a concubine, always followed Ning Yuling"s lead and curried favor with Madam Ling in order to have a good marriage in the future. But Ning Xueyan knew well that Ning Lingyun would eventually become a stepping stone for Madam Ling"s children.
Ning Xueyan glanced at Ning Lingyun and asked, "Fourth Sister, who made you so angry?"
"Great wits have short memories. Fifth Sister, you made Second Sister angry and didn"t dare to see her. So you requested me to see her and face her anger. You"re a coward." Remembering what had happened on that day, Ning Lingyun felt hot and pain on her face.
Originally, Ning Lingyun visited Ning Yuling and sent her two boxes of face powder in her own name, and Ning Yuling was also very happy!
But as soon as Ning Yuling heard that Ning Lingyun came from Bright Frost Garden, she changed her look on the spot and ran out in a hurry.
Because of what happened afterwards, both Ning Yuling and Madam Ling were scolded and punished. Ning Yuling did not ask Ning Lingyun to leave when she went out, so Ning Lingyun did not dare go.
When Ning Yuling came back, Ning Lingyun came up and wanted to greet her. But she was slapped and kicked by Ning Yuling before leaving.
Ning Yuling was extremely angry when she beat Ning Lingyun. So Ning Lingyun was beaten seriously and knocked down. In the end, she left Qingrong Courtyard with the support of her maid and had been lying in bed for a few days because of discomfort.
Ning Lingyun dared not hate Ning Yuling. Instead, she vented all her anger on Ning Xueyan. So she was very angry when she saw Ning Xueyan now.
Ning Xueyan said indifferently, "Fourth Sister, you provoked Second Sister, does it have something to do with me? The Second Sister became angry because you didn"t recognize the situation clearly."
"What? I provoked Second Sister? It was because of you! You framed me. You"re a hoodoo. Since you came out of Bright Frost Garden, so many things have happened in this house. It"s your fault!" Ning Lingyun almost jumped up because of anger. She stretched out her hands and almost poked Ning Xueyan"s nose with arrogance.
Ning Xueyan did not move. She calmly looked at Ning Lingyun and said with sarcasm on her face, "What wrong with you, Fourth Sister? Mother just had an accident. Why are you doing now? Do you think it"s not messy enough in the manor?"
What Ning Xueyan said alerted Ning Lingyun. She immediately looked around and unconsciously lowered her voice, keeping talking, "You have made Lord Protector"s Manor look like this. If you stay in Bright Frost Garden all the time, how can it become so? You"re a pest!"
Feeling that she was provoked by Ning Xueyan, Ning Lingyun became angrier and cursed Ning Xueyan.
"Am I a pest?" Ning Xueyan thought and smiled. Ning Lingyun had been beaten by Ning Yuling, but she did not dare to avenge and vent her anger on Ning Xueyan, just because she thought Ning Xueyan"s status was inferior to hers.
"Fourth Sister, do you want to please mother and Second Sister by doing this? Unfortunately, I heard that mother had already chosen a man for you. He"s Marquis of Ping"an. Have you heard about him? That"s what mother prepared for you. Fourth Sister, you should go to Buddha Hall to thank mother!"
Seeing it was time to leave, Ning Xueyan did not want to waste more time with Ning Lingyun and smiled coldly.
Marquis of Ping"an?
Ning Lingyun was frightened by the news and suddenly turned pale. She looked up at Ning Xueyan in panic.
"Fourth Sister, I think you"d better think about how to please Marquis of Ping"an. I heard that his grandsons are older than you. After you marry him, you will directly become the grandmother. In order to thank you for your service in the past years, mother considered a lot and chose a good man for you."
Ning Xueyan"s dark smiling eyes looked strange and frightening. It seemed that her gaze which fell on Ning Lingyun came from the h.e.l.l.
Such a look should not belong to a girl. Being stared at by Ning Xueyan with such a look, Ning Lingyun could not help shivering and almost fell, and subconsciously reached out to hold the tree. She felt frightened by Ning Xueyan"s gaze.
Ning Xueyan did not take another look at Ning Lingyun, and elegantly left with Lanning. She was not affected by Ning Lingyun at all.
The maid Caiyun, who was standing beside Ning Lingyun, could not help asking, "Young Lady, will First Madam really ask you to marry Marquis of Ping"an?"
Marquis of Ping"an was very famous in capital. He was very old, but he still flirted with women. He was the only one in capital. He already had eighteen concubines and every one of them was young and beautiful. But he still was not satisfied and married new women from time to time. In his manor, there were many women whose family background was bad.
Furthermore, his sons and grandsons also misbehaved. Those concubines in his manor had relationships not only with him, but also with his sons and grandsons. His manor was the dirtiest one.
No girl came from a good family was willing to marry into such a family. If they married, death would be their only end.
"No, that won"t happen. Mother won"t do that." Ning Lingyun gritted her teeth and said that. But it sounded more like boosting her courage. "Let"s go and see my mother!"
Although Ning Lingyun did not know whether Ning Xueyan"s statement was true or not, she dared not gamble, so she had to inquire about it. Thinking that old playboy and those young playboys in his manor, Ning Lingyun could not help trembling with fear.
However, Ning Lingyun had an intuition that Ning Xueyan was telling the truth and Madam Ling really intended to do so...
Was what Ning Xueyan said true?
After walking for a while, Lanning could not help asking carefully, "Young Lady, how do you know that?"
"Ning Ziyan said that." Ning Xueyan turned her head sideways and gave a look at Lanning while smiling slightly.
That really was what Ning Ziyan said, but Ning Ziyan said that to Ning Ziying at that time.
Once, Ning Ziying and Ning Ziyan went to pick up Xia Yuhang together and saw the matchmaker pa.s.sing by when they walked to the gate of the garden. Ning Ziying was curious and asked Ning Ziyan. Ning Ziyan said casually that the matchmaker came here due to the marriage between Ning Lingyun and Marquis of Ping"an.
Lanning was nervous and subconsciously asked while staring at Ning Xueyan, "The Eldest Young Lady said that... where did she say that?"
When Ning Ziyan said that, Lanning was also there. But Ning Xueyan was not there and all the people present at that time had nothing to do with Bright Frost Garden.
Ning Xueyan answered with a slight smile on her face, "Don"t care how I know that. I"ll tell you when the time is right. It"s not the right time yet!" She knew what Lanning suspected.
Now, it was really not the right time. Ning Ziying"s death was certainly caused by Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan. But now Ning Xueyan found that things were complex. So she did not want new problems to crop up unexpectedly until she found out the truth.
Some things would be seen more clearly from an outsider"s point of view.
Ning Xueyan had been looking for an opportunity to tell Ning Lingyun her marriage with Marquis of Ping"an. Although Ning Lingyun was born of a concubine, she was never willing to marry Marquis of Ping"an. Because of Madam Ming"s death, Ning Lingyun"s marriage had not been publicized so far.
How could Ning Lingyun be willing to marry Marquis of Ping"an?
She heard that Marquis of Ping"an also had a daughter!
In Auspicious Fortune Hall, Ning Xueyan respectfully saluted Madam Dowager and Ning Zu"an and then stood aside.
Madam Dowager sat on the couch with a gloomy face and sharply looked at Ning Xueyan. After a while, she slowly asked, "I heard you sent food to Concubine Ma, is that true?"
"Yes. I visited Concubine Ma and asked her something," Ning Xueyan answered in a natural and graceful way while facing Madam Dowager"s gaze.
The matter between Concubine Ma and her could not be concealed!
In order to weasel out, Concubine Ma pretended to be pregnant, which was related to Ning Xueyan. So it was normal that Ning Xueyan asked Concubine Ma something.
Madam Dowager"s face softened when she saw that Ning Xueyan directly confessed and did not hide anything. She pointed to a chair on one side and asked her to sit down.
"Xueyan, our Lord Protector"s Manor also lost face because of what your Eldest Sister had done. Your mother had been punished by the empress before, and now is cultivating herself in the Buddha Hall. All of this because of her own moral defect. The reputation of Lord Protector"s Manor can"t be ruined again."
Madam Dowager"s words sounded like a sigh. After that, she took a sidelong glance at Ning Xueyan.
Ning Zu"an, who was sitting on the side, nodded and said gently, "You mother had made a mistake, and she has been punished. Let it pa.s.s. Yan"er, you"ll be the hostess in the future. What you should pay more attention to is the reputation of the whole family."
Ning Xueyan sneered in her mind. She already knew what the two people wanted. They wanted her to forgive Concubine Ma and stop investigating Concubine Ma.
If Ning Xueyan did not investigate Concubine Ma, Madam Ling"s mistakes would not be exposed!
They threatened Ning Xueyan with the reputation of Lord Protector"s Manor and tried to stop Ning Xueyan pursuing Madam Ling"s responsibility!
Anyway, Ning Xueyan was the Young Lady of Lord Protector"s Manor. But in their minds, her life was inferior to Madam Ling"s reputation. No wonder in Ning Xueyan"s memory, Madam Ming had never had hope for Ning Zu"an. Every time Mother Han persuaded her to dress up and leave Bright Frost Garden, Madam Ming would never listen.
Who would have hope for such a man?
Ning Xueyan gently bit her lips and hid the coldness in her eyes before raising her head. She still said with a faint smile on her face, "Grandma, Concubine Ma"s story is being spread outside. The day before yesterday, my uncle said he"ll ask about it in person. Maybe he"ll come in a few days."
Ning Zu"an asked with an unhappy face, "You"ve said that to your uncle?"
"Father, there were so many people in Cold Mountain Temple at that time, and many of them came to our manor later. At the banquet yesterday, some madams asked servants about it from time to time. And this matter has already been spread among servants."
Ning Xueyan pretended to advance along one path while secretly going along another. Since they paid attention to this matter, Ning Xueyan was willing to attract their more attention, so that they would not find her true purpose.
"Do you want your mother to apologize to you?" Ning Zu"an did not intend to let go of Ning Xueyan. He aggressively asked Ning Xueyan while staring at her sharply, as if he wanted to read her mind.