Marquis of Ping"an arrived very late. Ning Zu"an could not wait long ago and let the servants serve the dishes. Ao Xian was Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, and Wen Xueran was Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min. Compared to them, Marquis of Ping"an was truly not so important. Therefore, they directly began to eat and drink without him.
When they were in a good mood after a few drinks, Marquis of Ping"an rushed in. While wiping off the sweat on his head, he humbly apologized in embarra.s.sment.
Ao Xian himself was a dissolute rakeh.e.l.l, but he still disdained Marquis of Ping"an, who was old, stupid, fat and ugly. Ao Xian muttered a grunt as a greeting to him. And at this time, he remembered it seemed that the Fourth Young Lady of Lord Protector"s Manor would marry this ugly fat man in front of him.
Suddenly, he felt injustice for the beautiful Fourth Young Lady. "The beauty is now in the hands of the beast!"
"Why will such a dignified and gentle beauty marry such an old and ugly d*mned man! What a waste!"
Leaning against the back of the chair, he was talking with Wen Xueran, in a desultory kind of way. They totally ignored Marquis of Ping"an.
Marquis of Ping"an alone felt quite embarra.s.sed there. Last night, he had messed up with two beautiful women for too long. When Marquis of Ping"an woke up, it was already in broad daylight outside. Immediately, he remembered that Lord Protector had invited him to come to his manor today, and then he rushed here in a hurry. Now he even got one b.u.t.ton on his robe wrong, which was quite improper in any way.
Ning Zu"an didn"t like him that much, either. If it were not for the fact that Marquis of Ping"an knew the thing about the jade pendant so that he wanted to rope Marquis of Ping"an in the same boat with him, Ning Zu"an would never sacrifice a daughter and pulled this ugly fat man along with him.
Ao Xian saw that Wen Xueran also finished eating. Then, he got up and wanted to take him to take a rest at the study room aside. Since Marquis of Ping"an was still there, Ning Zu"an could not leave. He just let the servant lead them to the study room.
Just when they went out, they saw a small maid carrying a pot of hot water come to them in a hurry. It was too late for the maid to avoid them when she spotted them, and she b.u.mped into Ao Xian. The hot water spilled Ao Xian"s robe, and a large part of it got wet.
The little maid was so scared that she knelt on the ground with a b.u.mp. "Princely Heir, sorry... I"m sorry... I, I didn"t mean to."
Inside, Ning Zu"an heard the sound and came out to see what had happened. When he saw Ao Xian"s robe was wet, he glared at the little maid and said to Ao Xian who looked unhappy. "Your body is almost the same as Yuan"er. You can change his clothes first in case that you may catch a cold. You, take Princely Heir to the courtyard of Eldest Young Master."
Ao Xian shook his robe. Though he felt displeased, he said nothing. Anyway, he was in Lord Protector"s Manor, and so he had no other choices. Then, he went to the backyard after the little maid.
Wen Xueran glanced at the maid who was shivering but didn"t look too nervous. An enigmatic smile appeared on his good-looking eyes, and he went to the study alone.
On the other side, Marquis of Ping"an knew that he was wrong. Therefore, he accompanied Ning Zu"an to drink when he was here. Now he said that he was full when he felt a little tipsy. Marquis of Ping"an didn"t dare to drink as much as he did last time. Last time, he went to rest after he was wholly drunken and stirred up a heap of trouble.
Thus, he only told Ning Zu"an that he was going to sober himself up in the yard.
Ning Zu"an did not like him there. Seeing that Marquis of Ping"an was smart enough to bring up the suggestion himself, he agreed at once.
After lunch, Ning Xueyan walked to the gate of the courtyard alone. She would like to digest her meal and enjoy the snow scene. At this time, the snow was coming down more heavily. Large snowflakes fell from the sky like a myriad of feathers, which was beautiful to the extreme.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar maid came up to her and said with great respect. "Fifth Young Lady, the marquis calls you over for he has something to ask you!"
"Where is my father?" Upon hearing her words, Ning Xueyan raised her head and asked with a spurious smile. "Do you know what the matter is?"
"I don"t know what the marquis wants to ask you. The marquis is now in the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion. I heard that he lost his temper just now. You should go there as fast as you can," the maid answered, cutely.
"The Lasting-fragrance Pavilion, it is really a place that Ning Lingyun laid out with painstaking efforts. She had spent such a long time to fix up the place, so how can she abandon it after using it for once only?"
Ning Zu"an lost his temper. Well, it meant that he didn"t have the patience to wait for anyone at this moment!
Smiling slightly, she went up a path to the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion.
The maid saw Ning Xueyan go away, and a trace of pride flashed across her eyes. Then, she hurried back. Just when she walked around the corner, she saw Caiyun who hid on one side.
Caiyun had seen everything clearly. After she was sure that Ning Xueyan was walking into the trap, she was overjoyed. She gave the silver ingot in her hand to the maid and excitedly went to report to Ning Lingyun.
On the other side, the maid of Ning Yuling also met a maid from the front yard and got a message saying that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was going to meet Ning Yuling secretly in the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion of the backyard. At first, Ning Yuling didn"t believe it at all. However, the maid added that she saw that Fourth Young Lady and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li had already met once in the morning, and the two of them played the zither and enjoyed the blossoms together.
Speaking of the sound of the zither, Ning Yuling really had vaguely heard some in the morning. At that time, she thought that Ning Lingyun was going to marry an ugly and stupid old goat, but she even had a leisurely and carefree mood to play the zither in the yard.
This time, Ning Yuling connected the series thing before and after, and then she burst into anger. Ning Yuling even dared to seduce her brother-in-law. How horrible it was!
Even if she had thrown him away, that little b*tch Ning Lingyun still was not qualified to grab him. She would go to scratch the face of the little b*tch.
In a rage, she took a maid with her and went to catch the couple. When she saw the cozy Lasting-fragrance Pavilion that Ning Lingyun let people clean up, Ning Yuling felt much harder to suppress her hatred.
Outside the pavilion, the snow fell in soft flakes. Inside it, there were red curtains with a warm fragrance. It was precisely the right place for a secret date.
After taking a few strides, she stepped into the half-closed curtains in the pavilion. Before she could see everything inside the pavilion clearly, she felt a pain at the top of her head. Then, darkness came over her eyes, and she collapsed...
As for Ning Lingyun, she dressed up once again. She looked herself in the mirror from the left and the right. As she learned that Ning Xueyan walked into her trap, she felt very pleased. She stood up immediately and went out.
"Young Lady, are we going to the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion now?" Caiyun asked in a low voice.
Ning Lingyun sneered. "No. What are we going to do there now? Haven"t I asked you to let out a cry near the Lasting-fragrance Pavilion? Then, there must be some other people who will find them. That b*tch Ning Xueyan, she does not know what shame is and hooks up with Marquis of Ping"an. But what"s that got to do with me?"
Although she hated Ning Yuling, she did not dare to set a trap for Ning Yuling and Marquis of Ping"an. So she planned to trap Ning Xueyan instead. "If Ning Xueyan and Marquis of Ping"an hug each other with all eyes watching, how can my father still marry me to that stupid old man? As for Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, cannot I win Ning Yuling with my excellent appearance and character in his heart now?"
She was afraid of Madam Ling and her daughter since she was a child. This time, maybe the desperate situation that she would be forced to marry Marquis of Ping"an gave the courage to her!
Besides, she plotted against Ning Xueyan in secret by the way. If she succeeded this time, Ning Xueyan would lose all her standing and reputation. Wouldn"t Madam Ling and Ning Yuling feel unhappy about that?
Thinking like that, she felt that there was nothing dangerous, and she would not be afraid of the revenge from Madam Ling and her daughter after all of this.
In general, the biggest loser was Ning Xueyan. But what was that got to do with her?
"Yes, I have already done what you have told me to do, and I have arranged the people there early." Caiyun flattered.
"The two older female servants, are they reliable?" Ning Lingyun stopped and asked.
"You can rest a.s.sured. The two servants are members of my family. Moreover, I have also told them to act faster. After they knock Ning Xueyan out and pull her to the stone table nearby, they will leave immediately, lest they run into other people."
"What about the Princely Heir?" Speaking of which, Ning Lingyun felt a little shy and flushed a bit.
"Princely Heir has gone to the courtyard of Eldest Young Master. The person who leads the way will deliberately make a few detours. It is just the right time for you to go there now." Caiyun hurried to make a reply.
Although she designed the plot herself, she was still an unmarried girl. Therefore, Ning Lingyun didn"t ask the details. She nodded with a red face and went to the courtyard of Ning Huaiyuan with Caiyun.
Of course, this plot that could achieve three things at one stroke was not designed only by Ning Lingyun. Concubine Xu helped her a lot with that. As for the trap for Ning Xueyan, it was undoubtedly set by Concubine Xu in order to please Madam Ling. Under the circ.u.mstances that Ning Xueyan suffered such a great loss, it would not be a big deal to them if Ning Lingyun did something wrong.
In a hurry, Ning Lingyun went to the courtyard of Ning Huaiyuan. When she met the woman who guarded the door, she said that Concubine Xu asked her to see what needed to be added in his house. Concubine Xu said that Ning Huaiyuan would come back and they should not upset him at that time. After hearing what she said, the woman immediately let her in.
Anyone knew that Eldest Young Master was the treasure in the manor. Nothing could be more important than the things of Eldest Young Master.
Hardly when she walked in the house, the maid led Ao Xian to the house, and they entered the main room in the middle.
"Princely Heir, these are the clothes of our childe. You can pick a piece of clothes." The maid reverently opened the closet full of clothes. She pointed at those clothes and said to Ao Xian.
"You may leave!" Ao Xian nodded, and the maid left the room.
The weather was cold. Only after a while, Ao Xian could feel the wet of his robe through his clothes, and it made him feel uncomfortable all over. He took a piece of clothes at random and went behind the screen to take off his robe to change a dry one.
It indeed took him a long time to walk here. The wet originally on his robe outside now had penetrated layers of clothes and reached the clothes closet to his skin. Feeling quite helpless, he had to go back to the closet and chose another set of clothes inside.
When he was busy changing his clothes, he heard a woman"s charming voice coming from outside. He was startled a little. "The Eldest Young Master has been on a study tour outside. So, how can a woman come to his place?" Somehow, he felt a bit more curious.
"Young Lady, sorry. I"m sorry. I didn"t pay attention first and poured the water on you. Young Lady, please wait here. I am going to get clothes for you to change right now." The anxious voice of a maid faded. Then, Ao Xian heard that the maid pushed the door open and then closed it.
"Never mind. You just go to get one set for me. I will wait for you here." The first time Ao Xian heard the gentle voice, he knew that the lady had a good temper. And the voice seemed to be a little familiar to him, which further aroused Ao Xian"s curiosity. After thinking it over, he remembered that the voiced belonged to the Fourth Young Lady who he just met it in the morning. Suddenly, he had an itch in his heart, and so he involuntarily walked near the screen to look at her.
"Young Lady, how can I leave you like this? Your body is delicate. It will harm your health if you still wear those wet clothes. I will help you take off your clothes outside, and you can just put the Eldest Young Master"s clothes on for the moment. I will come back before long."
Nervously, Caiyun pulled Ning Lingyun"s clothes and wanted to help her take off her gown outside.
"No. It is not good if others know this. I"m not cold." Ning Lingyun"s face flushed, and her voice was gentle. She indeed looked like a well-behaved great lady of good conduct.
Inside, Ao Xian was very attracted by her, and he exclaimed in his heart. "Such a gentle and virtuous woman like her is what a Hostess should be. She is much better than Ning Yuling, who is arrogant, overbearing, and mean."
"Young Lady, there are no others here, so that will be okay. Later, when I go out, I will let the gatekeeper guard the door for you. She will not let others come in. If you really get a cold, how can I be able to take the responsibility?" While talking, Caiyun took off Ning Lingyun"s outside clothes and removed another piece of clothes by the way, down to her underwear.
After that, she pushed Ning Lingyun behind the screen.
Behind the screen, Ao Xian was looking at them, in high spirits. He had never expected that they would come to the back of the screen directly. There was no time for Ao Xian to avoid them. He met Ning Lingyun, who looked scared, face to face. Then there came the scream of Caiyun.
Hearing the screams, the two maids who did menial jobs in the yard and the gatekeeper rushed in. By chance, they witnessed Ning Lingyun falling, dressed in a mess. Subconsciously, Ao Xian reached out and happened to hold Ning Lingyun in his arms...