Chapter 394 Both the Consort and the Co-consort are Princesses, Right?
In her previous life, Xia Yuhang had uttered some words of affection. Simply to make one point clear, he would have stated ten points to her.
But now, he had done a lot, by only saying a little.
She did not deliberately pretend to be stupid, but she did not dare to accept it. But at this moment, she did not know, and she just wanted to cry. All she wanted to do was to pour out all the grievances and concerns in her heart. She felt inexplicably guilty.
He seemed to be stunned by her sudden sadness, and then he took his hand off her waist. He touched her back with some unskillful tenderness, as if he was afraid of scaring her. He was so gentle, not as cold as usual, and this made her cry even more.
“Okay, don’t cry. If you continue to cry, your maid will think that I am bullying you.” He even said that in a helpless voice, which was beyond her expectation. However, for some reason, her tears could not stop flowing, as if she was expunging all the injustices and grievances she had suffered before.
At this time, she did not even care about Lanning standing beside her, but was blindly immersed in her sadness.
“Do you want me to bring you to exterminate the Lord Protector’s Manor?” The helpless voice suddenly had a trace of hostility in it. He lazily hooked a strand of hair around Ning Xueyan’s ear with his slender fingers.
Ning Xueyan gradually stopped crying and wiped her tears away with a handkerchief. She did not know how to deal with it for a moment. She lowered her head, and her beautiful eyes were red under her long eyelashes. She had cried for no reason, and even she herself did not know what was in her mind.
“Let your maid wipe your face!” Ao Chenyi stood up and pulled her up, with a trace of coldness slipping unconsciously through his dark eyes.
“Young Lady, let me take you to wash your face.” Lanning was scared. Seeing Ning Xueyan getting up, she helped her walk to the house.
This time, Ning Xueyan came out by using the excuse of going shopping. After the imperial edict was given, Madam Dowager ordered the people in the manor to provide all conveniences for her and Ning Qingshan. They could go out anytime, and they did not need to wait for instructions.
As soon as Ning Xueyan entered the room, she saw the eunuch coming in with hot water. He said to Lanning with a smile, “Prince Yi told me that it’s still cold now. Don’t wash with cold water.”
Lanning took it obediently. Ning Xueyan lowered her head and wrung the handkerchief in her hands a few times. She bit her lip and almost could not hold it back.
She did not know why she was so p.r.o.ne to tears today.
After washing her face and redoing her make up, Ning Xueyan sat down under the rose shelf again. She lowered her head and put her delicate fingers around a handkerchief. She was speechless for a moment.
“How can your eyes become so swollen after crying? People who know the truth may think that I’m talking about our wedding, but those who don’t know may think that I’m forcing you into this marriage,” Ao Chenyi said with a faint smile. He was still leaning against the couch, with his lips curled. His long eyelashes fluttered, and he said this with a spurious smile.
“Prince Yi, please don’t laugh at me!” Ning Xueyan was a little embarra.s.sed, and blinked her beautiful eyes.
Ao Chenyi looked carefully at Ning Xueyan and suddenly said with a serious look, “I won’t laugh. But this is good. I won’t cover it up for you for a while. It’s the right time to cry.”
Ning Xueyan raised her head in surprise and looked into Ao Chenyi’s eyes, which looked like he was trying to play tricks on her.
“Prince Yi, do you mean that it’s necessary as part of the act?” Ning Xueyan could not say it out loud, but she still said it seriously, with no expression on her face. Her pale face gradually turned red under Ao Chenyi’s gaze.
“That’s right. I’ve prepared the balsamine juice for you. Now it seems that you don’t need it anymore,” Ao Chenyi said lazily.
“Do you really need it?” Ning Xueyan asked seriously.
“Yes.”
“Will it make people misunderstand?” Ning Xueyan was worried.
Ao Chenyi glanced at Ning Xueyan and asked with a smile, “No. Except for the people of the Lord Protector’s Manor, no one will misunderstand. Will everything be all right when you go back to the Lord Protector’s Manor later?”
“It’s okay.” Ning Xueyan shook her head. She would say that she was thinking about Madam Ming. Anyway, the Lord Protector’s Manor was in a mess now, and no one would care about her. If Ning Qingshan and the others knew about this, maybe they would be happy! Madam Dowager would not ask about this kind of thing at all.
“Well, let’s go together!” Ao Chenyi stood up and stretched out his hand naturally. He wrapped his arm around her slender waist and walked out with her in his arms.
The carriage was parked at the back door. It was not his incredibly gorgeous carriage, which highlighted his n.o.ble status. He arrived without pomp today.
Ning Xueyan would pretend to be Ao Chenyi’s favorite concubine, so Lanning could not follow them, but stayed in the courtyard.
Although it was not that carriage, it was still very s.p.a.cious. Ao Chenyi’s favorite bed was placed in it. When Ao Chenyi went in, he habitually leaned against it, but he still held Ning Xueyan’s hand. So, he pulled her up with his hand.
He used to do this in the past. Ning Xueyan knew that it was part of the deal. Whether she liked it or not, she had to bear it. She had never resisted his actions. Since it was a deal, he had helped her several times, so she should not have a psychological barrier.
But it seemed that after she shed tears just now, some things had changed inexplicably!
Although her body was still tense, she was no longer so resistant but quietly let him hug her. She did not want to say anything, but he was not indifferent to her as usual. He did nothing, but held her in his arms quietly, without showing signs of his inconceivable ruthlessness like before.
On the way, the carriage stopped. They transferred to his wide, luxurious carriage embroidered with the red Manjusaka. In the carriage, Ning Xueyan was sitting at the side. Ao Chenyi picked up a gauze kerchief next to him and wrapped it around her face. Her face was covered, and only a pair of red and swollen eyes could be seen. It was evident that her eyes were red with weeping.
Ao Chenyi slightly lowered his head and looked at her dress with a playful look. Suddenly, he reached out and pulled out a few strands of hair around her ear. Then, he clapped his hands with satisfaction and said, “Okay, that’s enough.”
“Prince Yi, are you going to meet Commandery Princess Xianyun?” Ning Xueyan wanted to know who the person she would be meeting, so she asked in surprise. She had not dressed like that when she went to meet the Third Prince.
Ao Chenyi nodded lazily. “When you see her later, you can cry about your grievance, and you don’t have to bother about her.”
“Princess Xianyun is in Prince Yi’s Manor?” Ning Xueyan asked in confusion. Didn’t they say that an unmarried couple was not allowed to meet before the wedding? Commandery Princess Xianyun was such a well-educated and polite young lady. How could she not know about this kind of etiquette, but came to Prince Yi’s Manor? She blinked her shimmery eyes, looking a little confused.
“Something happened in the Lord Peace’s Manor?”
Except for this, there seemed to be no other reason.
“Oh, a trifle thing happened in the Lord Peace’s Manor. Commandery Princess Xianyun wants me to help,” Ao Chenyi said with a smile. After he let go of Ning Xueyan, he leaned back with a trace of coldness in his long and narrow eyes.
“Prince Yi, can you tell me more about it?” Ning Xueyan asked. Was it just a trifle thing? It could not just be a trifling thing. If so, how could Commandery Princess Xianyun, who looked calm, come to the Prince Yi’s Manor, disregarding the rules?
Ao Chenyi stared at her face with coldness in his eyes. “It’s about a storm of jealousy. Do you want to listen to it?”
“Prince Yi, I have to know the cause and effect of the matter. Otherwise, how can I put on a show?” Ning Xueyan said discontentedly. She bit her light-colored lips. Inadvertently, she felt embarra.s.sed about her crying again.
“It does not matter. You just need to act coquettishly later. I love it,” Ao Chenyi said matter-of-factly. However, Ning Xueyan could not help, but grit her teeth secretly. Everyone in the capital knew that Prince Yi was the one who did not show any mercy to women. It was said that he had beheaded nine of the beauties.
“Your Highness, you’re well-known for your tenderness toward women.” She was gritting her back teeth and said it, word by word.
“Well, it is good that you know that!” He proudly answered, as if it was the truth. Ning Xueyan could not help glaring at him.
He dared to say that. When she acted with him last time, he had beheaded the beauties who were sent by the emperor. At that time, he did not show any mercy and chopped off the beauties’ hands.
“Are you jealous?” Her look pleased Ao Chenyi. He suddenly approached her with a smile on his handsome face.
“No!” Ning Xueyan said flatly. She turned her head to avoid his warm breath. It was a reasonable sentence, but somehow her face burned again. How could she be jealous? She wanted to know the situation. No matter what Commandery Princess Xianyun would do next, she had to cooperate.
“Prince Yi, are you suggesting that I should show that I’m jealous?” Ning Xueyan’s heart began to beat fast, so she changed the topic. She thought it would be terrible if they continued to talk about it.
Everything that happened to her today seemed to be abnormal. She did not know if it was because she cried without reason, but she did not speak as freely as she used to do.
Ao Chenyi glanced at Ning Xueyan evilly, raised his head, leaned back, and said meaningfully, “Well, this is the best. I must spoil my favorite concubine. Even a legal wife can’t find favor with me.”
That was to say, she should try her best to be jealous, and this jealousy must be strong enough.
“You’d better cooperate with my co-consort to deal with her. Both the consort and the co-consort are princesses, right? n.o.body knows who will be the legal one?” The cold voice, which sounded good, made Ning Xueyan feel confused.
This Asura King, who was always arrogant, encouraged the women in his backyard to fight. Could it be that he was a pervert who enjoyed seeing women fighting?
“Prince Yi, you want to see me deal with others, or you like to watch them deal with me? Or you like to watch us deal with each other purely?” Ning Xueyan felt that she had to make sure. After all, it was related to what she would do next.