Chapter 396 The Invitation from Madam Yu
The disaster at the Lord Peace’s Manor was settled satisfactorily. It was said that the young master who had been beaten to death had spoken rudely and insulted the current Prince Yi. His words could get the whole family in trouble. When she heard that her younger brother had said such a thing, the crying beauty immediately fell silent.
The family of the victim did not pursue the matter, and since it involved the powerful Prince Yi, it was settled quietly. They asked the Young Master of the Lord Peace’s Manor to pay a large sum of money. The two families reached an agreement outside the court. n.o.body knew whether the Lord Peace’s Manor had promised something in private.
However, what shocked everyone was that Commandery Princess Xianyun had proposed to enter Prince Yi’s Manor together with the co-consort. The Empress rejected her proposal. However, Commandery Princess Xianyun insisted on doing so. She knelt in front of the Empress’ palace and asked for the edict. Later, she fainted in front of the Empress’ palace. The palace then officially approved this matter.
For this unexpected matter, the Empress issued a decree to the Lord Protector’s Manor. First, she praised Ning Xueyan and then expressed her approval of Commandery Princess Xianyun’s magnanimity. In the end, she decided to let the consort and the co-consort enter Prince Yi’s Manor at the same time. They were set to get married on the same day.
This matter was obviously a slap in the face for the Lord Peace’s Manor. But because it was Commandery Princess Xianyun’s proposal, it became a hot topic for discussion. But in the end, the news leaked secretly from the palace stated that the reason why Commandery Princess Xianyun brought this humiliation upon herself and proposed that the Fifth Young Lady marry on the same day, was not because Prince Yi liked the Fifth Young Lady.
It was all because of a concubine in Prince Yi’s Manor. It was said that this favorite concubine, who had a low status, was arrogant and being deliberately provocative. The Commandery Princess Xianyun felt that she was at a disadvantage, so she proposed to enter the manor together with the Fifth Young Lady.
It had nothing to do with Ning Xueyan. People had different opinions about this mysterious favorite concubine. Some people said that Prince Yi favored this favorite concubine very much, and even brought her with him in the imperial palace. Some people said that the emperor once wanted to let Prince Yi marry the County Princess Xianyun. However, the County Princess Xianyun had to leave the capital because of this woman.
There were various rumors. However, all the gossips about the unconventional marriage were not focused on Ning Xueyan. Even if she was mentioned, people would think that she had become the victim of the struggle between Commandery Princess Xianyun and that favorite concubine. If it were not for the fact that the concubine was so aggressive, how could Commandery Princess Xianyun allow Ning Xueyan to marry into the manor together with her!
The Bright Frost Garden.
Ning Xueyan was sewing new clothes, together with several maids. All her previous plans had been disrupted. Initially, she was not in a hurry, but now she was busy with the work. At this time, Madam Dowager sent four beautiful maids to her, namely Chunyan, Hanxiang, Yunlong and Qianyou.
The four maids were there not only to serve Ning Xueyan as second-cla.s.s maids, but also to accompany Ning Xueyan to Prince Yi’s Manor. They would merely accompany Ning Xueyan to Prince Yi’s Manor as her dowry maids, so Qingyu and the others did not like them.
They were not there to help with the needlework, but were sent directly to the wing room. They were to act as a.s.sistants, like sewing handkerchiefs and perfume sachets. These would be loaded with small silver ingots and sent to servants, so they did not need have to be particularly skilled in delicate work.
In the main room, they were still making arrangements for Ning Xueyan. They worked together at a moderate rate. Ning Xueyan was relieved when she figured out that they could basically finish what they had to do, at this speed.
“Young Lady, will you be going over tonight?” Xinmei acted as an a.s.sistant in the room. She was a secret guard with good martial arts skills, but she could not be compared with Lanning, Qingyu, and the others in terms of needlework. They picked up the needles and threads to string the beads and thread them. When she saw that there was no one else in the room, she asked softly.
In the past few days, Xinmei had gone out to scare Madam Ling every night. Madam Ling could not sleep well now. It was said that she was in a bad mood.
“I heard Mother Chen went to the Marquis’ study today?” Ning Xueyan asked with a cold smile on her face, while doing the threading.
“Yes, she went there early in the morning. It is said that she knelt at the door of the Marquis’ study and begged him bitterly. She said that if it went on like this, the First Madam would die. She asked the Marquis to go and see her at night, because the Marquis is a great general and does not fear any evil spirits. He will definitely be able to help the First Madam get rid of the evil spirits and save her.”
Mother Han had just found out about this matter, but she did not report it, because there were four other maids in the room. At this time, she replied.
“How did the First Madam react these two days? Did she get scared?” Ning Xueyan nodded and lowered her gaze. Her long eyelashes cast two uneven shadows under her eyes, and she looked quite serene, with her delicate facial features.
Xinmei thought for a moment and said, “I found that in the first two days, the First Madam seemed to be really frightened. But during the next few days, First Madam’s condition improved considerably.” The First Madam looked much better than before, and she was not that afraid.
“Then you don’t have to go anymore. Let’s talk about it after a few days.” Ning Xueyan smiled coldly. Madam Ling could not be that easily destroyed in such a short time. Otherwise, she would not have been Ning Zu’an’s mistress for so many years. She would not have risen in revolt, until she had given birth to two children.
She did not expect to drive Madam Ling crazy instantly, but it was still possible for her to suppress her, little by little.
Moreover, Ning Xueyan always felt that this matter was not so simple. How could Madam Ling not have prepared for it at all? Or it could be said that she should have the “proofs” that she had been “wronged” in her previous life. With these “proofs”, even if they suspected her, she could retaliate. So, Ning Xueyan was not in a hurry to deal with this matter.
“Will the First Madam recover after a few days?” Mother Han asked worriedly. If the First Madam recovered and realized that it had something to do with her young lady, her young lady would suffer a lot. Mother Han clearly knew that no matter how important her young lady was, in the eyes of the people in the Lord Protector’s Manor, she was not as important as the Eldest Young Master.
“She would not have guessed it.” Ning Xueyan raised her dark eyes, which held a taunting look. It had not been easy for her to ascertain through investigation, that Madam Ling had killed Ning Ziying. There was no evidence to prove that the Marchioness had done it. Even the Ministry of Justice could not punish the people around her so easily.
It was due to this that Madam Ling gradually recovered. But because of this, she would never know that Ning Xueyan had done something to her.
And the reason why she invited Ning Zu’an over at this time was not to help her get over the shock. It seemed that Madam Ling still had a chance to turn the tables. Ning Huaiyuan was not in Ning Zu’an’s favor at the moment. What’s more, Ning Yuling had such an accident. How could Madam Ling believe that she could ever win Ning Zu’an’s heart again?
Or to put it another way, how did she ascertain that Ning Zu’an would definitely stand up for her?
“Xinmei, you don’t have to go there. Mother Han, pay more attention to the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, especially Mother Chen. If she makes any unusual movements, come back and tell me,” Ning Xueyan said indifferently.
“Yes, Young Lady. I will.” Mother Han nodded.
“Young Lady, I got up early this morning. When I saw Mother Chen coming back from the outside, there seemed to be a smell of medicine about her. When she saw me, she said that she had something to do at home, so she rushed off hurriedly,” Qingyu said doubtfully, while she embroidered flowers with a thread.
“She came back early in the morning? You saw this clearly?” Ning Xueyan raised her head and asked.
“I saw it clearly. Usually, I am not up so early, but I got up a little earlier today, because I wanted to make a pot of herbal tonic for you. I did not expect that I would meet Mother Chen, when I just got out of the kitchen. I used to make medicine for you, so the smell of the medicine is very obvious. Although it’s very light, it’s true.”
Qingyu said with certainty, but she did not care about it at that time. Now, when Ning Xueyan mentioned it, she found Mother Chen’s behavior to be very fishy. As soon as she came back from outside, she hurried to the Marquis’s study and pleaded with him on behalf of the First Madam.
Ning Xueyan smiled with great interest and said, “Leave her alone and just keep an eye on her.” Madam Ling seemed to be scheming against Ning Zu’an. Since she could not drive her crazy, Ning Xueyan decided to take it slowly. By that time, she could not believe that Madam Ling could plot so many things, while several things were happening at the same time.
“Young Lady, Concubine Yu asked you to visit her if you’re free. She said that she has something to tell you,” Lanning said. This was what Concubine Yu had told her when she met her this morning.
Concubine Yu had been called on to serve Madam Ling when she was ill. She worked from early in the morning and did not even have time to take a breather. And it was said that if she made a mistake, Madam Ling would beat or scold her. However, Concubine Yu was able to bear it. When she fell sick recently, Madam Ling did not need her company, so she was free.
“Did Concubine Yu say anything?” Ning Xueyan asked.
“Concubine Yu said that she wanted to thank you for what you did for the Second Young Master a few days ago.” It was not a big deal. Everyone in the manor knew that both Concubine Yu and Ning Huaijing had no money, but no one asked about it. However, a few days ago, Ning Huaijing had an accident and had privately promised to pay a sum of money.
The money was originally to have been paid by the manor, but now things happened, one by one. Ning Zu’an was so angry that he did not stay in the manor for most of the time. After going to the morning court, he returned home late. When he came back, he was drunk and directly rested in the study outside.
This was also the reason Mother Chen rushed to Ning Zu’an early in the morning to beg him.
That person came from the manor and looked for Ning Huaijing. Ning Huaijing could not find Ning Zu’an, and Madam Dowager was ill and did not care about anything. At this time, Ning Xueyan heard the news and deliberately asked Lanning to bring a sum of money to him, which helped to ease Ning Huaijing’s anxiety.
This should be what Madam Yu was referring to.
“Lanning, go prepare some fruits. Let’s go to Concubine Yu’s place together.” Putting down the cloth in her hand, Ning Xueyan stood up. She moved her stiff legs, lifted her snow-white skirt, and walked to the window. She breathed a long sigh of relief, and a faint smile appeared on her lips. It seemed that the money was still effective. Madam Yu was going to confess.
The sooner she was able to confess, the better it would be.