Chapter 184 I Have Nothing Special with Third Young Lady
“n.o.ble Young Ladies?” Ao Chenyi glanced at all the female guests, and suddenly pointed at a Young lady with a sneer. “Can the outstanding Third Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor be taken as a n.o.ble Young Lady?” he asked.
Since Ning Qingshan returned to the manor, news about her had been widely spread. Besides, Third Prince had visited her in person at the Lord Protector’s Manor, so everyone had thought that she was Ao Mingyu’s woman. Now Ao Chenyi talked about her in such a cold and frivolous voice, having no more respect for her than for a prost.i.tute.
Ao Mingyu was the distinguished prince with pure royal blood, he had never been humiliated like this. When he heard that the woman he had a crush on had been despised like this, his smile froze, and a strong sense of killing appeared in the depth of his eyes.
Ao Chenyi was so powerful that even Ao Mingyu’s father, the emperor, dared not to be in conflict with him openly.
And all the a.s.sa.s.sins Ao Mingyu had sent were killed. Therefore, he dared not to offend Ao Chenyi.
“Uncle, you’re kidding. Third Young Lady is not Lord Protector’s princ.i.p.al wife’s biological daughter, but she is her daughter in the name, so of course she can be taken as a n.o.ble Young Lady as well.” When Ao Mingyu raised his head, the smile came back on his face. He continued, “Uncle, if you like Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, I’ll report to my father immediately.”
He had thought that he would be heartbroken when he had to give the woman he liked to another man, but he found it was not that difficult to say it. His smile was even as natural as it had been. When he glanced at the beautiful face of Ning Qingshan, there was only a slight fluctuation in his mind. Even though Ning Qingshan had saved his life and impressed him so much, compared to the throne, she was not that important.
“So you can bear to lose her?” There was a trace of ambiguity in Prince Yi’s smile. He looked at Ao Mingyu from the corner of his eyes, made Ao Mingyu extremely nervous.
“Uncle, I have nothing special with Third Young Lady. She has stayed in the imperial palace for some time, and my mother liked her very much. My mother asked me to visit her when she heard that she has just returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor. It wasn’t like the rumors have it,” Ao Mingyu explained with a smile.
He knew he couldn’t hide the fact that he had visited Ning Qingshan, especially from Ao Chenyi, the leader of the imperial guards.
“Oh. Will my elder brother agree if I want her to be my co-consort?” Ao Chenyi seemed to be talking to himself, her eyes even darker and colder.
Ao Mingyu clenched his fists in his sleeves, and almost couldn’t hide his killing intent anymore.
“He means the woman I wanted to marry as my princ.i.p.al wife is fit only for him to be a co-consort!” Ao Mingyu thought.
He managed to hold back his anger and asked, “Uncle, I’ll arrange for it if you like. Do you want me to report to my father right now?”
“Forget it. Let’s talk about it later. There are a few beautiful ladies that I think are pretty good. The others are too ugly and I don’t want to see them. Is that the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor?” Ao Chenyi shook his wide sleeve and then leaned against the back of the big machilus chair. His beautiful eyes fixed on Ning Xueyan, flashing a trace of coldness and slyness.
“Uncle, she is Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, the girl who b.u.mped against you just now. She is too young and reckless, so she didn’t behave properly.” Ao Mingyu saw Ning Xueyan along the gaze of Ao Chenyi. He frowned slightly, and then came back to normal.
It was not rare to be engaged at fourteen years old, but it was too early to get married at this age. Ao Chenyi was not very young, so it was impossible for him to remain unmarried for one or two years after his engagement.
Furthermore, a reckless girl wasn’t suitable for him.
“It’s pity that she is too young! But she looks good,” Ao Chenyi said in agreement. He narrowed his eyes, and shifted his gaze from Ning Xueyan to other Young Ladies.
Ao Mingyu let out a sigh of relief for no reason. He moved forward and introduced those n.o.ble Young Ladies one by one for Ao Chenyi. It seemed he didn’t mean it, but at where he was, he happened blocked Ao Chenyi’s view of Ning Xueyan.
Ao Chenyi was extremely charming, and even women couldn’t match him, let alone men. Therefore, it was no wonder that he thought those Young Ladies were ugly. He seldom praised the others. It didn’t mean that he thought Ning Xueyan was more charming than him, but at least, he was impressed with her. This made Ao Mingyu uncomfortable.
He even felt worse than when Ao Chenyi had an interest in Ning Qingshan.
The banquet hadn’t started yet, so people were talking in small groups. Ning Xueyan didn’t know anyone else, but Heng Yuqing knew a lot of people here, and someone came to chat with her from time to time, so they didn’t look lonely here.
Ning Qingshan sat on her seat, looked still gentle and graceful. She chatted with people beside her occasionally and laughed gently, covering her mouth with a handkerchief. Suddenly, a eunuch walked over to her and asked,
“Are you Third Young Lady from Lord Protector’s Manor?”
Ning Qingshan immediately stood up and answered gracefully, “Yes. What can I do for you?”
“Honored Consort Ya wanted to meet you. This way, please!” The eunuch gestured politely with a smile.
Honored Consort Ya took Ning Qingshan so seriously that she even arranged a eunuch to invite her to her palace! Now several Commandery Princesses and County Princesses couldn’t help but shift their attention to her, and other n.o.ble Young Ladies were all looking at her with admiration in their eyes.
“Got it. Please lead the way,” Ning Qingshan said with a smile. Under the gaze of everyone, she maintained her easy and grace.
“Okay. Third Young Lady, please follow me,” the eunuch said respectfully with a smile. He worked for Honored Consort Ya, so of course he knew that Honored Consort Ya thought highly of Ning Qingshan. It had been the case three years ago, and even more so three years later. Third Young Lady was very likely to be Third Prince’s wife, so the eunuch treated her with great respect.
Ning Qingshan nodded, and then walked out Plum Garden and headed for Honored Consort Ya’s palace, following the eunuch.
As soon as they walked out of the Plum Garden, Ning Qingshan suddenly stopped. She frowned slightly and sighed, as if she had something difficult to say.
“Third Young Lady, is there something you want me to do?” Every one of the imperial palace was smart. The eunuch figured out her intention and immediately asked. He had regarded Ning Qingshan as Third Prince’s wife, his master in the future, so he was happy to have such an opportunity to flatter her.
“Let’s talk over there.” Ning Qingshan looked around and pointed at a quiet place. They had just walked out the Plum Garden, and where she was pointing was on the path of the turn ahead. From that place, they could see a part inside of the Plum Garden, including Ning Xueyan.
It was a little far from where Ning Xueyan sat and they couldn’t see her clearly, but it was enough to know her position and what she looked like.
“Third Young Lady, please say it.” The eunuch wondered at Ning Qingshan’s mysterious behavior. He looked at her extremely beautiful face, having no idea what she wanted to do.
“Can you ask someone to give this to my Fifth Sister?” Ning Qingshan asked, there was something unnatural in her expression. Then she took out a note from her sleeve and pointed at Ning Xueyan who was sitting in the Plum Garden. The eunuch was more convinced that she would become Third Prince’s wife in the future when he saw her gentle air, as if she was born to be elegant and calm.
“Since Third Young Lady asked me to give it to Fifth Young Lady, I’ll arrange for it right now.” The eunuch was surprised that Ning Qingshan communicated with her sister with a note, but he still nodded.
“The note isn’t from me. My maid picked it up at the gate. My Fifth Sister had a fall there just now, and the note is written to her. I’m sorry to trouble you. Please keep it as a secret,” Ning Qingshan said in a soft voice.
“Someone wrote the note to Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor? Normally, if it isn’t a very private thing, n.o.body will deliver a note to the others. The person who wrote the note is unlikely to be a girl, because there is nothing between girls to be embarra.s.sed to say directly.” the eunuch was experienced and he immediately understood what happened. At the same time, he began to despise the Fifth Young Lady who had come to the imperial palace for her first time.
Obviously, she had an affair with someone!
A daughter of the princ.i.p.al wife of Lord Protector even had an affair with someone at the imperial palace! How shameless! They were both the daughters of the princ.i.p.al wife of Lord Protector. Third Young Lady was so well-behaved, but that Young Lady in the distance… How could the gap between them so big?
Furthermore, Fifth Young Lady was so stupid that she even lost the note, and now, her elder sister had to cover up for her!
“Got it. I’ll ask someone to bring her there secretly,” the eunuch answered. He looked in Ning Xueyan’s direction with a sneer. Although he could only see her vaguely, he wouldn’t get the wrong person.
Since the eunuch had agreed to help her, Ning Qingshan thanked him and then followed him toward Honored Consort Ya’s palace.
They b.u.mped into a palace maid on their way. The eunuch stopped her and whispered in her ear. Then he led Ning Qingshan on again.
Ning Xueyan was talking to Heng Yuqing when a palace maid suddenly walked to her in a hurry. The palace maid said in a low voice, “Fifth Young Lady, someone asked me to give this to you.”
With that, she gave the note to Ning Xueyan carefully.
Ning Xueyan looked at the note, but she didn’t take it. She raised her head, her long eyelashes trembled. Then her jet-black eyes fixed on the palace maid coldly. “Who asked you to give it to me?” she asked.
She didn’t believe that someone would write a note to her. In the imperial palace, except for the high-profile, arrogant Prince Yi, n.o.body had anything to do with her. It was impossible for Prince Yi to deliver a note secretly if he wanted to meet her. She had seen him looking at her unscrupulously just now.
And except Ao Chenyi, she knew n.o.body in the imperial palace.
“I don’t know. I was stopped by a young male servant when I just arrived at the intersection ahead. Fifth Young Lady, he told me that he was your acquaintance, and you would know who he was when you saw him,” the palace maid answered with a smile.
“I think you might be mistaken,” Heng Yuqing, who was sitting beside Ning Xueyan, said in surprise.
Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor had only recently appeared in public, and Heng Yuqing had never heard any news about her before that. How could anyone have seen her at the imperial party before. Therefore, it was impossible for anyone from the imperial palace to deliver a note to her. There must be some conspiracy behind this note!
Moreover, only the n.o.ble childes had brought the young male servants with them. That meant the person who wrote the note was among the n.o.ble childes opposite them.
“I won’t get the wrong person. I heard clearly that the young male servant asked to give the note to Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. He also said that Fifth Young Lady had fallen at the gate, and something happened to her… Fifth Young Lady, you’d better check it in person. I’m not clear about it,” the palace maid said, as if in a dilemma. What she said sounded make sense.
It was true that Ning Xueyan had fallen there just now. But wait! The palace maid seemed to be hinting that Ning Xueyan had fallen down because she was doing something unruly with someone.
Heng Yuqing shot her a glare and was about to say something.