Chapter 186 Third Prince’s Suspicion
Following Lanning’s finger, Ning Xueyan saw another man appeared in the Graceful Moon Pavilion after Xia Yuhang had just left. From behind, he looked quite similar like Xia Yuhang, and at first glance, they looked about the same height, the same size, and even the same standing posture!
If she had not been too familiar with Xia Yuhang in her last life, Ning Xueyan must have mistaken that man for Xia Yuhang.
A cold smile appeared on her pale lips. “Ning Qingshan is really a vicious woman! In order to get rid of me, she has tried every means!” she thought.
“It must be because Xia Yuhang happened walked into the pavilion, that man did not show up just now. That man must be hiding somewhere nearby, so I would have been found out if I showed my face in the pavilion,” Ning Xueyan thought. She was sure that there was something odd about that yard behind the wall. Xia Yuhang had just gotten down the artificial hill and gone to that yard.
She recalled the road she had pa.s.sed. After having walking out of the Plum Garden, she had turned to a corner, and then gone straight here, so this place was not far from Plum Garden.
The party was held at the Plum Garden today. This place looked closer than the male guest seats. Since Xia Yuhang had been able to enter that yard, it meant the yard was opened to the public today, and there must be some n.o.ble childes hanging out inside who was not at the party now. Where the pavilion was located was higher than the wall, so everyone in the yard could see her clearly if she went to the pavilion.
Once she appeared in the Graceful Moon Pavilion with a man, plus the note in her hands, she would not be able to explain it clearly. Ning Xueyan was even sure that the man also had a note in his hand, with her name on.
Ning Qingshan was so vicious that she wanted to kill her at one move!
“Lanning, go over there and throw it onto the floor when n.o.body is paying attention,” Ning Xueyan looked around and ordered with coldness in her eyes, pointing to another corner.
There were many palace maids bustling around to serve fruits to the guests and some young male servants pa.s.sed there occasionally, so it should be an exit.
She rubbed the note again and handed it to Lanning. Then she moved back behind the tree and looked at the man in the pavilion coldly. It was not someone she knew, so she could not tell who it was.
Lanning looked at the corner and immediately understood her master’s intention. She took the note from Ning Xueyan’s hand and walked toward the exit of the Plum Garden.
She walked around the corner for a while and then dropped the note quietly on the ground in a more conspicuous position. Without stopping, she turned a corner and walked back.
The whole process only took a short moment, and the palace maids were busy serving the guests, so none of them had noticed Lanning’s appearance.
Several palace maids were walking toward the Plum Garden with some fruit trays in their hands. Suddenly, one of them stopped and kicked a crumpled note beside her feet. She asked another palace maid beside her surprisingly, “Hey! Did you drop your stuff?”
“No. It’s not mine.” The other palace maid looked at it and shook her head.
“What’s that?” Several palace maids nearby heard about it and came closer to check. When they found it was a note, they all shook their heads to show that it was not theirs.
“What did it say? Let’s check it!” a palace maid suggested out of curiosity.
The palace maid who had found the note handed the fruit tray in her hands to another palace maid, and squat down to pick up the crumpled note. When she opened it, she could not help exclaiming.
It immediately aroused many people’s attention. Even some young male servants who pa.s.sed by here stopped, wondering what had happened to these palace maids.
“Third Young Lady of the Nings? The words look like they were written by a man.” Although the note was crumpled and there were several marks on the name, after spreading it, they could distinguish the words on it.
“Which Third Young Lady? It can’t be Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor, can it? Let me take a look.” Some palace maids had seen Ning Qingshan at the party just now. They could not believe that such a gentle and elegant person would do such disgraceful and immoral affairs.
“Why it can’t be her? Look! It’s clearly indicated ‘Third Young Lady of the Nings’, and that person asked her to meet him at the Graceful Moon Pavilion. How can a n.o.ble Young Lady like her be so shameless!” The palace maid who had found the note muttered. In case of the others not believe her, she pa.s.sed the note to another palace maid.
“Graceful Moon Pavilion? Is that the pavilion opposite us?” A palace maid who stood behind them had not seen the note yet, but she had heard what they said. She blinked and suddenly her eyes began to shine. She remembered that the pavilion was just opposite them, so she reached out and pointed in the direction of Graceful Moon Pavilion.
She was so surprised that she spoke loudly. Many people looked in the direction of the Graceful Moon Pavilion along with her gaze. It was not far from here, and they even could see clearly a man in the pavilion. He stood there with his hand clasped behind his back and kept looking around, as if he was waiting for someone anxiously.
They noticed that the place he was watching was the entrance of the Plum Garden, which was closest to the female guest seats.
It was true that he was waiting for Third Young Lady. They were too… shameless!
“It’s said Third Young Lady of Nings has gone to Honored Consort Ya’s palace just now. Could you be mistaken? It might not be her,” someone protested.
“Hearing what you said, I’m more confident that it must be her. It can’t be wrong. Maybe she dropped the note when she pa.s.sed by here. She might have walked out of the Plum Garden by this way.”
“I remember! I thought I saw her just now!”
A discussion rose among the palace maids. The more they talked, the more they felt it was true.
“Why don’t you serve the guests, but gathering here?” A eunuch came over and yelled at the palace maids who were talking, shooting them a glare.
He was the chief eunuch here, and he was extremely busy at today’s party. At sight of a group of palace maids gossiping and some young male servant overhearing aside with surprise, he could not help flying into a rage.
Seeing their immediate superior get angry, the palace maids scattered soon, only the palace maid who had been in the core of the palace maids just now stood still there, with a note in her hand, looked both anxious and frightened.
Since everyone had run away, she had to walk over to the eunuch and handed the note to him. “I just found this note and was about to give it to you. It seems someone made an appointment with Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor.”
She wanted to shift the responsibility, and she did not want to do anything with this matter, so she said in a very cryptic way, as if she knew nothing about what had happened. No matter whether Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor had made an appointment with a man, she was just a humble palace maid, so she had better watch her tongue.
“Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor?” The eunuch was a little surprised and his face flickered. He took the note from the palace maid and gestured her go leave.
The palace maid immediately ran away, lifting the hem of her dress.
He opened the note which was even more crumpled and found that the note was indeed written to Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. His face darkened. He looked up at the man who was still in the pavilion and thought for a while before turning to the Plum Garden.
He knew that Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was most likely to become Third Prince’s wife. Honored Consort Ya had asked her to her palace just now. He did not dare to make a decision on his own, because he could not afford the consequences. After thinking for a short moment, he turned around and walked toward Third Prince.
The matter concerned his master. As a servant, the more he knew, the sooner he would die.
“Third Prince, I have something to report to you,” he walked close to Ao Mingyu and said in a low voice.
At the same time, a guard walked over to Ao Chenyi in a hurry from outside. He whispered in Ao Chenyi’s ear for a while, and then a half-smile came over Ao Chenyi’s face. He knew that girl looked gentle and weak, but she was actually very aggressive. She had turned the tables after leaving for a short while. She was so smart and decisive that he became even more interested in her.
He waved his hand lazily and let the guard leave. Then he turned to Ao Mingyu and said meaningfully, “Mingyu, go ahead if you have something to deal with. I want to see if there are more Young Ladies whose appearances are acceptable and the characters are suitable for me. The two Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor are both good, but one is too young, and the other one…”
He did not continue, but looked at Ao Mingyu meaningfully. He curved his thin lips up, and a sly smile appeared on his handsome face, as if he was hinting something. It made Ao Mingyu’s smile almost stiff.
He took a deep breath, held back his anger and said with a smile, “Uncle, I do have something to deal with. Please pick your own. I’ll be with you later.”
“Go ahead!” Ao Chenyi waved his hand, a mysterious smile on his face. He propped his hand on the armchair and leaned against the back of the chair.
The little girl had gotten everything ready, and was waiting for Ao Mingyu to take the bait.
He had been here just because he was too boring, so he had not expected that he would have seen such a wonderful show. If he had not found that the little girl acted weird, he would have missed the show. He wondered whether he should watch their performance nearby, or just from this place.
n.o.body could have imagined that the powerful and cold-blooded Prince Yi, who had a lot on his plate everyday would be pondering such a boring question.
“Where did you get it?” Third Prince pinched the note and went angry, and the veins on his temple beat a few times unconsciously.
“Just at the gate over there. When I walked closer to check what was happening, several palace maids were gathering there, and it seemed they had discussed it for a while. A few young male servants of the n.o.ble childes were also there.” Seeing Ao Mingyu lose his temper, the eunuch became even more respectful. He lowered his head and told him exactly what had happened.
n.o.body wanted to be involved in such affairs. He did not want to be killed because of this, so he must tell Third Prince that he was not the only one present, and there were some palace maids and young male servants there. That meant this affair might have already been leaked out.
“Where is that person?” Ao Mingyu asked after being silent for a while, coldness appeared on his face. He looked at the eunuch coldly, as if to see if he was lying.
The eunuch’s back sweated under his gaze. Since Third Prince did not ask more, he immediately pointed at the Graceful Moon Pavilion and answered, “Over there. Third Prince, look! That person is still there. It seems…”
Seeing the killing intent in Ao Mingyu’s eyes, the eunuch did not dare to continue, and his voice became even lower.
Pinching the note in his hand, Ao Mingyu walked toward the Graceful Moon Pavilion with a dark face. He would like to check if someone wanted to frame Ning Qingshan, or that woman was really so immoral and shameless!