Chapter 371 The Mysterious Master Upstairs
“Fifth Sister…” Xia Yuhang wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Ning Xueyan again. “Eldest Brother-in-law, you should go there quickly. Otherwise, Second Sister might die.”
Xia Yuhang looked at the anxious-looking Ning Xueyan, who was sitting, with one hand on the ground, and still neatly dressed. A trace of darkness flashed in his eyes. He had no choice, but to mount the horse and chase after Ning Yuling’s carriage.
Ao Chenyi sat on the horse with no expression on his face, and looked coldly at the thin and weak girl who had fallen to the ground. After seeing a drop of blood next to her hand on the ground, there was a trace of anger in his cold eyes. He pulled the whip out from the wheels of the carriage, reached out his hand, and wrapped it around Ning Xueyan’s slender waist, enclosing her in his hold.
Xinmei hurriedly got up from the other side and helped Ning Xueyan up.
The situation was critical. Even Xinmei, as a secret guard, could not react in time. She could do nothing except to protect her master behind her. In such a short moment, she also thought that she would definitely die or get hurt today.
No matter how bloodthirsty and cold Ao Chenyi was, or how moody he was, at least he had saved her again. She clearly remembered what had happened. Xinmei was in front of her, but everyone could see that Xinmei would not be able to stop the wheel, even if she stood in front of Ning Xueyan.
Fortunately, he appeared at such a crucial moment!
“Thank… thank you for saving me, Prince Yi!” Ning Xueyan composed herself and covered her injured hand with her sleeve. But everyone could see that her hand must have been injured. There were bloodstains on the ground, which showed that she had knocked against the carriage when she jumped out of it.
Even though she fell from the horse and was in shock, she still maintained her good manners. Her hair and clothes were not messy. It was evident that she had impeccable manners. The onlookers were shocked at first, and then they were puzzled by her demeanor. Then, someone spotted the emblem of the Lord Protector’s Manor on the carriage, which made them appreciate her greatly.
Ao Chenyi did not answer her. After she thanked him, he pulled the whip from her slender waist and looked coldly at her face. It was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry. Then, he took the guards behind him, and bypa.s.sed the carriage of Lord Protector’s Manor and moved forward, as if they had just met on the way.
Prince Yi was always moody. The reason why he helped her was because he was in a good mood today.
In a street-facing room on the left side of the street, a handsome man with rosy lips, stood by the window and watched the scene with interest. There was a hint of contemplation on his beautiful face. He looked at Ao Chenyi, who was moving away and then at Ning Xueyan, who was struggling to stand up.
“Go and check how Prince Yi happened to appear at this site?” He said softly and slowly.
“Yes!” Someone outside answered and left.
“Master, the Third Young Lady wants to invite you to a.s.sa.s.sinate the two young ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor now.” The voice came from a hidden corner. Looking carefully, he saw a woman in white standing in a dark corner, with her head down.
After she finished speaking, she looked at the stunning profile of her master uneasily. When she saw him turning around, she hurriedly lowered her head and dared not move.
“Does Ning Qingshan want them killed?” The man turned his head and gave the woman in white, a charming look. His beautiful peach-blossom eyes were full of affection, like glittering autumn waves.
“Third Young Lady said that she was always worried about what had happened in the temple the last time. She always felt that the Fifth Young Lady was not easy to deal with. Maybe she will become a mortal malady. She is afraid that if something happens in the future, you will be involved.” The woman in white said uneasily. Although her master smiled, seemingly not being under any pressure, no one knew when her master would be angry again.
In her opinion, the Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was not asking too much. Compared with the great cause of her master, it did not matter if one or two people were sacrificed. Since the Third Young Lady had said so, the Fifth Young Lady might be dangerous. Her master had always been decisive, but now he was irresolute.
“Has the man been sent back?” Instead of answering her question, the man asked this question with a smile. He waved the folding fan in his hand seductively showing that he was indeed an elegant young master.
“I’ve sent him back, according to your order,” the woman replied in a low voice.
“Did you find out anything about the Lord Protector’s Manor?” The man asked with a smile.
“Yes, I checked a few times, but I did not find anything unusual. Recently, Minister Xia’s eldest son has been there several times. I did not find anything else,” the woman in white said respectfully.
“Go and check again. Don’t miss out any clues. Since she lived there, how can there be no trace at all? I thought that the Fifth Young Lady was interesting. I seem to remember telling you that I don’t want you to pay too much attention to Ning Qingshan. Why are you so concerned?”
It seemed that the master was in a good mood. He drawled with a smile.
However, the woman in white was so frightened that she knelt down. She raised her head hurriedly, and as her face paled, she said, “Master, I don’t dare to do that. I only obey your orders. I dare not have any other thoughts.”
“You don’t dare!” The man laughed and walked over. He unfolded the fan and lowered his head slightly. He lifted her pale face with the handle of the fan. His voice was gentle and affectionate, but his words were ruthless. “Go, go to the back and get ten lashes.”
Upon hearing his words, the woman in white was not surprised but happy. She kowtowed hard on the ground and said, “Thank you, master.”
She lifted the hem of her skirt and left quietly. Her master wanted to beat her, which meant that he had not given up on her yet. It seemed that Ning Qingshan had offended her master. She did not know how Ning Qingshan made her master unhappy.
“Wait.” When she walked to the door, she suddenly heard a cold voice from inside. “a.s.sa.s.sination? Haha, it’s interesting. Then, ask two people to carry out the a.s.sa.s.sination tonight.”
“Master, are you going to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Fifth Young Lady today?” The woman in white was stunned and suddenly raised her head. Her master had been unwilling to get involved in this matter. Why did he agree now?
“Fifth Young Lady, no, it’s the Third Young Lady who has been making trouble for us all the time. I’ll teach her a lesson so that she will not offend the wrong people.” The man stood in front of the window again, and his eyes fell on the crowd below. At this time, many people had gathered around and were pointing at the broken carriage of the Lord Protector’s Manor.
He was standing at a higher level, so he saw that there was also another carriage lying on the ground at another street. Fortunately, the wheels were still intact. A group of people had gathered there. Compared with the people here, the people there seemed more scathing in their remarks. There was a ragged looking woman whose clothes were tattered and torn.
What a coincidence! Because a horse was startled, the carriage turned over, the wheels flew off, and the wagon-box scattered. However, the people in that carriage were lucky, and nothing serious happened. The carriage over there seemed to be fine, but this person, was…
It was clear that someone had done some manipulations on the front one, but for the one at the back, it was hard to say for sure.
“What, you want to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Third Young Lady?” The woman in white immediately raised her head in shock, after she understood the man’s words.
“What’s wrong? Are you worried about her?” The man turned his beautiful eyes to look at her with a faint smile.
“I don’t dare to do that.” The woman in white was shocked and lowered her head hurriedly when she saw the pair of eyes that seemed to be affectionate or ruthless.
“Her life depends on how much responsibility she can take on. It’s not easy to be the princess from the previous dynasty. Did she think that the princess of the previous dynasty was sent here to enjoy a good life?”
“But, Master…”
“You don’t need to say ‘but.’ It’s her fate to enjoy such a life!” The folding fan in his hand spun around his fingertips skillfully, and his casual voice carried a hint of a smile.
“Yes!” The woman in white did not dare to say anything else. She retreated to the door and gently closed it.
The man’s attention was still on the scene on the ground. His eyes fell on the pale but calm face, and he frowned slightly. Ning Ziying was gone, so the so-called princess of the previous dynasty could not possibly exist. But why did he feel a slight sense of familiarity with the 14-year-old girl below?
And it was clear that he had never seen her before. Was the legend true? If so, it was interesting.
Ning Xueyan was not aware that there was a person upstairs who was looking intently at her face. She was standing by the roadside, with Xinmei’s help. The cart driver was agile, so he was still whole, after he jumped off the carriage with Ning Xueyan. Now, he pulled the horse with all his strength, and the horse finally stopped.
“Young Lady, would you like to have a rest?” Xinmei asked in a low voice, holding Ning Xueyan’s hand. They had sent someone to inform the Lord Protector’s Manor and asked them to send another carriage here.
Ning Xueyan shook her head and walked to the wheels, which were under the carriage. The iron chain had been tightly wrapped around the side of the carriage. But now, it had broken into two parts. The carriage Ning Xueyan was in was the best among all the carriages from the Lord Protector’s Manor. So, it was the most solid one. But the chain, which was so thick, had broken into several pieces. It was not normal.
Seeing Ning Xueyan taking a look, some pa.s.sers-by who initially did not pay attention to it, now also noticed this.
“How is it possible that such a thick chain can drop off?”
“It doesn’t look like it broke instantly. The cut on it is too flat. It seems to have been cut beforehand.”
“Let me see. Let me see. Ah, it’s true!” Someone picked up a piece of it and screamed. The screaming drew the attention of the people and more people came around to look.
There was no lack of smart people watching the scene. Looking at the carriage on the ground with the suspicious evidence, and the girl’s delicate and pale appearance, they immediately understood a lot. It seemed that someone had done this on purpose and wanted to kill the girl.
It was said that the First Madam of the Lord Protector’s Manor was jealous. Was it the First Madam who had secretly plotted against her?
“Fifth Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady, something bad has happened. Please come and see our Second Young Lady.” At the small intersection, Yanyue ran over in a hurry. She was so anxious and panicky that she almost fell. Before her arrival, she shouted toward Ning Xueyan’s direction. It was evident from her face that something bad had happened to Ning Yuling.