Chapter 374 The Strong Medicine in Madam Ling’s Hands
Looking at Ning Ziyan, Ning Yuling smiled crazily. She shouted out loud as if she was out of control. “Tell Mother? Tell her that it’s you who caused me to do this. It’s you who asked me to frame Ning Xueyan. It’s you who wanted to do it as a payback for the shame you experienced at the Commandery Princess Xianyun’s Manor.”
Ning Yuling pointed at Ning Ziyan and said with hatred, “Ning Ziyan, you’re a vicious woman. You killed Ning Ziying in order to take away Xia Yuhang, and now you’ve done so much harm to me. How dare you scold me? If there is anyone else who is even viler and more vicious than me, it’s you!”
Ning Ziyan seemed to give a disdainful smile at all the others in the Lucky Garden. Everyone looked at her in disgust, as if they were looking at a piece of garbage. Ling Yi even deliberately leaned away from her. It seemed as if he would be infected with a virus if he sat close to her.
Her aunt Madam Qian, Ling Yi, her grandmother, her father, Ning Ziyan, and even her mother, had ridicule all over their faces. They all laughed at her because she came to this end. She was the daughter of the princ.i.p.al wife. Not only could she not become an official wife, but she would only be a concubine.
“You’re dissolute.” This was what Madam Dowager said, after slapping her.
In front of so many people, Madam Dowager gave her a hard slap and destroyed all her pride. It also made her feel crazy and desperate.
“You… I am not talking with you!” Hearing Ning Ziying’s name, Ning Ziyan’s face paled. She dared not stare at Ning Yuling, who was going crazy. She looked around guiltily and was relieved when she found that no one was paying any attention to them. Seeing that Ning Yuling was out of control at this time, she made some small talk and hurriedly walked out along the road.
When she walked to Chuihua Gate, she thought for a moment, then helplessly stamped her feet and turned toward Madam Ling’s Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. Madam Dowager had punished Madam Ling. But after such a big thing happened to Ning Yuling, how could she, as her mother, not be present? Therefore, Madam Dowager finally asked someone to bring Madam Ling there.
However, in the whole process, Madam Dowager did not allow her to say a word. She had just asked someone to send her back. The mother and daughter had no time to talk in private.
Mother Chen was walking around at the gate of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. When she saw Ning Ziyan coming over, she was relieved and hurried to greet her. “Eldest Young Lady, you’re finally here. Just now, First Madam was still talking about you. You’d better go and have a look!”
“Is my mother waiting for me?” Ning Ziyan asked in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
“That’s right. Eldest Young Lady, the First Madam, kept asking why things turned out like this. But I don’t know. At this time, Madam Dowager cleaned out the Second Young Lady’s courtyard. We did not know who to ask.” Mother Chen said hurriedly, as she led the way.
Madam Ling did not know much about this matter. She could barely look after herself at this time, and had no time to frame Ning Xueyan. Suddenly, her second daughter was together with her eldest son-in-law, after such a mess. She thought it was a joke, but she did not expect it to be true. Until now, Madam Ling had not regained her senses yet, and she did not know what had happened.
Why did her n.o.ble second daughter want to be a concubine in the Xia Manor?
“Yan’er, what’s wrong with your sister? How could this happen?” Seeing Ning Ziyan coming in, Madam Ling suddenly stood up and asked her hurriedly. She knew nothing about what had happened. What puzzled her was that Ning Yuling was willing to be a concubine in the Xia Manor, instead of being Ling Yi’s legal wife.
Ling Yi was a disappointment, but if she married him, she would be the official wife. Moreover, Ning Yuling was the legal daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor. With Ning Zu’an around, the people of the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor could not bully her at all. As long as she said that Ling Yi had an affair with her, the old Madam and the Marquis would definitely help her.
Madam Ling also knew that the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor was attached to the Lord Protector’s Manor. As long as the Marquis asked Ling Yi to take Ling’er as his wife, the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor would not have dared to say anything, even if they were unwilling. Why did Ling’er insist that she was not having an affair with Ling Yi?
“Mother, don’t worry. She’s confused. I don’t know what she’s thinking of. She’s dead set on Xia Yuhang. I don’t know what’s wrong with her!” Ning Ziyan had calmed down by this time. She pulled Madam Ling to sit down with her. She gritted her teeth and said this with hatred. For no reason, Xia Yuhang had to take a concubine.
And this concubine was her younger sister. She was so angry that she almost went mad. If she had not seen Ning Yuling’s crazed eyes, she would have slapped Ning Yuling in an attempt to wake her up.
“No, I’ll go and see your sister. Did anyone instigate her?” Madam Ling had no right to speak out under Madam Dowager’s supervision. She watched the development of the whole thing from the sidelines. Without any clues, she became more anxious.
“Mother, if you go and see Second Sister now, she will be out of control again. If something happens, Grandmother and father will blame you.” Ning Ziyan grabbed Madam Ling’s hand and said with a frown.
In any case, Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an did not agree to Ning Yuling being a concubine. However, she went mad and tried to kill herself in the Lucky Garden, so they had no choice but to agree. If things went on like this, Madam Ling would be punished, because she had lost Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an’s support.
“Ask your eldest brother to talk to your father. Anyway, we can’t let Ling’er be a concubine.” Madam Ling gritted her teeth and said. She knew Ning Ziyan was right because Ning Yuling did not look normal today. Besides, ever since she came back, she felt that she was a different person. She could no longer sense the affection between mother and daughter that was there in the past. Sometimes, Madam Ling even saw some hatred in Ning Yuling’s eyes.
“Does my daughter hate me?” Thinking of this, Madam Ling trembled all over. “No, no. How could Ling’er hate me? I must be wrong!”
“Mother, Father kicked Eldest Brother on that day. If you ask him to talk with Father now, will Father be willing to listen to him?” Ning Ziyan said this, and had a headache. If this had happened in the past, Ning Huaiyuan would not have ended up in this situation. However, her father kicked her brother so hard that he could not get out of bed until now.
Ning Ziyan did not know much about it. She only knew that Junior Concubine Xu was on her mother’s side, at that time. Because of her eldest brother’s persuasion, they conspired together to frame Ning Xueyan. She thought that they were taking what they needed, but Ning Ziyan also felt something different in her father’s rage.
“Could it be that my eldest brother and Junior Concubine Xu had an affair? Otherwise, how could it make sense? My father turned around in the Junior Concubine Xu’s room and kicked my eldest brother when he came out. However, my eldest brother did not dare to offer any explanation.”
If something like this happened, her father would be angry when he saw her brother. Why would he listen to her brother’s advice? For a moment, Ning Ziyan felt that she was at a loss, and there was no one around her who could make a decision. Looking at Madam Ling, who also had no idea what to do, Ning Ziyan did not know why she was so annoyed.
“Mother, I’m going back, but you’d better persuade my sister to let it go. It’s not easy to marry into the Xia Manor. Even if she wants to be a concubine, she has to know what her ident.i.ty is.” Ning Ziyan blurted out these angry words. When she saw Madam Ling’s pale face, Ning Ziyan suddenly felt the thrill of revenge in her frustration.
When she was a child, the most beloved one in the Lord Protector’s Manor was Ning Yuling. Madam Dowager’s favorite was Ning Yuling. If there were something delicious and useful, Madam Dowager thought of Ning Yuling first. She was also the daughter of Lord Protector’s princ.i.p.al wife and had the same mother as Ning Yuling. However, they did not favor her very much.
Just because Ning Yuling had a marriage allied with the Third Prince, and because she could become the Third Prince’s consort due to her beautiful appearance, Ning Ziyan was inferior to her.
But now, the daughter they spoiled, was eager to become a concubine. She doubted whether they regretted having put so much focus on her. She was the eldest daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Shouldn’t they value her the most?
“Yan’er, how… how could you say that? You are sisters!” Madam Ling looked at Ning Ziyan’s cold and mocking face incredulously. She opened her mouth and made a sound.
“So what? Mother, as long as Second Sister is not in a hurry to become a concubine in the Xia Manor, she is still my good sister. But if she has any wishful thinking, don’t blame me for being rude. You taught me that a wife and a concubine will always be enemies. Either she dies, or I live. Mother, you’d better think about how to dissuade Second Sister!”
Ning Ziyan stood up and said this coldly. After saying that, she ignored Madam Ling’s sad expression and turned to leave. The breath stuck in her chest finally came out, which made her feel much better, for no reason. No, she would never allow Ning Yuling to be Xia Yuhang’s concubine.
“Yan’er, Yan’er!” Madam Ling stood up in a hurry and tried to hold on to Ning Ziyan. But because she stood up so hurriedly, she lost her balance and fell. Fortunately, Mother Chen, who was standing on one side, had been watching her closely. When she found that something was wrong, she immediately supported her, so that she did not fall to the ground.
Her two daughters did not have any affection for each other. It seemed that they wanted to fight against each other. How could Madam Ling not be anxious? But now she had not seen Ning Zu’an, let alone attempted to persuade him. How could she amend this matter? And the only son who could speak had a strained relationship with Ning Zu’an.
“Mother Chen, go and bring the medicine here,” Madam Ling said, gritting her teeth. She shook Mother Chen’s hand a few times before she regained her balance.
Mother Chen’s face immediately turned pale. She hurriedly advised, “First Madam, please think twice before you act. That medicine is strong! You can’t take it at will.”
“I know, but if I don’t do it now, there is no room for me to talk in the manor. Not only can’t I do anything to that b*tch, but Ling’er will be ruined.” Madam Ling gritted her teeth and said this with a cold look. She took a deep breath. “d.a.m.ned old woman, she did not even give me the right to speak, because Ning Zu’an neglected her now.”
“No, I must grab the right to speak in the Lord Protector’s Manor and make the decision for Ling’er…”