As soon as Ning Xueyan went to bed, Lanning woke her up. Seeing the letter in Lanning’s hand, Ning Xueyan got speechless for the moment.
It was just an anonymous letter. After Ning Xueyan had opened the delicate envelope and taken out the letter, she only saw the beautiful handwriting, “Make the concubine become madam.”
Make the concubine a madam, make the concubine a madam? Ning Xueyan frowned and folded the letter in her hand, with a meaningful expression in her eyes.
“Lanning, where did you find this?”
“I was planning to have a rest in my room after I had cleaned up everything on the outside, then this letter laid on my bed straightly.” As Lanning was talking about this, she gave another small note to Ning Xueyan.
The handwriting of the note was different from the one on the letter. And there were more words on it, “Please write back quickly. Tie your young lady’s letter with stone and throw them out of the wall.”
And that was everything on the note!
Tonight Ning Xueyan got a strange letter and a strange note. However, she still managed to figure out the hints inside those words. The only person she knew who was able to do this was none other than that bloodthirsty monster, Prince Yi. What was more, if he wanted to know the issues between Concubine Ma and Ning Xueyan, the secret guards under his command could easily get that information for him.
However, Ning Xueyan only felt weird that Prince Yi would mind other people’s business.
“Lanning, pass me the paper and the writing brush.” Although she didn’t know why this prince was doing this, Ning Xueyan still asked Lanning to prepare the ink and paper for her. Lanning moved quickly and brought her the thing she needed. Having lifted the writing brush, she thought for a moment and wrote something down. Then she folded the paper and put it into the envelope which had been sent to her while asking Lanning to tie the letter to a stone and throw it out of the wall.
She already had a plan to deal with Concubine Ma, so she wouldn’t like anyone else to step in her business. She was pretty confident of herself when coping with the dirty tricks of other women. As for this moody Prince Yi, she didn’t dare to get too close to him. After all, there was a great identity gap between them.
It was just business between them. Ning Xueyan didn’t even know if she could still be alive at last. However, that was enough for her. Having him as her backup force would definitely make her revenge plan succeed. She didn’t care about her own destiny.
As long as she could have her revenge and protect the people around her. She did not mind dying again.
So she had to be strong and took care of her personal affairs calmly.
Only by doing that could she revenge for herself.
Ning Xueyan didn’t think that this ruthless Prince Yi would make a deal with her if she couldn’t even handle a minor issue like this. Moreover, she also didn’t believe that Ao Chenyi would help her for nothing. Therefore, she wouldn’t ask him for help when she was capable of dealing with the issues right now. But she also wouldn’t hesitate to get to him when she had no other options.
When she had closed her eyes and died in that beautiful lotus pond, she had broken off all her relations with all the weakness in her previous life. She had believed and trusted Xia Yuhang with all her heart. And what was the outcome? She had only pushed her self in the misery.
On the day of the birthday of Concubine Ma, the Lord Protector’s Manor got bustling early in the morning. There were carriages stopping in front of the door constantly. After the carriage had stopped, the young male servants who wanted to curry favor with the big shot would run out of the manor and serve. Some led the horse, some pulled the cart. The lively scene made the passengers think that it was the birthday of the madam in the manor.
Ning Zu’an entertained the guests in the front yard while Madam Ling greeted them in the back yard.
Ning Xueyan got up early on purpose. After giving her regards to Madam Dowager, she was sent back by the old lady.
“Young lady, Eldest Young Lady was here.” Lanning came in to announce that right as Ning Xueyan just sat on the chair.
Ning Ziyan, you were quick!
Ning Xueyan snorted. Then with her eyes squinted, she nodded and said, “Let my eldest sister in.”
The maid passed her word. Then Ning Ziyan walked in shyly with the support of a maid. She wore a red dress which had some floral design at the bottom. Her dress looked elegant, just like her appearance, which always let people have a good impression on her.
That was why Ning Xueyan had been fooled by Ning Ziyan until her death. She had believed that Ning Ziyan really regarded her as a sister. It had never occurred to Ning Xueyan that this sisterhood would kill her.
“Sister Ying, we are like real sisters. You can regard this place as your own home. Everything you want to eat or do, just tell me. Even if I don’t have them, I’ll figure out a way to find them for you.”
“Sister, let’s go out together with Brother Xia, all right? I’m familiar with the capital city.”
“Sister Ying, do you know that all the girls in the capital city envy you? They all think that you have married a perfect guy who is from a decent family and loves you so much. You are so lucky.”
Those words were still echoing in Ning Ziyan’s head. However, Ning Ziying’s body had already vanished. Her ‘good husband’ and her ‘sister’ had plotted together to murder her. Come to think about it, when she had heard Ning Ziyan praising Xia Yuhang, she had been really joyful and expected to have a happy life with Xia Yuhang forever.
Unfortunately, that was only her innocent thought. She had only died in the lotus pond forever. She clenched her hands. All of her sharp fingernails stuck into her palm fiercely, which brought a stab of pain. Then her eyes turned red.
“Eldest Sister.” Seeing Ning Ziyan coming in, Ning Xueyan stood up and hid the bloodiness and coldness in her eyes. She smiled and saluted Ning Ziyan. Of course, she would welcome Ning Ziyan. How hard it was to pretend to be nice?
Ning Ziyan still wore a simple white dress today. However, there were some tiny yellow flowers being embroidered on the collar of her dress. With her slender waistline and her fancy hairstyle, she looked graceful and charming in that dress. After being dressed up, her pretty face now looked even more attractive and enchanting.
‘Since when did Ning Xueyan become so beautiful?’
Ning Ziyan considered that while staring at Ning Xueyan’s face. She found that Ning Xueyan had turned more and more beautiful, even more beautiful than her sister. No wonder why her mother couldn’t stand Ning Xueyan. Ning Ziyan had heard that the troubles her mother and her sister had during this period were all because of Ning Xueyan.
But after today, she would grind Ning Xueyan beneath her knees once again.
“How dare you want to compete with me and Ning Yuling? Don’t you remember your menial identity,” Ning Ziyan thought.
Ning Ziyan already forgot about her identity as an illegitimate daughter when she had been a child. Now she believed that she was superior to Ning Xueyan in every way. When she heard from her mother that her father planned to marry Ning Xueyan to the Third Prince, she got so jealous. She felt so unfair that a girl in a low status could marry a finer man than her husband. She had also wished to marry the Third Prince before.
However, at that time, her mother had told her that her father and her grandmother all intended to let Ning Yuling marry the Third Prince.
Ning Ziyan was not able to change the decisions of the elders.
While Ning Xueyan was standing there, she didn’t miss any of the jealousy in Ning Ziyan’s eyes. With a trace of smile on the corner of her mouth, she fell her eyesights on the maid beside Ning Ziyan.
That was a sweet girl. She had a delicate appearance which looked even more delicate than her mistress!
She was Chen Hexiang. The one who had come back to the manor with Ning Ziyan last time.
The lover of Xia Yuhang.
Ning Ziyan only brought this maid with her everywhere in order to prevent the maid from meeting Xia Yuhang privately.
It seemed that Ning Ziyan had disciplined her maid well these days. Chen Hexiang stood tamely by Ning Ziyan’s side, looking obedient. However, after dealing with Chen Hexiang for a few times, Ning Xueyan knew that she must have illicit relations with Xia Yuhang. Ning Xueyan could sense that judging from that expensive vest that Chen Hexiang was wearing now.
She didn’t believe Chen Hexiang could afford that.
“I have heard that the design in your room is delicate. So I come here today deliberately to have a look. Actually, it’s even elegant than I thought.” After getting into Ning Xueyan’s room, Ning Ziyan said that gently while looking around the room randomly.
Ning Ziyan was really good at flattering people by calling her room which were full of simple and crude decorations a delicate place. The people of the Bright Frost Garden had been out of sight for a long time. No one ever got any new pieces of furniture. So the furniture Ning Xueyan had right now were all the old ones which had been used by Madam Ming.
Some of the furniture even had one part missing from the legs. So she had placed something under the short legs and kept them.
“That’s so nice of you to say that. I only have the things my mother has left for me. It’s a pity to throw them away. Those things remind me of her.” Ning Xueyan drank the soup beside her while saying that smilingly. Then she acted as if something echoed in her mind and said to Qingyu who stood beside her, “Qingyu, prepare a bowl of soup for my Eldest Sister.”
The soup smelt really good which gave people appetite. Qingyu served the soup to Ning Ziyan. However, Ning Ziyan only glanced at it and didn’t touch it at all.
The lite soup had some oil blooms and a few chopped green onions on it, which looked tasty.
“Sister, what is this?” Ning Ziyan asked that with doubt.
“This is the soup was made in our kitchen. I heard that they had stewed it for a night. It can maintain beauty and keep young. They said it’s perfect for women’s health. Qingyu has taken it from the kitchen. She said that lunch would be late so it is better for me to eat something first. I actually like the flavour. Do you want to have a taste, sister?” Ning Xueyan wiped her mouth with her towel and said that.
“I’ll pass. Not that hungry now. I’ll let someone serve me the soup when I am starving. You can have it all for yourself.” Although Ning Ziyan was interested in the effect of maintaining beauty, keeping young and recovering women’s health, she still pushed away the bowl in front of her while giving out an even gentler smile.
Madam Ling had already told the things that had taken place in the Lord Protector’s Manor to her. From the description of her mother, Ning Ziyan had already known that Ning Xueyan was not that cowardly girl who never fought back. Now even Ning Yuling’s marriage was about to be ruined by Ning Xueyan. “What an insidious b*tch!” Ning Ziyan thought.
So Ning Ziyan didn’t have the gut to drink anything from the Bright Frost Garden.
She touched her belly subconsciously. Although she didn’t look pregnant, she had already had some symptoms of pregnancy. So she had to be very careful of the things that would come into her mouth.
“Since you don’t want to have it, I’ll let Qingyu take it away.” Ning Xueyan said that with a slight smile and stopped insisting. She knew that Ning Ziyan wouldn’t eat anything that was given by her now. However, what if Concubine Ma who was also pregnant drank the soup afterwards and was perfectly fine…
After Qingyu had taken away the bowl, Ning Xueyan looked at Chen Hexiang with her eyebrows knitted.
“Sister, your maid looks familiar to me. Is she the one who used to serve you before? She does dress up decently. Look at the high-quality cloth on her. Now I see the difference between the Minister of Justice’s Manor and our manor, even the maids at your place dress up more properly than the maids of ours.”
As she mentioned Chen Hexiang, Ning Ziyan also pay attention to the clothes that Chen Hexiang was wearing. Then Ning Ziyan got sulky right away…
“That b*tch, how dare she wears clothes of that material…” Ning Ziyan finally realized that.
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