Chapter 553 The Right Crossroad of the Three
She remembered how she had been scolded when she tried to stop Concubine Yun from letting Heng Yuqing marry into Prince Yiâs Manor. Concubine Yun said that a man of Prince Yiâs temper would never fall for Heng Yuqing. Now that she had seen what great beauties Commandery Princess Xianyun and Consort Ning were, it was obvious that Heng Yuqing was far inferior to them.
If even such charming and beautiful women failed to win Prince Yiâs heart, Heng Yuqing wouldnât stand a chance.
Still, she was worried. Lord Guardianâs Manor was a great example. Heng Yuqingâs mother was much prettier than Concubine Yun, but the latter still won Lord Guardianâs favor. She had once overheard her nanny secretly telling others that appearances were important when it came to liking someone, but other factors were too.
Who knew if Heng Yuqing would somehow get Prince Yi to fall for her?
Thus, upon receiving Concubine Yunâs order to follow Heng Yuqing to the Prince Yiâs Manor and watch her closely, Heng Yuwan agreed without hesitation. She watched Heng Yuqing enter without a word. She, too, was curious about the kind of person Prince Yi was and whether he would be interested in Heng Yuqing.
According to the maids in the manor, their father decided to give Heng Yuqing to Prince Yi after hearing that he liked her. This meant that Heng Yuqing might have very likely earned the princeâs favor. If Heng Yuqing were able to win the princeâs heart, it would spell disaster to her and Concubine Yun.
No, she must watch Heng Yuqing closely and go home to warn Concubine Yun. She must not let Heng Yuqing hit this jackpot.
In order for her and her mother to flourish, Heng Yuqing and her mother must be doomed.
Thus, Heng Yuqingâs bashful and timid question was particularly noteworthy to Heng Yuwan. She was curious if Prince Yi would treat Heng Yuqing differently.
âPrince Yi treats us very well. Look, we havenât even been here for long but weâre allowed to invite guests. He even said that when heâs free, he would take the Princess and me for a stroll in the palace and meet the royal consorts there. After all, we canât harm the reputation of Prince Yiâs Manor.â
Ning Xueyan wore a bright smile when she spoke in a very soft voice. From where Heng Yuwan was, she could see Ning Xueyan lowering her head with a bashful expression.
She was stunned.
Wasnât it said that both the princess and consort werenât favored? How much more was expected from the prince if this level of concern wasnât satisfactory?
âHis Highness is so kind to you two,â Heng Yuqing said enviously.
âWell, yes. It wasnât until I married him that I found out how well he treats his family. The time I returned to my family manor⊠Well, you know what happenedâŠâ Ning Xueyanâs voice became softer toward the end. Heng Yuwan stole a glance at her and noticed that the two of them were almost whispering into each otherâs ears. Still, she could hear their conversation because of their proximity.
The maids werenât around so only three of them were in the room. She could still hear them if she strained her ears.
âDo you know what my second sister did? When I went home the other day, she tried to cook up a scheme to restore her motherâs position. My grandmother and father had her beaten up and sent back to Xia Manor like the embarrassment that she was. Later, I heard that⊠she was gone!â
Ning Xueyanâs words were soft and cheerful even, but they managed to elicit cold sweat from Heng Yuwan.
What happened to Ning Yuling was a scandal among the noble ladies and Heng Yuwan was no stranger to it. The Lord Protectorâs Manor had caused so many scandals that it was hard not to notice. The woman that Ning Xueyan was talking about was Madam Ling, Ning Yulingâs biological mother and the former mistress of Lord Protectorâs Manor. It was said that she was removed from her position because of her malicious plot to frame her predecessor.
Judging from Ning Xueyanâs words, it seemed that Ning Yuling had aided Madam Ling in harming Ning Xueyan. But since Ning Xueyan had Prince Yiâs support, not only did Ning Yuling fail but she even lost her life for it.
How could Heng Yuwan not be shocked? She put herself in their shoes. If Heng Yuqing was Ning Xueyan, Concubine Yun would be Madam Ling and she would be Ning Yuling. Perhaps she couldnât even be compared to the likes of Ning Yuling, for the latter was once the first wifeâs daughter and quite famous among the noble ladies in the capital too.
Yet⊠Yet, such a woman met with such an end.
Some things were better left untouched, for the more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. It was said that Ning Xueyanâs biological mother was born frail. Similarly, Heng Yuqingâs mother was also battling an illness. Thanks to Prince Yiâs support, Ning Xueyan was able to avenge her deceased mother and remove Madam Ling from her position. Madam Lingâs children werenât spared either. Even her son, originally meant to be the first wifeâs son, had no future now.
Concubine Yun had no sons, only a daughter. Even after Madam of the Lord Guardianâs Manor passed away and Concubine Yun became the new madam, Heng Yuqing could still drag the latter down upon gaining power. And she might suffer a fate worse than Ning Yuling.
Upon realizing this, Heng Yuwan was so terrified that she broke out in a sweat and her face turned greenish as she clutched her handkerchief.
âSecond Young Lady, Second Young LadyâŠâ A voice suddenly entered her ears. A moment of surprise later, she immediately raised her head and saw Ning Xueyan smiling gently at her.
âWhat is it, Consort Ning?â Heng Yuwan calmed down and forced a smile. Her thoughts were a mess.
âWhy donât we go on a walk? Our garden is quite nice. We have a variety of flowers here, many of which were brought from other places and only available in the palace. Would you like to take a look?â Ning Xueyan invited, smiling.
A restless Heng Yuwan stood up and forced a laugh. âOkay, letâs go and have a look!â
The three of them walked out of the courtyard and walked down a path. Initially, they were chatting and laughing side by side, but the path gradually became too small for them to walk together. Moreover, Heng Yuwan was so lost in her thoughts that she wasnât in the mood to chat with them. She gradually fell behind them by seven or eight steps.
Their maids followed them from a distance for fear of disturbing them.
âXueyan, do you think she heard it?â Heng Yuqing asked quietly, stealing an uneasy glance at Heng Yuwan. Ning Xueyan had spoken so softly earlier that she was afraid that Heng Yuwan didnât hear her.
âOf course! Donât worry about it.â Ning Xueyan smiled, shooting a seemingly inadvertent glance at Heng Yuwan. When Heng Yuwan first reached the manor, she behaved so arrogantly that it was as if she was afraid that people wouldnât know she was the most adored daughter of the Lord Guardianâs Manor. She kept bringing up her father and biological mother, showing no respect whatsoever to Heng Yuqing.
Heng Yuwan was so well-behaved now as if nothing had happened. Judging by her solemn expression, she must have heard Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqingâs conversation earlier. Ning Xueyan was aware of the close relationship between Commandery Princess Xianyun and Concubine Yun of the Lord Guardianâs Manor. As expected, her letter last night had indeed summoned another guest along with Heng Yuqing.
Of course, this was her goal all along.
Since Commandery Princess Xianyun had schemed to get Heng Yuqing into the manor and turn her into a pawn, she had to return the favor as well. If Concubine Yun were to gain power, the Lord Guardianâs Manor would surely side with the Lord Peaceâs Manor and Heng Yuqing and her mother would become the sacrificial lambs. This reminded her of herself.
After turning the corner, several forks in the road appeared. Ning Xueyan pointed at one of them and said, âLetâs sit there and talk.â
Heng Yuqing nodded. She didnât care either way. She had only said such things to Heng Yuwan yesterday because Ning Xueyan told her to anger Heng Yuwan. Since they had run into each other at the door, she would provoke Heng Yuwan even if the latter ignored her. Her mother was still bedridden; she must not let Heng Yuwan and her mother do anything to her.
After taking one of the roads, they came to another turn. Ning Xueyan led Heng Yuqing out of Heng Yuwanâs line of sight. Heng Yuwan had been preoccupied with her thoughts, racking her brain for a way to stop Heng Yuqing from marrying into Prince Yiâs Manor. Concubine Yun told her that this matter had already been reported to the Empress, which was to say that their family couldnât just rescind the offer even if they wanted to.
What should she do? She must not let Heng Yuqing win Prince Yiâs support or she and her mother would be doomed. Just look at Madam Ling and Ning Yuling. Not only did they die, but they lost their reputation as well. Heng Yuwan felt terrified at the thought of such a fate awaiting her and her mother.
No, she must not let Heng Yuqing marry into Prince Yiâs Manor.
She continued to walk with such thoughts in mind. It wasnât until she arrived at the crossroads that she noticed the two were missing. She looked around and found that she was all alone. She stopped walking and waited for the maids to catch up.
There were three maids following them. It so happened that she and Heng Yuqing brought a maid each. Lanning had chatted and laughed with them the entire time as their masters werenât around. The maids had relaxed as well, especially since the view at Prince Yiâs Manor was spectacular. With Lanning livening up the situation, the three of them got along quite well.
They stopped when they saw Heng Yuwan standing at the crossroads.
âSecond Young Lady, why did you stop?â Lanning asked, grinning.
âI was so engrossed with the view that I fell behind. When I got here, I found that Eldest Sister and Consort Ning were gone. Did you see which road they took?â Heng Yuwan asked, frowning.
There were three forks at the road, with one leading to the left and the other leading right. It was a mystery as to which road those two had taken!
Heng Yuwan became increasingly frustrated. It was apparent that Ning Xueyan got along with Heng Yuwan wonderfully. If Heng Yuqing were to enter the manor, they would surely become close friends and Ning Xueyan would help her. If Ning Xueyan used the same tactics she used at the Lord Protectorâs Manor against her and Concubine Yun, coupled with Prince Yiâs support, Heng Yuwan believed that she and her mother would surely be ruined and killed.
âDonât worry, Second Young Lady. Iâll come over and take a look!â Lanning said. She walked past Heng Yuwan, stepping forward to take a closer look while muttering to herself.
âThe middle road leads to the Princeâs study. He would be resting there at this hour, so they wouldnât take this road. The road on the right leads to the Princessâ courtyard, so this isnât it either.â
After muttering to herself, Lanning turned her head and smiled at Heng Yuwan. She pointed to the road on the left and said with certainty, âSecond Young Lady, I think my master and the First Young Lady must have taken this road. Thereâs a flower garden up ahead, with exotic flowers and plants that our Prince gathered from all over the world. Iâm sure this is the right one.â
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