Chapter 574 Giving up Ya Moqin, Reason for Saving Ning Qingshan
Ning Lingyun had fought with both Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan. One time was her fighting Ning Xueyan on her own and the other time was colluding with Ning Qingshan to frame Ning Xueyan. The last time was when she plotted against Ning Qingshan with Ning Xueyanâs help.
She lost the first time. Despite getting her marriage with Ao Xian approved, she lost the second time and therefore lost the marriage. The third time, she worked with Ning Xueyan and ended up getting her marriage with the Third Prince approvedâŠ
âFourth Young Lady, the Fifth Young Lady is here.â A maidâs voice came from outside.
âHurry up and invite her in.â Ning Lingyun composed herself before tidying her clothes with Caiyunâs help and rushing out.
Ning Xueyan strode in through the gate of the courtyard. Most people at the manor had already received news that the Fifth Young Lady had become Princess Yi and nobody dared to slight her. Everyone bent over backwards to serve her with a smile.
Ning Xueyan glanced at the servants in the yard. Although this yard was smaller than the Bright Frost Garden, it was a much prettier building. Other than the older female servants watching the gate, there were quite a lot of servants here, no less than the ones in the courtyard of a wifeâs daughter like her. In fact, they had more people here than the Bright Frost Garden of yesterday.
Concubine Xu was indeed extraordinary to be able to protect her daughter so well. She was able to obtain such a good courtyard and so many servants to take care of Ning Lingyun even under Madam Lingâs control.
In the past, she thought that Madam Ling allowed Ning Yuling to live peacefully on the basis of Concubine Xuâs honesty and loyalty to her. She didnât think so now. Concubine Xu was no ordinary woman. A cold smile appeared on Ning Xueyanâs face. It seemed that she had underestimated Concubine Xu.
âFifth Sister, have a seat.â Seeing Ning Xueyan enter the room, Ning Lingyun beamed as she gave her the main seat. There was a slight timidity in her eyes.
She was a little afraid to see Ning Xueyan.
Ning Xueyan wasnât courteous with her. She calmly sat down on one of the chairs and smiled. âFourth Sister, how have you been doing?â
âI, Iâm okay. Iâve been writing and copying Buddhist scriptures. Grandmother told me to copy them.â Under Ning Xueyanâs gaze, Ning Lingyun pinched the hem of her clothes uneasily. Even though she was older than Ning Xueyan, she felt like she was being seen through by those clear, watery eyes.
âFourth Sister, when do you plan on entering the Third Princeâs Manor?â Ning Xueyan raised an eyebrow.
Stunned, Ning Lingyun raised her head anxiously and asked, âI thought Iâm supposed to go with Third Sister?â
âWhat if Third Sister doesnât want to? I heard Honored Consort Ya likes her very much. If she tells Honored Consort Ya, we donât know if the Third Prince will listen to Honored Consort Ya and give you up.â Ning Xueyan put on an apologetic look as if Ning Qingshan had really told Honored Consort Ya about the matter.
âShe⊠She wouldnât. Isnât Third Sister locked up in her yard right now, not allowed to leave?â Ning Lingyun shook her head with force but her face was already pale. She knew that Ning Xueyanâs words might be true. That day, Ning Qingshan looked like she would swallow her alive.
Watching Ning Lingyun put on a strong appearance, Ning Xueyan leaned backwards serenely and asked, âEven though youâre grounded in your yard, you can send a letter to Concubine Xu through a maid if you need anything, donât you?â
These words set off an explosion in Ning Lingyunâs head and her face immediately turned pale.
She was locked up too. Even though she couldnât leave and her servants couldnât go out freely, they could secretly do so if they wanted to. She herself often sent Caiyun to see Concubine Xu and Ning Qingshanâs maid Feilian had come here several times too.
The secret message bore Ning Qingshanâs goodwill; she expressed her willingness to get along as sisters in the future.
That was to say, it wouldnât be all that difficult for Ning Qingshan to send someone out to send a message! Knowing how jealous Ning Qingshan was toward her the last time, she felt that it wasnât entirely impossible that Ning Qingshan would persuade the Third Prince to not marry her. So, whatever Ning Qingshan said about reconciliation between sisters was a lie to deceive her.
âFifth Sister, what, what should I do?â Ning Lingyunâs expression changed drastically after understanding this. She respectfully bowed to Ning Xueyan and pleaded, âPlease save me, Fifth Sister.â
âSave you? Fourth Sister, thatâs the Third Princeâs Manor that youâre talking about. What could I do?â Ning Xueyan sighed and shook her head, looking helpless.
âYouâre the princess now, the Third Princeâs aunt. Iâm sure you have a way.â Ning Lingyunâs expression changed greatly after seeing Ning Xueyan shake her head.
âSo what? You wonât be so naive as to think that Prince Yi is more persuasive than Honored Consort Ya, do you? Third Sister has always been a favorite of Honored Consort Ya and I heard that they have a very good relationship. I donât believe that they just get on very well. Perhaps, Third Sister was connected with the Grand Tutor Yaâs Manor before she came to our manor.â
Ning Xueyan sighed as she spoke nonchalantly. A cold glint flashed in her beautiful, watery eyes. Whether it was because of Ning Qingshanâs poisoning of Madam Ming or Ning Qingshanâs repeated attempts to harm her, her grudge against Ning Qingshan was well-formed. Since that was the case, she must eliminate Ning Qingshanâs accomplices and made it so that Ning Qingshan could never make a comeback again.
To the Third Prince, Prince Yi would never be more persuasive than Honored Consort Ya! Ning Lingyunâs face was a deathly shade of white. Ning Qingshan was Honored Consort Yaâs favorite and even caught her exploiting the Third Prince. Even if she managed to enter the Third Princeâs Manor, Ning Qingshan could easily kill her using her status as the consort and Honored Consort Yaâs support.
Ning Lingyun was truly afraid this time!
When Ning Qingshan sent Feilian over to express her sisterly goodwill, did she intend to kill her before she could enter Third Princeâs Manor?
âI heard that the Grand Tutor Yaâs Manor wanted to make their eldest daughter the Third Princeâs consort. But when Third Sister became the concubine, they had no choice but to withdraw. Honored Consort Ya forsake her own niece just for Third Sisterâs sake. Eldest Young Lady Ya grew up with the Third Prince and they had a really good relationship, you know. But she had no choice but to marry the Fourth Prince instead.â
Seeing Ning Lingyunâs increasingly pale face, Ning Xueyan fanned the flames again.
After hearing this, Ning Lingyun couldnât stand straight anymore. She held onto the edge of the table and sat down weakly. Of course, she knew about Ya Moqin. She also knew about Ya Moqinâs deep affection for the Third Prince. She never thought deeply about it before, so she didnât realize that Ning Qingshan had stolen the title of the consort from Ya Moqinâs hands.
âShe⊠Why would Honored Consort Ya help her so much?â she said, almost muttering to herself.
Ning Xueyan smiled and said serenely, âIâm not too sure. Perhaps Third Sister is simply closer to Honored Consort Ya than Eldest Young Lady Ya is.â
Judging by the fact that Ning Zuâan brought Concubine Xu along when ransacking Madam Mingâs things, it was evident that Concubine Xu was his confidant. Since Ning Zuâan had failed to learn anything about Ning Qingshanâs origin until now, she didnât mind giving him a hand. It was just like the incident at the study the last time. Once someone started to get suspicious about something, it would be much easier for them to start investigating.
âFourth Sister, donât be so worried. Madam Dowager told me to inform you that youâre no longer grounded. But Third Sister still is. If you keep a close eye on her, perhaps it wouldnât happen and you can still safely follow her into the Third Princeâs Manor.â
Ning Xueyan sounded as if she was comforting Ning Lingyun, but it made the latter even more worried instead.
She wasnât worried about not being able to marry the Third Prince now. Rather, she was worried about losing her life as soon as she did. If the Third Prince couldnât even marry the cousin that he grew up with, she would just die in vain if she married him as a concubine alongside Ning Qingshan.
âFourth Sister, since I have already passed on my message, Iâll be going back to the Bright Frost Garden. If you have more to say, you can find me there later.â Ning Xueyan stood up. She had said everything as plainly as she could. Ning Lingyun wasnât stupid and Concubine Xu appeared to be a mysterious and cunning person; they would undoubtedly understand the implication of her words.
In a nutshell, Ning Lingyun would surely die if she entered the Third Princeâs Manor with Ning Qingshan.
âI understand. Thank you, Fifth Sister.â Ning Lingyun was so restless that she couldnât even be excited that Madam Dowager had released her from house arrest. She could only feel nervous and afraid now. She stood on the chair in a daze, not realizing when Ning Xueyan had left. The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. She became more certain that Ning Qingshan was tricking her just to kill her.
She stood up abruptly and told the nearby Caiyun, âLetâs go and meet Concubine Xu.â
No, this wouldnât do. She must tell these things to Concubine Xu personally and ask her to think of a solution. Between her and Ning Qingshan, only one must enter the Third Princeâs Manor. She hoped that it would be her.
And why was Honored Consort Ya so nice to Ning Qingshan? Shouldnât she treat her own niece better? She knew that her niece liked her son but gave the consort position to Ning Qingshan. There must be a secret involved or it wouldnât have happened.
Everyone knew that Ya Moqin had been bestowed to the Fourth Prince, but it was also no secret that she had always been in love with the Third Prince. Just what was it that made Honored Consort Ya sacrifice her niece for Ning Qingshanâs sake? Ning Lingyun felt that there was a secret behind this.
Madam Dowager was now overseeing much of the affairs in the Lord Protectorâs Manor, but the actual legwork was given to Concubine Xu. Concubine Xu was well-behaved and would ask Madam Dowagerâs opinion on every major issue. Thus, Madam Dowager was very satisfied with the current way of managing the household.
Because of this, Concubine Xu was very busy. She was particularly preoccupied today, the day when Ning Xueyan would return. It was also said that Prince Yi might come later.
Concubine Xu was in the kitchen at the moment, watching the servants preparing a meal. When Ning Lingyun rushed over, Concubine Xu was about to go to Bright Frost Garden to ask Ning Xueyan whether Prince Yi preferred braised or steamed fish.
After Ning Lingyun pulled her aside for a few words, her expression changed. Ning Lingyun was her only daughter and only hope. She would rather believe her biological daughter than Ning Zuâan. She was willing to tell Ning Xueyan some secrets in exchange for Ning Xueyan helping her daughter.
She gritted her teeth and whispered a few words in Ning Lingyunâs ears. A terrified expression gradually appeared on Ning Lingyunâs face as she listened and nodded vigorously. She never thought that something like this would happen at the manorâŠ
If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.