Chapter 607 Iâm the Princess of the Previous Dynasty
If Chen Hexiang hadnât blown up the matter, Ning Xueyan would have overlooked some suspicious people.
Fortunately, it wasnât too lateâŠ
There were traces of crime that couldnât be removed immediately, but she had to prevent the perpetrators from taking excessive action out of desperation. Under such circumstances, there wasnât just one person being anxious for a butterfly that had just flapped its wingsâŠ
âGet ready. Weâre going to the Ministry of Justiceâs prison.â She must act quickly. Fortunately, her actions were considered quick enough.
Prince Xiangâs Manor.
âXia Yudong? Ning Qingshan, youâre really capable. You even hooked up with Xia Yudong. Is Ao Xian not enough for you that you need another Xia Yudong?â A hard slap landed on Ning Qingshanâs face, making her stumble backward and crash into the back of a chair. She felt like she was suffocating.
âCousin, I didnât. I have nothing to do with Xia Yudong! I did ask him to do something for me, but thereâs nothing between us.â Ning Qingshan shook her head with force as her tears fell. Her hair was an unsightly mess, with a few strands hanging over her eyes from shaking her head.
âIt doesnât matter?! Youâll just make me kill him. Itâs fine. How did you meet him? Speak. When did you start hooking up with him?â Ao Mingyu looked gloomily at the woman who had fallen to the floor without any trace of sympathy. âAnd remember, youâre just a lowly concubine now. Youâve never been my cousin. Otherwise, I canât keep you here.â
âCou⊠Your Highness, I⊠I wouldnât dare. Iâll keep it in mind.â Ning Qingshan felt humiliated to receive such treatment from her lover but she had no choice but to lower her head. She was once the noblest of all aristocratic ladies but was reduced to her current state because of Ning Xueyan. Her hatred was driving her insane.
âYour Highness, Concubine Ning has never had an affair. She has always dedicated herself to you, waiting for you. Those three years were long but she never found them painful whenever she thought of you. As for Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and Xia Yudong, it must be the Fifth Young Lady harming Concubine Ning again. The Fifth Young Lady hated Concubine Ning even back in the Lord Protectorâs Manor, but who knew that she would be so cruel now, refusing to stop until Concubine Ning dies?â
Two maids were kneeling on the side and keeping quiet out of fear. Mother Luo kept knocking her head on the floor, pleading with the prince. She threw all caution to the wind and brought up the enmity between Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan to save her master.
Earlier, Ao Mingyu came in and kicked Ning Qingshan without saying anything. He berated her and then slapped her. From the look of things, he seemed determined to kill her.
âYou mean Princess Yi is responsible for the Xia Manor concubineâs accusations? What a capable woman! Had I known how capable she is, I should have chosen her instead of you. Youâre good for nothing. Youâre just an idiot who gave me so much trouble!â
Ao Mingyu lowered his head and reached out to lift Ning Qingshanâs chin. He stared coldly at her teary face.
He wondered why he had hesitated at that time. Even though his mother opposed it, he could have insisted on his ways and married Ning Xueyan. Whether or not Ning Xueyan was as clever as this idiot claimed, at least she wouldnât drag him down and get him involved in such a dishonorable matter.
He had just been promoted to a higher rank and it was the perfect time for him to show his governance capabilities. Little did he expect that something like this would blow up before the banquet was even over. In the end, the matter even implicated him. Whether or not it was true, the rumors were still detrimental to him. In such matters, one would be deemed guilty just by association.
If it werenât for his many reservations back then, he could have married Ning Xueyan. Whenever he thought about how he had missed out on that woman, he would become filled with rage. He gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger. He couldnât kill Ning Qingshan now. He still had use for her.
âYour Highness, I swear I didnât collude with Xia Yudong. I⊠I just wanted his help to harm Ning Xueyan. Sheâs Prince Yiâs woman. Her poor reputation would also affect Prince Yiâs reputation⊠Your Highness, I did everything for your sake!â
Ning Qingshan explained in tears. It went without saying that she knew that Ao Mingyu was fighting over the throne with Prince Yi, so she rebranded her private enmity with Ning Xueyan as her single-minded consideration for Ao Mingyu.
âYou did it for my sake?â Sure enough, Ao Mingyuâs expression eased.
âYes⊠Yes⊠I did it all for you. If itâs for you, Iâm willing to go through hell for you. All I ask is that you donât misunderstand me⊠I did everything for you. Iâve never spent much time with Fifth Sister, so how could there be any deep grudge between us? Itâs because of you. You⊠Youâre the only one in my heart! Iâm willing to serve you even without a title.â
Ao Mingyuâs expression improved. Although he still looked gloomy, his expression was a bit warmer. Ning Qingshan immediately reached out to pull his wrist while weeping sorrowfully.
âYouâre willing to go through hell for me?â Ao Mingyu asked coldly.
âYes⊠Iâm willing to do anything for you. Iâll send Ning Xueyan to hell so that she can never reincarnate again,â Ning Qingshan said viciously, gritting her teeth. Her pretty face was a mess, marred by tears and messy hair. Right now, it looked even more distorted and hideous.
A trace of disgust surfaced in Ao Mingyuâs eyes but his expression betrayed nothing. He retrieved his hand slowly from Ning Qingshanâs grasp and stood up. He looked down at her and said, âThen Iâll be watching your next step. Donât worry. If you do this well, I might just restore your position and allow you to give birth to my heirs before the rest.â
Ning Qingshan was a concubine and a concubine who entered the manor before the wife did at that. Thus, she would be given a contraception decoction after every lovemaking session to prevent concubines from giving birth ahead of the wife. That had been her plan when she entered the manor, only to realize that there were no loopholes to be exploited. A servant would almost always watch her finish the contraception decoction before leaving.
Even before entering the manor, Ning Qingshan knew that such decoction would prevent future pregnancies. By the time the wife gave birth to the heirs, her body would have been ruined to the point of being infertile. This was her greatest worry as of late. Neither rewards nor threats worked against the servant serving her the decoction. There was nothing that she could do.
Now, Ao Mingyu was telling her that she would be allowed to give birth to his heirs and live a life of luxury if she did her job well. Such good news caused her eyes to lit up and filled her with excitement. She still had a chance. She had the chance to live an honorable life as a mother to his children and to reclaim her position as his wife in the future.
After watching Ao Mingyu flick his sleeves and leave, Ning Qingshan stood up with Mother Luoâs help. Her teary face was gloomy and cold. âMother Luo, I want to meet that woman. The sooner, the better.â
Had she known earlier, she wouldnât have let Ao Mingyuâs men act. No matter how humiliated she would be, she should have let those people act; at least, Ao Mingyu wouldnât have doubted her innocence. It was too late to regret now, but this wasnât the end for her. She was a princess of the previous dynasty, so those people couldnât truly abandon her.
And Ao Mingyuâs words suggested that Prince Xiangâs Manor would also help her accomplish her task.
That would be the best. This time, no matter what, she would get those people to act for her. She had come to a critical point in her life. She refused to believe that those people would truly let her die.
âConcubine Ning, Iâve told you earlier. It has been a while since she contacted meâŠâ Mother Luo looked conflicted, mostly because the woman in white looked very vicious.
âI donât care. Just tell them Iâm about to die. If they donât act this time, they should just wait to collect my corpse! The secrets of the previous dynasty will die with me, as will the last kin of the previous imperial family. Iâll also announce that Iâm the princess of the previous dynasty so that they can never use me in their future plots.â
Ning Qingshan gritted her teeth, her voice bitter. She would force them to show up. They surely would. They wouldnât let their previous efforts go to waste.
She couldnât use anyone from Prince Xiangâs Manor now. She must show Ao Mingyu that she wasnât an idiot and that she deserved to be his princess. The foolish Muling wasnât a match for her. Ning Xueyanâs demise would be a congratulatory gift for her regaining her position. Her death would be her contribution to Prince Xiangâs Manor. Most importantly, that slut must die, and die of torture at thatâŠ
âYes, Iâll go right away!â Seeing Ning Qingshanâs determined face, Mother Luo knew that there was no persuading her. So, she left sheepishly.
This was Prince Xiangâs Manor, not the Lord Protectorâs Manor. Even though she had the gift of the gab, she was nonetheless a servant of concubine. She wasnât at all respected in the manor. It was sometimes challenging for her to run Ning Qingshanâs errands but she had to try for her masterâs sake.
Her master had such an honorable identity but could only become a concubine here. This made her feel bad for her. She couldnât let her master fall to such a state, so she was willing to do anything for her sake.
Ao Mingyu went straight to his outer study after leaving Ning Qingshanâs courtyard. By the time he reached the entrance of his study, he didnât look angry anymore, though still gloomy. The two eunuchs guarding the door immediately stepped aside after seeing him.
He strode in.
âYour Highness, have you questioned her?â The moment he stepped in, he heard a voice coming from inside. He looked up and saw Xia Yuhang sitting inside.
âYes. She probably conspired with your second brother to harm Ning Xueyan but was exposed by one of your concubines. Yuhang, whatâs with your concubine? Why didnât you kill her earlier? Why did you let her hook up with your second brother?â
Ao Mingyu settled down behind the table, looking unhappy. The matter was only so damaging because it had blown up from within Xia Manor. It was all that womanâs fault. Not only was she familiar with Xia Yuhang, but she even had an affair with Xia Yudong. Now that he thought about it, that woman had cuckolded Xia Yuhang.
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