“Fifth Sister, what’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” Ning Qingshan came over to them from aside and asked solicitously as soon as Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing sat down.
From where she had sat just now, she could see what had happened inside the garden, but not outside.
Seeing that Ning Xueyan had been knocked fly out the gate, she was excited, and when she saw that Ling Xue was dragged out by two guards and heard the screaming of a woman, she was surer that Ning Xueyan had gotten into big troubles. Even Ling Xue who had just given her a push suffered for it, so obviously, the consequence was serious.
But she became confused when she saw what had happened next. Prince Yi, who was well-known for his ruthlessness, came in with a woman in a veil, and after a short while she saw Ning Xueyan!
“So Ning Xueyan has bumped against the cold-blooded Prince Yi?”
Ning Qingshan immediately disproved this assumption. If Ning Xueyan had bumped against Prince Yi, it was impossible for her to come back safe and sound.
“If it was not that case, why did the woman scream?”
When Ning Qingshan was talking to Ning Xueyan, all the Young Ladies around turned their attention to them and listened carefully. There had been a lot of noise outside of the gate, but they were sitting inside, so they didn’t know what was going on.
“Third Sister, did you sit together with Ling Xue just now?” Ning Xueyan asked gently and smiled faintly. But Ning Qingshan saw the sarcasm on her lips. Her jet-black eyes were so cold that Ning Qingshan could not help but avoid them subconsciously.
When Ning Xueyan came into the gate, she had seen that Ning Qingshan and Ling Xue sat side by side intimately.
“I… Yes, I sat with her just now. What’s the problem?” Ning Qingshan was shocked and immediately asked back.
Since there had been many people around her and Ling Xue, she knew she couldn’t deny it.
Heng Yuqing figured out something as well. She suddenly stood up and shouted angrily at Ning Qingshan, “You must have abetted Ling Xue to push Xueyan! Am I right? I was wondering why Ling Xue suddenly rushed out and pushed Xueyan out the gate on purpose. Now I know you’re the mastermind behind!”
Heng Yuqing couldn’t help burning with anger at the thought of the dangerous moment.
“Ning Qingshan is the mastermind behind?” Discussion immediately rose among the Young Ladies around them. They looked at Ning Qingshan shockingly.
Ning Qingshan blushed, and she looked both aggrieved and sad with tears rolling in her eyes, as if Heng Yuqing and Ning Xueyan were bullying her.
Ning Qingshan enjoyed a good reputation, and everyone took her as the model of the noble ladies. Therefore, someone began to feel sorry for her. A Young Lady stood up and said, “Miss Heng, you must be mistaken! Ling Xue walked to Fifth Young Lady alone, and nobody thought she would have knocked her. Third Young Lady has nothing to with it!”
“She has nothing to do with it? Then why Ling Xue rushed over after she had talked something to her? Do you want to get Ling Xue here and ask her if she pushed Xueyan because someone had told her to do so?” Heng Yuqing said. Although she hadn’t seen Ning Qingshan talking to Ling Xue, since she had been set up by Ning Qingshan once, she guessed that Ning Qingshan had something to do with it.
“Heng Yuqing, what are you talking about? Who stipulated that nobody could talk to Ling Xue? If anyone who talked to her is suspicious, many of us have talked to her just now. Can you say that all of us have something to do with that? Fifth Young Lady hasn’t complained yet. What are you yelling about here? Third Young Lady has just come back after leaving us for three years. How could you bully her again?”
This Young Lady seemed to have used to antagonizing Heng Yuqing, and she was accusing her of nonsense and meddling. Although Ning Qingshan didn’t say anything, everyone believed that she was innocent when they saw her wronged appearance.
“Yuqing, this Young Lady, please stop arguing. It doesn’t matter whether someone had put her up to pushing me or not. As long as Prince Yi doesn’t get angry, I don’t care about anything else,” Ning Xueyan walked over to Heng Yuqing and that Young Lady, and persuaded them gently.
“Prince Yi? He has something to do with this accident?”
Everybody’s heart shivered. Nobody dared to spread gossips about Prince Yi, because they all knew that if they were careless and offended him, they would die without even knowing the reason. Besides, their families would get into trouble because of this. The Young Ladies here were all from noble families, but none of them dared to provoke the powerful Prince Yi.
“Prince Yi ordered to break Ling Xue’s legs and throw her out the imperial palace just now. If he knew that there was someone put Ling Xue up to bump against him, the result could be terrible!” Ning Xueyan said in a gentle voice. Although she didn’t speak loudly, all the Young Ladies were frozen out of fear.
After all, Ling Xue was the daughter of a minister assistant. It was a great shame for her, even if her legs hadn’t been broken, and she would be looked down upon by others in the future. Who would marry a girl who had been thrown out the imperial palace as his principal wife? It would be too humiliating!
“I haven’t spoken to her.”
“Neither do I!”
“She has been by Third Young Lady’s side, talking to her.”
“Yes. I saw that Ling Xue had been talking to Third Young Lady, and their seats were next to each other…”
The Young Ladies said one after another, trying to distance themselves from Ling Xue, and nobody dared to defend her any more. They were not stupid and they knew that their lives were much more important than Ning Qingshan’s innocence.
What they said proved Ning Qingshan and Ling Xue were very close.
Ning Qingshan had gotten well with all the noble Young Ladies before, but Ling Xue was Ning Yuqing’s cousin by blood, so her relationship with Ling Xue should not be as intimate as Ning Yuling with Ling Xue. Nobody knew when they had become so close that they never left each other alone. Unfortunately, the accident occurred the moment they had just apart.
There were several little birds among the Young Ladies. They knew what had happened at the Lord Protector’s Manor yesterday. The rumor said that Ning Qingshan had framed Ning Xueyan in order to take the administration power from her hand. They didn’t know the detailed information, but they knew that there were no waves without wind. If nothing had happened between Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan, nobody would have spread such rumors.
They hadn’t believed it at the beginning, but now… it seemed the rumor was true!
Some Young Ladies looked at Ning Qingshan in suspicion and doubt.
“Could this Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor not be so gentle and generous as rumor has it?”
Being stared by these Young Ladies, Ning Qingshan felt embarrassed. She had never expected that Prince Yi would have been involved in this accident. What scared her most was how he had treated Ling Xue. He was really as ruthless as legend had it. A noble lady’s future had been ruined by him like this. Ling Xue would have little chance to marry a childe from a noble family in the future.
The punishment was too severe!
“Third Sister, go back to your seat. Otherwise, Prince Yi will think that we’re gossiping about him by mistake,” before Ning Qingshan could explain for herself, Ning Xueyan had spoken. Hearing that, all the Young Ladies around them immediately scattered.
Nobody wanted to risk their lives being suspected by him Prince Yi.
Losing her audience, and being suppressed by Ning Xueyan with the topic of Prince Yi, Ning Qingshan bit her lip in embarrassment. She was so angry that she really wanted to rush over and slap Ning Xueyan, but she showed nothing on her face. Now the perfect smile on her face had been replaced by awkwardness. She answered, “I’ll go over there now. Fifth Sister, please let me know if you need any help.”
She didn’t want to be with Ning Xueyan now, because she was afraid that Prince Yi might be suspicious. He was sitting on the chief seat of the male guests, so he was probably look in this direction.
“Go ahead, Third Sister.” Ning Xueyan didn’t insist on keeping her. She smiled and saw Ning Qingshan go back to her seat alone.
Ning Qingshan had caused so much trouble and even offended Prince Yi, the extremely powerful man in the country, so all the Young Lady became more cautious, and they were more careful when they spoke. They had learned the lesson from Ling Xue, and wouldn’t be abetted into doing something inappropriate.
Since these noble Young Ladies were all the high-rank official’s daughters, they knew how dangerous the court businesses were.
So very few Young Ladies would like to be close with Ning Qingshan, and she was not the center of them anymore.
It was useless even if Ning Qingshan became the Third Prince’s wife in the future, because Third Prince had to be respectful to Prince Yi. Besides, Ning Qingshan had offended Prince Yi, so it was still unknown if she could marry Third Prince. Some Young Ladies who had a crush on Third Prince couldn’t stay calm anymore. They looked at Third Prince, who was sitting among the male guests, with burning affection.
Ao Chenyi sat on the principal seat, and only he and his veiled favorite concubine sat at the first table. This concubine didn’t seem in mood, and she always lowered her head. It was said that she had a quarrel with Ao Chenyi, and it was the first time for them to show up together in public after their quarrel.
It felt like Ao Chenyi didn’t take the party seriously to have brought his favorite concubine to such an occasion at the imperial palace. Besides, the purpose of this royal banquet was to find spouses for the princes.
All the other male guests came here to find the principal wife for themselves, but Prince Yi brought a ‘pet’ here!
“Uncle, my father asked you to look at these Young Ladies carefully. They’re all single and from noble families. If there’s anyone you like, my father will marry her to you,” Ao Mingyu said, pointing at those noble Young Ladies opposite them.
The Young Ladies blushed and their hearts beat fast when they saw Prince Yi look in their direction. However, they felt as if they were in the ice cellar when they saw the coldness in his eyes.
Although Prince Yi’s appearance and temperament were unparalleled, all the Young Ladies went stiff at fear under his cold and indifferent gazes. They knew they would be extremely distinguished if they could become the hostess of the Prince Yi’s Manor, but at the thought of facing such a ruthless person every day, they couldn’t help shivering.
They had heard that many women who had been sent to Prince Yi’s Manor were beaten to death and thrown to the graveyard.
Although they were all noble Young Ladies, it meant nothing to this prince. Ling Xue had been thrown out the imperial palace just now. If they married Prince Yi, they might die even without knowing the reason.
They were worried that even if they died unjustly after they had been sent to the Prince Yi’s Manor, nobody would dare to get justice for them at the risk of offending the powerful Prince Yi.
Moreover, Prince Yi even had brought his favorite concubine to attend the imperial palace party. Apparently, this woman was by no means ordinary. Nobody would like to have such an opponent.
Soon, those highly raised shy faces lowered.
Everyone knew that compared to the distinguished status, their lives were more important.
“Your father asked me to choose my wife here?” Ao Chenyi said with a slight smile, the disdain obvious on his extremely handsome face.
Such an expression showed that he was contemptuous of the party.
“Yes, uncle. My father said that you were old enough to marry a wife. These are all the noblest daughters of principal wives of the high-rank officials. Uncle, is there anyone you like?” Ao Mingwan raised his head and asked with a smile, holding back his anger.
