“Madam, it’s late for you to rush over at this time. I heard that His Excellency has boarded the boat and is heading for the waterside pavilion in the middle of the lake from where he was. I walked here slowly just now, and the boat went in a straight way and is much faster than when one walks on the shore. I’m afraid that the Sixth Princess and His Excellency have already met each other…”
A maidservant said hesitantly, who was sent by Ling Mingyan just now to inquire about them.
Ever since she knew that the Sixth Princess had a crush on You Yuecheng, Ling Mingyan had been on high alert. she paid much attention to Sixth Princess. Just like today, You Yuecheng was in the front courtyard and no one knew what the Sixth Princess, who was sly and unrestrained, would do. So Ling Mingyan sent someone to keep an eye on her.
In addition, she also asked someone to stay in contact with the manservant outside so that she could know exactly what You Yuecheng was doing!
You Yuecheng explained to her what had happened in Mingguo Manor after that matter, and he would say that he really didn’t expect such a thing to happen and the Sixth Princess to have such a feeling for him. He had seen the Sixth Princess several times in King Yan’s Manor, but he didn’t talk to her very much. Unexpectedly, the Sixth Princess had a crush on him. He claimed that he would stay away from her in the future.
You Yuecheng especially told Ling Mingyan that she didn’t have to care too much about the Sixth Princess. Anyway, the princess was to marry into the Southern Barbarian Lands. What she had done must because she was unwilling to accept the marriage. Ling Mingyan just needed to be careful in the future.
You Yuecheng disclosed all things. Ling Mingyan also had found out that it was normal for You Yuecheng to come to that room to rest. Usually, when he drank too much, he would come in from that direction to rest. Many people in the manor knew of his habit, and it was Duchess Mingguo who was most likely to be involved in this matter.
The current Duchess Mingguo was not You Yuecheng and You Yue’e’s birth mother. Her family was distant relative of Imperial Noble Consort Wen’s parents’ home. However, when You Yuecheng mentioned the Sixth Princess, his eyes were calm, without any hint of obsession or joy, but containing a trace of disgust.
The incident happened in the inner courtyard, and the nanny was from Duchess Mingguo’s parents and came to Mingguo Manor when Duchess Mingguo got married. No matter what happened, it had something to do with Duchess Mingguo. If Duchess Mingguo was involved in this matter, You Yuecheng would not be involved in it. Ling Mingyan knew clearly that You Yuecheng did not like his stepmother and only pretended to be respectful.
Therefore, Ling Mingyan believed that You Yuecheng was innocent. Everything was done by the Sixth Princess and Duchess Mingguo who had done an inside job. After the guests left that day, Ling Mingyan made a big scene. In front of Duchess Mingguo, she declared that she would clean up the inner courtyard and beat the two nannies who had come to the manor with Duchess Mingguo on the spot.
Duchess Mingguo was so angry that she almost quarreled with her!
Later, Duke Mingguo reprimanded Duchess Mingguo and told her the Emperor’s meaning. Ling Mingyan stopped mentioning it under the suppression of Duchess Ding.
However, even though she did not mention it anymore, it didn’t mean that she did not mind it. She had been noticing the Sixth Princess’s every move. Furthermore, when she received news of You Yuecheng’s actions from the manservant outside, she immediately thought that the Sixth Princess was going to do something to make others believe that she was meeting You Yuecheng in private. Or perhaps, she would let everyone see that she was talking with You Yuecheng, so as to make an illusion that they were meeting in private.
In either case, Ling Mingyan would not have it happen!
At this time, when she learned that You Yuecheng might have met the Sixth Princess, she was torn with anxiety!
“Feng Xuehe, b*tch, you’re a slut! As a princess, you don’t want to marry a prince, but try to be another ordinary man’s wife. You’re really a b*tch.”
“Then what should we do now? Is there any place closer?” After she heard the maidservant’s words, Ling Mingyan’s face became darker and darker. She would never let the Sixth Princess get what she wanted.
“There is indeed one place…” The maidservant was in a dilemma.
“Then, why don’t you say quickly?” Ling Mingyan glared at the maidservant and scolded angrily, “You’re courting death!”
Being stared at so fiercely by her, the maidservant shivered with fear and hurriedly replied, “Marquise, when I came here just now, I saw a corner of the place there sticking out. Maybe we could go there from that direction and stop His Excellency.”
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know what place it is either, but it’s not far ahead. There are a few houses there. I seemed to have seen Consort Yan’s servants just now… I don’t know if Consort Yan is resting there,” the maidservant answered after thinking for a while. There was a side of that place that had stretched out, and the furthest side was by the lake.
The previous rooms were in the inner courtyard. Just now, You Yuecheng’s manservant told her about it beside the flower-hanging door. Although there were two old maidservants seeing them, they were from the same manor and talked about what their mistress said to the master. The old maidservants could not say anything and just let them talk aside.
Because the Sixth Princess was still here, Ling Mingyan had been feeling uneasy. Hence, she did not accompany You Yue’e when the latter was not feeling well, afraid that the Sixth Princess would take advantage of her carelessness to do something. Now that the maidservant said that she saw You Yue’e’s people over there, she immediately knew that it was the place where Princess Caifeng had arranged for the female guests to rest.
Then she no longer doubted it and urged the maidservant to go there in a hurry.
No matter what, as long as there was a chance, she would not allow that slut Feng Xuehe to succeed!
The maidservant had just taken this path, so she was now familiar with it. She took Ling Mingyan through the path and arrived in front of the row of rooms for rest in a few steps. From the front, there were only a row of ordinary rooms. Ling Mingyan did see some people from King Yan’s Manor by a window.
At this time, she was not in the mood to talk to You Yue’e. She rushed to the other side anxiously. There were about 20 rooms in this row, forming a semicircular courtyard. However, there was no gate in front of the round-shaped courtyard, and it was open. At the far right was the base of the semicircle. There was a small path between every two rooms, and only one person could walk through it. With a big tree ahead, it was very secluded. If the maidservant had not led the way, Ling Mingyan could not have found this place.
For fear of alarming You Yue’e’s people, Ling Mingyan led her people to walk past the front of the house carefully. As they passed through the small lane, they found that it was a different world ahead. There was a lake outside, as well as a small waterside pavilion, which was not as big as the one in the middle of the lake. There was only a short winding corridor with one corner. At the front was a pavilion with thin curtains hanging on both sides. When the wind blew, it felt extremely leisurely.
It was a good place to enjoy the scenery.
Of course, Ling Mingyan was not in the mood to enjoy the scenery at this time. Her eyes fell on a fancy small boat by the side of the pavilion. Unfortunately, her view was blocked by the thin curtains, so she couldn’t see anything clearly. It seemed that someone was there. Her heart suddenly beat fast, and she gritted her teeth with hatred.
In the waterside pavilion above the lake, someone had a private meeting!
She felt that this was more like a dating place.
Judging from the geographical position, if she hadn’t come prepared, who would have walked past such a row of houses to come here? Of course, she wouldn’t have seen such a small waterside pavilion with a corridor. Most importantly, it was by the lake. The right side of the house for female guests to rest was by the lake, and the opposite bank was quite near.
Looking across from here, Ling Mingyan could clearly see the same houses on the other side.
Although there was a high wall between the two rows of houses, and at the end of the high wall was also this lake; one side of the wall was the inner courtyard, and the other was the outer courtyard. The inner courtyard was on the shore. If one took a boat from the outer courtyard and entered the inner courtyard, there was no need to pass through the flower-hanging door, which was extremely convenient.
Looking at the vague figure in the pavilion, Ling Mingyan thought of another possibility.
She had already learned the cunningness of the Sixth Princess in Mingguo Manor. Since then, she had regarded the princess as a bitchy, shameless person. She had an idea just now and immediately felt that this was the best place to meet privately. This was the place that You Yuecheng was most likely to stop. The place mentioned earlier was frequented by people, and all of them were women.
Even if the Sixth Princess tried to lure You Yuecheng to rest there, it was impossible for him to fall into the trap. After all, there were many people coming and going there, and he was a well-behaved man who did not like the Sixth Princess at all. How could he possibly do anything that would arouse suspicion that they were having an affair? Ling Mingyan thought of herself. In the past, she had tried her best to force You Yuecheng to marry her, and had tried to force him to submit several times under the pressure from others.
But every time, You Yuecheng stayed far away from her. At the last time, if she had not been in mortal danger, You Yuecheng would not have jumped into the water to save her.
At this time, Ling Mingyan’s attention was all on the Sixth Princess. She just scolded the Sixth Princess for being mean and slutty. She had already chosen to forget that she had also tried her best to have something to do with You Yuecheng.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it might be the Sixth Princess in the pavilion. The boat stayed there because You Yuecheng came over and was stopped by the Sixth Princess. Thus, he had to talk with her for a while. In her mind, the Sixth Princess was trying every means to seduce You Yuecheng. If she rushed out at this time, she would make that bitch feel ashamed.
“Madam, some madams and ladies are coming.” A maidservant pulled her sleeves and pointed to the direction of the inner courtyard by the lake. From this opening in the lake, people could not come over directly, but could see it clearly, especially where it protruded. At this time, as long as someone pulled off the light curtains around the pavilion, the people in the pavilion would be exposed.
“I didn’t expect that the b*tch, Feng Xuehe, would use this means!”
Ling Mingyan gritted her teeth in hatred. She would never allow her to succeed. That slut had plotted against her again and again. The Sixth Princess wanted to enter Mingguo Manor and marry You Yuecheng. How could she allow her to get what she wanted?
“You two, one guards here and don’t let anyone come over. And the other comes with me.” A venomous light shone in Ling Mingyan’s eyes as she assigned tasks to the two maidservants.
“Marquise, I want to go with you and help you pull the Sixth Princess over from there,” the maidservant who was assigned to guard at the entrance said indignantly.
“No, you stay here. If someone comes in, just say that I want to rest and don’t let anyone disturb me,” Ling Mingyan stated. She couldn’t let anyone see that Feng Xuehe and You Yuecheng were together. She must find a way to separate them. Before they were separated, she had to clear the place so as not to spread bad rumors.
Otherwise, the Emperor might bestow a marriage on You Yuecheng and the Sixth Princess, and then it would be useless for her to resist.
