Ao Chenyi’s smile was ruthless. He leaned backward lazily, narrowed his eyes, and said, “Tell His Majesty I said that Zuo Zhibing intended to kill me and gossiped about the royal family. His crime is unforgivable. So I killed him to warn others.”
His voice was cold and indifferent. It seemed that he didn’t know his words had determined the lives of hundreds of people.
His words also showed that he hadn’t negotiated with His Majesty before killing this official.
The Emperor was the supreme master of a country. But this one, Prince Yi, dared to directly kill an official without His Majesty’s permission. How arrogant he was.
“Yes!” The guards did not dare to say more, respectfully nodded before they left.
Ao Chenyi stood up and walked to the window, coldly looking out of the window. Suddenly, it seemed that he found something fun. He smiled and said profoundly, “What a funny little thing!”
His gaze fell on Ning Xueyan, who was strolling with Qingyu’s support. He heard that this little girl had been ill in order to gain Madam Dowager’s trust. Now she went out before recovering from an illness. Who was she going to frame?
“Your Highness, need me to invite her to come?” The eunuch standing on one side saw Ao Chenyi’s smile and flattered.
“No. It’s rare to have something fun. I have to treat it carefully and keep it longer!” Ao Chenyi shook his hands, and his long eyelashes fell, making him like a ruthless and bloodthirsty demon. What a bold and interesting little girl! She framed herself again and again without mercy.
Prince Yi’s smile frightened the guards who served and the eunuchs! It was not a good sign that Prince Yi felt something interesting.
Ning Xueyan did not know that she had attracted a bloodthirsty demon.
She was walking along the path to the bamboo forest. One side of her was bamboo, and the other side was a winding path. It was indeed a very quiet place. Qingyu helped Ning Xueyan sat down on a slightly smooth stone to rest. This was the time for the Third Prince to go to the bamboo forest. These days, in order to avoid those young ladies, the Third Prince came here every day at the same time.
In her last life, Ning Xueyan occasionally learned from Xia Yuhang that the Third Prince liked bamboo, especially the bamboos of Cold Mountain Temple. He built a small thatched cottage in the depths of this bamboo forest and had a rest there every time he came to the Cold Mountain Temple.
Xia Yuhang’s conduct was bad, but he had excellent talent and learning was appreciated by the Third Prince, so he knew some of the Third Prince’s hobbies. And Ning Xueyan felt that the relationship between Xia Yuhang and the Third Prince was by no means simple.
Ning Xueyan began to play the zither. The music was clear and crisp, spreading far in the bamboo forest. The Third Prince, who was walking, heard the sound and stopped, frowning and walking towards the sound.
“Young Lady, you haven’t recovered yet, how could you come here again? Here only are some bamboo, and they are not as beautiful as the chrysanthemums over there. If you really don’t want to stay in the room, you can go to see the chrysanthemum with those girls!” Qingyu muttered as she handed the zither to Ning Xueyan.
The cold wind blew and the bamboo forest was lush. It was cold here. This place was really not suitable for a long-term sick person to relax.
Ning Xueyan coughed with handkerchief covered her mouth and then said with a smile, “It’s good here. We’ll stay here. I used to stay in the Bright Frost Garden all the time and seldom saw bamboo. It’s great to have a chance to see a bamboo forest. Bamboo is not as beautiful as chrysanthemum, but it’s more charming.”
“Whatever. I can’t understand. I just feel cold. You’re still sick, what should we do if you become worse? Madam Dowager said you have to raise your body. It will be terrible if you miss the chrysanthemum appreciation grand meeting.” Qingyu said with unhappiness.
“It doesn’t matter.” Looking at Qingyu’s unpleasant look, Ning Xueyan burst into laughter. She played the zither and stopped after a second because of weakness. “There’s my second sister. She is expected to marry the Third Prince by the Lord Protector’s Manor. I… If I really have to marry, I’d rather marry an ordinary person and live a peaceful life. And I hope no one will bully us!”
“The Second Young Lady? Fifth Young Lady, if the Second Young Lady really become the Consort of Prince, she will bully you even more.” Qingyu recalled Ning Yuling’s bullying on Ning Xueyan and became more indignant. Ning Yuling had done a lot of to Ning Xueyan, and almost killed her several times.
“Qingyu, don’t talk nonsense. Second sister… Anyway, she’s the lady of Lord Protector’s Manor… and she’s also my sister. She can teach me. These words must not be heard by others, otherwise, her reputation will be damaged.” Ning Xueyan’s face sank and she said in a deep voice.
She seemed to choke because she said in a hurry, and immediately coughed. With her Her plain and simple clothes, she looked paler and weaker. She narrowed her eyes. Her delicate face made people pity her.
They were talking about Ning… Yuling?
The Third Prince, who came to the back of the bamboo grove, frowned when he heard that. He looked at the pale, gentle face, anger flashing in his eyes. He didn’t expect the Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Yuling, to be such an evil girl and pretend to be graceful when she saw him in daily times.
His mother had been deceived by her. If such a vicious woman who even bullied her bloody sister became his wife and entered his manor, it would in a mess in the future. The Third Prince’s mother had repeatedly told him that Ning Yuling was gentle and beautiful and was the perfect candidate for the Consort of Prince.
Unexpectedly, she was good at acting and was vicious!
“Young Lady, I won’t say that again… Don’t get angry. I’ll never that the Second Young Lady pushed you into the river because of envy and you almost was drowned. I’ll keep my mouth shut. I hope that the Second Young Lady can successfully become the Consort of the Third Prince. In this way, she won’t bully you in the manor.” Qingyu was frightened by the tremendous cough of Ning Xueyan. She supported Xueyan and patted her slim back path gently, saying with tears in her eyes.
After a while, Ning Xueyan stopped coughing and wiped tears with her handkerchief. She was fragile now, so indeed she was too dispirited to play a song. She touched the zither gently with her fingers, but before it made a sound, Ning Xueyan already felt weak. She had to pat the zither with her fingers.
“Qingyu, let’s go back. I really have no strength.” Ning Xueyan struggled to stand up and used up all her energy. She glanced at the quiet path and secretly smiled. The way led to seclusion and the bamboo there was lush so that nothing could be seen clearly. But only when she came in, she heard the sound of footsteps.
It seemed that the noble Third Prince heard what they said just now!
“Okay, Young Lady, we’ll go back now. Then you lie down to rest. Several days later when the princes choose their wives, you have to go, otherwise, Madam Dowager will be unhappy.” Qingyu took the zither and hung it on her shoulder, saying that with concern while holding Ning Xueyan. Actually, Qingyu also hoped that Ning Xueyan could marry a powerful husband. In this way, the Second Young Lady wouldn’t dare bully Ning Xueyan.
Looking at Qingyu’s hopeful face, Ning Xueyan gently smiled and shook her head. “The Lord Protector’s Manor is so unpeaceful. Living in the royal family… will be more difficult for girls.”
“Young Lady, I heard that the Third Prince is handsome. People in the capital say that he’s friendly and beautiful. Don’t you like him?” Qingyu asked, feeling that the Third Prince was good. She thought that her Fifth Young Lady was good and maybe the Third Prince would like her.
“Qingyu, you think too much!” Ning Xueyan looked at Qingyu’s solemn look and said with a smile. “Even though the Third Prince is handsome, it’s just his appearance. Good looking doesn’t mean good character, just like…” Ning Xueyan’s black eyes turned around as if she was looking for a suitable analog.
Qingyu’s eyes suddenly became bright. “Just like the Second Young Lady. She’s beautiful, but her character is bad.”
“Qingyu, you did it again!” Ning Xueyan said.
“Sorry, I won’t do that again. Young Lady, let’s go fast. The is too strong here.”
“Okay, let’s go!”
The master and maid walked away slowly. When they couldn’t be seen, the Third Prince came out with an unpleasant face, looking at Ning Xueyan’s back thoughtfully. He came here to avoid those ladies in his courtyard. This time, all the noble or wealthy families became excited as soon as his father, His Majesty, spread the news that he was going to choose a consort.
From the early morning, those ladies kept visiting him constantly. From time to time, someone said they were tired and wanted to have a drink. Some said they had fallen down and wanted to come in to have a rest. Their reasons were strange and diverse. The Third Prince felt annoyed and didn’t like them at all.
But unexpectedly, there was someone who didn’t want to see him. “What does ‘good looking doesn’t mean good character’ mean? She was saying that my character was not as good as my looking.” The Third Prince thought in mind. And he got angry when he realized that this beautiful, clever lady didn’t want to see him and avoided him like avoiding snakes and scorpions.
What was more, her delicate and weak appearance made people pity her.
Ning Xueyan finally returned to her own house with Qingyu. Then the two maids served her to rest. Lanning handed Ning Xueyan the medicine she had prepared earlier. After drinking, Ning Xueyan lied down and Lanning covered the quilt tightly. Until now, Ning Xueyan felt better.
Her medicine was prescribed by a master in Cold Mountain Temple who was good at the medical skill. And it worked. After drinking for several times, Ning Xueyan felt much better. But because she was too weak, she hadn’t recovered immediately. Today, she went out for a long time and became worse again.
Lanning touched the Ning Xueyan’s forehead and felt a little relieved. Fortunately, she didn’t have a fever. Ning Xueyan’s body couldn’t bear more harm. In order to survive, Ning Xueyan, the daughter of Lord Protector’s Official Wife, had done too many things and even hurt herself. Thinking of this, Lanning felt very sad, and her eyes became wet.
“Lanning, you needn’t accompany me. I’ll be better after sleeping.” Ning Xueyan patted Lanning’s hand. Looking at Lanning’s look, she knew that Lanning thought her experience in the past again and smiled at her.
“Yes.” Lanning nodded and left, secretly wiping her eyes. Standing in the doorway, she took a deep breathed and became determined, thinking in mind, “Now I’m guarding the Fifth Young Lady. She’s clever and courageous. She will never do what her mother did. And such a tragedy will never happen again.”
