"Doctor, how is my Lady doing?"
The imperial physician didn't answer. He made Ning Xueyan offer her other hand and his frown deepened.
His gaze fell on the teacup placed near her. He reached out for the cup, placed it near his nose, and sniffed. He asked Qingyu, "Did your Young Lady drink this?"
"Yes. The kitchen sent it over. Is there something wrong with it?" Qingyu asked nervously.
"I didn't touch the tea when they sent it over this afternoon,” Ning Xueyan explained feebly. “But I got thirsty and took a sip or two. We're all drinking tea prepared in the kitchen; how could there be a problem?"
Her face was deathly pale, and the imperial physician fished a silver needle out of his robe and dipped it inside the teacup. The silver needle was now dyed a faint layer of black!
The imperial physician shook his head. "There's a substance in this tea called the Peach Blossom. It carries a naturally sweet and mell
Ning Xueyan shivered inwardly. It looked like she was right. This was a man who both made good on his word and wouldn't tolerate any annoyance. She hadn’t factored such a person into her plans. Right now, she could only stay humble."I apologize, my Prince. I did not intend to manipulate you. The circumstances have forced my hand."Ning Xueyan was expressionless. It was as if she was talking about something as ordinary as the weather. However, her smirk inadvertently revealed a hint of wryness."Aren't you… afraid of me killing you?""There are already those who would abuse, humiliate, and harm me. What do I have to fear?" Ning Xueyan stared fixedly at the man's handsome face with neither fear nor admiration. Her gaze harbored only a sliver of coldness.The purpose of her rebirth was revenge. The grudge she bore in her past life, the grudge Ning Xueyan bore, the grudge Madam Ming bore—every grudge was steeped in blood.
After giving his prayers in front of Madam Ming's coffin, Prince Yi left with his entourage without waiting for Ning Zu'an to return. It wasn't until he left that Ning Lingyun finally dared to come out of the side room.Ning Zu'an had arrived with the others while she was hiding, and two stone-faced guards watched the entrance, making it impossible for her and her maid to return to the mourning hall.She hastily came out to investigate as soon as she saw the outsiders leave.When she saw that Qingyu was helping Ning Xueyan swallow a pill, she thought that Ning Xueyan was so frightened that her illness flared. She stared at Ning Xueyan in contempt while inwardly mocking her for being so useless.Chin raised, she asked rudely, "You there, what happened earlier? Why did Father come and then leave so abruptly?""A noble guest came to pay his respects to my mother," Ning Xueyan replied indifferently.Qingyu put
"Fa… Father…" Ning Lingyun never imagined that Ning Zu'an would appear here at this moment. Her face instantly paled and she was so frightened that her voice trembled. Ning Zu'an raised an eyebrow after seeing Ning Lingyun's hesitation and immediately rebuked her. "Apologize at once!" Even though Ning Lingyun hated this order so much that she was inwardly gnashing her teeth, she was forced to lower her head and say, "Fifth Younger Sister, please forgive me my poor choice of words. I don't mean it. I'm sorry." "It's alright. I'm sure it wasn't intentional. But the rebel that you mentioned earlier…" Ning Xueyan raised her head and put on a curious expression. However, her pupils were frozen cold. "Rebel?" She was curious as to why Madam Ming would be considered rebellious. Before Ning Xueyan could finish her sentence, Ning Zu'an interrupted her with an angry bellow. "Go to the ancestral hall! I hereby punish you to
"What happened?" A frowning Ning Xueyan turned around and looked at Mother Han in confusion. She had never seen Mother Han looking this panicked. "Young Lady, Qingrui was beaten so badly that she's one breath away from dying. First Madam ordered the servants to drag her to the entrance of the Bright Frost Garden, saying that she has avenged Second Madam. A battered and bloodied Qingrui is now lying at our door." A pale-faced Mother Han was sweating all over. Whoever who saw that badly mutilated body would feel an intense fear! First Madam had Qingrui thrashed and thrown at the entrance of the Bright Frost Garden before leaving with some ambiguous message about avenging Madam Ming. She was a cruel woman, indeed. She wanted everyone to think of Ning Xueyan as a narrow-minded and vicious girl. She wanted to ruin Ning Xueyan's reputation while simultaneously distracting everyone's attention. Qingrui was a servant of the Bright Frost Garden who s
When everyone turned around, they saw an ashen-faced Ning Zu'an and an elderly eunuch standing behind them. After sizing Ning Xueyan up, the beaming eunuch turned to Ning Zu'an. He said with a laugh, "Marquis, your First Madam is sure impressive to execute a slave and then deliver the body to your first wife's daughter as a demonstration of power. To think a mere slave dare to yell and reprimand her master! What a novel experience!" His words were direct and spared Ning Zu'an no respect. Ning Zu'an's face went from green to purple, and finally black, after hearing Prince Yi's head eunuch taunting him. Unable to vent his anger on the eunuch, he focused it on the older female servant instead. He approached her and kicked her to the ground without a word. The servant coughed up blood. She was so badly injured that she couldn't even stand. "Damned slave! How dare you bully your master!" Thanks to the previous incident, court report
Madam Ming was buried the next day. Few came to witness the ceremony. In fact, the number of witnesses was fewer than those who came to pay their respects at the mourning hall that day. Some manors merely sent their housekeeper as a representative but Ning Xueyan expected this. To put it nicely, a co-wife was also considered a wife, whose position was equivalent to a wife. However, to put it frankly, a co-wife was a concubine. She had no right to demand anything for a concubine's funeral. In fact, she was curious why such esteemed guests came to pay their respects to her mom. The co-wife of the Lord Protector's Manor wasn't so reputable as to attract the likes of them. It made no sense even if this was Madam Ling's funeral! Some guests were particularly noble. Take that Prince for example. She knew at one glance that he possessed a high standing and great authority. Why would he come and pay his respects to her mom? Even if he was merely stopping by, it w
Ning Xueyan walked up to the table and opened one of the boxes. She used her sharp fingernail to scrap the powder and placed them near her nose for a sniff. It was a light, natural fragrance. It was the type of face powder most popular among young ladies, whether in terms of texture or fragrance. She smirked. "Keep this and put it in the drawer. We can talk about it after I return." The face powder was a top-notch product and exactly what she needed right now. Her monthly allowance wasn't even enough to pay for a box of it. Ning Ziyan's present had come at just the right timing. This could be considered as a case of preparation averting peril. She would strike Madam Ling where it hurts at the right timing and use the face powder that her eldest daughter sent to ruin her second daughter. She wondered if Madam Ling would go mad over this. "Young Lady, you must refrain from using cosmetics now or people will talk." Mother Han thought that Han Z
"Yes, Young Master Xia has been occupying his usual residence. He used to come here every now and then to offer incense. Every month, he would spend three nights here," the young novice monk immediately answered. Evidently, he was very familiar with Xia Yuhang. As expected, Xia Yuhang's habits remained unchanging. On the same few days every month, he would spend a few days in the Cold Mountain Temple. Others might not understand why, yet Ning Xueyan was well aware of the reason. "I see. Is he not returning to his manor today as well?" Ning Xueyan looked away and continued walking behind the young novice monk. If Xia Yuhang doesn't show up when his wife returns to her bridal home three days after their wedding, Ning Ziyan wouldn't be the only one would be humiliated. "You guessed correctly, Fifth Young Lady. I heard servants from the Minister's Manor came early this morning to persuade Young Master Xia to go home. Our Master Uncle, the one wh