Ning Xueyan looked out and saw that Qingrui was back. Technically, she was a first maid of Ning Xueyan, but in fact, she was one of Madam Ling's people. She usually relied on Madam Ling's influence and had bullied Ning Xueyan often. Qingrui was trying to curry favor with Madam Ling and told her people everything that happened in Bright Frost Garden.
She likely had something to do with Madam Ming's death.
Qingrui, dressed in a beautiful new satin dress, looked disdainfully and sneered at Mother Han, who was covered in coarse linen and white cloth. "I had something to do. The wedding was important, and I had to help First Miss. You’re lucky — you can rely on the Second Madam to be lazy."
"Qingrui, how dare you say that!" Mother Han shouted, trembling with anger.
With Madam Ling backing her, she was not afraid of Mother Han.
"Give your fire a rest, old woman! What kind of temper do you have so early in the morning? The Fifth Young Lady needs to get up, and you should go serve her now," she said dismissively, turning to walk toward her room. She wanted to be ready if the First Madam needed her.
Mother Han was just a dying thing that kept consuming medicine. She wasn’t important.
Ning Xueyan stood silently at the window, watching Qingrui's brilliant red skirt disappear around the corner. Only then did she raise her voice and call out, "Mother Han."
Hearing Ning Xueyan's call, Mother Han, hurriedly put down her things and went inside. "Young lady, do you want to have breakfast? Please wait for a moment; Qingrui is not here today, so Qingyu went to fetch it. She's a little late."
Ning Xueyan's food had always been brought from the kitchen by Qingrui, but this food was often replaced by her. Madam Ming had been ill and Ning Xueyan cowardly, so was there to confront Qingrui?
"Madam, have Qingrui get the noon meal." With her thoughts turning, Ning Xueyan smiled. Shad a plan, or at least the beginnings of one.
Perhaps she could break Madam Ling's hold over Bright Frost Garden. She needed to work quickly, while Madam Ling was still dealing with the fallout of the scandal.
White flags fluttered, and cries were heard in the mourning hall of the Lord Protector's Manor.
Ning Xueyan, gaunt and clad in white, knelt in front of the coffin, burning paper offerings and incense. She was exhausted after having knelt the whole morning, and her eyes had turned red because of constant crying, which made people feel sorry for her! Guests came to pay their respects, giving condolences that her biological mother had lost her life and been treated unfairly. Everyone felt that Madam Ling had gone too far.
She greeted the guests who last came to the hall, then stopped for lunch.
Except for her, the other one knelt in front of the coffin was the Fourth Young Lady, Ning Lingyun. She was the daughter of the aunt, so she naturally had to kneel in front of the coffin with Ning Xueyan as an act of filial piety. Although she was just a common woman, she kept flattering Madam Ling's daughter, and she also very much despised Ning Xueyan, thinking herself better than her.
At this point, seeing that no one was coming, she stopped pretending to mourn and let her old maid bring some food. She ignored Ning Xueyan, eating on the small table at the side.
It was unlikely that anyone else would come, so the people attending the coffin were slacking off.
Qingyu went to the door, looked outside, and then looked at Ning Lingyun who was eating. She then walked to Ning Xueyan and asked, "Young Miss, why hasn't Qingrui brought the food yet?”
Her mistress was in poor health and had been busy all morning. If she was hungry, she could even faint.
Ning Xueyan picked up the paper offerings nearby and watched the fire in the stove burn slowly while speaking softly. "Don't worry, Qingyu; I'm not hungry. Go to Madam Dowager’s yard and ask Mother Qin if she has any spare Frigid Pills. Just say that my chest is congested, and I want some Frigid Pills to lift my spirits. Then, go back to Bright Frost Garden and get some of my clothes. I'm a little cold."
An elderly lady like Madam Dowager would have these refreshing Frigid Pills at hand, which could lift her spirits and relieve certain symptoms, such as asthma and tightness in the chest.
"Yes, I will go right away," Qingyu hurriedly replied when she heard that Ning Xueyan was having trouble breathing. She stood up and hurried to Madam Dowager's auspicious courtyard.
Not long after she left, the maid Qingrui walked in with a teapot, followed by a woman carrying a basket of food. She had donned a plain white dress, but Ning Xueyan, kneeling on the ground, saw a small piece of red underneath, which appeared from time to time when she was walking.
Ning Xueyan pretended not to notice, and silently cursed the treacherous maid.
Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly when she spotted the red dress under Qingrui’s clothes.To think that mere maids dared to wear a mourning garment on top of a gaudy outfit when her masters did not. It was obvious how badly they treated Madam Ming and Ning Xueyan. Everyone in this manor was brave enough to bully her. Outsiders knew only of the first wife's eldest and second daughters of the Lord Protector's Manor, but not the fifth daughter born by Madam Ming.The two servants came over and lay down the teapot and food basket in their hands. The older female servant poured a cup of water and passed it to Qingrui, who squatted down and handed it to Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan respected the traditions; she had been kneeling for an entire morning and did not even have a sip of water. Yet she saw the cold tea, she found that she had no appetite."You must be starving, young lady. Keep calm and have some water before eating. It's better for your body that w
Madam Dowager was drawn here after she heard that Qingyu was requesting Frigid Pills, just as Ning Xueyan had planned. She knew Old Lady Qin would be ill at ease after giving Qingyu the Frigid Pills and would inform Madam Dowager about Ning Xueyan's condition.After all that racket in the Lord Protector's Manor yesterday, all eyes were on them. They must not allow rumors of the Fifth Young Miss being abused to spread. With her health, she was like a master who was at death's door. And they were having guests over this afternoon! What would they say if she fainted inside the mourning hall?After thinking about it, Madam Dowager decided to check on the situation personally. The family was already at the heart of so much uproar; she must not allow people to continue gossiping about the Lord Protector's Manor.To her surprise, she heard a sharp-tongued maid bombarding Ning Xueyan the moment she entered the mourning hall. The maid even mentioned the
Out of nowhere, Ning Xueyan turned around and bellowed, "Stop right there!"This time, even Madam Dowager and Mother Han noticed someone shifting suspiciously behind the white banner. The middle-aged woman that had just arrived at the door looked at Ning Xueyan in bewilderment. She didn't know if she should put down her raised foot. She was the very picture of awkwardness!"Could you be sneaking out to find a way to save these two evil servants? Fake some evidence and witnesses to help them out of this predicament?" a pale-faced Ning Xueyan said coolly.Madam Dowager, who occupied the central seat, watched the middle-aged woman wear a guilty expression as if her intention had been uncovered. She turned livid with rage and flung the teacup in her hand at the woman's feet.The woman was so frightened that she trembled. With a loud thud, she kneeled down and tried to explain herself. "Fifth Miss, I'm just feeling the urge to go to the
"How can she not know who Lan Ning is?" Ning Xueyan thought, gripping her lapel.In her previous incarnation, Lanning was her close personal maid. Although Lanning was sent by Lord Protector's Manor to serve her, Ning Xueyan treated her well and they had a deep relationship.That night, however, Lanning wasn't there!"Maybe you don't know it, my lady." Qingyu said, "Lanning was the first class servant of Yunying courtyard. She had nowhere to stay after Lady Ziying left. She thought you might be a good master, so she begged me to ask you."Once, Qingyu was bullied by Xianghong and Miao'er, maids of the Second Young Miss, blocking the way to stop her moving. Lanning shouted that Madam Dowager had come, and the two bullies ran away. Besides, Lanning was nice to everyone. Most people in Lanning’s position would refuse to become a handmaid of the Fifth Young Miss, who was unfavored, But Lanning just wanted a master who would treat her w
Ning Xueyan propped herself up to get back on her feet and adjusted her clothing before walking out to the mourning hall.Since she had to put on a show, she must act until the end. Those around the noble guests were no ordinary people. If she accidentally made a mistake, she would be bringing trouble to herself instead..."My, Fifth Sister! You've finally shown up!"Ning Lingyun couldn't help mocking Ning Xueyan after seeing her. This was the first sentence that Ning Lingyun said to her today.She was a concubine's daughter, but her beauty made her believe that she was just as good as her sisters, who were merely fortunate to have grown inside First Madam's belly. On the other hand, she was unfortunate enough to have a concubine for a mother. Her birth lowered her status by a significant degree.Ning Ziyan and her sister were daughters of Madam Ling, who was the First Madam of the Lord Protector's Manor. Madam Ling co
The two of them turned to in unison to the source of the voice, and saw a group of people standing at the door. The one who spearheaded the group wore a black robe with an eye-catching, large, blood-red spider lily print.The large blood-red spider lily print stood in stark contrast against the ink-like black fabric. The hem of the robe was lined with golden thread.Under the purple and gold hat was a devilishly handsome face. His seemingly pure-black eyes had no light in them and resembled two bottomless pits of darkness. He emanated a thousand-year coldness which sucked everyone into his aura. He inexplicably made others feel the frigidness of the Blood Sea.Because of this, his delicate face was more ruthless than feminine, and upon meeting his cold eyes,, Ning Xueyan felt her hands begin to cramp.However, she swiftly put her emotions under control and showed no trace of her feelings aside from the appropriate display of surpri
"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.