The next day, the scandal of the Lord Protector's Manor shocked the court!
Many officials impeached Ning Zu'an in court. They said that Ning Zu'an had hidden the news of his co-wife's death and dared to hold a wedding ceremony with no regard for ritual or principle. Such a vicious act was abhorrent!
In the end, it was proved that Madam Ling was to blame, but Ning Zu'an was the Marquis bore some responsibility, as well. If he had valued his co-wife, he would have been aware of her death, and this scandal would not have happened.
His Majesty was so angry that he threw the memorial to the throne to Ning Zu'an and asked him to read it while kneeling. As for Madam Ling, if not for Ning Zu'an's entreaty, and that she was the mother of Ning Zu'an's only son, she would have been killed directly.
"Young Miss, Madam Ling has been taken to the palace by the Empress’ people. I heard that she will be stripped of the title of First-class Marchioness, and she will be beaten 20 times!" Mother Han said, nearly screaming with happiness.
Sitting at the window, Ning Xueyan listened to Mother Han and gave a slight smile.
The punishment from the empress would not only punish Madam Ling's body, but also destroy her dignity as the Marchioness.
Madam Ling was Ning Zu'an's Official Wife, but she was no longer the First-class Marchioness. It meant that she could not stop Ning Zu'an from marrying someone else as the Marchioness, at which point she would become the co-wife. This was utter humiliation for Madam Ling!
"Is she back?" The Imperial Morning Conference had been over for a while.
"Not yet. But the doctors are ready for Madam Ling to come back for treatment. I heard that the punishment in the palace is more severe than that of the manor. 20 lashings would disable someone!" Mother Han said in a low voice. "It's better to..."
"Mother Han, this is not an appropriate topic for discussion!" Ning Xueyan said sharply.
"Don't worry, I won't tell others," Mother Han replied, nodding. She looked around carefully, then left.
When Ning Zu'an came back from the palace, the bloody Madam Ling was with him, and the waiting doctors hurried to treat her.
The people in the manor were all flustered. Mother Yun, who had been locked in the firewood room, had escaped!
Qingyu, who had been secretly monitoring Mother Yun, returned and was called to dress Ning Xueyan.
Today, she would keep vigil for her mother in the main hall, accepting the condolences of the guests. The Lord Protector's Manor would hold a funeral for Madam Ming with the standard of Official Wife to show that they did not maltreat Madam Ming to cover up the scandal.
"Young Miss, Mother Yun went to her sister's on East Street early in the morning. Do I need to monitor her?" Qingyu asked while dressing Ning Xueyan. Her eyes were bright and full of admiration for Ning Xueyan. She couldn’t believe how much her mistress had changed, and how quickly! She’d even predicted that Mother Yun would escape, but avoid her own home. Her mistress was no longer the obedient Fifth Young Lady, and Qingyu was happy to serve her!
"Don't worry about her for the time being. Did you bring the powder I wanted?" Ning Xueyan asked, standing up. It was not the best time to expose Mother Yun's escape .
"Yes. Everything was in chaos this morning, so I went to the pharmacy and found the powder you mentioned. Is it what you wanted?" Qingyu took out the powder hidden in her sleeves and put it on the table.
It was exactly what she needed. She nodded and said, "Go to the garden and take a few pots of malus halliana koehne for me."
Malus halliana koehne was one of Madam Ling's favorite flowers, and it was fully blooming at this time.
"Qingrui, why are you coming back now? Where were you last night?" Mother Han's voice came in across the courtyard.
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 Fi
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