Ch 241: The Broken Hairpin

Perhaps because the Old Madam suddenly spoke out, or perhaps because of the Old Madam’s gloomy and dignified face, Ning Xueyan looked up and saw the Old Madam’s hand tremble. The paper in her hand immediately slipped from her grasp, drifting down and happened to fall at Ming Feiyong’s feet.

Ming Feiyong was sitting on the Old Madam’s left side, and Ning Xueyan was also standing on this side, near the Old Madam.

Things developed quickly. When the Old Madam finished saying the three words “Fifth Young Lady,” the paper had already floated to the ground. Ming Feiyong bent down and picked it up casually, and the Old Madam’s remaining words were blocked in her mouth.

Ming Feiyong picked up the paper, flicked it with his hand, looked at it, and then a sneer appeared on his face: “Old Madam, do you want to send this to the court and ask the Ministry of Justice to help us investigate whether this is true?”

Whether it’s a real dowry list is very simple; there are signatures from both families on it, which cannot be forged. When the dowry entered the door, the Old Madam and Ning Zu’an both signed it. The final signature at the end was the names of the Old Madam and Ning Zu’an.

Ming Feiyong held up the note in his hand towards them, and the fortunate place was, precisely, the names!

The facts are all there, and it’s impossible to deny it. But that’s for others. Ning Xueyan naturally knew that a selfish person like the Old Madam would never obediently hand over the shops in her possession, and of course, other objects. This was not a small sum.

Too bad, she doesn’t want to give it up today, but she has to.

Sure enough, upon seeing the dowry list, the Old Madam first froze, then became somewhat panicked. But then she immediately calmed down: “Fifth Young Lady, did you take the wrong one? Is this list something your mother left behind?”

When she said this, she was addressing Ning Xueyan. She spoke word by word, her eyes coldly Coldly, extremely threateningly narrowed, staring at Ning Xueyan. As if, if Ning Xueyan only said the word “yes,” she would not forgive Ning Xueyan. This was no way to start from Ming Feiyong, and she suppressed it on Ning Xueyan.

The Old Madam was certain that Ning Xueyan would not dare to defy her. As long as Ning Xueyan insisted that this note was not Madam Ming’s dowry, whatever Ming Feiyong said would be useless. Compared to Ming Feiyong, Ning Xueyan was the successor to Madam Ming’s dowry.

If this was the previous Ning Xueyan, with the Old Madam’s cold threat, she would certainly follow the Old Madam’s words. But, unfortunately, the current Ning Xueyan was no longer the Ning Xueyan of the past. That weak girl had already followed Madam Ming, and her soul had dissipated.

“Grandmother, isn’t this Mother’s dowry list? It can’t be wrong, ah. Nurse Han found it, and there’s your and Father’s signatures. It should be true,” Ning Xueyan seemed to be frightened by the Old Madam, turned her head and carefully examined the note. After looking at it several times, she reconfirmed.

“Can you see clearly? If you see it wrong, that’s plotting to seize family property, committing a major crime.” Seeing that Ning Xueyan didn’t understand her meaning, the Old Madam was furious, gritting her teeth, and asked.

Plotting to seize someone’s property? Madam Ming’s own dowry, falling into the hands of her own biological daughter, but becoming a plot to seize the property of others? The Old Madam was really so shameless. Ning Xueyan’s eyes flashed with dim light, she had long been prepared for the Old Madam to threaten her, and of course, she had thought of a response.

In this life, she was no longer the Ning Ziying of the previous life, who was deceived and soft-hearted!

The ink-colored eyes blinked, with a few points of unease, as if she really doubted whether she had seen it wrong, or if Nurse Han had really taken the wrong one. She reached out to take the list from Ming Feiyong’s hand, and at the same time, she hesitated and said: “Nurse Han took the wrong one? It can’t be wrong, ah. All of Mother’s things are kept in Nurse Han’s care. How could it be wrong?”

Her words had a few points of self-talk meaning, and her hand naturally reached out. The Old Madam was excited, and as long as the list reached Ning Xueyan’s hand, she would be able to find a way to get it back. At that time, she would only say that it wasn’t, tear up the list, and with no proof, what could Ming Feiyong say?

Ning Zu’an also knew the Old Madam’s thoughts. Although he didn’t quite agree, he didn’t object either, frowning slightly, watching the Old Madam’s next moves.

Ning Xueyan’s hand was about to touch the paper in Ming Feiyong’s hand, and Ming Feiyong didn’t have much guard against Ning Xueyan. Seeing her hand reach over, he instead handed the note over and only asked: “Yan’er, I heard that yesterday, Prince Yi also said that the shop was your mother’s?”

This was a question about Ao Chenyi’s casual remark yesterday, but even with this sentence, the Old Madam’s heart skipped a beat.

Why would Prince Ao Chenyi inquire about this matter? Ning Zu’an was stunned for a moment, and couldn’t help but ask quickly. If this was said by others, Ning Zu’an felt that he wouldn’t care too much, but if this person was Prince Yi, then even if it was a casual remark, he couldn’t treat it casually.

Prince Yi’s power was overwhelming. If he was really made unhappy, nothing could be done. Compared to his own political career, the property was after all a bit less important.

“Wait, wait a minute.” He couldn’t help but speak, and he spoke a bit urgently, and his voice was also a bit out of control, it was originally meant to let the Old Madam slow down, but he didn’t expect it to frighten Ning Xueyan, and he saw her body as if she had been burned, and quickly retrieved it, but because she retrieved it a bit too quickly.

Her body swayed a bit, and she almost fell. Lan Ning, who was behind her, was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and caught her. But as she stood firm, everyone saw a gleam of light falling from her hair, making a crisp collision sound on the ground, and falling to the ground, separating from a hairpin in front of her.

The hairpin broke!

Broken is broken, it wouldn’t have mattered, but the Old Madam saw the beads on top that were different from the ordinary, and her complexion immediately turned white, South Sea Pearls, it was actually South Sea Pearls.

Although there were a few in the mansion, they had never been given to Ning Xueyan. So, the source of the South Sea Pearls on her hairpin, besides the Prince Yi yesterday, there was no one else.

South Sea Pearls, they are the most mixed, round and flawless, can be recognized at a glance, and the pearl in front of me is obviously useless. I don’t know where it bounced when it fell on the ground just now, it was actually missing a piece. The things sent by Prince Yi, were actually broken, this is too much.

“Fifth Young Lady, you…when did you start using this hairpin?” The Old Madam, with extreme difficulty, pointed at the pearls on the ground, swallowed her saliva, and asked.

“Replying to Grandmother, the beads were sent by His Royal Highness, Prince Yi. After he sent them, I went to an ornament shop, and I asked the people inside to help me design a hairpin. I used a South Sea Pearl to inlay on it. Last night, after the shop assistant finished, he brought it over. I saw it was simple elegance and beautiful, so I wore it on my head. I didn’t expect it would break.”

Ning Xueyan squatted down, annoyed, and held the broken beads and pearls in her hand, gesturing. It was obvious that they couldn’t be put back together seamlessly.

“These pearls were sent by Prince Yi?” Ning Zu’an also asked urgently at this time.

“Yes, yesterday when I went to the shop, someone was blackmailing me. When I was solving the problem, I met His Royal Highness, Prince Yi, and he specially gave me a box of South Sea Pearls.”

Ning Xueyan explained softly, and Ning Zu’an’s expression wasn’t very good. Prince Yi’s things, can they be broken casually!

“Yesterday, Prince Yi also said that the shop was your mother’s?” he then asked.

“Yes, Prince Yi did say such words. If Father doesn’t believe it, you can let Shopkeeper Yu from the cloth shop speak. He was also present at the time, and at the same time, there were some passersby and shop assistants. There were a lot of people watching at the time.” Ning Xueyan unhurriedly said, picked up the beads and hairpin, and stood up.

The Old Madam might be greedy for money, and forcibly withhold Madam Ming’s dowry. Ning Zu’an obviously wouldn’t offend Ao Chenyi, that bloodthirsty Asura King, because he would have to take the blame, even if Ning Zu’an was the Emperor’s favored official, how would it be, Prince Yi many times, does not need to buy anyone’s account.

Her gaze slid over the Old Madam’s face, which was filled with the color of greed, and then passed over Ning Zu’an’s frowning eyebrows, and finally landed on Ming Feiyong’s face, giving him a hint in secret, these things, yesterday when Ning Xueyan wrote the letter, she had already told Ming Feiyong.

“Duke, Old Madam, since Prince Yi said that those shops are my younger sister’s, then certainly, he also has evidence there. Coincidentally, I’ll present this evidence to him, and let him take a look.” Ming Feiyong no longer talked nonsense, put the dowry list in his arms, and stood up to go outside.

This meant he wanted to fight in the court.

And, plus Prince Yi will also get involved. It’s not to say that Prince Yi will testify for Ming Feiyong, just thinking about the pearls he gave, and they broke in a day, it can be said that he would cause his rage, Prince Yi has always been a capricious person, and a king’s anger, blood would flow a thousand miles, although Prince Yi is not the emperor now, but that fierce reputation is even more severe than the emperor’s, no one knows whether his mood next moment will be good or bad.

“Mother, just according to what it says on the list, give those things to Yan’er, after all, her mother left them for her.” In an instant, Ning Zu’an already made the decision, and immediately stood up, and put his hand up, stopping Ming Feiyong, but he spoke to the Old Madam.

“But…” Thinking about such a large sum of wealth slipping away from her hands, how could the Old Madam bear it? Her face was green, and white, and revealed hesitation. Those were all left for her own grandson Huaiyuan, and if they were given to Ning Xueyan, then it wouldn’t be the property of the Duke’s Mansion anymore. Thinking that the Duke’s Mansion wouldn’t get any benefits, her heart felt distressed.

But fortunately, she was not Madam Ling, although she was greedy for Madam Ming’s money, but she also knew the importance, what kind of person Prince Yi was, and how could they offend him.

This time she also remembered, that the servants came yesterday to say, that Prince Yi specially said to Ning Xueyan, if there was any difficulties, let her go find her. Although she didn’t know why Ning Xueyan got Prince Yi’s favor, but this also indicated that Prince Yi might be involved in this matter, and at that time, if it angered this person, then anything could happen.

Although money is good, it’s still not as good as life! You have to have life to enjoy money.

“Fifth Young Lady, if these shops really belong to your mother, then you will be in charge of the accounts from now on. Although your mother didn’t do well, but after all, your mother abandoned them, and she took care of the accounts.” Following Ning Zu’an’s words, the Old Madam’s mouth loosened, and with a kind expression, she smiled at Ning Xueyan.