Chapter 432: Hesitation Brings Trouble

Ning Huaiyuan and Ning Qingshan separated at the gate of Xiangfu Garden, and then returned to their respective homes with no difference in expression. However, compared to Ning Qingshan’s calmness, Ning Huaiyuan was obviously more worried. His previous injuries had not fully recovered, and afterward, Ning Zuan had not given him a good look. Then his birth mother was revealed to have such a big scandal, and then Madam Ling used another bad move, slandering Ning Xueyan in front of Ning Zuan.

And his identity also changed from the eldest son of the main wife to the son of a concubine, and the position of the designated Young Master vanished, which made him unwilling.

“Older Brother, are you really not going to avenge Mother? Is it really a coincidence that Mother has fallen to this state? Not to mention the distant past, just look at the recent events. Even if Mother were stupid, she wouldn’t do such a foolish thing, slandering Fifth Younger Sister in front of Father. Is there anything more impossible than this? But Mother just did it, doesn’t Older Brother think there is something fishy here!”

The words of Ning Qingshan seemed to be right beside his ears, with a slightly mocking tone, looking at him. And when she spoke, he was inside the room, eavesdropping on Old Madam and Ning Xueyan’s conversation with Ning Qingshan. Ning Qingshan’s gentle breath was almost exhaled into his ear, and her lovely eyes paired with a slight mockery, also possessed a kind of quite tactful charm.

Just like the pure-looking young girl back then, affectionately calling him “Older Brother,” but her eyes revealed some deep affection and a heart-palpitating charm. Although he was still a green young man, he couldn’t understand the affection in her eyes, and this kind of affection was what he disdained.

Even though Ning Qingshan wasn’t his blood-related younger sister, she was a young lady of the Duke’s Mansion, and thus his sister. And because of Ning Qingshan’s kind of affection that was expressed in her eyes, for her closeness to him, he was always arrogantly indifferent. He even breathed a sigh of relief when Ning Qingshan later requested to go to the Nun’s Abbey. He only regarded Ning Qingshan as Third Younger Sister.

He thought he was pure, so he looked down on Ning Qingshan’s behavior, but who would have thought that the emotion he looked down on the most would take root in his heart unconsciously.

Under the plum blossom tree, the charm in that glance not only stunned the Fourth Prince but also him. Or perhaps he thought that person was Ning Qingshan, so he didn’t have a great burden in his heart. He even felt a sense of relief, since she wasn’t a blood-related younger sister, since she also had feelings for him…

But who would have thought that the young girl under the plum blossom tree wasn’t the affectionate and gentle Ning Qingshan he imagined, but Ning Xueyan, who had always been hiding in Mingshuang Courtyard, the one least known, and without any special features. Who could have thought that the Fifth Miss of the Duke’s Mansion was the one who stunned people for a lifetime.

And his heart had fallen!

Helping Mother deal with Ning Xueyan, the main reason was to ruin Ning Xueyan. In order to cover up his immoral mentality, making Ning Xueyan disappear from the Duke’s Mansion was the best method. So in the witchcraft, he spared no effort to exploit Concubine Xiao Xu, and even had an affair with Concubine Xiao Xu, and had an affair with Father’s concubine. This was something he had never dared to think about before.

Helplessly, the final result was that Ning Xueyan was fine, but Concubine Xiao Xu was discovered instead. And after that, his affair with Concubine Xiao Xu would actually make Father know. When Father walked over and kicked him, he knew clearly, his whole body was trembling. Father knew, Father actually knew, how could Father possibly know? He didn’t think he had been so careful, would leave any evidence.

Afterwards, he fell out of favor in front of Father, and everything afterward completely caught him off guard. And Ning Qingshan actually wrote him a letter in Ning Xueyan’s tone, inviting him to meet. Holding the letter, he pondered for a long time, struggling in his heart. Regardless of the aspect, it was not suitable for him to go. But in the end, he actually went.

Under the night, looking at the pale figure, he was filled with mixed feelings. In a moment of carelessness, he revealed his innermost thoughts, but found that the person was not Ning Xueyan, but Ning Qingshan.

Sitting in his study, with a blank and gloomy gaze, he looked at an inexplicable point in the air. Ning Qingshan was very right in a few points. He was the future Young Master of the Duke’s Mansion. This was confirmed by everyone. Even if Father disliked him these days, he had never indicated that he wanted to establish his Second Brother as the Young Master. Therefore, this position was his, and he must not let others take it away.

The existence of Ning Xueyan not only made him discover his inner inferiority but also became the biggest obstacle to himself. As Ning Qingshan said, Ning Xueyan could not stay, absolutely could not stay.

“Great Young Master, this is the satin Third Young Lady sent to Great Young Master. Please choose a piece, saying she wants to make a piece of clothing for Great Young Master.” A boy servant led a maidservant in. Ning Huaiyuan recognized this maidservant, who was following Ning Qingshan. His gaze fell on the tray in her hand.

“Satin”, “sever”, to be indecisive is to invite disaster. Ning Qingshan was reminding him not to be soft-hearted.

He casually pointed at a piece of satin, nodded to let the maidservant leave, and then thought for a moment with a gloomy face. A trace of gloom passed through his bright eyes, and he called the boy servant in, admonishing a few words. The boy servant dared not disobey, nodded, and retreated.

Ning Xueyan took Qingyu and got on the carriage waiting at the door. This time, taking the opportunity to perform the Religious Ceremony for Madam Ming, she could be considered to have temporarily stayed away from this vortex of the Duke’s Mansion. She was about to enter Prince Yi’s Mansion to perform such a Religious Ceremony for her birth mother, which was also right and proper. Now that Madam Ming had been vindicated, she was the real Duchess. The specifications of performing a Religious Ceremony had of course risen a lot.

There were some things she hadn’t prepared before, and left Xinmei behind, which was to send these things to Hanshan Temple later.

The Duke’s Mansion was now facing scandals one after another. Ning Xueyan’s journey at this time was of course light and simple. Therefore, except for the other two old women in the carriage behind, there were only Qingyu and her in the carriage in front. Qingyu, though not as steady as Lan Ning, was now becoming more and more clever.

This time, the one to be worshipped was Madam Ming, and Qingyu naturally had to be present. She had also asked Lan Ning to notify Nurse Han before. It was always a matter of master and servant. In Mingshuang Courtyard back then, if it weren’t for the protection of them two loyal servants, Madam Ming and Ning Xueyan’s days would have been even more difficult, or perhaps they would have lost their lives long ago.

“Young Lady, this time Madam finally sees the light after the clouds have cleared. That group of vicious women, Madam Ling and her daughter, should have been punished long ago, they should have all been sent to Hell long ago.” Qingyu said hatefully with red eyes.

She had witnessed with her own eyes how Madam Ling and her daughter tortured their own Madam and Young Lady. Back then, in the whole mansion, who would speak up for Madam and Young Lady? Everyone pretended not to know. Even when she cried and went to Old Madam’s courtyard to report that Second Miss wanted to push Fifth Young Lady into the water to drown her, no one cared.

She didn’t even see Old Madam’s face and was beaten out by two old women with sticks, saying she was talking nonsense. If she talked nonsense again, Old Madam would beat her to death with a stick. Those words were not empty words, she could see the ruthlessness in the eyes of the two old women. These two old women were originally the executioners in the courtyard, and they had done no less of the task of beating servants to death.

And the purpose of Old Madam sending them out was even more obvious. Whether Fifth Young Lady lived or died, no one in the mansion cared, so many people saw it, but everyone pretended not to see it. If it weren’t for Fifth Young Lady’s good fortune, she would have died countless times long ago.

Ning Xueyan didn’t answer, only lowered her eyes, her heart was calm and without waves. Rebirth, she was to seek revenge from Madam Ling and her daughter. The result now was what she could have foreseen. In her past and present lives, Madam Ling and her daughter owed her not just her life, so even if she paid with her life again, crushed to pieces, she would also seek revenge from them.

She was not a saint and couldn’t do good to repay evil. Since she had crawled up from Hell, she was both Ning Ziying and Ning Xueyan. No matter what, she would walk this step, for Ning Ziying, and for Ning Xueyan, and more for Madam Ming. At the moment of her rebirth, she was the real Ning Xueyan.

Seeing that she lowered her eyes and didn’t speak, Qingyu wiped away her tears and asked worriedly: “Young Lady, will Old Madam send people to the temple again to force Young Lady to acknowledge Great Young Master under Madam’s name?”

Just now, letting Ning Xueyan go to Xiangfu Garden, not only did Ning Xueyan understand Old Madam’s goal very clearly, but those around Ning Xueyan also understood very clearly. At this time, besides this matter, there was really nothing else that could make Old Madam treat Young Lady so kindly. And this matter was something Young Lady would never agree to.

Madam Ling and her daughter harmed Young Lady and Madam. Even if Great Young Master didn’t directly step in, but his repeated indifference, observation, wasn’t he a helper? Now Old Madam even wanted to record Great Young Master under Madam’s name, which was really too much. The people of Mingshuang Courtyard naturally stood on Ning Xueyan’s side.

“No, even if she is shameless, she wouldn’t dare to say such a thing in front of Uncle, and moreover…” Ning Xueyan sneered, her raised eyes revealing a touch of icy coldness, and there was also the matter of Madam Ling poisoning Madam Ming. If this matter was revealed, Ning Zuan’s nobility might not be able to be preserved. Even if Old Madam wanted Ning Huaiyuan to inherit the title, she wouldn’t dare to risk losing her nobility.

If she really annoyed Uncle because of this, it would be really not worth the loss.

Hearing Ning Xueyan’s affirmation, Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief, but then immediately thought of another thing. This was what Lan Ning told her before getting on the carriage. She was sad just now, and forgot about it, “Young Lady, Lan Ning said that in Old Madam’s room just now, there was obviously someone in the inner room, it seemed that someone was eavesdropping inside.”

Someone in the room? These words reminded Ning Xueyan. She also had this bit of doubt just now, but she didn’t pay attention to it for a moment. When Qingyu reminded her, she immediately remembered that if there was someone in the room, it couldn’t be anyone else, it must be Ning Huaiyuan. Old Madam would only let Ning Huaiyuan hide inside and eavesdrop.

Or maybe there was also Ning Qingshan in this, she heard… These days Ning Qingshan and Ning Huaiyuan are getting very close. Thinking like this in her heart, her complexion suddenly changed drastically. She opened her mouth and was about to speak, only to feel that the speed of the carriage suddenly accelerated, and heard the coachman’s voice as if he was trying to rein in the horse, and then there was the sound of hurried hooves and the coachman’s screaming. The horse was startled?

After that, before Ning Xueyan could recover, the carriage seemed to have been hit by something, and it suddenly tilted to the side, and then came back heavily, then it was a period of violent shaking, someone screamed, Ning Xueyan didn’t even have time to say anything, a force rushed out from behind, and her body rushed out, and the screams of Qingyu were in her ears…