When Ning Xueyan returned to Prince Yi's Mansion, it was a coincidence that she met Princess Xianyun's carriage at the doorway, but Ao Chenyi's carriage was not there.
Holding the maidservant's hand, she got out of the carriage and looked to the other side, where Princess Xianyun had just gotten out of her carriage. Since the two people had met, she, the concubine, of course had to wait for the principal wife.
"Sister Ning, have you just returned? How are you? Are you feeling unwell?" Princess Xianyun looked in good spirits, smiled at her, and walked up to her, speaking affectionately.
Speaking such words at the mansion gate, in front of so many people, was it really just to show "intimacy"?
"I'm fine, thank you, Princess Consort." Ning Xueyan stepped back, just avoiding Princess Xianyun's hand. Then she bowed deeply and spoke gently.
The two of them then walked inside together.
"The Prince, after having lunch at the Duke's Mansion, couldn't stay still and now doesn't know where he's gone. It really makes people worry. I don't know if he had lunch or not." Princess Xianyun said, acting like a principal wife who couldn't be more worried, completely forgetting that before, Ao Chenyi made her feel embarrassed and wronged.
Ning Xueyan smiled and answered, but did not inquire further, just casually greeted each other. They passed the Hanging Flower Gate, and the two of them each requested a sedan chair. The old women carried them towards the inner courtyard. Prince Yi's Mansion was really a bit large. It was a bit far to walk all the way. Therefore, in the area of the Hanging Flower Gate, new sedan chairs were set up. This was of course for the two new mistresses in the mansion and the female relatives and guests of the inner courtyard in the future.
Afraid they would be tired, of course, if they wanted to take a stroll, then it was best not to take the sedan chair.
Before, Prince Yi's Mansion did not have the habit of setting up sedan chairs at the Hanging Flower Gate. Anyway, there were no female masters of noble status in the backyard.
The front was a fork in the road; the two people's courtyards were not on the same path.
"Princess Consort, I won't accompany you anymore. I'm going to rest for a while now." Ning Xueyan lifted the sedan curtain and softly spoke to Princess Xianyun's sedan chair.
Princess Xianyun also lifted the sedan curtain, looked at the surrounding environment, and smiled: "How about going to see the sister's Lihua Garden? I heard that the sister's Lihua Garden is very quiet and the environment is also good. I haven't seen it yet!"
Since she had said so, it was not convenient for Ning Xueyan to refuse. She politely said: "If Princess Consort doesn't mind, come with me!"
The sedan curtain fell again, and the two sedan chairs went together to the Lihua Garden. When the sedan chair landed in the Lihua Garden.
Ning Xueyan and Princess Xianyun came out one after the other.
"The sister's garden is really not small. It seems to be even more exquisite than my garden, and it is also quiet." Princess Xianyun came out of the sedan chair, looked at the surrounding environment, and praised it.
"Maybe it's a bit remote, so it seems quiet." Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and invited Princess Xianyun to sit inside.
Nurse Han sent the sedan chair back. After a while, Princess Xianyun said she was willing to walk around and take a look. She was not willing to sit in the sedan chair, and after a while, she didn't even know the way to the Lihua Garden.
After entering the room, Princess Xianyun, again, expressed her appreciation for the decorations in Ning Xueyan's room, and then sat down, took the tea brewed by Qingyu, and smiled and asked: "Sister Ning's older brother, I heard that he is also in the imperial examination this time?"
Ning Xueyan didn't know what Princess Xianyun's intentions were on the way. Anyway, she just cooperated and casually talked and laughed. At this time, she heard the question and nodded: "My older brother is indeed in the imperial examination. I don't know how he is doing?"
Princess Xianyun's eyes flashed, "I heard that Sister Ning's older brother has a good reputation and talent, but I don't know if he is betrothed?"
"This...I'm not very clear." Ning Xueyan's face showed embarrassment.
In fact, it couldn't be considered her excuse. On the surface of the Duke's Mansion, at least Ning Huaiyuan was not betrothed. As for in private, that was unknown.
"Sister Ning, can you help me ask your Old Madam? If your older brother is not betrothed, I have a good marriage here and want to introduce it to your older brother." Princess Xianyun smiled mysteriously.
To introduce marriage for Ning Huaiyuan? A trace of shadow slid across Ning Xueyan's eyes. It seemed that today, Princess Xianyun had returned home and brought out a new trick. Everyone in the Capital City knew about the Duke's Mansion's broken matters before. She didn't believe that Princess Xianyun wouldn't know. And now, she still acted like she was introducing marriage for her older brother, sincerely wanting to befriend her.
Madam Ling harmed Madam Ming; this was a fact that everyone knew. And she and Ning Huaiyuan, because of this matter, could not possibly be good siblings without prejudice.
"This matter, it is really not good for this sister to say. If the Princess really intends to help my older brother introduce marriage, or it would be better to ask Grandmother directly." Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and directly refused. No matter what Princess Xianyun wanted to do, she didn't want to interfere.
"Sister Ning, in this kind of matter, it's always you, the granddaughter, who can speak more tactfully. If Sister Ning doesn't help me say it, and the Old Madam of your Noble Residence refuses, how much face would I lose?" Princess Xianyun coquettishly complained, and without showing any emotion, she narrowed the distance with Ning Xueyan. "Anyway, when the time comes, when things are done, the two of us will be matchmakers together, which will also be considered as doing a good deed."
"Princess Consort, I really can't go." Ning Xueyan gave a bitter smile. "Princess Consort should know about the matters of our Duke's Mansion. My older brother and his birth mother and my birth mother, they had grievances for so many years. In the end, my mother also died. Even if there is blood relation, the kindness of the birth mother is greater, right!"
Ning Xueyan's words were extremely gentle and soft. Her eyes also slightly rippled, and one could tell that her emotions were quite excited, but deep in her eyes, there was a coldness. Princess Xianyun was forcing herself to say these words, so she would follow her wishes, but would see what she wanted to do.
"Sister Ning, you are wrong. Even though the kindness of the birth mother is as great as the sky, in our aristocratic families, even oneself is sometimes sacrificed. Blood relation is always blood relation. Blood is thicker than water. Sister Ning, you are so indifferent to your older brother. It is really wrong. You can't let the two siblings not interact with each other, or even care, because of a small mistake of the parents."
Princess Xianyun spoke righteously, as if she was the one occupying the moral high ground, and she did not feel that she was the one speaking without any suffering.
"Which one is the Princess Consort talking about?" Ning Xueyan looked up, and simply did not wait for her to perform any further. Today, she had been back and forth all day, and she was really tired. She had originally wanted to wait for Princess Xianyun to leave so she could lie down early. Now it seemed that Princess Xianyun's intention was not to leave immediately.
"It's my half-sister. In terms of character, Sister Ning can rest assured that it has always been good and she is also beautiful. The reason why she has been late in getting betrothed is because her conditions are all good, and she was momentarily dazzled by the choices, so it was delayed." Unexpectedly, Ning Xueyan changed the topic so quickly. Princess Xianyun was stunned for a moment, and then immediately followed up flexibly.
A concubine-born daughter, beautiful, and dazzled by choices? Ning Xueyan really didn't know whether to sigh at Princess Xianyun's acting skills, or to say something about her speaking skills. A concubine-born daughter, and she has the qualification to be dazzled by choices? Even she, the Princess, was not dazzled by choices, so how could this concubine-born daughter be dazzled.
Moreover, Ning Huaiyuan was after all raised as a direct son. Regardless of etiquette or other aspects, Ning Huaiyuan was not bad. The previous marriages also started from the direct daughters. The delay in selecting should also be because he wanted to match a well-known young lady who was both virtuous and talented. As for those concubine-born daughters, it was not necessary to think about it.
Now, although because of Madam Ling's relationship, he had become a son of a concubine, but in the hearts of Old Madam and Ning Zu'an, they didn't think so. So at this time, Princess Xianyun asked herself to introduce her half-sister, which was clearly intended to humiliate the Duke's Mansion, and it was also through her own hands.
Old Madam's side, might even think that she had deliberately wanted to insult Ning Huaiyuan, and said a concubine-born daughter for Ning Huaiyuan.
Making the Duke's Mansion unhappy, she, the married woman, would have even less confidence. It seemed that Princess Xianyun's intentions today were truly not good.
"Princess Consort, my older brother was a direct son before, so he will only marry a direct daughter!" Although Ning Xueyan had a smile on her face, her expression was a bit cold. She simply didn't go around in circles with Princess Xianyun. "No matter how good the Princess Consort's younger sister is, she is only a concubine-born daughter. If the Princess Consort is talking about Second Miss Yun, I can go back and say something."
Since Princess Xianyun pretended not to understand her words, Ning Xueyan felt that there was no need to pretend to be ignorant anymore. Some words, if she didn't say them, Princess Xianyun would really think that she was a soft persimmon, easy to be pinched. Moreover, she had also promised Ao Chenyi before that she would manage the backyard for him. As long as Princess Xianyun was always strong, she would not be able to interfere.
So, Ning Xueyan felt it was very necessary to appropriately show her strength.
Princess Xianyun really didn't expect that Ning Xueyan would say such words so directly, and that she would dare to say that her half-sister was not of enough status and needed her direct sister to marry over. The smile on her face could not help but be a little unsustainable. She had come out of the mansion with Ao Chenyi today, but it so happened that the Prince left halfway.
So this return visit became her lonely matter. Returning to her own An Country Duke's Mansion, she felt both embarrassed and angry. Later, she discussed it with her mother, and decided to start from Ning Xueyan's side. Anyway, she, the principal wife, couldn't get any benefits, and she couldn't let the Duke's Mansion's vixen get any benefits either.
She had to make that woman an outcast, without the love of Prince Yi, and with less support from the Duke's Mansion. Ning Xueyan would eventually have to rely on herself. At that time, Ning Xueyan would become the most advantageous sword in her hand. This was the first step, marrying the concubine-born daughter to Ning Huaiyuan.
Using a concubine-born daughter to enrage the Duke's Mansion, Princess Xianyun felt that it was worth it, so she came to Ning Xueyan's Lihua Garden without regard for her hard work.
She didn't have much contact with Ning Xueyan. Although she knew that Ning Xueyan was smart, but what if the smartest woman was alone, and she had to face the loneliness as a wife, that would be even worse then her, the principal wife. She, if she were a sensible person, she would never have refused her suggestion and provoked her displeasure.
But she never imagined that Ning Xueyan would refuse so decisively, almost bluntly refusing to her face. Although her smile was more gentle, Princess Xianyun still perceived her sudden, great anger. In an instant, she heavily put down the cup in her hand, and coldly looked at Ning Xueyan.
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