Chapter 510   The Return Home Draws Scheming Hearts

Sleeping in and returning to the family home late!

If she was an ordinary married woman who needed her maiden home’s protection, doing so would surely be a great act of disrespect. In her “current” situation, she was unfavored in Prince Yi’s Manor and had poor health to boot. Neglecting her maiden family would mean losing their support if something were to happen.

Of course, this only applied to ordinary married women. Ning Xueyan didn’t expect the Lord Protector’s Manor to protect her, so things were the same either way.

Ning Xueyan was neither late nor early when she arrived at the Lord Protector’s Manor. Mother Qin, who had been waiting at the entrance, had been looking around several times. When she saw Ning Xueyan finally arriving, she checked the back of the carriage and saw no one else following. Though disappointed, she still walked up to the carriage and greeted Ning Xueyan.

“You’re here, Consort Ning. Please enter quickly. Madam Dowager and the ladies are waiting for you inside!” Mother Qin was using Ning Xueyan’s official title this time; this was a treatment that she had never enjoyed before.

Naturally, her words also implied that Ning Xueyan was late and had been keeping Madam Dowager waiting for a long time.

After entering the manor, Ning Xueyan hadn’t gone very far before she saw Ning Lingyun walking over with her maid. She looked to be in a rush. She was still dressed plainly as always and she looked haggard. She looked completely different from how she looked a few days ago. Just about anyone could tell that Ning Lingyun looked off at this moment.

It was reasonable for Mother Qin to meet a married woman like her, but there was no need for Ning Lingyun to rush here just to greet her at the door.

“You’re here, Fifth Sister. Grandmother asked if you’ve arrived, so I came here to have a look,” Ning Lingyun said, smiling. If it weren’t for her overly pale face and obviously haggard expression, one would truly be fooled.

Ning Xueyan looked at Ning Lingyun calmly with a slight smile. “Have you been unwell, Fourth Sister? How did you end up looking like this after just two days? I heard that a lot of people caught a cold and fell sick recently. You have to be careful, Fourth Sister.”

Ning Xueyan’s question made Ning Lingyun glance at the smiling Mother Qin out of instinct. She immediately lowered her head and said in a low voice, “I... I’m fine. I’m just coughing a little, but I’ve seen the doctor a while back. He said it’s nothing serious. I just need some rest.”

“So, you’ve really fallen ill. What a coincidence. I still have some medicinal ingredients left in the Bright Frost Garden. If you need them, you can get them from me later,” Ning Xueyan said.

Since this was her trip to her maiden home, she couldn’t very well leave quickly. Madam Dowager told her that she would keep the Bright Frost Garden for her, saying that she must want to keep the courtyard around after living there with Madam Ming for so many years. There weren’t many masters left in the Lord Protector’s Manor now, so the courtyard could remain empty. She told Ning Xueyan that she could stay there whenever she comes back.

Of course, Madam Dowager only told her that because she thought that she was still useful. Knowing Madam Dowager’s character, she believed that she would make the same promise to Ning Qingshan or be even more generous. After all, the Lord Protector’s Manor had always seen more potential in the Third Prince and was also closer to him.

She had already made intention as clearly as she could and it was left to Ning Lingyun to decide what to do. However, she believed that Ning Lingyun could understand her meaning.

Sure enough, Ning Lingyun replied, “That’s great. Thank you, Fifth Sister. We do have the ingredients in my courtyard, but some of them have been kept for too long. It’s naturally for the best that you have them. I’ll come and get them from you later.”

“Consort Ning, Fourth Young Lady, let’s drop the conversation for now. We should hurry up and go in to meet Madam Dowager. She must be anxious from all the waiting. Third Young Lady is still keeping her company.” Mother Qin interrupted with a smile.

The three of them arrived at Lucky Garden in no time at all. The moment they entered the door, they saw Madam Dowager and Ning Qingshan talking and laughing. They looked so happy that the bit of grudge between them a while ago had disappeared, making the scene appear joyful and harmonious.

Ning Xueyan entered the room and curtsied to Madam Dowager. Madam Dowager immediately asked Mother Qin to support her arm and led her to a nearby chair to sit down.

“Who said that Fifth Sister received a fright that day and that her health is poor? Look at her now. She looks even healthier than before.” Ning Qingshan sized up Ning Xueyan with a bright smile before turning around to speak to Madam Dowager in a playful voice, “Grandmother, I told you that you don’t have to worry about Fifth Sister. You haven’t eaten or slept well these days worrying that she’ll be bullied in Prince Yi’s Manor. You can rest assured now!”

Ning Xueyan was also looking at Ning Qingshan. It had just been a few days since she last saw Ning Qingshan, but her changes were significant. When she came in, she thought that she was looking at Ning Yuling. In the past, Ning Yuling would also act this coquettish in front of Madam Dowager! This gave her the urge to sneer.

The Lord Protector’s Manor had become truly abnormal.

It seemed that Ning Qingshan had firmly filled the role of Ning Yuling after the latter went to Manor Xia. Now, she was Madam Dowager’s “dearest” granddaughter. The way she spoke, as well as her unbridled teasing, was exactly the same as Ning Yuling.

Ning Qingshan was truly capable to change Madam Dowager’s attitude toward her in just a few days.

On the other hand, Ning Lingyun was dressed in clothes so plain that it was almost white, comparable to those that she wore to express her filial piety to Madam Ming. A trace of coldness flitted across her pupils as she misunderstood something that only she herself knew.

Ning Qingshan lived well while Ning Lingyun clearly didn’t. This was the conclusion that she had made after returning to the Lord Protector’s Manor.

It seemed that today’s banquet wasn’t just to celebrate her return to her maiden home.

As expected, Madam Dowager’s smile vanished and she looked at Ning Xueyan with a frown. “Xueyan, have the past few days been kind to you? How do the Prince and Princess treat you? How is your health? I heard you fainted again that day. What should we do with you? Really!”

The news of Ning Xueyan fainting a second time after reaching Prince Yi’s Manor had reached the ears of every guest present. Madam Dowager was so anxious that day that she broke out in cold sweat. Fainting in the Lord Protector’s Manor and missing the auspicious time could be excused as a sign from heaven, as that accident prevented her from getting kidnapped. But how could they explain her fainting at Prince Yi’s Manor?

“I’m fine, Grandmother. The Prince and Princess are very kind to me, and my health is fine too. I was hurt before, and I was also too nervous and flustered that day, which resulted in a little accident. There’s nothing else wrong with me. You can rest assured, Grandmother.”

Ning Xueyan explained with a soft voice, smiling.

Madam Dowager gave Mother Qin a look, prompting the latter to wave her hand. All the maids and older female servants exited the room. The maid that Ning Xueyan brought with her this time was Lanning. She followed suit after seeing all the servants, including Mother Qin, leave the room and stood outside the door with Mother Qin.

Ning Lingyun and Ning Qingshan’s maids left well, leaving only a few of them in the room.

“Qingshan, Lingyun, go to the kitchen and find out when the food will be ready. Tell me if they’re ready. I’ve prepared bird’s nest soup for Xueyan,” Madam Dowager told Ning Qingshan and Ning Lingyun.

Madam Dowager was expelling the two from the room. Ning Xueyan smiled and watched everything unfold calmly.

Sure enough, Ning Qingshan and Ning Lingyun understood their grandmother’s meaning as well. They stood up and bade her farewell before walking out one after another.

Ning Lingyun, who was walking at the end, suddenly turned around to look at Ning Xueyan. Her glance contained too deep a meaning—begging, longing, and expectation. Her expression made her look even more haggard.

It seemed that Ning Lingyun’s problem had something to do with her and whatever Madam Dowager wanted to tell had something to do with it as well. Otherwise, why would Ning Lingyun give her that look?

When Ning Xueyan arrived at Prince Yi’s Manor, she could clearly see Ning Lingyun’s crush on Ao Mingyu and her feelings seemed to have received Madam Dowager’s tacit approval. She also noticed that Madam Dowager appeared very interested in revealing Ning Lingyun’s feelings for Ao Mingyu.

Ning Xueyan fully understood Madam Dowager’s approach. Everyone was well-aware that Ning Lingyun liked Ao Mingyu, and it was apparent that Ning Qingshan couldn’t win Ao Mingyu’s heart anymore. The Lord Protector’s Manor was standing firmly behind the Third Prince, so if one daughter wasn’t enough, they would just marry off two to him.

Besides, Ning Lingyun was willing to accept this arrangement and she was much better to control than the cunning Ning Qingshan. Moreover, Ning Lingyun was a genuine daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor, not someone with a superficial title like Ning Qingshan. If something went wrong, Ning Qingshan might very well plan for something else.

That was why Ning Lingyun went through such a shockingly huge transformation in all aspects. It was as if she had become someone completely different.

However, her plan seemed to be failing.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be looking so wan while Ning Qingshan looked like she was the “new favorite” of the Lord Protector’s Manor.

After seeing that the two ladies had left, Mother Qin personally stood by the door to stand watch. Madam Dowager cleared her throat and looked at Ning Xueyan with a serious expression. “Xueyan, tell me the truth. Does Prince Yi treat you well? Is he sincere about marrying you?”

“Of course he treats me well. Grandmother... Why do you ask so?” Ning Xueyan’s attitude was absolutely in line with her status as a newlywed. She appeared coquettish and bashful. Her usually pale face was flushed with a faint red and her expression was gentle.

Her current gentleness was unlike anything that she had shown in the past. Such expression could easily draw the sympathy of onlookers. Her hairstyle was also different from before. Although her hair was still lightly accessorized, her tall bun was still fastened by a phoenix-shaped hairpin with a dangling droplet-shaped gem at an angle. A hairpin like that wasn’t something one can just purchase with money.

Seeing such an exquisite phoenix-shaped hairpin as well as the happy smile on Ning Xueyan’s beautiful face made Madam Dowager feel that her speculation was wrong. This wasn’t the appearance of someone who had been neglected by Prince Yi. Could she be mistaken? With Ning Xueyan’s beauty, it was impossible for her to be neglected without ever earning the Prince’s favor.

“Has the Prince visited you these past few days?” Madam Dowager asked carefully. She shouldn’t be asking this question, as it had only been three days since the wedding and it was normal even if Ao Chenyi spent the entire time with Commandery Princess Xianyun. Still, she felt uneasy if she didn’t ask.