After what happened, nobody could enjoy the Chrysanthemum Party. Ning Yuling was sent away by Madam Dowager. Third Prince wanted the power of Ning Zu’an. Ning Yuling had such a bad reputation of dating several men secretly, so Third Prince would not marry her if he was to get related to Lord Protector’s Manor by marriage.

He was a prince. It would be a joke if she cheated on him.

Ning Xueyan settled down back to her room. Lanning offered a cup of tea to her and asked after thinking of something, "My lady, how do you know Second Young Lady would leave Xianghong for abetting the man to tarnish your reputation?"

Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. Her eye-sight fell on a cluster of ordinary daisies. She answered coldly with her lip lifted, "Ning Yuling only got one chance. She was too proud to let it go."

Ning Yuling, who was as vicious as Madam Ling, hated Ning Xueyan so much. So she wouldn’t give up the opportunity to frame her up. She made a plan but it mixed up with Madam Ling’s plan. Madam Ling was so vicious that Ning Yuling was unlucky to take the consequence.

"What will happen to Xianghong?" Qingyu couldn’t help asking.

"After all these things, Xianghong won’t be alive. She may be flogged to death for abetting her mistress to date other men." Ning Xueyan answered peacefully.

Qingyu showed an unhappy face after hearing this. She felt sorry for Xianghong. Lanning noticed her mood and said with a cold smile, "You have sympathy for her? If they succeeded today, not only you and I would be like her, but also our lady will be killed by a white silk string."

Ning Xueyan wasn’t Ning Yuling. Ning Yuling was under the protection of Madam Ling, so Madam Dowager wouldn’t kill her. If it was Ning Xueyan, she wouldn’t be alive.

Qingyu trembled a little after hearing this and stopped her thinking. Ning Xueyan dropped her eyes slightly seeing Qingyu stopped, there was some shadow in her eyes.

Qingyu had a soft heart. But if she wanted to stay with Ning Xueyan, she must know being merciful to their enemies was killing themselves. Ning Xueyan found out this by her blood in her last life. She wouldn’t make the same mistake now.

"My lady, will Madam Ling rush to question you because Second Young Lady takes the blame?" Lanning worried about Madam Ling so she tried to warn Ning Xueyan. After what happened, Madam Ling would suspect Ning Xueyan although she had nothing to do with it.

Seeing considerable Lanning, Ning Xueyan smiled a little, and she felt warm, "Never mind, Madam Ling won’t do that. Now she was in danger herself. Ning Yuling had private relationships with other men, which was proved true. People saw the truth, so I won’t get involved."

People in the party were noble madams in the capital, so Madam Ling would be unable to turn back again.

"How about marquis? He follows his wife all the time..." Lanning was still worried. The backyard of Lord Protector’s Manor was in the command of Madam Ling. Ning Zu’an allowed this.

"He follows her all along?" Ning Xueyan showed an ironic look. Compared with his power and money, following his wife would be an alternative. Watch! Her uncle was almost ready. She wanted to know which one was more important to Ning Zu’an, dignity or Madam Ling...

Some voices came from the yard while their talking. Lanning went out to check up and brought an older female servant in.

Two maids were behind the female servant. One of them held some silks, the other had a jewelry box in her hands.

The older female servant bowed to Ning Xueyan with great respectful smiling.

"Fifth Young Lady, these were from Third Prince. Madam Dowager asked me to give you after checking up. They were simple but the color was good, which will fit you perfectly. Madam Dowager asked you to take them."

The gifts from Third Prince? Especially picking light color ones, he gave them to Madam Dowager first then Ning Xueyan took them from Madam Dowager.

Ning Xueyan never saw the older female servant acted like this. She said while frowning, "They’re gifts for grandmother, so I can’t take them. Not to mention they’re useless for me."

"Fifth Young Lady didn’t hear me clearly. Third Prince gave them to you. He picked something decent. They’re all silks and satins. I heard they’re from the national treasury. I never saw anything as good as them in our manor." The older female servant flattered.

Ning Xueyan’s eyelash dropped a little. The coldness in her eyes was covered, but her eyebrow emitted colder mood.

Seeing Ning Xueyan’s reaction, Lanning understood her right now and rebuked, "What are you saying? Third Prince gave them to my lady? My lady is noble, so is Third Prince. They won’t have a private relationship."

"Oh... no, it’s not what I meant..." Being misunderstood, the older female servant was astonished and tried to explain, but Ning Xueyan stopped her.

"Now that you said no, why do you take Third Prince’s gifts to me? People who know the truth think it’s grandmother’s love to me, but people who don’t will talk about me and Third Prince. After what happened to my second sister, do you want more troubles?"

The words were harsh, Ning Xueyan even blamed her grandmother. Her white face showed some cold smiles.

"It’s... it’s not what Madam Dowager meant..." The older female servant planned to flatter Fifth Young Lady by sending her gifts. It was unexpected she was misunderstood by the lady. The older female servant was about to explain with widely opened eyes and mouth, "Fifth Young Lady, Madam Dowager sent me here and asked me to give you..."

"You still don’t get it. You want Fifth Young Lady to tell it to Madam Dowager herself?" Qingyu rebuked with unpleasure. She was aware of it now.

Seeing the situation, the older female servant moved her eyes quickly and smiled brightly to Ning Xueyan, "Fifth Young Lady, it would waste Madam Dowager’s kindness if you refuse."

"The kindness of Madam Dowager or Third Prince?" Ning Xueyan asked coldly. Her frozen eye-sight scared the older female servant.

"Of... of course the gifts were from Third Prince. Madam Dowager sent them here."

"I can’t take Third Prince’s gifts. Please tell my grandmother. I’m the noble daughter of Lord Protector’s Manor so I won’t take them." Ning Xueyan said coldly.

"I..." The older female servant didn’t expect her to be like this so she didn’t know what to say now.

"Do you really want Fifth Young Lady to say it to Madam Dowager herself?" Lanning rebuked again.

"No... no. I will tell it to Madam Dowager." The older female servant saw Ning Xueyan’s cold face although Ning Xueyan said nothing. She would put down things and leave directly in her old time. But the older female servant remembered what Third Prince said, so she dared not to make it up. So she excused herself quickly.

The older female servant planned to flatter, but now she was kicked out. This was a shame. She felt angry so she stomped her feet heavily by the yard door and cursed something. Then she went back angrily to reply to Madam Dowager with maids, shaking her handkerchief. The little bitch dared to insult her, so she would say something bad to Madam Dowager.

The servants of Madam Dowager despised Ning Xueyan.

Lanning closed the door after they left and went back to the room. She asked uncertainly, "Fifth Young Lady, what does Madam Dowager want?"

Ning Xueyan raised her head with a cold smile on her lip, "She wants to get on well with Third Prince. Now that Ning Yuling is useless, so her focus is on me. She even wants to marry me to him in spite of what happened to Ning Yuling."

Ning Xueyan was unwilling to be a chessman of Lord Protector’s Manor for richness and dignity. What she did wasn’t for marrying Third Prince. Third Prince was obsessed with Ning Zu’an’s power so he wouldn’t break with Lord Protector, because it wasn’t good for him.

Honored Consort Ya and Third Prince paid attention to her at the moment of what happened to Ning Yuling. Madam Dowager was willing to do this. It might be better than Ning Yuling that her unfavored granddaughter could marry Third Prince.

If Third Prince was the future emperor, Ning Xueyan would earn dignity for Lord Protector’s Manor as the first daughter of it.

If Third Prince couldn’t be the future emperor, she was a useless chessman which would be thrown away easily. She wasn’t favored so marquis and Madam Dowager could handle her in the way whatever they wanted. So Madam Dowager hurried to send her gifts of Third Prince and wanted to keep her reputation at the time.

"My lady, what should we do now?" Qingyu understood it and asked hurriedly, "The older female servant was unhappy when she left. Maybe she is saying something bad about you in front of Madam Dowager. What should we do if Madam Dowager blames you for this?"

"She’d better say it. Lanning, fetch my scissors." Ning Xueyan showed a cold smile on her lip, standing up. She tried to find a way to get Madam Dowager here. Seeing the older female servant’s face, she knew she would definitely say bad things to Madam Dowager which would enrage her.

Lanning did what Ning Xueyan asked without thinking twice. She put scissors on the desk.

Ning Xueyan’s cold eye-sight fell on the scissors. She put it under the loom and smiled. "Qingyu, go to decoct medicine under the roof. Right under the roof. You need to give me the medicine when Madam Dowager is here later."

Madam Dowager wanted to use her to please Third Prince. Third Prince wanted to use her to build the connection with Lord Protector’s Manor. But she wasn’t the old her. She would be against them and use them to deal with some troubles of her own.

An older female servant who was good at medicine followed Madam Dowager everywhere.

It was said that the servant had checked all the medicine around Madam Dowager. So madam Dowager only used the things she checked.

As for Madam Dowager, she heard Ning Xueyan didn’t take the gifts and said impolite words. So she got angry and rushed to Ning Xueyan’s place with many maids and older female servants.