If Chen Hexiang hadn’t blown up the matter, Ning Xueyan would have overlooked some suspicious people.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too late…

There were traces of crime that couldn’t be removed immediately, but she had to prevent the perpetrators from taking excessive action out of desperation. Under such circumstances, there wasn’t just one person being anxious for a butterfly that had just flapped its wings…

“Get ready. We’re going to the Ministry of Justice’s prison.” She must act quickly. Fortunately, her actions were considered quick enough.

Prince Xiang’s Manor.

“Xia Yudong? Ning Qingshan, you’re really capable. You even hooked up with Xia Yudong. Is Ao Xian not enough for you that you need another Xia Yudong?” A hard slap landed on Ning Qingshan’s face, making her stumble backward and crash into the back of a chair. She felt like she was suffocating.

“Cousin, I didn’t. I have nothing to do with Xia Yudong! I did ask him to do something for me, but there’s nothing between us.” Ning Qingshan shook her head with force as her tears fell. Her hair was an unsightly mess, with a few strands hanging over her eyes from shaking her head.

“It doesn’t matter?! You’ll just make me kill him. It’s fine. How did you meet him? Speak. When did you start hooking up with him?” Ao Mingyu looked gloomily at the woman who had fallen to the floor without any trace of sympathy. “And remember, you’re just a lowly concubine now. You’ve never been my cousin. Otherwise, I can’t keep you here.”

“Cou… Your Highness, I… I wouldn’t dare. I’ll keep it in mind.” Ning Qingshan felt humiliated to receive such treatment from her lover but she had no choice but to lower her head. She was once the noblest of all aristocratic ladies but was reduced to her current state because of Ning Xueyan. Her hatred was driving her insane.

“Your Highness, Concubine Ning has never had an affair. She has always dedicated herself to you, waiting for you. Those three years were long but she never found them painful whenever she thought of you. As for Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li and Xia Yudong, it must be the Fifth Young Lady harming Concubine Ning again. The Fifth Young Lady hated Concubine Ning even back in the Lord Protector’s Manor, but who knew that she would be so cruel now, refusing to stop until Concubine Ning dies?”

Two maids were kneeling on the side and keeping quiet out of fear. Mother Luo kept knocking her head on the floor, pleading with the prince. She threw all caution to the wind and brought up the enmity between Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan to save her master.

Earlier, Ao Mingyu came in and kicked Ning Qingshan without saying anything. He berated her and then slapped her. From the look of things, he seemed determined to kill her.

“You mean Princess Yi is responsible for the Xia Manor concubine’s accusations? What a capable woman! Had I known how capable she is, I should have chosen her instead of you. You’re good for nothing. You’re just an idiot who gave me so much trouble!”

Ao Mingyu lowered his head and reached out to lift Ning Qingshan’s chin. He stared coldly at her teary face.

He wondered why he had hesitated at that time. Even though his mother opposed it, he could have insisted on his ways and married Ning Xueyan. Whether or not Ning Xueyan was as clever as this idiot claimed, at least she wouldn’t drag him down and get him involved in such a dishonorable matter.

He had just been promoted to a higher rank and it was the perfect time for him to show his governance capabilities. Little did he expect that something like this would blow up before the banquet was even over. In the end, the matter even implicated him. Whether or not it was true, the rumors were still detrimental to him. In such matters, one would be deemed guilty just by association.

If it weren’t for his many reservations back then, he could have married Ning Xueyan. Whenever he thought about how he had missed out on that woman, he would become filled with rage. He gritted his teeth and suppressed his anger. He couldn’t kill Ning Qingshan now. He still had use for her.

“Your Highness, I swear I didn’t collude with Xia Yudong. I… I just wanted his help to harm Ning Xueyan. She’s Prince Yi’s woman. Her poor reputation would also affect Prince Yi’s reputation… Your Highness, I did everything for your sake!”

Ning Qingshan explained in tears. It went without saying that she knew that Ao Mingyu was fighting over the throne with Prince Yi, so she rebranded her private enmity with Ning Xueyan as her single-minded consideration for Ao Mingyu.

“You did it for my sake?” Sure enough, Ao Mingyu’s expression eased.

“Yes… Yes… I did it all for you. If it’s for you, I’m willing to go through hell for you. All I ask is that you don’t misunderstand me… I did everything for you. I’ve never spent much time with Fifth Sister, so how could there be any deep grudge between us? It’s because of you. You… You’re the only one in my heart! I’m willing to serve you even without a title.”

Ao Mingyu’s expression improved. Although he still looked gloomy, his expression was a bit warmer. Ning Qingshan immediately reached out to pull his wrist while weeping sorrowfully.

“You’re willing to go through hell for me?” Ao Mingyu asked coldly.

“Yes… I’m willing to do anything for you. I’ll send Ning Xueyan to hell so that she can never reincarnate again,” Ning Qingshan said viciously, gritting her teeth. Her pretty face was a mess, marred by tears and messy hair. Right now, it looked even more distorted and hideous.

A trace of disgust surfaced in Ao Mingyu’s eyes but his expression betrayed nothing. He retrieved his hand slowly from Ning Qingshan’s grasp and stood up. He looked down at her and said, “Then I’ll be watching your next step. Don’t worry. If you do this well, I might just restore your position and allow you to give birth to my heirs before the rest.”

Ning Qingshan was a concubine and a concubine who entered the manor before the wife did at that. Thus, she would be given a contraception decoction after every lovemaking session to prevent concubines from giving birth ahead of the wife. That had been her plan when she entered the manor, only to realize that there were no loopholes to be exploited. A servant would almost always watch her finish the contraception decoction before leaving.

Even before entering the manor, Ning Qingshan knew that such decoction would prevent future pregnancies. By the time the wife gave birth to the heirs, her body would have been ruined to the point of being infertile. This was her greatest worry as of late. Neither rewards nor threats worked against the servant serving her the decoction. There was nothing that she could do.

Now, Ao Mingyu was telling her that she would be allowed to give birth to his heirs and live a life of luxury if she did her job well. Such good news caused her eyes to lit up and filled her with excitement. She still had a chance. She had the chance to live an honorable life as a mother to his children and to reclaim her position as his wife in the future.

After watching Ao Mingyu flick his sleeves and leave, Ning Qingshan stood up with Mother Luo’s help. Her teary face was gloomy and cold. “Mother Luo, I want to meet that woman. The sooner, the better.”

Had she known earlier, she wouldn’t have let Ao Mingyu’s men act. No matter how humiliated she would be, she should have let those people act; at least, Ao Mingyu wouldn’t have doubted her innocence. It was too late to regret now, but this wasn’t the end for her. She was a princess of the previous dynasty, so those people couldn’t truly abandon her.

And Ao Mingyu’s words suggested that Prince Xiang’s Manor would also help her accomplish her task.

That would be the best. This time, no matter what, she would get those people to act for her. She had come to a critical point in her life. She refused to believe that those people would truly let her die.

“Concubine Ning, I’ve told you earlier. It has been a while since she contacted me…” Mother Luo looked conflicted, mostly because the woman in white looked very vicious.

“I don’t care. Just tell them I’m about to die. If they don’t act this time, they should just wait to collect my corpse! The secrets of the previous dynasty will die with me, as will the last kin of the previous imperial family. I’ll also announce that I’m the princess of the previous dynasty so that they can never use me in their future plots.”

Ning Qingshan gritted her teeth, her voice bitter. She would force them to show up. They surely would. They wouldn’t let their previous efforts go to waste.

She couldn’t use anyone from Prince Xiang’s Manor now. She must show Ao Mingyu that she wasn’t an idiot and that she deserved to be his princess. The foolish Muling wasn’t a match for her. Ning Xueyan’s demise would be a congratulatory gift for her regaining her position. Her death would be her contribution to Prince Xiang’s Manor. Most importantly, that slut must die, and die of torture at that…

“Yes, I’ll go right away!” Seeing Ning Qingshan’s determined face, Mother Luo knew that there was no persuading her. So, she left sheepishly.

This was Prince Xiang’s Manor, not the Lord Protector’s Manor. Even though she had the gift of the gab, she was nonetheless a servant of concubine. She wasn’t at all respected in the manor. It was sometimes challenging for her to run Ning Qingshan’s errands but she had to try for her master’s sake.

Her master had such an honorable identity but could only become a concubine here. This made her feel bad for her. She couldn’t let her master fall to such a state, so she was willing to do anything for her sake.

Ao Mingyu went straight to his outer study after leaving Ning Qingshan’s courtyard. By the time he reached the entrance of his study, he didn’t look angry anymore, though still gloomy. The two eunuchs guarding the door immediately stepped aside after seeing him.

He strode in.

“Your Highness, have you questioned her?” The moment he stepped in, he heard a voice coming from inside. He looked up and saw Xia Yuhang sitting inside.

“Yes. She probably conspired with your second brother to harm Ning Xueyan but was exposed by one of your concubines. Yuhang, what’s with your concubine? Why didn’t you kill her earlier? Why did you let her hook up with your second brother?”

Ao Mingyu settled down behind the table, looking unhappy. The matter was only so damaging because it had blown up from within Xia Manor. It was all that woman’s fault. Not only was she familiar with Xia Yuhang, but she even had an affair with Xia Yudong. Now that he thought about it, that woman had cuckolded Xia Yuhang.