Ning Xueyan becoming Prince Yi’s consort could be said as a complete accident. The Empress recalled that there was another lady that Prince Yi favored, but the unlucky lady had the nerve to upset him. Ning Xueyan ended up being the only choice left.

Ning Xueyan becoming Princess Yi was even more incidental. The Emperor agreed to promote Ning Xueyan to calm Prince Yi’s anger as well as to punish Commandery Princess Xianyun. It had nothing to do with her as a person. It could only be said that Ning Xueyan was a very lucky person to not only escape unscathed after the death of Prince Yi’s favorite concubine, but also gain benefit.

A princess who got her position purely from luck and didn’t have Ao Chenyi’s love shouldn’t be this confident. Where did Ning Xueyan find the confidence to confront Lord Peace’s Madam so aggressively?

“Princess Ning, now that things have come to this, we have to come up with a solution, don’t we? Yun Luoluo has undoubtedly made a mistake but we can’t let the incident be known and hurt everyone’s reputation,” the Empress said. Although her expression was anything but warm, she had subconsciously eased her tone. She didn’t try to suppress Ning Xueyan as she did earlier, as if Ning Xueyan would be immediately indicted if she didn’t agree.

“The Prince will be handling this personally. It was he who had Yun Luoluo dragged out in front of everyone. If you can persuade him to accept her, I wouldn’t dare say a word in protest,” Ning Xueyan said softly, half rising out of her seat.

Persuade Ao Chenyi to accept Yun Luoluo? The Empress’s face turned cold and several wrinkles appeared between her eyebrows. Yun Luoluo had shown up in front of everyone with her clothes disheveled and her neck marked with hickeys. It was obvious that she had been caught up with a man. Yet, Ao Chenyi happened to have returned from elsewhere at that time.

If he were to accept her, wouldn’t he be admitting to being cuckolded? It was impossible to make him agree to this!

The Empress fell silent. Lord Peace’s Manor was undoubtedly humiliated by this incident. Yun Luoluo was done for and Commandery Princess Xianyun would suffer as well. They wanted Ning Xueyan to take responsibility but didn’t expect her to be unmoved by either force or persuasion. The Empress glanced at Lord Peace’s Madam, who was glancing at Ning Xueyan now and then despite weeping, and felt helpless.

Ao Chenyi was a stubborn mule and Ning Xueyan was no pushover either. This matter couldn’t be wrapped up so easily. The Empress gave a palace maid a look, and the maid nodded in understanding. She exited the room and headed to the Emperor’s study.

The Empress wanted to tell the Emperor that Ning Xueyan wasn’t an easy person to deal with and that he should be prepared for when they couldn’t make her do anything.

The Empress turned to Lord Peace’s Madam and sighed. She said rather helplessly, “Marchioness, Princess Ning is right.”

Lord Peace’s Madam, who was still weeping sadly, stood up and walked up to Ning Xueyan. She knelt down abruptly. “Princess Ning, please spare Luoluo’s life! She’s young and inexperienced!”

Ning Xueyan stood up and took two steps to the side to avoid her bow. With a cold expression, she replied, “What do you mean, Marchioness? It all depends on the prince. If you have anything to say, please say them to him. I can’t accept your bow.”

Regardless of what they had done, Lord Peace’s Manor was still the Empress Dowager’s family, and Lord Peace’s Madam was of the same generation as the Empress Dowager. Ning Xueyan wouldn’t dare accept her bow. Since they couldn’t force her, they were trying to persuade her. Naturally, Ning Xueyan noticed how the Empress reminded Lord Peace’s Madam but she couldn’t get angry at the Empress. She could only confront Lord Peace’s Madam coldly.

The mockery in her words made Lord Peace’s Madam, who was bowing at an empty chair, turn purple in the face. She wouldn’t do something so shameless if it wasn’t for her two daughters. Even so, she understood her daughters well, especially the prideful Xianyun. She couldn’t watch her beloved daughter fall into an impasse without doing anything.

“That’s enough, Madam! You don’t have to go this far. You’re a respected madam in your own right. You must not lose your dignity. This matter will be solved. Let’s sit down and talk!” the Empress said, taking the initiative to mend the situation.

A palace maid helped Lord Peace’s Madam get on her feet and return to her seat. Ning Xueyan sat down as well, her beautiful eyes turning around under her long lashes as she watched the situation develop. She wondered what the Empress would come up with next.

It wasn’t until now that the palace maids arrived with tea. The Empress had immediately confronted Ning Xueyan the moment she came in and hadn’t let anyone bring her tea.

The tea had a light, sweet fragrance. Ning Xueyan looked at the lid of the cup. She could smell a light fragrance mixed with the smell of the tea, so light it was barely discernible. With a raised eyebrow, she lowered her head and took a sip before putting the cup down. She wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief before looking up again.

“How is the tea?” The Empress also took a sip of the tea with a gentle expression, a complete transformation from her sharp and gloomy expression earlier.

“Your tea is very aromatic, Your Highness. It’s something I’ve never tried before. It’d be nice if the prince tries this when he comes over later. I’m interested to know how the tea here compares to the tea at the Emperor’s palace.” Ning Xueyan smiled, her gaze landing on Lord Peace’s Madam opposite her.

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Lord Peace’s Madam’s face lit up the moment she drank the tea earlier. For a moment, her dark expression became agitated, excited, and smug.

“Prince Yi will be coming here?” The Empress was stunned.

“Yes, he’ll be here very soon. He said he’ll visit the Emperor first and then come here to see you. As for what we should do with Second Young Lady Yun, the prince thinks it’s better to discuss it with the Emperor and you. This is a matter of the inner courtyard, after all. You’d know best. You can also help him decide.”

Ning Xueyan leaned back against the chair weakly and blinked her eyes as if she was a little drowsy.

The Empress’ expression turned ugly. Ao Chenyi was on his way here? Shouldn’t he be negotiating with the Emperor in the study right now? Why would he come over now? Was he about to reach the palace gate? She glanced at the drowsy-looking Ning Xueyan, panicking so much that she was scowling.

Lord Peace’s Madam immediately stood up and asked, “Princess Ning, are you tired? Do you need to rest?”

Ning Xueyan appeared to be in a poor condition. She looked completely dispirited as if she propped her head with one hand. She could barely keep her eyes open and looked as if she was seconds away from falling asleep.

“It’s all right. I’m not that tired. I just need to sit down. The Prince will reach at any time now.” Under her long lashes, her glistening eyes flickered with a faint light. She didn’t open her eyes as she responded in an absent-minded manner. Everyone could see that she was so tired that she could barely speak.

“Your Highness, Princess Ning is always frail. I heard she even fainted on her wedding day. Is she ill? Why don’t we take her somewhere she can rest?” Lord Peace’s Madam suggested to the Empress, looking concerned. If she hadn’t scolded Ning Xueyan so harshly earlier, one would have believed that she truly cared for Ning Xueyan.

“Not now. She can rest here. Prince Yi will be here soon anyway.” The Empress hesitated for a moment and rejected the suggestion after looking at Ning Xueyan. She ordered the maids behind her, “Maids, fetch Princess Ning a cup of rejuvenating tea that can freshen her spirits.”

“Your Highness, what good is the tea when Princess Ning looks like this? She should get some rest. What if Prince Yi gets here and sees that she has fainted? It’ll be our fault!” Lord Peace’s Manor had the nerve to go against the Empress’ words.

Through her narrowed eyes and dense, curled long lashes, Ning Xueyan watched the scene before her quietly. The corners of her lips were curved into a slight sneer. As expected, these two were trying to harm her. They had added something to her tea to make her drowsy. The drug carried a faint scent and was barely detectable when mixed in the tea.

Yet, it was very effective. Had she really swallowed that sip of tea earlier, she would be so drowsy now that she couldn’t keep her eyes open and they would be able to do anything they wanted to her. But once she mentioned that Ao Chenyi wouldn’t be wasting time arguing with the Emperor and would be coming to Chenyuan Palace, the Empress began to have misgivings. It seemed that she wouldn’t be making her move.

Lord Peace’s Madam, on the other hand, wasn’t so concerned. She was hell-bent on forcing the Empress to act against Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan wasn’t ready to defy the Empress openly, so she wouldn’t target the Empress now. She would play the role of an observer for now.

“There’s no need for that, Madam. Princess Ning can rest here. She’ll recover with some rejuvenating tea,” the Empress said.

“Your Highness, Princess Ning has poor health.” Lord Peace’s Madam was still trying to stop the Empress.

Seeing that Lord Peace’s Madam was repeatedly trying to stop her and seemed to be trying to force her, the Empress’ expression sank. “If anything happens to Princess Ning, I’ll deal with it. I don’t need you to worry about it,” she said unhappily. Although she wanted to help Xianyun, she wouldn’t do it at her own expense.

Ao Chenyi would be arriving soon. If he noticed something wrong, he would surely turn Chenyuan Palace upside down. Never mind other things, the chaos alone would have thoroughly humiliated her as the Empress of the nation. She wouldn’t be able to be the Mother of the Nation anymore or rule over the harem of three thousand concubines with an iron fist anymore.

“Your Highness…” Lord Peace’s Madam wailed.

“Enough, Madam. Maids, bring Princess Ning her tea.” The Empress waved a hand with a cold, grim face. She couldn’t afford to take this risk. Lord Peace’s Madam could stake everything on this, but she couldn’t.

“What good tea are you serving my dear princess? Can I have a try as well? I got quite thirsty talking to my brother earlier. It seems that I need a drink at your palace, Your Highness.” A sinister voice, carrying a hint of malice and coldness, resounded.

Standing at the door was a devastatingly beautiful young man dressed in a dark brocade. He walked in slowly as if he was treading on a sea of blooming red spider lilies in hell.

The Empress turned pale and Lord Peace’s Madam looked despairing. Only Ning Xueyan looked at the door with a soft smile. He had come right on time!