Ning Xueyan’s firm words made the two burly men hesitate for a moment. They exchanged doubtful looks. One went out while the other stayed behind, watching her with an unreadable expression. She leaned on the pillar beside her calmly and started closing her eyes as if she was taking a rest. She kept them partially open under her long lashes, with just enough space to keep a vigilant watch.

The burly man who went out earlier returned shortly after and yanked his companion. They started whispering in the corner of the shed, though it seemed more like arguing instead. Now and then, they would point at Ning Xueyan. Although their voices weren’t loud, their argument was getting tense.

Ning Xueyan seemed relaxed, lying against the pillar, but in reality, her whole body was tense. All of her attention was on the two big men. In a situation like this, she couldn’t afford any mistakes as a woman. Xia Yuhang was still in the Ministry of Justice, so the only one who could issue commands and control these men remotely was Ning Qingshan.

In other words, Xia Yuhang was allowing Ning Qingshan to have complete authority over her fate. Given Ning Qingshan’s hatred for herself as well as the opportunity to ruin her life, one man must be under Ning Qingshan and the other under Xia Yuhang. One thing for sure, however, was that Xia Yuhang could barely protect himself now. By comparison, Ning Qingshan might find it inconvenient to come out but she was still a concubine in Prince Xiang’s Manor.

Compared to Xia Yuhang, Ning Qingshan’s deterrence ought to be stronger in this case.

Suddenly, her hands on her knees relaxed. She reached for her wrist and pressed a button there. Earlier, she remembered the jade bracelet that she was wearing. The jade bracelet was hers, but Ao Chenyi installed poison-laced needles in it for her later on. She had never used them, so the bracelet nearly slipped her mind.

The few poison-laced needles inside should be enough to deal with these two.

She gradually relaxed, though she felt sticky with cold sweat.

Sure enough, the dispute between the two men seemed to have come to an end. The one who smiled lewdly at her earlier pushed the other away and staggered toward her.

“Little beauty, I’ll be straight with you. Since you know Concubine Ning, you should know that she doesn’t like you. She told us to rape you before throwing your ruined body to Prince Fu. Of course, we’ll be feeding you this pill before we send you over. In that state, Prince Fu will have to sleep with you if he wants to save you. And this matter will have nothing to do with us anymore.”

Wearing a wretched smile, the burly man walked over and reached out to pinch Ning Xueyan’s chin. The pill was in his hand.

Ning Xueyan knew that Ning Qingshan would never let her go. That woman would definitely give her a worse outcome than death. With a sharp glint in her dark eyes, she pressed the button on the bracelet. Once this man came a little closer, she would kill him with a single blow. As for his conspirator, he seemed easier to deal with than this one.

All of a sudden, someone kicked the door open. The loud crash made the two burly men turn their heads in shock. This was a great opportunity. Ning Xueyan pressed the button on the bracelet again and several poison-laced needles quietly struck the neck of the man in front of her. Meanwhile, the one standing at the door was kicking the other burly man.

Almost at the same time, Xinmei appeared at the window. She curled up her body and flew in through the opening, sending the staggering man flying along the way.

Her pale face only recovered some color after seeing Ning Xueyan. She immediately asked, “Master, how are you doing?”

“I’m… fine.” Ning Xueyan’s entire body almost went limp. She saw Xinmei instinctively reaching out to hold her.

The door was once again kicked open. Seeing the devastatingly handsome yet ice-cold man at the door, Ning Xueyan felt her tears falling for some reason. She cried softly, “Chenyi.”

The strength and calmness that she displayed earlier left her body almost immediately. She was just a frightened woman now.

Ao Chenyi caught Ning Xueyan nearly the moment her body went limp. Looking at her pale, almost bloodless face and lips, as well the undeniable panic and fear in her expression, he felt a sharp stab of pain. He cried angrily, “Bring Prince Xiang’s Concubine Ning here! This pill is a reward for her!”

No matter how strong and calm his Yan’er was, he was still just a woman! How dare some people took advantage of his “injury” to kidnap his woman!

Behind him, Yu Yue silently motioned at two guards. The two turned around and left the shed.

“Master, who are these two?” Yu Jian asked quietly, looking at Prince Yi who seemed to be holding his most precious treasure. Both men were kicked so hard that they fainted, but one was poisoned. Without an antidote, he would never wake.

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“Give him the antidote and then feed them medicine. I want them to be awake,” Ao Chenyi said gloomily. His magnificent face was murderous and cold. “Since they have the nerve to do this, I’ll let them do it well.”

“Yes, I’ll handle it right away.” Yu Jian nodded respectfully.

The focus on the capital was extraordinary today. First, it was Prince Yi’s Manor declaring that people from the Feudal Prince of Annan’s Manor were causing trouble and that everyone needed to be investigated. Even the city gates were closed. However, the scope of the investigation was too large and there were so many people in the capital, too. The investigation didn’t go too well and ended up dragging on until nighttime.

People were still wondering if it was true. Could it be that Prince Yi made up the story and fight against the Emperor because of the assassination attempt on him? No one could say that it was entirely impossible. Who knew if the unpredictable Prince Yi would do such a thing?

However, everyone was soon left bewildered at another piece of news. When a group of sergeants reached an empty courtyard, they saw two naked men and a naked woman frolicking amid piles of firewood. They only stopped in a panic after seeing the sergeants come in.

The woman curled up into a ball and grabbed a piece of firewood to cover herself.

To think that the investigation on the Annan rebels also led to the discovery of two men and a woman! The scandal, of course, was more attention-grabbing than the rebellion of Annan. Moreover, the sergeants were all men. When they saw what was going on, they pointed at the woman and laughed loudly. Then, one of them mentioned that she was Prince Xiang’s new concubine.

That rendered everyone speechless. They knew that this was no trivial matter anymore.

Whether or not the concubine had a low status in Prince Xiang’s Manor, she was nonetheless Prince Xiang’s woman. They had to report it. Thus, everyone waited outside and relayed their report up the chain of command. It didn’t take long for everyone to find out that one of Prince Xiang’s concubines was caught red-handed fooling around with two men while he was in a coma.

If Prince Xiang was conscious, all they had to do was send a letter to him secretly. The problem was that he was unconscious, resulting in the news being spread from one to another. Naturally, the news got more and more exaggerated as it spread. What was initially two men soon became twenty, and the affair was later said to have happened right in front of Prince Xiang…

When the news reached the Emperor, he was drinking tea in the palace. He was so shocked that the tea that had just entered his mouth immediately came out from his nose. He coughed violently.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. You must pay attention to your health,” a eunuch said, trembling as he patted the Emperor’s back.

The eunuchs behind him, as well as the palace maids, knelt on the floor. They could all see that the Emperor was furious.

How he could not be angry? The son that he had the biggest hope was now tethering between life and death. What was this about his son’s concubine cuckolding him? No matter who it was, it was extremely shameful for a man to be cuckolded by a woman. Moreover, this was Ao Mingyu, the great Third Prince, and the current Prince Xiang. How should Ao Mingyu face anyone from now on?

The Emperor panted for a long time before calming down. He slammed his hand on the table and asked angrily, “When did Prince Xiang marry that concubine?”

“Your Majesty, please cease your anger. Do you still remember that Honored Consort Ya once told you about it? The Third Young Lady from the Lord Protector’s Manor might not have a good background, but she was devoted to Prince Xiang. Honored Consort Ya was touched by her devotion and allowed her to be Prince Xiang’s concubine. She has just entered Prince Xiang’s Manor a while ago.”

The Emperor’s personal eunuch remembered this, so he immediately explained it to him in his high-pitched voice.

“The Lord Protector’s Manor. Once again, it’s the Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Zu’an, Ning Zu’an…” The Emperor was so angry that he felt as though blood was threatening to come out of his throat. There was no end to the scandals involving the Lord Protector’s Manor lately. Each of their daughters was more stupid than the other. Now, they even sent a bold and adulterous woman to Prince Xiang’s Manor. He was so mad that he was ready to devour Ning Zu’an’s heart.

Seeing how furious the Emperor was, the eunuch explained, “Cease your anger, Your Majesty. I heard that Concubine Ning isn’t the Lord Protector’s biological daughter. She’s just adopted, so her identity isn’t apparent. Moreover, Honored Consort Ya used to like her very much.” He wasn’t worried that the Emperor would punish Ning Zu’an, but that the Emperor would blame him for not explaining it well.

The Emperor was at the peak of his rage at the moment. Even if the Emperor cut him alive, as a slave, he couldn’t say anything about it.

The Lord Protector’s adopted daughter that Honored Consort Ya liked? With a reminder from his personal eunuch, the Emperor’s mind cleared up and he remembered such a person. Honored Consort Ya used to praise the concubine highly and even repeatedly expressed her wish to make the concubine Prince Xiang’s princess.

Later on, things calmed down because of the incident with Lord Protector’s second daughter and Ao Mingyu, only for the matter to be brought back up again after Third Young Lady Ning left the nunnery. Something went wrong during the drafting of new beauties, resulting in her losing her position as the princess and becoming the consort instead.

Her actions became increasingly unruly, and she dared to fight Ao Xian, Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Thus, she was demoted to a mere concubine. The Emperor heard this from Honored Consort Ya.

He didn’t know if he should be grateful that Ning Qingshan’s princess position was taken from her or if he should be angry that she cuckolded his beloved son.

Forcing down his murderous rage, he said every word with his eyes wide open, “Servants, bring Honored Consort Ya here.”