Chapter 626   A Trivial Incident at the West Gate of the Manor

Prince Yi’s Manor was the only manor that stretched from north to the south on the street that it was located on. Its heavy mahogany door was tall and imposing. Each day, several guards would be standing still in front of the door. Just their appearance was enough to make visitors cautious.

Whoever the visitor was, he or she would inevitably feel defeated in front of such a door and manor.

The backdoor of Prince Yi’s Manor, also called the side door, wasn’t located on the same street. In fact, there was more than one of them. The manor was so large and occupied such vast land that several backdoors were prepared for the sake of convenience. There were three backdoors in the manor. For ease of communication, the one facing the east was called East Gate, the one facing the west was called West Gate, and the one facing the north was called North Gate.

Food items such as fruits and vegetables were often brought into the manor through the East Gate. It was convenient to use that door as it was closer to the kitchen.

Garden decorations such as trees and plants were brought in through the West Gate because that was where the masters’ courtyards were. There was even a courtyard built especially for junk storage, so that was the most convenient option.

When the maids and servants were on a small errand and found it inconvenient to leave through the front door, they would typically exit through the North Gate. That made the North Gate busier than the other side doors. Of course, some of them would also opt for the West Gate and East Gate for the sake of convenience.

The East Gate would be busy at certain hours in the morning when the vegetables were delivered, but it would be deserted otherwise. That was even truer for the West Gate. No one would go there unless someone was doing repair work around the manor. It was enough for the servants to trim the plants and trees planted there. Introducing new species would require instructions from the masters.

A girl, dressed like a maid, entered through the West Gate. Noticing her as soon as she got in, the older female servants guarding the door stopped her.

One of the servants narrowed her eyes and said rudely, “Where did you come from? What business do you have?” She had every right to be proud as a servant in Prince Yi’s Manor.

“I’m here to see my cousin. She works for Consort Yun. She said she would give me something after I told her about her sickly father. Has she brought the thing?” the maid replied with a polite smile.

“Oh! You’re Consort Yun’s maid Hanyu’s cousin. Yeah, there’s something for you. Wait for a moment.” The servant became much more courteous the moment she learned the maid was a relative of Consort Yun’s people. Smiling now, she nodded and turned around to enter a small room nearby. She came out with a package.

“This is the package that Hanyu brought over. She said there are some clothes and pieces of silver inside. Take a look at it yourself.”

“Thank you very much!” the maid replied politely.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to thank me. Of course we have to take care of Consort Yun’s personal maid!” the servant said, beaming. There was a trace of flattery in her eyes, but that was understandable. There were only really two mistresses in this manor and Commandery Princess Xianyun was once Princess Yi. Though she had lost the position, she might be able to regain it.

The original consort became Prince Yi’s princess and only wife. Commandery Princess Xianyun had, at least, started at a better position. It wouldn’t be hard for her to be promoted to be a princess again. Regardless of the rumors about the current Princess Yi were slowly changing, there was one fact that could never be changed: her health had always been poor.

Who knew if she would die one day? That would leave Commandery Princess Xianyun as the only mistress of the manor. Perhaps, Prince Yi might consider this and promote her again. No one could ever predict what would happen in this manor. The Prince had a habit of causing a lot of trouble, and the Emperor would typically not interfere and let him do as he pleased.

The maid didn’t immediately leave after taking the package. “I heard there was an assassination attempt in your manor a while ago. Is everything all right?” she asked, chatting with the servant.

“Of course not! Several people died and many more were injured. But luckily, our masters are fine. The ones who died were all servants. That’s the silver lining, I suppose.” The servant sighed as if she was still disturbed by the events. All servants knew that there would be big trouble if anything were to happen to their masters.

If that were to happen, they would be implicated and the death toll would be even higher. The servant’s words were reasonable.

“I hope Princess Yi wasn’t frightened? I heard her health has always been poor.” The maid adjusted her clothes, looking ready to leave.

“Of course she was. Our Princess is frail. We don’t even know how many days she’ll stay unconscious after receiving such a shock.” The servant sighed. She seemed to be a loyal one. Knowing that a servant shouldn’t discuss her masters’ affairs so easily, she stopped speaking and walked back inside.

Since the servant had gone in, the maid couldn’t continue the conversation anymore. She turned around and walked out of the street that the side door was located on. From afar, she saw an ordinary carriage waiting for her. She looked left and right, making sure that no one was looking her way, before quickly entering the carriage. The coachman raised his whip and the carriage started to move. It went slowly like any other carriage on the street.

Inside the carriage, Hua Qiuying looked at the maid nervously. “How is it? Did you get the thing?”

“I got it, Third Young Lady! It’s right here!” The maid nodded and handed the package to her.

Hua Qiuying immediately opened the package. Her eyes brightened when she saw the clothes inside and she started unfolding them until she found a letter. It was a letter from Commandery Princess Xianyun.

After she finished reading the letter, joy lit up her face and her brows relaxed. Finally, she got in touch with Commandery Princess Xianyun.

“We’re going to the palace!” she told the coachman outside.

“Yes!” the coachman answered. He changed the carriage’s direction and headed toward the palace.

Not even the coachman noticed the other carriage on the same street, following them slowly. However, the carriage stayed its course even when their carriage changed directions. It didn’t take long before the carriage disappeared from their view.

The carriage waited until Hua Qiuying’s carriage disappeared before changing directions at a neutral pace. It took a turn back and entered Prince Yi’s Manor through the West Gate. When the older female servant guarding the door saw the carriage, she ushered it in and quietly closed the door.

Xinmei climbed down from the carriage, and then the coachman drove the carriage past her and toward the parking lot in front.

When Xinmei arrived at the Pear Flower Garden, Ning Xueyan was reading an invitation letter from Heng Yuqing. More precisely, it was from the Lord Guardian’s Manor. Their invitation was powerful, even among the aristocrats.

The invitation was for the birthday banquet of the Madam Dowager of the Lord Guardian’s Manor.

The Madam Dowager was said to be a female hero who fought on the battlefield back in the day. The former Lord Guardian owed his position to his wife’s merits. Thus, regardless of how the Lord Guardian’s Manor was doing, people had nothing but praise for the Madam Dowager.

The Madam Dowager was rumored not to interfere in her family’s business anymore but she still maintained her prestige. She was respected even by the Emperor. Thus, the invitation for her 70th birthday banquet was also sent to Prince Yi’s Manor.

Xinmei lifted the curtain and entered, saying, “Princess, Hua Qiuying came personally. After reading the letter, she asked to be taken to the palace without another word.” She had the best hearing out of all the maids, so she could hear Hua Qiuying’s voice even though the latter was inside a carriage.

The palace? Confusion filled Ning Xueyan’s glistening eyes. She was certain that Chief Hua didn’t have any allies in the palace. Out of the hundred or so women in the harem, there were only two with the surname Hua and they were the least favored ones. Yet, Hua Qiuying looked as though she could meet her ally immediately.

If Hua Qiuying could get an audience so quickly, that meant that the imperial concubine was a favored one. Moreover, when people peeked at Honored Consort Xia’s face, they speculated that she was connected to Chief Hua. With this, Ning Xueyan could be sure that Hua Qiuying was going to the palace to meet Honored Consort Xia and that Honored Consort Xia was connected to Chief Hua.

Lanning noticed something interesting as well. She prepared a pot of tea for Ning Xueyan and asked in a low voice, “Master, should we ask His Highness?”

Lanning and Mother Wang wept for two days after hearing that Ning Ziying was avenged but recovered afterward. Lanning remained calm and considerate. Aside from trusting and respecting Ning Xueyan, she was also grateful to her. They would never be able to avenge Ning Ziying with their strength alone.

“No, don’t disturb His Highness. It’s no big deal.” Ning Xueyan shook her head. Ao Chenyi would look furious and resentful every time the Hua family was mentioned. It was obvious that he hated them. Since this matter had something to do with his “unwanted love affair”, she thought it would be better to act on her own.

As for Honored Consort Xia, she was certain that there was something fishy about her. She even had a wild idea, and that idea made her even more unwilling to get Ao Chenyi involved. Honored Consort Xia thought she didn’t know anything, so that meant that she was the one working in the shadows.

Honored Consort Xia might have an extraordinary position as the Emperor’s beloved consort, but she also had a high status as Princess Yi. More importantly, no matter what happened, Honored Consort Xia would never be able to attack her openly.

And of course, she would also be attending the birthday banquet of the Madam Dowager of the Lord Guardian’s Manor.

Ning Xueyan drank some tea and pondered while holding the cup. Only then did she say, “Xinmei, tell Liu Feng to keep an eye on the backdoor of the Lord Guardian’s Manor these few days. Tell him to report back if he sees anyone unusual.” Hua Qiuying’s letter also mentioned the Lord Guardian’s Manor, so she must have set a trap there.

If the mysterious Honored Consort Xia was truly who she thought it was, the former might also appear at the Lord Guardian’s Manor. That would cause a great shock. Of course, she had also dealt with the collaboration details that Hua Qiuying entrusted to Commandery Princess Xianyun.