Chapter 553   The Right Crossroad of the Three

She remembered how she had been scolded when she tried to stop Concubine Yun from letting Heng Yuqing marry into Prince Yi’s Manor. Concubine Yun said that a man of Prince Yi’s temper would never fall for Heng Yuqing. Now that she had seen what great beauties Commandery Princess Xianyun and Consort Ning were, it was obvious that Heng Yuqing was far inferior to them.

If even such charming and beautiful women failed to win Prince Yi’s heart, Heng Yuqing wouldn’t stand a chance.

Still, she was worried. Lord Guardian’s Manor was a great example. Heng Yuqing’s mother was much prettier than Concubine Yun, but the latter still won Lord Guardian’s favor. She had once overheard her nanny secretly telling others that appearances were important when it came to liking someone, but other factors were too.

Who knew if Heng Yuqing would somehow get Prince Yi to fall for her?

Thus, upon receiving Concubine Yun’s order to follow Heng Yuqing to the Prince Yi’s Manor and watch her closely, Heng Yuwan agreed without hesitation. She watched Heng Yuqing enter without a word. She, too, was curious about the kind of person Prince Yi was and whether he would be interested in Heng Yuqing.

According to the maids in the manor, their father decided to give Heng Yuqing to Prince Yi after hearing that he liked her. This meant that Heng Yuqing might have very likely earned the prince’s favor. If Heng Yuqing were able to win the prince’s heart, it would spell disaster to her and Concubine Yun.

No, she must watch Heng Yuqing closely and go home to warn Concubine Yun. She must not let Heng Yuqing hit this jackpot.

In order for her and her mother to flourish, Heng Yuqing and her mother must be doomed.

Thus, Heng Yuqing’s bashful and timid question was particularly noteworthy to Heng Yuwan. She was curious if Prince Yi would treat Heng Yuqing differently.

“Prince Yi treats us very well. Look, we haven’t even been here for long but we’re allowed to invite guests. He even said that when he’s free, he would take the Princess and me for a stroll in the palace and meet the royal consorts there. After all, we can’t harm the reputation of Prince Yi’s Manor.”

Ning Xueyan wore a bright smile when she spoke in a very soft voice. From where Heng Yuwan was, she could see Ning Xueyan lowering her head with a bashful expression.

She was stunned.

Wasn’t it said that both the princess and consort weren’t favored? How much more was expected from the prince if this level of concern wasn’t satisfactory?

“His Highness is so kind to you two,” Heng Yuqing said enviously.

“Well, yes. It wasn’t until I married him that I found out how well he treats his family. The time I returned to my family manor... Well, you know what happened...” Ning Xueyan’s voice became softer toward the end. Heng Yuwan stole a glance at her and noticed that the two of them were almost whispering into each other’s ears. Still, she could hear their conversation because of their proximity.

The maids weren’t around so only three of them were in the room. She could still hear them if she strained her ears.

“Do you know what my second sister did? When I went home the other day, she tried to cook up a scheme to restore her mother’s position. My grandmother and father had her beaten up and sent back to Xia Manor like the embarrassment that she was. Later, I heard that... she was gone!”

Ning Xueyan’s words were soft and cheerful even, but they managed to elicit cold sweat from Heng Yuwan.

What happened to Ning Yuling was a scandal among the noble ladies and Heng Yuwan was no stranger to it. The Lord Protector’s Manor had caused so many scandals that it was hard not to notice. The woman that Ning Xueyan was talking about was Madam Ling, Ning Yuling’s biological mother and the former mistress of Lord Protector’s Manor. It was said that she was removed from her position because of her malicious plot to frame her predecessor.

Judging from Ning Xueyan’s words, it seemed that Ning Yuling had aided Madam Ling in harming Ning Xueyan. But since Ning Xueyan had Prince Yi’s support, not only did Ning Yuling fail but she even lost her life for it.

How could Heng Yuwan not be shocked? She put herself in their shoes. If Heng Yuqing was Ning Xueyan, Concubine Yun would be Madam Ling and she would be Ning Yuling. Perhaps she couldn’t even be compared to the likes of Ning Yuling, for the latter was once the first wife’s daughter and quite famous among the noble ladies in the capital too.

Yet... Yet, such a woman met with such an end.

Some things were better left untouched, for the more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. It was said that Ning Xueyan’s biological mother was born frail. Similarly, Heng Yuqing’s mother was also battling an illness. Thanks to Prince Yi’s support, Ning Xueyan was able to avenge her deceased mother and remove Madam Ling from her position. Madam Ling’s children weren’t spared either. Even her son, originally meant to be the first wife’s son, had no future now.

Concubine Yun had no sons, only a daughter. Even after Madam of the Lord Guardian’s Manor passed away and Concubine Yun became the new madam, Heng Yuqing could still drag the latter down upon gaining power. And she might suffer a fate worse than Ning Yuling.

Upon realizing this, Heng Yuwan was so terrified that she broke out in a sweat and her face turned greenish as she clutched her handkerchief.

“Second Young Lady, Second Young Lady...” A voice suddenly entered her ears. A moment of surprise later, she immediately raised her head and saw Ning Xueyan smiling gently at her.

“What is it, Consort Ning?” Heng Yuwan calmed down and forced a smile. Her thoughts were a mess.

“Why don’t we go on a walk? Our garden is quite nice. We have a variety of flowers here, many of which were brought from other places and only available in the palace. Would you like to take a look?” Ning Xueyan invited, smiling.

A restless Heng Yuwan stood up and forced a laugh. “Okay, let’s go and have a look!”

The three of them walked out of the courtyard and walked down a path. Initially, they were chatting and laughing side by side, but the path gradually became too small for them to walk together. Moreover, Heng Yuwan was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn’t in the mood to chat with them. She gradually fell behind them by seven or eight steps.

Their maids followed them from a distance for fear of disturbing them.

“Xueyan, do you think she heard it?” Heng Yuqing asked quietly, stealing an uneasy glance at Heng Yuwan. Ning Xueyan had spoken so softly earlier that she was afraid that Heng Yuwan didn’t hear her.

“Of course! Don’t worry about it.” Ning Xueyan smiled, shooting a seemingly inadvertent glance at Heng Yuwan. When Heng Yuwan first reached the manor, she behaved so arrogantly that it was as if she was afraid that people wouldn’t know she was the most adored daughter of the Lord Guardian’s Manor. She kept bringing up her father and biological mother, showing no respect whatsoever to Heng Yuqing.

Heng Yuwan was so well-behaved now as if nothing had happened. Judging by her solemn expression, she must have heard Ning Xueyan and Heng Yuqing’s conversation earlier. Ning Xueyan was aware of the close relationship between Commandery Princess Xianyun and Concubine Yun of the Lord Guardian’s Manor. As expected, her letter last night had indeed summoned another guest along with Heng Yuqing.

Of course, this was her goal all along.

Since Commandery Princess Xianyun had schemed to get Heng Yuqing into the manor and turn her into a pawn, she had to return the favor as well. If Concubine Yun were to gain power, the Lord Guardian’s Manor would surely side with the Lord Peace’s Manor and Heng Yuqing and her mother would become the sacrificial lambs. This reminded her of herself.

After turning the corner, several forks in the road appeared. Ning Xueyan pointed at one of them and said, “Let’s sit there and talk.”

Heng Yuqing nodded. She didn’t care either way. She had only said such things to Heng Yuwan yesterday because Ning Xueyan told her to anger Heng Yuwan. Since they had run into each other at the door, she would provoke Heng Yuwan even if the latter ignored her. Her mother was still bedridden; she must not let Heng Yuwan and her mother do anything to her.

After taking one of the roads, they came to another turn. Ning Xueyan led Heng Yuqing out of Heng Yuwan’s line of sight. Heng Yuwan had been preoccupied with her thoughts, racking her brain for a way to stop Heng Yuqing from marrying into Prince Yi’s Manor. Concubine Yun told her that this matter had already been reported to the Empress, which was to say that their family couldn’t just rescind the offer even if they wanted to.

What should she do? She must not let Heng Yuqing win Prince Yi’s support or she and her mother would be doomed. Just look at Madam Ling and Ning Yuling. Not only did they die, but they lost their reputation as well. Heng Yuwan felt terrified at the thought of such a fate awaiting her and her mother.

No, she must not let Heng Yuqing marry into Prince Yi’s Manor.

She continued to walk with such thoughts in mind. It wasn’t until she arrived at the crossroads that she noticed the two were missing. She looked around and found that she was all alone. She stopped walking and waited for the maids to catch up.

There were three maids following them. It so happened that she and Heng Yuqing brought a maid each. Lanning had chatted and laughed with them the entire time as their masters weren’t around. The maids had relaxed as well, especially since the view at Prince Yi’s Manor was spectacular. With Lanning livening up the situation, the three of them got along quite well.

They stopped when they saw Heng Yuwan standing at the crossroads.

“Second Young Lady, why did you stop?” Lanning asked, grinning.

“I was so engrossed with the view that I fell behind. When I got here, I found that Eldest Sister and Consort Ning were gone. Did you see which road they took?” Heng Yuwan asked, frowning.

There were three forks at the road, with one leading to the left and the other leading right. It was a mystery as to which road those two had taken!

Heng Yuwan became increasingly frustrated. It was apparent that Ning Xueyan got along with Heng Yuwan wonderfully. If Heng Yuqing were to enter the manor, they would surely become close friends and Ning Xueyan would help her. If Ning Xueyan used the same tactics she used at the Lord Protector’s Manor against her and Concubine Yun, coupled with Prince Yi’s support, Heng Yuwan believed that she and her mother would surely be ruined and killed.

“Don’t worry, Second Young Lady. I’ll come over and take a look!” Lanning said. She walked past Heng Yuwan, stepping forward to take a closer look while muttering to herself.

“The middle road leads to the Prince’s study. He would be resting there at this hour, so they wouldn’t take this road. The road on the right leads to the Princess’ courtyard, so this isn’t it either.”

After muttering to herself, Lanning turned her head and smiled at Heng Yuwan. She pointed to the road on the left and said with certainty, “Second Young Lady, I think my master and the First Young Lady must have taken this road. There’s a flower garden up ahead, with exotic flowers and plants that our Prince gathered from all over the world. I’m sure this is the right one.”