“If there’s a problem, you can just say it.” Madam Dowager felt that Ning Yuling was pleasing to the eyes now, so she asked.
” Eldest Brother-in-law came to see Eldest Brother just now. He said that Eldest Sister fell into the water, got injured and became ill.” Ning Yuling frowned slightly and looked anxious. “Last time when something like that happened in our Manor, my mother said that Eldest Sister was seriously injured and could not be hurt again. But this time, I don’t know if it’s serious…”
Her words were not obvious, and she deliberately avoided stating something. However, everyone present knew that it was about Ning Ziyan’s abortion. Madam Dowager’s eyebrows were furrowed. If a woman suffered bodily injuries, it would affect her reproduction system.
For Madam Dowager, Ning Ziyan’s reproduction status was also related to the friendly relationship between the Lord Protector’s Manor and the Minister Xia’s Manor. If Ning Ziyan really had any internal injuries, she would not be able to have a child in her life. It was quite serious.
“As her younger sisters, you’d better go and see Eldest Girl tomorrow. Your mother is in such a state now, so she can’t go there. I’ll ask Mother Qin to go with you.” After thinking for a while, Madam Dowager had a plan. She would never let Madam Ling go there, so she asked Ning Yuling and the others to go instead. The reason why she asked Mother Qin to go along was because some things could not be said by the Young Ladies.
Mother Qin could say the most appropriate remarks. On the one hand, she was old, so she could say those words. On the other hand, Mother Qin was Madam Dowager’s henchman. If there was something wrong, Madam Dowager would know about it in advance. Therefore, she would be mentally prepared and would know how to handle it.
“Young Lady, what’s wrong with you? Are you feeling sick again? Why don’t we go back to our courtyard and have a rest?” After she finished speaking, the maid standing beside Ning Qingshan, Caifen, shouted anxiously.
Everyone looked up and saw Ning Qingshan clutching her hands and biting her lips, her face pale as if she was suppressing her pain. She looked ghastly.
“Third Young Lady, what’s wrong with you?” Madam Dowager asked in a low voice.
“Grandmother, I’m fine. I am just in a little pain, and I’ll be fine in a while.” Ning Qingshan answered with difficulty. She opened her mouth, took a deep breath and forced a smile, but everyone could see that she was struggling.
Ning Xueyan smiled casually. The sweet smile on Ning Yuling’s face was a little stiff as if she could not keep the smile there. What a coincidence! Just when Madam Dowager decided to let them go to the Xia Manor, Ning Qingshan was sick. She was reluctant to go there!
“Madam Dowager, although the Young Lady’s injured hand is getting better these days, it still hurts a lot sometimes. I don’t know if it’s because her muscles and bones were injured.” Caifen knelt and reported this to Madam Dowager, with sorrow in her eyes, ignoring Ning Qingshan who had been pulling and winking at her.
If one’s sinews or bones were injured, it would take about 100 days to recuperate. Even if there was no sign of trauma, no one could tell at a glance, about the injuries to the bones.
Madam Dowager glanced at Ning Qingshan’s hand impatiently and said, “Third Girl, you stay at home tomorrow and let the injuries on your hand heal first. Let Second Girl and Fifth Girl go there. If such a thing happens again, you should see a doctor. The injuries on the hand can either be big or small. If your hand is disabled, it’ will be a problem”
This matter was not trivial. The Third Prince intended to marry Ning Qingshan as his co-consort and he had a deep affection for her. Because of the Third Young Lady, he did not want his cousin, who was his childhood sweetheart. But if she was disabled, Ning Qingshan would not be able to marry into the Third Prince’s Mansion.
First of all, the emperor would not let that happen. He would not allow his son to marry a girl who had a hand injury, instead of the many well-behaved, noble young ladies. The royal family could not afford to lose face. So, the Third Young Lady had to take care of her hand.
Madam Dowager remembered that she had neglected Ning Qingshan for some time, so she had decided to ask someone to check on Ning Qingshan later. She could not let anything bad happen to her, so as not to disable her hand.
Hearing that Madam Dowager asked Ning Xueyan to go with her, Ning Yuling was slightly relieved and her smile became more lively. She did not care if Ning Qingshan could go with her or not. The reason why she was nervous was that she was afraid that Ning Xueyan would discover something, so she would also find an excuse not to go.
She had to deal with Ning Xueyan first. It was better not to bite off more than she could chew. Now she had made up her mind to destroy Ning Xueyan.
“Yes, Grandmother, but…” Ning Xueyan seemed to have something difficult to deal with, so she paused.
Ning Yuling was worried again. Seeing that Madam Dowager seemed to turn to look at Ning Xueyan, she hurriedly said, “Fifth Sister, don’t you want to go? How can you do this? Eldest Sister used to treat you well, so how can you do that? Both of you are unable to go.”
Now, she only wanted to stop Ning Xueyan from finding an excuse to refuse. She did not care about whether Ning Qingshan was still there or not. She seemed to be insinuating that Ning Qingshan made such a scene because she did not want to go there.
Her words successfully made Ning Qingshan, who looked so fragile and seemed to be in so much pain that she could not even speak, look gloomy. But then, she immediately looked aggrieved. “Second Sister, I… I’m not finding excuses not to visit Eldest Sister. I’ll go tomorrow.”
“Third Sister, I’m sorry. I’m not saying that you’re making an excuse. Eldest Sister has been good to all of us. Now that something has happened to her, we sisters have to go and see her. We can’t destroy our sisterhood. However, both of you are not able to go.” Although Ning Yuling knew that she had made an indiscreet remark, she could not back off now. Anyway, she could not make Ning Xueyan suspicious and find an excuse to retreat.
“Well, stop talking. Take this maid away and flog her ten times. How could she fail to serve her master well?” Madam Dowager thumped the ground with her walking stick, and glanced from Ning Yuling’s face to Ning Qingshan’s face, with a sense of anger in her eyes. She had believed that Ning Qingshan was not feeling well before, but now when she heard what Ning Yuling said, she became suspicious.
Although she did not care about the Third Girl, was this kind of thing insignificant? Why hadn’t she heard the people from the Foggy Courtyard talking about it? But as the Second Girl said, she deliberately did not want to go and made such a scene. When she thought that Ning Qingshan was adopted, but she did not want to see her Eldest Sister, who was seriously ill, and made such a scene, without considering their sisterhood at all, Madam Dowager doubted if she was grateful.
Although the gloom on Ning Qingshan’s face disappeared in a flash, Madam Dowager still saw it clearly. She could not criticize Ning Qingshan directly, so she vented her anger on Ning Qingshan’s maid.
“Grandmother, please forgive Caifen. It’s not because she did not serve me well but I’m in poor health, so you can’t blame others.” Ning Qingshan did not expect Madam Dowager to do this. Her face turned pale, and she hurriedly stood up to beg for mercy.
Caifen, who was kneeling on the ground, was also scared out of her wits. She could not react for a moment. Originally, she was acting in accordance to what her young lady wanted. How could Madam Dowager blame her all of a sudden?
Madam Dowager looked sullen and did not say anything. Two older female servants came over to grab hold of Caifen’s arms respectively. They immediately pulled her away, without giving a thought to Ning Qingshan at all. Madam Dowager had too many things to deal with recently, so she was depressed. When she found something wrong, she vented her anger on Caifen. She thought that she had to teach Ning Qingshan a lesson to let her know who was the master of the Lord Protector’s Manor.
“Well, you’re the Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. You don’t need to say that your health is poor. And, you don’t need to plead for them if your servants don’t do a good job, because it’s what they should do. If so, they will be punished. Third Girl, don’t feel sorry for her. The servants have regarded themselves as masters and neglected the real masters. I have built up your prestige today so that they will not deceive you anymore.”
Madam Dowager said in a low voice. Then she turned to Ning Xueyan and asked impatiently, “Xueyan, what else do you want to say?”
If Ning Xueyan dared to refuse, she would not mind beating the maid behind Ning Xueyan, as well.
Ning Xueyan blinked and asked shyly, “Grandmother, I wanted to ask which kind of clothes should I wear tomorrow to see Eldest Sister? Should it be a light-colored or a colorful one. I seldom go out, so I want you to make a decision for me. ”
The flogging sounds coming from outside the window did not affect her at all. She did not see Ning Qingshan’s pale and embarrassed face. Some people always overestimated themselves. She did not know if Ning Qingshan thought so too.
Ning Qingshan was ashamed and angry now. She thought that Ning Yuling behaved abnormally today, so she did not want to get into trouble. Whether it was Ning Yuling or Ning Xueyan who got into trouble, she would be happy. She would neither interfere nor allow herself to get into trouble.
Therefore, she plotted with Caifen and created a scene. This scene was perfect. She said that she was in pain, and nobody could find the cause for the injury to the bones in such a short time. Even if the best imperial physician came, he could not say anything. After all, she had indeed hurt her hand before. It had not healed yet, so it was normal for her to have some sequelae.
Unexpectedly, Madam Dowager was irritated by Ning Yuling’s words and vented her anger on her maid. Since she returned to the manor, the servants around her were constantly being beaten, so she was in disgrace. Now, Madam Dowager had Caifen flogged because of such a trivial matter. It was like smacking her in the face. How could she not be angry?
She gritted her teeth and tried to suppress her anger. She looked at Ning Yuling and Ning Xueyan with hatred. Then, it disappeared instantly! Her beautiful face showed a hint of awe.
When she found out that Ning Xueyan was not looking for an excuse not to go, Madam Dowager felt relieved. Ning Xueyan had never gone out to visit a patient before, so it was reasonable for her to ask her now. She nodded and looked at Ning Xueyan’s clothes, saying, “Since you’re going to visit a patient, you can wear neither colorful nor plain clothes. You should dress better than what you are wearing now.”
