Chapter 448 - Confronting Calmly and Talking Cheerfully (1/2)
“Fifth Young Lady, please, His Highness has been waiting for you in the house for a long time. Fifth Young Lady, you are just playing hard to get and it only makes things difficult for the old servant.” Outside the house, Mammy Luo now stopped putting on an act. Her words even skimmed past Ning Qingshan and directly mentioned Ao Mingyu, with added disdain, which tightly pressured her with every word. In her opinion, Ning Xueyan now had no choice but to enter.
Ning Xueyan stood up straight. Behind her was a protruding stone amongst the fake mountains, and she reached out for the stone. Her complexion was calm, and her vision leisurely landed on the stone. “Mammy Luo, if I was forced to hurt myself with the stone in Third Sister’s courtyard, what would happen to her?”
A dainty young lady, with a flowery smile and a gentle voice, disregarded the four unsightly imperial bodyguards and the older female servant who followed her closely, as if she did not realize that she had already sunk into a hopeless situation. She smiled faintly, as a faint ripple of obedience that was hidden in her charm slowly emerged in her eyes.
However, such words were able to send chills down one’s spine. If Ning Xueyan were to die here in this manner, forget about Ning Qingshan, not even the Third Prince would be able to escape unscathed. Although there was no one in this courtyard, Ning Xueyan’s courtyard had two imperial bodyguards from Prince Yi’s Manor, and Prince Yi was never known to be a reasonable person.
Mammy Luo did not expect Ning Xueyan to be so determined, and she looked back immediately after feeling frightened all of a sudden. That direction was where the house was, but there were no signs of activity at all. The fright on her face deepened and her tone involuntarily softened. “Fifth Young Lady, there is no need for this. You and our Young Lady are good sisters. We are just inviting you over for a visit, not to harm you.”
Her eyes glanced sideways as she signaled to the imperial bodyguards. The four imperial bodyguards all surrounded Ning Xueyan, while Xinmei cautiously went forward and stopped in front of Ning Xueyan. Inside her sleeve, her fingers had held on to a dart. No matter what, she was not going to let her Young Lady meet with any mishaps, even if it meant that her identity would be exposed.
She was a secret guard. Since the moment she was offered to Ning Xueyan, she had been prepared to die for Ning Xueyan.
“Mammy Luo, do you think that these imperial bodyguards are faster than me, so I’d be unable to kill myself in time?” Ning Xueyan realized Mammy Luo’s intention and suddenly smiled enchantingly at her. Her slim fingers were quick to pull a hairpin out from her hands, as she pointed it at her throat with a smile. “What if I add this? Who do you think will be faster?”
She skimmed over the faces of the four imperial bodyguards, and eventually stopped on the shocked face of Mammy Luo.
The tapered hairpin was pointed at and was slightly pressed against her jade-like skin. If more force was exerted, the hairpin would definitely slit her throat. From Mammy Luo’s point of view, she could see a faint shade of red slowly, but clearly appearing in front of her eyes. A trace of blood slowly dispersed from the tip of the hairpin.
Such a weak-minded young lady could still remain unexpectedly composed. From Ning Xueyan’s pale and thin face, one could not see her fierce determination. She was still all smiles, as if she was admiring flowers with other young ladies, relaxed and natural, without a trace of fear and reluctance!
However, Mammy Luo shuddered in fear. People being ruthless to others does not mean that they are capable of being ruthless to themselves. However, this delicate and weak Fifth Young Lady could actually do this to herself, so she wondered if Third Young Lady was really her match.
If Fifth Young Lady were to really enter the Third Prince’s Manor, given how much the Third Prince cared about her, in addition to her firm and ruthless decisiveness, could the Third Young Lady still capture the Third Prince’s heart and attain that high position? At this moment, Mammy Luo hesitated. Furthermore, if something were to really happen, the Third Young Lady would also reach a dead end, so she did not dare to force and test it.
Previously, she pushed Ning Xueyan to desperation, but now, it was Ning Xueyan who pushed her to the brink of desperation.
“Fifth… Fifth Young Lady, please release your hand. This… this would hurt you…” Mammy Luo looked at the house in a fluster, her face pale from fear. She did not dare to take on a gamble; no matter how fast the imperial bodyguards were, they would not be as fast as the hairpin that was already pressed against Fifth Young Lady’s throat. It was so tight that a trace of blood had slowly flowed from her delicate, pale neck.
“Your Highness, can I return now?” While looking at the outwardly strong Mammy Luo, who was obviously at a complete loss, Ning Xueyan suddenly smiled sweetly as her gaze glanced past Mammy Luo and landed on the house. Her pitch was slightly elevated, but the gentle smile on her face still remained.
She definitely knew that Mammy Luo was not the person in charge; it was naturally Ao Mingyu, who was still hidden in the house.
After being exposed, Ao Mingyu stopped trying to hide. While laughing, he pushed the door open from the inside, as a refined smile appeared on his handsome face. “You don’t have to do this, Fifth Young Lady. I just have something to ask you, but it seems that I have misled you.”
With a wave of his hand, the four imperial bodyguards retreated without saying a word. Seeing Ao Mingyu come out himself, Mammy Luo heaved a sigh of relief. After greeting him, she took a quick glance at Ning Xueyan and retreated to one of the side rooms. Ning Xueyan had previously noticed that position, and there was someone peering out from the curtains. That should be Ning Qingshan there.