Chapter 710 Three Years Ago, Three Years Later!
Her words were like a stab into Ning Xueqing’s heart.
In the past, Ning Xueqing had never thought that one day she would become Wang Shengxue’s concubine in such a disgraceful way. What was even more unbearable for her was that her former personal maid also became Wang Shengxue’s concubine and was on an equal status with her.
It was all because of Duke Xing’s Mansion!
She gritted her teeth and felt resentful, but she didn’t dare to show it on her face and just said with a flattering smile, “Right!”
“You are quite adaptable to any circumstances!” Shao Wanru looked at her with a trace of incomprehensible coldness in her deep eyes and said, “Second Miss Ning,, are you really content to share a husband with your personal maid and be on an equal footing with her?”
She was trying to open Ning Xueqing’s old sores again. Ning Xueqing got furious, but considering Shao Wanru’s identity, she could only say, “Fifth Miss, you must be joking. I don’t really care about that, as long as my husband is pleased!!”
“As long as Childe Wang is pleased? With the help of Duke Xing’s Mansion, it’s possible for him to marry a Miss from a noble family this time. When the time comes, Second Miss Ning, you can only be a concubine for the rest of your life, and your children can only be on an equal footing with the children of your former maid and can never be the direct descendants!” Shao Wanru said gently, as if she didn’t know that her words were distressing Ning Xueqing again and again.
Ning Xueqing tried hard to clench her fists and said, “Thank you for your concern, Fifth Miss Shao. I’m willing to do anything as long as my husband is pleased!”
“Really? It’s so rare to see a generous woman like you. Second Miss Ning, I have heard of you before I moved to the capital. Speaking of which, we have a close connection. At that time, my eldest sister and the First Miss Ning had a fierce conflict!” Shao Wanru said with a smile, sounding like she was talking about the old days.
However, the two of them had no memory to share.
“The First Miss Ning did that kind of thing, and your maid attempted to set me up. In fact, I am still suspecting whether your maid and Childe Wang have coupled up behind your back since then?” Shao Wanru continued asking.
She seemed to say that intentionally or unintentionally. However, on hearing her words, Ning Xueqing immediately became alert, hurriedly shook her head and said, “Fifth Miss, I really don’t know what happened three years ago nor if the maid and my husband have coupled up since then!”
After that, she lowered her head with a bit of bitterness.
As a master, she did not know when her personal maid and her future husband had coupled up and they even cooperated to set up someone else behind her back, so that she was implicated and had to be a concubine. Anyone would feel aggrieved and sad in this situation.
Ning Xueqing’s reaction in such a short time made Shao Wanru admire her. It could be said that Ning Xueqing was one of the most responsive people she had seen.
Although she said that abruptly, Ning Xueqing could quickly react, as if she really knew nothing about what her husband and her former maid had done.
“Second Miss Ning, as the maid’s master, do you really know nothing about it? In this case, how did you manage to establish yourself in the past three years? A mansion can’t have two mistresses. Just now it seems that you live a much better life in the Wang’s Mansion than your maid does!” Shao Wanru said meaningfully.
If Ning Xueqing was really as useless as she said and knew nothing about what her husband and her former maid had done, she would have been set up in the past three years and unable to be in charge of of the backyard of the Wang’s Mansion as a concubine!
“I’m sorry to let you see this mess, Fifth Miss. I have always treated her as my younger sister and intended to bring her to the Wang’s Mansion with me, so I didn’t set up defences against her. I didn’t expect that she’s such a person. She… she set up both you and me. Since I drew a clear line with her, I have left her no chance to succeed in her schemes!” Ning Xueqing said sincerely.
“Second Miss Ning, are you displeased with her?” Shao Wanru asked with a slight smile.
Ning Xueqing did not dare to nod casually, and could only lower her head and smile bitterly, suggesting her aversion to her maid without saying anything.
“Second Miss Ning, if you are displeased with her, in fact, I can get rid of her!” Shao Wanru said in a lazy voice with a slight smile, looking friendly.
However, Ning Xueqing was nervous. She didn’t dare to look down on the Fifth Miss Shao. Although she didn’t get any information, which directly reflected the Fifth Miss Shao’s personality, judging from what had happened to her eldest sister, what had happened after the Fifth Miss Shao returned to Duke Xing’s Mansion, and what had happened to Wang Yishu this time, she had an intuition that the Fifth Miss Shao was not simple.
All these things indicated that the Fifth Miss Shao was not simple. Would such a Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion of high status help her deal with Dongxing?
Ning Xueqing pulled herself together and said, “Thank you, Fifth Miss, but…”
“You are displeased with her, so am I. Every time I saw her standing there, I thought of what happened three years ago. At that time, I didn’t have the ability or the right to do anything to her, but now…” Shao Wanru interrupted her rudely and coldly with a trace of fierce rage in her eyes.
Shocked by her conspicuous rage, Ning Xueqing took two steps back and looked at Shao Wanru fearfully.
“But now, I don’t think I can allow her to set me up without being punished and live a peaceful life until now and even for the rest of her life. Second Miss Ning, what about sending her to the government office, where she will be detained even if she can survive? When the time comes, she can no longer compete for your husband with you!” Shao Wanru continued saying, as if she didn’t notice Ning Xueqing’s expression.
Sending her to the government office? When Ning Xueqing thought of this, her face turned increasingly pale. She was the one who came up with the plot for Wang Shengxue behind the scene three years ago. If the government office looked into it, Dongxing would definitely give her away.
Three years ago, Dongxing could take the blame for her. But now Ning Xueqing was sure that Dongxing would let out the whole story and even add some inflammatory details.
In the past three years, Dongxing had been suppressed by her in the backyard of the Wang’s Mansion. As a concubine on an equal footing with her, Dongxing had become ambitious long ago and was no longer the maid loyal to her.
“Please spare Dongxing, Fifth Miss. If anything happens to her, my husband will blame me!” Ning Xueqing knelt down in front of Shao Wanru directly and said with tears in her eyes, while wiping her tears with a handkerchief.
“You are unwilling to do that?” Shao Wanru asked with a strange expression.
Yujie, who was standing beside her, had taken two steps forward to pull Ning Xueyan up. She had always been strong, so that Ning Xueqing, who wanted to keep kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy, had to stand up.
“Fifth Miss, please spare Dongxing. She lost her head at that time!” Ning Xueqing pleaded.
Shao Wanru glanced at her face and suddenly said, “I heard that you are not on friendly terms with her. But you are so kind that you allowed her to marry into the Wang’s Mansion so easily. Is it because…”
Speaking of this, she paused for a moment, but Ning Xueqing was so scared that her face immediately turned as pale as snow. If what had happened three years ago was revealed, she would definitely have to take the consequences. Although she was scheming, she was wet with cold sweat in fear at this time. She looked at Shao Wanru with imploring eyes, for fear that the Fifth Miss Shao would really take it seriously and sort through things again.
The Fifth Miss Shao had the backing of Rui’an Great Elder Princess rather than of Duke Xing’s Mansion, so the Fifth Miss Shao would not let her go considering that the cause of Wang Yishu’s death had something to do with Duke Xing’s Mansion and would even be eager to see it revealed. Thinking of this, Ning Xueqing was scared. She was pleading for her own sake rather than for the sake of Dongxing.
Moreover, Shao Wanru pointed out that she was not on friendly terms with Dongxing now, so she, who tried so hard to plead for the sake of Dongxing, must have an ulterior motive.
Although she had known that this Fifth Miss Shao was not simple, she did not expect that she would be so difficult to deal with.
Shao Wanru looked at her and said slowly, “In fact, I can spare her once, but…”
“What do you want?” Ning Xueqing asked anxiously.
“It depends on your performance! Although the First Miss Wang’s death is a shame, but…” Shao Wanru paused when speaking of this, which made Ning Xueqing’s heart tremble. “I’m the final victim anyway, right?”
Ning Xueqing felt as if her heart were in her mouth. When she was about to say something, Shao Wanru smiled and turned to leave.
Watching her leave indifferently, Ning Xueqing felt timid with horror in her tearful eyes. She understood what the Fifth Miss Shao meant. Even if the cause of Wang Yishu’s death was revealed, it would not do any harm to Shao Wanru. Even if the whole Duke Xing’s Mansion was involved in it, Shao Wanru could stay out of it!
Because Shao Wanru was the final victim!
Wang Yishu was killed as an accomplice in the plot against Shao Wanru. Speaking of which, Wang Yishu didn’t behave properly, so it would do nothing but harm to the reputation of the Wang’s Mansion if the cause of her death was revealed.
Pulling herself together, Ning Xueqing asked the maid beside her in a low voice, “Has Young Master come back yet?”
The maid shook her head and said, “Young Master hasn’t returned yet!”
“When he comes back, ask him to wait in the outer wing room, and then tell me quickly!” Ning Xueqing said after thinking for a moment. She and Wang Shengxue had planned to threaten Duke Xing’s Mansion as much as possible with the cause of Wang Yishu’s death and even try all they could to expose Duke Xing’s Mansion’s involvement in Wang Yishu’s death in front of the public.
If they got a chance, they would even push the blame onto all members of Duke Xing’s Mansion. But at the moment, she had to change her mind. The Fifth Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion was not easy to deal with. If she was really pissed off, the final victim in this desperate fight would be the Wang’s Mansion rather her.
Although Wang Shengxue now was backed by someone, the one was not necessarily willing to offend Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion. Wang Shengxue had been told that the one was willing to help them deal with Duke Xing’s Mansion, but making an enemy of Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion would make the situation tricky!
What was more, the Fifth Miss Shao was in the right now. If she was just a delicate Miss spending most of her time in the backyard, the Wang’s Mansion could do something else to silence her. But she was obviously not!
The trick they had played at Wang Yishu’s funeral just now seemed to be targeted at the First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion, but in fact, it was targeted at the Fifth Miss Shao. If the Fifth Miss Shao was very delicate, there was no need to consider her a threat. In this case, they could do whatever they wanted and even make use of the First Miss Shao to push all the blame onto the Fifth Miss Shao so that they could get some help from Rui’an Great Elder Princess.
The Wang’s Mansion intended to talk black into white!
But now, Ning Xueqing didn’t dare to set up the Fifth Miss Shao, who had crucial cards in her hand so that she didn’t dare to challenge her.
“Yes, I’m going to the entrance to wait for Young Master right away!” The maid, who was smart, answered in a hurry.