Chapter 386 - A Disaster that Was Caused by a Painting

Chapter 386 A Disaster that Was Caused by a Painting
Wen Xueran left Peach Blossom Island in a good mood. He had taken the draft from Xia Yuhang, but the person in the painting was not Ning Ziying. Now, he had confirmed Ning Ziying’s identity.
In the carriage, Ning Xueyan opened the painting again. She looked at the picture with her jet-black eyes and frowned. She was silent.
Lanning also looked at the picture by her side. After a while, Lanning could not help saying, “Young Lady… She doesn’t look like Young Lady Ziying!” At first glance, she found that everyone in the painting looked right, so she did not pay too much attention to the woman in the painting. But when she looked at her carefully, she discovered that her features were slightly different.
“That’s not Sister Ziying,” Ning Xueyan said with certainty.
She might have thought that the person in the painting was her, because she was angry just now, but now she could see that they were different. The woman in the picture was very similar to Ning Ziying. Her beautiful face was 70 percent identical to Ning Ziying’s. However, there were some slight differences.
The differences were the corners of her eyes, the tip of her eyebrows, and her facial expression.
In her last life, she was Ning Ziying, so she was familiar with her face. The reason why she did not recognize her at once was because she had been affected by other things. Xia Yuhang, Lanning, and the night market were all like their original appearances, so she immediately thought that the woman in the picture was her, in the previous life.
When she calmed down and took a look, she immediately saw the differences in it.
In her previous life, she was soft and did not have such a refreshing look. The woman in the painting looked like a young girl similar to Heng Yuqing. She was not gentle, but more flamboyant. The smile on her lips was brighter than hers, in her previous life.
In her previous life, Ning Ziying was reserved, gentle, and quiet.
However, the person in the painting looked brisk, happy, and outgoing, without any trace of sadness.
However, these two people were very similar.
“Could it be that the painting was not painted by Xia Yuhang? Did someone use Xia Yuhang’s brushwork to draw someone else? And that person must know a lot of secrets…” Ning Xueyan thought.
“Young Lady, she’s not Young Lady Ziying. Does Young Lady Ziying have any other sisters?” Lanning bit her lip and asked. They had such similar appearances, so there must be some connection between them. Lanning became Ning Ziying’s maid when Ning Ziying came to the Lord Protector’s Manor, so she did not know much about Ning Ziying.
“No, she does not have any sisters.” Ning Xueyan sighed. Everyone knew that there was only one Princess Royal in the former dynasty, but she had never heard of the other princesses. Therefore, she could not have any other sisters who were alive. Moreover, even if her sisters were alive, what was going on with this painting?
It was Xia Yuhang’s brushwork, but who was the woman he painted? Since it was not Ning Ziying, why was Lanning standing behind her? In her previous life, Xia Yuhang took her for walks around the night market, and the bridge did exist.
“Is it possible that Xia Yuhang knows another woman who looks very much like me? But how is it possible?”
“Lanning, when you go back, go and ask Mother Han if anything had happened in the manor recently, especially at the Cloud Reflection Courtyard.” Ning Xueyan folded the picture scroll in her hand neatly, with a cold smile on her face. She could not figure out about the painting now, but she had to find out what was happening in the Lord Protector’s Manor.
Up till now, she had not heard any rumors about Ning Ziying, which showed that people in the Lord Protector’s Manor were still forbidden to talk about her. But then, how did Wen Xueran know that she was living in the Lord Protector’s Manor in her previous life? And he even knew that she had died. The most important thing was to connect with Ning Huaiyuan. It seemed that some people had taken action.
“Yes, Young Lady.” Lanning nodded. After thinking for a while, she said reluctantly, “Young Lady, should we let them ruin Young Lady Ziying’s reputation?”
“No, you don’t have to worry about that. As a man sows, so shall he reap. However, it’s not easy to get revenge. They owe Sister Ziying more than just one life!” Ning Xueyan said softly, with a smile on her face.
There were Ning Ziying’s revenge, Xiang’er’s revenge, Madam Ming’s revenge, and Ning Xueyan’s revenge. To avenge so many people, she had climbed out of the hell of the Nine Serenities. How could she let them off so easily?
“Didn’t they want to ruin my reputation and close this murder case? Unfortunately, I won’t let them do what they want.”
Her smile was beautiful, but it made Lanning scared. The meaning of her Young Lady’s words was not simple. There was even a hint of cruelty and bloodthirstiness in her words, but it made her happy. The First Madam and the others looked graceful and generous, but they were extremely vicious.
After killing Young Lady Ziying, they wanted to humiliate her still. How could Lanning not be angry?
At this moment, Ning Xueyan had a fierce and bloodthirsty look on her face. She should be afraid, but she did not feel afraid at all. She only thought that this was the way it should be. Otherwise, Young Lady Ziying would be angry in the nether world.
Lanning had witnessed everything about Xia Yuhang, Young Lady Ziying, and the Eldest Young Lady. She also knew that Xia Yuhang and the Eldest Young Lady deceived Young Lady Ziying. And the deception ended in such a bloody and cruel way. Anyone who saw how such a kind and gentle Young Lady ended up, would be resentful.
After thinking for a while, Lanning asked, “Young Lady, could it be that the First Madam deliberately made such a scene because she was afraid that someone would find out that Young Lady Ziying’s death had something to do with Master Xia?”
Ning Xueyan looked at her admiringly and handed the painting to her. With a sneer on her face, she said, “Since they are willing to spread the news at this time, we might as well escalate it. There was a Young Lady in the Lord Protector’s Manor. She died the night before Xia Yuhang’s wedding. Besides, with her appearance, some people may want to find out what the truth of the matter is.”
Initially, she was thinking about how to dig this matter out. After all, everyone knew that she and Ning Ziying were not familiar with each other. But now, she was not the one who stirred up trouble. So, it would be better. As for whether or not someone would be willing to investigate into it, it did not matter. With her identity as the former princess of the imperial court, plus that she had sneaked into the capital city that day, she had to change her plan halfway.
She seemed to be hiding from others. If those who investigated into her knew that she entered the Lord Protector’s Manor later, they would go to the Lord Protector’s Manor to investigate. Although Madam Ling and others were vicious, they were no match for those people. Perhaps the Lord Protector’s Manor would be turned upside down.
That was great. The Lord Protector’s Manor was going to be in chaos!
“Young Lady, are you going to show this painting in public?” Lanning immediately understood what Ning Xueyan meant and asked.
“Yes, but not now.” Ning Xueyan nodded leisurely.
“We got this painting from the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min. He’ll definitely find out at that time,” Lanning said worriedly. The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min was the only one who knew that the painting was in her master’s hands. He did not look like a man who would keep his mouth shut. Maybe he would let everyone know about it at that time.
If the Lord Protector’s Manor found that the painting was in her hands and had appeared out of nowhere, they might have something to think of. It was not a good thing for the Young Lady.
“The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min won’t say that,” Ning Xueyan said confidently. The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min was by no means a simple person. Today’s encounter was indeed a coincidence. Before this day, she did not know that Heng Yuqing would invite her to see the peach blossoms. Although she did not know it, it did not mean that Heng Yuqing had not asked for an invitation from her cousin.
This painting was well-prepared. She did not believe that Wen Xueran would have this painting with him wherever he went. Moreover, the origin of this painting was so strange. He deliberately showed such a picture in front of her, which was too much of a coincidence.
One thing was a coincidence, and two things might be the same. But with so many of them stacked together, she would rather believe that it was intentional, just like she did not know why Wen Xueran was looking for Senior Nun Jing Kong. Now she also did not understand why Wen Xueran would say such a thing, and he deliberately took out this painting.
There was one thing that could be proof that Wen Xueran was related to her previous life, but she did not know what the relationship between Wen Xueran and her was!
“Where did the painting go? Where did it go?” Xia Yuhang’s handsome face showed a hint of anger. He slammed his hand on the table and asked sharply.
“Young Master, it’s… it’s Concubine Ning’s staff who took it. They… they said that they knew the people in the painting and wanted to have a look at it,” the young male servant said timidly. He knew that the painting was his Young Master’s favorite. Since the painting was completed, it had been hung in the Young Master’s study room. No one was allowed to look at it during ordinary times.
However, the maid was Concubine Ning’s, and Concubine Ning was the young lady’s younger sister. It was said that she was beautiful and would be favored when she entered the manor. He did not dare to offend her. He thought that it did not matter if she wanted to take a look at the painting. Besides, the maid said that the person in the picture was an acquaintance. Maybe it was Concubine Ning herself.
The reason why the painting was so precious during ordinary times must be because of the person in the picture!
And even if she was not the woman in the painting, the maid had said that she would return it early tomorrow morning. At that time, she would not let him be scolded.
So, the young male servant allowed her to take the painting away. Today was the wedding day of the Young Master, so he should not make the bride angry. Unexpectedly, the Young Master, who should have gone to the back, returned to the study and found that the painting was missing.
After hearing that Ning Yuling took the painting away, Xia Yuhang’s face was filled with cold anger. He swung his sleeves, stood up, and then strode out. The young male servant hurriedly got up and followed him. A place in the backyard was decorated with lanterns and streamers. This was the new courtyard that Minister Xia’s Manor had prepared for Ning Yuling. Ning Yuling entered the manor two days ago, but she had not consummated her marriage with Xia Yuhang yet. They were going to do that tonight.
When the maids and older female servants saw Xia Yuhang coming over, they all wanted to congratulate him, with joy on their faces. But when they saw the coldness on the gentle Eldest Young Master’s face, they were so scared that they did not dare to say anything.
Not long after Xia Yuhang entered the courtyard, he left Ning Yuling’s yard. Then a heartbreaking cry came from the yard.
In the central courtyard of Xia Manor, Ning Ziyan heard that and deliberately drank an extra bowl of sweet soup and ate some fruit.
In another simple yard, a skinny and almost withered looking woman stood outside the window, looking at the peach blossoms outside. Her eyes twitched, and a gloomy and horrible smile appeared on her face. “Ning Ziyan, your good days are coming to an end!”