The banquet at the Lord Guardian’s Manor was a bustling affair for two reasons: the status of the manor as well as the identity of the Madam Dowager herself. She was a female hero that was more respected than her counterpart in the Lord Protector’s Manor. That was why she was able to receive everyone’s approval even after so many years.

Ning Xueyan left for the Lord Guardian’s Manor herself as Ao Chenyi had to stop by the palace first. Her timing was just right; she was neither early nor late when she arrived. One carriage after another entered the gate of the Lord Guardian’s Manor. Twenty servants—ten older female servants and ten young servants—stood at the gate to receive guests.

The sharp-eyed servants immediately noticed the carriage from Prince Yi’s Manor. A clever older female servant went up to the carriage at once. No ordinary family would arrive with such a lavish carriage, never mind the handful of imperial guards standing beside it. The servant noticed the sharp gazes of the guards and knew that the one inside the carriage must be Princess Yi.

She walked up to the carriage and asked respectfully, “Is this Her Highness, Princess Yi?”

Xinmei, who was walking beside the carriage, answered, “Yes, we’re from Prince Yi’s Manor. Our Princess is inside the carriage.”

Upon hearing this, the carriages and servants beside Princess Yi’s entourage slowed down and quietly made way. No one would be stupid enough to get in the way of Princess Yi’s carriage.

“Greetings to Your Highness. Please come with me,” the servant said, pointing to another gate. The gate was comparatively less busy, but everyone could see that it wasn’t meant for regular guests entering through the main gate of the manor. It was natural that Princess Yi would be led there.

The coachman flicked his horse whip and followed the servant to the other gate. The carriage entered the manor and took several turns before stopping at a separate parking lot that the Lord Guardian’s Manor had prepared. The lot was conveniently close to the second gate, the Chuihua Gate, allowing them to enter the inner and outer courtyards as they pleased.

Ning Xueyan exited the carriage with Xinmei’s help. Before she could go anywhere, she heard a familiar voice. “Cousin!”

She turned around and saw Ming Yuanhua helping Mrs. Ming out of a nearby carriage. She immediately went up to them and said, “Aunt, Cousin, you’re also here.”

This was her first time running into Mrs. Ming at a banquet. Mrs. Ming had been living a half-secluded life all these years, turning every invitation sent her way. She stayed the same whether Ming Feiyong was around or not.

Mrs. Ming adored Ning Xueyan. She had met Ning Xueyan once when the latter was still a child, but afterward, Madam Ming became a concubine and grew estranged from her brother. The communication between Ming Manor and the Lord Protector’s Manor was cut off. It wasn’t until Ming Feiyong returned that they got in touch with Ning Xueyan again. Mrs. Ming liked her bright and sensible niece from the bottom of her heart.

Ning Xueyan did everything well when she stayed in their manor before her wedding. Now that they had met again, she felt nothing but joy.

The three of them exchanged a few words at the parking lot. Then, Ning Xueyan and Mrs. Ming entered the Chuihua Gate.

Two clever-looking maids were standing beside the Chuihua Gate. One of them was Heng Yuqing’s personal maid, who had seen Ning Xueyan many times. When she saw Ning Xueyan, she immediately stepped forward and saluted her with another maid. Ning Xueyan nodded and told them to follow her. These two must be the maids that Heng Yuqing prepared for her.

This was the Lord Guardian’s Manor, after all. She was a stranger to this place. If she needed to go somewhere or look for something, it was better to have someone familiar around.

“Aunt, why have you come to the Lord Guardian’s Manor today?” Ning Xueyan asked, supporting Mrs. Ming’s arm with a smile.

“I wasn’t going to come but the Madam Dowager went through the trouble of sending me a second invitation yesterday. We used to be close, too. It would be embarrassing if I refused again.” Mrs. Ning laughed as she explained how the Madam Dowager of the Lord Guardian’s Manor sent a messenger to her manor last night.

She had been hesitating, unsure whether to come. Her many years of habit had left her out of the circle of the aristocratic married women. It was because she preferred the quiet, but also because she was a noble lady of the previous dynasty. She wasn’t an ordinary aristocrat either; she was a commandery princess. Her identity was, more or less, quite awkward.

In fact, most aristocratic ladies of the previous dynasty tend to stay away from banquets. People tend to have different opinions about things sometimes. In particular, when it came to the previous dynasty, the ladies wouldn’t know what to say. It was best for them to skip the banquets.

The invitation from the Lord Guardian’s Manor was another story altogether. The Madam Dowager was also an aristocratic madam of the previous dynasty herself, and a distant relative of Mrs. Ming. It didn’t feel right not to come. So, by the time the Madam Dowager sent a second invitation last night, she hesitated no more.

“Madam Dowager sent you two invitations?” Ning Xueyan asked, stunned. Her surprise was understandable. Two invitations were unheard of, especially when the second was sent last night. That meant the Madam Dowager thought of Mrs. Ming again last night.

What was it that made the Madam Dowager pay so much attention to a woman as low-profile as Mrs. Ming? She couldn’t help but begin pondering.

“I don’t know what happened either. Maybe it’s been too long since she last saw me. The elderly tend to be nostalgic.” Mrs. Ming smiled gently.

That was reasonable enough, but still quite far-fetched. Moreover, Ning Xueyan heard that Madam Dowager was a female hero who could kill without blinking her eyes. She might be an elderly woman who stayed out of worldly affairs now, but she didn’t seem like a person who would send two invitations.

They found themselves at the reception area mid-conversation. Hearing that Princess Yi and Mrs. Ning had arrived, Mrs. Lord Guardian personally greeted them along with Heng Yuqing and Heng Yuwan. It went without saying that they couldn’t keep Heng Yuwan on house arrest during an occasion like this for it was a family matter at the end of the day. It didn’t make sense for Madam Dowager to celebrate her birthday while her granddaughter was being locked up.

“Princess Yi, Mrs. Ming, I’m surprised you would arrive together! Come in and have a seat.” Mrs. Lord Guardian went up to them with a bright smile. Her complexion was good and she seemed to have mostly recovered. She was sincerely grateful to Ning Xueyan because both she and her daughter would be in danger of losing their lives if it wasn’t for her.

The women exchanged salutes. Ning Xueyan looked at Heng Yuwan. It seemed that the domineering girl had become much quieter. Still, she didn’t miss the trace of resentment in Heng Yuwan’s eyes when the latter glanced at her.

Heng Yuwan must despise her because of what happened at Prince Yi’s Manor.

Ning Xueyan didn’t feel apologetic about it. If Heng Yuwan had even a shred of dignity, the scandal wouldn’t have happened.

“You’re too polite, Mrs. Lord Guardian. These two must be your daughters? They’re very pretty.” Mrs. Ming hadn’t paid attention to worldly affairs for many years. When she saw Heng Yuqing and Heng Yuwan, she assumed them to be Mrs. Lord Guardian’s daughters.

Mrs. Lord Guardian would be happy to hear someone complimenting her daughter, but when that included Heng Yuwan, she couldn’t bring herself to feel any joy. She could never feel any intimacy with the daughter of an enemy who tried to kill her, but she didn’t dare to disobey Madam Dowager’s request to have Heng Yuwan follow her around.

Her smile faded after hearing Mrs. Ming’s words. “Mrs. Ming, you’ve overpraised them. Mother mentioned you earlier. She said she misses you since she hasn’t seen you in so long. She told me to bring you to her as soon as you arrive,” she said politely.

Ning Xueyan stood beside Mrs. Ming quietly, feeling amazed. Madam Dowager of the Lord Guardian’s Manor treated Mrs. Ming so unbelievably well. No matter how she thought about it, there was no reason for Madam Dowager to treat her aunt so politely. Those two might be distant relatives but that relationship ought to be destroyed along with the previous dynasty.

Even if the connection still existed, they wouldn’t stay in touch for that reason and risk the suspicion of the current dynasty.

Ning Xueyan’s uncle might be a general stationed at the border, but he was in the capital now. He wasn’t a bigwig minister either. It didn’t make sense for Madam Dowager to favor Mrs. Ming so much.

Hearing Mrs. Lord Guardian’s words, Mrs. Ming agreed to the request and turned around to tell Ning Xueyan, “Princess Yi, I’ll…”

“Go ahead, Aunt. I’ll chat with Eldest Young Lady Heng and Second Young Lady Heng for a bit,” Ning Xueyan replied, smiling. An unreadable emotion flickered in her eyes. It seemed that Madam Dowager of the Lord Guardian’s Manor was a sharp-eyed female hero. She once underestimated Madam Dowager for her failure in managing the backyard of the Lord Guardian’s Manor.

It seemed that Madam Dowager wasn’t refusing to move, but biding her time instead… Madam Dowager was waiting to see who would be the final victor. It didn’t matter to her who won. Both were her granddaughters but only the one strong enough to stay behind was the real thing!

Indeed, she wasn’t a simple person.

Since Ning Xueyan had said as much, Mrs. Ming knew there wasn’t use hesitating. She followed Mrs. Lord Guardian to Madam Dowager’s courtyard behind, leaving Ning Xueyan with the two Heng young ladies.

“Xueyan, come with me. We can have a rest there, where it’s quieter.” Heng Yuqing grabbed Ning Xueyan’s hand warmly and led her to a reception hall nearby. In front of them was the main hall. Ning Xueyan, with her status as Princess Yi, ought to be brought there but most of the guests there were older married women. Ning Xueyan might have a high status but she was still so young. She would have little to talk to the women there.

Therefore, she agreed with Heng Yuqing. She nodded and went to the side hall with her.

To her surprise, Heng Yuwan followed after them without saying anything. She didn’t seem to be overstepping the bounds of propriety, and besides, Ning Xueyan said she would chat with them both earlier. It appeared that Heng Yuwan was determined to follow her around today.