The deep autumn returned, with maple leaves ablaze and chrysanthemums exuding fragrance.
Time had slowly crept towards the eve of the Mid - Autumn Festival.
Since that little misunderstanding, Yan Zhao and Ning Yuwan had tacitly chosen not to mention it, burying their deepest thoughts in their hearts.
Yan Zhao seemed to be reincarnated as a barrel of vinegar, and the sourness filled the entire residence of the heir apparent.
If it weren't for Ning Yuwan's tender consolation, it seemed that the days in the entire residence would have been soaked in a vinegar vat.
After soothing Yan Zhao,
Ning Yuwan was even more worried about Qing Yu.
During this period, there had been no news from Qing Yu. He had once mentioned that he hoped Ning Yuwan would accompany him for the remaining days of his life.
But Yan Zhao clung to her so tightly that she was afraid he would turn the whole residence sour again, so she rarely went out.
On the day she left the poor alley, Ning Yuwan had left a wisp of spiritual power on Qing Yu.
If he was in danger, she could immediately sense it.
However, during this period, the spiritual power had not alerted Ning Yuwan, as if Qing Yu was tenaciously "lingering on".
They had been together for a hundred years. Although there was no romantic affection now, Ning Yuwan still cared about him.
She had also been trying hard to recall the past a thousand years ago, attempting to find the lost memories.
But whenever she tried to use her spiritual power to search for those memories, her heart would ache inexplicably, as if reminding her not to pursue them any further.
"What exactly happened a thousand years ago?"
Ning Yuwan lowered her eyes. Her fair and delicate hands rubbed her temples, trying to dispel the uneasiness in her heart.
"Madam, Lady Ning is here," came Lian Ye's calm voice from the outer room.
The mother of the original body?
Ning Yuwan suddenly remembered that on the day of the Queen Chu's birthday banquet, the Nings had mentioned to her that Ning Yuqin's marriage had been arranged and they wanted her to go back and help with the selection.
There were no elder relatives in the residence of the heir apparent, so she had planned to return to the Yongning Marquis Mansion to reunite with the Nings on the Mid - Autumn Festival tomorrow.
She didn't expect Yuan Qingrong to come early.
"Mother?"
Yuan Qingrong only brought a maid named Honglu out, but she had a lot of luggage as if she were going on a long journey.
Ning Yuwan carefully observed her complexion. Seeing the redness at the corners of her eyes and her forced smile, she knew something had happened.
She signaled the people in the residence to retreat, then led Yuan Qingrong into the room and sat down.
"Did Father make Mother unhappy?"
As soon as she spoke, Yuan Qingrong pouted, filled with annoyance and resentment. "Wanwan, Mother is going to divorce Ning Fengnian!"
Goodness!
She even called him by his full name!
It was obvious that the father of the original body had caused a big problem.
Before Ning Yuwan could ask further, Yuan Qingrong poured out all her grievances. "He actually kept a mistress behind my back!"
Keep a mistress?
Ning Yuwan didn't believe it. After all, in the mansion, Ning Fengnian always put Yuan Qingrong first and doted on her.
It was said that he loved his daughters the most, but in his heart, Yuan Qingrong always occupied the top position.
"Did Mother misunderstand something?"
She took out a handkerchief to wipe Yuan Qingrong's tears. "Father loves Mother the most. How could he keep a mistress?"
"That mistress has even come into the mansion!" Yuan Qingrong choked with sobs. "He, Ning Fengnian, didn't even give me an explanation. I knew then that there's no man who doesn't cheat!"
In fact, Ning Fengnian had explained.
But his explanation was worse than no explanation at all.
Yuan Qingrong was enraged when she heard his words trying to shift the blame. And that mistress had called her sister pitifully, begging for her to give in.
She was so upset that she immediately asked Honglu to pack her things and left the Yongning Marquis Mansion.
But she didn't dare to let Ning Yuwan's maternal grandfather know about this, so she could only come to the residence of the heir apparent.
"Wanwan, Mother is determined to divorce your father,"
Yuan Qingrong held Ning Yuwan's hands and said with a bitter smile. "The only thing that makes Mother happy is that my Wanwan is already married and doesn't have to stay in the Yongning Marquis Mansion and be looked down upon by those people."
Those people?
Yuan Qingrong was crying so much that she couldn't explain clearly. So Ning Yuwan turned to Honglu. "Honglu, what exactly happened?"
Honglu first glanced at Yuan Qingrong, then clenched her fist and said, "Miss, the master has really broken our lady's heart!"
Oh!
If she weren't Yuan Qingrong's dowry maid who always thought about Yuan Qingrong,
after hearing these words, Ning Yuwan would have thought she was exaggerating and sowing discord!
Honglu told the whole story, and Ning Yuwan finally understood what had happened.
It turned out that after Ning Fengnian and Yuan Qingrong caught Ning Yuqin and Tang Sanjin in bed, they had planned to marry Ning Yuqin off as soon as possible.
Before entering the palace, Ning Fengnian had found a suitable match.
His name was Jin Rong, a student of Ning Fengnian. He was an ambitious and good - looking young man.
His parents were honest and kind, and they got along well with each other.
The only drawback was that his family was relatively poor.
But this wasn't a big deal. Ning Yuqin's reputation had been ruined, and Jin Rong didn't mind. He was willing to propose marriage to her as his legal wife and promised never to take a concubine in the future.
He had followed Ning Fengnian for several years, and he was known for his integrity and determination. He always kept his word.
Ning Fengnian naturally thought it was a good marriage. After discussing it with Yuan Qingrong, they were waiting for Ning Yuwan to come and have a look.
Unexpectedly, Ning Yuqin got the news in advance and refused to marry no matter what!
She swore she would never marry someone of a lower status and still deluded herself into thinking that she could marry a marquis or an heir apparent like Ning Yuwan.
If Ning Fengnian hadn't heard her moaning "Brother - in - law Heir Apparent" in bed, he might have really considered it.
But since he had witnessed Ning Yuqin's promiscuity, both the Nings knew that she still had feelings for Yan Zhao.
The two, who had not been very assertive before, immediately made a firm decision and announced that the marriage was set.
Ning Yuqin didn't agree on the surface and was even more opposed in her heart.
So, she found a savior!
"I always thought Ning Yuqin was adopted by your father from a side branch of the family. I didn't expect she was actually your father's illegitimate daughter,"
Honglu had only told this much when Yuan Qingrong couldn't hold back and said, "How could he bear to deceive me!"
It turned out that Ning Yuqin's savior was Ning Fengchen.
A member of the side branch of the Ning family and Ning Fengnian's cousin.
Ning Fengnian had taken Ning Yuqin from Ning Fengchen's family back then.
But this time, when Ning Fengchen came, he brought a shocking scandal and a delicate woman.
The scandal was that Ning Yuqin was the biological daughter of Ning Fengnian and this delicate woman.
Sixteen years ago, Ning Fengnian and Yuan Qingrong were newlyweds, deeply in love. Soon, Yuan Qingrong was pregnant with Ning Yuwan.
At that time, Yuan Qingrong had felt sorry for her husband and had even agreed to him taking a concubine.
But Ning Fengnian had sworn that he would only have her as his wife and would never take a concubine.
Yuan Qingrong sneered. "I thought he was telling the truth, but I didn't expect he was just casually trying to comfort me and was actually having an affair with another woman behind my back."
One day, he got drunk after drinking with Ning Fengchen. When he woke up the next day, he found a naked maid beside him.
What had happened?
There was no need to explain.
The maid cried and complained, and Ning Fengchen also advised him to make the best of the situation and keep her as a concubine.
But Ning Fengnian didn't want to hurt Yuan Qingrong, so he asked Ning Fengchen to send the maid away.
He thought this matter would pass quietly.
But unexpectedly, the maid had gotten pregnant and given birth to a child.
After Ning Yuwan was lost, Ning Fengnian couldn't bear to see Yuan Qingrong crying every day, so he adopted a child from Ning Fengchen.
This child was the one born by the maid!
It was Ning Yuqin!