Ning Xueyan frowned and said in confusion, "Father, does this matter have anything to do with mother? Concubine Ma said that this matter is not what I thought. She also said that she would tell me later when she had the chance."

Concubine Ma did not say anything. Knowing that, Madam Dowager and Ning Zu’an looked at each other. They felt shocked, but also relieved.

Madam Dowager finally smiled and euphemistically said, "This matter naturally has nothing to do with your mother. The womenfolk’s courtyard is under your mother’s control. When something like this happened, she is also sad and should take the responsibility. Since Concubine Ma isn’t pregnant, I’ll let her tell the truth. She dared to lie to me. It’s detestable of her!"

Madam Dowager dumped the blame on Concubine Ma, even though she knew Madam Ling was behind this evil. In such a big manor, no one really cared about Ning Xueyan.

For the people of Lord Protector’s Manor, kinship meant nothing. In this glorious Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Xueyan felt cold every time she breathed, as if she was in the hell. If those people who were murdered really had the power to revenge, the Lord Protector’s Manor would have been ruined long time ago!

"Madam Dowager, Madam Dowager, something bad happened! Something bad happened to Concubine Ma!" An older female servant cried out in panic before she entered the courtyard.

Looking at the rushing older female servant, Ning Zu’an asked with an unpleasant face, "What happened?"

"Concubine Ma was poisoned. She was poisoned after eating the food sent by First Madam! What, what should we do? There are so many people watching at the gate." The older female servant gasped and spoke incoherently. It was obvious that she was very anxious.

"Calm down! What’s going on?" Madam Dowager did not understand what the older female servant said. She snorted and heavily pounded at the ground with her walking stick.

"Concubine Ma was ill, so First Madam asked people to prepare a good meal for her. Concubine Ma ate some and then said she was poisoned. Now, she is kneeling at the gate and asking for justice."

The older female servant stopped gasping and urgently answered.

Concubine Ma dared to make trouble at the gate of Lord Protector’s Manor, which greatly angered Madam Dowager. She stood up while trembling and said, "Follow me to see what’s going on. Events come one after another!"

Madam Dowager, together with most of the servants of Lucky Garden, went to the gate of Lord Protector’s Manor. Ning Xueyan stood beside Madam Dowager and held her. It was in a mess, so nobody noticed that Lanning returned to Bright Frost Garden with a hamper.

At the gate of Lord Protector’s Manor, a large number of people were gathering there and talking about Concubine Ma who was kneeling there.

Concubine Ma was gaunt and pale with hair disheveled and bleeding on her mouth. She looked extremely miserable!

Madam Dowager asked in a deep voice while looking at Concubine Ma, "Concubine Ma, what are you doing?"

"Madam Dowager, please bring fair back to me. Although I am of low status, I still have the right to live. How can the First Madam kill me at will? Even if I’ve done something wrong, I have to know my accusation before dying. I won’t die for nothing!"

"What do you don’t understand? What are you doing now? Get up first and let’s talk about it inside. You’re in poor health. Don’t make your health worse." Then, Madam Dowager asked two older female servants to help Concubine Ma up and take her inside.

What Madam Dowager meant was that Concubine Ma was making trouble out of nothing. She completely ignored the blood on Concubine Ma’s lip.

If Concubine Ma was taken inside, her life would be up to Madam Dowager. Since Concubine Ma dared to make noise here, she was ready to risk everything and was unwilling to be drawn away by the two older female servants. She pushed them away and turned to Ning Zu’an with a sad smile on her face.

"Marquis, I know my life is of no value. We’re destined to meet but not fated to be together. If there is an afterlife, I hope we can be long-term husband and wife. I hope there will be no harm from the First Madam and our love will last forever."

Then she stood up, put her sleeve over her head, and was about to hit the stone steps.

Madam Dowager and others did not expect Concubine Ma to commit suicide and failed to stop her in time. But Ning Zu’an was a military officer and his reaction was much quicker than others. He moved quickly and stood in front of Concubine Ma who then directly fell into his arms.

If a concubine said something equivocal and then committed suicide, it would bring shame on Lord Protector’s Manor.

"Marquis... you, you’d better let me die... in case that First Madam... can’t rest assured!" Concubine Ma pulled Ning Zu’an’s clothes and wept while her shoulders shaking slightly. She cried so sadly, which made Ning Zu’an pity on her.

Even heroes fall for beauties. Furthermore, the beauty was so affectionate. Which man would not like such a beauty? Even though he did not like, he also would be proud of that.

Ning Zu’an asked while frowning, "Why did you make trouble here instead of speaking out?"

Seeing that Madam Dowager, who was standing by, wanted to stop her, Concubine Ma spoke first.

"Marquis... you, you’d better not ask!"

That was how curiosity worked. The less you let them ask, the more they wanted to know.

"Why can’t I ask? Did you do something wrong to me?" Seeing that Concubine Ma refused to speak out, Ning Zu’an began to suspect her. Suddenly, he remembered what Madam Ling had said to him yesterday, and his face turned cold.

On seeing his cold face, Concubine Ma knew her guess was right. "Madam Ling really told him my secrets. She wants to dump shame on me and forces me to die."

"Marquis, I was sick and lay in bed today. The First Madam asked servants to send me food before I had a meal. I was very happy. Because I was uncomfortable, I only ate a few. Fortunately, I only ate a few... otherwise, you, you won’t see me now!" Then Concubine Ma cried again.

The blood on her lips and tears fell down together. How pitiful she was!

"The First Madam wants to kill a concubine. She’s so poor!"

"Isn’t the marchioness said to be kind-hearted? Why can’t she tolerate a concubine like that now?"

"Your news is out-of-date. The marchioness is malicious. Some time ago, the marchioness covered up the death of Second Madam and held a wedding ceremony for her daughter. I heard that the death of Second Madam was related to the marchioness. It was said she also poisoned the daughter of Second Madam..."

"How could there be such a vicious woman? The Lord Protector should have abandoned her long ago!"

"Nonsense! How could she harm you? It’s you..." Ning Zu’an stared at Concubine Ma with anger and did not speak out her story in the end. No man was willing to say that he had been betrayed by a concubine in front of so many people.

"Marquis, what have I done? Did I do anything that First Madam misunderstood? So she sent me poison and wanted to kill me? Marquis, tell me what I did wrong. I’ll go to die by eating up these dishes after you tell me what I did wrong."

After hearing Concubine Ma’s words, they all looked at the ground and saw a hamper at Concubine Ma’s feet. There was blood on the top dish, beside which there was a silver needle whose tip was black. It was obvious that the food was poisonous.

Concubine Ma was clever. She did not ask why Madam Ling poisoned her. She just kept asking what she did wrong.

"What are you talking about?" Ning Zu’an was angered by Concubine Ma’s question. He kicked over the hamper which flew towards the crowd. The food inside fell to the ground and was in a mess. A man took out a silver needle to test the food and it was found that all were poisonous.

"It was poisoned!"

"That woman is so malicious that she can’t tolerate a concubine."

"It is said that her two daughters are as ill-behaved as she is. The Second Young Lady had sex with her fiancé before getting married. It is said that she lost her baby yesterday. I wonder if her baby really is Childe Xia’s!"

The fact was in front of them. And their words became more and more unpleasant to hear.

"Concubine Ma, calm down. Let’s get in and talk about it. We’ll be a laughing stone to others if we go on talking here." Ning Xueyan came out of the back of shivering Madam Dowager to hold Concubine Ma, and persuaded her with a smile on her face.

Her words comforted Madam Dowager who nodded at the moment and looked at Ning Xueyan satisfactorily. And her face also softened. "Concubine Ma, let’s get in to talk about it. If you are innocent, we’ll protect you."

"Marquis..." After Madam Dowager persuaded her, Concubine Ma also recognized the facts of the situation. She turned to Ning Zu’an and looked at him with grievance and sadness and love in her eyes. Being looked at like that, Ning Zu’an could not get angry for a moment.

Ning Zu’an gruffly said, "Come in!"

When the two older female servants saw Concubine Ma stopped taking a tough stance, they immediately came over to hold Concubine Ma on both sides and went inside with her.

This time, a group of people entered Lord Protector’s Manor smoothly, leaving those passers-by outside.

They entered Lord Protector’s Manor, closed the door, and went to Madam Dowager’s Lucky Garden. Most of the servants were asked to leave, leaving a few henchmen. Madam Dowager also called over Biyun, the maid who followed Concubine Ma yesterday. Madam Ling was also brought in.

They were going to confront face to face and figure everything out.

Concubine Ma felt somewhat terrified and subconsciously gave a look at Ning Xueyan who was slender and stood there with a calm face. Feeling Concubine Ma’s gaze, Ning Xueyan turned her head and looked back. Her eyes looked like black jade and her gaze was as cold as ice.

Ning Xueyan showed a meaningful smile to Concubine Ma.

Ning Xueyan was so delicate and beautiful, but also made people feel treacherous. It reminded Concubine Ma of a spider that she had heard before. It was said that the spider could only spin web in its whole life, but it could easily kill human being.

Concubine Ma suddenly trembled with fear!

It seemed that everything was under her control. Was such a girl really the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor who used to be cowardly and ignored by others for so many years...

The weak are the prey of the stronger. The Fifth Young Lady looked like a hunter. Whoever wanted to invade her would die under her sharp claws...