The snow was falling, and melodious sounds of a zither wafted through the air. With a slight smile on her pretty face, a young lady wearing a pink dress totally immersed herself in the winter scenery. She slightly raised delicate hands. Her elegant figure and her graceful movements while playing the zither could touch others to their souls.

On the snow-covered path came two graceful young men.

The childe walked in front could be considered as handsome. But it was just that his eyes corners and the tips of his eyebrows slightly lifted, which made people feel a bit unpleasant upon taking a glance at him. Besides that, he looked indeed uncomfortable, and his face stirred with dull anger.

"Tell me, what is that crap? I don’t know what my Grandmother was thinking. She actually let me marry such a crazy woman." At the thought of the fact that somehow he was going to marry Ning Yuling, Ao Xian, who was Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li, would clench his teeth in bitter hatred. No matter how licentious he was, he knew that a man should take a good woman as his official wife. But now he would marry such a cheap woman Ning Yuling. Ao Xian just felt reluctant to accept the marriage in whatever way he thought.

"But today, Consort Dowager specifically asked me to come here to vindicate her reputation. Vindicate her fu*king reputation! That cheap little b*tch only deserves to be my concubine," Ao Xian thought.

"I heard that Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor is pretty and charming. And in Lord Protector’s Manor, she is also the Official Wife’s daughter. Why do you still have complaints about that? Just marry her." While turning the folding fan in his hands, Wen Xueran raised his smiling face. A faint smile appeared on his handsome face, which was more delicate than a woman’s.

He gave an oblique look to Ao Xian with his charming eyes and advised, not with the best of intentions.

"Did you advise me to marry that b*tch? But does she need to marry anyone? I also want to advise Third Prince to marry her, lest that she make me a cuckold even before marry me." Ao Xian kicked the snow by his feet away and growled while grinding his teeth.

It was not a secret that Ning Yuling took a fancy to Third Prince, plus those words she said when she had sex with him. Though Ao Xian was not so smart, he could almost guess that Ning Yuling probably had slept with Third Prince in secret. Once he thought about that, he felt sad as if he had eaten a fly.

It was always him who messed around with the woman of someone else. How could he marry this woman who had had sex with others?

"Go to talk to Third Prince about that!" Wen Xueran sneered. With a romantic and graceful style, he appeared surpassingly beautiful.

He was purely dragged here by Ao Xian. Today, he happened to go Commandery Prince Li’s Manor to do something. But just when he arrived at the gate, Ao Xian, who was in a low spirit, forced him to accompany him in Lord Protector’s Manor.

Wen Xueran thought that he had nothing to do anyway, so he might just as well go to Lord Protector’s Manor!

Wen Xueran suggested Ao Xian talk to Third Prince himself. But how dare he do that? Upon hearing this suggestion, Ao Xian suddenly became depressed and hung his head in dismay. But after thinking for a while, he still felt upset. Clenching his teeth in bitter hatred, he said, "No, I must not marry that b*tch. I will make my Grandmother go to Lord Protector’s Manor to break off my engagement with her as soon as I come back."

Ao Xian really didn’t want to marry her. For him, it would be better to take anyone as his wife than Ning Yuling. He just could not bear to recall her promiscuous behavior.

"You cannot easily cancel the engagement with Lord Protector’s Manor!" With a smile hanging on his mouth corners, Wen Xueran joked and knocked on the shoulder of Ao Xian with his fan.

"I..." A few words from him made Ao Xian speechless. His face turned red with anger, but he didn’t know what to say next.

"Look, the beautiful woman over there, is she Second Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor? Enjoying plum blossoms in the snow and playing the zither under flowers are graceful things. Anyone who can do such graceful things should be an elegant person." Pointing to the pavilion nearby, Wen Xueran threw Ao Xian a fluid glance with his glittering and glowing eyes.

Pieces of snowflakes floating down from the sky, though not dense, those snowflakes still blocked their sight. So they could only see a girl in a pink dress was playing the zither in the pavilion, facing the gate of the pavilion.

Ao Xian could not see her clearly, but he subconsciously thought that she must be Ning Yuling, and he felt delighted upon seeing her. Ao Xian thought in his heart. "Ning Yuling wants to marry Third Prince, and I don’t want to marry her. Maybe we can discuss the matter in private and figure out a plan which can satisfy both of us. If it is Ning Yuling who doesn’t want to marry me, Grandmother will not force me to marry her then."

"Let’s go and see." With this, Ao Xian went ahead.

"You are a couple who have engaged so that you two can certainly meet. But I will pass that." Wen Xueran stood still and shook his head while smiling.

Regardless of whether this person was Ning Yuling or not, he had no reason to meet her. Initially, women who stayed in the backyard should avoid men coming toward them. But perhaps the girl was too absorbed in playing the zither to notice them. She did not make any changes and still focused on playing the zither with deep feelings...

Wen Xueran certainly didn’t want to get involved in this sort of thing.

"Well, you can wander around the garden first. I will come to you after I have done talking with her." Now Ao Xian only wanted to talk about his marriage with Ning Yuling, and he also felt inconvenient if Wen Xueran was also there. So he nodded at once.

Wen Xueran looked at the roads and chose another path. After taking a few steps, he looked back at the girl in pink who still sat in the pavilion and concentrated on playing the zither. On his handsome and enchanting face, the corners of his lips slightly lifted and a trace of dark color flashed across his eyes. But then he continued to walk ahead, silently.

He was just an outsider today, so many things here had nothing to do with him...

Delightedly, Ao Xian rushed forward. But when he was halfway there, he felt that something was wrong. The woman opposite him slightly lowered her head, but he could still see her face. Her face looked elegant and beautiful, which appeared to be delicate and touching. But she was not Ning Yuling. Ao Xian slightly slowed down his pace.

Upon hearing the footsteps of someone, Caiyun, who stood behind Ning Lingyun, stepped forward and pulled Ning Lingyun’s sleeves, pretending that she just saw him.

Ning Lingyun raised her head. She frowned and got angry immediately after she saw Ao Xian’s face clearly!

"Caiyun, you little b*tch maid, you told me that Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li was as pretty as a beautiful flower. But this person in front of us, how can he be that good? The young man before me still looks okay, but how can he be a match with Third Prince? He is far worse than Third Prince both in terms of appearance and bearing."

But then she thought that no matter how bad he was, he could not possibly be worse than Marquis of Ping’an. Immediately, she hid her dissatisfied feeling, wore a little shy smile, and got up to give him a slight salute.

Ao Xian sized up the woman in front of him. She was as delicate as a willow branch trembling in the wind. A faint smile emerged on her snow-white face, and her face flushed a little, which made her looked even more beautiful. "She is also a beauty!" Ao Xian thought. The beauty was now saluting him, sweetly. Ao Xian melted already when they first met.

He was a rakehell who liked messing around with women in his usual days. This time, being tempted by this beauty, he instantly forgot that he was here to argue with Ning Yuling. Ao Xian also forgot that as a man from outside, he should avoid women in the backyard. Deliberately putting on a romantic posture, he cupped his hands with a smile. "I am enjoying the plum flowers while going over the snow, but I never expected that I would encounter such a beautiful lady. Could you please tell me your name, young lady?"

"What a bold man! Who are you? Our lady is the Fourth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor. Get out of here right now." At this time, Caiyun also saw the Ao Xian’s face and could not help feeling greatly surprised. The man she saw just now was not the one in front of her, so Caiyun thought he was someone else. "How is it possible that he becomes so common all of a sudden?" Caiyun thought to herself. In a hurry, she rushed up to Ning Lingyun and bellowed.

"Are you the Fourth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor?" Caiyun rushed out to reproach him, but Ao Xian didn’t feel angry. Instead, he thought the lady in front of him was much more dignified compared to Ning Yuling. "I am Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li."

"You are Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li!" Caiyun’s eyes widened. She still wanted to say something, but Ning Lingyun gave her a fierce look. Caiyun was frightened and immediately shut up.

"Why? Do you think I am a fake one?" Ao Xian asked strangely.

"Princely Heir, my maid is rude. She hasn’t seen so much of the outside world. Excuse us, please." Ning Lingyun had already figured the situation out now. No matter who Caiyun met before, this man before them should be Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li.

"Never mind. I am tired after the walk. May I have a rest in your pavilion?" Now Ao Xian found a beauty, how could he go away? With a smile, he asked shamelessly. As for Ning Yuling, he had long forgotten her.

At this time, he was trying to hook up with Ning Lingyun with his heart and soul, and it had never occurred to him that Ning Lingyun was his sister-in-law.

"If you do not mind, please come in and sit down." Just in time, Ning Lingyun came up to him. She immediately leaned over and made room for him at the pavilion gate. She invited him in with a blush.

"Thanks, Fourth Young Lady." He thought that the beauty stared at him with loving eyes only because she liked him, which greatly fulfilled his self-esteem. As proud as a peacock, Ao Xian came in and seated himself in the only available chair inside.

This chair was next to the seat of Ning Lingyun, which she used for playing the zither.

"You play the zither very well. Could you please play one more song for me?" Ao Xian also found that he sat near Ning Lingyun, and he made the suggestion while smiling.

"I am afraid that you may not like it," Ning Lingyun replied shyly with polite.

"You played very well. The song you played is a lot better than what I heard outside. It is a rare chance for me to hear such a pleasant sound of zither today. I hope that you can be generous enough to play more."

Ao Xian always hung out with women in brothels, and he had heard the sexual songs in brothels the most. Hence, the music Ning Lingyun played just now was undoubtedly a distinctive sound to him.

"You flatter me, Princely Heir." When it came to this, Ning Lingyun felt it almost the time. She came over and sat down on the stool. With her hands on the zither, she began to play with a blush. It seemed that to hear more clearly, Ao Xian especially leaned closer to Ning Lingyun. When he smelled the fragrance of Ning Lingyun, he was immediately overwhelmed with joy.

While Ning Lingyun just cast a shy glance at him. Her face turned red, but she said nothing. Ao Xian, who was an expert in dealing with women, surely understood. Pretending not aware of this, he stayed close to Ning Lingyun and didn’t move a bit away.

If others looked from a distance, they could see that one of them played the zither and the other stayed close. Those people who didn’t know the situation would think that they were a pair.

Ning Zu’an came here to look for Ao Xian and Wen Xueran after getting things done in the front courtyard. And he almost vomited blood when he saw this scene.

Of course, Ao Xian was a libertine. But Ning Lingyun was an unmarried girl. She actually sat right beside a man from outside and played the zither for him. How could she be so shameless? Besides, this person would become her brother-in-law. How disgraceful would it be if anyone saw such a scene!

"Go ahead. Call Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li over. Tell him that I am waiting for him in the study in front." Ning Zu’an told his young male servant. In great anger, he waved his large sleeves with all his strength and left this place.

"Yes." Seeing that Ning Zu’an looked terrible, the servant knew that the marquis was angry, but he didn’t dare to ask him more. Immediately, he trotted up to Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. The thing about Second Young Lady had humiliated them enough. If any affairs between Fourth Young Lady and Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li were spread out, Lord Protector’s Manor would lose all its dignity.

After he heard that Lord Protector called him, Ao Xian had no choice but to stand up and reluctantly said goodbye to Ning Lingyun.

He had an excellent impression on Ning Lingyun. He felt that the lady in front of him was tender and decent, and her appearance also happened to hit his fancy. In his heart, she was the right lady to be his official wife, who was much better than the little termagant b*tch Ning Yuling.

"Young Lady, I..." When Caiyun saw that Ao Xian left, she tried to murmur her explanation.

Before she could finish, Ning Lingyun gave a slap in her face. The maid near them trembled all over out of fear. She then retreated to a corner and did not dare to move.

"Are your eyeballs a pair of ones painted on your face? You could not distinguish different persons and made a mistake already. If you dare to make one more mistake, I will gouge out your eyes." Ning Lingyun abused her with hatred and anger. The shyness that piled up on her face had turned into coldness.

"Yes, yes, I will make no more mistakes." Caiyun knelt on the ground with a bump and promised hurriedly.

"This time, you have seen him clearly. Next, the person..." Ning Lingyun said coldly with a whole condescending attitude. She took out a note from her arms and handed it to Caiyun.

"It was, it was Princely Heir. I, I will not mistake him for someone else." Caiyun knew that she got the wrong person just now and annoyed Ning Lingyun. So she kept begging Ning Lingyun to forgive her.