The Devious First-Daughter

Madam Yu left with terror. The servant looked around before returning to the study to report to Ning Zu’an. Seeing them leaving, Xinmei walked out from behind a tree. She snorted after taking a look in the direction the older female servant had left and then turned and headed for Bright Frost Garden.

Ning Xueyan was picking cloth at Bright Frost Garden.

Ao Chenyi had sent her the message through a pigeon last night, informing her to prepare some new clothes for him as her dowry, the more, the better.

Ning Xueyan was surprised that Ao Chenyi had sent her a message so formally just for such a trifle. She was speechless and was about to ignore it. However, this morning, the pigeon brought another note which had the same content as yesterday. Ning Xueyan had to take it seriously.

Worrying that he might stir up trouble, she sent back a note to tell him that she had got his message.

It was a custom for brides in the capital to bring clothes for all seasons for bridegrooms. However, their marriage had not been announced officially, so it was improper to make clothes for this man. Besides, Ning Xueyan did not have any high-quality cloth in her hands for the moment, so she decided to prepare a few sets casually. At least, Ao Chenyi could not find an excuse to blame her.

If she did not prepare the clothes, the arrogant prince might make trouble again. Ordinary people could not figure out what this moody prince was thinking. If he was annoyed, he would not show mercy, even if she was a noble Young Lady. That County Princess Yuanyun had not only been stripped of her title, but her reputation was also ruined.

She could only rely on the Great Elder Princess and marry an ordinary rich family in the future and it was impossible for her to enjoy the splendor she once enjoyed.

Of course, Ning Xueyan did not feel sorry for County Princess Yuanyun at all. County Princess Yuanyun had even wanted to kill someone who met her for the first time, so obviously, she was an extremely vicious woman. After rebirth, Ning Xueyan did not want to be a kind but weak person anymore, like she used to be. If someone wanted to frame her, she would fight back without mercy.

“Miss, the marquis’s servant saw Madam Yu.” Lifting the curtain, Xinmei walked in and reported.

Ning Xueyan picked up a piece of light-colored brocade, thinking this color was more suitable for household clothes. Compare to Ao Chenyi’s gorgeous, eye-attracting robe, the clothes made of such brocade would be much lighter and unremarkable.

“Go and ask Prince Yi to pay attention to Ning Huaijing. We must keep his safety,” Ning Xueyan said in a soft voice.

She was certain that Madam Ling had just been suspicious at the beginning, but with Ning Zu’an’s meddling in, Madam Ling had known that Ning Huaijing was his illegitimate child. It was impossible for Madam Ling to tolerate his existence, so she would definitely get rid of him.

“Yes. I’ll leave right now.” Xinmei knew the seriousness and urgency of the matter, so she immediately answered with a nod and was about to leave.

“Wait! Let’s go out together. You can go to Prince Yi after we get out of the manor.” Ning Xueyan stopped Xinmei after thinking for a moment.

“Got it,” Xinmei answered.

They had no difficulty getting out now. It was Madam Ling and Junior Concubine Xu who were administrating the manor. They maintained the balance on the surface and seemed to be harmonious with each other. To keep the peace, both of them gave way to each other and would not stir up trouble deliberately. This made it easier for Ning Xueyan to get around.

As soon as the carriage left the Lord Protector’s Manor, Xinmei got out of it secretly.

After the carriage stopped at a teahouse, Ning Xueyan went upstairs with Lanning and Xinmei. The teahouse belonged to the Ming family. Ming Yuanhua had told Ning Xueyan to come for him for anything emergent. The shopkeeper here was his henchman, so she could trust him.

When she took a seat in the box upstairs, a smart waiter immediately came over to pour tea for her and asked her to choose some snacks.

Lanning asked the waiter to have the shopkeeper here as they had something to inquire about.

Although the carriage Ning Xueyan took today did not look special, people could tell it was not an ordinary family could afford. Besides, the two maids beside her were well dressed. As the waiter had seen so many different people every day, he was certain this Young Lady must come from a rich family. Therefore, he immediately said yes and turned to look for the shopkeeper.

After a short while, the shopkeeper, who was in his thirties walked in. He bowed to Ning Xueyan politely at the sight of her.

“Sir, our master is the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. She wants to see your young master. Is it convenient?” Lanning asked with a smile.

“Fifth Young Lady, please wait for a few minutes. Our young master happened to be drinking tea here. I‘ll tell him right away.” The shopkeeper was smart and immediately nodded in agreement.

Lanning closed the door and then took off the curtain cap for Ning Xueyan. The shopkeeper had asked the waiter to serve the best tea and snacks in the teahouse.

Ming Yuanhua came a short moment later. When he pushed open the door and saw Ning Xueyan sitting by the window, he could not help but smile. He strode over and sat down in front of her.

“Cousin Xueyan, what are you doing here? Did they make things difficult for you again?” Ming Yuanhua had changed his attitude to Ning Xueyan after he understood her situation and now he was full of pity and guilt for her. If he knew that his cousin had lived such a miserable life, he would have visited her before in any case.

He thought that Ning Xueyan came for him because of the people of the Lord Protector’s Manor giving her a hard time for her loss in the contest. Therefore, he put it straightforwardly without any hesitation, widening his eyes.

“Cousin Mingyu, they are busy with their own business and have no time to deal with me,” Ning Xueyan said with a slight smile. She was moved when she saw Ming Yuanhua looking at her with concern. Raising to her feet, she poured a cup of tea for him in person and pushed it to him.

“Humph! If you don’t feel comfortable there, I’ll ask my father to pick you up so that those people won’t bully you again,” Ming Yuanhua said with a grim look as he thought Ning Xueyan did not dare to tell him the truth.

With a faint smile, Ning Xueyan picked up the teacup and took a sip. “Cousin Mingyu, don’t worry. I’m fine. Have you ever heard of Qingyun Academy?”

“Yes, but I’m not familiar with it. Why are you asking about it?” Ming Yuanhua asked in confusion after thinking for a while.

“Cousin Mingyu, there’s a student called Ning Huaijing at the Qingyun Academy. Have you heard of him?” Ning Xueyan asked directly with a smile, hooking the handle of the cup with her fairy fingers.

“What’s the relationship between him and Ning Huaiyuan?” Since their names were so similar, Ming Yuanhua asked with a serious look.

Even an irrelevant person like Ming Yuanhua could think of this, so obviously, Ning Huaijing’s name was easily associated with the Lord Protector’s Manor. It was no wonder that Madam Ling suspected him to be Ning Zu’an’s illegitimate child. Ning Huaiyuan was in fact also an illegitimate child, so Ning Zu’an was very likely to have another illegitimate child with another woman.

“Ning Zu’an’s illegitimate child,” Ning Xueyan said leisurely, raising her eyebrows.

Ming Yuanhua was stunned at her words. He then stood up angrily and slammed the table. “What a scum! How did my aunt fall in love with such a man! What are they doing?”

“Cousin Yuanhua, calm down! No matter what they are doing, it has nothing to do with us,” Ning Xueyan said with a smile. “It will be to Ning Huaijing’s advantage when things get serious. Madam Ling used the same way to marry Ning Zu’an years ago!”

It was said that Madam Dowager had been longing for a grandson for a long time, so when she knew about the existence of Ning Huaiyuan, she immediately agreed to let Ning Zu’an marry Madam Ling in spite of Madam Ming’s objections. Madam Dowager despised Madam Ling for not being noble enough, but because of Ning Huaiyuan, she did not care too much about it.

If Madam Dowager knew that she had another grandson, she must be “overjoyed”.

Ming Yuanhua blinked and immediately understood Ning Xueyan’s intention. “You want Ning Huaijing to become Lord Protector’s legitimate son?” he sat down and asked slowly after calming himself down.

“Since there’s already an illegitimate son at the manor, I don’t mind another. If Madam Ling had no son, she wouldn’t have the chance to marry Ning Zu’an and murder my mother. What if her son can’t take over the Lord Protector’s Manor in the future?” With a trace of a sneer, her charming girlish face looked a little indifferent which was quite different from her delicate appearance.

The situations were similar, however, Madam Ming was tolerant and had never fought back. On the contrary, Madam Ling was vicious and would not show mercy to Madam Yu and her son.

“So you want to help Ning Huaijing become the Princely Heir of your manor?” Ming Yuanhua asked after freezing for a while.

Ming Yuanhua felt distressed when he saw Ning Xueyan’s childish face show such a look. A noble Young Lady like her should have been lively and carefree, but not only did she have to deal with the people of the Ning Manor, but also she needed to make herself strong.

“Yes, Cousin Yuanhua, please help me!” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly, without saying any polite formulas. Her jet-like eyes blinked, looking innocent.

“Go ahead,” Ming Yuanhua answered without any hesitation. No matter what his cousin wanted to do, he would help her.

Ming Yuanhua left after they reached the agreement. Ning Xueyan remained there for a while. Since it was still early and Xinmei had not come back yet, she would prefer to wait here while drinking tea and chatting. She seldom had the chance to relax, so she decided to enjoy her time.

The teapot was empty, so Lanning went out to ask the waiter for a new pot of tea. Ning Xueyan was left alone in the box, waiting.

The box was located right in front of the street, and it was on the second floor, so Ning Xueyan could see people bustling in the street. When she looked up subconsciously, she found it was a brocade shop opposite her. The shop was big, so there must be a variety of brocade inside. She decided to have a look there and choose some brocade for Ao Chenyi to avoid being blamed.

When she was in a trance, the door suddenly opened with a loud and clear sound ringing from behind. “Young Lady, sorry for coming late. I was really busy just now. I’m so sorry!”

Hearing that, Ning Xueyan turned her head and saw a pair of familiar beautiful eyes. She blinked in a daze and it took her a long time before coming back to her sense.

“Why… is he here?”