The Devious First-Daughter

“Third Sister, get up. The princes have gone,” Ning Huaijing, the only man there, said to Ning Qingshan, who was still kneeling on the ground.

Ning Qingshan stood up silently. But when she stood up, her legs seemed to weaken and she almost fell. She did not get up until she held on to a pillar beside her. She looked gloomy, and exuded an air of strong malice. Having suffered such a great shame for no reason, Ning Qingshan was overwhelmed with hatred now.

She did not expect that her fear would be exposed in front of these people whom she despised the most, ordinarily. Moreover, she had torn the fan in her hand. How could she not be angry? She would vent her anger on Ning Xueyan. If there was nothing wrong with Ning Xueyan’s betrothal gifts, this high-ranking Prince Yi would not have appeared in the Lord Protector’s Manor.

She could not make a fool of herself in front of the Third Prince and the others.

“Third Sister, it has nothing to do with Fifth Sister. She…” Seeing Ning Xueyan glaring at Ning Xueyan with an irrepressible hatred, Ning Huaijing hastily went forward to explain. This was the first time he had seen Prince Yi. He did not expect Prince Yi’s manner to be so imposing. His eyes alone could make people shiver from head to toe.

He was also sad for Ning Xueyan. Obviously, Prince Yi did not have any compassion for womanhood. Not only did he take away the original betrothal gifts mercilessly, but he also stated that in front of everyone, which would have directly embarrassed Ning Xueyan. It seemed that the rumors that Prince Yi had a good impression of his Fifth Sister, were all hearsay and really unreliable.

“Fifth Sister, don’t be sad. It’s just a pair of jade Ruyi Sceptre. Grandmother gave me a pair of jade Ruyi Sceptre. If you like them, I’ll bring them to you.” At this time, Ning Lingyun finally returned to her normal self. She raised her head and looked to be in a good mood. She also took the initiative to comfort Ning Xueyan.

Seeing Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan having a hard time, she was so happy. Recently, everyone in the manor treated them as treasures. The two princes did not treat them as treasures at all. They were just fooling themselves. She mentioned the jade Ruyi Sceptre now in order to get Ning Xueyan worked up.

Now she did not dare to irritate Ning Xueyan anymore. After being taught a lesson by Madam Dowager and seeing Ning Xueyan’s strength, she would not be as reckless as before. No matter what she did, she would pretend to be slightly timid, as if she had been punished and had changed. Because of this, Madam Dowager’s attitude toward her was much better than before, and she did not seem to be indifferent to her anymore.

Ning Xueyan raised her head and turned her shimmery eyes. She saw the resentment in Ning Qingshan’s eyes, Ning Huaijing’s sigh, and the pride in Ning Lingyun’s eyes.

“Thank you, Second Brother and Fourth Sister. I’m fine. It is my grandmother who is in charge of the betrothal gifts. She will not let me suffer any losses.” She smiled as if she had not been wronged at all. She looked calm and said, “Third Sister, what is wrong with this fan? It’s too bad.”

“Yes, it broke.” Ning Qingshan gritted her teeth and followed what Ning Xueyan had said. She threw the fan on the floor and stamped on it. Although her reason was not adequate, it explained why she was so timid just now.

Anyway, she had lost face just now. She was about to become a co-consort, but she was scared to such an extent by the mere act of glancing at Prince Yi. It was a scandal to the royal family. Besides, there were so many servants at that time, so they would inevitably spread the news out. At that time, her reputation would be ruined.

Not only did she have a noble status, but she felt that her manners were better than Ning Xueyan’s. However, she had embarrassed herself in front of Ning Xueyan and the Third Prince, whom she cared most about, was witness to that. She was so angry and resentful that the brocade in her sleeves had been crumpled into a ball, as if it was Ning Xueyan she was dealing with.

“Third Sister, just now…” Ning Lingyun came up and said timidly.

“I have something to do, so I have to go now!” Ning Qingshan glared at Ning Lingyun and said coldly. Then she turned around and left with her maid, ignoring the gazes from the others behind her. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would lose control of herself.

“What’s wrong with Third Sister? Is it because of what happened just now?” Ning Lingyun turned to Ning Xueyan behind her, as if she was confused. She wanted to get sympathy from Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan glanced at her and there was a slight sneer on her lips. She thought that Ning Lingyun had been quiet for a while. It seemed that under Concubine Xu’s teaching, Ning Lingyun would not be quiet anymore. Among the Young Ladies in the manor, she was the only one left.

With the family background of the two co-consorts, it would not be difficult for Ning Lingyun to find a good husband. In the capital city, there were many people who wanted to latch on the rich and powerful.

This time, Ning Lingyun seemed to be gentle and harmless, but she was always provoking others. She looked much smarter than before. But weren’t Ning Ziyan and Ning Qingshan also the same kind of persons?

However, Ning Lingyun looked more pitiful.

“Second Brother, Eldest Sister and Eldest Brother-in-law are here. Do you want to see them?” Ignoring Ning Lingyun, who looked pitiful and seemed about to cry, Ning Xueyan turned to Ning Huaijing and asked. It was said that Xia Yuhang was with the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince, but they did not see him just now. It was surprising.

“I won’t go there. I have seen Eldest Brother-in-law. He was here earlier. He heard from the people in the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard that Eldest Sister fell into the lotus pond. So, he left first to have a look,” Ning Huaijing said this meaningfully, with a smile on his face.

“Did they say that I pushed her?” Ning Xueyan thought for a moment and understood what he meant. As a trace of sarcasm flashed in her black jade-like eyes, she asked this matter-of-factly.

Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan would not miss an opportunity to ruin Ning Xueyan’s reputation in front of the two princes.

“They did not state it so clearly. It was said that there was a little conflict between you sisters, when Eldest Sister was with you, so she fell into the lotus pond. Fifth Sister, did you push her into the lotus pond?” Ning Huaijing initially thought that Madam Ling was deliberately trying to ruin Ning Xueyan’s reputation, but he did not expect Ning Xueyan to confirm the fact. He was silent for a while and then laughed.

If only Madam Ling was aware that most of the people present at that time thought that it was Madam Ling who deliberately tried to frame Ning Xueyan. They did not know whether she would be so angry that she would spit out blood. If it had been told by someone else, it might be somewhat credible. However, it was Madam Ling who sent people to spread the news. The older female servant, who passed the message, gazed about her, rolling her eyes. Besides, it was said that Madam Ling killed the one in the Cloud Reflection Courtyard.

Anyway, Madam Ling was not the kind of person who would bear insults. If something like this happened, Madam Ling would create a scene. How could she deliberately hide the truth for Ning Xueyan? And what’s more, she deliberately did not give the details.

Therefore, after Ning Xueyan admitted it, Ning Huaijing could not help laughing.

It was something that really happened, but everyone did not believe it because of Madam Ling herself. She asked people to invite Xia Yuhang over. as if something terrible had happened. Furthermore, she did not give the details, which made people even more suspicious. If she knew that, Madam Ling would certainly spit out blood.

“Fifth Sister, you really pushed her. Fifth Sister, you…” Ning Lingyun cried out in surprise and raised her voice. She seemed to be frightened. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and looked at Ning Xueyan in disbelief. She was going to reason things out.

But after Ning Xueyan glanced at her coldly, she immediately closed her mouth uneasily. Then she looked at Ning Xueyan with tears in her eyes, as if she was too scared to cry. Although she trembled slightly because of Ao Chenyi’s imposing manner, she had not cried at all. Being glared at by Ning Xueyan, she was scared to death.

Ning Xueyan did not know if it was because she was too fierce or Ning Lingyun was too “weak” recently.

“Second Brother, Fourth Sister, I have something to do. I have to go now.” Ning Xueyan had something to ask Ning Huaijing, but it was obviously inappropriate at this time. She was not in a good mood to deal with Ning Lingyun.

“Fifth Sister, do you want to go to my place to have a look? I have a couple of Ruyi Sceptres too. After all, the wedding should go on smoothly.”

Ning Huaijing reached out to stop Ning Xueyan and said this with some embarrassment. When a couple got married, the betrothal gifts made of jade would indicate good luck. Generally, ordinary families would send such a betrothal gift. The royal family not only sent it, but also cared about the quality of jade. The betrothal gifts from Prince Yi’s Manor contained a jade Ruyi Sceptre. Now that they had been removed, it was not only due to a matter of face.

Ning Huaijing cared about Ning Xueyan. It was normal for him to ask such a question. If Prince Yi had talked about something else, it would not be a big deal. But this jade Ruyi was a significant gift. If there was no jade Ruyi, there would be sarcastic remarks made. Meanwhile, it also showed that Prince Yi did not care about Ning Xueyan at all. As expected, it was just a rumor.

“Second Brother, don’t worry. I also have a jade Ruyi Sceptre. I won’t bother you.” Ning Xueyan refused with a smile. No matter why Ao Chenyi came to Lord Protector’s Manor, he must have achieved his goal. As for the jade Ruyi Sceptre, Ning Xueyan believed that it was just an excuse.

“Fifth Sister, please go back first.” Ning Huaijing nodded with a smile. Seeing that there was no grievance or anger on Ning Xueyan’s face, he nodded slightly and felt relieved. If Ning Xueyan was angry and made a scene about the jade Ruyi, the Lord Protector’s Manor would be in great trouble. Having lived there daily recently, Ning Huaijing had already regarded the Lord Protector’s Manor as his real home.

“Fifth Sister, I’ll go with you,” Ning Lingyun, who had been looking for an opportunity to talk to Ning Xueyan, immediately said this when she saw that Ning Xueyan was about to leave.

“Fourth Sister, you can go back by yourself. I may go to the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard to have a look later. It may not be convenient for you to follow me.” Ning Xueyan stood still and raised her eyebrows with a smile.

“Then I… you’d better go first. I still have something to do later.” Hearing that she was going to the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, Ning Lingyun breathed a sigh of relief. She did not want to go there at all. If Madam Ling got angry, she would be scolded or could even be beaten up. Initially, she tried to establish a relationship with Ning Xueyan, but it was not easy to get along with her, when she saw that Ning Xueyan was standoffish.