The Devious First-Daughter

The window opened quietly and a person in black, wearing a mask darted in. He swiftly turned and looked at Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan looked calm and distant and there was nothing in her expression of a noble Young Lady startled.

“You’re a noble Young Lady. How could you not be afraid to see a man come in at night?” The man in black removed the black cloth from his face after he and Ning Xueyan had stared at each other for a while. It was Ming Feiyong’s son, Ming Yuanhua!

“If fear worked, I would have been!” Ning Xueyan answered with a frown.

“Of course it will work! You can at least cry for help. Although this place is remote, after all, it is in the Lord Protector’s Manor. Maybe Ning Zu’an has never taken you as his daughter, but if there is something bad happen to you, he will feel humiliated,” Ming Yuanhua said impatiently. He had made an appointment with Ning Xueyan, but Ning Xueyan failed to meet him. After that, he could not find an opportunity to meet her again.

Tonight, he managed to come to check what was going on with Ning Xueyan.

What he said made sense. It was true that Ning Zu’an did not like Ning Xueyan, but if something bad happened to her in the Lord Protector’s Manor, Ning Zu’an would be laughed at by the outsiders.

However, except for the shame, this would have no any other impact on Ning Zu’an.

“Ning Zu’an’s courtyard is quite far from here. No one could hear me even if I shouted at the top of my lungs,” Ning Xueyan said calmly.

Looking at Ning Xueyan’s extremely calm face, Ming Yuanhua began to feel restless for no reason. He turned around, walked to the window and closed it. “Why didn’t you, a noble Young Lady, close the window at night? Don’t you know it will be easy for thieves to get in? I wonder why you became so bold now. But you were so timid before and you even hid yourself all day in Bright Frost Garden and did not dare to show up in front of people!”

“Things are different! If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t have been where I am now!”

The sarcasm appeared in Ning Xueyan’s jet-black eyes. Her face was even more charming in the candlelight, as if it had been tinted with a faint glow.

She was talking about her last life. If she had not been murdered by Ning Ziyan and Xia Yuhang, she would still be that happy, naive and kind Ning Ziying.

Ning Xueyan had always hidden herself in Bright Frost Garden before, so Ming Yuanhua had been thinking she was a coward and looked down upon her. If she had been as brave as she was now, his auntie might not have died miserably.

Besides, because of his auntie and Ning Xueyan, his father had left him for ten years!

That was why the first time he had seen Ning Xueyan, he disliked her.

However, he was shocked when he saw the determined and calm look in this weak and gentle girl’s eyes. If she had not experienced so much pain, how could a girl of only fourteen look so calm, with vicissitudes in her eyes.

Ming Yuanhua turned his face to the side, feeling a little uneasy. He pulled the chair a little far from the bed and said with a tone of irony, pretending to be calm, “How is your injury? It’s said you were frightened into illness. You said that you were fearless, but why were you still so timid that you were not injured by the assassins, but scared sick by them? Your father, the great general, must be ashamed of you!”

Ning Xueyan knew that he was mocking her, but she was not angry. She looked at him and said with a smile, “No matter whether he is ashamed on me, as least, he can do nothing to me in front of people!

She could not figure out what Ning Zu’an was thinking, but she was clear about what was on Madam Dowager’s mind. Girls were useful to the family, so even Ning Zu’an disliked her, medicinal materials and other necessities had been sent to Bright Frost Garden constantly. They treated her quite different from what they used to be.

“What happened that day? Why didn’t you come to the appointment? Your maid did not explain it clearly. She just said that you met Third Prince on your way. Did he recognize you?” Ming Yuanhua’s heart beat faster at sight of her delicate and pale face. He immediately turned his head to the side to avoid looking at her beautiful face. She looked so weak that his heart could not help aching.

“I happened to bump into Third Prince. He recognized me, but he did not know what I was doing. Cousin Yuanhua, please help me to investigate the background of Grand Tutor Ya’s granddaughter. I want to know if she has any relative who used to live in the regions south of the Yangtze River for at least half a year three year ago.”

Ning Xueyan did not notice the strange look on Ming Yuanhua’s face. She pulled a corner of the quilt casually.

She had just come to the Lord Protector’s Manor three years ago, and her mother had just died by that time. That woman had stayed at the Ning Manor for half a year. Ning Ziying’s mother had treated her like her own sister, and she had even asked Ning Ziying to call that woman “auntie”. Sometimes, her mother would have closed the door of her room and talk to that woman secretly. Ning Ziying had tried many times to overhear, but was stopped by the servants.

Who the woman was? Why Ning Ziying’s mother who had been so cautious trusted her so much? What was more, not long after that woman had left, her mother died of illness.

Could that only be a coincidence?

Later, that woman had never come back again and Ning Ziying had never heard any news about her. Before Ning Ziying leaving for the capital, she had told the old housekeeper to inform her if he saw that woman. She had some questions for that woman, but in the past three years, that woman had never shown up in the Ning Manor again.

It was as if that woman had never existed in the world.

Ning Xueyan was acutely aware that something was wrong, and that woman was the key to the mystery. When she had encountered Third Prince on the other day, she found that Grand Tutor Ya’s granddaughter, Ya Moqin, had the similar voice with that woman. It had immediately aroused Ning Xueyan’s suspicion.

These two women’s voices were so similar. Was there any relationship between them?

“Okay. I’m going to see into it for you.” Ming Yuanhua nodded and promised without any hesitation. “My father had some difficulties in investigating your mother’s case. That man involved in this matter is missing. We went to his hometown, but people there said they hadn’t seen him for a long time. Maybe he had been killed years ago.”

“Died? Impossible!” Ning Xueyan shook her head. “Mother Han was told that this person was seen to come to our manor and then left several years ago. If Ning Zu’an wanted to kill him in the beginning, he wouldn’t have waited till now. So this person should still be alive.”

A coldness and disgust flashed in Ning Xueyan’s beautiful eyes. How vicious Ning Zu’an was! She was sure that Ning Zu’an knew the truth about what had happened to Madam Ming. In order to make Madam Ling the principal wife, he had watched Madam Ming being framed by Madam Ling. Or he might have been involved in framing Madam Ming. Finally, Madam Ming had been downgraded to a co-wife.

Later, he had still accused Madam Ming of having an affair with that man. Maybe that man was still useful to Ning Zu’an, so Ning Zu’an had not killed him yet. How could a person be that shameless! What a scum Ning Zu’an was!

“Scum!” Ming Yuanhua cursed, seemingly to have understood what Ning Xueyan was thinking. He gritted his teeth and said angrily, “If my auntie didn’t trust him and choose him as her husband, he couldn’t have the wealth and power he has today. She had never thought that he was such an ungrateful person!”

“Cousin Yuanhua, go back and tell my uncle to take his time. It has been so many years. We have to be patient if we want to find out the truth. If we act recklessly, our enemies may be alerted!

A fierce look appeared in Ning Xueyan’s dark eyes in the candlelight, which made her delicate face looking cold.

“Okay. I will remind my father to be careful. You should be cautious as well. The Lord Protector’s manor is as dangerous as a snake pit, and the slightest mistake will put you in danger. My auntie has died here. Cousin Yan’er, I, I don’t want anything bad happen to you!” Ming Yuanhua reminded. He stood up and turned his face uneasily, a red glow on his face.

“Cousin Yuanhua, don’t worry. I will be okay!” Ning Xueyan answered with a sardonic look.

Of course she would not put herself in danger. She had died once, and now she returned to avenge herself. She would not reconcile herself to being murdered so easily.

If the Lord Protector’s Manor was the snake pit, she would like to be the most poisonous snake!

Before leaving, Ming Yuanhua reminded her to close the window. Ning Xueyan managed to get off the bed and closed the window. She then came back to her bed, blew out the candle and fell asleep.

On the roof of the Lord Protector’s Manor’s highest building, an extremely handsome young man, who looked bloodthirsty and cold, was sitting at a corner and looking at Ning Xueyan’s room. Seeing that the candle in the room went out, his lips twitched. He ordered his men in a cold voice, “Check who that man is. I’m going to crush him into ashes!”

His bloodthirsty voice made all the secret guards shrinking their heads. None of them dare to say anything at the moment, because they knew that Prince Yi was in a rage.

“Prince Yi, that man seems to be General Ming’s son, Fifth Young Lady’s cousin. Maybe Fifth Young Lady has something to discuss with him, and it was inconvenient for her cousin to come to her… during the day.” Yu Jian had to walk out of the crowd and explained to Ao Chenyi.

“Humph!” Ao Chenyi sneered but said nothing. He shook his robe and turned to his own Manor. The secret guards followed behind him cautiously, and soon, all of them disappeared in the darkness.

The next day…

Ning Qingshan got up in the early morning. After freshening herself, she walked with difficulty, with the help of her maid, toward Lucky Garden to greet Madam Dowager. All the maids and older female servants she encountered on her way bowed to her respectfully. They all knew that this Third Young Lady would rise high in the future.

Even if she was unable to marry Third Prince, she could marry Fourth Prince. She had been born noble and good-tempered. What a lucky girl she was!

She also saw Ning Lingyun on her way, and she deliberately stopped and waited for Ning Lingyun to come. “Fourth Sister, I haven’t find time to visit you after returning our manor. You’re even more beautiful than before!” she said friendly with a smile.

“I was planning to visit you, Third Sister. But you’re so distinguished, and I did not dare to come to your courtyard at will,” Ning Lingyun said gently after bowing to Ning Qingshan.

Ning Lingyun did not look as sarcastic as she used to be and she was cautious when she spoke. It seemed she really had an air of a noble Young Lady.

“Fourth Sister, since we are sisters, you don’t have to be so polite. It has been three years since we met last time. Are you engaged? If not, I can recommend a person to you. I’m sure you will become an imperial mandate Mrs. in the future.” Ning Qingshan said in a soft voice, pulling Ning Lingyun’s hand, as if she did not know anything about Ning Lingyun’s engagement.