The Devious First-Daughter

As a matter of fact, Lanning didn’t leave until she saw all that had happened. Although she couldn’t see what was going on inside, she clearly saw Mammy Luo and the others kneel in the courtyard. After Madam Dowager went far away, she held the ointment in her hands, pretending to be in a hurry. Then she passed by their courtyard without glancing at them.

Inside the room, Ning Xueyan was staring blankly at the rack of wisteria flowers outside the window.

When they were chatting casually that day, Ning Xueyan didn’t get into lengthy conversations with Ao Chenyi. She just couldn’t understand why he would say that Ning Ziying had been engaged more than once. Sure enough, he wouldn’t utter nonsense. But she didn’t know this matter at all. Could there be anything else involved in this matter?

Ning Xueyan had always thought that Grand Tutor Ya was powerful. Now, more and more, she felt that Grand Tutor Ya couldn’t be underestimated. He was almost the only official who remained in a position of great power in both the preceding and present dynasty. The others were at most ordinary officials when they were in the former dynasty. Almost all those who were truly in power at that time were dead.

But how could he always keep his glories and be favored by different emperors in his life?

Why would the emperor of the new dynasty trust him, a powerful official in the previous dynasty, so much? How did Grand Tutor Ya manage to do this?

Ning Xueyan’s mind was full of numerous clouds of suspicion. Though those clouds of doubts were extremely thin, she found that she had already been caught in them and couldn’t see everything clearly once she stretched out to touch them.

“Young Lady, Madam Dowager gave Third Young Lady a good scolding. I couldn’t hear what they were talking about but heard something falling. It was a loud sound. I don’t know if Third Young Lady had fallen off the bed,” Lanning said with a smile when she came in with the ointment. She seemed to feel happy and relieved about what had happened.

Just now, someone in Ning Qingshan’s courtyard made a tearful scene. It seemed that they had had a lot of trouble.

“Madam Dowager and Mother Qin entered the room together. My Third Sister cried and made a terrible scene inside. Was there even a sound of falling?” After putting the host of thoughts in her mind, Ning Xueyan slightly lifted the corner of her mouth and said unconcernedly.

Lanning’s eyes suddenly widened. “Young Lady, you guessed right! It was just like that. It seems that the Third Young Lady had said something while crying. At first, Madam Dowager scolded her a few times, but then she gradually lowered her voice. After that, there was almost no sound.”

Lanning didn’t dare to go closer, so she just wandered around the back garden and found a place near the backyard to listen. However, nobody spoke loudly in the room. Therefore, she only heard a few words. By contrast, the sound of falling was so loud that it was hard to miss it.

“Did Ning Qingshan fell off from the bed?” Ning Xueyan thought, her eyes full of sarcasm. Of course, she would fall from the bed. Only by doing that could she increase the credibility of her words. Since Madam Dowager went over there aggressively, Ning Qingshan wouldn’t be able to get away with this matter if she didn’t do something to show her sincerity.

She fell from the bed with her injured legs. The more pitiful she was, the better. Then Madam Dowager’s heart would be softhearted. At this point, if she blamed everything on Ao Mingyu, she would become the most innocent one. However, even though she was “innocent”, it was the truth that Mammy Luo and Ao Mingyu had to cooperate to pressure Ning Xueyan tightly. Thus, Madam Dowager showed her attitude by ordering Mammy Luo and two maids to kneel as punishment.

Ning Xueyan believed that if Ning Qingshan’s leg hadn’t been injured, Madam Dowager would have asked Ning Qingshan to kneel in the courtyard.

“Young Lady, when Madam Dowager left, she looked much better than before. Did Third Young Lady talk some nonsense again and put the blame on someone else? Did she successfully pass the buck?” Lanning asked, having realized the meaning of Ning Xueyan’s words.

Ning Xueyan smiled, knowing everything. She stood up and walked to the window. Stretching out, she picked a flower from the clinging vine of the wisteria outside the window and twirled it between her fingers. Then she said meaningfully, “She must be in trouble this time!”

The condition of Ning Qingshan’s injury was not good because the imperial physician came a little late at that time. It was said that her foot might not be fully recovered. Of course, at first, it was just possible. But after she fell off the bed, the possibility turned into certainty. After all, Ning Qingshan was too focused on showing her loyalty and sympathy to Madam Dowager to care for her leg.

Ning Qingshan thought that since her leg was hurt, Madam Dowager wouldn’t do anything to punish her. So she certainly would take advantage of her injured leg. However, she had never thought that her leg would never recover completely after such a violent shake happened to her leg that hadn’t yet got well. Ning Qingshan pretended to be pitiful to escape the punishment, but she didn’t know that everything has a price.

Now she was on the mountain. Even if she invited the imperial physician again, going there to invite him and bringing him back would cause long delays.

Ning Xueyan specially told Lanning to ask Madam Dowager for the ointment because she wanted her to tell Madam Dowager the truth and infuriate her in passing. Then Madam Dowager would definitely go to Ning Qingshan’s courtyard, and Ning Qingshan would pretend to be pitiful and try to gain sympathy. Since she had to act and make it appear real, she had to suffer for it. Normally, Ning Qingshan would never do such a thing, but to evade the responsibility, she must do it.

Xinmei came back at dinner time, bringing back a letter that Ning Qingshan asked someone to bring down the mountain. After knocking the young monk of the temple who sent the letter for Ning Qingshan unconscious and putting him in the storage room on one side, she took the letter.

What was written in the letter was what had happened to her. Of course, in an extremely sarcastic tone, Ning Qingshan also described in vivid detail that Prince Yi “slapped” Ning Xueyan. Sure enough, in the letter, Ning Qingshan made Ning Xueyan a disloyal woman who seduced the Third Prince. However, Prince Yi found out what she had done and gave her a slap.

Ning Xueyan was despised by Prince Yi even before she married him. Even a concubine without status in Prince Yi’s Manor lived much better than her! And there was a lot more content like that.

At the end of the letter, she asked about what happened on the mountain before and why Ning Huaiyuan didn’t arrange everything well and made such a huge mistake. Beyond these, she told him that even if Ning Xueyan really died, Prince Yi wouldn’t say anything about it. This time, Prince Yi just came across her by chance.

Prince Yi was still in the Cold Mountain Temple, but he didn’t stay here for Ning Xueyan but for his favorite concubine, who was sick. It was said that Prince Yi doted on this concubine a lot. When they went out, he usually let her put on a veil and asked eight maids to serve her. Whenever these maids saw people coming toward from a distance, they would keep these people away from Prince Yi’s favorite concubine as if they were afraid that they would disturb her.

She wrote numerous things like that. Even after finishing writing two pages, she added the last few lines to the end as if she hadn’t yet given full expression to her views.

Ning Xueyan read the letter calmly. She smiled and handed it to Xinmei, asking Lanning and Xinmei to take a look.

“Young Lady, do you want me to kill her directly to revenge for you?” Xinmei asked with anger after viewing the letter. In the letter, Ning Qingshan deliberately misrepresented the fact. It was she who framed up Ning Xueyan, but instead, she accused Ning Xueyan of hitting on the Third Prince. In fact, since long ago, she loathed Third Young Lady, who appeared to be a delicate, sweet girl but was actually a vicious woman.

“You don’t have to do that.” Ning Xueyan shook her head with a smile. Of course, she wouldn’t use such an extreme way. No matter what, Ning Qingshan would marry into the Third Prince’s Manor soon. Moreover, those people, who wanted to know the truth, could certainly find it out after what had just happened. Since they all had scruples about what had happened today, every one of them chose to button up the mouth.

But it didn’t mean that the truth couldn’t be found out. If Ning Qingshan died just after the incident, wouldn’t it mean that it had something to do with Ao Chenyi and Ning Xueyan?

Ning Xueyan took the letter from Lanning and put it back into the envelope. After sealing the envelope, she handed it to Xinmei, saying, “Send it back to the young monk. Has he woken up already at this time?”

“Young Lady, don’t worry. I knew what I was doing. He can’t wake up at this time. Do you still want this letter to be sent to the Lord Protector’s Manor? Should we keep this letter? In the future, it will be evidence to prove that Ning Qingshan framed you,” Xinmei said with worry.

“No need.” Ning Xueyan waved her hand, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes. “Go and send the letter to the monk quickly, lest Ning Qingshan should be alert. Since she’s so eager to send such a meaningful letter, let’s help her send it out as soon as possible.”

Ning Qingshan was a cautious person, so this letter could still end up in the hands of Ning Huaiyuan.

“Yes, Young Lady. I’ll do it right now.” Since Ning Xueyan had made up her mind, Xinmei knew that she should not wait any longer. Thus, after taking the letter, she nodded to Ning Xueyan, turned around, and left.

“Young Lady, are there some other meanings in the letter of Third Young Lady?” Lanning asked with a frown. Just now, she read the letter carefully and somehow felt that something was wrong. But she couldn’t figure it out at the moment, so she couldn’t help asking.

“She deliberately exaggerated everything that happened to me. In the letter, it looks as if Prince Yi is going to abandon me. And that even if I die here, it will have nothing to do with Prince Yi’s Manor. As long as our manor can smooth the thing about my death over, no one will pursue the matter further. Is that what you mean?”

Ning Xueyan said with a composed look.

Ning Xueyan’s words reminded Lanning, and she knew it was exactly what she’d like to say. After all, the letter was not like Third Young Lady’s usual style.

“Young Lady, what on earth is she hinting at?” Lanning asked, her eyes shining.

“She implies that I am not that important. Even if I die, no one will investigate my death. Therefore, if anyone wants to kill me, just feel free to do it as soon as possible. Prince Yi, who lives in the Cold Mountain Temple, is actually with another beautiful woman now,” Ning Xueyan sneered and said casually. It was the main idea of the letter that Ning Qingshan wrote. From all aspects, she indicated that Prince Yi felt dissatisfied with Ning Xueyan and showed little respect to her. Even worse, Prince Yi cared much more about his favorite concubine than Ning Xueyan, who was going to marry him soon.

“Young Lady, does Third Young Lady want to do anything harmful to you again?” Lanning’s face became serious, and she asked.

“It doesn’t matter. What must be, must be.” Looking at the brilliant sea of purple flowers outside the window, Ning Xueyan said indifferently, her pupils ever cold.

“After someone sent the message secretly, someone else will go into action. Throughout the letter, Ning Qingshan tried her best to cheapen me, which looked more likely a signal to ask others to kill me. How great the efforts she took to deal with me!” Ning Xueyan thought.

“Lanning, invite my cousin over later. Tell him that I want to put several sacrificial offerings for my mom in the sacrificial altar and let masters conduct a religious rite. In this way, my mom can rest in peace in the netherworld. Tomorrow, I will also go to pay respects to my mom. If there is anything that I should do, please tell my cousin to notify me in advance so that I can make some preparations.”

Ning Xueyan’s dark eyes landed on the purple flowers on the opposite side. The beautiful flowers were blooming, making a lively scene and giving out the fresh aura of spring. Even though these flowers were in the cold corner of the temple, they were in full bloom. Such a bustling scene of these flowers demonstrated the vitality of life. However, to human beings, a busy scene didn’t always represent the vitality of life.

With Ning Qingshan’s letter, it seemed that the Cold Mountain Temple was really beginning to hum! Of course, Ning Xueyan thought that she also should be well prepared for the coming busy scene.