The Devious First-Daughter

Sinister coldness flickered in Ao Chenyi’s beautiful eyes. The moment he saw the trace of sweat on Ning Xueyan’s forehead, he knew that she was worried. He paused, turned around, and gently patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t go to him directly. I do have business with His Majesty now, so let me get someone to send you home.”

That said, he looked at Eunuch Zhu, who was still supporting Lanning.

Lanning was putting up a strong front despite being in a bad condition. Her face was pale. Ning Xueyan knew she must get a physician to examine her as quickly as possible. Since she had achieved her goal of entering the palace to visit Senior Nun Jing Kong, it was time for her to leave.

Still, she was worried. Ao Chenyi was used to getting his way and wasn’t the kind who would suffer losses in silence.

“You’re not going to beat Ao Mingyu up, are you?” she asked, her glistening eyes turning around.

“Relax. I won’t look for him, and neither would I scold him.” Ao Chenyi let out an enchanting laugh as an unfathomable, strange light gleamed in his long and narrow eyes. He didn’t look angry anymore but his iciness had become worse. His handsome face, close enough that she could touch it, appeared demonic.

He… He didn’t seem like he would just chat nicely with Ao Mingyu!

“Off you go. Look at Lanning. If you delay any longer, you can forget about walking out of here with your legs.” Ao Chenyi turned the woman in his embrace around, somewhat impatiently, so that she was facing Lanning.

Lanning forced a smile after seeing Ning Xueyan looking at her and put down the hand that she was pressing against her chest.

“All right, I’ll leave the palace first. Chenyi, you can do whatever you want but please be careful. Remember; if you’re so careless as to lose your life, I won’t be able to maintain the position of Princess Yi.” Ning Xueyan turned her head to look at Ao Chenyi. Her glistening eyes seemed glazed over but her expression was stern.

Since she said she wouldn’t be able to maintain the position of Princess Yi, that meant she wouldn’t remain a widow for him. She would marry someone new!

Ao Chenyi was initially stunned but a fire soon burned behind his pupils. “Yan’er, can you tell me something nice?”

Although he knew he was fine, he couldn’t help being angry at her words. They made him feel deeply unhappy.

Ning Xueyan gave him a small push sulkily. She was frowning as she solemnly said, “I don’t care. In any case, you have to stay safe. If anything happens to you, don’t even hope that I’ll stay a widow for you. I’ll find a new husband right away.”

Such words were direct defiance of the teachings of aristocratic ladies. Never mind aristocratic ladies, even daughters of ordinary families would be repeatedly warned before marriage that they should prioritize their husband above all in their life. They would never say such improper words.

His Yan’er was, like a cat, throwing a tantrum and baring her sharp teeth. She even dared to threaten him! And yet, this made his heart all soft. He reached out and rubbed her hand gently as if he was caressing his dearest treasure.

“Don’t worry. I’ll stay alive. I still want to bask in a lifetime of glory with you, Yan’er.” Ao Chenyi looked down and used his lanky finger to gently tuck in a strand of her stray hair.

His Yan’er appeared delicate, but she was never truly weak. When he first gained an interest in her, it was her stubbornness, sharpness, and decisiveness that attracted him. This also turned her into his greatest worry. His life only felt complete and satisfactory with her.

“I’ll be off then.” Ning Xueyan relaxed after hearing his calm breathing and getting his promise. It might seem like she was looking forward to the glory that he promised, but his words were his show of sincerity. He made her feel loved. A small smile appeared on her face as she nodded and turned around obediently without another word. Lanning was in such a poor condition that they couldn’t afford any delay.

Eunuch Zhu had to stay beside Ao Chenyi, so the latter sent two other eunuchs to help Lanning out of the palace. He stared until Ning Xueyan was gone before turning around and walking gracefully into the palace. His little wild cat was too worried about him; when was he ever a reckless person?

He had nothing but ways to deal with Ao Mingyu.

As soon as Ning Xueyan reached the manor, she summoned the imperial physician. The physician examined Lanning and concluded that although her injuries weren’t severe, she had mild internal injuries and needed a period of rest. Lanning couldn’t do any heavy lifting during that time. It wasn’t until hearing the physician’s diagnosis that Ning Xueyan finally let out a relieved sigh. On their way back to the manor earlier, Lanning even coughed up blood.

Ning Xueyan asked Mother Han and Mother Wang to set up a bed so that Lanning could recuperate in her house. She also ordered a young maid to prepare the medicinal soup for Lanning. She was so busy that she didn’t even have the time to nap.

Even so, she was so worried about Lanning that she didn’t feel drowsy. By the time they finished dealing with Lanning’s injury, her usual napping time had passed and she didn’t feel like sleeping anymore.

“Your Highness, a messenger from Prince Xiang’s Manor came. He said that your third sister has sent you a letter.” Mother Ruan brought in a letter for her.

Ning Qingshan’s letter? Ning Xueyan didn’t think there was any business between them after the incident last time. She frowned and said nonchalantly, “Qingyu, take the letter and help me thank Mother Ruan.”

Qingyu stepped forward politely, took the letter from Mother Ruan’s hands, and put it aside casually. Everyone in the Bright Frost Garden didn’t like Ning Qingshan. The thought of such a young girl poisoning her adopted mother gave Qingyu and the rest the shivers.

“Anything else, Mother Ruan?” Ning Xueyan asked, smiling when she saw Mother Ruan not leaving after handing Qingyu the letter.

“It’s not a big deal. Eunuch Ling from the outer courtyard wants me to ask you if we can let Third Young Lady Hua into the manor just this one time. His Highness ordered that we’re not to let her in as we wish, so…” Mother Ruan said hesitantly, not quite able to finish her sentence. She didn’t like Third Young Lady Hua all that much.

Third Young Lady Hua was quite adorable when she was young, crying “Brother Yi” while following Prince Yi around. She seemed clever too, which garnered the favor of a lot of people around her. Yet, she was all grown up and didn’t have much to do with Prince Yi anymore. How could she still call him “Brother Yi”? It would cause gossip.

And at the banquet last time, a young girl like her went to the prince’s Moon-embracing Tower all by herself. To Mother Ruan, this was deeply inappropriate. She was no longer a child. Imagine the things people would say about a girl visiting a man’s courtyard on her own! How could she not understand that?

Mother Ruan would have never asked Ning Xueyan if the request had come from Hua Qiuying herself. The problem was, it had come from Eunuch Ling. Both she and Eunuch Ling were gifted to Prince Yi by the late Emperor. They had been serving him since he was a child and were loyal and devoted to him.

Their relationship was good, too. Since Eunuch Ling had asked a favor from her, she had no choice but to do it for Hua Qiuying. She was quite depressed about it. Why did Eunuch Ling think that their master couldn’t forget about Second Young Lady Hua? Why did he think that Third Young Lady Hua was gentle and adorable?

She shared a completely different opinion. Their current mistress was the most suitable partner for their master. Being in the backyard, she could see that the prince treated Ning Xueyan differently than others. Compared to the rumors about the prince’s love for Second Young Lady Hua, she would rather trust her own eyes.

“Why is she here?” Ning Xueyan blinked with a slight smile.

Prince Yi’s Manor had nothing to do with Chief Hua anymore. Moreover, there was also that scandal. Chief Hua’s Manor ought to be preparing for Hua Qiuying’s marriage. Whether or not she was a willing participant, Hua Qiuying was still caught in a scandal. Why would she come to Prince Yi’s Manor, instead of hiding and not seeing anyone?

“Back when Second Young Lady Hua was still His Highness’ fiancee, she once set her eyes on a certain courtyard. They were about to wed at that time, so we refurbished the courtyard. Third Young Lady Hua also chose a nearby courtyard, and both yards were refurbished together. But later on… Well, they were abandoned!”

Mother Ruan explained. At that time, the wedding date had been set, so it was only natural for them to refurbish the manor. Hua Qiuying, still a child and the younger sister of the bride then, was also given a courtyard. Besides, there were many rooms and few occupants in Prince Yi’s Manor, so it wasn’t a big deal.

“There were a lot of things left behind. Both manors stopped all communication after the engagement broke off, so some of Third Young Lady Hua’s childhood things were left in our manor. Third Young Lady Hua said that she doesn’t care for her things, but some of those things belong to her second sister. So, she wants to come in and take them with her.”

Hua Qiuying had left those childhood things here for so long and yet, she wanted to take them now. Ning Xueyan sneered inwardly. Third Young Lady Hua’s excuse was getting better and better! She hadn’t forgotten that Ao Chenyi disliked everyone in the Hua Manor.

It had been so many years, and those were childhood things at that. If some of those things truly belonged to Second Young Lady Hua, and important things at that, how could they be left at Prince Yi’s Manor for so long? Bringing it up now was just an excuse.

Still, she couldn’t understand why. Hua Qiuying’s marriage had been set. Was Hua Qiuying still entertaining hopes about Ao Chenyi? Ever since she heard Hua Qiuying calling Ao Chenyi “Brother Yi” in a coquettish tone, she knew what Hua Qiuying was up to. Perhaps, she was doing so with Chief Hua’s implicit permission.

Chief Hua was indeed an interesting character. Of his three daughters, one married an influential official from the previous dynasty and another got engaged with Ao Chenyi. When that one died, he planned on making Ao Chenyi marry his third daughter and refusing to give up even when Hua Qiuying was in such a state. After all, she heard that the gentleman that Hua Qiuying got involved with wasn’t from a big aristocratic family; his father’s position in court wasn’t that high too.

“Mother Ruan, take a few servants with you and pack everything up in that place. I don’t want to see her coming here as she pleases,” Ning Xueyan said, not intending to be polite. Whatever Hua Qiuying was up to, she better not provoke her. She was never a good-tempered person…