The Devious First-Daughter

Ao Chenyi watched how Ning Xueyan put up a strong front and how she was unable to say anything despite feeling awkward and peeved under his oppression. He stared at her red face as he pinned her underneath until he started to chuckle in a superb mood. He shifted his body sideways, his handsome eyes carrying a trace of affection.

Of course, he could see that his little wild cat was being bashful, so bashful that her face was fiery red. Her little face was as red as the clouds at sunset, making her pale face look more lively than usual. Affection rippled through his heart, and he pulled her to his side, hugging her close.

“The Feudal Prince of Annan’s rebellion has been in the works for a long time. The three princes of Annan were forced to surrender back then, and my father only accepted them because their territory is close to the border and intersects with the nine barbarian states and they’re the kind to use their fists rather than words. The nine barbarian states would invade us through their territory from time to time. The Feudal Prince of Annan would be useful there, guarding the border.”

“Back then, the Feudal Prince of Annan agreed to surrender under the condition of maintaining authority over the governance of Annan. My father had other enemies to consider then, so he agreed after some consideration. Therefore, the Feudal Prince of Annan is like a second emperor in Annan. They’re so independent that they ended up rebelling.”

Ao Chenyi broke out into a chuckle. His expression was calm as he looked out the window.

“If the late Emperor knew that Annan would rebel, didn’t he take any countermeasures?” Ning Xueyan asked in astonishment, grasping the key point almost immediately.

In other words, the late Emperor already knew Annan’s rebellion was a matter of time when the Feudal Prince of Annan surrendered. He must have accepted such a severe condition only because the country was unstable at that time. On the other hand, it was also in consideration of the nine barbarian states bordering the country. With the Feudal Prince of Annan taking the helm over Annan, it was as good as taking up the responsibility of reinforcing the border and fending off the nine barbarian states.

That way, the late Emperor could transfer a part of his troops and horses to deal with his other enemies. It was a wise decision!

But if the Emperor could think of these, Ning Xueyan was sure that he wouldn’t sit still for Annan to rebel without any countermeasures. She looked up, her eyes glistening, and asked what she was curious about.

Ao Chenyi reached out and grabbed her hand. Barely any time had passed but the temperature of his body was already much lower. His slender hand even carried a trace of coldness.

“The three princes of Annan each sent a daughter to the palace as consorts!”

The three princes of Annan each sent a daughter to the palace as consorts? Ning Xueyan blinked, astonished. If the princes did indeed send their daughters to the capital, ladies of their background were bound to be famous. But of all the noted consorts in the palace, Honored Consort Ya came from Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor and Honored Consort Shu came from a decent, even though not the highest-ranked, family. The others were even more unlikely to be these ladies.

And based on her observation the past few days, the mysterious Honored Consort Xia might very well be another person that had nothing to do with the three princes of Annan.

“Where are they?” she subconsciously asked.

“They did enter the capital, but they’re also dead now,” Ao Chenyi replied, the tone of his voice unreadable. “They were assassinated the very same evening they were about to enter the capital. All three women died with their clothes in disorder. They were stabbed in the chest, and the wounds had the mark of the Dragon’s Spring Sword that my father gave me.”

“Your Dragon’s Spring Sword?” Ning Xueyan asked softly, looking at him. She subconsciously held his hand tighter.

“Yes. The Dragon’s Spring Sword was given to me by my father. The wounds made by the sword are distinct. One can tell if he looks closely. My father wasn’t in the capital at that time. The Empress Dowager and the current Emperor, as well as the Lord Peace’s Manor, immediately imprisoned me and tried to extort an admission of guilt from me. They wanted to pin the blame on me before my father could return to the capital.”

Ao Chenyi spoke softly and his gaze seemed distant. He turned his hand over so that he was holding her hand instead and caressed it. His voice was so cold that it seemed to be shrouded in ice.

Ao Chenyi must have been just a teen then! His mother met an early death and he was only able to follow his father around. He had no other relatives. It was said early on that Prince Yi was most likely to be the next Emperor, but the throne ended up with the current Emperor in the end, although there was a will appointing him as the Crown Prince.

At that time, the three princes of Annan had just surrendered to the country. They sent their commandery princesses over as a sign of goodwill. These princesses were to be imperial consorts, but also hostages. Everyone knew how important they were. They were the contract of the alliance between the court and the three princes of Annan.

Killing the three princesses was akin to destroying the alliance. It was only natural for Ao Chenyi to be imprisoned and interrogated. Although he put it so lightly, she could tell how lonely he must have been. That interrogation couldn’t have been as simple as it sounded.

The then-Empress, now-Empress Dowager, was wholeheartedly on the current Emperor’s side. There was also the influence of the Lord Peace’s Manor at work. Since they wanted to frame him by pushing all the blame on him, they would never show him mercy. Ning Xueyan felt a sharp stab of pain at the thought of this.

She gripped his hand tightly and turned her head in pain. His beautiful eyes were cold, with the ruthlessness and murderous desire within filling her vision. He looked like a Demon King standing amid towering waves in a sea of blood. In his coldness was a touch of malice…

“The Empress Dowager and the others framed you?” she asked, frowning.

Ao Chenyi looked at her quietly until he let out a laugh. The iciness in his eyes began to thaw and at that moment, he was no longer the tyrannical Demon King but a human again.

“Why are you sure that it wasn’t my doing?” he asked curiously.

The glimmer of mirth in his eyes made her let out a quiet sigh of relief. She didn’t like it when he looked like that. Earlier, it felt as though he had no other emotions aside from bloodthirstiness and ruthlessness, and not even his feelings for her existed. She didn’t want to see him like this.

Even so, she wasn’t afraid of him. She felt sorry for him. He must have barely survived at that time. The thought that he nearly didn’t make it to meet her gave her heartache. She didn’t care who he was, be it a god or a devil, as long as he was living well.

“The three princes of Annan sent the three women as a sign of goodwill to the court. Those women were worthless and they were supposed to enter the palace as imperial consorts in the first place. It had nothing to do with you, so why would you kill people who have no connection with you? Besides, you were also a prince at that time, weren’t you? Even if you wanted to kill them, you could have ordered your subordinates. Or were you so desperate to let the world know that you killed them with your conspicuous Dragon’s Spring Sword?”

Ning Xueyan looked at him, her long lashes fluttering twice. Her tender and fair face was wearing a smile and her gaze was gentle but firm.

Anyone with a brain wouldn’t have done so. A man as two-faced as Ao Chenyi would never be that stupid. Even if he was young then, he would have senior strategists with him. Therefore, no matter how she looked at it, Ao Chenyi would never be so foolish as to personally kill those women with his sword.

More importantly, the Emperor was not in the capital at that time. It was such a rare opportunity.

Narrowing his eyes, Ao Chenyi let go of her fingers and helped her tuck a stray hair on her cheek. A languid sneer appeared on his face. “Even you can tell that I was framed, but the Lord Peace and the rest insisted that it was me. They refused to give me any chance to dispute it. Fortunately, my father made a sudden return to the capital, otherwise…”

He didn’t finish his sentence but she knew what he meant. She grabbed the front of his shirt so quickly that he couldn’t help but lower his head. He might have spoken about the danger that he was in lightly, but she knew that if the late Emperor didn’t make a sudden return to the capital, he would already be dead.

Since the Empress Dowager and the Emperor wanted to frame him, they must have made a complete preparation. They would have countermeasures even if Ao Chenyi refused to admit the crime. However, the late Emperor’s sudden return to the capital interrupted their plan and left Ao Chenyi alive. Ning Xueyan’s forehead was sweating as her fair fingers clutched onto the front of his shirt as she repeated this to herself.

Fortunately, fortunately, he was still alive…

“Don’t be scared. It’s all in the past.” Sensing her fright and uneasiness, seeing her now-pale face, Ao Chenyi reached out and caressed her head. He lowered his head, pinning her under him, and kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and finally her pink and ajar lips…

A long while later, Ning Xueyan once again leaned on his shoulder, curling up beside him. Her glistening eyes gradually opened and she looked at his blushing face with a secret joy. As long as he was here, as long as he was here with her, she didn’t care for anything else. It didn’t matter what he wanted to do. She was willing to be with him.

He could become a god or a devil for all she cared. She was willing to stay with him!

“Because of this incident, my father relaxed the previous condition a little, giving Annan even more freedom. Later on, my father fell sick and died soon after,” Ao Chenyi said emotionlessly. “But before that, he left me a portion of forces so that I would at least have the power to protect myself no matter what happened to me.”

Ning Xueyan could almost feel how difficult his every step must have been under those circumstances. He must have it a hundred times, a thousand times, harder than she did when she first woke up in the Bright Frost Garden. Whenever people talked about Ao Chenyi, they would only talk about how his influence could overturn the world, how he was bloodthirsty and cold. But who would have thought how difficult it must have been for an orphaned young teen to become a person who could stand up to the current Emperor?

“Will you be going to war?” Ning Xueyan asked nervously, her hand subconsciously holding onto his jade belt. She felt her heart jumping to her throat as she wondered nervously if he had come here at this hour to tell her about this.

“No, he won’t let me lead the troops.” Ao Chenyi shook his head with a devious smile.

He didn’t say who it was but she knew that he was referring to the current Emperor. He was right, now that she thought about it. Ao Chenyi had a considerable amount of troops and horses under his name. If he went to the army camps and launched a coup at the same time, the court would have no power to control him. Perhaps, to the Emperor, dealing with Annan’s rebellion was a much smaller matter than dealing with Ao Chenyi.

“Is he going to attack you?” A sudden jolt went through Ning Xueyan’s mind. She raised her body, almost sitting up, and questioned him with widened eyes.

Her question carried not even a hint of doubt!