The Devious First-Daughter

"Do you want to know whose house this is?" Ao Chenyi’s low and sophisticated voice drifted to Ning Xueyan’s ear.

"Whose?" Ning Xueyan nodded at once. She really wanted to know whose house this was. Ning Zu’an’s behavior tonight, was very strange. This kind of behavior did not match his status at all.

This time, Ao Chenyi directly answered, "It’s your mother’s. Your mother used to live here, when she was the Legal Wife."

Was this Madam Ming’s house? Ning Xueyan was silent. In her memory, she had been living in Bright Frost Garden all the time, and she thought that Bright Frost Garden was the place where Madam Ming had been living. Unexpectedly, there was another courtyard here. This house was better than Madam Ling’s Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, in size and decoration. Ao Chenyi was not lying to her.

"What is Ning Zu’an looking for?" Ning Xueyan asked, puzzled. She did not think that Ning Zu’an could not sleep at night, and came to the house where Madam Ming lived before, to look for something, because he missed Madam Ming.

"Maybe he’s looking for the property left by your mother. Look at him, he doesn’t sleep at night, and comes here to find something. How pitiful he is! Is the Lord Protector’s Manor so poor now?" Ao Chenyi sighed with emotion, as he said that. His words were ridiculous, but unexpectedly, it explained why Ning Zu’an could not sleep at night.

Knowing that she would not get the answer as long as Ao Chenyi did not want to say, Ning Xueyan did not ask anymore, and turned to Ao Chenyi, "Prince Yi, the show is over, when will you send me back?"

"I heard that you’re going to send a concubine to your father. Do I need to do some good deeds and send him some, too?" Ao Chenyi said this, and pulled hard at Ning Xueyan’s long hair.

"It hurts!" Ning Xueyan did not expect him to do that, so she did not stop him in time. She nearly cried, because her hair had been pulled so roughly. She stared at Ao Chenyi with great unhappiness. She really did not understand why he, the Prince Yi, could do such a childish thing.

"Does it hurt? You dealt with the mother, but the son is coming. I heard that Ning Huaiyuan is returning soon. Are you not afraid that Ning Huaiyuan will kill you?" Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan, as he said those words, that were filled with so much meaning.

"I’m not afraid!" Ning Xueyan’s gaze became cold and a hint of cruelty appeared in her eyes. Since she had been reborn, she was certainly out for revenge. Both Madam Ling and her daughters were her enemies, so the elder brother, who was said to be talented, was also her enemy.

"Fine, I’ll wait for your good show. Don’t lose your life, due to dealing with them!" Ao Chenyi seemed to discovered something interesting, and said that, with an evil smile on his face. He decided to let Ning Xueyan go. He carried Ning Xueyan, went out through the window, and went to Bright Frost Garden.

It was getting more and more interesting.

In the morning, Ning Xueyan returned to her own courtyard, after greeting Madam Dowager.

"Young Lady, after Mother Chen entered Buddha Hall, nothing has happened. It seems that they know nothing. The First Madam is so tolerant this time, and did not make any trouble." Lanning reported to Ning Xueyan, who was making perfume.

The medicine had been mixed into the powder. Others could not find anything unusual. The smell appeared to be fresher and more natural, than the original smell. This prescription had been given to Ning Xueyan by Aunt Xiang, before.

Ning Xueyan put down the powder box in her hands, and smelt it. She said, with a casual smile on her face, "After putting up with so many things, she is certainly smart. If she was not patient, it would not be possible for her to wait until the day, when marquis will pick her up."

Madam Ling had been Ning Zu’an’s secret lover for many years. In order for her to return to Lord Protector’s Manor in a decent way, she did not even hesitate to let her son be known as an illegitimate child. She had endured so much, for so many years before marrying Ning Zu’an. She was a woman with great endurance. The reason why she lost out, when she faced Ning Xueyan was because she was careless, and thought of Ning Xueyan as being the defenseless one.

Having a knife pointed at her head, Madam Ling had no choice, but to endure.

Ning Xueyan was looking forward to see the extent of Madam Ling’s endurance limit!

"Didn’t Yu Lian go to the study today?" Ning Xueyan casually closed the box, and washed her hands in a nearby basin.

Yu Lian was Madam Ling’s First Maid and still lived in Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. After what had happened the night before yesterday, people in the manor guessed that she would immediately became the concubine. Unexpectedly, Ning Zu’an had not promoted her to concubine status yet. How could she not be worried?

When she found that her Young Lady no longer mentioned what had happened in Buddha hall, Lanning changed the topic. She handed Ning Xueyan a handkerchief, and said, "Yu Lian went to marquis’s study again last night. I heard that marquis asked someone to boil soup for her, early in the morning. This matter has been spread all over the manor. This morning, more people saw Yu Lian coming out of marquis’s study."

This had originally, been specially arranged by Ning Xueyan. In the name of serving Ning Zu’an, Ning Xueyan had arranged for more people to serve Ning Zu’an. How could they not see Yu Lian coming out of Ning Zu’an’s house, with her messy clothes, in the morning, for two consecutive days?

After calculating the time, Ning Xueyan thought there would be some results today. Ning Zu’an could no longer pretend that nothing had happened, otherwise, not only Yu Lian would lose face.

Ning Xueyan took the handkerchief, wiped the water from her hands. She pointed to several account books placed on the table, in front of the window, and with a smile on her face, said "Come on, let’s visit Madam Dowager and show these account books to her."

Although she was the one who checked the account books, the final decision was made by Madam Dowager, who was worried, whether Ning Xueyan could manage the whole family well.

On the way to Lucky Garden, Ning Xueyan encountered Madam Dowager Liu, who was rarely in charge of affairs at Lord Protector’s Manor.

She was walking ahead, with several maids and older female servants. Seeing Ning Xueyan coming, she stopped and waited for Ning Xueyan.

"Grandaunt, how do you do!" Ning Xueyan went forward, letting go of Lanning’s hands, and bowing to Madam Dowager Liu.

Madam Dowager Liu shook her hand, and gently asked Ning Xueyan, in confusion, but with a smile on her face, "Xueyan, are you going to see your grandmother now? Haven’t you greeted her yet?"

Although it was not lunch time yet, it was not early.

"I’ve greeted her in the morning. Now I’m going to show her these account books. I don’t know whether I did it correctly or not. Grandmother needs to check it again." Ning Xueyan answered, with a soft smile of shyness, on her face.

"Alas, it’s hard for you. You’re still a child, but there is no one useful, in the manor now." Madam Dowager Liu sighed, and looked at Ning Xueyan, kindly. A fourteen-year-old was old enough, and many women from other respectable families started learning how to manage the whole family, and read account books, when they turned thirteen or fourteen years old.

But Ning Xueyan’s situation was different. She had been in Bright Frost Garden all the time, and had never been taught these things before. So it would certainly be hard at first. From her thin face, one could tell that she had spent a lot of time and energy on it.

Madam Dowager Liu was not Madam Dowager. She was not that much of an utilitarian, and was fond of Ning Xueyan. But she was not Ning Xueyan’s grandmother, and could not speak up for her, and interfere in these affairs.

"Grandaunt, it’s not difficult. It will only last for a few days. Grandmother is old. We should help her, but... there are some things I really don’t understand." Ning Xueyan shook her head. After all, she was still young. Although she did not want anyone to discover her difficulty, her furrowed eyebrows showed that she had run into some problems.

Madam Dowager Liu became serious and asked, "What’s wrong? Is someone making trouble for you?"

Madam Dowager Liu clearly knew about the status of Ning Xueyan, in the manor. Although she was asked to take care of the accounts, this time, it was inevitable that some people would deliberately make things difficult for her.

"Nobody deliberately makes things difficult for me". It seemed that her secret had been revealed, so Ning Xueyan flushed with embarrassment. She wanted to deny it, but failed under Madam Dowager Liu’s sharp gaze. So she explained, "Grandaunt, mother is now in Buddha hall to refine herself. So I have to manage Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. But I can’t be too strict with mother’s servants."

Ning Xueyan’s words were implicit, but Madam Dowager Liu immediately understood. Instantly, she got angry and said, "Yan’er, don’t be too polite to them. Your mother is absent. If there is any servant who dares to offend you, you just drive them away. Your grandmother is behind you to support you, you need not be afraid of them."

Ning Xueyan smiled gently and said, "Er... I’m afraid mother will be unhappy and embarrassed!"

Seeing that Ning Xueyan dared not interfere with the affairs of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, Madam Dowager Liu sighed privately. She knew Madam Ling well. If Ning Xueyan really punished someone at Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, Madam Ling would make trouble again. At the thought of this, Madam Dowager Liu got very angry.

Many big events had happened at the womenfolk courtyard of Lord Protector’s Manor recently. Scandals had been exposed, one by one. Although Madam Dowager Liu lived a half-hermitic life, she was aware of what was happening. She could not stand it any longer, when she heard the news about Ning Zu’an, during these two mornings. So she had come over today, with her maids and older female servants, to discuss it with Madam Dowager, and wanted to come up with a solution.

They could not let Lord Protector’s Manor become so disorderly any longer. Look, now, even Ning Zu’an was becoming so unruly. He actually had sex with Madam Ling’s maid. Moreover, Madam Ling happened to be in Buddha Hall. This kind of thing was disgraceful, in any case.

Without the permission of Legal Wife, he actually had sex with her personal maid.

This was the reason why Madam Dowager Liu had rushed to Lucky Garden, in anger. She originally wanted Madam Dowager to punish the girl who seduced Ning Zu’an. But after listening to Ning Xueyan, she had another idea.

They arrived at the gate of Lucky Garden, while they were talking. An alert maid saw them coming, and hurried to report to Madam Dowager. Knowing that Madam Dowager Liu was also there, Madam Dowager specially asked Mother Qin to welcome Madam Dowager Liu at the gate of the courtyard. She then came into the room, with the help of Ning Xueyan.

Madam Dowager met Madam Dowager Liu and asked, with a smile on her face, "Sister, why are you here at this time? Is there something wrong?"

The relationship between herself and Madam Dowager Liu was very good. Besides, ever since she came to Lord Protector’s Manor, Madam Dowager Liu had never interfered in the affairs of the womenfolk courtyard. Instead, she lived a quiet and half-hermitic life. So she was on good terms with Madam Dowager.

"Sister, something about Zu’an, has been brought to my attention, this morning." Madam Dowager Liu sat down, and said that, with a serious look.

Madam Dowager blushed as soon as she heard what Madam Dowager Liu said. She glared at Ning Xueyan with great displeasure, and exclaimed, "Xueyan, is that how you manage the family? How could that happen?"

Although it was no big deal that the master had sex with a maid, the problem now, was that Madam Ling, the hostess, was in Buddha Hall, and knew nothing about it. It was a shame that her personal maid had sex with the master, in any case.

Madam Dowager was ashamed, and subconsciously dumped the blame on Ning Xueyan, who was the temporary housekeeper. She did not think about how a daughter could possibly interfere in her father’s sex life.

Therefore, Ning Xueyan was prepared for it. She calmly admitted her fault, "Grandma, I did not restrain the servants of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. It’s my fault."

After Ning Xueyan admitted her mistake, Madam Dowager felt a bit odd, and could not speak for a moment.

"She’s just Zu’an’s daughter. Can she handle this kind of thing?" Madam Dowager Liu snorted in discontent.