The Devious First-Daughter

“Madam, Madam, do you think this letter is for Childe again?” The older female servant was panting heavily and sweating profusely. She handed the letter to Madam Qian.

Madam Qian took it and looked sullen. It was written on such a colorful envelope and addressed to Young Master Ling Yi.

Thinking of this, Madam Qian felt a pain in her heart. “This is my son’s weak point. He always flirts with wicked women outside. After being ignored for some time, a few women will write letters to him. This letter could not be sent to the gate of the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor. They must have figured out how to send the letters to the back gate.”

Some of them were thrown directly from the top of the wall, while some were thrown at the door. The older female servant who was in charge of the back door would always bring them inside. After encountering this a couple of times, Madam Qian ordered the older female servant to bring the letters to her directly. And because of this, the older female servant looking after the back door also had one additional task at hand.

She had to put the letter away. Otherwise, if others saw it, the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor would lose face.

With a gloomy face, Madam Qian did not reply the older female servant. She opened the envelope and took out the note inside. After reading it, Madam Qian’s face immediately changed. She stood up abruptly, read it again several times, all the while gritting her teeth.

Unexpectedly, the Lord Protector’s Manor wanted to force her into submission. Initially, she thought that the matter was settled. However, they were so shameless that they were now forcing her to agree. No, she must never agree. Otherwise, her son would be shamed for the rest of his life.

Now that her daughter had become like that, she had to protect her son by all means.

Fortunately, Ning Yuling did not want to marry Yi’er, so she sent a letter and told her about Madam Dowager’s plan. If Madam Dowager was firm about it, her husband would agree. At that time, Yi’er would be ruined.

“Go, find some jewelry in the warehouse and go over to the Qian Manor. Tell them that we want to propose marriage to the Eldest Young Lady of the Qian Family. And, bring her written marriage proposal right away.” For a moment, Madam Qian had made up her mind. Her sister-in-law had told her more than once that she wanted to unite with the Vice Minister of Justice of the Ling Manor through marriage.

She had always looked down upon her sister-in-law, so she did not agree. But now, no matter what, her niece was better than Ning Yuling, who had lost her virginity. Swift action was the best tactic. They must secure an engagement before Madam Dowager made her intentions clear.

According to her master’s character, as long as Madam Ling cried in front of him, he would sacrifice his son. In that case, Madam Qian would die with regrets.

“Yes, I’ll go now.” Although the older female servant did not know what had happened, she also knew that Madam Qian was highly strung, judging from her look, so she responded immediately.

“Take the Childe’s written marriage proposal with you and exchange it for Miss Qian’s. Let’s have dinner together tonight. It’s an engagement banquet, and we can announce it directly to our relatives and friends.” Madam Qian was really worried. She did not care about etiquette and decided to arrange a marriage for her son.

After the matter became legitimate, the Lord Protector’s Manor could not force Ling Yi to marry Ning Yuling. Would Ning Yuling be willing to become Yi’er’s concubine? Madam Qian believed that the Lord Protector’s Manor would prefer to let Ning Yuling become a concubine in the Minister Xia’s Manor.

Madam Qian was very grateful to Ning Yuling for sending the message, but it was Ning Yuling who stirred up the trouble. When she thought of Ning Yuling, she was annoyed. She thought that Ning Yuling must be having an affair with Xia Yuhang. Otherwise, she would not be so willing to be his concubine.

If Yi’er married Ning Yuling, he would definitely be cuckolded time and again. When she thought of this, Madam Qian made up her mind immediately. Ling Yi was her precious child and her only son. Even if her husband loved his sister, he could not sacrifice his son.

The engagement between Minister of Justice’s Manor and the Qian Manor took Madam Dowager totally by surprise. When Madam Dowager and the people in the manor invited Madam Qian over, Madam Qian had already gone to the Qian Manor to arrange the engagement. Someone deliberately announced this news, and everyone knew that the engagement between the two families had been arranged.

Madam Dowager was totally unprepared. What was happening was completely out of Madam Dowager’s control. Once the marriage between the two families was settled, Madam Dowager could not intervene. Moreover, in Ning Yuling’s current situation, she would only be a concubine if she intervened.

Nobody in the Lord Protector’s Manor wanted Ning Yuling to be Ling Yi’s concubine. So, the marriage arrangements with the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor came to nothing. Therefore, Madam Dowager disliked the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor even more, and she sent someone to rebuke Madam Ling. She transferred her anger to Madam Ling and punished her by making her copy the Commandments for Women.

Then, she made an engagement with the Xia Manor for Ning Yuling, which was the only choice left. This incident had dashed Madam Dowager’s hope for Ning Yuling. According to Ning Yuling’s current situation, she could not bring any good benefits to the Lord Protector’s Manor. Madam Dowager did not bother with her anymore. That night, Madam Dowager asked someone to carry Ning Yuling into the Xia Manor in a small sedan chair. Ning Yuling became Xia Yuhang’s concubine.

Master Xia and Ning Yuling had hugged each other while she was almost in a state of undress, in the street, so the Xia Manor could not refuse. Moreover, such a thing would do more harm to the woman. If Xia Yuhang did not admit it, Ning Yuling would die. Then, the Xia Manor and the Lord Protector’s Manor would not be relatives, but enemies.

Therefore, the final result was inevitable. Ning Ziyan could not change it. As long as she was the daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor, she had to obey it. Even if she felt humiliated, she would have to bear with it. But how could Ning Ziyan bear it?

Xia Yuhang was her husband, whom she had worked so hard to get, but in the end, he was taken by Ning Yuling.

On the night when Ning Yuling entered the manor, Ning Ziyan returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor in a small sedan chair. She had a row with Madam Ling in the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard. She argued so much that Madam Ling slapped her. Then, she cried and went back. After that, Madam Ling kicked up a fuss for half a night.

The next morning, Qingyu came to inform Ning Xueyan of the news. When she heard that they had made a scene in the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, Qingyu came back in high spirits, to report this to Ning Xueyan, with a breakfast box in her hand.

Ning Xueyan had already woken up and was sitting in front of a make-up mirror. She allowed Lanning to comb her black hair. Through the mirror, Ning Xueyan looked at Qingyu, with a cold sneer on her face. In the past, Ning Ziyan had tried her best to scheme against her, and she did not give Ning Xueyan a chance to live. She even humiliated Ning Xueyan before she died, because of Xia Yuhang.

Now, her own husband had been taken away by her closest sister. This feeling was not as good as knowing that she had an affair with Xia Yuhang on that day!

It was the start, that Ning Ziyan was being betrayed by the ones closest to her. Now, Ning Ziyan could not stand it, so what was next?

“Young Lady, I just saw Mother Chen, the First Madam’s maid, coming back from outside. It did not seem as if she had just woken up.” Qingyu said casually, while setting the table for breakfast, “It was noisy over there last night. However, the older female servant did not attend to the First Madam. She seems to have gone out.”

“How did you know she came back from the outside?” Ning Xueyan gently smiled and asked, while fiddling with a hairpin in front of the dressing table.

“Young Lady, I was not wrong. I met her at the junction of the back door. When she saw me, she usually gives me the cold shoulder. Today, she was very cordial toward me. She even stopped and talked about the Second Young Lady’s affairs. She must have done something illegal, so she wanted to divert my attention to the Second Young Lady.” Qingyu said.

Mother Chen was Madam Ling’s henchman. She had bullied Madam Ming and the Fifth Young Lady many times in the past. But now, she was talking to her carefully. It was a reversal of fortune.

“Apart from this, what else did she say to you?” A faint smile appeared at the corners of Ning Xueyan’s lips. She handed the hairpin to Lanning. Lanning took it and fastened her bun.

“Nothing else.” Qingyu stopped what she was doing, and thought for a moment. “Oh, I remember. I also saw something in her hand. When I walked past, I smelled something like medicine. I did not know if it was because the First Madam was ill, so she asked her to buy medicine.”

Madam Ling had been very angry recently. Not only did Madam Dowager not like her, but Ning Zu’an did not visit her these days. Her son was kicked, and her daughter became a concubine. It would be strange if she was not ill. Shouldn’t there be a doctor at the Lord Protector’s Manor to make up a prescription? Even if there was none, she should send for a doctor. Then, the doctor would make up a prescription. Last night, Madam Ling had not seen a doctor.

Madam Ling must be pretending to be ill. If she was sick, why did she conceal her illness, buy some medicine, boil and take it by herself?

“Young Lady, Eldest Young Lady Heng sent someone with an invitation card. She is requesting you to go out with her today, saying that there is something interesting going on.” As the curtain was lifted, Mother Han walked in with a smile. The Second Young Lady, who almost killed her Young Lady, was finally punished. Mother Han felt refreshed and relaxed.

“Something interesting?” Ning Xueyan could not help laughing. Heng Yuqing seemed to be in a good mood after failing to be selected. Now, she was still thinking about something interesting.

“Yes. I heard that a young master, who is well-known in the regions south of the Yangtze River, bought an island in the city. The island is beautiful, because it is full of peach blossoms. With his permission, one can go in and enjoy the scenery. I’m not very clear about that. Anyway, I heard that many people have gone there. So, you can go there too and relax.” Mother Han said with a smile.

Madam Dowager treated her Young Lady indifferently after she failed to be selected. She felt that her Young Lady had been wronged. It would be good if Young Lady Heng could accompany her to walk around. So, she immediately sent it to Ning Xueyan when she got the invitation card.