The Devious First-Daughter

Lanning thought for a while and said, “Young Lady, do you still remember when Madam Dowager made the clothes for you and Third Young Lady, when you went to attend the Beauty Contest? I was the one who received them, back then.”

Ning Xueyan remembered that. When she and Ning Qingshan went to the imperial palace for the Beauty Contest, Madam Dowager had put in a lot of effort to ensure that they would win the favor of the people in the imperial palace. In addition to bringing some cloth materials and asking them to make clothes for themselves, she also specially ordered several sets of clothes for them from outside.

Before she entered the palace, these clothes were sent to the Bright Frost Garden. At that time, Lanning and Qingyu checked and accepted them.

“Is there anything wrong with these clothes?” Ning Xueyan nodded. The clothes were gorgeous, and the material was not just any ordinary type. Madam Dowager seldom showed her generosity. The imperial palace gave the cloth materials. Madam Dowager made clothes for her and Ning Qingshan. It was said that they were from other countries and were not local products. So, they were very precious.

“The set of clothes was complete, including outer garments and underpants. I thought that was strange at that time. Thinking that it should be Madam Dowager’s idea, I did not ask any more. I examined them with Qingyu, and did not find anything unusual. I did not care too much about it at that time. But now, after hearing what you said, I realized that there might be something questionable about this set of clothes.”

“There is no problem with the set of clothes. It is more complete than the ordinary set of clothes. It must have been ordered by Madam Dowager. After all, our young lady was going to join the Beauty Contest in the imperial palace. It’s better to prepare a complete set of clothes.” Qingyu said, in surprise.

“If it was indeed a complete set of clothes, then everything should be there, from the inner to outer garments. However, there was a bellyband missing. I thought that Madam Dowager would not have asked anyone to sew such an intimate item of clothing. But now, I think if there is something missing, it must be the bellyband. When Qingyu and I checked the suit of clothes, there was no bellyband.”

Lanning said this with certainty. On the way here, she had been thinking about what were the private items belonging to her Young Lady, and whether anything was missing. She had thought about all her belongings in the Bright Frost Garden, but she could not think of anything. Only this matter gave her some doubts, but she did not take it seriously. She thought it might be something else before she came to the Bright Frost Garden. After listening to Mother Han and Qingyu, she spoke out about her suspicion on this matter.

“Where is that set of clothes?” Ning Xueyan asked, with a flash of sternness in her eyes.

Although the clothes were from Madam Dowager, Ning Xueyan did not like it. It was gorgeous, both in design and embroidery. She would be targeted if she wore such colorful clothing within the imperial palace. Even Ning Qingshan, who was confident enough, did not wear these clothes. How then could she wear it?

Perhaps Ning Qingshan might wear it later. Unexpectedly, she failed to be chosen, so she had no chance to wear it.

The clothes were quickly laid out on the table, including the colorful outer dress, underclothes, and even a handkerchief with the same embroidery. They were a set. Ning Xueyan had never seen such a complete set of clothes. She reached out to pick up the handkerchief.

At first glance, one could see that the handkerchief was made of the same material as the clothes. Both the overlock and the pattern were extremely exquisite. It was obvious that it was the same set, which was not difficult to recognize.

She touched the handkerchief with her hand and looked at one corner. There was a simple character, “Xue.” sewn on it. When she turned it over, there was another character “Yan” on the back. This was her handkerchief. Even if she had never used it before, with these two characters embroidered on it, she could not escape.

Her long eyelashes fluttered twice, and a cold smile appeared on her lips. They had planned to frame her. The so-called bellyband must have been together with the set. How could there be no bellyband, when the set of clothes was so complete? The bellyband had to be made from the same material, and it must have been embroidered with her own name.

It turned out that this was her private item. This trap had been set up for her for a long time already. The reason why they did not go for her was that they thought that she would inevitably die of witchcraft first!

“Who was the one who delivered the clothes at that time?” Looking up, she touched the handkerchief in her hand and asked.

Lanning explained, “The set of clothes was sent by a maid who did some stitching work in the manor. The set of clothes had more articles than usual, so we did not expect that. We counted them and put them away. You have not worn it, so I almost forgot about it.”

“Young Lady, if the Eldest Young Lady has it, it will be troublesome.” Mother Han’s face was pale with anxiety. Judging from the cloth, she knew that it could not be bought from outside. With the embroidered characters on it, the Young Lady would not be able to give a good explanation.

“Yes, Young Lady, do you want Xinmei to steal it back?” Qingyu also asked anxiously.

“No, there are guards in Minister Xia’s Manor. Besides, Xinmei will not find it so easily. Mother Han, you go and keep an eye on Ning Yuling. Why had there been no action from Ning Yuling. How can she not say anything to Madam Dowager?”

Ning Xueyan shook her head. Xinmei’s martial art skills were good, but it was impossible for the Minister’s Manor to be unguarded. Xinmei would not be able to find anything. However, Ning Yuling’s reaction was a little strange today. With Ning Yuling’s temper, how could she not tell what had happened to her today, and deliberately concealed it?

Ning Yuling was one of those in the manor who wished for Ning Xueyan’s death. What Ning Xueyan said in the Lord Peace’s Manor today was a taboo for Madam Dowager. If Madam Dowager heard this, she would rebuke her, even if Ning Xueyan might become Prince Yi’s co-consort.

Ning Yuling gave up such a good opportunity to humiliate her. How could it be possible? Ning Xueyan did not believe that Ning Yuling had changed her temperament. When she saw Ning Yuling’s gloomy looks, she knew that Ning Yuling would be even more difficult to deal with than before, and she hated her even more.

“Yes, Young Lady. I’ll go right away.” Mother Han had always admired her master’s judgment. Hearing that Ning Xueyan had made up her mind, she nodded and went out directly.

“Lanning, when you checked this set of clothes, did the person who sent it have any unusual reaction?”

“Young Lady, the person had no unusual reaction. At that time, Qingyu and I took out the clothes one by one. I was worried that there was something small that could not be worn, so I scrutinized them.” Lanning shook her head. She had been careful, and Madam Dowager specially made the clothes for the Young Lady, so she took it seriously. She checked them carefully twice, before accepting the clothes.

“The clothes should be sent to the Foggy Courtyard first!” This was not a question from Ning Xueyan. She narrowed her shimmery eyes under her long eyelashes. Compared with Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan had always been more favored than her. And, Ning Qingshan was the Third Young Lady. It was normal to send them to her first.

“Yes, I asked about this. The older female servant said that the Third Young Lady had accepted it .It took a long time for the Third Young Lady’s maids to check the clothes, so they made her a cup of tea and chatted with her for a while.” Qingyu also remembered the situation at that time. The reason why she asked this question was because she wanted to see what Ning Qingshan’s clothes looked like. She wanted to see if Ning Qingshan’s clothes were better than her master’s, so she asked that question.

There was no unusual reaction, which meant that the older female servant who sent the clothes, found no difference between the two sets of clothes. Lanning checked them carefully, so she believed that Ning Qingshan’s maid would have done the same. The two sets of garments had been made at the same time and were sent to the two courtyards. If Ning Xueyan did not have something that Ning Qingshan had, the older female servant would definitely be surprised.

However, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Perhaps the older female servant was Madam Ling’s maid. However, Ning Xueyan believed that Lanning was a careful person. If she found a difference, while Lanning checked the clothes repeatedly, the older female servant would be nervous, and would not be in the mood to chat with Qingyu. Her expression would have betrayed her. Besides, Madam Dowager was dissatisfied with Madam Ling, so Madam Ling dared not do any evil openly.

For a moment, countless thoughts flashed through Ning Xueyan’s mind, but her face did not show it at all. She picked up the teacup, took a sip, and smiled coldly. Now the only thing she could confirm was that her bellyband was in Ning Ziyan’s hands. As for where she hid it, she could not guess.

Moreover, it was apparent that Ning Ziyan was using this matter to create trouble in order to ruin her reputation.

“Lanning, you go to the Foggy Courtyard later and ask Ning Qingshan if she has an ointment that can relieve swelling. Tell her that I got injured in the Lord Peace’s Manor, and need the ointment.” Ning Xueyan slowly brushed the clothes on the table with her fingers, and then put the handkerchief on the garments. With a mocking smile on her face, she asked, “By the way, ask her if she has lost something?”

Madam Ling and her daughter wanted to frame Ning Qingshan, as well as Ning Xueyan. Although Ning Qingshan was under Madam Ling’s name now, Madam Ling would not believe Ning Qingshan either. So, she deliberately kept the bellyband to threaten her, and to keep Ning Qingshan under her control.

If Ning Xueyan remembered correctly, she had seen Ning Qingshan at the gate of the manor, just now. The gorgeous dress she wore seemed to be the same as the set of clothes on the table now. Ning Qingshan had not worn it in the imperial palace before, but now she had it on. She should have plans to meet someone, instead of merely hanging out.

Moreover, this person could not any ordinary person. It was apparent that today Ning Qingshan was agitated because Commandery Princess Xianyun had not sent her an invitation. That was good! The more unusual this person was, the bigger trouble Ning Qingshan would make. In the end, it would be easier for her to succeed.

“Yes, I’ll go right away.” Hearing Ning Xueyan’s words, Lanning understood her meaning and nodded. Thinking that Ning Xueyan already had a plan, Lanning breathed a sigh of relief, and went to the Foggy Courtyard after packing away the clothes, with Qingyu.