The Devious First-Daughter

Junior Concubine Xu was dead. This tactful woman of the Lord Protector’s Manor ended up to be thrown to an old graveyard outside the city, wrapping in a worn matting. A concubine who tried to frame the master of the manor would end no better than an ordinary servant.

As she had made such a trouble, the marquis had already shown mercy for not holding her family accountable. Who would care about her life and death? Qing’er had been in Junior Concubine Xu’s courtyard and watching what was happening for a while. When she found that the situation had changed after hearing that her sister tried to plot against the marquis, she said nothing and immediately ran to Bright Frost Garden quietly with a pale face.

As for her sister’s situation, she also turned a deaf ear to it.

The other people in the courtyard had already dispersed, and the things in the room were in a mess. Looking at the pendant in his hand, Ning Zu’an’s face was livid under the candlelight, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. He did not forget that it was the jade pendant he had given to Ning Huaiyuan when he was ten years old.

But now it was found under the pillow of Junior Concubine Xu. What was more, there was a true lover’s knot tied to it.

The knot was very delicate, so it was obvious that the person who made up it had put a lot of effort into it. What annoyed Ning Zu’an more was that he also had such a knot tied to a pendant he wore. It was also made up by Junior Concubine Xu, who promised that she would bound to him forever.

When they were in love, Junior Concubine Xu also said that the technique for knitting such a knot was passed down from her family, which was different from that of the others. She told him that she would only make it for him.

Ning Zu’an held the jade pendant tightly and looked around with a gloomy face. Then he suddenly raised it and smashed it onto the floor before striding away.

A lot happened after this matter and no one expected that such a thing would suddenly happen to Junior Concubine Xu. When Madam Dowager and Madam Ling came over after hearing the news, it was all over. Only Ning Huaiyuan, Ning Huaijing, and several servants were left in the courtyard.

Junior Concubine Xu had already been dragged out. The last trace of her life was the small pool of bloodstain on the ground.

“Where is the marquis?” Hearing such a thing, Madam Dowager was seriously frightened. It was terrible that someone in the manor tried to frame Lord Protector with sorcery. She looked around but did not found Ning Zu’an. She immediately walked into the room on a crutch and asked Ning Huaiyuan anxiously, who was standing there in a daze, with a trembling voice.

Madam Ling behind her was both anxious and panicked. Although she did not speak, everyone could see the panic and anxiousness in her eyes. However, thinking that she was worried about Ning Zu’an, just like Madam Dowager did, nobody sensed anything wrong with her.

Ning Huaiyuan looked gloomy and almost dull with a coldness between his brows, which was completely different from his usual gentle appearance. When he looked up at Madam Dowager, the latter was shocked by the grim look in his eyes. “Yuan’er, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Madam Dowager’s voice woke Ning Huaiyuan up. “Nothing, Grandmother. My father is checking inside. Junior Concubine Xu witched our manor and it might get someone… in the imperial palace into trouble, so I kicked her to death,” he immediately hid the coldness and dullness in his eyes and answered.

Now he had to explain in this way. Junior Concubine Xu’s last words inspired him. If he did not kill her, Junior Concubine Xu would have told the truth in front of the others. Ning Huaiyuan had thought that everything would go well under his careful planning, but to his surprise, it was foiled by that maid.

The puppets of witchcraft were still standing on the steps and the already bloodstained cloth got the blood of Junior Concubine Xu on now, which looked chilly and bloodthirsty. Madam Ling happened to meet the eyes outlined on one of the puppets, which seemed to be full of cold sarcasm.

Madam Ling was so scared that she almost collapsed. She took a step back with trembling. Somehow, she stepped on her skirt and was tripped to the ground. The maids on both sides felt creepy as the chilly wind blowing and was totally abstracted, so they did not notice what was happening until Madam Ling fell heavily to the ground.

Madam Dowager had no time to care about Madam Ling who was lying on the ground awkwardly now. “It may have something to do with… the higher-ups?” she asked anxiously.

“Yes, that’s why I kicked Junior Concubine Xu to death.” At this point, Ning Huaiyuan had to continue to use it as an excuse. Anyway, he could not let others find out that he was the one who was behind this case. He had been confident that a delicate noble Young Lady would never escape this time, but now, it seemed that he had underestimated Ning Xueyan.

“Good, good! I didn’t expect there to be such a wicked b*tch in our mansion. She deserved to be cut into pieces! This is the end of this matter. Let the Taoist leave and tell him to keep his mouth shut. Anyone in our manor who dares to talk anything about it will be beaten to death!”

After all, Madam Dowager was very experienced, so she immediately ordered, looking at people present with different looks. No matter who was the one who had plotted it, as long as it was related to the imperial palace, she had to shut those people up.

Ning Huaiyuan calmed down a little now. “Got it, Grandmother. I’ll arrange for it now,” he answered with a nod. Since things had come to this, whether it was because of Madam Dowager’s command or for his own interests, he had to cut off the clues. If his father came back to his senses and saw into this case, he might be found out.

Ning Huaiyuan was certain that the last maid’s words had already aroused his father’s suspicion.

After all, he had an affair with Xu Yulian. Although he had been very cautious to deal with all the traces, he was not sure that none of them could be found out. He did not mean to have anything to do with a maid who served his father in bed, but he compromised as Junior Concubine Xu said if he wanted her to work for him, he had to give her a title in the future.

Xu Yulian had the intention to seduce him, while Ning Huaiyuan wanted to make use of her, so the two reached an agreement immediately. From then on, Xu Yulian was willing to work for him with all her heart and soul.

Madam Dowager nodded as she saw that her grandson calmed down and regained his composure.

“Wait!” Ning Zu’an walked out of the room and shouted, staring at Ning Huaiyuan coldly.

“Yes, Father!” Ning Huaiyuan did not dare to meet Ning Zu’an’s eyes, so he bowed his head and said respectfully.

Ning Zu’an walked down the stairs with a livid face and the coldness in his eyes had turned to rage.

“Zu’an, what’s wrong?” sensing something wrong, Madam Dowager asked with concern.

Unexpectedly, Ning Zu’an did not even look at her. He walked past her and came to Ning Huaiyuan, as if it was his first time to meet him. He sized him up and suddenly burst into laughter. “My son, you’re really filial!”

With that, he raised his foot and kicked Ning Huaiyuan hard, causing Ning Huaiyuan, who had no preparation in his mind to fall to the ground.

Before the crowd could exclaim, he had already left.

As soon as Madam Ling got up from the ground, she saw Ning Huaiyuan was kicked away by Ning Zu’an. She burst into tears at once and rushed to Ning Huaiyuan. “Yuan’er, Yuan’er, are you okay?” When she saw a trace of blood dripping from the corner of Ning Huaiyuan’s mouth, she cried out anxiously.

“Zu’an, are you scared out of your wits?!” Madam Dowager was also confused. Seeing that her son walking away after hit her grandson, she shouted angrily behind him, knocking her cane hard on the ground.

Hearing Madam Dowager’s angry shout, Ning Zu’an paused for a moment before walking out of the yard without looking back.

In Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan had finished washing up and was about to go to bed. Suddenly, she heard someone coming to find Qing’er, which was followed by Qing’er’s crying. She knew they were going to drive Qing’er away from the manor, so she asked Lanning to have a look. Then instead of going to bed, she sat down under the candlelight, picked up a book at hand and flipped through it.

After a while, Lanning came in and reported in a low voice, “Miss, Qing’er has left. That old female servant said the marquis kicked the Eldest Young Master and then left the manor. Since he hasn’t come back yet, she asked me if we have seen him.”

“Ning Zu’an went out of the manor?” No man would be willing to mention such a thing to other people. What was more, it was his own son who cuckolded him. So it was no wonder that Ning Zu’an would have lost his temper when he knew that his most favored and valued son had an affair with his concubine behind him.

It was Xinmei who found out by accident that there was an affair between Junior Concubine Xu and Ning Huaiyuan. Ning Xueyan had been confused that the two enemies, Junior Concubine Xu and Madam Ling would have stopped fighting with each other, but joined hands to deal with her. Now she understood it was because of Ning Huaiyuan. Junior Concubine Xu had been greedy for power, so she managed to marry Ning Zu’an. However, Ning Zu’an was too old and could not compare with the young and handsome Ning Huaiyuan, so it was no wonder that Junior Concubine Xu was more interested in the son.

She was just a maid, but she took herself too seriously and thought that no one could do without her. Therefore, she deserved it to have ended up like this. Even if she had not plotted against Ning Xueyan, Junior Concubine Xu would come to no good end. A maid who served her master in bed thought that she was so charming that she could have the father and the son under her control.

“Leave it alone. Just tell them that you didn’t see him,” Ning Xueyan put down the book in her hand and said coldly with a sneer.

She did not care where Ning Zu’an would go at all, as if he had nothing to do with her. Just like Ning Zu’an had never regarded her as his daughter, she had never taken him as her father either. How could she care about a scum who framed his first wife and took the use of his daughter for his own future?

At this time, as a daughter, she needed to do nothing except for behaving cautiously. There would be someone else to take care of the rest of things.

“Yes, that’s what I told the older female servant who drove Qing’er away. She said she was going to ask Second Young Lady and Third Young Lady about it,” Lanning nodded with a smile and answered.

“Didn’t Ning Yuling go to Junior Concubine Xu’s courtyard?” Ning Xueyan landed her hand on the page and raised her bright eyes with a trace of suspicion in them. It was obvious that Ning Yuling would know what had happened in the daytime, but why didn’t she go there? Didn’t she want to see what would happen to Ning Xueyan? It was quite different from what she used to be.

“It seems that the Second Young Lady didn’t go there. Otherwise, the old female servant wouldn’t have said that she would go to her courtyard and ask her about it,” Lanning said after thinking for a while. She was sure that the servant said this just now. “Do you want me to go to the Second Young Lady’s place to check it out now?”

“No, Ning Yuling changed too much after returning to the manor,” Ning Xueyan said with a slight sneer on the corner of her mouth. Ning Yuling seemed to have grown up suddenly and was no longer the impulsive girl after coming back this time. However, from her gloomy temperament and the hatred occasionally crossing her eyes, Ning Xueyan could tell she was still bitter about the past.

Madam Dowager wanted to cling to the imperial family through marriage, so she had valued Ning Yuling very much before. What Ning Yuling would do if she knew that she would not have a chance to marry into the imperial family? Ning Xueyan was really looking forward to it!