The Devious First-Daughter

Tears fell from Junior Concubine Xu’s face. The timid beauty was crying so bitterly that Ning Zu’an should take pity on his new beloved woman. But now he only felt hatred and anger. He went forward, grabbed her by the neck, and pulled her to her feet.

“Tell me, why did you do that?”

Recently, so many bad things had happened in the Lord Protector’s Manor. Even Madam Ling, who had always been gentle, was not what she used to be. Therefore, Ning Zu’an was perturbed. Xu Yulian was able to serve the master in bed, due to her good fortune. As an ignorant concubine, she always tried to please him, so Ning Zu’an felt comfortable.

He had always given in to Junior Concubine Xu’s requests.

He did not expect that she would use this sort of witchcraft to kill the whole family. Besides Madam Dowager’s, Madam Ling’s, and Ning Yuling’s, his birthdate was also written on the dolls. She wanted to ruin the foundation of the Lord Protector’s Manor. How could he not be angry?

“Marquis… Marquis… I…” Junior Concubine Xu was so scared that she could not utter a complete sentence. She kept spitting out single words and her eyes rolled upwards, looking as if she was going to die.

“Father, please stop. Junior Concubine Xu can’t say anything in her condition. Maybe she has a grievance.” Looking at Ning Huaiyuan, who was expressionless, Ning Xueyan stepped forward and persuaded him gently.

“Bi*ch! Tell me!” Ning Zu’an’s sharp eyes fell on Junior Concubine Xu’s pale face that had been pinched. Then, he threw her violently to the ground. He wanted to see how the little bi*ch would explain.

Junior Concubine Xu was thrown to the ground and rolled over a few times. She could not get up for a while.

“Junior Concubine Xu, where did you get these cloth dolls from?” Ning Xueyan came behind Ning Zu’an and spoke to Junior Concubine Xu, who had fallen hard on the ground, had a bleeding nose and her face was swollen. It seemed that she was trying to absolve Junior Concubine Xu. Ning Zu’an snorted unhappily and felt that his daughter was too softhearted.

“No… it’s not mine. I… I don’t know. It’s not me… It’s true. Marquis, it’s not mine.” Suffering such a big change in her situation, Junior Concubine Xu was in a state of confusion, as she looked for Ning Huaiyuan among the crowd, while she hastened to defend herself. Tears ran down her face, and her face was streaked with mud. She was not as beautiful as she used to be.

In the crowd, Ning Huaiyuan looked at her indifferently and said nothing. His expression was no different from that of the people around him.

“Junior Concubine Xu, why did you curse Grandmother? I remember that the old lady was very kind to you. You have to show some evidence to convince Father to believe you.” Ning Xueyan followed her gaze and looked at Ning Huaiyuan. She smiled and said this meaningfully.

Evidence. How could she have any evidence? Junior Concubine Xu was so anxious that she had no time to think about anything else. Her eyes swept across the faces, in a panic. All the people looked at her with contempt, scorn, and mirth, but no one spoke up for her. Even he stood quietly in the crowd, without saying a word.

Junior Concubine Xu was in a panic. If such a thing happened to Ning Xueyan, as the daughter of the principal wife, she had no choice but to die. If it fell on her, she too would have no chance to live.

All of a sudden, an idea occurred to her. She had evidence! She raised her head and looked at Ning Zu’an.

“Marquis, I did not do it. If you don’t believe me, you can look at the cloth. I don’t have this type of material at all.”

She had already been thrown into confusion. Hearing Ning Xueyan’s words, she only wanted to defend herself wholeheartedly. She remembered that in order to frame Ning Xueyan, they used the cloth given to Ning Xueyan by Madam Dowager. Only Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan had the cloth, but she did not have it at all. The Marquis would believe her if he took a look at it.

Unexpectedly, if they dug out the so-called evidence from Ning Xueyan’s courtyard, Ning Xueyan would have been exposed to mortal danger. However, if they dug them out from here, she could not prove her innocence at all. Meanwhile, she betrayed herself without meaning to.

“Junior Concubine Xu, you did not take look at the little cloth dolls yet. How do you know that you don’t have the cloth?” Sure enough, Ning Huaijing asked her, doubtfully.

From the moment they dug out the little cloth dolls, it was true that Junior Concubine Xu had not touched the little cloth dolls. How could she know that the cloth was not hers?

When she heard this, Junior Concubine Xu was shocked. She opened her mouth and widened her eyes. She was speechless.

Ning Zu’an looked even gloomier.

Ning Xueyan picked up a small cloth doll, looked at it, and pinched it. Then, she turned to Lanning and asked, “Lanning, look at the material. Is this the material given by Grandmother last time?”

Hearing this, Lanning stepped forward in surprise and pinched it twice. The cloth man had been buried in the mud, so it was dirty and stained with blood. She could not even see the color. Indeed, she could not identify the cloth instantly. “Young Lady, it’s true. Madam Dowager has such smooth material. It seems that… only you and the Third Young Lady have it. Madam Dowager gave to you for the Beauty Contest in the imperial palace.”

Lanning was also surprised. In the end, she praised Junior Concubine Xu on purpose, “Junior Concubine Xu, you’re so eagle-eyed. It’s so dark and dirty. How can you see what this material is?”

Hearing that, Ning Zu’an flared up. How could she see it when it was so dirty? If she had not known about it in advance, how could she know what this little doll was made of? As expected, this bi*ch had made these little cloth men. He did not expect that the woman he loved had such a murderous heart.

“Bi*ch, tell me, why did you do that?” Ning Zu’an strode forward and kicked Junior Concubine Xu. He swore at her until his eyes nearly popped out.

Junior Concubine Xu screamed in pain after being kicked. She crashed into a tree and huddled into a ball, with her hands on her belly.

“Father, don’t be angry. Maybe there’s something else.” Ning Huaiyuan walked out of the crowd as if he wanted to pull Ning Zu’an aside.

“Father, look. Even Eldest Brother has come out to persuade you. Please take your time. Maybe Junior Concubine Xu has her difficulties.” Ning Xueyan came over at her convenience and coaxed him in a soft voice. Then, she lowered her body and looked at Junior Concubine Xu, who had shrunk into a ball, her face turning blue. It was apparent that she was in a bad state.

“Junior Concubine Xu, you’d better tell the truth. Who asked you to do this? Grandmother and Father have always treated you well. In this mansion, you are half a master. Whom would it profit from hurting Father and Grandmother? Anyway, you should consider my father’s kindness to you.”

Junior Concubine Xu was in so much pain that she could not say a word. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She raised her head and looked at Ning Zu’an with difficulty. “Marquis… Marquis… I… I didn’t…”

At this point, she hoped that Ning Zu’an would believe that she would not do such a thing and let her go, for the sake of the past.

Unfortunately, these were all her wishful thinking. After listening to her words, not only did Ning Zu’an looked more serious, but even Ning Huaiyuan showed a trace of cruelty. Junior Concubine Xu’s current state was not good. She would tell the truth if Ning Xueyan continued to persuade her. If he did not take action now, Xu Yulian would not keep quiet any longer.

“Father, take it easy. I’ll go and have a look. Maybe someone is behind this.” He lowered his voice and said this to Ning Zu’an. Then, he turned around and walked over to Junior Concubine Xu.

“Eldest Brother, you’re so kind to Junior Concubine Xu…” Ning Huaijing said in a low voice, whether consciously or not. He seemed to find that something was wrong, so he quickly kept quiet.

“Junior Concubine Xu, why are you still so stubborn? If you die for such a crime, even your family will be implicated.”

Ning Xueyan said this softly. She looked at the Junior Concubine Xu gently, as if she was trying to justify for her. But in Junior Concubine Xu’s eyes, she only felt cold. Under her long eyelashes, there was a blood-thirsty coldness in her beautiful jade-like eyes, as if such coldness could penetrate her very being.

“No… Don’t deal with my family… No, I…” She raised her head in a panic, with a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. With droopy eyes, she was at a loss. She subconsciously looked at Ning Huaiyuan, who was coming over. She cried, “Da… Gong… Gong… Ah!”

Before she could finish her last sentence, she fell heavily on the ground. This time, she happened to fall down the front of the stone steps on one side. Her forehead bumped on the stone steps and her blood spurted out. She died even before she could finish her sentence.

Her last scream was so shrill that it seemed impossible to have come from a human.

“Shut up! How dare you say that this matter has something to do with the eunuch in the palace? You’re looking for death!” A loud shout followed. It was Ning Huaiyuan’s angry rebuke.

Before she could confess, he kicked her hard and made her fall on the stone steps. She was dead!

For a moment, everyone was stunned. They looked at the dead Junior Concubine Xu. Some screamed, some fell in a faint, and some scurried away..

Ning Xueyan seemed to be scared too. She cried out in a low voice and almost fell to the ground. Lanning hurried over from behind and held her. She comforted her and said, “Young Lady, it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s the Eldest Young Master who kicked Junior Concubine Xu to death. Don’t be afraid!”

“Father, if it involves… the people in the palace, we’ll be in trouble!” Ning Huaiyuan turned around and walked to Ning Zu’an. He frowned and said in a low voice, as if they could not continue to investigate into the matter.

“Does it have anything to do with… the palace?” Ning Zu’an asked incredulously. He thought that it could not have anything to do with the people in the palace. But Junior Concubine Xu did mention the Eldest Eunuch just now, so he indulged in a train of thoughts for a while. If it had something to do with the palace, he could not investigate it openly.

But what was the relationship between the people in the palace and him? And they even used this trick of witchcraft. If some people in the palace rubbed him the wrong way, it would be better if they dealt with him directly!

“Marquis… Marquis, Da Gong… Gongzi, I… will go back first with my Young Lady!” Lanning seemed to have been so frightened so that she could not talk properly. She held Ning Xueyan’s hand and said to Ning Zu’an.

Her words were not smooth. She paused at the Gongzi for a while, and it seemed to match Junior Concubine Xu’s last words. It would not be a big deal if she said these words at ordinary times, but at this moment, the words of Junior Concubine Xu’s words lingered. Everyone heard Lanning’s words and looked at Ning Huaiyuan.

This feeling felt so contrary.

Ning Huaiyuan’s face froze for a moment, but he nodded at Lanning naturally, as if he did not care at all. Although his expression changed rapidly, Ning Zu’an, who was standing opposite and staring at him, saw it clearly, and a meaningful look flashed through his eyes.