The Devious First-Daughter

“Why are you shouting? What’s going on?” Ning Zu’an snapped.

“Marquis, there’s something strange going on at Junior Concubine Xu’s yard. There are many ants crawling around the corners. A whole colony of dark colored ants. Marquis, please go and have a look!”

An ant was not terrible. The horrible thing was that there was a big colony of ants. At the thought of so many ants gathering at one place, the older female servant felt a sudden shiver and almost bit her tongue.

How could there be so many ants? And they were all swarming around at the corners of the courtyard. It was frightening to look at them. Such a strange thing, coupled with the Taoist priest’s words set off a heated discussion among Junior Concubine Xu’s servants.

Seeing the older female servant trembling with fear, Ning Zu’an shook his sleeves. Disregarding the flower seeds in Ning Xueyan’s place, he went over to Junior Concubine Xu with his servants. No one noticed that Ning Xueyan, together with two maids, tagged along behind Ning Zu’an.

When they arrived, the entrance of the Junior Concubine Xu’s courtyard was crowded. The older female servant went forward and shooed away the people at the door, in order to let Ning Zu’an enter with his servants.

The yard was not big, but it was crowded with so many people at this time. The lanterns in their hands lit up the yard and it was as bright as day. As expected, they saw four piles of black things neatly laid out at the four corners of the courtyard wall. Looking carefully, they were not all ants. They could move, which sent a tingle into people’s bones.

“Marquis!” Junior Concubine Xu had been hiding in the room for a long time. At this time, when she heard that Ning Zu’an was here, she opened the door and rushed out shyly.

“What happened?” Even though Ning Zu’an doted on the Junior Concubine Xu ordinarily, she was making him feel embarrassed before his two sons and many servants. He coughed and held her, as he asked in a low voice.

“Marquis, I… I don’t know either. A maid went out to pour water. Then, she saw… saw this, I’m scared to death.” Junior Concubine Xu was frightened. She struggled to stand still. She could not help becoming limp and started shivering. She wanted to lean into Ning Zu’an’s arms.

“Stand up and speak.” Ning Zu’an reached out and pushed her away again, with an angry look on his face.

Junior Concubine Xu was lacking in propriety again, in front of so many people, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

“Is it the same as the four corners at my place? Immortal Master, did you make a mistake about the courtyard before? Is there something wrong with this courtyard?” A soft voice came from behind Ning Zu’an, filled with doubts.

The Taoist priest was very embarrassed. How could there be flower seeds in the four corners of the courtyard? It was totally different from what the man told him. How could he wind this matter up? When he heard that, his eyes lit up. He immediately shouted, “Yes, it should be here. The mansion is full of evil spirits because of these four corners. Marquis, take this as a warning from heaven.”

Whether it was true or not, at least this colony of ants was not a good omen. He had ordered people to dig up the courtyard of the Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor before. If he did not make up for it now, how would he manage it later?

“Master Immortal, are you sure you are not wrong this time?” Ning Huaiyuan looked at the Taoist priest with a gloomy face and asked in a deep voice.

“No, this time I am certain. Eldest Young Master, this is an indication of bad luck. If you want the manor to have good fortune, you must dig up these four corners. Otherwise, the gods are angry and the people resentful. It’s hard to say whether there are any evil spirits lingering in the manor.”

The Taoist priest was grasping at a life-saving straw, so he dared to say anything.

The older female servant had said that she was a concubine. Moreover, the Marquis did not like her affectation, because he pushed her away repeatedly. Between the Marquis’s biological daughter and the concubine whom he did not like, the Taoist priest weighed and balanced the facts, time and again. He thought that he would not be wrong this time.

“You’d better be right, otherwise…” Ning Huaiyuan’s voice became more severe. He even stopped addressing him as “Immortal Master”.

Being shouted at by him, the Taoist priest could not help cringing in fear. He did not know how to continue. It seemed that this concubine had a good relationship with the Eldest Young Master of the Lord Protector’s Manor. His eyes were rolling. Should he persist or not?

“Eldest Brother and Junior Concubine Xu must have a good relationship. When they were digging the four corners of my courtyard, you did not even put in a good word for me!” She pouted playfully. It sounded like a girl’s joke.

However, when it fell into the ears of others, they heard a different meaning.

Ning Zu’an looked at Ning Huaiyuan suspiciously. He did not suspect anything, but wondered when his eldest son started having a good relationship with Junior Concubine Xu.

Ning Huaiyuan’s face froze. He forced a smile and said, “Fifth Sister, what are you talking about? I asked him to be sure, to avoid making a mistake again. Otherwise, it will be a waste of time.”

Ning Huaijing looked at Ning Xueyan and Ning Huaiyuan’s faces and suddenly said with a smile, “Eldest brother, it’s still up to Father. After all, she’s father’s concubine. As the younger generation, we can’t say anything. The four corners seem questionable! Could it be that there is an evildoer?”

Although he did not know what had happened, he could tell that something was wrong. So, he decided he would stand by Ning Xueyan. He had a good impression of Fifth Sister. He had inquired about her situation in the manor and felt deeply moved, as a fellow sufferer.

He was not the only one who had a bad time, but Fifth Sister too!

Ning Zu’an dug up her courtyard without giving it any thought, but he was hesitant to dig up his concubine’s courtyard. Ning Huaijing looked down upon Ning Zu’an, and was also puzzled by him.

“Dig!” Ning Zu’an said in a low voice.

“Marquis… marquis, what about the ants?” The older female servant who had the shovel did not dare to go over. The ants were so dense that she felt uncomfortable, as if they were crawling all over her body.

“Bring a few torches first,” Ning Zu’an said.

The servants Immediately found several torches from the outside and threw them at the corners. Most of the ants were burned to death, and the rest scattered in all directions. In a short while, the four corners were cleared.

At this time, Junior Concubine Xu also felt that something was wrong, so she subconsciously looked at Ning Huaiyuan. But when she saw his fierce face and cold eyes which were not looking at her, she felt even more uncertain. She reached out and grabbed Ning Zu’an’s sleeves. “Marquis, all the ants have gone. There should be nothing wrong. Forget it!”

The current atmosphere made her feel uneasy, especially Ning Xueyan, who was standing aside, safe and sound. Ning Xueyan looked at her with a gentle smile on her face. Seeing that, she was frightened and her eyes twitched involuntarily.

The Taoist priest had already been to Ning Xueyan’s place. How could she be fine and was standing here? From the Marquis’s expression, she knew that nothing had happened. She knew it should have sent forth terrifying waves of fear, because she had personally arranged for people to bury the four little cloth men in Ning Xueyan’s courtyard.

As long as one found those things, Ning Xueyan would immediately be locked away, and she would not be able to come over.

She had made the little cloth men and asked the maid to put them in Ning Xueyan’s courtyard. They had been buried there for many days. The maid had also reported to her that she buried them according to her instructions, without arousing any suspicion. Then, she asked the maid to check them out. A few days ago, the maid also said that she had secretly dug them out and looked at them. It was all fine. In order to attract more attention, the maid specially sprinkled some women’s powder on them.

The powder did not have a cloying smell, and would not be discovered when it was dug out. Only when it was dug out and carefully checked, would one be able to smell the powder. The smell of this powder was the same as that of the first maids in the manor. If something went wrong, it would indicate that Ning Xueyan had asked her maids to bury it.

The people of the Bright Frost Garden would be in this together!

The arrangement should have been perfect. But what was the situation now? Junior Concubine Xu originally wanted to see if there was any expression on Ning Huaiyuan’s face, but Ning Huaiyuan never turned his head to look at her, and gave her no hint after he spoke. What was going on?

The more she thought about it, the guiltier she felt. So, she had to pull Ning Zu’an’s sleeve and try to explain. However, her words were not convincing. Ning Zu’an was in doubt, but now he became suspicious when he saw her look. He pushed Junior Concubine Xu away, and personally ordered the older female servants to dig.

The ants had been burned to death. Two older female servants walked to the corner of the courtyard. After digging for a while, a little cloth man, which was stained with blood and pricked with needles, appeared.

The cloth man was exquisitely made. His facial features were painted with an ink brush. He also wore a robe. However, the bloodstained chest and the needles on it, gave the people a weird and cold feeling. The people around felt a sense of gloom when they saw it.

“Witchcraft!” The Taoist priest was the first to scream. “This… this is a doll that is meant to bring about someone’s death!”

He pointed to the several inky words behind the little cloth doll and said this loudly.

His words roused Ning Zu’an, who was initially stunned. He pushed away Junior Concubine Xu who came over again, and picked up the little doll from the ground. After looking at it carefully, he looked at the other three corners. He gritted his teeth, saying, “Go and dig around the three corners.”

When they found such a strange thing, the maids and older female servants were all shocked, and no one responded for a while.

“Go and dig!” Ning Zu’an shouted.

Two older female servants with shovels woke from their stupor and ran to the other three corners immediately. After a while, three other similar dolls were displayed in front of Ning Zu’an. They were all blood-stained, pricked with needles, and had words written on their backs. As expected, it was birthdates. Holding a small cloth man in his hand, Ning Zu’an was so angry that the veins on his forehead stood out.

He clenched his fists tightly. He did not expect that his new concubine harbored such malicious intent.

“Marquis, marquis, I… I don’t know what they are… This, they are not mine, someone… someone buried them in my yard.”

At this time, Junior Concubine Xu was aware that something bad was going to happen. She knelt in front of Ning Zu’an and hugged his legs. She raised her pale face hurriedly and cried loudly.