The Devious First-Daughter

Her wrists and chin began to itch, and her tender skin began to swell at a visible speed. Hideous sores sprouted and covered her wrists and the back of her hands. Her hands were unpresentable. Several sores grew on her chin, ruining her beautiful face.

It was painful and itchy, but Ning Xueyan knew that she should not scratch the itch. If she scratched her skin, the inflammation would inevitably spread. However, this could not be verified.

This was from a recipe that Aunt Xiang had given to her. It took effect due to the mutual restriction between two kinds of flowers. Only the flower juice of balsamine and pollen of the Mingyang flower were effective. If she did not touch it, it would heal in a few days. But if she scratched it, it would spread out on a large scale. Even if it healed, there would be scarring.

Even though she felt uncomfortable, she could only endure it, as a trace of determination flashed in her eyes.

The flower she used for bathing was balsamine. Along the way, there were many places where the Mingyang flower grew. Now, the Mingyang Flower was in full bloom. Like the winter jasmine, the Mingyang flower was one that bloomed early. She stopped and went outside. There were a lot of Mingyang flowers along the way.

Even the air was filled with the fragrance of the Mingyang flower. It was inevitable for her to be stained by its pollen.

Finally, it was Ning Xueyan’s turn. The Mammy who guarded the door looked at Ning Xueyan, who was walking over with her head down, and said, “Go in!”

Ning Xueyan entered the room. The material of the screen was also thick. There were many stoves in the room. As soon as the door was opened, one could feel the gush of hot air, warming the people who entered. When she walked around the screen, four mammies stood there and saw Ning Xueyan coming over. One of them said, “Take off your clothes.”

“Take off my outer dress?” Ning Xueyan raised her head silently, with a look of bewilderment. As expected, when they saw her face, the faces of the mammies immediately changed.

“What’s wrong with your face?” A mammy screamed.

“I don’t know. Maybe I did not sleep well last night.” Ning Xueyan looked confused. When she stretched out her hands and lifted her big cuffs, the swellings on her hands were revealed.

Nobody would believe that she had contracted this, due to lack of sleep!

“Is this the first time you have this? Tell me the truth, or you will be charged for deceiving the emperor.” A mammy asked sternly.

“No, I had it before. From time to time, I get some sores.” Ning Xueyan answered hurriedly, with fear on her face.

Then it was not a coincidence.

All the four mammies came over, stared at Ning Xueyan’s chin, and then looked at her hand. Their faces became darker and darker. Finally, they discussed this aside, as if they were unable to come to a decision.

Ning Xueyan did not say a word and waited quietly for the result of their discussion. She did not understand why they needed to discuss it. They should just eliminate her. This time was different from the last time. A lot of people got knocked out, but they were not eliminated because they made a show of themselves. As long as they were not bent on fawning upon the influential people, they would not feel the stress.

Although the four mammies discussed in low voices, Ning Xueyan still heard the words “the Third Prince.” She did not understand what he was doing. Was he also involved in this matter and wanted to avenge Ning Qingshan?

After the discussion, an older mammy came over and said to Ning Xueyan, “You don’t have to take off your clothes. Go out!”

It worked. She did not expect that the Honored Consort Ya’s trickery would help her. She pursed her lips and looked sad, but in fact, she was happy. She obediently took two steps back and left.

Ning Xueyan walked out behind the screen and saw an older female servant waiting at the door, with two notebooks at hand. She took a look at Ning Xueyan, grabbed a notebook, and wrote on it. Then, she took a beaded flower from one side and gave it to her. There was only one flower on it.

She had been eliminated from the competition!

Ning Xueyan went out and waited at the corridor outside. Some beautiful ladies, who had the same flower as hers, sat there morosely. One of them even sobbed. Ning Xueyan looked around and found that there was only one face which was familiar. Unfortunately, this person was not only familiar to her, but also hostile toward her.

She was Madam Ling’s niece from her parents’ home, Ling Xue. She was holding a beaded flower with two flowers, proudly. It was apparent that she had passed.

Ning Xueyan did not want to interact with her, so she found a place to sit down. She could not leave until everyone had been checked. The stewardess had told her the rule several times before.

She did not trouble the others, but the others obviously did not intend to let her go so easily. Ling Xue walked over proudly like a peacock, and the beaded flower on her head waggled slightly. She deliberately hung around Ning Xueyan twice. Ning Xueyan did not want to talk to her, so she closed her eyes and rested a little.

“Oh, you’re so ugly. How dare the Lord Protector’s Manor send you to the palace? Is there no other beautiful lady in the Lord Protector’s Manor? It’s scary.”

Ning Xueyan heard Ling Xue’s masterful voice and opened her eyes. Ling Xue looked surprised and pointed at Ning Xueyan in disgust.

Ning Xueyan did not have many sores on her chin, but there were a lot of them on her fair face. It looked quite scary, which immediately ruined the overall feeling she created initially. Now, Ning Xueyan was not beautiful, but shocking to look at.

This was the reason why several of the mammies who were examining her, did not look at anything else. How could she join the Beauty Contest in this situation?

“As a Young Lady of the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor, you have no right to ask if there is any beautiful Young Lady in the Lord Protector’s Manor.” Ning Xueyan looked at Ling Xue and said coldly. Ling Xue thought highly of herself. Everyone knew that the reason why the Vice Minister of Justice was promoted was due to Ning Zu’an’s support.

Now, she dared to ridicule the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Hearing their quarrel, all the beautiful girls who were waiting at the side, turned their heads and looked at them.

“You, you are so presumptuous!” Being taunted by the girl she despised most in front of so many people, Ling Xue suddenly blushed and immediately became angry. In her eyes, Ning Xueyan was always the idiot who had humiliated Ning Yuling and herself.

“How dare you? Miss Ling, are you sure you are talking about me?” Ning Xueyan raised her head slightly and looked at Ling Xue’s face coldly with her jet-black eyes, which were indescribably profound.

This was the imperial palace. How dare Ling Xue scold the Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor in public?

The ladies covered their mouths and chuckled. They thought that Ling Xue was self-righteous and ungrateful.

All of them came to join the Beauty Contest. Now, everyone was the same. So, there was no such thing as being presumptuous. However, the status of the legal daughter of the General of the Lord Protector’s Manor was much higher than that of the legal daughter of the Vice Minister of Justice’s Manor.

Ling Xue was almost driven mad by the ridicule and laughter of the crowd. She almost could not control herself and wanted to rush over. Fortunately, in the end, she calmed down and glared at Ning Xueyan viciously. She gritted her teeth and held back her anger. She could not be impulsive now. Ning Xueyan would definitely be eliminated. When she successfully entered the palace, she would have a high status. There would be plenty of opportunities for her to kill this little bitch.

There were still days to come. Ning Xueyan could not run away.

She glared at Ning Xueyan fiercely, turned around, and was about to leave angrily. She heard that her cousin would be back soon. Then, she and her cousin would have a chance to deal with Ning Xueyan.

Suddenly, someone was clapping from behind. Everyone turned around in surprise.

It was a man dressed in a black embroidered robe. As he walked step by step toward them, they saw that the Red Spider Lily embroidery on his attire was soaked in blood. Meanwhile, everyone lowered their heads and dared not look at his face. Even if they heard that he looked handsome, no one dared to look up, because of his gloomy and fierce manner.

Everyone knew that Prince Yi was the one wearing the bloody Red Spider Lily. The Imperial Guards, which was under the control of Prince Yi, was the bloodiest place. No one could come out of there.

“How dare you all not pay your respects to Prince Yi?” The eunuch shouted in a sharp voice.

Everyone immediately lowered their heads and bowed in respect, and the scene was strange and quiet.

“How interesting! Well, send them to the Small Jing’an Temple to try the Buddha reason.” Ao Chenyi’s cold eyes turned from Ling Xue to Ning Xueyan, with a trace of softness in his eyes. Even if he hid it in his gloomy countenance, could his woman have been bullied by others?

“Yes, Your Highness!” A eunuch came over and walked to them. He drawled, “Two Young Ladies, come with me!”

“Where are we going…?” Ling Xue’s body trembled. In the presence of the so-called bloodthirsty prince, how could she be arrogant? When she heard that he was going to take her away, her face immediately turned pale.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Go.” The eunuch pulled Ling Xue up impatiently and pulled her forward. Ling Xue could not help, but follow him. But when she thought that she was going to be taken away by Prince Yi’s men, she immediately remembered the bloody prison of the legendary Imperial Guard. She stopped in a hurry and screamed at Ao Chenyi.

“Your Highness, I…”

“I?” Ao Chenyi’s grim voice was full of mockery. Before Ling Xue realized something, a eunuch came over. He sneered, grabbed Ling Xue’s neck, and slapped her in the face.

“How dare you address yourself like that?”

Before Ling Xue could say anything, he pushed her toward the flower bed on the side forcefully that she staggered two steps back. Ling Xue stumbled backward and accidentally brushed against the flower bed on the side. There were flower seeds in it. Although they had not blossomed yet, there were thorns on the bushes.

Ling Xue rushed in recklessly and immediately screamed, her hands covering her face.

Even if she could not see them clearly, she knew that the sharp thorns had pierced her face.

“You don’t know how to appreciate favors. Take her away.” The eunuch behind Ao Chenyi snorted, as if he did not know that Ling Xue was a noble lady who had entered the palace to join the Beauty Contest. He shouted at the two young eunuchs.

Two eunuchs came up and grabbed her hands respectively. They dragged her out like a dead dog.

Now it was quiet. It was so weird as if a cold hand had grabbed hold of one’s neck. No one dared to breathe.

“Prince Yi, what… what should we do?” The eunuch glanced at the crowd, and then turned his head and carefully asked Ao Chenyi, who was standing silently aside.

“The Small Jing’an Temple!” Ao Chenyi said coldly. Then he turned around and strode down another path. The others followed him, leaving only a eunuch behind. He said to Ning Xueyan with a fake smile, “Young Lady, come with me to the Small Jing’an Temple to seek the Buddha reason!”

Ning Xueyan raised her head and controlled her emotions well. She nodded slightly and followed the eunuch out.