The Devious First-Daughter

Lanning followed Caifen in and came to Ning Xueyan’s side. She squatted down and whispered to Ning Xueyan. At this time, some childes from noble families came in from outside the hall. After they made their obeisance to the emperor and the empress, they went to the left side of the hall.

There were rows of male guests, and three chairs were placed at the front. One chair was covered with light yellow brocade that was similar to a bright yellow color. It was at the right side of the emperor, and located slightly below the steps where the emperor sat, and a little to the side. The handsome and cold person sitting on it was Prince Yi, the emperor’s younger brother.

Below him were the Third Prince Ao Mingyu and the Fourth Prince Ao Mingwan.

It was an impressive scene!

The ladies were both shocked and happy. If they managed to create an impression on such an occasion, perhaps the emperor would remember them. Maybe then, this would be their chance to skyrocket to fame!

“Your Highness, when… when will we start?” The Emperor did not look well. He looked haggard and slightly pale, and seemed to be in poor spirits.

Ning Xueyan looked up and felt that the emperor did not look that old. He was a thin, middle-aged man. It seemed that he had been good-looking when he was young. But now, there were black shadows under his eyes, and his face was too pale. He appeared to be in poor health.

The Empress was an extremely dignified, middle-aged, beautiful woman. She was well-maintained. She was dressed in a luxurious phoenix dress and had a good complexion. However, there was a sense of gloom and coldness about her. Even in this beautiful hall, her gloom would not be dispelled.

This was the Empress who had no children. So what if she was the Empress? Therefore, it was inevitable that the gloom in her eyes was permanently there.

The Honored Consort Ya and the Honored Consort Shu were sitting next to her. Compared to them, she appeared much calmer.

“Your Majesty, it was all carefully coordinated by Sister Ya. Let her tell you!” The Empress smiled and turned to look at the Honored Consort Ya, who was sitting aside. She looked dignified and polite, as befitting her position of one who was indeed the mother of a country.

“Your Majesty, you think too highly of me. It may not be a good arrangement. Anyway, you and the emperor need to have a look. Honored Consort Shu and I dare not call the shots here!” The Honored Consort Ya smiled gently, as she held a handkerchief in her hands. There was no disrespect for the empress in her eyes, and she even flattered the empress.

The Empress looked a little relieved.

“Sister Ya, you are too polite. Can we start now?” The Empress smiled slightly and passed on a message on behalf of the Emperor.

“Yes, we’ll start immediately.” The Honored Consort Ya clapped her hands, with a smile. Then, a eunuch standing behind her stepped forward and handed her an exquisite box. There were small jade tokens in it. The Honored Consort Ya stood up and walked up to the emperor gracefully. She bowed and held the box high.

“Your Majesty, I would like to ask you to select the first outstanding girl today, and the empress will select the next one.”

“My beloved imperial concubine, you are really something. Should I draw a jade tablet personally?” The jade tablet was drawn on the spot, and the chosen lady would then perform. He was somewhat amused. He reached out to take a jade tablet, as he praised her and smiled.

“Your Majesty, I’m not capable. It all depends on the empress’s reminder and the Honored Consort Shu’s ideas. I’m just a messenger.” The Honored Consort Ya did not take all the credit. She smiled and gave the credit to the Empress and the Honored Consort Shu. The Empress looked even more relaxed. She reached out to take a jade tablet and handed it to the eunuch beside her.

The Honored Consort Shu, who was sitting by the side, smiled happily.

The first performer was the daughter of the Minister of Rituals. She was going to dance, and now she was changing into her dancing dress. The next one was the daughter of the Right Prime Minister. She was getting her zither ready. The maid beside her had already taken it out from a bag, on her back.

The third person who picked out a jade tablet was Ao Chenyi. He lazily reached in and took out a tablet. The eunuch hurriedly took it and wrote down the third performer’s name.

The Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Honored Consort Shu did the same. All the concubines in the imperial harem did too, according to their ranks.

Today, there were a lot of concubines here, but only a few beautiful ladies. In this way, there were a few low-ranking concubines who did not have a chance to draw a tablet. After all the tablets were taken out, the palace maids informed each young lady, in order for them to prepare themselves.

Ning Xueyan looked at her number. She was the eighth one, so it was still too early for her to prepare.

But more coincidentally, the maid who came to tell the number told Ning Qingshan first and then Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan had not forgotten her polite manner, when the maid talked to Ning Qingshan. It seemed that people in the imperial palace also knew that Ning Qingshan was going to be the Third Prince’s wife.

The first lady showed her talent and from her elegant and pleasing performance, one could tell that she had put in a lot of work. The Empress was sitting in a high position, with a straight face. Now, she had a satisfied smile on her face, which meant that she enjoyed her performance.

The second beautiful woman’s dance was graceful. It was not brilliant but well performed. Her showmanship was no lesser than the others.

Then, the third one and the fourth one came. Coincidentally, they seemed to have discussed it before. When they performed in sequence with each other, it was refreshing to watch. Whether they had known each other before, or had done this previously with each other, their coordination was perfect.

When they came down, there were more compliments than before, because their performance garnered a whole lot of cheers. After this, several beautiful girls sitting beside Ning Xueyan, and the people sitting adjacent to her, were discussing in low voices what each of their performance was going to be, and whether they should do the same and do a joint performance.

As soon as the third lady and the fourth lady went off the stage, the fifth one went up. Her dance moves were not only good, but her dance music was quite lengthy. Accompanied by the drumbeats, one felt as if one was in paradise. She danced enchantingly and moved her long sleeves gently to the music, which was very attractive to watch.

“Fifth Sister, why don’t we work together? Let’s play the zither together. If I have any shortcomings, you can help me remedy them. If I have any weaknesses, you can also help me. If we play together, we’ll stand a better chance. Fifth Sister, what do you think?”

She leaned back while watching the dance, and said this to Ning Xueyan.

She believed that Ning Xueyan would not refuse. Ning Xueyan’s skill in playing the zither was mediocre. Now that she was caught unprepared, she must be in a great state of panic. If she reached out to help her once, she would be willing to share the praise she received, with her, and take away some of her embarrassment. How could she not agree?

So, Ning Qingshan did not expect that Ning Xueyan would not agree at all. After saying that, she was silent for a long time. She did not know if she had enough patience to let her prey slowly climb over and take the bait.

“Thank you, Third Sister. But, tit is not a good idea for both of us to play the zither…” Ning Xueyan’s gentle refusal came from behind. Everything was within Ning Qingshan’s expectation. If Ning Xueyan agreed so easily, she would feel suspicious.

She had fought against Ning Xueyan more than once. She planned before taking any action each time, which showed that Ning Xueyan was extremely cunning. It was impossible for her to believe that she would sincerely cooperate with her. Fortunately, she was well prepared.

“Fifth Sister, I’m not sure about your skills in playing the zither. I’ve been in the nunnery for the past three years, and I am not aware about the affairs of the world. But now that I’m out, I don’t want anyone to talk about the affairs of the Lord Protector’s Manor. If you do something wrong, you’ll get me into trouble. You know what happened between me and the Third Prince, so I can’t make any mistakes now. So, I’d better play the zither with you.”

Ning Qingshan turned her head and looked at Ning Xueyan. She looked a little depressed, but she said this sincerely and vaguely. If it was not for the sake of the Lord Protector’s Manor, or the fact that Lord Protector’s Manor had a great connection with regard to her marriage, she would not have invited Ning Xueyan to play it with her.

They had secretly fought several times, and almost all the time, it ended in failure for Ning Qingshan. How could she harbor no grudge? Ning Xueyan did not believe that Ning Qingshan had her overall interest in mind and that she cherished her sisterhood.

She had to make a concession to Ning Xueyan, because of her marriage. If the Lord Protector’s Manor had a bad reputation, the Honored Consort Ya and the Third Prince would probably not agree to any marriage plans with the Lord Protector’s Manor. In that case, she would not be the Third Prince’s wife.

It was much more credible to say such a reason. After all, it was related to her marriage. It was normal for Ning Qingshan to make some concessions for the time being. The emperor and the empress sat high up there. If they fought against each other, the whole Lord Protector’s Manor would be disgraced, which was not appropriate.

If Ning Qingshan had not been the Honored Consort Ya’s niece, and the Honored Consort Ya had agreed to let Ning Qingshan marry into the Third Prince’s Manor, it was natural that Ning Qingshan had such concerns now. She would make an issue based on her status. Ning Qingshan was sure that Ning Xueyan did not know about her relationship with the Honored Consort Ya, so she was sure that Ning Xueyan would agree.

It was beneficial for both sides. Anyone who was smart would agree.

Ning Qingshan did not let her know about her real purpose. She had played the zither. As long as Ning Xueyan played the zither with more pressure, one string would be broken. If she played it again, it would inevitably be scratched. The emperor, the empress, and all the imperial concubines would be watching. Even if Ning Xueyan found that the string was broken, she would not dare to stop.

She was not good at playing the zither, and if she played a zither that scratched her hand, it would be easy to see who the better player was. Besides, if Ning Qingshan did not stop playing the zither, Ning Xueyan would not be able to stop, either. This time, she would not only drive Ning Xueyan away, but she would be destroyed at her hands.

For this reason, she chose a longer song.