The Devious First-Daughter

With Madam Dowager’s permission, Ning Xueyan went out with Lanning. On the way, she encountered Concubine Xu, whose hair was disheveled. There was a red palm print on her swollen face, and her clothes were in a mess. It was clear how furious Madam Ling was, just now. Obviously, it was extremely inappropriate for Ning Xueyan, the younger generation, to stay to see what was going to happen.

Her father’s wife and concubine had competed and fought, something she could not interfere with. If she stayed to see what was going to happen, everyone would be embarrassed. One of the reasons that Madam Dowager did not allow Concubine Xu to come in just now, was because of Ning Xueyan’s presence.

So Ning Xueyan took the initiative to leave. She was so insightful that Madam Dowager and Madam Dowager Liu were satisfied.

Madam Dowager waved her hand and allowed her to leave.

However, Ning Xueyan would inevitably encounter Concubine Xu, who was walking in, just as she was leaving.

The aggrieved and frightened Concubine Xu was wiping away her tears with a handkerchief with one hand, while holding an older female servant’s hand, with the other. Seeing Ning Xueyan approaching, she stopped immediately and greeted Ning Xueyan, “Fifth Young Lady!”

Ning Xueyan scrutinized Concubine Xu’s face and saw the obvious palm print and tear marks on her face. Looking at how aggrieved and delicate Concubine Xu was, Ning Xueyan pretended to be puzzled and asked, “Concubine Xu, what happened to you? Didn’t you go to see my mother?”

Everyone knew that Concubine Xu had visited Madam Ling just now. Soon, Concubine Xu came back looking like this. It must be Madam Ling’s work, but nobody dared to say more.

“Fifth… Fifth Young Lady…” Concubine Xu could not hold back her tears anymore and cried, while covering her face with her handkerchief. It seemed that she was suddenly asked about her grievance. “First Madam… First Madam… she’s going to kill Yu Lian!”

Ning Xueyan’s face darkened and she shouted, “Don’t talk nonsense. Mother is not like that!”

“It’s… it’s true. First Madam, First Madam asked me to call Yu Lian. I didn’t call, so…” Concubine Xu cried and sobbed so much, that she could not speak. The fear in her eyes could not be hidden. She stretched out her other hand to Ning Xueyan, all the while trembling. Only then did everyone see that there were cuts on Concubine Xu’s other hand, which were made by porcelain scratches.

All the servants were shocked.

Ning Xueyan nodded, in her mind. Concubine Xu was indeed clever. She showed her wounded hands, and complained about Madam Ling, after she came back from Buddha Hall, which made everyone believe that she had been beaten by Madam Ling. Besides, she specially came to Lucky Garden, before she went to Buddha Hall, so that everyone knew that she had gone to Buddha Hall.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Grandma’s waiting for you.” Ning Xueyan warned Concubine Xu and moved aside to let Concubine Xu in. Since she had expressed that she did not want to get involved in this matter, she could not talk too much to Concubine Xu, at this time. Fortunately, her present goal had been achieved. Then she looked at the big tree outside the courtyard.

Concubine Xu cried so loudly just now, that everyone could hear and see what was happening, clearly.

“Yes… I’ll report to Madam Dowager.” Concubine Xu did not talk to Ning Xueyan any longer. She nodded to Ning Xueyan before leaving and walked in, all the while holding on to the older female servant’s hands, with tears on her aggrieved face.

Ning Xueyan continued walking out of the courtyard. Instead of going directly back to the Bright Frost Garden, Ning Xueyan went to another remote road, after leaving Lucky Garden. On one side of the road, there was a small rockery, beside which there were several big trees. The leaves had withered and the trees looked decayed.

Ning Xueyan walked for a while, and stopped. She stood in front of the rockery. She glanced at Lanning obliquely, and winked at her, a smile appearing in her cold, teary eyes.

People at the gate of Lucky Garden could not look in, because their view was blocked by rockeries and tree trunks. Ning Xueyan and Lanning turned at a corner.

Lanning, who had served Ning Xueyan for a long time, immediately understood Ning Xueyan’s meaning. She took several steps forward and intentionally asked in disbelief, “Young Lady, did First Madam really beat Concubine Xu?”

Ning Xueyan coldly said, “Do you think Concubine Xu dares to slander my mother? She’s just a concubine and only has one daughter. Can she be compared to my mother?” She looked up at the tree top and narrowed her eyes, as if she was attracted to the big tree in front of her.

Without children, a concubine could never be promoted, no matter how much she was favored. She was doomed to be inferior to the Legal Wife.

The person hiding behind the rockery trembled, and bit her handkerchief, hard.

Lanning still did not understand and asked again, “Just like Concubine Ma?”

Yu Lian, the person behind the rockery, trembled. Concubine Ma used to be the favorite concubine of Ning Zu’an who spent most of his days sleeping with her. But after the last incident, Ning Zu’an seldom went to Concubine Ma’s place to rest.

Ning Xueyan coldly said, “Look at those concubines in the manor, only Concubine Xu gave birth to a daughter. All of the rest have no children. Concubine Ma is the same now. She does not have a child. Such concubines would die alone, even though they are favored by my father, for some time!”

Ning Zu’an owned many concubines. But the fact that only one concubine had given birth to a daughter, was strange!

Yu Lian, who was hiding behind the rockery, was transfixed, when she heard those words!

Her happiness, because she had successfully seduced Ning Zu’an, disappeared and she felt cold now. Yes, she still might live an unhappy life in the future, even if First Madam had to agree to promote her to the status of concubine, because of the present situation. Yu Lian knew something about Concubine Ma’s affair. She heard that First Madam had secretly asked someone to give Concubine Ma medication that made it impossible for her to conceive.

A woman became somebody’s concubine, but could not have any children. Could she still have any future?

When she was old and ugly, she would be forgotten and thrown into the womenfolk courtyard. Maybe she would not even know how she would die in the end!

When she thought about that, Yu Lian could not help trembling. Originally, she came to Lucky Garden to inquire about something. Unexpectedly, she found out that Concubine Xu, who had gone to inform Madam Ling, had been beaten by Madam Ling. She heard it clearly just now. Madam Ling not only beat Concubine Xu, but also scratched her hands. Yu Lian felt really scared, as soon as she thought of Madam Ling’s fierce and vicious eyes.

She was still young, and did not want to die. She also did not want to be childless in the future, and be tortured to death by Madam Ling, after she lost Ning Zu’an’s love!

“Does that mean that even if Yu Lian won’t die this time, and the First Madam agrees to promote her to be a concubine, First Madam will never spare her and she’ll eventually come to a bad end, like Concubine Ma?” Lanning asked one question after another, and Yu Lian was eager to find out the answers. She kept silent, and dared not make a sound, trying to hear their conversation.

Concubine Xu had gone to inform Madam Ling, but was severely beaten by Madam Ling, which just showed how much Madam Ling hated Yu Lian. Besides, Concubine Xu also said that Madam Ling wanted to kill Yu Lian. When she thought about that, Yu Lian was frightened and was no longer happy, because she would become the concubine.

“It won’t be. As long as she’s smart, there’s always a way for her to survive.” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly, but did not tell all she knew, which made Yu Lian uncomfortable and eager to know the way.

Lanning asked, “Young Lady, how can she survive? She annoyed the First Madam who is in charge of the womenfolk courtyard. Although First Madam is not allowed to leave the Buddha Hall, she will eventually leave, one day. After all, the Eldest Young Master is the only son of marquis!”

Lanning had served Ning Xueyan for a long time. Of course, she knew that Ning Xueyan would not say something like that, without a purpose. So she continued to talk about this topic. She did not move and only focused on Ning Xueyan, as if she really wanted to know.

Ning Xueyan brought her gaze back from the top of the tree, and took a look at the cave of the rockery, on the other side.

It was quiet there and only the sound of the wind could be heard. If Ning Xueyan had not seen Yu Lian sneaking into the cave of the rockery from the back of the tree before, she would not have thought that there was someone hiding in the rockery.

“Big brother is the only son of father. Everything of Lord Protector’s Manor will be his. But now it’s father, who is in charge, anyway!” Ning Xueyan rolled her eyes and said those meaningful words. She did not express her meaning, clearly.

Marquis? This reminded Yu Lian. As long as the Eldest Young Master was not in power, marquis was the master of the whole Lord Protector’s Manor.

Ning Xueyan went on saying, “As long as Yu Lian is smart enough, and makes father aware of her grievance and fear, my father will protect her. After all, she’s so beautiful and also the new person.”

Lanning shook her head blankly. “I still don’t understand. Young Lady, what does Yu Lian have to do?”

This was also what Yu Lian wanted to ask. She held her breath and dared not gasp. Now she urgently wanted to know what she should do to make the marquis take pity on her, and protect her from being harmed by First Madam. As soon as she thought that she would not be able to have any children in the future, because of First Madam, she trembled in fear. She was going to stop it.

She seduced marquis because she wanted honor and wealth, not because she wanted to die alone, or come to a bad end.

“Mother is now in the Buddha Hall. Just now, she beat up Concubine Xu. One can tell that she is really angry. When she is confined in Buddha Hall, her personal maid and her husband betrayed her. Generally speaking, father will inevitably feel sorry for mother. So if mother is mighty and puts forward her intention to have Yu Lian sterilized, it’s highly possible that my father will agree.”

Ning Xueyan’s voice was not loud, but what she said, shocked Yu Lian, like a huge clap of thunder. She almost spat out blood, and her whole body turned cold!

Fifth Young Lady guessed right!

Yu Lian thought of what marquis had said to her last night. Marquis also wanted Yu Lian to stoop to compromise. After all, they had betrayed Madam Ling. They should let Madam Ling vent her anger and be happy. “Does it mean that marquis won’t say no when First Madam says she wants to have me sterilized? No, I don’t want that!”

Yu Lian firmly grasped the sharp rock of the rockery, and did not care that the sharp stone would scratch her palm!

Yu Lian gritted her teeth and understood Ning Xueyan’s meaning. Marquis felt guilty and she might end up being the victim. How could Yu Lian, who had just won the favor of Ning Zu’an, endure that?

She did not want to give in!

“What can she do?” Today, Lanning asked those questions, as if she was in Yu Lian’s shoes and Yu Lian was also eager to know the answer. Yu Lian tried to calm down, so as to be able to clearly hear every word Ning Xueyan said.

She had a feeling that the next words would be very important to her!