The Devious First-Daughter

Seeing that Ning Xueyan and the others had left, Ning Qingshan winked at Mammy Luo. Mammy Luo made an excuse and hurried out of Madam Dowager’s courtyard to another courtyard.

Madam Dowager liked bustling joy, so she lived in a quite lively courtyard. Madam Ming’s memorial ceremony was set in a remote place which was a little far away from here. It was rare that Ning Yuling behaved well today. She actually acted like a gentle Young Lady. On the halfway, she even pointed to a pavilion on the side and said.

“Sister, Fifth Sister is in poor health. Let’s take a rest over there, in case she gets tired later. It will do harm to her health.” Ning Yuling said with a smile, pointing to a pavilion with blooming flowers around. Of course, the reason why so many pilgrims came to Cold Mountain Temple was not only that it was famous for holding memorial ceremonies but also that the environment here was famous.

In particular, in this season, people could often see all kinds of flowers in the temple. It was the time when flowers bloomed, so the small pavilion in the temple became a place where people enjoyed the view leisurely.

“Fifth Sister, let’s have a rest. We are still halfway there and need to kneel during the memorial ceremony for mother later.” Ning Ziyan said with concern. She took Ning Xueyan’s hand and went to the pavilion with a smile. A maid behind her quietly left.

The maid beside Ning Yuling served various pastries and tea. The newly brewed tea distributed light fragrance which penetrated the pavilion.

“Fifth Sister, have a taste. This is the snow from the plum blossoms last year. It has been stored underground and just taken out yesterday. This is the fresh tea of this year. It’s not of a particularly good variety, but it’s quite fresh.”

Ning Ziyan poured a cup of tea for Ning Xueyan and pushed it to Ning Xueyan with a smile.

Ning Xueyan picked it up, took a sip, and said with a smile, “It’s clear and fragrant. Eldest Sister, your tea tastes so good. I should have collected some fresh plum blossom snow last year for making tea.”

“Fifth Sister, if you like it, I still have a pot of it. After you go down the mountain, I’ll instruct someone in my manor to send it to you.” Ning Ziyan said with a smile and pushed a box of pastries to Ning Xueyan, “These pastries are not bad either. They are made by a pastry chef in my manor. Everyone who has tasted them says that they are even better than those made by the chefs of restaurants. Have a try.”

Ning Xueyan had tasted the pastries before, but now she didn’t feel like tasting them at all. She waved her hand and said, “Thank you, Eldest Sister. I have had breakfast just now and I’m not hungry yet.”

“Well, we can give the pastries to them as rewards. They have served us since the morning and must be tired now.” Ning Ziyan smiled indifferently and instructed the maid beside her to distribute the pastries.

In fact, there were not many servants. Ning Yuling brought one, Ning Ziyan brought one, while Ning Xueyan brought two. A plate of pastries was not many, so each of them got two pastries.

Xinmei and Lanning glanced at the pastries in their hands, and then glanced at the two maids who were sitting aside and enjoying the pastries. Finding no reason to put the pastries away, they looked at Ning Xueyan with embarrassment.

“Fifth Sister, they are just two pieces of pastries. Just tell them to eat the pastries. Look at the poor girls. People who are ignorant of it might think that you are so stern that you don’t allow the maids to eat the pastries!”

Ning Yuling interrupted disapprovingly with a smile.

“Fifth Sister, maids are the same human beings as us. We can’t even deprive them of pastries despite their hard work.” On hearing Ning Yuling’s words, Ning Ziyan said. Her words made others think that Ning Xueyan was harsh and she deliberately treated the two maids harshly if she didn’t agree to let them eat the pastries.

Not a few people died in Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling’s hands. Ning Xueyan didn’t know since when they considered maids were the same human beings as them! Ning Xueyan sneered in her heart but didn’t show it on her face. She pretended to think for a moment and then nodded to Xinmei and Lanning. The two maids looked delighted and stepped aside to eat the pastries.

Ning Yuling and Ning Ziyan exchanged glances with a trace of complacence in their eyes.

No one noticed that the two maids quickly threw the pastries into their sleeves little by little and only put some crumbs of the pastries on their lips.

“Fifth Young Lady, my master asks you not to go to the main hall now. He says that he needs you to go to the courtyard there.” A maid came over in a hurry from a path, looking anxious and flustered. From her clothes, Ning Xueyan could tell that she was the maid of Ming’s Manor. Ning Xueyan had seen that kind of clothes more than once before.

“What does Cousin ask me to go there for?” Ning Xueyan stood up, blinked her watery eyes, and asked, Xinmei and Lanning had finished the pastries and stood behind Ning Xueyan after wiping their faces.

The maid looked at Ning Ziyan and her sister but still said after hesitating for a moment, “My master was about to go to attend the memorial ceremony just now. Unexpectedly, he walked in a hurry, so he took an infirm step and broke his leg.”

“What? Has my Cousin broken his leg?” Ning Xueyan was anxious. She lifted the hem of her clothes and was about to walk out, but Ning Ziyan grabbed her sleeve.

“Fifth Sister, take it easy. Let’s go there together.”

“Thank you, Eldest Sister. I can go there by myself. You two can go to attend the memorial ceremony for mother.” Ning Xueyan frowned and refused. Everyone knew that Lord Protector’s Manor was on bad terms with Ming’s Manor. Of course, it was because Madam Ling had set up Madam Ming. Now it was definitely inappropriate for the two daughters of Madam Ling to go to see Ming Yuanhua. So Ning Xueyan refused without hesitation.

Ning Ziyan seemed to have thought of this as well, so she didn’t insist on it. She nodded and said, “Well, Fifth Sister, be quick about it. We’ll go to the hall to attend the memorial ceremony for mother. Come and join us later!”

Ning Xueyan nodded and didn’t say anything else. She then left with two maids behind the maid of Ming’s Manor in a hurry.

Seeing Ning Xueyan walk away, Ning Ziyan showed a sinister and complacent look. She sat down at the table again and took a sip of her tea, seeming to be in a good mood.

“Eldest Sister, there won’t be any flaw in your plan, right? Will the b*tch find a way out again and make it a false dawn?” Ning Yuling seemed to be uncomfortable with Ning Ziyan’s leisurely state, so she also picked up the teacup at her hand, took a sip of it, and said with a snort.

“Rest assured. She won’t be able to escape from it this time. Second Sister, we’re on the same boat now. It didn’t matter how you made trouble in the past. But now, if you make trouble again, there’ll be no room in the Xia Manor for you. If we don’t knock Ning Xueyan off, neither our mother nor the two of us have a way out. Even if I’m deprived of the position of the legal wife, you won’t get a chance. You should have a clear mind and work out what you should do.”

With her face turning cold and gloomy, Ning Ziyan rebuked her sister.

Ning Yuling was chocked by Ning Ziyan’s words. She couldn’t refute it even if she wanted to. Madam Ling was her nominal mother. Although Ning Ziyan had been downgraded to a concubine from the legal wife, she wouldn’t get a chance to be the legal wife in the future. How could she, who was proud and arrogant, be willing to just be a concubine? So Ning Ziyan’s words actually touched her tender spot.

“Okay. I’ll go to the main hall now to attend the memorial ceremony for the little b*tch’s mother who died from wrongful treatment and make her mother die with greater grievances.” Ning Yuling put down the cup in her hand heavily and sneered. She didn’t doubt that Ning Xueyan would end up with a tragedy this time.

She said that just now was because she couldn’t bear to see Ning Ziyan’s complacent look.

In the past few days, she had lived a joyful life in the Xia Manor and felt that she won more favor with Xia Yuhang than Ning Ziyan. So she attached great importance to the position of Xia Yuhang’s Legal Wife. She thought that she just needed to put on a spurt, and the position of the Legal Wife could only belong to her. Ning Ziyan was inferior to her in all aspects and couldn’t compare with her.

Of course, now she knew that if Madam Ling could not regain her position, even if she won Xia Yuhang’s favor, she would not be able to turn around the situation. This was the reason why she cooperated with Ning Ziyan obediently this time. She wanted to make Madam Ling regain her position and thus to get the chance to be the Legal Wife.

“Stay down at the moment. I’ll instruct someone to tell you when the time is right. Instruct your maid to arrange it. Don’t take any action until you get a message from me. We work together this time, and she will be unable to escape.” Ning Ziyan ordered methodically.

“Well, well, rest assured. I know. I won’t act rashly. You are so wordy that no wonder he doesn’t like you.” Ning Yuling said impatiently.

“What did you say?” With her face changing drastically, Ning Ziyan beat the table heavily and stood up abruptly.

“Take it easy. I didn’t say anything. I was just telling the truth. Why do you refuse to accept the truth? If he likes you, why doesn’t he go to your courtyard?” Ning Yuling seemed to have not seen that the anger was out of control on Ning Ziyan’s face and continued provoking her. After that, she walked away complacently without looking at Ning Ziyan whose face turned ashen because of anger.

Having been in the Xia Manor for so many days, she had found that Xia Yuhang didn’t treat Ning Ziyan as well as she had imagined. Although he didn’t speak to Ning Ziyan harshly, everyone could tell that he did treat Ning Ziyan coldly. When they were in the study last time, Ning Ziyan could do nothing although she rushed in. With Xia Yuhang protecting her, what could Ning Ziyan do to her?

Thinking of this, she became increasingly disdainful of Ning Ziyan and thought that Ning Ziyan should give up the position of the legal wife obediently if she was smart enough. Anyway, Xia Yuhang didn’t like Ning Ziyan. In the past, when Ning Ziyan took a fancy to Xia Yuhang, she kept calling him “Brother Yuhang” as if she was the apple of Xia Yuhang’s eye.

Now she found out that the situation was not as she had imagined. After accomplishing the plan today, she would still be the legitimate Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor when returning to the Xia Manor. It would be extremely simple for her to become the Legal Wife.

Thinking of this, she walked in an increasingly graceful manner. At the sight of this, Ning Ziyan behind her got so furious that she almost spat blood. Ning Ziyan grabbed the cup in her hand, threw it at Ning Yuling’s back and cursed, “B*tch! B*tch! Both of you are b*tches!”

Of course, the teacup didn’t hit Ning Yuling’s back. It was smashed into pieces on the stone stairs beside her. Hearing the sound behind, Ning Yuling stopped. She looked at Ning Ziyan provocatively and laughed loudly before leaving with her maid.

Ning Ziyan grabbed another cup angrily and was about to throw it at Ning Yuling with her eyes full of shame, anger, and hatred. It reminded her of the day. When she rushed into the study, Ning Yuling feigned a delicate look and hid behind Xia Yuhang and looked at her in such a provocative way.

No. After returning to the manor, she would poison Ning Yuling to sterilize her. This method was passed on to her by her mother. As a concubine with no children, Ning Yuling could never compete with her, who was the legal wife. A trace of viciousness flashed across her face. “Ning Yuling, you ask for it.”