The Devious First-Daughter

“What? The Third Young Lady got the Fifth Young Lady involved in trouble?” Madam Dowager beat the table hard and stood up suddenly with the support of her walking stick. She was so angry that her face turned ashen. She had bet all her hope on the Fifth Young Lady, but she didn’t expect that the Third Young Lady would do this to the Fifth Young Lady.

She was originally delighted to hear that the Third Prince finally came to see Ning Qingshan, and specially told others not to disturb them. Based on the Third Prince’s previous attitude, she could tell that he didn’t care about Ning Qingshan at all. She had thought that Ning Qingshan had become useless in her plan. Unexpectedly, the Third Prince came here in person. How could Madam Dowager not be overjoyed?

However, Madam Dowager didn’t expect that things would come to this. Ning Qingshan intended to trap her sister by making the “ambiguous relationship” between the Third Prince and Ning Xueyan discovered. She even attempted to drag Ning Xueyan into the room and thus to make the secret meeting between them a fact.

“She’s such a mean girl. Who on earth gave her the courage to plot against her sister like that!” Madam Dowager walked around the room twice with hatred. At present, Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan were the only two decent Young Ladies who could seek benefits for Lord Protector’s Manor.

Madam Dowager considered that the Third Prince was more likely to inherit the throne. Nevertheless, Madam Dowager had experienced the former dynasty. Before the current dynasty was established, who could have thought that the powerful and prosperous former dynasty would suddenly collapse? Who could have thought that the winner was not the most powerful person at that time but the Ao family?

Thus, Madam Dowager thought that she couldn’t put all her chips in the same bowl.

She had considered the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince most promising before, so she intended to marry a granddaughter to each of them. Now that the Third Prince took a fancy to Ning Qingshan, and the Fourth Prince took a fancy to Ning Xueyan, it was perfect. No matter who became the new emperor in the future, Lord Protector’s Manor could remain wealthy. Regarding Prince Yi’s Manor, it was not that she had never thought about it, but she just didn’t dare to think about it.

It was known to all that Prince Yi showed no tenderness toward girls at all. There were at least dozens of girls dying in his manor. If a chess piece died before winning his favor, it was not a good chess piece.

Madam Dowager didn’t expect that Ning Xueyan would be granted to Prince Yi’s Manor. Moreover, Prince Yi seemed to treat Ning Xueyan differently. It aroused Madam Dowager’s other thoughts. In Madam Dowager’s opinion, the Third Prince and Prince Yi were the biggest opponents for the throne, unless something unexpected happens.

It would be better to marry one of her granddaughters into Prince Yi’s Manor than into the Fourth Prince’s Manor.

How could such a good plan ruined by Ning Qingshan? Now Prince Yi had vented his anger on Ning Xueyan, which meant that Lord Protector’s Manor must give Prince Yi’s Manor an explanation. Thinking of Prince Yi’s horrible character, Madam Dowager gnashed her teeth in hatred. Prince Yi was so tough that he even slapped the Third Prince. So Lord Protector’s Manor definitely couldn’t turn a blind eye.

“Lanning, go back and serve your master well. Tell your master to be more open-minded and not to get angry with Prince Yi. Speaking of this, she can’t blame Prince Yi for being angry. After all, a member of our Lord Protector’s Manor has offended him. After your master gets over it, tell her to apologize to Prince Yi.”

After walking two rounds, Madam Dowager came to Lanning, who was kneeling on the ground, and said in a deep voice.

It was not her master who had done anything wrong. How could Madam Dowager ask her master to apologize to Prince Yi in such a humble way? Lanning couldn’t help feeling indignant for her master. Madam Dowager wanted to attach herself to Prince Yi so terribly that she didn’t even care about dignity.

“Madam Dowager, Prince Yi brought his favorite concubine here with him. If my master goes to apologize at this moment, others may think that she apologizes to that concubine. In the future, after my master marries into Prince Yi’s Manor…” Lanning reminded Madam Dowager in a low voice.

She didn’t finish her words, but her meaning was obvious. Ning Xueyan was the co-consort of Prince Yi’s Manor, while the concubine had no status. If Ning Xueyan went to apologize to Ao Chenyi today without caring about her dignity, she could never hold up her head in front of those concubines.

Besides, if it became significant, it would disgrace the entire Lord Protector’s Manor. What a big scandal that the elder sister made her younger sister meet her husband in secret! With this scandal, no matter the Third Prince or Prince Yi inherited the throne in the future, neither Ning Qingshan nor Ning Xueyan could be the empress.

After thinking for a while, Madam Dowager understood what Lanning meant. She gnashed her teeth with increasing hatred for Ning Qingshan and said, “Tell your master to take a good rest. I’ll send a gift to Prince Yi later.”

“Okay, Your Grace. I’m leaving.” Lanning nodded and stood up. She didn’t ask any more questions and left obediently.

“Let’s go to see the Third Young Lady.” After Lanning left, Madam Dowager also went to the door with the help of her walking stick and said to Mother Qin on the side with hatred.

She then walked out a wave of anger before Mother Qin answered. She was so furious that she took a few steps hurriedly and caught up with Lanning, who had left just now. Lanning immediately stepped aside and gave way to Madam Dowager. Mother Qin immediately instructed several maids and old maids to follow her.

Seeing Madam Dowager and her servants walking aggressively toward the Third Young Lady’s courtyard, Lanning slowly followed them. The two courtyards were not far from each other, and she could go back to Ning Xueyan’s courtyard by way of Ning Qingshan’s courtyard. So there was nothing wrong with her route.

Ning Qingshan had returned to the main room. Hearing that Madam Dowager had entered the courtyard, Mammy Luo hurriedly got out of the inner room to receive Madam Dowager. When she just came up to Madam Dowager, she was hit by a walking stick. She staggered, couldn’t stand still, fell to the ground and couldn’t get up in a short time.

“She acted so rashly that she bumped into Madam Dowager. Drag her aside and make her kneel down.” Mother Qin understood Madam Dowager’s intention, so she took two steps forward and said with a fierce look.

She bumped into Madam Dowager? It was obvious that Madam Dowager hit her with a walking stick. Mammy Luo hurriedly raised her head and wanted to defend herself. However, seeing Madam Dowager’s gloomy face, she became speechless. It was not about whether she had bumped into Madam Dowager, but about that what the Third Young Lady did was exposed.

The trap was set by the Third Young Lady, but she didn’t accomplish anything. In the end, it was discovered by Prince Yi, and even the Third Prince was slapped. At the thought of this, Mammy Luo didn’t dare to say anything. She was pulled aside by two inferior old maids and punished to kneel aside.

Madam Dowager went inside with her face darkening. Mother Qin instructed the others to stay in the courtyard, and then hurriedly went forward to help Madam Dowager in.

“Grandma!” Seeing Madam Dowager coming in, Ning Qingshan greeted her intimately with a gentle smile.

However, she was slapped by Madam Dowager violently. Ning Qingshan didn’t expect that Madam Dowager would directly slap her without saying a word. She was unprepared at the moment and suffered the slap completely. She then fell backward and fell heavily on the bed frame, making a clear sound of “bang”.

She felt a sharp pain at the back of her head.

Seeing this in astonishment, Caifen and Feilian intended to come over to help Ning Qingshan up. However, Mother Qin gave them a hard look and shouted harshly, “How dare you offend Madam Dowager! Go out and kneel down!”

Mother Qin was the most respectable servant in Lord Protector’s Manor. Even Ning Zu’an usually showed her some respect for the sake of Madam Dowager. Seeing her getting angry and Madam Dowager’s cold eyes, they dared not say anything else. After glancing at Ning Qingshan secretly, they left obediently. As soon as they retreated to the door, they were pulled aside by several old maids and knelt together with Mammy Luo.

It was very quiet in the courtyard. All the maids and old maids stood still and did not dare to move.

In the room, Ning Qingshan managed to recover from the pain. She exerted herself to sit up, looked at Madam Dowager with tears in her eyes and said in an injured tone, “Grandma, I… I didn’t mean to do that. How dare I do something like that?”

Before Madam Dowager came here, Ning Qingshan had already figured out an explanation. She couldn’t bear the responsibility herself, otherwise, Madam Dowager certainly wouldn’t spare her. Thus, she certainly wouldn’t insist on arguing with Madam Dowager.

“If you didn’t mean to do that, why didn’t you send someone to deliver a message to Xueyan? How dare you instruct the old hen to pull Xueyan in person? Even if you’re seeking death, don’t implicate Lord Protector’s Manor. I didn’t expect that you would return kindness with ingratitude when adopting you at that time. If I had known you were an ungrateful person, I would have thrown you into a brothel when I brought you back, lest you implicate the entire Lord Protector’s Manor.”

Madam Dowager pointed at Ning Qingshan and scolded her in a low voice with burning hatred in her eyes. If Ning Qingshan’s plan worked, the entire Lord Protector’s Manor wouldn’t be able to bear Prince Yi’s anger. Thinking of this, she really thought so and scolded Ning Qingshan even more harshly than she did to a servant.

No matter it was the Third Prince’s idea or not, was Ning Qingshan a dead person? In any case, Ning Qingshan should secretly instruct someone to deliver a message to Ning Xueyan. Even if Ning Qingshan couldn’t deliver a message to Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan could deliver a message to her. She had sent some pastries to Ning Qingshan’s courtyard before, but Ning Qingshan didn’t give any hints at that time.

Thinking of this, how could Madam Dowager not hate Ning Qingshan? She even spoke without thinking and had forgotten her identity as the Madam Dowager of Lord Protector’s Manor. If it weren’t for her sanity which made her know that she couldn’t make a big deal of the matter at this moment, she would have torn Ning Qingshan apart.

How could this mean girl have this thought and even ignore the safety of Lord Protector’s Manor?

“Grandma, I really didn’t mean to do that. It was not I didn’t want to deliver a message, but I didn’t dare to with the Third Prince keeping an eye on me. I didn’t expect that His Highness would be so obsessed with Fifth Sister that he even did this. Grandma, trust me. I even wanted to die at that time.”

Ning Qingshan jumped down from the bed and knelt down in front of Madam Dowager regardless of her injured leg. Holding Madam Dowager’s leg, she cried in an injured tone, “If I lie to you, I’ll definitely die a tragic death in the future! Grandma, trust me. If Fifth Sister gets into trouble, I’ll definitely be implicated. I won’t be so stupid to do such a thing!”

At this moment, Ning Qingshan just wanted to convince Madam Dowager, so she kept swearing as if she felt extremely aggrieved. It was unexpected that Prince Yi would come and the Third Prince had to take actions. According to her original plan, she didn’t mean to make Ning Xueyan marry into the Third Prince’s Manor. Instead, she intended to threaten Ning Xueyan with the secret meeting between Ning Xueyan and the Third Prince.

In this way, she could determine Ning Xueyan’s fate from now on. Unexpectedly, Ning Xueyan found out something and refused to enter the room. Prince Yi then showed up and ruined her perfect plan. At this moment, she secretly complained of Ning Xueyan’s great luck, but she had to pretend to be innocent and extremely aggrieved in front of Madam Dowager.

From Madam Dowager’s present state, she could tell that Madam Dowager came with nothing good and completely ruined her original plan. At this moment, she certainly should put on the best show to convince Madam Dowager.