The Devious First-Daughter

These days, Ning Ziyan really had a hard time and was more miserable than ever. She took her maid’s hand and returned to her courtyard, then found that her knees had swelled and resembled steamed buns. In the morning, she had not served Madam Xia well, so Madam Xia ordered her to kneel till now as a punishment. After such a long time, it would be odd if her knees were not swollen.

“Young Madam, don’t be sad, it will all be better soon. A few days ago, the Eldest Young Master sent you a letter. He told you to take it easy and to hold on for a few more days.” Ning Ziyan’s personal older female servant was her wet nurse–Mammy Shen, who had taken care of her from childhood. She had come to the Xia Manor with Ning Ziyan. At the moment, when she saw her precious Eldest Young Lady being tortured like this, she was very angry.

“The Eldest Young Lady is not a principal wife’s daughter now, so Madam Xia intentionally tortured her and said the Eldest Young Lady did not serve her well. However, when the First Madam was still in charge of Lord Protector’s Manor in the past, why have I never heard Madam Xia saying that?” Madam Shen thought.

Ning Ziyan had seen enough of the various aspects of life these days, so now she did not rush to scold others. There was a flicker of gloom in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t worry, Mammy. I am not in a hurry. Anyway, she is still on the mountain and her life is uncertain so far. Since she has not woken up yet, maybe she will be asleep forever. However, my father and Grandmother will take care of it for my brother’s sake.”

“Young Madam, it is really nice to hear you saying that. Anyhow, the Eldest Young Master is handling the affair, so we just need to wait for his message. Maybe it will come soon.” Seeing that her Eldest Young Lady was so sensible, Mammy Shen could not help shedding tears. The Eldest Young Lady had always been bullying others, but when did she have to suffer to this extent?

“Where is he?” Ning Ziyan looked around and asked the maid beside her. Here the “he” referred to “Xia Yuhang”.

“The Eldest Young Master has been in the study all the time and has not come out. Just now, a young male servant came and left a message. The Eldest Young Master needs to study hard, so he will not be here for lunch today and Young Madam will have her meal alone.”

Was he going to read a book in the study room again? A trace of anger flashed in Ning Ziyan’s eyes. After Ning Yuling came to the manor, Xia Yuhang had been more and more indifferent to her. In the past, he had meals with her occasionally, but now, he did not come here even for a day. Even if she sent her people to invite him every day, his replies were all like this. Whether it was for lunch or for dinner, he just gave the same reply.

Did he say “study hard”? He could not even participate in the Spring Metropolitan Examination, so he did not need to study hard at all.

“Let us go and send lunch to the Eldest Young Master.” Ning Ziyan gritted her teeth and said while looking at the food basket beside her. She wanted to see how hard at work Xia Yuhang was in the study room.

“Young Madam, your legs are still swollen, so you don’t have to go there. Just take a good rest.” Mammy Shen asked the maid to apply ointment to her leg, while comforting her.

“No, I must go there today,” Ning Ziyan said coldly. Since she married into the Xia Manor, she had never lived a comfortable life. She had thought that they had shared the same feelings before marriage and would be a happy couple after marriage. Unexpectedly, he had snubbed her early in the marriage. He said that he wanted to study, but in fact, he went to Cold Mountain Temple and had an affair with that bitch secretly.

After that, the bitch came to the Xia Manor and finally she even lost her unborn child because of her. Ning Ziyan had thought that Xia Yuhang would have punished the bitch this time, but in the end, he actually took her as his concubine and also gave her an official title. Afterwards, Ning Ziyan’s sister also came to the Xia Manor. At the thought of this, Ning Ziyan almost vomited blood in anger.

“My marriage seems to be a joke. The scandal has not ended since I got married. Everything is related to my marriage. I have always thought that Xia Yuhang and I have feelings for each other. But now he is getting farther and farther away from me.”

“When did this start? Perhaps it was on the day I got married or after I punished Ning Ziying.” Ning Xueyan thought as she twisted the handkerchief in her hand into a ball…

Seeing that she was bent on going, Mammy Shen did not stop her. After a quick make-up, she did not have lunch and directly rushed to the study room outside with two maids.

Xia Yuhang’s study room was not far from the Chuihua Gate. He chose a quiet site as his study room. It was the best location in the manor and its environment was elegant. Now it was the time for the spring flowers to be in bloom and the courtyard where Xia Yuhang’s study was located, was full of flowers. There were rows of potted flowers and plants at the door. At first glance, Ning Xueyan knew that those flowers had been carefully arranged and they numbered more than the ones she placed there before.

Originally, there were a fixed number of potted flowers and plants sent to each courtyard. Especially for a place like a man’s study room, there should only be a small quantity of flowers, but how could it be like a garden now?

“Where did you get these flowers?” Ning Ziyan stood at the door and asked the young male servant who was in a state of panic and wanted to report to his master.

When the young male servant saw the Young Madam walking over, he wanted to deliver a message, but was stopped by her. At this moment, he noticed the Young Madam’s face and knew that she was in a bad mood, then answered carefully, “Young Madam, these were all sent by Concubine Ning. She said that the Eldest Young Master studies hard and seldom goes out of the study in his daily life, so he needs to enjoy the scenery more, so as not to hurt his mind and eyes. Then she asked the servants to move all the flowers from her courtyard over.”

Of course, Concubine Ning here was Ning Yuling.

Ning Yuling actually sent those flowers here. Hearing this, Ning Ziyan‘s hands trembled with anger. Ning Yuling sent things to Xia Yuhang’s study room without telling her own sister–the principal wife. It seemed as if Ning Ziyan as the principal wife did not want Xia Yuhang to live well on purpose, so she did it in a subtle way. What would other people think of her as the principal wife?

Suddenly, a burst of laughter flowed into Ning Xueyan’s ears. The woman inside seemed to be saying something, but it sounded muffled because of her low voice. Even though Ning Ziyan could not hear clearly, she still knew that the voice was Ning Yuling’s. They had been sisters for more than ten years. How could she not recognize Ning Yuling’s voice?

Ning Yuling was trying to please someone with this voice. It sounded sweet and cute. In the past, she usually made up to Madam Dowager by using this voice, which Madam Dowager loved to hear. So Madam Dowager preferred Ning Yuling more than her eldest sister.

All of a sudden, Ning Ziyan asked coldly, “Why is Concubine Ning in the room?”

“Concubine Ning just arrived and heard that the Eldest Young Master has not had lunch yet. She specially cooked several dishes and brought them here to eat with the Eldest Young Master.” The young male servant saw the big food basket in the hands of the maid behind Ning Ziyan. His face changed a little and he said this with some hesitation.

It was obvious that the Young Madam was also here to send lunch to the Eldest Young Master. How could he handle this? Concubine Ning had already been in and was having lunch with the Eldest Young Master. If the Young Madam came in now and saw them together, she would definitely get angry. If he had known that the Young Madam was coming, then he would never have let Concubine Ning in.

Ning Ziyan heard that Ning Yuling was still in the study room, which meant that she was having a meal with Xia Yuhang. When she thought that she was alone in the backyard, not only had she been humiliated by Xia Yuhang’s mother, but she also had meals alone after going back. However, they were here eating affectionately together, so how could she keep her anger under control?

She pushed away her maid who was supporting her and rushed into the room angrily.

“Young Madam, take it easy. Let me report this to the Eldest Young Master first.” When the young male servant saw that Ning Ziyan rushed in without saying a word, he suddenly realized that it was not good, and then could not help shouting loudly.

“How dare you! If you dare to shout again, you will scare the Young Madam, then I will definitely break your legs.” One of Ning Ziyan’s maids stopped and reproached him coldly.

Hearing this, the young male servant dared not shout to warn the Eldest Young Master and Concubine Ning in the room. He only hoped that they heard his voice just now and could restrain themselves a little. Otherwise, in case Young Madam happened to see the intimacy between them, she might lose her temper and then they as servants would be implicated as well.

In the room, Xia Yuhang sat expressionless and was eating his meal quietly. It was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.

“Try this. I specially asked the kitchen to cook with these new bamboo shoots. The bamboo shoots in the manor are not good, so I have sent people to find them outside. I heard that the bamboo shoots there are very good and some of the noble families also order from them, but they may not be able to get them all the time.”

Ning Yuling was wearing a light pink dress, which made her delicate appearance more beautiful. She was a natural beauty and after dressing up, she looked charming and stylish. Coupled with her slightly pouted lips and bewitching eyes, any man would be lost in her charm.

What’s more, she leaned closer to Xia Yuhang from time to time. When she picked up the dish for him, she touched him and then sat down shyly. She looked gentle and charming and also took care of him wholeheartedly. Seeing this, Xia Yuhang’s eyes became more gentle, and sometimes he even listened to her seriously. Although he did not say anything, Ning Yuling was satisfied with that.

This was much better than when she first came to the Xia Manor. At that time, Xia Yuhang had humiliated her on the first day because of that painting. Now she certainly knew that she had been cheated by someone, and this cheater was her good sister. Ning Yuling was also clear about her own identity now. If she wanted to gain a foothold in the Xia Manor, she had to rely on Xia Yuhang.

Hence, she certainly tried her best to please Xia Yuhang. As for Ning Ziyan, she never took her seriously. She had heard what happened to Madam Ling recently, but she did not think it had anything to do with her. As early as the day when her face was disfigured due to Madam Ling’s slap and she had been sent away, she felt that Madam Ling had abandoned her.

So now, how could she feel sad and anxious for her? Anyway, she was just a concubine and finally only Ning Ziyan would lose face. They were both concubines’ daughters, but Ning Ziyan was the Principal Wife. It was not only Ning Ziyan but also the whole Xia Manor who had lost face. Therefore, Madam Xia had been making Ning Ziyan pay for it these days. Ning Yuling was very happy to see that.

Ning Yuling made good use of these days. Seeing that Ning Ziyan did not have time, she came to Xia Yuhang’s study room the whole day. Now it seemed that she had managed a great achievement by this. Xia Yuhang no longer treated her like how he did before.

Suddenly, Ning Yuling heard a cry from the young male servant outside and frowned. She did not expect that Ning Ziyan would have the strength to come to the study room now. However, it was no use even if she was here. They were both the daughters of a concubine, so no one was more noble than the other. Since Ning Ziyan was here, it would be good to let her see who the most beloved woman was.

She made up her mind silently and said, “Eldest Young Master, try this. I made it for you, just have a taste.”

Ning Yuling stood up again and picked up another dish. Since the dish plate was a little far away, she had to stand on tiptoe. When she put the dish in front of Xia Yuhang, she was a little unsteady on her feet and then leaned over Xia Yuhang. He immediately stretched his hands to hold her and asked gently, “Be careful, are you hurt?”

“No!” Ning Yuling answered shyly. She did not leave Xia Yuhang’s arms, but leaned on him bashfully.

The door was suddenly pushed open. Ning Ziyan stood at the door with a pale face and stared angrily at the two people who were hugging each other inside. She could not help rushing in and pulling Ning Yuling up. Then she suddenly slapped her hard…