The Devious First-Daughter

“Prince Yi, are you also looking for the former princess?” Ning Xueyan looked up and asked with a smile. Since he had no intention of hiding it from her, she asked him directly, without attempting to hide anything as well.

“I heard about the news of the former Great Elder Princess in regions south of the Yangtze River. Everyone thought that she had been in regions south of the Yangtze River all that time. Nobody expected that she had come to the capital and lived here for three years. The Lord Protector’s Manor’s protection was very adequate. My two nephews have made a great effort to try and find her.”

The corners of Ao Chenyi’s thin lips lifted slightly. His gaze fell on Ning Xueyan. He said those words figuratively.

“Does this have anything to do with the Lord Protector’s Manor?” Ning Xueyan’s heart skipped a beat, and her long eyelashes fluttered like a feather fan. She asked in surprise, “Isn’t this something that no one should be aware of?” Could it be that the emperor was making trouble for the Lord Protector’s Manor?

Ao Chenyi looked at her and suddenly asked, with a faint smile on his face, “Yan’er, are you worried for the Lord Protector’s Manor?”

“I’m not worried.” Ning Xueyan looked at Ao Chenyi’s narrow eyes, and said this clearly. Lord Protector’s Manor had never given her the impression of being her family. Even in this so-called “disciplined” place, the blood of the weak flowed everywhere. The weak included herself, Xiang’er, Madam Ming, and other people.

The first thing she wanted to do after her rebirth was to destroy this place. This place was full of schemes and ruthlessness. There was a trace of sadness in her eyes for no reason.

“Everything will be fine. Ning Zu’an will be reprimanded at most,” Ao Chenyi said lazily.

“Why are they all looking for her? Was there something of interest there?” Ning Xueyan asked. Ao Chenyi raised his eyebrows. When he was about to say something, she suddenly stopped him. “Prince Yi, do you want to see the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince? They’re in our manor now.”

“No, they will be coming over.” Ao Chenyi said with an evil smile. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Ning Xueyan with interest. He did not ask her why she suddenly changed the topic, but his eyes were cold.

Ning Xueyan raised her head and looked at him with some hesitation. Then, she looked down because she saw that he was unhappy. However, she could not really ask about some things and did not dare to ask further. She bit her lips and did not know how to continue. It was not because she did not want to ask, but she did not know how to talk about her previous life.

Even in her previous life, she had her pride and also had reasons for not being to speak out.

She did not dare to and was not able to casually say anything about it. She did not know what to say. She did not dare to let others discover her biggest secret– her rebirth. She was afraid of being seen as a demon, and she did not want others to perceive her as a demon. She could investigate into the matter about Ning Ziying slowly, but she could not let others find out that she was Ning Ziying.

“Prince, do you want to go to the Cloud Reflection Courtyard to have a look?” She unexpectedly asked him this.

“No, I don’t want to!” Ao Chenyi’s lips curved coldly, and he refused her directly. A trace of gloom flashed across his beautiful eyes.

“Prince Yi, why don’t you want to have a look? The Third Prince and the others have already been there.” Ning Xueyan asked in puzzlement, with a trace of doubt in her shimmery eyes. Although she could not directly tell what it was, she knew that it should be a crucial matter. Otherwise, Ao Mingyu and Ao Mingwan would not have gone there.

“Only they will fight for that thing. Do you believe that it does not matter whether I get it or not?” Ao Chenyi suddenly smiled in disdain and said this proudly. His eyes were like the flowing clouds in the sky, which were hard to grasp for a moment, and could not be understood.

If anyone else had said it, Ning Xueyan would not have believed it. But when he said it, she believed it, because that was what a man like him was like. Ning Xueyan felt relieved for no reason, and unconsciously had a soft smile in her eyes.

“I believe you!” She answered, without any hesitation.

Looking at Ning Xueyan, Ao Chenyi became less cold. He picked up the cup at hand and took a sip gracefully. Then he turned his head and looked at her. Suddenly, he asked, “Do you want me to help you?”

“Thank you, Prince Yi. I can do it!” Ning Xueyan knew that there must be a reason behind his words, but she still shook her head. Whether it was about Madam Ling or the shop outside, she felt that she could handle it.

“Prince Yi, have you ever thought that the Lord Protector might not have the military medallion from the former dynasty?” Ning Xueyan suddenly remembered something and asked, after thinking for a while. This was the first agreement she made with Ao Chenyi. It seemed that she had not revealed anything until now. She only knew that Ning Qingshan shared the same interest in the military medallion.

And she did not know who the person behind Ning Qingshan was, yet.

“Oh, why do you say that?” Ao Chenyi raised his beautiful eyes and asked. He did not take the military medallion seriously. At that time, he was just interested in Ning Xueyan. He wanted to see how far this delicate girl could go with his support. It was just an excuse.

Otherwise, he would not have brought up this matter later, as if he had forgotten about it.

“Didn’t Prince Yi bring me to visit my mom’s old house before? My mom was the daughter of the former Minister of War. Prince Yi, have you thought that maybe Ning Zu’an does not have the military medallion at all? Could it be with my mom?”

Ning Xueyan frowned and asked. She had this idea, but she did not find anything similar to a military medallion after she searched through all of Madam Ming’s things. So until now, it was just a guess, and it had not been proven yet. Only in this way, could it explain why Ning Zu’an did not sleep in the middle of the night. Instead, he went to search Madam Ming’s old house.

Ning Zu’an did not seem to have a deep affection for Madam Ming.

“It’s possible, or…” As he spoke, Ao Chenyi leaned closer to Ning Xueyan and dropped the cup in his hand. As if accidentally touching Ning Xueyan’s hand on the table, he said, “Does Yan’er want to use this military medallion as a dowry and marry me now?”

As his slender fingers slid across the delicate skin on her fingers, she was seized with a sudden fear. Ning Xueyan withdrew her hand and subconsciously pushed his away. But when she touched his hand again, she felt hot, and her face was tinged with a faint blush. Feeling embarrassed, she wanted to push his approaching figure away. She was the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor now, not the favorite concubine she had been pretending to be.

“Your Highness, I don’t have that.”

She thought that she was being very earnest, but she did not expect that her coldness had a certain charm, which seemed even more enchanting than usual.

Looking at her shy but angry look, Ao Chenyi was no longer indifferent. He leaned back with satisfaction and said with a smile, “Take it easy. If you can find it, you can give it to me. If you can’t find it, it does not matter.”

A trace of malice flashed through his beautiful eyes, and a strange smile appeared on his lips. Ning Xueyan’s words reminded him of something.

Maybe that was the reason. It was a certainty that the military medallion was in the Lord Protector’s Manor. However, Ning Zu’an was very loyal to his royal brother. If he had the military medallion, he would have given it to his royal brother. He would not have dared to hide the military medallion. It seemed that Ning Xueyan’s words were credible.

He had asked someone to check Ning Zu’an’s study many times, but they did not find anything amiss. Thinking of Ning Zu’an’s furtiveness instead of sleeping at night, he was sure that Ning Zu’an was looking for something. And that item should have belonged to Madam Ming. As the legal daughter of the former Minister of War, it would make sense that Madam Ming had the military medallion.

Madam Ming had been demoted and stayed in the Bright Frost Garden all the time, and since she was so low-key, no one had ever given her a second look. No one had expected that there was such a person in the Lord Protector’s Manor. If Ning Xueyan had not come out of the Bright Frost Garden, many people would have forgotten about that former arrogant noble lady.

Since Ning Zu’an had done such a thorough search, he must have searched through Madam Ming’s things, but he could not find it. So, it must not be an easy task to look for it.

“Prince Yi, I’ll search through my mother’s things again, or I’ll search for it at Ning Zu’an’s place. I’m afraid that it might be too late.” Ning Xueyan lowered her head and covered her unnatural blush.

“I am really in no hurry. Recently, I have been busy. Taking a wife is a big event in my life, and it’s rare for me to take a wife. I don’t have time to deal with such a trivial thing for the moment.” Looking at Ning Xueyan’s uneasy look, Ao Chenyi became gentler. Suddenly, he smiled and answered gravely.

Was it such a big deal for him to take a wife? Why didn’t she think so? He was very casual, but it seemed that he could not find anyone to marry. He was so solemn and even said that it was a big event in his life. It sounded annoying. It sounded like the words of a playboy who was flirting with a girl.

Ning Xueyan gritted her teeth secretly. Nobody would expect the fierce and ruthless Asura King, Ao Chenyi, to say such words, which gave her a strange feeling. However, this feeling made her heart beat faster. She blinked her long eyelashes and secretly peeked at him, only to see his incredibly handsome face. Shocked, she hurriedly lowered her head and pinched her hand. She felt inexplicably annoyed.

While they were talking, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and Ning Huaijing came over. Ning Xueyan calmed down, got up gracefully and made way for them.

After all the greetings were made, the stone table was occupied by the two nephews and one uncle. Ning Huaijing and her sisters were sitting on the fence of the pavilion. The pavilion was not big, so when the seven of them sat down, it seemed a little overcrowded. Except for the two eunuchs serving Ao Chenyi, the other maids and the young male servants who followed them, stood outside the pavilion.

Fortunately, at this time, the weather was just right. It was neither hot nor cold, with the spring breeze gently brushing their faces from time to time. They did not think that it was a little stuffy with so many people in the pavilion. However, the atmosphere was frosty. Ning Lingyun’s face was pale, and she did not dare to raise her head. She even trembled with fear.

Even Ning Qingshan and Ning Huaijing kept their heads down, not daring to look at Ao Chenyi, who was sitting in the upper position. Everyone knew that the most terrifying person in the capital city was the relentless and ruthless Prince Yi. Now, the frosty atmosphere engulfed them, so nobody dared to look at him as usual.