The Devious First-Daughter

This incident that happened at Cold Mountain Temple was a big disaster. More than half of the Great Buddha’s Hall at Cold Mountain Temple was burned down, and the girls who had gone there to burn incense, were all injured. And, three principle wives’ daughters were dead. For a time, the capital city was in a mess, and security was very tight.

The two daughters who were about to be sent to the imperial palace were injured, especially Ning Qingshan, whose face was swollen. Madam Dowager was worried and immediately asked the doctor to treat her. She had to let her heal before entering the imperial palace. She sent precious herbs to Ning Qingshan’s Foggy Courtyard.

Madam Ling, who was in the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, felt distressed and had not been able to eat well for a few days. She secretly cursed the older woman for giving away Yuan’er’s things to others.

Although she was distressed, Madam Ling di not dare to say anything more. She was no longer the one who held the power. After so many things happened in the manor, Ning Zu’an did not treat her the way he used to. He spent most of his time in Xu Yulian’s place. A few days ago, he came to see her because she had treated Xu Yulian a little gently, but then he left.

When she thought of this, Madam Ling gritted her teeth in hatred. One day, she would take over the power of the housekeeper and sell out the seductresses. Weren’t they good at hooking up with others? She would sell them all to the brothels, as they seemed to specialize in this kind of collusion.

Of course, Yulian, Concubine Xu, and Ning Xueyan were among them.

“First Madam, don’t be angry. Second Young Lady will be coming back soon. Although Third Young Lady is good-looking, she is not as delicate as Second Young Lady. Although Second Young Lady’s reputation has been slightly tarnished, as long as she is willing to keep a low profile, no man would let a beautiful lady like the Second Young Lady, go.”

Mother Chen knew why Madam Ling was angry, so she buttered her up.

Recently, Madam Ling was always in a bad mood. The servants of Auspicious Clouds Courtyard had received countless beatings. Although Mother Chen was Madam Ling’s henchman, she had been kicked twice by Madam Ling. Therefore, she spoke more carefully and paid compliments to Madam Ling.

Hearing what she said, Madam Ling’s anger subsided a little. She asked, “How many more days till Ling’er arrival?”

“I don’t know, either. The Eldest Young Master said that it would be after the Lunar New Year. I guess it should be soon.” Mother Chen responded carefully. Since she was uncertain, she passed the buck to Ning Huaiyuan. Otherwise, Madam Ling would scold her for being incompetent and useless.

Since the Second Young Lady had an accident, the First Madam had been moodier than before. When she was angry, she did not care who they were. She would scold people in public and even attack them directly. Mother Chen, who had suffered a lot, was cautious every time she dealt with her.

“It would better if she is disfigured. I’d like to see if the Third Prince will marry my beautiful Ling’er, or the ugly one.” Madam Ling pointed to Foggy Courtyard with disdain. When she heard that the womenfolk who went to Cold Mountain Temple had met an accident, she stood up happily and waited for the “good news” coming from outside.

If the two girls died in Cold Mountain Temple, Ling’er, the only unmarried woman, would multiply in value. Even if her reputation was a little bit bad, it should not be a big deal, with the support of the whole Lord Protector’s Manor. Although Ning Yuling had already lost her virginity, Madam Ling chose to forget it.

Anyway, as long as the Third Prince wanted the support of the Lord Protector’s Manor, he had to marry Ling’er.

She thought so, but the truth was different from what she expected. Neither of the two girls were badly hurt. It was said that Ning Xueyan was not injured, only badly frightened. Although Ning Qingshan’s face was swollen, it was only a surface trauma. It was not a big deal. The moment Madam Ling, heard this, she smashed two vases on the spot.

She could not wait to strangle those two girls on the spot.

Mother Chen knew that Madam Ling was talking about Ning Qingshan, so she immediately lowered her voice and said in a hurry, “First Madam, this can’t be said. If the Madam Dowager and Marquis know it, it will be terrible. I’m afraid that even Second Young Lady will be involved.”

She knew Madam Ling’s plan. Ning Yuling could not participate in the Beauty Contest, which meant that she could not directly enter the Third Prince’s Manor. After Ning Qingshan became the wife of the Third Prince, they needed Ning Qingshan’s approval if Ning Yuling wanted to enter the Third Prince’s manor. So, Madam Ling could not afford to offend Ning Qingshan for the time being. At least, Madam Ling could not say anything. until Ning Yuling entered the Third Prince’s Manor and defeated Ning Qingshan.

“Humph, I know. But I’m so angry. These two bitches have not died yet. They’re lucky.” When Mother Chen mentioned Ning Yuling, Madam Ling snorted and lowered her voice, because it mattered a lot. Of course, she knew that Ling’er would be blocked by Ning Qingshan, when she entered the Third Prince’s Manor.

“Yes, First Madam, you’re right. I think you should regain the marquis’s favor and not allow him to ignore you. If she gives birth to a son, there will be a dispute with the Eldest Young Master. Although he only has one son, the title of Princely Heir has not been settled yet.”

The reason why Mother Chen said this was because she suffered indignities at the hands of an ordinary maid at Bright Frost Garden. She was even angrier, when she found out that the maid was Junior Concubine Xu’s younger sister.

This was how it all happened.

This morning, Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady were sent back to the manor together. All the people in the mansion were busy carrying out Madam Dowager’s instructions. Then, Mother Chen was preparing a bowl of tremella porridge for Madam Ling. The porridge was not ready, so she chatted to a familiar, female cook, while waiting. When she came back after she finished her chat, she saw an unknown maid taking her porridge. She could not help being furious.

She immediately came over and scolded, “Little bitch, where are you from? How dare you touch First Madam’s porridge? Do you want to die?”

However, the maid stood firm and refused to return the porridge. She glared back at Mother Chen and said, “The Madam Dowager told us to take care of our Young Lady first. It’s more important to make sure she recovers fully. Our Young Lady is going to join the Beauty Contest. Will the First Madam be entering the palace and joining the Beauty Contest? Does she need to maintain her beauty and keep her youth?”

Her words were harsh. Mother Chen had never experienced anyone speaking to her in that way before. She was so angry that she trembled all over. She was about to slap the maid, but the maid avoided her blow. So, Mother Chen fell to the ground, and the maid even stepped on her and strutted off with the hamper.

Since she was with Madam Ling, Mother Chen had been the top dog in the manor. Mother Chen had never been beaten before. She stood up and was about to rush over, but the familiar, female cook stopped her. She told her that was Junior Concubine Xu’s younger sister. The Marquis now favored junior Concubine Xu. She might give birth to a Princely Heir, so nobody dared to offend her at this time.

To please her and convince her that Junior Concubine Xu was the favored one, she especially told her what happened before. A few days ago, someone talked about her younger sister’s arrival. The Marquis was furious and ordered that if anyone dared to say her sister had been ill-gotten, he would sell them to the most inferior place.

Therefore, nobody in the manor dared to offend her younger sister. They dared not irritate her, for fear that she might complain to Junior Concubine Xu, which would aggravate the Marquis.

“What did you hear?” The title of Princely Heir had not been settled yet, which was also a thorn in Madam Ling’s heart. When she heard Mother Chen’s words, she immediately asked about it, discreetly.

“I…” Mother Chen hesitated for a moment. She wanted Madam Ling to help her vent her anger, but she was afraid to irritate Madam Ling. Looking at Madam Ling’s face, she dared not say it directly.

“Tell me. I’ll not take it out on you.” Madam Ling’s face darkened, as she knew that there was something wrong.

“Yes, I heard that Junior Concubine Xu… had an idea about the Princely Heir’s position. First Madam, you must be careful.” Mother Chen walked to the door and carefully closed it. Then, she returned to Madam Ling and said in a low voice.

“How can she, a bitch, dare to think of the Princely Heir’s position? Is she tired of living?” Madam Ling immediately became angry.

“First Madam, please lower your voice and listen to me.” Mother Chen quickly reached out and pulled Madam Ling. “The Marquis has always liked the Eldest Young Master, but why didn’t the Marquis make him Princely Heir? Furthermore, the Marquis is in his prime now. If he has another son he likes, the consequences will be…”

Mother Chen hated that maid so much that she hurt Madam Ling with her words. She knew that Madam Ling had been dissatisfied with the fact that Marquis did not appoint the Eldest Young Master as the Princely Heir. She also knew that Madam Ling cared about this, so she came straight to the point.

“Bitch, bitch, they are all bitches!” Madam Ling was full of hatred. She picked up the teacup next to her and wanted to throw it on the ground.

“First Madam, please don’t do this. If so, the Marquis will look for the coquette more frequently.” Mother Chen hurriedly grabbed the teacup from Madam Ling, and tried to calm her down.

“Hmph, she wants to give birth to a Princely Heir? It’s impossible.” Madam Ling looked ferocious. “I’ll make sure she has no heir.”

“First Madam, please don’t do this. The Marquis warned you about Concubine Ma’s matter. If you do this again, the consequence will be serious.” Mother Chen whispered in Madam Ling’s ear, “I have an idea…”

Hearing what she said, Madam Ling turned from anger to joy. She nodded vigorously and said to Mother Chen, “You can do it yourself. Get someone to keep an eye on that bitch. It will be impossible for her to give birth to a Princely Heir.”

In Bright Frost Garden.

Ning Xueyan sat on a couch, leaning back and reading a book leisurely. She was not severely injured, so she looked good after a short rest. As the sun shone on her face from the window, her face had a pale, silvery hue. Lanning made a cup of tea and put it on the table in front of the couch.

“Young Lady, Mother Chen went to the male servant’s place, and I followed her. She did not stay long before she came out.” Lanning reported.

“How about Qing’er?” Ning Xueyan smiled and put down the book gracefully. Then, she took the tea and took a sip, with a hint of sarcasm in her dark jade-like eyes. When she persuaded Yulian to be the concubine, she knew that Qing’er would not act dutifully. As expected, Mother Chen took a beating after someone incited her. Now, she was going to look for trouble for Madam Ling.

“Didn’t Xu Yulian and Madam Ling work together to deal with me? Then let them make trouble first!”

“I listened to you and flattered her first.” Lanning was disdainful of Qing’er, who used to be gentle and weak. Since the Junior Concubine Xu was in favor, Qing’er seemed to get promoted after her. She usually acts like a delicate lady in the courtyard and does nothing. She even scolded the little maids in the garden. If the young lady had not ordered her, Lanning would have driven her out of Bright Frost Garden.

“We’ll enter the palace in a few days. Let Mother Han keep an eye on Auspicious Clouds Courtyard and Junior Concubine Xu. She doesn’t have to intervene in anything.”

Ning Xueyan was about to enter the palace, so she had to instruct them. She set up this trap to distract Madam Ling’s and the ambitious Junior Concubine Xu’s attention. In this way, she could finish the Beauty Contest in a better way. If she did not distract Madam Ling’s attention, Mother Han would probably have an accident when she came back, like the last time she went to the Cold Mountain Temple.

She would never be like what she was, in her previous life, not even being able to protect the people around her…