The Devious First-Daughter

In the early morning, both Bright Frost Garden and Foggy Courtyard were busy.

Third Young Lady and Fifth Young Lady were invited to attend the imperial party. Because Ning Lingyun was the daughter of a concubine, she was ineligible to participate in such activities.

Ning Qingshan had gone to the imperial palace three years ago, but after all, it had been a long time. She was still famous among the noble ladies because of her filial piety, and this was the first imperial party she would attend after she had left three years, so she must be careful.

Both she herself and Madam Dowager hoped that she would shine on the party and stand out from the crowd.

Ning Qingshan had lost a personal maid yesterday and she felt humiliated. But the night before, Madam Dowager had asked Mother Qin to bring her several boxes of jewelry and everyone looked high of her again.

They knew that Fifth Young Lady of Bright Frost Garden didn’t get anything from Madam Dowager.

So obviously, in Madam Dowager’s heart, Third Young Lady was the most important. Xia’er deserved to be punished because she had made troubles. Madam Dowager hadn’t meant to humiliate Third Young Lady.

Seeing that Madam Dowager treated Third Young Lady so well, those who were still watching immediately knew whom they should flatter. Many people of the manor brought various kinds of gifts to Foggy Courtyard. On the contrary, only very few people visited Bright Frost Garden.

“Miss, what’s Madam Dowager doing? You’re her granddaughter by blood!” Qingyu grumbled, handing the bead flower to Lanning.

“She never cares about that. What she cares about is who is useful to her!” Ning Xueyan said, a trace of sarcasm in her eyes.

Madam Dowager had never regarded her as her own granddaughter. When she was humiliated by Ning Yuling and almost beaten to death by Ning Yuling’s people, where had Madam Dowager been? When she lived miserably with her mother at Bright Frost Garden, and even had no money to buy medicine, where had Madam Dowager been? Now she treated her better, but it wasn’t because they were related by blood. It because she was useful to Madam Dowager!

It was clear that she wasn’t as useful as Ning Qingshan now!

Madam Dowager became even more skillful in following the policy of stick and carrot!

Hearing what Ning Xueyan said, Qingyu didn’t know what to say. Although she felt injustice for her master, she knew that Madam Dowager had never treated Ning Xueyan well from her heart.

Lanning took the bead flower from Qingyu and pinned it to Ning Xueyan’s beautiful long hair. She looked at her and asked with a smile, “Miss, do you like it?”

Lanning had put more thought into her master’s dressing today. Although there were only a green jade hair pin and a white bead flower in her bun, she looked refreshing and charming.

“Well, it’s fine!” Ning Xueyan looked into the mirror and smiled. Since Madam Ming had just passed away, she shouldn’t overdress. There were advantages to not wearing so much jewelry. At least, she looked fresh. It was her style.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan was satisfied with her hair dressing, Lanning picked up a long skirt by the side and put it on with Qingyu for Ning Xueyan. It was a white imperial dress that Madam Dowager had just asked someone to make for Ning Xueyan. The skirt hem was interspersed with small pink flowers, and the skirt was wrapped in white organza.

It was her first time to go to the imperial palace, and she was the daughter of the principal wife of Lord Protector, so she shouldn’t dress too shabby.

“Miss, you’re so beautiful!” Qingyu exclaimed. After putting on the skirt for Ning Xueyan, she smoothed the skirt hem and then stood up.

In a set of white long skirt and chiffon, Ning Xueyan looked pure and charming. Two strands of hair falling down to her cheeks made her lips look even paler but more enchanting, and her eyes more watery.

She hadn’t well-developed yet and she still looked a little childish. But after two years, everybody would be astonished by her beauty.

Ning Xueyan looked at her own eyes in the mirror. They looked so familiar! It seemed she had seen them countless times, but she couldn’t tell where she had seen them. She frowned and turned her head to look into the mirror again, but still failed to recall it.

“Miss, your, your eyes resemble Young Lady Ziying’s eyes so much!” Staring at Ning Xueyan’s eyes, Lanning said in quivered voice.

Ning Xueyan’s eyes had been usually too cold. Now she had dressed up carefully, plus the faint smile on her face, her eyes looked beautiful and gentle, as if there were water inside and they were delicate with fascination.

“Ning Ziying? Herself of last life?” Ning Xueyan suddenly came to herself. She had seen this pair of eyes countless times in her last life, so no wonder they looked so familiar!

She wondered why Ning Xueyan’s eyes were so similar to Ning Ziying’s. Her eyes bore no resemblance to Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling.

“Fifth Young Lady, are you ready? My master ordered me to ask if you’re ready to go.” A maid’s melodious voice came from outside the courtyard.

Hearing that, Lanning immediately walked out and answered with a smile, “Tell Third Young Lady that my master is ready, and she’ll come out soon.”

“Okay. I’ll tell Third Young Lady right now.” With that, the maid turned to leave with a smile.

Ning Xueyan stood in front of the window and sized up the gentle maid carefully.

“Miss, she is Feiyue, the former maid of Madam Dowager. It’s said although she is only a second-class maid, Madam Dowager trusts her very much. I never expected that Madam Dowager would have given her to Third Young Lady,” Lanning said, walking over to Ning Xueyan.

Madam Dowager was thoughtful, but Ning Qingshan wasn’t easy to control. Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes and sneered. Madam Dowager only racked her brain in vain. She really wanted to know what would happen to the Lord Protector’s Manor in the future.

Ning Xueyan had already greeted Madam Dowager in the morning, so after making sure that everything was ready, she walked toward the gate with Lanning. Compared to Qingyu, Lanning was more mature and calmer. Ning Xueyan knew that she couldn’t make any mistakes at the imperial palace. Otherwise, she might be doomed. Therefore, Lanning was more suitable for such occasions.

When she arrived at the gate, Ning Qingshan hadn’t come out yet. Ning Xueyan got in the carriage behind another one which had been arranged for her and began to take a nap, leaning against the wall of her carriage. She knew Ning Qingshan had asked her out just to make her wait for her in the carriage and show that her status was higher than Ning Xueyan’s.

Lanning was smart. There was no sign that the carriage ahead would set off, so she knew that Ning Qingshan wouldn’t come out soon. She got out the carriage and lifted the curtain on the window, and then pulled down the screen window. Thus, they could see everything outside clearly, but people couldn’t see them clearly from outside.

About fifteen minutes later, Ning Qingshan walked out with her two new first maids, Feiyue and Feilian. Feiyue came up to Ning Xueyan’s carriage and greeted her with a smile before the two carriages set off to the imperial palace.

Since both Ning Xuyan and Ning Qingshan were the daughters of Lord Protector, and it was their first time to attend such parties, the Lord Protector’s Manor took it seriously, and two carriages had been prepared for them.

Ning Yuling, who had the best chance of marrying the imperial family member had been abandoned. Now among the daughters of the principal wives, only Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan could get on the stage. Moreover, they both were excellent. Of course, Madam Dowager had put a lot of efforts into dressing them, but the emphasis was on Ning Qingshan. After all, she was most likely to marry Third Prince.

It would be a happy surprise for the Lord Protector’s Manor if Ning Xueyan could be chosen by the imperial family, no matter as a wife or a concubine.

Before Ning Xueyan stopped hiding herself at Bright Frost Garden, nobody had taken her as the daughter of a principal wife. Now if she could arouse the attention of the imperial family, of course it would be a happy surprise for the Lord Protector’s Manor!

Madam Dowager had changed her mind a little. She thought it was unnecessary to marry Ning Xueyan to Third Prince. If Ning Qingshan could become Third Prince’s wife, Ning Xueyan had better marry Fourth Prince. Although he was not as powerful as Third Prince, if Ning Xueyan could marry him, Lord Protector’s Manor would have one more retreat. As for what would happen to Ning Xueyan if Fourth Prince collapsed in the future, it wasn’t on Madam Dowager’s mind.

What she cared about was maintaining the wealth and status of the Lord Protector’s Manor, and she wouldn’t pay attention to those ‘trifles’.

Carriages stopped one by one in the imperial city, and Young Ladies with gorgeous clothes getting out the carriage gracefully with the support of their maids before walking into the imperial palace could be seen from time to time. Only Commandery Princesses and County Princesses and others who had grade titles could be sent into the imperial palace with a sedan chair. Both Ning Qingshan and Ning Xueyan were Lord Protector’s daughter, but they didn’t have any grade titles, so they had to walk in along with a group of people.

Many Young Ladies of the noble families had attended the party held by the Lord Protector’s Manor. Besides, Ning Qingshan enjoyed good reputation and she was sociable, she had been on good terms with almost all the noble Young Ladies three years ago. Therefore, the moment she got out the carriage, she was surrounded by a group of noble Young Ladies, and they walked to the imperial palace while talking and laughing.

Ning Xueyan was left behind. She looked at Ning Qingshan, who was far in front of her, smiled slightly.

She knew Ning Qingshan was showing her strength in front of her. She had never been to this place, but Ning Qingshan had gone and left her alone.

“Fifth Young Lady?” She suddenly heard someone calling her and laughing surprisingly from behind.

Ning Xueyan turned around and saw a smiling face. It was none other than Heng Yuqing, Eldest Young Lady of the Lord Guardian’s Manor.

“It’s you! I thought I mistook someone else as you,” Heng Yuqing said with a smile. Seeing that Ning Xueyan turn around, she jumped out the carriage and ran to Ning Xueyan, lifting the hem of her long skirt.

She was a straightforward person, and her smile always came from the heart. Ning Xueyan couldn’t help but smile warmly.

“It’s you, Eldest Young Lady of the Hengs. What a coincidence!”

“Yes. I feel the same way. I have been wanting to go to your manor and visit you after we met last time, but I was so busy, so I couldn’t find time to pay my visit. I was thinking that I might run into you today. I’m so glad that you’re here too!” Heng Yuqing said excitedly. She pulled Ning Xueyan by her hand and continued, “Please don’t call me Eldest Young Lady of the Hengs. How about you call me Yuqing and I call you Xueyan?”

Looking at Heng Yuqing’s smiling face, Ning Xueyan nodded with a smile. “Okay, Yuqing. Then I’ll put the etiquette aside and call you by your given name.”

“Of course you can call me by my name. Xueyan, let’s go! Did anyone from your manor come here with you? Do we need to ask her to go with us?” After taking several steps forward hand by hand with Ning Xueyan, she suddenly turned her head around and looked at another carriage, and asked her warmly.

“I came here with My Third Sister, but she has already walked into the imperial palace with the others,” Ning Xueyan answered gently.

“What? Why didn’t she take you with her? It’s said Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was the most generous and kindest. How could she leave her younger sister here alone?” Heng Yuqing curved her lips, but immediately continue to walk, pulling Ning Xueyan’s hand. “Forget it. She didn’t want to wait for you. I’ll guide you there. Anyway, we don’t want to compete for a good reputation.”

Heng Yuqing was frank, but she wasn’t stupid. She immediately understood the reason and began to despise Ning Qingshan.