The Devious First-Daughter

The most famous double-sided embroidery made by the imperial palace of the previous dynasty had become unique and rare, with the fall of the former dynasty. There were only a few pieces that remained in the world. She did not expect Ao Chenyi to have such an exquisite piece of embroidery in his possession. Moreover, it was embroidered on the dancing dress that she had hastily decided to wear.

“Young Lady, please try it on first. If there is any alteration to be made, I can do it immediately!” Lanning was not familiar with this kind of embroidery technique, but she could feel the texture of the material. The lotuses on the embroidery were all delicately done. She could not help, but want Ning Xueyan to try it on.

“No. Take it out. You should go to bed early. Maybe there could be some unexpected incidents tomorrow.” Ning Xueyan released the hem of her dress, and said softly.

Ao Chenyi had sent this to her, so there would not be any issues with the dress.

“Okay, I’ll take it out.” Lanning nodded and left.

The next morning, all the ladies got up early, because today was a significant day. No one wanted to be eliminated in the first round. In this way, not only would they lose face, but also the family they represented, would lose face. If the so-called noble ladies did not even have the basic skills, they must have had a poor upbringing.

Lanning combed Ning Xueyan’s long hair. Her hair was put up in a beautiful and stylish bun, to match the dress. A strand of black hair hung loosely on each side of her ears, which made Ning Xueyan appear more charming.

“Young Lady, won’t the Third Young Lady be afraid that you will make a fool of yourself and get her into trouble?” Lanning asked, while helping Ning Xueyan to get ready.

If the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor had not been properly educated, wouldn’t Ning Qingshan lose face because of that?

“She’s not only wary of me, but also of all the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor,” Ning Xueyan smiled casually. She took a white jade hairpin from her hand, and handed it to Lanning.

Ning Qingshan was smart. She knew clearly what Madam Ling and Madam Dowager were planning when Ning Yuling came to the capital. Ning Qingshan would take this opportunity to embarrass her in front of others, and spread the rumor that Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor had been badly brought up. If Ning Yuling dared to covet the Third Prince, she stood no chance at all.

As for herself, on the one hand, her talent was well-known. On the other hand, she was self assured and bold. She knew that the Third Prince would not dislike her. As the Third Prince’s cousin and the Honored Consort Ya’s niece, she would marry into the Third Prince’s palace.

As for whether she would be the wife or not, Ning Xueyan did not want to guess. Ning Qingshan still thought that everything was going nicely according to her plan. However, some things had already deviated from her original plan. Otherwise, how could she have met with such misfortune at the Cold Mountain Temple?

The venue had been chosen a long time ago. It was in the Wanhe Hall. This time, maids were allowed to accompany their masters. The ladies and maids went to Wanhe Hall, and sat in rows on the right side.

Ning Xueyan was in the second row from the back. Ning Qingshan was in front of her. When she saw Ning Xueyan coming over, her eyes were gentle and warm. Because the emperor and the imperial concubines were not there yet, they were not that restricted and whispered to each other.

“Fifth Sister, what are you going to perform today? If you need anything, tell me. I don’t want you to become a laughing stock and lose face.” Ning Qingshan came over and said this, with a worried look on her face. Her words were full of concern. Those who did not know the truth would think that she cared greatly about Ning Xueyan.

“Third Sister, what do you think I should perform?” Ning Xueyan asked lightly. She frowned slightly, looking a little helpless.

“Fifth Sister, do you know how to dance? If you do, I can borrow a palace maid’s dancing dress from the imperial concubines’ manor for you.” Hearing that Ning Xueyan was not prepared, Ning Qingshan showed a trace of malicious satisfaction in her eyes. She deliberately stopped an old maid to enquire on behalf of Ning Xueyan. As expected, Ning Xueyan was not prepared at all.

“Borrow a palace maid’s dancing dress?” As she said that, all the girls around sneered her discreetly. There were traces of mockery in their expressions.

Ning Qingshan seemed concerned about Ning Xueyan, but was actually thinking she was no better than an ordinary palace maid. She suggested borrowing a dancing dress from a palace maid. Ning Xueyan knew that if she agreed, the dress she borrowed would not fit her well and would be certainly be unsightly. She would be subject to more humiliation today.

“Thank you for your kindness, Third Sister. I don’t know how to dance,” Ning Xueyan said softly. No one saw the coldness in her watery eyes.

“Then, you will need a musical instrument. I’ve brought a zither that I have used since I was a child. Fifth Sister, you can use it later.” Ning Qingshan said enthusiastically.

“No, thank you, Third Sister. I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll find a zither later.” Ning Xueyan seemed to be a little impatient. It was unbearable to be seen as an object of a joke by the Young Ladies around her. She did not look well.

“Fifth Sister, will you play the zither?” Hearing that Ning Xueyan would be using a musical instrument, Ning Qingshan asked again, in order to be certain.

“Yes, I’ve seen my mother playing it before. I’ll… I’ll tell you later!” Ning Xueyan said, biting her lips. It seemed that she was unable to make up her mind for now.

Madam Ming had an ancient zither in the Bright Frost Garden. Ning Qingshan had seen it before, so she thought that Ning Xueyan could play the zither a little. Ning Xueyan did not want her zither, and did not confirm if she would be playing it. This was what she had observed.

Ning Qingshan was making a guess. After she finished questioning her, she made a gesture of playing the zither to Caifen, who was standing at the side. Knowing what she meant, Caifen quietly walked out of the hall and went to a small room nearby.

Seeing a woman dressed as a maid coming over, a little eunuch who guarded the door knew that she had been brought by this group of beautiful ladies. These people might be his master in the future. Of course, he dared not offend them. He immediately came up to her and said with a smile, “Sister, what’s the matter?”

“Did you set aside any instruments here for ladies, who have no musical instruments, to choose from?” Caifen shook her handkerchief and asked with a smile.

“Yes, yes, yes, who is your Young Lady?” The little eunuch was here today for this purpose. Hearing that, he kept nodding.

“My lady is the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. She is going to play the zither later. She wants to choose a zither first. My lady said that if you choose a good one for her, she will reward you well.” Caifen raised her head with a haughty air, as if she was rather contemptuous of these people.

The Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor? Although the little eunuch did not know who the Fifth Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was, he knew who the Lord Protector’s Manor was. They were the favored one of the emperor. Besides, rumors had it that the Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor would soon be the Third Prince’s wife.

The Third Prince was most likely to ascend the throne. With such a background, he could not afford to offend the Fifth Young Lady in any way. He immediately pushed open the door behind him, and with much bowing and nodding to Caifen, said “Pick one for yourself. No one has come to pick any yet. If you choose one for your Young Lady, I’ll reserve it for you and not let anyone use it.”

He wanted to flatter the Fifth Young Lady of Lord Protector’s Manor, who seemed to have powerful backing, so his words flowed out endlessly. Moreover, it was not a problem at all for him to put aside the zither that Fifth Young Lady had picked, so that no one else would choose it. The little eunuch thought it was worthwhile to win Fifth Young Lady’s favor, so easily.

“Eunuch, I’ll thank you on behalf of my lady… My lady will definitely not forget your kindness.” Caifen waited to tell him this and she smiled, as she walked inside.

“Yes, yes, yes. I have to rely on the Fifth Young Lady to support me in the future!” The little eunuch bowed and followed her.

When she entered the room, she found that the room was filled with various musical instruments. All the instruments in the palace were of good quality, and there were even several unique zithers.

Caifen stopped in front of an ancient zither and looked at it and seemed to be very satisfied with the zither. She told the eunuch who followed her, “I’ll take this one. This is good. My lady will like it, and its size and length are also suitable. Put it away for my lady first, and don’t let the others use it first.”

“Sure, sure. Rest assured. Only the Fifth Young Lady can use this zither today. I won’t give it to anyone else.” The little eunuch patted his chest and promised.

“Then, the Fifth Young Lady will be relying on you today. When this matter is over, we’ll not only reward you, but our Third Young Lady will request the Honored Consort Ya to reward you.” Cai Fen promised him lavish benefits, with a smile.

Hearing that the Honored Consort Ya, who was regarded as half master of the harem, would show up, the little eunuch laughed happily. He was so pleased to hear that he might be skyrocketing to fame soon.

“The Fifth Young Lady and the Third Young Lady think so highly of me, so I’ll do my best, in any case. This zither belongs to the Fifth Young Lady today. Later, I’ll send it to the Fifth Young Lady, when necessary. I promise that there will be no accidents.” The little eunuch was so happy.

When the matter was settled, Caifen went out of the room. She felt satisfied and went to the main hall. When she walked to the door of the main hall, she heard a sharp voice shouting, “The emperor is coming!”

In and outside the hall, all the people immediately knelt.

The emperor’s carriage arrived first. Then, it was the empress’s carriage. Prince Yi, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and a row of imperial concubines followed. Only when all the people had passed by, were the palace maids and eunuchs standing outside, allowed to get up.

Caifen got up and sneaked back to Ning Qingshan, from behind. She nodded to Ning Qingshan quietly, indicating that everything had been done.

Ning Qingshan’s eyes fell on Ning Xueyan’s face and a trace of cruelty and pride was etched on her face.

She did not care about a good-for-nothing, but she did not expect that Ning Xueyan was not a pushover, but even outshone her a little. She even dared to hook up with the Third Prince. Now even Ning Zu’an suspected her, because of Ning Xueyan. How could she bear it? Did Ning Xueyan wish to be a concubine? She wanted Ning Xueyan to lose her reputation in front of the emperor, without the slightest hope of bouncing back.

She wondered if the older woman, who took care of the Lord Protector’s Manor, dared think that Ning Xueyan was a treasure…