The Devious First-Daughter

“Grandma, Concubine Ma told someone to invite me here. She said that I must tell her if the soup I had drunk was delicious or not. She also said that she didn’t want to let me be wronged and had to ask my opinion. I didn’t want to come at first. But the older female servant who came to invite me just pestered me unceasingly. So I agreed to come here.”

“I was caught up by something else on the way here. However, when I got here, I saw Concubine Ma sitting on the ground covered with blood. Now come to think about it, if I came earlier, I would be regarded as a malicious girl like what mother said for sure!” Ning Xueyan said that orderly with a smile.

Though she was stating the truth, she still managed to hide the fact that there had been a man in the room at that time.

Mixed feelings filled in Concubine Ma’s heart at the moment, and she didn’t know what to do next!

She never thought that Ning Xueyan would make no mention of that man as if she had never seen him. If Ning Zu’an knew about this, Concubine Ma would be doomed. Though Ning Zu’an favored her a lot, he still wouldn’t tolerate this kind of thing. And her end would be miserable.

Thinking of this with fear, Concubine Ma couldn’t help but rest her eyes on Ning Xueyan. She didn’t know why Ning Xueyan had helped her to cover this up!

Then she suddenly looked right into Ning Xueyan’s dark jade-like eyes intentionally. That girl was even smiling to her, which made Concubine Ma’s heart tremble. She lowered her head subconsciously, not daring to look right into Ning Xueyan’s eyes. Now she only felt the skinny girl in front of her was so unfathomable. Without the protection of her mom, Ning Xueyan still managed to fight Madam Ling. What a tough girl!

Since things had already come to this point, Concubine Ma was totally helpless now.

She wondered if she should keep framing Ning Xueyan with Madam Ling…

As they were talking, a doctor over his fifties showed up at the door with a medical kit. It was clear to see that he was not an ordinary doctor.

“Wait, you are not the doctor from our manor.” Madam Ling reacted fast this time and held the doctor back.

Although she didn’t know where this doctor came from, she was still aware that she couldn’t let anyone find out about the false pregnancy of Concubine Ma, let alone the real effect of the drug. Therefore, she didn’t care about the fact that she had already failed to set Ning Xueyan up. The more important thing for her was to prevent people from knowing that Concubine Ma had not been pregnant at all.

Since she had failed this time, she would still come up with something new. “I will destroy you, you little b*tch!” Madam Ling thought that.

“What, you don’t want me to see the patient?” The doctor snorted while raised his head to glared at Madam Ling’s hands, saying that in anger.

“First Madam, just let him check on Concubine Ma. When I looked for the doctors in our manors, they were all rushing toward the place where Eldest Young Lady stayed. They said that Eldest Young Lady also didn’t feel well. When I was in anxiety, someone told me that this doctor was very skillful. So I invited him here specially.” Qingyu showed up from the doctor’s back and explained fretfully.

“You stupid maid. How dare you invite this quack into our family! You think you could take the responsibility if anything happens?” Under no circumstance would Madam Ling let the doctor pass. So she didn’t let go of her hands which were holding the door while curing Qingyu with her eyebrows knitted.

“A quack?” The doctor roared that with an imposing manner on his face. Then he leered at Madam Ling and continued, “No one has ever called me that. I have even treated the emperor. Tell me why I can’t treat a concubine in your manor and couldn’t take the responsibility!”

When they had quarreled, Madam Dowager finally recognized that the doctor was the imperial physician from the royal palace. So she glared at Madam Ling fiercely and came over with a smile on her face, saying, “Imperial physician Wang, you are here. I’m terribly sorry that my daughter-in-law hasn’t recognized you. Excuse her ignorance. Please come here and take a look at the concubine. Is the child in her belly still alive?”

After Madam Dowager had said that, Madam Ling’s face went completely stiff and turned green. She couldn’t believe the man in front of her was an imperial physician! And she finally released her hand.

“I don’t know if I am qualified to be an imperial physician. Just don’t regard me as a quack! Madam Dowager, I only didn’t leave just now for the sake of the marquis.” Imperial Physician Wang snorted at Madam Ling and then turned his head to talk to Madam Dowager.

“Yes, yes, yes, she is too inexperienced to know your face, imperial physician Wang. Please have a look now!” Madam Dowager knew that imperial Wang was best at gynecology and it never occurred to her that he would agree to come at this critical moment. Being overjoyed right now, she cast a complimentary glance at Qingyu and leading imperial Wang toward Concubine Ma’s bed in a hurry.

Now Madam Ling had no choice but to wait there. She felt in a state of feverish like ants on the hot pan. “Why did Ziyan call all the doctors in the manor over at this moment!” she thought.

How terrified was Madam Ling right now!

Seeing Concubine Ma whose face turned pale and lost all the color due to the pain, imperial physician stopped talking and sat down right away. After that, he took Concubine Ma’s pulse with his eyebrows wrinkled. He seemed to be hesitating about something. Madam Dowager who was looking at him became even more nervous. Her reaction was quite understandable. After all, Ning Zu’an had never had a son for all these years. And finally, Concubine Ma was pregnant with a boy this time. Madam Dowager really didn’t want to lose this grandson.

All the people became quiet all of a sudden. There’s only the sound of groan from Concubine Ma.

Imperial physician Wang put down one hand of Concubine Ma and took the pulse of the other one. Then his eyebrows knitted tighter and tighter. He looked at the Concubine Ma’s pale face with a light sneer flashing in his eyes. Being surprised by the things she had done to strive for her husband’s favor, imperial physician Wang only felt that this woman was too bold to risk her own body. “Won’t she regret this?” he thought.

“Madam Dowager, this concubine in your manor was not pregnant at all! I haven’t sensed any sign of pregnancy from her pulse.” After putting Concubine Ma’s hand, the imperial physician said that coldly.

Concubine Ma was not pregnant!

He said that lightly. However, his words were like a clap of thunder which stroked all the people in the room.

Madam Dowager wobbled and couldn’t even stand still. Then she pointed at Concubine Ma with her trembling finger in extreme anger.

“Doctor, maybe you have got it wrong. Concubine Ma was in great pain now and looked exactly like being suffered from abortion. Is possible that you didn’t find her pregnant because the child had already been dead?” Madam Ling was anxious now. So she stepped forward and offered an explanation with sweats on her forehead.

“Madam, please be responsible for your words. I have practiced medicine for so many years. Do you think I could be an imperial physician for so long if I am not able to diagnose whether a woman is pregnant or not?” With light flashing in his eyes, imperial physician Wang looked Madam Ling up and down. Then he said that slowly while twiddling his mustache.

His words were very sharp. He tried to tell them that he was the superior imperial physician who could even treat the queen in the royal palace. Now there was someone who dared to question him. So, was Madam Ling trying to imply that a concubine in the manor was even more delicate than the queen?

“Doctor… I didn’t mean that. I just want to ask if her pulse appears a bit different from other pregnant women because she has just suffered the abortion.” Seeing imperial physician Wang getting angry, Madam Ling also realized she had said something inappropriate. Then she apologized and explained for herself immediately.

After she had admitted her mistake, imperial physician Wang finally softened the expression on his face.

“Doctor, then why does Concubine Ma in such great pain. Is she going to be all right?” Ning Xueyan said that and managed to draw everyone’s attention back to Concubine Ma who was trembling due to the ache and couldn’t spit a single word.

Sweats were keeping dropping from the forehead of Concubine Ma. If it were not for imperial physician Wang who was from the royal palace, no one would suspect that she had an abortion.

Her reaction was just like miscarrying.

“The pain is not a big deal. She will be fine after that. However, afterwards…” Imperial physician Wang stopped there and looked at Concubine Ma pitifully.

“Afterwards… What will happen? Doctor, please finish your words!” Concubine Ma gritted her teeth and asked word by word.

At this moment, Concubine Ma clenched the corner of the quilt with terror in her eyes, having a bad feeling in her heart.

“Mistress… You can not be pregnant anymore. The drug you have used has such a strong effect…” The imperial physician shook his head and said that with a meaningful look.

“Drug? Strong effect?” Concubine Ma almost fainted. Without any scruple, she struggled to get up with the support of the maid. After that, she knelt down on the bed heavily, crying out, “Doctor, please save me. As long as you can cure me, I’ll pay you everything I have!”

She was only a concubine. If she didn’t have a child, the adoration her husband had for her meant nothing. After she got older, she would definitely be forgotten and lived even poorer than a maid.

“The drug…” Imperial physician Wang still shook his head under the hopeful stare from Concubine Ma. He sighed and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to save you. But the drug is too poisonous. I’m sorry that you can not have any child in your lifetime. I’m powerless about that.”

“Doctor, there really is no way to cure her? If Concubine Ma couldn’t give birth to a child, her life… in the future…” Ning Xueyan asked the doctor for Concubine Ma with faintly discernible sadness in her eyes, showing a strong pity for the woman who had drugged her before.

Imperial physician Wang didn’t say anything but only shook his head firmly. Having stood up and packed up his medicine kit, he left there.

Ning Xueyan’s words hit the sour spot of Concubine Ma. Moreover, the imperial physician had kept shaking his head and given an affirmative answer. By then Concubine Ma knew that there was no hope for her. She covered her face and began to weep bitterly.

“Concubine Ma, stop crying. What have you drunk to sterilize yourself?” Ning Xueyan comforted her softly.

What she had said shocked everyone in the room. Since Concubine Ma had faked her own pregnancy, why had she taken the drug which prevented her from having a child ever again? It just did not make sense!

Now seeing Concubine Ma’s distraught state, everyone was even more certain that this woman had no intention to cut off her own retreat!

Madam Ling was worrying now. As the conversation getting deeper and deeper, people in the room already ignored Concubine Ma’s false pregnancy and shifted their focus to the tea that Concubine Ma had drunk. She knew exactly what was inside that cup of tea. Because she was the one who used the drug to sterilize Concubine Ma. Madam Ling had envied Concubine Ma for a long time because of Ning Zu’an’s preference toward her. So Madam Ling had decided to destroy Concubine Ma’s ability to have children.

No matter how much Ning Zu’an favored Concubine Ma, he would still find a new sweetheart. By that moment, Concubine Ma would die very miserably.

Little did she know that her plot would be exposed at the critical moment. What was more, the one who had said that Concubine Ma couldn’t pregnant again was an imperial physician, which made her hard to deny. She saw Concubine Ma looking at her because of Ning Xueyan’s words, then she came over to comfort Concubine Ma with her towel at once, saying, “Sister, don’t worry. Maybe it’s because of something you have eaten. Actually, we have an opera troupe here. And the manor is bustling. Sometimes we might be careless when everything is in a mess. We can find a way to nurse your health latter.”

She brought up the opera troupe on purpose in order to warn Concubine Ma. After all, Madam Ling had something on Concubine Ma. Moreover, after threatening her, Madam Ling also coaxed Concubine Ma that she would cure Concubine Ma in the future.

After saying that, Madam Ling let out a sigh of relief. She believed that Concubine Ma was clever enough to understand the meaning of her words. As long as Concubine Ma didn’t give her away, Madam Ling would definitely figure out a way to reverse the situation!

She wouldn’t let herself be involved in this!