The Devious First-Daughter

“What happened?” As soon as Ning Zu’an came in, he saw a crowd of people buzzing in his courtyard. A maid who had been found out in a corner of his study was trembling. It was said that she came from Foggy Courtyard.

“Marquis, I was guarding the courtyard just now when I suddenly saw a maid waving at me. I had thought that you asked her to find me, so I went over. But when I arrived there, she had gone. Later, I found a book in the study was about to fall down, so I asked people here to check and they found this maid.”

Since the servant had made up for his mistake, he raised his head high when he answered. Ning Xueyan and Xinmei had told him just now that they was willing to give him the credit for finding the abnormality, so he was very grateful to Ning Xueyan and took her as his savior. If she had not happened to come to the study by accident, he would end up the same way that servant who had been beaten to death had done!

Therefore, when Xinmei suggested him not to mention Fifth Young Lady so that the marquis would more believe what he said, he had agreed without any hesitation. And he had even felt more grateful to Fifth Young Lady.

“Is this maid from Third Young Lady’s courtyard?” Ning Zu’an asked with a darkened face.

“Yes, I sent someone to inquire about it. Everyone said that she was Third Young Lady’s maid. She told me that Third Young Lady wanted to bring some books with her to go to the imperial palace, so she asked her to find some here!” the servant said angrily, pointing at the maid kneeling in front of Ning Zu’an.

As he almost lost his life because of this maid, of course he was angry.

“Did your master ask you to come here to look for some books?” Ning Huaiyuan asked coldly, looking at the trembling maid in front of him with a grim look.

“My master wanted to read, but Foggy Courtyard didn’t have any new books for the moment. Marquis, I thought that you must have many books, so I came to ask if you could lend some to my master. I didn’t see anybody when I came here, so I entered the room directly. I was thinking to bring back a few books at random for my master, but suddenly, I heard someone coming. I was afraid that you would punish me, so I hid here.”

Although the maid was trembling, she could speak clearly. She then told Ning Zu’an the whole story.

“Didn’t your master ask you to come here to look for books?” Ning Zu’an asked again with a sneer, looking even grimmer.

“Marquis, she is lying. How could it be so coincidental? I have been guarding at the courtyard gate. As soon as another maid tricked me out, she walked into the courtyard. Later, I have been in the courtyard but didn’t hear anything unusual in the room, so she must be trying to avoid making noise. She crept on tiptoe to prevent herself from being found out, so obviously, she slipped into your study on purpose,”

The servant shouted, pointing at the maid. At the thought that he almost died because of this maid, he could not help gritting his teeth angrily.

“Marquis, I… Because I didn’t see anybody here, I entered your study by mistake and I didn’t dare to make any noise,” the maid explained anxiously. It was obvious that she was eloquent, but Ning Zu’an’s servant was also very smart. He immediately shot back loudly.

“According to the rules of our manor, without the masters’ permission, nobody can enter their rooms at will. You slipped into the study and rummaged the marquis’ stuff secretly. Who can afford it if any important document was missing?”

“I, I…” The maid was anxious. She looked around, as if she was looking for somebody. However, all the people around her were Ning Zu’an’s servants. They all looked at her indifferently and nobody was willing to defend her.

“Guards, beat her to death with sticks!” Ning Zu’an ordered coldly. He was the host of the manor. No matter what the purpose of the maid’s entering his study, it was a provocation to his authority. Besides, another maid had deliberately distracted his servant. Clearly, there must be something wrong with that.

Two guards came over and dragged the maid out, each taking a hand.

“Marquis, please spare my life! I really entered your study by accident. I didn’t mean to offend you… Uh, uh, uh!” The maid’s mouth was stuffed with a towel and she could not speak anymore. Then she was dragged out the courtyard. Everyone knew that people who broke into the marquis’ study would die. They wondered why the maid was so bold to do such a thing.

“No one is allowed to enter my study without my permission in the future,” Ning Zu’an said sternly, looking at the servant.

“Yes, yes! Got it!” The servant was so scared and he felt chilled under Ning Zu’an’s blade-like gaze. He immediately knelt to the ground and answered respectfully.

“If you’re tricked out again, you’ll be beaten to death as well,” Ning Zu’an said coldly before turning to go into his study. The servant collapsed on the ground and could not utter a single word, trembling. What a narrow squeak! Without Fifth Young Lady, he would have become a corpse now.

Ning Zu’an opened the door of the study and looked at the book that was almost falling down, his eyelid twitching. After entering the room, he walked about and then sat down in front of the table with a frown. He did not think that it was necessary for Ning Qingshan to send someone of Foggy Courtyard to his study.

“Did the maid come for that? But how did a young girl like Ning Qingshan know about it? Besides, she was just an orphan adopted by me,” Ning Zu’an wondered. If it were not for the special identity of the person who had sent Ning Qingshan to him, he would not have brought her to the manor and treated her as her own daughter.

In Ning Zu’an’s eyes, Ning Qingshan was a well-behaved girl and even smarter and more sensible than any of the children in his manor. He was pleased whenever the little girl looked at him with a considerate and obedient gaze. When he heard that Madam Ming had ill-treated this kid, he had been very angry. Therefore, he had immediately followed Madam Dowager’s words and moved her to Foggy Courtyard.

Ning Qingshan proved by her actions that she was a considerate girl. Not only Madam Dowager thought highly of her, but the outsiders knew that Third Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor was both filial and loyal as well. Everyone thought that she was a true filial daughter. The Lord Protector’s Manor’s family education was well-known because of her. Everyone would thumb up when they mentioned the Young Ladies of the Lord Protector’s Manor.

Ning Zu’an thought that it did him good to have adopted her as his daughter and even his own daughters were no better than her. Now both Honored Consort Ya and Third Prince were fond of her and Third Prince had come to inquire information about her each year in the past three years. It made her a hundred times more valuable and people of the Lord Protector’s Manor also thought highly of her.

“But why did she send her maid to my study?” Ning Zu’an was puzzled and began to doubt Ning Qingshan’s motives.

“Marquis, Fifth Young Lady is coming. It was Madam Dowager who asked her to come,” the young servant walked in quietly and reported.

“Let her in!” Ning Zu’an was a little surprised but then nodded. He wondered why Ning Xueyan came at this time.

The servant walked out and signed Ning Xueyan in, bowing and giving way to her. Ning Xueyan had saved his life just now, so he showed his kindness to her from the bottom of his heart.

Ning Xueyan stepped over the threshold of the study and hesitated for a while at the gate before walking in. She stopped in front of the table and bowed to Ning Zu’an. “Greetings, Father,” she said.

“What are you here for?” Ning Zu’an asked with a frown.

“Grandmother worried that I would be boring at the imperial palace, so she asked me to come here and get some books. I want to read poetry books. Father, do you have some?” Ning Xueyan asked softly. She looked natural and dignified with clear eyes.

“Find some yourself!” Ning Zu’an said casually, pointing at the bookshelves on both sides.

“Father, whatever. I’ll read them in my spare time, so any poetry book will be okay,” Ning Xueyan said in a soft voice, showing no intention to check the bookshelf.

Her face was pale and she looked weak. However, with the calmness and patience, she had the air of a noble Young Lady. She glanced at the bookshelf, showing no interest in it.

Ning Zu’an picked up the teacup offered by the servant and took a sip. “Why did you suddenly think of coming to find books here?” he looked at Ning Xueyan and said slowly, full of doubt.

“My third sister told me that you have a lot of books, so I wanted to come to have a look. There are only a few books in my Bright Frost Garden. I’m going to the imperial palace soon. I’m afraid that people there will laugh at me as I read too little,”

Ning Xueyan answered naturally with a hint of shame and bitterness on her face, but there was no other meaning in her words.

Although Ning Zu’an had not paid much attention to Ning Xueyan’s situation in Bright Frost Garden, he knew something about it. He had asked Madam Ling to hire an etiquette mother for Ning Xueyan, but Madam Ling had told him that the etiquette mother thought that Ning Xueyan was too naughty to teach. After that, he had never thought about it anymore.

Even if Madam Ming had taught Ning Xueyan in person, there were only a few books in Bright Frost Garden.

But how had Ning Qingshan known that he had many books? If she had never come to his study, she would not have known it and encouraged Ning Xueyan to come here to find books. Ning Zu’an frowned slightly and said, “I don’t have as many books as your brother. Why don’t you find some at your brother’s study?”

“Father, my third sister said it was improper to borrow books from my brother and bother him all the time, so she suggested me to borrow them from you,” Ning Xueyan answered.

A hint of anger flashed on Ning Zu’an’s face. “Ning Qingshan was afraid of disturbing Ning Huaiyuan, but not me? It seems she has no respect for me and doesn’t care if I will be disturbed!” he thought. When he recalled that Ning Qingshan’s maid had been here and rummaged through his study secretly, Ning Huaiyuan became even more suspicious.

“What does she want from me?”

He stood up, walked to the bookshelf and casually pulled out a few books. He looked at the half-fallen book and found it was a book on criminal law. “Does this kind of book really suitable for a noble Young Lady?” he wondered.

“Yan’er, take these books with you. If they are not enough, you can ask your brother for more. He has many such books.” With that, Ning Zu’an handed the books to Ning Xueyan with a trace of warmth on his face.

“Okay! Thank you, father!” Ning Xueyan nodded, showing a grateful and gentle look. She then bowed to Ning Zu’an and left.

“Wait! What’s in your hand?” Ning Zu’an’s eyes suddenly fell on Ning Xueyan’s hand.