The Devious First-Daughter

“Fifth Young Lady, you and I are fated.” Looking at Ning Xueyan coming over, Ao Mingyu suddenly smiled gently at her. With his bright eyes, he had a gentle look, which made people feel at ease with him.

“Fated?” Ning Xueyan frowned slightly. She did not think that she and Ao Mingyu were fated. It seemed that Ao Mingyu was like a piece of sweet candy from the beginning. He had plotted, but she was not involved in the plots. She did not know where the so-called fate came from.

Ao Mingyu did not seem to wait for Ning Xueyan’s answer. He looked at her delicate and beautiful face and said slowly, “In Cold Mountain Temple, when I first saw you, you looked much worse than now. I did not expect that the Fifth Young Lady, who was unknown to the public and quite timid then, would look like this today.”

Without the deliberate cover of her thick bangs, one could clearly see her beautiful face. The most attractive feature on her face was her shimmery eyes, which held a bit of tenderness and charm, but also had a trace of coldness like ice and snow. When one looked directly into her eyes, there seemed to be a layer of mist in her black jade-like eyes.

The face was still the same as it used to be. At first sight, one would think that her looks were average. Her figure was even more slender and weaker than her peers. One could tell that she was sickly. Her face was pale, and her hair was combed into a bun that was not outstanding. No matter how one looked at her, it was not enough to attract anyone’s attention.

But now, she had become a beautiful and smart girl. Ao Mingyu’s gaze became more intense.

“Third Prince, what do you want to say?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly and interrupted Ao Mingyu’s thoughts impolitely. She did not think there was anything between herself and Ao Mingyu. No matter who they were in the past, present or in the future, they should not be able to speak their minds.

Moreover, a distinction should be made between males and females. She could bring him along the way, but if they stopped and talked for a long time, it would not look good.

Ao Mingyu’s eyes flashed as if he was surprised by Ning Xueyan’s sudden rudeness. No noble lady had ever shown such an impatient look in his presence. Fortunately, he was always good-tempered, so he did not care about it. He shifted his gaze from Ning Xueyan to Lanning.

“I heard that your maid used to be Ning Ziying’s maid, right?”

Ao Mingyu’s target was Lanning. When Ao Mingyu stopped them from leaving , he had swept his eyes over Lanning, as if nothing had happened, Ning Xueyan had already thought of this point. Since he was here because of what had happened in Cloud Reflection Courtyard, Ao Mingyu was able to find out Lanning’s previous identity.

Later, Ao Mingyu asked her to lead the way in an unconventional way, which showed that he wanted to talk to her alone, and this matter was related to the Cloud Reflection Courtyard.

“Yes. Lanning used to be Sister Ziying’s maid. She was assigned to Sister Ziying by the Lord Protector’s Manor. I heard that when Sister Ziying came here, she only had one maid and one wet nurse,” Ning Xueyan said frankly. This matter could not be hidden from others. Ao Mingyu would find out about it as long as he gave it more thought.

“Fifth Young Lady, may I question your maid?” Ao Mingyu asked gently, with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Third Prince, please go ahead!” Ning Xueyan stepped aside and made room for Ao Mingyu. Since Ao Mingyu had come prepared, so what if she stopped him? Ao Mingyu must have not wanted more people to know about this, so he came with her alone. Otherwise, he could have asked her directly in Madam Dowager’s place.

“Have you seen this mark before?” Ao Mingyu looked at Lanning from head to toe. Lowering her head and standing there, she looked a little timid. She was not any different from an ordinary maid. Then, he took out the paper with satisfaction and pointed at the mark.

When Ning Xueyan and the other masters had gathered around, Lanning and the other maids stood by the side, but no one peeked at it. So, Lanning had only heard, but did not see anything. This time, she looked carefully at the paper and shook her head blankly. “Third Prince, I have not seen this before.”

“Doesn’t Ning Ziying have this mark?” Ao Mingyu frowned and checked the maid’s expression carefully. He did not find anything unusual.

“I don’t know,” Lanning said honestly. When they went out, Ning Xueyan had already told her in a low voice that she could speak freely. So, she did not hide anything.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Aren’t you her maid?” Ao Mingyu’s face became cold. He took back the paper in his hand and asked in a low voice. He was almost certain that Ning Ziying was the former princess. But now, Lanning’s words made him a little suspicious.

“Yes, I am Young Lady Ziying’s personal maid, but Young Lady Ziying’s other personal maid was Xiang’er, who died with her. Every time she bathed, she was alone. If she needed a maid occasionally, Xiang’er would go in. So, I don’t know if Young Lady Ziying has this mark on her body.”

Lanning answered obediently and told him the whole story. When Ning Ziying was bathing, she was usually alone, but occasionally she would ask Xiang’er to add some hot water to the bath. However, this kind of situation was rare. For most of the time, she bathed alone.

At first, Lanning also felt that this was strange. Later, when she saw that Xiang’er acting normally, she thought it was Ning Ziying’s preference. So, she did not find it odd when Ning Xueyan bathed alone. Now when she heard the Third Prince’s question, she spoke frankly.

Ao Mingyu frowned and asked again, “She bathed herself most of the time. Occasionally, she would ask for her personal maid, wouldn’t she?”

“Yes,” Lanning answered respectfully.

Ao Mingyu was silent. He frowned slightly and looked at a small cluster of flowers not far away. He seemed to be thinking about something, and was speechless for a moment.

Since he did not say anything, Ning Xueyan kept quiet too. She gazed at the empty courtyard at the side, out of boredom. In this courtyard, Madam Ling had framed her at that time. However, it was not Ning Xueyan who lost face. Instead, it was her good daughter who had tried to frame her.

Madam Ling and her daughter were selfish and vicious. Everyone who stood in their way had a bad ending. All of them were framed and even killed. They thought that the officials of the Ministry of Justice would not investigate into it, at the risk of offending Ning Zu’an for an orphan girl who had no one to rely on. Even if they found that she had been persecuted to death, they had no clear evidence.

But what if her identity was not that simple?

This matter was beyond Madam Dowager’s and Madam Ling’s control. More than half of the reason why Madam Dowager’s face changed considerably just now, was because of this. Even if the selfish Madam Dowager did not directly get her hands stained with blood, she was closely connected to it. But this time, she had also miscalculated, like Madam Ling.

Ning Xueyan did not know that she had been the former princess in her previous life, so she felt muddled all the time. She did not know that she was already a pawn in the game, and she could not control it. There was a trace of cold sarcasm and ridicule at the corners of her mouth. Anyway, the former princess was dead now.

Some things were considered to have come to an end!

But it did not seem to be the case now. The reason why the Third Prince came here in such a hurry was neither for her death nor her own grievances. So what else did he want?

“Fifth Young Lady, take me to her courtyard.” Ao Mingyu finally came to his senses and took a look at Ning Xueyan, who was standing aside.

“Okay.” Ning Xueyan nodded. Then she got up and led the way to the Cloud Reflection Courtyard. When the Third Prince entered the Cloud Reflection Courtyard, Ning Xueyan left.

Ao Mingyu did not ask her to stay. He took his men to the gate of Cloud Reflection Courtyard.

“Young Lady, is there anything wrong with Young Lady Ziying’s courtyard?” Seeing Third Prince enter, Lanning raised her head, looked at the slightly closed door of Cloud Reflection Courtyard, and asked uneasily, in a low voice.

“It does not matter. If they want to check, just let them do it. Anyway, there is nothing important inside.” Ning Xueyan said lightly and turned to the Bright Frost Garden. Everything in her previous life was misty. She only knew her identity as the princess of the previous dynasty, but she could not find anything else. Since someone was willing to check, she would let them do so.

In this chaos, the affairs of Cloud Reflection Courtyard would gradually be revealed. If more people investigated it, then things would become messier. She wanted to stand by and see how Madam Ling and her daughter would end up. How could Xia Yuhang justify to himself that she was an orphan girl?

“Lanning, you don’t have to follow me. Go to the front and see what’s going on. Just report to me if anything happens. I’ll walk back by myself.” Ning Xueyan said with a faint smile on her face. The matter of Cloud Reflection Courtyard was not a secret. If the Third Prince could find out, so too could the others. However, the Third Prince held the chance. They only had to see who would be the next one.

“Yes, I’ll go and see if there’s anything I can do.” Lanning nodded in agreement. Then she turned toward another path.

Ning Xueyan went to her Bright Frost Garden alone, but she did not expect that she would meet a maid from the Auspicious Clouds Courtyard, after walking a few steps. She said that Madam Ling asked her to come over and told her to be quick about it. She had something urgent to deal with.

Ning Xueyan calmly listened to the maid till she finished speaking, nodded, and then continued walking forward elegantly.

“Fifth Young Lady, the First Madam asked you to go over quickly.” Seeing that Ning Xueyan only nodded, but did not turn around, the maid ran to Ning Xueyan and shouted loudly.

“Go and tell her I’ll be there in a minute.” Ning Xueyan glanced at the maid who looked familiar and smiled coldly. Her cold eyes fell on the maid who came to block her way. The maid, who had been arrogant, shivered and dared not stand in front of Ning Xueyan anymore.