The Devious First-Daughter

Chapter 472 The Person in the Inner Chamber of Ning Zu’an’s Study

When he looked at Ning Xueyan’s thin figure and pale face and the gentle expression with magnanimity, he had a little complicated expression, but it then vanished.

“The Cold Mountain Temple’s dispute was caused because of an outsider, after all. Since we are family members, testing family connections with blood drops would not have a problem. Anyway, we have the same bone and flesh. If we have any disputes, others will simply see us as a laughingstock.” Ning Zu’an relaxed his expression and said as dim light glittered in his eyes.

Hearing these words, Ning Xueyan only thought it was funny. When Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling framed her, no one uttered a word to defend her. Now when the two people got their retribution, Ning Zu’an talked about the love of sisters and the bone-and-flesh affection with her. Did it mean that she needed to visit the Xia Manor to show her sisterly love to prove that she truly cared about the love of sisters?

“I’ll bear this in mind, father,” Ning Xueyan gave a small smile and said with a seemingly generous attitude, but then she changed her tone. “Where is that middle-aged woman? According to my cousin, after I fainted that day, the middle-aged woman was brought back to our mansion by my grandma. Who on earth wanted to smear my mother’s reputation and make the Ming Manor and the Lord Protector’s Manor become enemies?”

“Make the Ming Manor and the Lord Protector’s Manor become enemies?” Ning Zu’an’s expression became stiff and unnatural. Of course, Madam Dowager spoke of the middle-aged woman’s affair with Ning Zu’an later. “I thought that the scene was so chaotic at that time that no one would notice the middle-aged woman, but I never expected that Ming Yuanhua had been keeping an eye on her and also saw that this person was taken to the Marquis’s Manor.”

The words he would have wanted to say were temporarily stopped at his throat and could not be spoken. He looked somewhat annoyed and coughed twice uncomfortably. When he wanted to puff it off with words, but he heard Ning Xueyan gently continue her talk, “In the beginning, my uncle said that he wanted to come here straight to talk about it with you, father. He wanted to send the middle-aged woman who had framed me straight to the officials’ office, but I persuaded my uncle by saying that you and my grandma loved me most and would also take the reputation of the Marquis’s Manor into account, so you would downplay this matter, but would never let the one who framed me off. Thank you for helping me do this, father.”

After finishing speaking, Ning Xueyan rose again and knelt down to Ning Zu’an solemnly, looking like she thanked him deeply.

Ning Zu’an’s face turned blue and then white and repeated these expressions, but he finally waved his hand to Ning Xueyan and said in low spirits, “Get up. You’ve just come back and should have a good rest, and don’t get yourself tired. You will get married soon, and you have to build up your health by rest.”

“Okay, I’m going back now. Thank you for worrying about me, father.” The less Ning Zu’an was in the mood, the more softly and gently Ning Xueyan smiled. From time to time, her words revealed some gratitude as if she truly thanked Ning Zu’an for venting her anger. As for the matter of the middle-aged woman, she mentioned it more briefly.

Although she just mentioned it briefly, her meaning was directly expressed. Not only did she know the whole story, but the Ming Manor also knew it clearly. Why did the manor’s people not come to the Lord Protector’s Manor to make trouble? Of course, they took Ning Xueyan into consideration; on the other hand, they showed their satisfaction with the fact that Lord Protector’s Manor had driven away Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling.

Ning Zu’an could not continue to tell her his words at all. Initially, he prepared a bellyful of words, but when he heard the repetitive words of gratitude such as “Thank you for caring about me, father” and “You love me most, father”, he could not say anything anymore.

Sullenly watching Ning Xueyan courteously bid goodbye to him, he could not find a single flaw from her. She behaved naturally, more showing that she was gentle, calm, and polite.

“Why not say it, father?” The curtain at the back of the room was raised, and Ning Huaiyuan in a light blue robe stood at the door, looking at Ning Zu’an with a gentle smile. He was not different from the past, but the corner of his eye twitched with a trace of viciousness and depression.

“Yuan’er, we have to give this matter further thought.” Ning Zu’an sighed and touched his forehead with his hand. Today he especially asked Ning Xueyan to come, but surely, he did not do it only for asking about her condition. But before he could open his mouth, Ning Xueyan had shown a good enough attitude, which prevented him from saying what he wanted to say. “Ming Manor has learned this matter. Anyway, it’s your two sisters who didn’t know how to do things.”

“Father, you are not willing to help me, are you? This is my mother’s only hope now. Are you willing to pass the Marquis’s Mansion to the son of a bedroom maid or concubine, father?” Ning Huaiyuan gave a cold smile. The warmth on the face had already broken, and a trace of ridicule appeared there.

“Or you think that when Fifth Sister is married into Prince Yi’s Manor, she can successfully give birth to the heir of Prince Yi and Prince Yi can successfully succeed the throne of the emperor, father?”

Ning Xueyan had a weak body. Previously, she was poisoned by Madam Ling, and that had damaged her reproducing ability. Later, she recovered a little, but how could she fully recover suddenly after going through this suffering? This time her internal organs were injured, and then Prince Yi did not care about her and left. No matter how she was evaluated, Ning Xueyan could not give birth to children successfully in this life.

Then there was the matter of Prince Yi. Ning Zu’an stood in line with the emperor. He thought that as long as the emperor did not give his word, Prince Yi could not succeed the throne in whatever condition. So, the throne would finally have to fall into the hands of Third Prince or Fourth Prince. Even if the best situation appeared that Ning Xueyan gave birth to a child successfully, the child would not bring wealth and honor to the Lord Protector’s Manor.

“I see, but let me think it over. Anyway, we must get rid of your mother’s current bad name first,” Ning Zu’an knitted his brows tightly and said unhappily as he felt the pressure from Ning Huaiyuan’s words.

Ning Huaijing was always not with him, and he was exceptionally dissatisfied, but it was quite unsuitable for Ning Huaiyuan with the current identity to appear in public. Even if he pushed him to the position, he would be taken down by others.

“Father, you need to act sooner; otherwise, if Fifth Sister enters Prince Yi’s Mansion, she will be farther beyond your grasp in the future. At that time, Prince Yi might even interfere with our marquis’s manor’s family affairs. More surely, the emperor would blame you for your lax management of the family, and much trouble will appear,” Ning Huaiyuan suddenly said in a whisper.

“Make the emperor dissatisfied?” Ning Zu’an could not help tightening his lips and felt agitated for a moment. He had just been reprimanded by the emperor. If he made the emperor dissatisfied again and got reprimanded again, he would definitely lose the favor of the emperor.

Ning Zu’an stood up, and the corner of his eye twitched. He walked around the room a few times and said a bit irritably, “I see, and you can leave now!”

“Thank you, father.” Ning Huaiyuan bowed to Ning Zu’an solemnly, but he sneered, turned around, and strode away. Now, his father should worry about the inheritance of the title of nobility. Initially, he didn’t think he had hope, but he did not expect to see that there was another opportunity. Surprisingly, the emperor interfered secretly.

After finishing speaking, Ning Huaiyuan no longer cared about Ning Zu’an who had a troubled expression. He just went out of the door and walked away.

“That’s best!” In fact, now he was not in such a hurry to get the title of nobility as he was previously.

Remembering that his and his two sisters’ calculation finally ended up in such a scene, Ning Huaiyuan was very critical of Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling. It was such a simple thing, but they messed it up. Fortunately, only Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling appeared in public at that time, and what he did was provide clues.

Mu Yunfei, who had just arrived in the capital city, was provided by him, but he couldn’t imagine why it was not Mu Yunfei and Ning Xueyan’s tryst. Instead, it became a scene of Ning Ziyan and a local ruffian being together, and it was found by others, but Ning Huaiyuan would not believe it in any case.

The scheme was originally made to trap Ning Xueyan, but Ning Ziyan was trapped. Either Ning Xueyan discovered it and struck back, or Mu Yunfei found it out and did it this way. With her condition at that time, Ning Xueyan could not have such a quick response. It seemed that Mu Yunfei was more likely to have done this.

After that, Ning Yuling’s failure made this matter further move in the opposite direction of what was expected. It was indeed far beyond Ning Huaiyuan’s plan. “Why was it so coincident? How could it be so?”

As for the Cold Mountain Temple’s incident, Ning Huaiyuan was not clear about it now. It happened so suddenly that before the young male servant he sent found Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling, an accident appeared. Then, Ning Ziyan and Ning Yuling wanted to enter the Lord Protector’s Manor, and he secretly let them in, but he did not expect that Madam Dowager even ordered to drive them out.

Later, he sent someone to the Xia Manor. Unexpectedly, Xia Manor’s people shut the doors straight and did not allow the person he sent to go in.

“Is Ning Xueyan indeed so treacherous and cunning as Ning Qingshan said so that she not only escaped and but also made my two sisters in such a mess? Perhaps I have to find someone to ask about it, but it’s not suitable for me to ask someone to do this, so I have to entrust others with this matter.”

Ning Huaiyuan took a few paces at the outer entrance and suddenly turned with his young male servant in another direction, which led to the Chuihua Gate of the inner courtyard.

After walking through the Chuihua Gate, Ning Huaiyuan took vigorous strides toward Ning Qingshan’s Foggy Courtyard. The people of the Lord Protector’s Manor all left the Cold Mountain Temple, and Ning Qingshan also followed Madam Dowager back to the Lord Protector’s Manor on that day. Her leg was injured, and before that, she fell to the ground and dislocated the joints a little, so she was now still lying in bed to recuperate.

Seeing Ning Huaiyuan go in the direction of the Foggy Courtyard, Lanning stopped and turned back to the Bright Frost Garden.

When Ning Xueyan went out of Ning Zu’an’s study just now, she left but asked Lanning to stay there.

Back in the Bright Frost Garden, she saw Ning Xueyan embroidering something. Of course, she was doing embroidery on the wedding robe that Prince Yi had stressed many times. In fact, it was almost finished. What Ning Xueyan was now doing were the last few decorative patterns.

“Dear Lady, Eldest Young Master was inside indeed. I found Eldest Young Master looked relaxed and natural when he came out, and then he walked toward the outer courtyard, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around and went to Third Young Lady’s Foggy Courtyard,” Lanning came in and reported.

There was someone else in the study of Ning Zu’an, and Ning Xueyan had already found that when she entered the room. The curtain of the inner chamber moved a little. Besides that, the young male servant standing at the door of Ning Zu’an’s study was clever, deliberately trying to talk with her as if he was hiding something, while the other hung his head, looking dull.

Since she was suspicious about the moving of the curtain of the inner chamber, she especially looked at the young male servant hiding behind the front young male servant and vaguely felt that he was the servant of Ning Huaiyuan, so she especially asked Lanning to stay when she left.

When she viewed it now, she thought that Ning Zu’an did have premeditation just now. He spoke of family love and then talked about great righteousness, hoping to let her make a concession. Of course, he aimed to get the Princely Heir’s position for Ning Huaiyuan. Unfortunately, the words he was about to say were stopped by her.