The Devious First-Daughter

"Young Lady, Young Lady, we wouldn’t dare! No guards came in. They’re all outside." An older female servant hurried to say, even wanting to swear that they had not asked the guards to come in.

"Did they really not come in?" Ning Xueyan seemed to relax, but she still looked out and asked incredulously.

"Yes, yes, they really didn’t come in. Fifth Young Lady, your hands have been injured by the scissors. They need to be treated first." Seeing that the situation had eased, the older female servant nodded her head vigorously to show her sincerity.

On hearing that there was no guard coming in, Ning Xueyan relaxed her hold and the scissors were carefully taken away from her by Qingyu. On the other side, Lanning was finding supplies and medicine to cure Ning Xueyan’s hands. There was a faint bloody smell in the room.

"Since you want to search the room, just hurry up. Our Young Lady’s hands are injured. I’ll go ask for some medicine from Madam Dowager if I can’t find any here." Lanning did not find the medicine right away and spoke impatiently when she saw the two older female servants standing still.

It seemed that Lanning would report what happened here to Madam Dowager. The two older female servants looked at each other, shivering.

"You’d better hurry up. Don’t let our Young Lady wait here, or someone else will think that there really are thieves here," Qingyu pointed at the furniture in the room and said unhappily.

Ning Xueyan’s bedroom was very simple. There was a big bed that was blocked by a bed curtain. It seemed that Ning Xueyan was taking a rest just now. When she heard the quarrel between the two older female servants and her two maids outside the room, she got angry and pierced herself with the scissors to prove her innocence. And that cup was knocked down when she took the scissors with excitement.

In front of the bed was a screen on which Ning Xueyan’s clothes were hung. There was a table near the head of the bed, a soft couch in front of the window, and a table beside the couch. Besides that, there was nothing else. From the position of the two older female servants, they could see that there was no place to hide anyone, except for behind or underneath the big bed.

"Lanning, show them behind and underneath the bed," Ning Xueyan looked at the two older female servants and said indifferently with a pale face.

"Yes. Come with me. From here you can see if there is anyone behind or under the bed." Hearing Ning Xueyan’s order, Lanning pointed to a place in the room and spoke to the two older female servants.

The two older female servants looked at each other. They had thought that they had to search carefully since they had come. But after seeing what the Fifth Young Lady had done, how did they dare to search the room now? So they quickly took a look behind and under the bed. After finding nothing, they retreated while apologizing.

On behalf of Ning Xueyan, Qingyu sent the two older female servants to the gate of Bright Frost Garden and returned after they left. When she arrived at the door of Ning Xueyan’s bedroom, she saw Lanning coming out. So she walked over to Lanning quickly and wanted to ask something, but was stopped by Lanning.

"Let the Young Lady rest for a while. I’ll guard here. You go ask Mother Han if she has the medicine for the injury."

"Fine. I’ll go now." "Isn’t the medicine in the Young Lady’s room? Why do I have to go to Mother Han’s?" Although Qingyu did not understand, she also knew that it had to be Ning Xueyan’s order. So she agreed and went to Mother Han’s room.

Inside the room, Ning Xueyan was struggling to get the medicine that Lanning had found and put on the table. The wounds on her hands were not serious. The scissors had cut the skin between her thumb and index finger. It seemed to be serious, but in fact, it was not. It was only very painful. The reason why she had cut her hands was to cover up the bloody smell caused by Ao Chenyi’s wounds.

Although the two older female servants were not as vigilant as those guards, they had to be shrewd since they could lead the guards to search the manor. As long as a bloody smell was found here, it would be hard to avoid causing other troubles. So Ning Xueyan hurt herself to stop the bloody smell from being discovered. Under the circumstances, the two older female servants would not dare tell others even if there really was something wrong.

If Ning Xueyan had not shocked the two older female servants by hurting herself, they would have searched her bed. Ao Chenyi was thin, but he, a man, would inevitably be seen as long as someone got closer to the bed. So Ning Xueyan made a split-second decision. Using this method, she made the two older female servants dare not search the room carefully or tell others.

"You are so cruel to yourself. Is the arm injury all right?" Ao Chenyi got out from under the quilt and let go of Ning Xueyan’s waist, but he stretched out one hand and put it on Ning Xueyan’s shoulder naturally. He glanced at Ning Xueyan, smiled in a low voice, and asked her.

"The arm wound?" Ning Xueyan was a little stunned. She turned her head and looked into Ao Chenyi’s cold but smiling eyes. Then she turned her head back and looked at Ao Chenyi’s hand on her shoulder. Now Ning Xueyan could clearly see a dark and wet place on his arm, while a bloody smell rushed into her nose.

"Prince Yi, doesn’t it hurt?" Ning Xueyan looked up and asked.

"Why don’t you check it for me?" Ao Chenyi smiled and said naturally, as if this was what Ning Xueyan was supposed to do.

"Well, put your hand down," Ning Xueyan took a look at his hand and said. The smell of blood was very strong, so his injury had to be serious. Ning Xueyan stretched out her hands and pulled his hand off her shoulder. Then she took the scissors and cut his black cuffs and sleeves to reveal his wounds inside.

The wound was really serious, which could not be seen from the outside. It seemed that his arm had been penetrated by something. But now, that thing was no longer there, leaving a semi-coagulated wound.

If she had not seen the wound, Ning Xueyan could not have known how badly he was hurt. She looked up at Ao Chenyi, who was still as lethargic as usual. When Ning Xueyan accidentally touched the wound on his arm, he still remained lethargic, as if he was not in great pain. He was a tolerant man.

Ning Xueyan frowned and no longer said anything. She carefully cleaned his wound and sprinkled medicinal powders on it. When there was no bloodstain around the wound, she picked up the handkerchief from before and wrapped the wound carefully for him.

Ao Chenyi said nothing, which was rare. He looked at his wound for a while and finally laid his gaze on Ning Xueyan.

Her facial features were delicate. Only her profile made people feel she was beautiful. Because she was pale and young, no one would think she was beautiful at first glance. But after carefully looking, one would find that she was very charming. But her indifference made people dare not get close to her.

But that feeling would disappear when one discovered her charm. Her indifference and charm, two totally different temperaments, combined together, attracting everyone’s attention.

This ferocious wildcat-like woman was really different from other women.

Ning Xueyan did not care about Prince Yi’s scrutiny, but just carefully bandaged Ao Chenyi’s wound. After finishing, she raised her head and said, "Now your wound has been treated, can you leave now?"

"What if I don’t go?" Ao Chenyi could not help laughing as he looked at her.

It seemed like Ning Xueyan had pressed on his arm wound unintentionally. As expected, Ao Chenyi’s face turned pale and his gaze became cold and bloodthirsty at once.

"Prince Yi, this is Lord Protector’s Manor. The marquis is absent right now. But when he comes back and searches the manor by himself, I can’t protect you at that time," Ning Xueyan smiled and said softly.

"You dare to threaten me." Ao Chenyi’s tone was extremely cold and it could make people feel scared.

"I would not dare! I just believe that you don’t want what I said to be true!" Ning Xueyan did not look at Ao Chenyi’s face. She pushed his hands away, got out of bed, put on her coat naturally, and then walked out of the bedroom.

As soon as Ning Xueyan reached the next room, she heard Lanning knocking at the door. "Young Lady, someone is here with a letter. Do you want to see her?"

"Bring me the letter." Ning Xueyan sat down as she answered. Hearing Ning Xueyan’s reply, Lanning left to convey Ning Xueyan’s meaning. After a while, Qingyu arrived with a maid.

The snow-white letter was in a pink envelope. Ning Xueyan narrowed her eyes when she saw the letter. But she still smiled with coldness in her eyes. She held the letter in her hands but did not open it, asking the maid who had sent the letter. "Where is this letter from?"

"I encountered a maid of the Second Young Lady. This is from the Second Young Lady," the maid, who was very young, answered respectfully.

"Is the Second Young Lady still sick and lying in bed?" Ning Xueyan asked calmly.

"That maid said yes. She also said that you need to go see her, and if you don’t visit the sick the Second Young Lady, she will be very angry because you ignore your sisterhood," the maid replied naturally.

"I see, you may leave!" Ning Xueyan paused for a moment then waved her hands.

Qingyu looked at Ning Xueyan’s slightly cold look and anxiously said, "Young Lady, what does the Second Young Lady want to do?"

Ning Xueyan opened the note in her hands, on which there only were just a few words: "Come on! It’s urgent!"

The words on the note totally showed Ning Yuling’s insolence. It looked like Ning Yuling was displeased with Ning Xueyan’s absence and had gotten angry. So she wanted Ning Xueyan to go to her place so she could humiliate her, which always happened in the past.

"You met the Second Young Lady’s maid at the gate of the courtyard?" Ning Xueyan put away the note and asked faintly.

"Yes. When I was about to go out, I saw the maid coming over. She asked me to give this letter to you. She also said that you should hurry up and not let the Second Young Lady wait too long, otherwise she’ll lose her temper again," the maid answered after thinking for a moment.

It would take at least one hour to get to Ning Yuling’s courtyard from Ning Xueyan’s courtyard. Ning Lingyun just left. So it was impossible that she had arrived at Ning Yuling’s courtyard.

If Ning Lingyun had not said that, Ning Xueyan would not have known that Ning Yuling was sick. But the maid who sent the letter was sure that Ning Xueyan had known Ning Yuling was sick and did not explain it at all.

Furthermore, this letter was not an ordinary note. It was very popular among women in the brothel and was not liked by the Young Ladies...

Additionally, why did Ning Yuling call her over?

Ning Xueyan carefully rubbed the paper in her hands. This paper smelled good and had a different kind of odor than other paper. She smiled and said to Lanning and Qingyu with sarcasm on her face, "Call more servants to accompany me. Last time, Madam Dowager said there should be more trees in my courtyard and asked me to choose them in the garden when I have time. Today, I happen to have time. Let’s visit the Second Young Lady together and incidentally choose the trees."

"Yes!" Seeing that Ning Xueyan was confident, Lanning made a quick response and went outside to gather some people.

Qingyu was no longer upset. She nodded and asked the little maid to leave, saying nothing more.

After finishing everything, Ning Xueyan returned to the inner room. As expected, Ao Chenyi was no longer there and a bottle of medicine was left on the table...