The Devious First-Daughter (Web Novel)

Seeing Ning Xueyan coming out, Lanning came forward to report. “Young Lady, I heard that he came to see the First Young Master. Then, he went to see the First Madam. I don’t know when he came here.”

She was waiting at the gate of the courtyard and did not go in. Every time she came here, she would think of her dead young lady and grieve in her heart. Therefore, she often stopped at the gate of the courtyard, but she could still see it clearly from where she was.

So, when she saw Xia Yuhang standing there and calling out to her Young Lady. Lanning hated Xia Yuhang as much as Ning Xueyan when she saw him. Her hatred of him was equal to her Young Lady Ning Ziying’s love for him. This man abandoned the gentle Young Lady Ning Ziying and married the Eldest Young Lady of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Everyone knew what it meant.

Since he had taken the initiative and gained benefits, why did he act like he loved Ning Xueyan so much now? Lanning was worried that Ning Xueyan would be deceived, so she came up to Ning Xueyan quickly.

“How’s the Eldest Young Master’s injury?” Ning Xueyan asked. She had restrained the coldness in her eyes, and was walking out of the room. She did not look back at all.

Seeing that Ning Xueyan acted naturally, Lanning felt relieved. “I heard that the Marquis’s kick had seriously injured the First Young Master. Yesterday, when he interceded for the First Madam with Madam Dowager, he fainted, and he sustained some serious injuries.”

When Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan went to the Lucky Garden to intercede for the First Madam yesterday, Ning Huaiyuan had passed out and had been carried back to his courtyard. So, Ning Xueyan had not seen him at that time.

It seemed that what had taken place yesterday had made Ning Huaiyuan’s injury worse.

As soon as Ning Xueyan arrived at the Bright Frost Garden, she saw Qingyu waiting at the door. When she saw Ning Xueyan walking back with Lanning, she said with a smile, “Young Lady, it’s a coincidence. Just now, the embroidery shop sent your spring clothes over. Come and have a look. Is there anything wrong with it?”

It was the usual practice for the Lord Protector’s Manor to make clothes for the legal daughters like Ning Xueyan, every season. It was spring now, and they could not wear thick clothes. The people from the embroidery shop had already taken Ning Xueyan’s measurements and the others as well. It was now the right time to wear thin spring clothes.

In the room, a capable, middle-aged woman, accompanied by several maids, was waiting. When she saw Ning Xueyan coming over, she hurriedly greeted her with a smile. She bowed to Ning Xueyan first and said, “Fifth Young Lady, these are the clothes we made for you. If you want to change anything, please tell me, and I’ll bring them back to be changed later.”

In the hands of several maids behind her, there was a thick stack of clothes, with rich, multicolored embroideries. They were made from the lightest and most beautiful cloth materials present.

The maid standing at the forefront took the clothes held in her clothes and presented them respectfully to Ning Xueyan.

Ning Xueyan looked through the suits and frowned slightly. These clothes were beautiful, but most of them were too gorgeous. They were not the style she liked at all. Both the materials and embroidery threads they used were brightly-colored, which looked quite like the ones Ning Yuling liked.

“Fifth Young Lady, don’t you like them? Madam Dowager chose these colors for you. She said that young ladies would look old-fashioned if you wear clothes that are too plain. Thus, she asked us to choose these materials for you. If you don’t like them, we can make two more sets of plain clothes for you. But you have to pay for these clothes yourself.”

The middle-aged woman said this with a smile.

This was indeed the rule of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Every season, the Lord Protector’s Manor would make several sets of clothes for them. If there were any extra clothes required, they would have to pay for them by themselves. They were allowed to choose the clothes by themselves. However, Ning Xueyan and Ning Qingshan had gone to the imperial palace for the Beauty Camp, and Ning Yuling had not returned to the capital yet. So, Madam Dowager decided for them and selected these clothes.

Because they were the ones Madam Dowager selected, Ning Xueyan could not say anything, no matter how dissatisfied she was. So, she had to take the clothes.

“Just put them there!” Ning Xueyan nodded. Whether they were beautiful or not, since Madam Dowager had chosen them, she could not refuse them.

“Yes, come, put the clothes there.” The middle-aged woman narrowed her eyes, smiled, nodded and said to the maid beside her.

The maid came forward and put the clothes in her hands on the table in the room. Because there were too many clothes, she did not put them away tidily. Some of the clothes slipped and fell off the table, revealing a plain dress.

“Young Lady, this dress is nice. It’s similar to yours.” Qingyu’s eyes were sharp, and her hands quick. When she saw it, her eyes brightened. She reached out to pick up the dress.

The rosin colored cloth was dotted with milk-white gauze. The light-colored butterflies embroidered with silver threads were not very eye-catching, but they were beautiful. They were all of a light color, which was Ning Xueyan’s favorite color. Ning Xueyan liked this set of clothes best, among the other clothes.

“It’s stunning.” Ning Xueyan reached out and touched the clothes. The cloth material was neither too thin nor too thick, so they were very suitable for the moment. When she was still at the Bright Frost Garden last year, Madam Ming had made many clothes for her, but they were not good clothes. She could wear them at home, but it was a little too shabby for her to wear them for going out.

Besides, Ning Xueyan had grown taller and bigger these days. She was no longer as skinny and weak as she used to be. So, Ning Xueyan could not wear some of the clothes, and she had to make a few sets of decent clothes.

When she went to the Commandery Princess Xianyun’s Manor yesterday, she wore the clothes that Madam Dowager had prepared for her to join the Beauty Camp in the imperial palace. To her, these clothes were too flashy, which was not suitable for ordinary social activities.

In general, this dress, whether in terms of material or the embroidery, was well made and beautiful. Most importantly, Ning Xueyan happened to like this style.

“Young Lady, this suit is good. There was no such cloth at first, but an unknown master brought it later. I thought that you would like it because you’re usually dressed plainly during normal days. So, I made this suit for you. I was afraid that you would not like it.”

The middle-aged woman was smart. When she saw Ning Xueyan’s look, she knew that Ning Xueyan liked it and then fawned over her. The Fifth Young Lady was no longer who she used to b. All the servants in the manor were smart. Now, the First Madam had made such a mess of her life, it seemed that the Second Young Lady would soon be of no use too. Only the Third Young Lady and the Fifth Young Lady looked promising.

Although she failed to be chosen, the Fifth Young Lady’s efforts were not futile, based on her elegant manner and beautiful appearance. Although she was a servant, she was shrewder than the master of the Lord Protector’s Manor. Therefore, she knew who she should fawn over at this time, and who she should not bother with.

“Thank you. I like this suit.” Ning Xueyan took it from Qingyu’s hand. She touched it slightly and had a faint smile on her face. Then, she turned to the clothes held by another maid. The clothes were more or less the same as Ning Xueyan’s, but there were one or two pieces, which were particularly brightly colored and beautiful.

She looked up and asked casually, “Haven’t you sent these clothes to Second Sister yet?”

Compared to Ning Xueyan’s style, these clothes were obviously more to Ning Yuling’s taste. Compared with Ning Xueyan’s clothes, the clothes that Madam Dowager had chosen for Ning Yuling obviously suited her taste. After all, Ning Yuling was her favorite granddaughter.

However, Ning Yuling was no longer who she used to be. So, she might not be able to wear such fancy clothes out. Ning Xueyan unconsciously touched one of the light-colored clothes with her fingers and drew out the hem. She took out a sleeve and looked at it with a gentle smile.

“Yes. You live furthest, so we sent yours first. Later, we’ll send the clothes to the other young ladies. There are the Second Young Lady’s, the Third Young Lady’s, and the Fourth Young Lady’s clothes. We don’t have to go through too many roads on the way back,” the middle-aged woman said with a smile.

It was reasonable that they should send the clothes to the furthest one first, and to the nearest one last, while turning back.

They always sent to the others first, and then, they sent Ning Xueyan’s “on the way.” But this time, they sent her first.

She patted Ning Yuling’s clothes and spoke amiably with a faint smile, “Thank you so much. Qingyu, please give this older female servant a reward!”

“Thank you, Fifth Young Lady.” Unexpectedly, she managed to flatter the Fifth Young Lady, and received a reward from her. The middle-aged woman was overjoyed and thanked Ning Xueyan with a smile. Then, she turned around, followed behind Qingyu, and walked out with her maids.

Lanning came and checked the clothes on the table, and found that there was only one set of plain clothes. “Young Lady, it came at the right time. You can wear it for your daily outing, which takes care of your pressing need. However, there are too few of such clothes, and these clothes are not what you like.”

“Lanning, the materials for clothes-making in the embroidery shop are selected first. What if there is an extra piece of cloth?” Ning Xueyan said with a soft smile. She looked at the plain and beautiful clothes with a tinge of coldness in her eyes. In her previous life, she was an outsider. In this life, she had been in the Bright Frost Garden all the time, so she did not know about such a trivial thing.

“Generally, it’s impossible to have an extra piece of cloth. Each young lady’s number of clothes each season is fixed. If more clothes are made, the embroidery shop will be penalized. The cloth of this suit was not selected by Madam Dowager before, but the total number of clothes made will not change. So, it means that the original cloth has been changed.”

After understanding the meaning of Ning Xueyan’s words, Lanning’s face changed slightly. She immediately figured out why they sent the clothes to Ning Xueyan first, instead of the nearest Second Young Lady. No matter who had made the mistake to change the original cloth into another piece of cloth, the person would feel guilty. It was not only because the Fifth Young Lady’s status was different now, that the people in the embroidery shop were trying so hard to please her.

It was because they felt guilty!

“There must be something shady about this suit!”