The Devious First-Daughter (Web Novel)

Madam Yu was scared and knelt down to pray in a Land-temple, which was not far away from the manor.

Since the news that Ning Huaijing had killed someone outside, she had gone crazy and ran to this small, house-sized temple to pray. No one could pacify her. She cried and muttered to herself. She knew that there was nothing she could do now, but only hoped that Ning Zu’an could save her son.

The sky outside was already dark. Those who had tried to pacify her earlier, had all gone back, leaving behind only a single lamp in front of a decrepit Buddha statue.

This earthen temple had been built by the people here, and everything was simple and crude. It did not matter whether it would work. During normal days, if someone had something on his or her mind, he or she would come here to pray for peace of mind. It would take several hours to reach the temple nearest to their place, so it was inconvenient.

Madam Yu closed her eyes, put her palms together, and recited the scriptures. After that, she opened her eyes. Looking at the Buddhist statute above, she shed tears again. She was panicky and anxious. Since she came out of the Ning Mansion, she was only concerned about her son. She did not dare to think about anything else.

For her son, she was willing to suffer all kinds of hardship. Her Jing’er was obedient and well-behaved. How could he do something like that?

She did not ask for her son to be rich or powerful, nor did she dare to go to the Lord Protector’s Manor, to turn to Ning Zu’an. She only hoped that her son could stay by her side all the time, in the future.

But now, such a thing happened all of a sudden. It was like a bolt from the blue. How could she stand it?

“Bodhisattva, please bless Jing’er. If he can overcome his problem this time, I’m willing to rebuild your golden body for you.” She kowtowed fervently. Under the light, Madam Yu could only see Bodhisattva’s peaceful smiling face, as if she was blessing others with auspiciousness in the unseen world.

She felt relieved for no reason. Yes, Bodhisattva must know that Jing’er was wronged, and she would find a way out for him.

This thought was in her heart, but she could not stop shedding tears. How could this happen to her Jing’er?

“Yu Qing, are you praying for Ning Huaijing?” A voice suddenly sounded. And seemed to come from afar. Immediately, Madam Yu opened her eyes wide and looked around in horror, but she did not see anyone.

“You don’t have to look for me. I’m right in front of you.”

Madam Yu raised her head, only to see the wooden Buddha’s face in the curling smoke.

“B-Bodhisattva!” Madam Yu shivered with fear and fell backward. She pointed at the Buddha statue in the middle and stammered. However, the fear on her face turned into surprise. She wiped away the tears on her face and knelt down again.

“Bodhisattva, I beg you to save Jing’er. He really has not done anything bad. He really has not done anything bad.”

The Bodhisattva made its presence felt. It must be because her sincerity touched heaven, or because Jing’er’s grievance had reached the emperor’s ears. So, the Bodhisattva made its presence felt.

Thinking of this, she was not afraid anymore.

“He did not do any bad things. Yu Qing, what about the evil things you have done?” She could not tell where the ethereal voice came from. Looking at the Buddha statue, she thought that it was coming from the Buddha statue.

“I… I have not done anything bad.” Madam Yu argued subconsciously.

“You have, so it rebounding on your son now. Every cause has its effect and vice versa. If there’s no cause for the day, there will be no effect.” The Bodhisattva’s voice was drifting, but Madam Yu’s heart seemed to have been hit heavily.

“I… did not. Bodhisattva, you’ve made a mistake.” She said this hurriedly, fearing that the Bodhisattva might have made a mistake and blame it on her son. Initially, she heard that the man fainted, but now it was said that the man had been seriously injured and died.

“Your son’s matter was originally small, but because of what you did before, the small matter has turned into a big matter. Madam Yu, do you still want to hide it? Then, your son will be beheaded.” The Bodhisattva did not seem to believe her words at all, and said this with a sigh.

After hearing that her son was about to be beheaded, Madam Yu’s hands began to tremble as if she saw Ning Huaijing lying in a pool of blood. She screamed and shed tears, “Bodhisattva, I really can’t remember. Can you… tell me what I did wrong? I’ll correct myself. Even when it comes to retribution, please give me retribution.”

She was panicky and confused, and her mind went blank. She did not know what she had done wrong. Was it because Jing’er was an illegitimate child who could not be recognized by others? However, she was a maid meant as a bed companion, and she could not be regarded as a real mistress. She was just a poor woman who was kicked out. How could she have done something bad?

“More than ten years ago, the Lord Protector’s Manor… Yu Qing, Are you sure you don’t remember anything?” Bodhisattva said quietly.

Ten years ago, in the Lord Protector’s Manor? Ten years ago, she returned to the Lord Protector’s Manor. Even though she was a maid serving as a bed companion, whose status was low, she was also a decent person in the Lord Protector’s Manor. Why she was suddenly kicked out of the Ning’s Manor? Why did she and the baby in her tummy live without a name, from then on?

How could it be possible that she had no complaints?

“Bodhisattva, what happened that year… I… I don’t know.” Madam Yu’s pupils contracted, and she said this with tears in her eyes.

“Yu Qing, do you want to argue on that? Are you utterly ignorant about what happened that year? God is watching your every move. What goes around comes around!” Bodhisattva’s voice was gentle, but it made Madam Yu feel restless.

She remembered that she used to be a little maid at that time. Later, her master took a fancy to her, and she became the maid serving him in bed. She did not dare to overthink. She only wanted to attend to the Young Master and the future Young Madam, all her life. She wanted to be a good concubine if she gave birth to a son or a daughter, in the future.

The Young Madam did not come in, so the manor prepared herbal tea. Every time, Madam Dowager would ask someone to send it to her. She drank herbal tea every time, but she did not know how she became pregnant. Although she was afraid, she was full of joy. Madam Dowager repeatedly hinted that it did not matter even if she had a child. It meant that she had to give birth to the baby!

However, the final result was beyond her expectations. She and her baby had blocked the Young Madam’s way, so the Young Madam wanted to drive her away. In that winter, she was sent to the manor outside the city without anyone with her, after she packed only two sets of clothes.

When she gave birth to Jing’er, she only had one older woman to help her. After a day and a night, she came back to life and burst into tears, when she held her newborn son in her arms.

Initially, her son was also the young master of the mansion. But now, not only did he not have a position, but he also lived in the manor and became the most inferior person. How could she not be sad?

This was because the Young Madam wanted to clear all the obstacles after she got married. She was one of the obstacle of the Young Madam.

Why did this happen? Instead of competing with the Young Madam, she would stay in the backyard and raise her son in peace. She would not allow her son to compete with the Young Madam. But even so, the Young Madam would not tolerate Jing’er and her.

A muffled cry of anguish came from Madam Yu’s mouth. She stretched out on the cold ground and covered her face with her hands, trembling with tears. This was the greatest pain in her heart. This was her obsession and heart knot for years. She attributed all her hatred to Madam Ming, and she felt that Madam Ming had caused her misfortune.

When she heard of Madam Ming’s accident, she was not upset. She felt that this was her retribution.

But what was going on now? Why did the Bodhisattva feel that she had done something wrong? Why did her son have to take the blame?

“She… she hurt my son and I. Why, why…”

“Yu Qing, when did she hurt you and your son? It was Ning Zu’an who vowed only to marry Madam Ming. He lied to her all his life, that he would only marry her. Madam Ming does not know who you are!”

The faint voice, as if it had penetrating power, fell into Madam Yu’s ears. “If you refuse to come to your senses, your son will get the punishment he deserves.”

After saying that, the voice of Bodhisattva seemed to disappear into the darkness.

The voice was not loud, but it made Madam Yu wake up. She raised her head in excitement and shouted, “Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, it’s my fault. However, I did not do anything, except to hide some facts. How could I have committed such a big sin? Shouldn’t the current First Madam take the blame? She was the one who framed Madam Ming.”

How could Madam Yu calm down when she thought of her son, whose life was uncertain?

She had not done anything terrible. Why was the onus on her? The First Madam was the mastermind behind the scenes. Why should the retribution fall on her and Jing’er?

At the thought of her son, Madam Yu almost broke down!

“Evildoers will be punished one by one. Madam Yu, tell me what you know, and God will judge for itself.” There was still no anger in the Bodhisattva’s voice. Madam Yu’s mind was in a mess now, and she did not notice the tremor in Bodhisattva’s voice at all.

It turned out to be Madam Yu. He thought that his cousin had made a mistake. He thought that a woman who was thrown into the manor might be ignorant, but she knew the inside story. Her father checked it again and again, but he still did not find anything, as if everything at that time was true.

Like Ning Xueyan, Ming Yuanhua’s aunt, who was told by his father, could not be such a self-deprecating person. It was impossible for her to have anything to do with a servant. Moreover, Madam Ling came to power because of this matter. In any case, Madam Ling and Ning Huaiyuan would benefit the most from it.

It would be strange if there were no dirty tricks involved.

The reason why he hurried on with his journey overnight was that he wanted to come here. He knew that Madam Yu would break down if she knew that Ning Huaijing would pay for a life with his life. This was the best way to make a breakthrough, and it was the best time to break through her psychological line of defense.

His cousin was right. Ming Yuanhua, who was sitting on the beam, looked at Madam Yu below, with anger in his eyes. He knew that this was the best breakthrough. A secret of more than ten years ago was about to be revealed. How could he not be excited?

He would definitely help his cousin to get justice for his aunt after many years.