The Devious First-Daughter (Web Novel)
chapter-197

Chapter 197 Let’s Go! Leave Her Alone

Ning Xueyan laid on a bed with a pink curtain. Her shoulder wound had been wrapped with gauze. It was in winter, and her clothes were thick, so nobody could find out that she had wrapped with gauze on her shoulder. The medicine was very effective, and now her wound no longer burned, but she still could not raise her arm.

A palace maid who was in charge of serving her had changed the clothes for her. This palace maid was none other than the woman who had sat beside Ao Chenyi, pretending to be his favorite concubine just now.

After putting on the last dress for her, the palace maid walked out the room slowly.

Ning Xueyan sat up and touched her left shoulder. Fortunately, when she rushed toward him, Ao Chenyi had pulled her forcibly. Otherwise, her injury would be much more serious. Although her physical conditions were much better than before, she was still weak. She looked into the bronze mirror beside the bed and saw a pale face, without a trace of blood.

Her left hand had almost no strength at all, and it dropped feebly.

She smiled bitterly. The injury was nothing for others, but it was serious enough for her to rest for a long time.

The door was pushed open heavily, and Ao Chenyi strode to the bed with a darkened face. He stopped when he was two steps away from her and sized her up. Then he shook his black robe gracefully and sat down on the chair beside the bed. He asked in an elusive tone, “Tell me why you tried so hard to save me. You really want to be my wife, don’t you?”

“Prince Yi, you’re kidding on me,” Ning Xueyan said with a smile. She then got out of the bed and stood up, holding the head of the bed. “Prince Yi, could you please bring my maid here? I want her to help me out of here,” she said.

Such an accident had happened in the imperial palace, and Prince Yi almost got injured. The two Young Ladies who had been under the plum tree were in a panic and rushed out of the imperial palace, screaming a lot. So it was the perfect time for Ning Xueyan to leave. Nobody would notice whether the others got injured or not, and in panic, it was normal to hit something and hurt themselves.

Therefore, she must take this opportunity to leave.

Otherwise, when everything came back to normal, it would be difficult for her to leave.

“Are you serious that you don’t want me to pay you back?” Ao Chenyi asked in a low voice.

“I didn’t do anything for you, so of course you don’t need to pay me back. Actually, I should thank you, Prince Yi. If you didn’t save me, I might have already died,” Ning Xueyan said gently with a smile, raising her pale face. She suddenly bowed to Ao Chenyi gracefully, holding back the pain in her shoulder. “Prince Yi, thank you for saving my life. I will certainly repay you in the future!”

The moment Ning Xueyan was hit by the arrow, Ao Chenyi had pulled her backward quickly, looking both calm and a little annoyed. Ning Xueyan had suddenly understood that Ao Chenyi had seen the man on the rockery. He had not done anything to stop him shoot the arrow because he had his plan.

Ning Xueyan realized that she seemed had ruined his plan by accident！

“If he hasn’t seen that man, he wouldn’t have turned and avoided the arrow so swiftly. I was injured, because he didn’t expect that I was being with him at that point. Obviously, I became his burden and he failed to keep both of us safe. Fortunately, it’s me who got injured. Otherwise, I will be tortured by that demon,” she thought.

A delightful smile suddenly appeared on Ao Chenyi’s handsome face, and his face lit up a little. “Yan’er, you’re a smart woman. I love talking to smart people,” he said.

Although he did not say that Ning Xueyan was right, he did not deny it either. That confirmed Ning Xueyan’s guess.

Since he did not want to make things clear, Ning Xueyan did not want to ask more. Otherwise, he might be annoyed again. She had expressed her appreciation and sincerity. That was enough.

“Prince Yi, thank you for the compliment! Compared to you, I’m too shallow. I hope you won’t mind it,” Ning Xueyan said in a neither humble nor arrogant way. Although she looked pale, she still stood straight. It was hard to believe that such a strong will in such a delicate body.

Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan quietly, and did not say anything. Ning Xueyan’s frail form was reflected in his thoughtful eyes. After a while, he said in a magnetic voice coldly, “If you like, I can marry Third Young Lady of your manor to vent your anger.”

“Marry Ning Qingshan and vent my anger?” He had shifted the topic so quickly that Ning Xueyan could not follow him for the moment. She blinked for a while and understood his intention. She lowered her head and sighed slightly. “Prince Yi, these are only the affairs of our manor. How can I trouble you for such trifles? I can handle it.”

She did not want to talk about Ning Qingshan. But this woman had become her opponent and she seemed to be fighting her to the death. Ning Xueyan did not want to bother Ao Chenyi with a personal feud between her and Ning Qingshan, and she only hoped that Ao Chenyi would give her a hand when she was really in need in the future.

Moreover, she was acutely aware that he was only testing her. Ao Chenyi was so domineering that he never changed his mind because of others. If he decided to marry Ning Qingshan, it would not because she had requested him to do so. Like two blades, his gazes were both cold and sharp, without any softness.

“Aren’t you afraid that Ning Qingshan may collude with Ao Mingyu to kill you? Your status at Lord Protector’s Manor is even lower than an adopted daughter,” Ao Chenyi said. He put it straightforward and pointed out the real look of the Lord Protector’s Manor.

A daughter of the principal wife even less favored than an adopted daughter who was not related to Ning Zu’an by blood. Only people of the Lord Protector’s Manor could be so indifferent to kinship!

Ning Qingshan was already very tough to deal with. If Ao Mingyu, who wanted to marry her joint hands with her, Ning Xueyan had little chance to survive.

“Of course I’m afraid! But it’s useless. Will they let go of me because I’m afraid?” Ning Xueyan smiled slightly. The weakness on her face had been replaced by a trace of loneliness, coldness and blankness.

She was clear that it was useless to be afraid.

In her last life, when she was almost beaten to death by Ning Ziyan and Madam Ling by the lotus pool, she had been so scared and hoped that someone would come to save her. But except for Xia Yuhang’s betrayal and indifference, she had gotten nothing. He even watched her being drowned in the lotus pool without doing anything.

At that point, she had realized that fear could never solve any problem.

It was useless to put your hope in others!

If it was possible, she hoped that she could be more strong-willed. Then it would be much easier for her to throw those vicious people into hell.

“Ning Xueyan, you’re not bad. You’re so smart. I hope you’re always so smart.” Ao Chenyi suddenly curved up his thin lips and a smile appeared on his extremely delicate face. It was the first time his face had not been so bleak. Raising his brow slightly, he stood up and placed a porcelain bottle in his hand on the bedside table of the bed.

“Apply the medicine powder onto your wound once each day. Your injury is not serious, so you’ll recover in a few days. But be careful not to get water on the wound.”

“Many thanks, Prince Yi,” Ning Xueyan said in a low voice.

Watching Ao Chenyi striding away, her feet felt like jelly. She leaned against the bed, sweat rising from her forehead. She was really weak. She had shed only a little blood and was faint and feeble.

“Miss, what’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” When Lanning walked in, she happened to see Ning Xueyan gasping, leaning against the bed.

“I’m okay. Let’s go!” Ning Xueyan managed to stand up with a pale face. She smiled at Lanning, trying to comfort her.

“Okay. Let’s leave from the back door. Prince Yi arranged two people there, and they will send us to a safe place.” Lanning knew that it was not safe to speak here, so she helped Ning Xueyan and was about to leave.

After only taking two steps forward, Ning Xueyan saw the medicine bottle on the table. She picked it up and put it into her pocket before walking to the back door with the help of Lanning.

The back door of the courtyard was just behind the rockery. The area near the front door was a mess, with blood and flesh flying and bodies everywhere. All the servants of the imperial palace were handling the accident site. Ning Xueyan saw nobody except for a palace maid and a eunuch who were waiting for her. Seeing her coming over, the palace maid reached out and supported her by the arm. The eunuch looked around and saw nobody else. Then he led them away from this place by a path.

After crossing several intersections, they saw someone ahead. There was such a big thing going on in the imperial palace, and the assassins showed up and even injured Prince Yi! Those spoiled Young Ladies had never seen such a horrible scene before, and their feet felt like jelly. They stumbled with the support of their maids, showing no more grace.

They did not feel safe whenever they were. They were afraid that the assassins would suddenly show up from somewhere and kill them.

The eunuchs and palace maids were busy worrying about their own safety, and none of them came to guide them. Compared to these noble Young Ladies, they were more likely to be the assassins’ target.

Now on the path, were all the distinguished daughters of the high-rank officials. They were walking in small groups. After all, men had more guts than women. These Young Ladies had left those ethics behind and did not care if they were walking with a childe. Some of the childes were their brothers, so of course they would walk together. A few Young Ladies were in a panic and they tripped over the plant, and one of them even had a head injury.

Therefore, when Ning Xueyan appeared on the path in the imperial palace with a pale face, nobody noticed her.

She knew very few people here, and she had no idea where her only friend, Heng Yuqing was. She looked around, and found nobody she knew, so she walked out slowly with the support of Lanning. Almost all her weight was on Lanning. With feeble legs, she was obviously extremely weak now.

The palace maid and eunuch who had sent them out had left quietly.

“Miss, the person in front seems to be Third Young Lady!” Lanning suddenly whispered in Ning Xueyan’s ear. Ning Xueyan calmed herself down and raised her head to look. She saw a figure like Ning Qingshan. She closed her eyes for a short moment, and then opened them again. Now she was sure that it was Ning Qingshan.

“Miss, Third Young Lady seems to be injured as well,” Lanning looked for a while and said in hesitation.

Just like Ning Xueyan, Ning Qingshan was also stumbling forward with the support of a maid of her and a palace maid.

“Ning Qingshan got injured as well?” Ning Xueyan frowned. She looked at Ning Qingshan carefully and fell into silence. It seemed Ning Qingshan really got injured.

How could that happen? She had been at Honored Consort Ya’s palace at that point, and the killers that the emperor arranged would not disturb them there. How could Ning Qingshan get injured?

Ning Xueyan suddenly recalled what Ao Chenyi said, and her heart beat faster for no reason. She raised her pale face and squeezed out a feeble smile. “Let’s go! Leave her alone!” she said.