The Devious First-Daughter (Web Novel)
chapter-325

The carriage was plain-decorated which was quite different from Prince Yi’s typical luxurious one with a black roof and curtain. However, it was still much spacious than ordinary carriages. The floor in the carriage was covered with thick blankets and there was a couch deeper inside the carriage. Ao Chenyi leaned against the couch and naturally held Ning Xueyan’s chin with one hand. He narrowed his eyes and sized her up lazily.

Ning Xueyan did not know what he was looking for on her face. She raised her jet-like, watery eyes and looked into Ao Chenyi handsome eyes, her eyelashes trembling. Being so close to him, she could clearly see his delicate and handsome face now. He did not look as grim as usual, but there was an evil enchantment of aggressiveness and charming on his face.

Even she had been calm, Ning Xueyan could not help blush facing to such an extremely handsome face and sensing his warm breath.

“Your injury has totally recovered? What was wrong with you last time?” Ao Chenyi asked while rubbing her fair, thin chin casually.

“It wasn’t a big deal. Someone wanted to make me have rashes all over, so she asked her servant to send me some petals which had been specially treated. I took advantage of their plot and escaped from the contest.” Ning Xueyan wanted to avoid his gaze subconsciously. She still felt uneasy to be so close to a man. In her last life, even if Ning Ziying had been engaged to Xia Yuhang, she had never been so close to him.

Her face turned even redder.

Looking at her, Ao Chenyi curved up his lips into a vicious smile. “Do you want to take revenge?” he asked with a hint of evilness flashing in his dark eyes.

“Prince Yi, I didn’t suffer losses,” Ning Xueyan answered gently, staring at Ao Chenyi calmly.

In fact, she did not think that it was the right time for revenge. After rebirth, patience was the last thing she would be lack of.

“Okay. I’m glad to hear that. You deserve to be my woman!” Ao Chenyi suddenly let go of her chin and leaned back with a smile. He looked at Ning Xueyan’s calm face and curved up his thin lips. “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone bully my woman.”

“His woman?” Ning Xueyan was speechless.

“You can start preparing your dowry from now on!” Ao Chenyi smiled in a good mood. From the joy in his dark, thoughtful eyes, Ning Xueyan could tell that he was happy from the bottom of his heart for the first time.

“His Majesty hasn’t announced the imperial edict yet. This might… not be appropriate,” Ning Xueyan said after hesitating for a while. Actually, she was not in a hurry to marry him!

“It’s only a matter of time. To avoid missing anything, you’d better make preparation in advance,” Ao Chenyi said with a darkened face, tapped the table with his slim fingers unpleasantly.

“Dowry? Prince Yi, don’t count on me too much. I’m only an unfavored daughter of Protector Lord. Besides, I’ll marry you as your co-consort…” Ning Xueyan laughed bitterly. Although she did not know why Ao Chenyi suddenly mentioned the dowry, she still wanted to tell him the truth so as not to disappoint him.

Madam Ling and Madam Dowager had given back many of Madam Ming’s dowry. It looked like a lot of stuff, but Ning Xueyan found that it was not what it seemed after checking them carefully. Most of the valuable items were missing and the rest were only some big but less valuable things. After careful calculation, she found that the total value of these items might even be less than one-fifth of that of Madam Ming’s dowry.

Of course, before she getting married, the Lord Protector’s Manor would prepare some dowry for her, but it would not be too much.

“I’ll inform the Lord Protector’s Manor to prepare more dowry for you,” Ao Chenyi said, taking it for granted.

“What a strange man!”

Ning Xueyan did not know what to say. She had heard of debt collectors, not dowry collectors, especially when this dowry collector seemed to take it for granted. She felt uneasy at the sight of the teasing in his thoughtful, cold eyes.

However, this was indeed the simplest and roughest way. If he raised the request, neither Ning Zu’an nor Madam Dowager dared to refuse him.

“Prince Yi, where are we going?” Ao Chenyi did not feel anything wrong, but Ning Xueyan could not keep up with his thinking. Pretending to be calm, she turned her head away and looked at the slightly lifted curtain. The curtain was not lifted high enough and she could only see the scenery outside vaguely.

“My nephew heard that I was getting married, so he insisted on inviting me and my extremely beautiful favorite concubine to attend his dinner party,” Ao Chenyi said casually with a coldness crossing his eyes. His feathery-like eyelashes fluttered, leaving two shadows on his jade-like face.

“Third Prince?” Ning Xueyan asked with hesitation. Seeing Ao Chenyi smiling slightly, she knew she was right. “Prince Yi, as noble as Third Prince, doesn’t he worry it will degrade him to see your ‘favorite concubine’?” she asked in confusion.

Third Prince was the most likely to inherit the throne with the highest status among the princes. Ning Xueyan wondered why he wanted to see an unremarkable concubine of Prince Yi who was much lower than him.

“Who he wants to see is only my favorite concubine.” Ao Chenyi looked at Ning Xueyan’s fairy face with a faint smile.

“What if you refuse his request?” Ning Xueyan was confused about why Ao Chenyi had asked her out. As Ao Mingyu’s uncle, it would be easy for Ao Chenyi to turn him down. Ning Xueyan blinked her watery eyes, looking at Ao Chenyi blankly. She looked quite different from what she used to be and it added her with a touch of girlish charm.

“My favorite concubine is so beautiful. Why should I turn him down?” Ao Chenyi suddenly reached out and slightly pulled a wisp of black hair behind Ning Xueyan’s ear with a slight smile. In front of him, Ning Xueyan had been calm and strong-minded. Now he was very satisfied with her girlish constraint and shyness.

She looked even more delicate and weaker than ordinary girls. Her flawless, tender skin, her beautiful eyes as moisture as dewdrops in the morning, her pale lips, her perfect facial features, and her long, black eyelashes all showed her delicacy and charming.

Who could imagine that such a girl was that tough and tolerant.

He was surprised when he saw her for the first time. Was this girl really the weak Fifth Young Lady who was supposed to hide in a corner of the Lord Protector’s Manor?

The huge difference between her appearance and personality made him involuntarily explore. Like a little wildcat, she always fought back those who wanted to trap her mercilessly before retreating back into the hidden corner without any hesitation. It was hard to believe that there would be such a girl in the world.

Decisive, cold and strong-willed.

What kind of experience would have made a noble Young Lady even more determined than his secret guard? At the thought of this, Ao Chenyi felt upset for no reason. With a snort in his heart, his eyelid twitched with a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.

“If someone asks you to do anything later, just agreed with him.” His voice sounded gentle and lazy, but his eyes had turned cold.

“Prince Yi, you mean Third Prince will persuade me to make trouble for you? Ning Xueyan was smart. Associating what had happened and what Ao Chenyi had said, she immediately understood his intention, so she put it straightforward.

Ao Chenyi was going to marry his co-concert. Although the emperor had not permitted it officially, from what Ao Chenyi had said just now, the selection had been made. In fact, it had nothing to do with his favorite concubine, whose name was even unknown to the others, but Ao Mingyu still invited her for dinner. Therefore, his aim was obvious.

“Whatever they say, just say yes.” Ao Chenyi snorted with a cold and bloodthirsty look on his face. He narrowed his eyes, looked at Ning Xueyan’s tender face and showed a faint smile until Ning Xueyan felt a little uneasy.

Ning Xueyan understood what Ao Chenyi meant now. She answered with a nod, “Prince Yi, don’t worry I won’t let you down.”

“Put this on under your garment.” Seeing that she had understood what he meant, Ao Chenyi took out a small bag. He pushed it in front of Ning Xueyan, gesturing her to open it.

“What’s this?” Ning Xueyan looked up at him and asked in confusion.

“Open it.” Ao Chenyi raised his chin with an enchanting look.

Ning Xueyan opened the bag and saw a piece of small, vest-like clothing twinkling. She could not tell what it was. She touched it and found that it was a little hard, but the whole clothing had a soft feel.

“Prince Yi, this is…” Ning Xueyan could not figure out what it was, so she asked in confusion.

“Gold Threaded Soft Leather Armor. You can wear it in your garment,” Ao Chenyi said in a lazy tone.

“Why do you want me to wear it?” Ning Xueyan was speechless. She did not think that she needed such kind of things. It was just an ordinary dinner party. She did not believe that Ao Mingyu would dare to murder her at the banquet.

It was said that the Gold Threaded Soft Leather Armor was made of extremely precious materials and the gold thread in it came from the gold thread silkworm that only existed in the legendary and had long been extinct. Ning Xueyan had always thought there was no Gold Threaded Soft Leather Armor in the words at all, but to her surprise, there was one in front of her now.

“Who knows? Ao Mingyu may play dirty tricks.” Ao Chenyi smiled coldly with a trace of bloodthirsty charm on his graceful lips. Ao Mingyu’s purpose in giving the dinner party more than to abet Ao Chenyi’s concubine to make trouble and fight for man’s favor, as it would be too childish.

Being enlightened by Ao Chenyi’s smile, Ning Xueyan immediately became alert. She blinked her charming eyes and thought for a while. “Prince Yi, will there be an assassination?” she asked with a serious look.

“Maybe. Who knows?” Ao Chenyi answered casually. He reached out, touched Ning Xueyan’s head naturally and pulled out a plain hairpin from her hair by the way. “Can you change your hairstyle on your own?”

“I think I’m okay with a… simple one!” Ning Xueyan looked aside uneasily.

“If you don’t know how to make it, I can help you!” Ao Chenyi did not seem to have noticed Ning Xueyan’s embarrassment. He reached out and pulled Ning Xueyan’s falling hair with great interest.

“Don’t bother. I can!” Seeing a hint of amusement in his handsome eyes, Ning Xueyan shook her head and refused his suggestion instinctively. She did not know how Ao Chenyi had developed such a strange hobby. If Prince Yi knew how to do women’s hair, even sows could climb trees! She did not want her long hair to be an experiment.