The Devious First-Daughter (Web Novel)

“It was and wasn’t an accident. He could only blame himself. No matter what, he was the one who forced my hand and cornered me to this state. He ruined my everything. Him dying in my hands could be considered as his retribution.”

The Empress began to look calm again. She turned her head and stared at Ning Xueyan with a trace of sadness in her eyes. “I invited you here to ask you to let go of my family. It’s all my fault and has nothing to do with my family. They’re just a small and useless noble family. In exchange for their safety, I’ll tell you a secret.”

Her voice had lost her previous agitation and anger, leaving only a sense of helplessness. She had never put any hope in her family. She thought that she would be able to help her people after gaining power but now that she was in trouble, she was worried that her family would be implicated and sentenced to death.

She had resented her family countless times for marrying her off to the Emperor. If she hadn’t married him, she might have a complete family with a few adorable children. In the end, she had none of this. Even so, she couldn’t just watch everyone in her family die with her.

Since she was about to die, secrets didn’t matter anymore. She would tell them all to Ning Xueyan as a favor in exchange for her family.

She never considered whether Ning Xueyan would go back on her word. She was too tired to scheme anything. Let heaven decide!

After Ning Xueyan left the prison, she went straight to the Main Palace and back to her residence. To her surprise, she found Ao Chenyi there. She pushed the heavy doors of her palace and ordered everyone else to stay outside. Then, she quietly entered the palace.

Ao Chenyi was asleep on the wide bed with his head propped on a pillow. He had become busier lately because of the Emperor’s funeral and his and her coronation. Even asleep, his shapely brows were knitted. He must be exhausted.

Feeling a wave of heartache, Ning Xueyan sat down by the bed and gently eased the frown on his forehead. However, he woke up just as she stretched her hand and looked at her with his beautiful, icy, and sharp eyes. That frightened her. She stared back at him with her vibrant eyes widened, not daring to stretch her hand further.

“Chenyi, it’s me!”

When Ao Chenyi saw that it was Ning Xueyan, he rubbed his forehead. The iciness in his expression faded, replaced by a look of gentleness. He sat up and leaned against the frame of the bed.

Ning Xueyan turned to the side table and poured a cup of tea. She handed the cup to him and asked in concern, “You must be tired, aren’t you?”

Looking at him, she knew that he must have not slept well for a long time. During this time, she could count the times they met on one hand. Even when they met, they weren’t able to spend much time together. Xinmei told her that he had been working through the night quite a few times without stopping to rest.

Ao Chenyi had just become the Emperor and needed to worry about Annan’s rebellion. It was good enough that everything was under control and he could take over so smoothly. Moreover, there was no dissenting voice from all levels of society whatsoever. His majesty as the Emperor was taking root quickly, a testament to his methods and capability. Even so, he was still a person. He would still get tired.

“Don’t worry. Everything has more or less settled. I’ll have more time to spend with you from now on.” Ao Chenyi drank the tea calmly before returning the cup to Ning Xueyan and leaning against the bedframe lazily.

“How did the war against the three feudal princes of Annan go?” Ning Xueyan took the cup and placed it on the side table. She got up and returned to the bedside, where she massaged his temples gently to ease his fatigue.

“The war can’t be rushed. Your uncle sent news that both sides are evenly matched. The war is ongoing, with small-scale battles here and there. Both sides win and lose some. I told him to hold on and not rush things. That will benefit us.” Ao Chenyi enjoyed Ning Xueyan’s treatment immensely. His elongated, narrow, and almond-shaped eyes were closed under his long lashes.

“How so?” Ning Xueyan asked, confused. Shouldn’t it be more advantageous to be quick and counter Annan immediately?

“Even though the three feudal princes of Annan are strong, they can’t be compared to an entire nation. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have surrendered back then and tried to recover for so many years. Both sides are the same. We look relaxed on the outside but we’re intense on the inside. In his will, my father said that Annan would eventually revolt. Whether it’s my brother or me who would take the throne, he wanted us to keep an eye on every movement in Annan,” Ao Chenyi said lazily.

–

“That’s why the three feudal princes’ rebellion was within my expectations. I was able to prepare three days in advance, too. We can keep the war going but Annan can’t afford to. On the contrary, it’s the prince from the previous dynasty that they found that surprised me. Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min, Wen Xueran. Who could have thought that the playboy Princely Heir Wen Xueran would be a descendant of the former imperial family?”

Ao Chenyi had just learned this recently. The prince was so well-protected by Annan that it was a challenge to even take the news out of the place. Nobody would have thought that the prince of the previous dynasty would be so living well under the Emperor’s nose all this while.

Wen Xueran? Ning Xueyan paused and bit her lower lip. She looked at Ao Chenyi with hesitation and took her hands away from his head. Her hands curled into fists. Then, in a split second, a look of determination appeared on her face. She must tell him about it. Even if she neither care nor wanted to admit her identity as a princess of the previous dynasty, it couldn’t change the fact that she was the princess.

She wasn’t like Wen Xueran. Once Wen Xueran’s identity was exposed, Ao Chenyi could eliminate him with just a simple order. What about her? She was afraid and nervous but she knew she must tell him. It was one thing for her to tell him, and another for him to learn her identity through his investigations.

Even if she didn’t want to…

She had no choice but to admit it!

Ning Xueyan hesitated for a moment before asking, “I… What if I’m the posthumous daughter of the Empress of the previous dynasty?” Worried that Ao Chenyi wouldn’t understand her, she went out of her way to explain, “What if I’m a princess of the previous dynasty? What will you do?”

The wind was picking up outside the window, causing the brocade curtain to rustle. She stared at Ao Chenyi, refusing to think about the consequences of confessing the truth to him. She had always thought that he would protect her. She knew that he would protect her!

“So what if you’re a princess of the previous dynasty? Are there any pros or cons to it?” Ao Chenyi didn’t look surprised in the slightest. He didn’t even open his eyes as if she had told him that she was an ordinary lady, not a princess of the previous dynasty.

Were there any pros? Ning Xueyan thought about it for a moment. There were no pros at all. The so-called treasure was long gone. Whatever people claimed that she had was just a rumor. Putting it this way, it seemed that her identity as a princess of the previous dynasty was completely worthless. Wen Xueran was at least a man; he could claim to be a descendant of the former imperial family. She was just a princess. Even if she wanted to rebel, she had no right to do so.

Were there any cons? She thought about this too. It seemed like there weren’t any. If she didn’t reveal her identity as a princess of the previous dynasty, nobody would ever know her connection to the former imperial family. Nobody expected the Empress of the previous dynasty to have a posthumous daughter. Her former self, Ning Ziying the Grand Elder Princess of the previous dynasty, had died. The bloodline of the Empress was as good as over.

Nobody would investigate the so-called little princess of the previous dynasty anymore. People only knew the existence of the Grand Elder Princess.

“There are neither pros nor cons.” Ning Xueyan shook her head honestly.

Ao Chenyi couldn’t help laughing when he saw how honestly she tried to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of her identity. His beautiful eyes opened as he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. He placed his hands on her slender waist, with his thin lips curved into a smirk. “Stop thinking about it then. You’re just my wife, my Empress. You have nothing to do with the previous dynasty.”

She was just his wife, not a princess of the previous dynasty. She felt as if her heart had turned into mush. She felt as warm and soft as if she was soaking in a hot spring. Naturally, she understood what he meant. He didn’t care about her identity as a princess of the previous dynasty and wouldn’t guard against her because of it.

She was his wife, as simple as that.

Thinking about it again, he was right. There was no significance to being a princess of the previous dynasty. Even her biological mother had abandoned her. Never mind her, not even Ning Ziying had memories about the Empress of the previous dynasty.

She had the feeling that the Empress of the previous dynasty wasn’t alive anymore. That would explain why she handed her two daughters to other people. Whether it was in her previous or current life, her adoptive mothers had tried to conceal her identity. It must be because of the Empress!

Otherwise, why would a mother abandon her children and never try to see them after so many years?

Suddenly, sorrow crept into her heart. She leaned against Ao Chenyi’s chest and closed her eyes. She suppressed the ache in her heart. She no longer had any family in this life. He was the only one who continued to take good care of her and bear the world’s burdens for her.

All because she was his wife, as simple as that. There was no other reason for it. It wouldn’t change because of external reasons. It was enough for her to be herself.

“The Empress of the previous dynasty is dead by suicide. My father told me this when I was still young. She jumped from a cliff with a few of her female officers. None of them survived.” Ao Chenyi sighed when he noticed that Ning Xueyan was feeling sad. He sat up and hugged her close. His eyes were gentle and filled with adoration.

“I know.” Ning Xueyan closed her eyes, allowing her tears to fall on the front of his robe. She knew this. She had always suspected this, so she never tried to look for the Empress of the previous dynasty who gave birth to her. She could tell from the letter how much her biological parents had loved each other.

If it wasn’t for her, the person who had died in the fire for her country must have been the Empress herself!