The Devious First-Daughter

Chapter 657 Wu Yao’s Prayer Hall

Commandery Princess Muling wasn’t the only one who resented Ning Xueyan. Another person also hated her to the point of wanting to eat her flesh and drink her blood…

Ya Moqin returned to her manor after leaving the zither store in anger and shame.

When she reached her manor, she changed her mind and ordered the carriage driver to take a turn toward Wu Yao’s manor. She had always considered her maternal aunt to be the epitome of elegance. Not even her paternal aunt in the palace was as graceful as her. Most importantly, Wu Yao was kind and considerate.

Wu Yao was unlike her paternal aunt, who liked to make her own decisions. Her aunt knew that she liked Ao Mingyu and they had grown up together, but still chose to break them up for the bigger picture. Her aunt made her give up the princess position and even the consort position because of Ning Qingshan.

Ya Moqin couldn’t accept this.

Wasn’t her bad reputation the result of her aunt’s insistence on her plan? The worst thing of it was that her grandfather agreed with her aunt and let her turn out this way.

Ya Moqin would never examine herself for her faults. Rather, she would blame it all on Honored Consort Ya and Grand Tutor Ya. She thought that Ning Qingshan was the reason she would be questioned to the point that she couldn’t retort. If it wasn’t for Ning Qingshan, she wouldn’t be mocked today.

She was so angry that she didn’t feel like returning home and speaking to her grandfather. In any case, Ning Xueyan had entered the zither store and she had spoken to Commandery Princess Muling about her plan. The Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Min used to treat Ning Xueyan differently and even showed interest in marrying her. She was sure that Commandery Princess Muling would be furious about Ning Xueyan.

Commandery Princess Muling’s feelings for Wen Xueran weren’t a secret among the noble ladies.

Neither of them expected that Commandery Princess Muling, who only had eyes for Wen Xueran, would marry Ao Mingyu while she couldn’t even become Ao Mingyu’s consort. She was upset about her outcome with Ao Mingyu, but also furious at Commandery Princess Muling. If Commandery Princess Muling hadn’t gotten in the way, she might just become Ao Mingyu’s princess and wouldn’t be trapped in her current situation.

Ya Moqin got down from the carriage and entered Wu Manor in a fit of rage. She walked into the inner courtyard and asked, “Is my aunt in?”

The courtyard in Wu Manor was small compared to most manors and her status didn’t allow her to live in a spacious courtyard. Therefore, it didn’t take Ya Moqin long to reach the inner courtyard.

An older female housekeeper immediately went up to Ya Moqin after seeing her. “Madam is in the prayer hall. Please wait here for a moment, Eldest Young Lady. I’ll inform her right away.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll go and see her myself. Jeez, I wonder what she’s thinking, being obsessed with praying. She should leave that to women in their seventies and eighties like my grandmother,” Ya Moqin said, turning around to walk in another direction.

She knew that a prayer hall had been recently built in Wu Manor. It was located in the northwest corner of Wu Manor, in a secluded spot far from Wu Yao’s room. She didn’t know what Wu Yao was thinking. She couldn’t understand why Wu Yao would be so devoted to praying.

Even Ya Moqin, whose thoughts revolved around Ao Mingyu, could see that Wu Yao wasn’t in the right state of mind lately. It was as if Wu Yao had become gloomy overnight. The look in her eyes when she stared at people had changed, but Ya Moqin couldn’t remember when exactly this happened.

It was likely around the same time as the incident at Ao Mingyu’s manor.

But what did that have to do with Wu Yao? Was Wu Yao depressed because she was in trouble? So depressed that she couldn’t even smile anymore?

This thought made her feel even closer to Wu Yao. Not even her mother was this worried about her after she got into trouble, yet her aunt could do this much for her. How could she not be touched? The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her aunt loved her.

Her aunt wasn’t like her mother, who treated her father and grandfather’s words as gospel. Her mother had never considered her feelings.

“Aunt! Aunt!” When Ya Moqin arrived at the prayer hall, she went in without waiting for the maid to report to Wu Yao.

Wu Yao was kneeling on a praying mat when she heard Ya Moqin’s voice. She looked up, placed her palms together, and made a solemn kowtow before standing up. Her plain white clothes made her look even paler. Her complexion was poor and the corners of her eyes drooped. Her face was the very picture of misery.

Those who had seen her before would be in disbelief now. How could this gloomy woman be that friendly, gentle, and graceful Madam Wu?

“Moqin, why did you come?” Wu Yao put on an amiable smile when she saw Ya Moqin but when Ya Moqin wasn’t looking at her, the smile turned cold and resentful.

“Aunt, I came to see you. I heard you built a prayer hall. Is it ready for use already?” Ya Moqin didn’t notice Wu Yao’s strangeness at all. Her smile was as carefree as usual. She had always visited Wu Yao’s place as she wished.

She knew about the prayer hall but this was her first time here. Wu Yao had left the door ajar when she came out, so she pushed it open and entered the hall.

The prayer hall was largely empty without even a statue of Buddha in it. There was only a censer with incense smoke rising in spirals above it. The place felt tranquil but it was odd to have a prayer hall without a Buddha statue, especially when Wu Yao was kneeling inside so piously.

Even stranger was the fact that the windows in the hall were covered with curtains. This made the room cold and sinister. It was truly odd.

“Aunt, you should open the curtains. How could you do anything in the dark? You can’t even see properly.” Ya Moqin reached out, ready to pull the curtains open.

An icy hand grabbed her hand, surprising her so much that she cried out in fear. It wasn’t until she pushed the hand away that she realized it belonged to Wu Yao. Wu Yao was looking at her with a smile as if nothing had happened and the icy hand was all her imagination.

The curtains were thin enough to let the light into the hall. Even so, the entire hall still seemed sinister.

“Don’t open the curtains. You’ll scare her. This is nice, just nice. No one will know and no one will harm her.” Wu Yao was smiling and her smile was gentler than usual, but that gentleness was a terrible match for the sinister mood in the hall. Ya Moqin could feel her hair rising on their ends.

Wu Yao’s words terrified her further. She could feel a chill running down her spine.

“Aunt… What’s wrong with you?” Ya Moqin asked carefully, keeping her voice low.

“I’m alright…” Wu Yao reached out to grab Ya Moqin’s hands but Ya Moqin was so spooked by her hand that she subconsciously evaded her and ran to the door. It wasn’t until she saw the sun outside that she sighed in relief. She turned around and saw Wu Yao following her outside.

She said, “Aunt, let’s talk outside. It’s so gloomy and scary inside.” Wu Yao seemed a lot more normal under the sunlight and no longer gave Ya Moqin that strange, indescribable sinister feeling.

Wu Yao nodded and followed her out of the place. The two of them started walking toward Wu Yao’s room. “What’s wrong? Did your plan today not go well?”

Wu Yao knew Ya Moqin well. She could immediately detect how sullen Ya Moqin was. So, she immediately showed her concern with a smile.

“Aunt, you all said that Ning Xueyan was cowardly and wouldn’t embarrass anyone because of her status as the Crown Princess. But she humiliated me in front of so many people today.” Ya Moqin stomped her foot, angry at what happened earlier. She felt that she had been thoroughly humiliated today.

“It’s all because of that slut, Ning Qingshan! Everything would be fine if she hadn’t schemed to marry my cousin. She was the reason why Ning Xueyan was able to humiliate me.”

The thought of Ning Xueyan reminded Ya Moqin of Ning Qingshan. Ning Qingshan might be dead but she still blamed it all on her. It was Ning Qingshan who pushed her to this state. Even dead, she wouldn’t let Ning Qingshan rest in peace.

A trace of mockery crossed Wu Yao’s face but by the time Ya Moqin turned her head to look at her, her expression was gentle again.

“Was Ning Xueyan impolite to you?”

“Yeah! Before I could even get started, she was already provoking me. Her words were so nasty, too,” Ya Moqin said angrily.

Wu Yao thought it over before saying quietly, “Maybe she was upset about what happened between you and Prince Xiang.”

Ya Moqin stopped in her tracks and immediately asked, “What? Is there anything between her and my cousin?” She never knew that Ao Mingyu had feelings for Ning Xueyan.

“Of course. Prince Xiang once tried to marry her. He still had feelings for her even after she was betrothed to Prince Yi. Maybe, she’s the woman who really has Prince Xiang’s heart.” Wu Yao sighed and tried to persuade Ya Moqin. “Oh, alright. It’s all in the past. It doesn’t matter who Prince Xiang loves. It has nothing to do with you now.”

Nothing to do with her? Ning Xueyan was the one who had her cousin’s heart?

These words were adding fuel to the fire, igniting Ya Moqin’s anger.

“I knew that vixen was a piece of work! She keeps seducing one man after another! What a bitch!” Ya Moqin gritted her teeth, furious. She grabbed Wu Yao’s hands and said in a panic, “Aunt, you can’t let that vixen win any favors at your banquet! You have to teach her a lesson! You have to drag that bitch down from her pedestal as the Crown Princess!”

“You want to teach her a lesson?” Wu Yao smiled.

“Yes! We have to teach that vixen a lesson,” Ya Moqin said resentfully.

“Well, it’s not impossible but whether it works depends on your efforts. After all, she’s the Crown Princess. You can’t touch someone of her status.” Wu Yao sighed. She seemed eager to vent Ya Moqin’s anger but helpless at the same time.

Her expression agitated Ya Moqin so much that her eyes turned red. She was the respected granddaughter of Grand Tutor Ya. How could a lowly daughter of the Lord Protector’s Manor compare with her?

“Tell me, Aunt. I’m listening. I refuse to believe that I’ll lose to a vixen.” Resentment and jealousy crossed Ya Moqin’s eyes.