The eldest daughter's scheming, the crown prince's exclusive favor to the venomous concubi

Jian Yue stayed at the General's Mansion for three days. It has to be said that these three days were the most restful sleep she had ever had in both of her lives. There were many guards outside the door, protecting her as if she were their own life.

Shangguan Ting would invite her over every day, and the two of them would enjoy tea, play chess, and chat about things that had happened over the years.

Jian Yue would tell Shangguan Ting about her and Shangguan Linglong's past years, as well as Shangguan Linglong's current situation. Sometimes Shangguan Hanque would join in the fun and inquire about Hua Xiangrong. She would occasionally tease him, making Shangguan Hanque blush, and then the two of them would burst into laughter.

Shangguan Ting would also talk about Shangguan Linglong and Shangguan Hongwei's childhood. As he talked, he would bring up Jian Yue and Shangguan Hanque now, as if he were old and couldn't remember things. But Jian Yue knew that he just didn't want to bring up those sad memories.

She was captivated by this kind of life—no fighting, just harmonious joy; this was what a true family was like.

Bai Jianan didn't come again for the past three days. At first, Jian Yue didn't care much, but after three days, she started to pay attention.

It wasn't that I was thinking too much about the other person, but rather that I found it strange that this usually restless person had become so quiet.

"Young Miss, are you there?"

Today, it's already October. On this day, Shangguan Ting and Shangguan Hanque went out. The weather outside had turned cold. When Jian Yue woke up in the morning, she saw snow hanging on the branches of the trees outside the window, so she didn't go out. Instead, she stayed in the room, studying the seal that her grandfather had found in the robe.

She had only taken out the seal a short while when she heard Zhang Bitao's voice outside the door.

She replied, "Yes, what's wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bitao said, "Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince has come to the mansion. He said he came to pay his respects to the Master, but the Master is not at home. So he wants to see you, Miss, to apologize to you."

Apologize?

Jian Yue frowned, wondering what Murong Chuan was trying to tell her. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I will not see him. I will only say that it is inconvenient for an unmarried woman to meet with a man alone."

"I understand, ma'am."

After Zhang Bitao left, Jian Yue thought for a moment, then got up, changed into men's clothing, opened the door and went out. Zhang Bitao was standing not far away. When he saw Jian Yue come out, he quickly walked over and followed behind her.

Jian Yue turned around and looked at Zhang Bitao, saying, "I'm going out for a bit. You stay here and keep watch. If anyone asks, just say I'm not feeling well and have gone to bed. If Grandfather or my cousin asks, just tell them directly."

After listening, Zhang Bitao thought for a moment and said, "If Miss wants to go out, it would be safer to have someone with her. The Qiu family may seem peaceful, but they could cause trouble at any time. If something happens to Miss, it would be good to have someone to look after her."

Seeing that Zhang Bitao was genuinely worried, Jian Yue smiled and nodded, saying, "Then you can choose two people for me. If you stay here, others will believe that I am indeed in the house."

Zhang Bitao nodded. Although he was a soldier, he understood the ins and outs of the matter. He found two guards in the courtyard and had Jian Yue take them with her, while he continued to stand outside Jian Yue's door as a doorkeeper.

The guard who was being referred to seemed to have received such instructions before. Without asking any questions, he followed Jian Yue and climbed over the wall from one side of the general's mansion.

The two guards had never actually climbed over the wall before, but they wouldn't ask what the young lady wanted to do. The old general had said that everyone in the mansion had to obey the young lady's orders. This power was even greater than that of the young general, so how could they possibly disobey military orders?

Before following Jian Yue over the wall, the two guards changed into civilian clothes. After they returned, Jian Yue disguised himself as a young master, looking nothing like Jian Yue himself, which stunned the two guards for a long time.

only……

One of the guards was rather shy. When he saw Jian Yue leading them through a maze of turns to the brothel, his face turned bright red. He had no choice but to step forward and whisper to Jian Yue, "Miss, what are we doing here?"

Jian Yue turned around and immediately laughed, "Shy? You're not a child anymore, why are you still so shy?"

Upon hearing this, the guard blushed even more and shrank back embarrassedly, saying, "Miss, please stop playing riddles with us. We're all soldiers, and our brains aren't very sharp."

Jian Yue shook her head and pointed to one of the large red doors, saying, "What else can we do? Take you guys to brothels!"

The two guards were speechless for a moment, then heard Jian Yue laugh out loud. Jian Yue then waved his hand and said, "Why are you two like your cousin? Alright, I'm here for a reason. Just follow me. Don't worry, no one will dare to touch you where I take you."

These days, the brothels don't have much business in the mornings, and the red-light district is very quiet. Occasionally, customers who have spent the night with their clients will come out of the buildings, yawning and with sleepy eyes.

Both guards changed into ordinary clothes, and Jian Yue also disguised himself, looking like a rich young man who indulged in excessive pleasure.

Along the way, no one paid any attention to them, and they arrived at the entrance of Lanyue Tower without any problems.

Unlike other brothels, Lan Yue Lou offers theatrical performances in the morning, which last until 11:00 AM. Wealthy gentlemen who enjoy opera often come over for tea while discussing business in the early morning. Occasionally, literati who like to appear cultured will stroll around, spouting some morally offensive platitudes before leaving.

However, overall, the operation of Lanyuelou is much more upscale than that of other establishments.

Jian Yue walked to the door, handed over the specially made gold card of Lan Yue Lou, and a quick-witted doorman led her inside.

Jian Yue walked all the way to Hua Xiangrong's door on the fourth floor, turned around and looked at the two guards, saying, "Stand guard at the door, and report to anyone who comes up."

The guard nodded, and she pushed open the door and entered. Instantly, she was overwhelmed by the rich floral fragrance inside and yawned twice.

She covered her nose and frowned as she walked in, only to find Hua Xiangrong fast asleep, her two slender arms draped over the edge of the bed, the blankets kicked off the bed, and wearing strange sleeveless clothes.

Jian Yue had seen this dress before. Hua Xiangrong named it "pajamas," but she didn't know what she was thinking, making it so revealing.

But what exactly is the source of this strong floral fragrance?

"Sister Hua, you're sleeping so soundly. Be careful some lecherous man comes in and carries this beauty away."

Jian Yue chuckled and teased, picking up the blanket from the floor and throwing it back onto the bed. Hua Xiangrong lazily rolled over, turned around, and slung the blanket back onto the bed, saying impatiently, "Even if you carry me away, you're carrying a Buddha back with you. It's only because you, little girl, disturb my sleep that you won't get killed."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue blinked and smiled, "Now you've added Shangguan Hanque to the list, haven't you!"

"You chatterbox, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

Hua Xiangrong opened half of her eyes, glanced at Jian Yue, then closed them again and continued to feign sleep.

Habits formed over many years cannot be changed overnight, especially in this turbulent era. She will always be vigilant. If the person entering the room is not someone she recognizes, she would have already gotten up and slit their throat.

Jian Yue sat down at the table, picked up a teacup, and said, "What have the Qiu family been doing these days?"

"What did you do?"

Hua Xiangrong lazily got up, leaned against the bed, and said, "Ask now? Don't you think it's a bit late?"

Jian Yue raised an eyebrow, and Hua Xiangrong chuckled and said, "What else can we do? Set up a mourning hall! Today is the fourth day already. Haven't you seen the white silk hanging high in front of the mansion gate? But speaking of which, what exactly did you do that day? How did you manage to make the Qiu family suffer so much, with people even dying?"

Hua Xiangrong was curious. She had been involved in the incident three days ago and knew the whole plan. Jian Yue didn't just want the Qiu family to die, so she wouldn't go to extremes. She just couldn't understand why the eldest daughter of the Qiu family had died.

Jian Yue smiled and recounted what had happened that day, then said innocently, "This isn't my fault. If anyone's to blame, it's Qiu Lingrong for courting death. Not only did she steal my dowry, but she also went and provoked that hot-tempered little prince from the Northwest. Ha! Who else would die if not her?"

At this point, Hua Xiangrong suddenly stood up, her long face looking at Jian Yue with amusement, and asked, "Tell me, did you kill him?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue raised an eyebrow and looked at Hua Xiangrong with a look of disbelief, saying, "Do you think I'm a habitual murderer? Where is that? The Golden Palace! If I killed someone there, not to mention whether I could get out unscathed, just look at the Qiu family. If it were me, they would have already pounced on me with their claws outstretched to take my life."

At this point, Jian Yue paused in her teacup and asked, "Has the Qilin Pavilion made any moves these past few days?"

"Qilin Pavilion? How would we know what's going on there? Besides, if you want to know what's going on at Qilin Pavilion, why don't you just ask your lover, the pavilion master?"

As Hua Xiangrong said this, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked at Jian Yue teasingly, saying, "Did you try to have your cake and eat it too, and ended up capsizing?"

Jian Yue was taken aback, then realized that Hua Xiangrong didn't know that Bai Jianan was the head of the Qilin Pavilion. She hesitated for a moment, then told Hua Xiangrong the truth. Hua Xiangrong rubbed her ears and kept asking, "Say it again, who? You said that worthless good-for-nothing is the head of the Qilin Pavilion?"

"Yes, I was quite surprised when I found out."

Jian Yue calmly continued drinking her tea, then said, "Bai Jianan, under the guise of the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan, secretly established the Qilin Pavilion and set up its headquarters in the capital. It has to be said that his purpose may be even greater than ours, so I think it may be related to the struggle for the throne."

"A struggle for the throne? Has he chosen sides? Which side?"

Jian Yue shook her head: "I don't know, but I'm sure they're not on the same side as the Crown Prince. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to steal the Crimson Coral. As for the others, you should know more about them than I do."