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

Shangguan Hanque was so angry at the scolding that he choked, opened his mouth and held back for a long time, but couldn't utter a single word. He then turned his head away in anger.

Jian Yue smiled and said, "Let's put the Qilin Pavilion aside for now. Grandfather, is something wrong? Why do you look so troubled?"

If it were only because of his own affairs, Shangguan Ting would never be so anxious. After all, Chu Tianyi has already shown goodwill, and Jian Yue's safety is temporarily not a concern.

At this moment, Shangguan Ting appeared very impatient, and the worry on his face did not disappear even as he spoke.

After Jian Yue asked him a question, Shangguan Ting immediately said angrily, "Isn't it that Crown Prince? Just because he's the Crown Prince, he's sent people over and over again to invite you to his residence. Isn't that just bullying people?"

How could a young woman, secluded and unmarried, enter another man's home without any reason? This is mockery, contempt, a joke. I have served as an official in Shangguan Court for many years and have never suffered such an insult.

As he spoke, he looked at Jian Yue and said, "Granddaughter, don't worry, I will definitely not let you go. I saw his intentions back at the Crown Prince's welcoming banquet. I will go to the palace in a moment to complain to the Emperor."

Jian Yue frowned upon hearing this: "The Crown Prince did visit the residence, but there is a difference between men and women, so I had Zhang Baicheng announce that he would not see me. Why are you still making such a fuss?"

Sending her to the Crown Prince's residence? That's a joke.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ting sneered: "So this is the kind of person who won't give up until they achieve their goal. Just because you have a noble status and the Shangguan family has been in decline for a long time, you want me to sell my granddaughter for personal gain? Hmph, do you think I'm some scoundrel from the Qiu family?"

Jian Yue shook her head and advised, "Grandpa, don't be angry. If he makes a request, we should just refuse. Even if it goes all the way to the Emperor, he won't listen, right? Let's just wait and see what other tricks he has up his sleeve."

The Crown Princes and the Qiu family are in cahoots. I believe there's some conspiracy at play, besides my personal involvement.

Jian Yue squinted, recalling what Bai Jianan had told her that day: on the day Shangguan Linglong was rescued, it was Murong Chuan who was at the Qiu family with Qiu Zhenzhou discussing how to treat Shangguan Linglong, hoping to extract the method of controlling the Ironclad Divine Weapon.

Then, Shangguan Linglong was suddenly rescued, disrupting their plans. Later, because Jian Yue entered the palace, the Crown Prince's welcoming banquet was held, causing the Qiu family to fall into disarray, and now the Emperor's favor is weak.

Now that he's been inviting me to his residence so frequently, it must be related to this matter. Murong Chuan would never do something in vain.

Thinking of this, Jian Yue looked at Shangguan Ting and said, "Grandpa, don't you think he's forcing someone out by doing this?"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ting stroked his beard in thought, while Shangguan Hanque leaned closer and asked suspiciously, "Who?"

Shangguan Ting looked at Jian Yue and said, "Could it be that you want to lure out the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan?"

Jian Yue lowered her eyes and said, "This is just my guess. After all, his actions are too strange. He is so ostentatious and doesn't try to hide it. It's obviously not right for such a thing to happen to the future princess of the Qingyan Marquis's heir."

If I didn't want to provoke Bai Jianan into showing himself, I honestly couldn't guess what else he was planning.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ting frowned and said, "What good would it do to anger the young master? He doesn't concern himself with court affairs; he's just a carefree young master."

At this point, Shangguan Ting suddenly raised his eyes, his expression inscrutable, and said, "Could it be that you want the Eldest Princess to take a stand?"

He suddenly looked at Jian Yue, who said, "The identity of the Princess is beyond doubt. Bai Jianan is so arrogant that he doesn't even respect the Emperor. Naturally, there is a reason for this. Therefore, if the Princess takes his side, it will be a great thing for the person who gets the Princess's help."

Shangguan Ting continued, "But that doesn't make sense. If she wanted to win him over, why would she want to provoke him? The princess will definitely not let the prince off easy if he offends her."

Jian Yue shook her head. This was also something she couldn't understand. Murong Chuan was meticulous and not so easy to guess. Even with her understanding and experience from two lifetimes, she couldn't know everything about him.

However, there is one thing she is certain of.

The reason why Murong Chuan always wanted to see her must be related to Qiu Lingyu.

And Qiu Lingyu, if I'm not mistaken, should be her twin sister whom she has never met.

Thinking of this, Jian Yue paused, then looked at Shangguan Hanque and asked, "Cousin, how long have you been serving as the city patrol officer in the capital?"

Shangguan Hanque was taken aback and said, "It's been four years."

Jian Yue nodded, then asked, "In these four years, have you ever seen anyone in the capital who looks like me?"

Shangguan Hanque was puzzled and shook his head blankly, saying, "How could we possibly have met? If we had really met, we would have brought him back to verify his identity long ago."

Jian Yue looks very much like Shangguan Linglong. Before Shangguan Linglong disappeared, Shangguan Hanque was already born. He had seen Shangguan Linglong when he was a child, and there was a portrait of Shangguan Linglong in his family. Naturally, he knew her appearance very well.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have believed it to be true when Hua Xiangrong brought him Jian Yue's portrait.

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue nodded and then said, "Cousin, remember this: if you ever see someone who looks like me, don't rush to greet them. That person might not be me."

"What do you mean?"

Shangguan Hanque frowned as he looked at Jian Yue. Shangguan Ting also became suspicious because of these words. Jian Yue pondered for a moment and then told him about Shangguan Linglong's twins and their biological father, Qiu Zhennan.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ting's eyes turned bloodshot. He sat in the armchair, his hands gripping the armrests so tightly that his fingers had dug holes in them.

His daughter is so wonderful, how could she have met such a scumbag?

Shangguan Hanque gritted his teeth: "Damn it, he actually took away the bloodline of my Shangguan family. I will not let him get away with this."

Jian Yue sighed, "Cousin, it's no use saying all this now. The reason I said this is just out of fear. Qilin Pavilion spans the entire continent with branches all over the world. Without a strong management system, it would never have grown to such a large scale."

But now, this meticulously planned and heavily guarded Qilin Pavilion has actually encountered trouble. If it wasn't premeditated, then there must have been some conspiracy from the very beginning of the Qilin Pavilion's establishment. And this conspiracy, besides those in the imperial court, most threatening to the surrounding countries is likely their own.

After listening, Shangguan Hanque thought for a moment and analyzed: "The Wolf King of Mobei is the most ambitious. There was a war twenty years ago. However, because my grandfather guarded the border, that battle completely crushed Mobei's arrogance, thus bringing us so many years of peace."

Even now, small groups of Mobei people still frequently appear at the Mobei border. If it weren't for my father still guarding there, I believe the border town would have changed hands long ago.

Cousin, are you afraid that the Wolf King of Mobei will participate in this Qilin Pavilion event?

Jian Yue nodded: "It's not impossible. I don't think it was just a coincidence that Qiu Zhennan was able to sneak into the capital back then. And the old man of the Qiu family doesn't seem like such a muddle-headed person."

The old master of the Qiu family is a very shrewd man. Qiu Zhenzhou is not even a tenth as shrewd as the old master. You can tell just by looking at the old lady of the Qiu family who has already retired behind the scenes.

How could such a shrewd man be so easily swayed by lust and recklessly bring a widow and her son back to the capital? That's absolutely impossible.

Shangguan Ting's expression turned serious. He said solemnly, "If that's the case, and Mo Bei makes a comeback, the person most familiar with Yue Kingdom would be Qiu Zhennan, who spent many years in Shangjing City."

As he spoke, he looked at Jian Yue and continued, "And your sister, if she looks very similar to you, is very likely to be sent to replace you, and what will happen after that is all unknown."

Jian Yue nodded, looking worried: "That's exactly what I'm worried about."

Jian Yue said this, but in her heart she was already quite certain of Mo Bei's actions. In her previous life, Murong Chuan used Qiu Lingyu as a substitute for her, and the things Yue Leyun said to him later proved that the woman eventually came to Murong Chuan's side.

Therefore, that woman must be named Qiu Lingyu, and she is located in this capital city. Moreover, she has already met with Murong Chuan, which means that Mo Bei's plan has already begun and is being planned.

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Hanque's face turned unusually serious as he said, "But if she really is Yueyue's older sister, then she is also Aunt's daughter. If we really become enemies, what should we do?"

Shangguan Ting paused, then said, "The children raised in Mobei have no regard for family ties. In their eyes, fighting for supremacy is the most important thing in life. So, if you really encounter this, Han Que, you'd better handle it!"

He didn't know what to say. It was his daughter's child. Could he really bring himself to destroy it?

Shangguan Hanque looked at Jian Yue, who then lowered her eyes and said after a long while, "I will try to communicate with her. Besides, she hasn't appeared yet, so there's no need to rush."

Shangguan Ting then asked, "Yes, let's discuss this matter later. Now, let's talk about the immediate issue. The Crown Prince wants to force the Princess to take a stand, but can the Heir Apparent tolerate this behavior? By the way, have you met with the Heir Apparent these past few days?"

Jian Yue shook her head: "No, apart from the day he left the General's Mansion, he hasn't shown his face for three whole days. I don't know what he's been doing, but given his current status and behavior, he shouldn't be like this. I'm afraid he's been held up by something."

"In that case, you should make a trip to the princess's residence."

Jian Yue looked at Shangguan Ting, who continued, "It's only natural to go see your future mother-in-law, and no one will think much of it. However, when you go, you still need to find out what's going on. The Princess is not an unreasonable person, and I have a bad feeling that this marriage may be in jeopardy."

Jian Yue trembled. Shangguan Ting didn't continue speaking. He looked at Jian Yue in silence for a moment, then said, "Yueyue, no matter what the outcome will be for you, remember one thing: the Shangguan family will always be your support."

"I know, Grandpa, don't worry."

Jian Yue nodded, clutching the seal in her hand.