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

Jian Yue's gaze shifted, and she said, "So, you chose my mother back then?"

The man in black shook his head and said, "To be precise, we only selected her as a candidate. If she passes the test, she will be the final choice. It's just a pity that your mother is emotional and often cannot analyze things clearly, so we gave up."

"But what does this have to do with my mother being imprisoned by the Qiu family? Don't tell me that you all contributed to this."

Jian Yue was in a bad mood. She had thought that this person came for the seal, but she never expected that there were so many complicated things involved, and that it also involved Shangguan Linglong's past.

The man in black was not straightforward at all. He would say one word at a time, then jump to another, always going around in circles to talk about something else. Even if she asked, she couldn't get the answer.

The feeling of being in a passive position was very unpleasant, but since they were no match for the other party, they could only stare intently at the man in black, wishing they could bite off a piece of his flesh.

Seeing Jian Yue's fierce and menacing appearance, the man in black smiled broadly, sat steadily on the stool, and said leisurely, "It is indeed none of our business that your mother was imprisoned, but we were aware of it and did not stop it."

After all, a successful leader needs to undergo numerous trials and tests. Perhaps this failure is the beginning of the next; sometimes, enduring hardship is worthwhile.

"So you just let things develop like this, watching my mother be imprisoned and my son and I live in misery, and you just stood by and did nothing? Is this how you choose your leader? Then, what is your purpose in existing? Are you the imperial armored soldiers or the Shangguan family's armored soldiers? Whichever side you are on, shouldn't your first priority be to save the people from suffering? Is this how you save them?"

Jian Yue no longer knew how to describe her feelings. If it were her past life, she would have rushed up and fought the other party to the death. But now, having experienced too much, reason made her stand still, questioning without anger, suppressing her dissatisfaction and murderous intent deep within her body, just waiting for it to explode one day.

The man in black was very satisfied with Jian Yue's behavior. It has to be said that when he first heard about this satisfactory candidate from the fortune teller, he had some doubts. But now that he has seen him, it is beyond his expectations.

He laughed and said, "Why do you think we exist? Three dynasties have passed, and we have never appeared, yet we still strike fear into everyone's hearts. Why is that?"

Jian Yue did not answer his question, but asked, "Putting that aside for now, since you failed to test my mother, why did you put this seal in her hands?"

If the seal had always been in the Shangguan family, Shangguan Ting would never have easily given it to his daughter, risking her life. Therefore, she was certain that although Shangguan Ting recognized it, it was not something he had given to Shangguan Linglong. Otherwise, when Shangguan Ting opened his robe and took out the seal, there would have been no shock followed by bewilderment.

The seal ended up in Jian Yue's hands thanks in part to Shangguan Linglong's instigation.

When the garment reached Shangguan Ting's hands, he first found a letter inside. It was a blank sheet of paper with no writing on it, just like the yellowed paper that Shangguan Linglong had entrusted to Murong Yan for her.

At that time, Shangguan Ting rubbed soil on it, revealing those special symbols. Jian Yue did not see the symbols, so she did not know what they were written on, but she understood that only the Shangguan family knew and understood these symbols.

Then, Shangguan Ting suddenly sighed, took the clothes apart, took out the small seal from the collar, and handed it to Jian Yue.

Jian Yue had been searching for the secret of this seal, but she never expected that it actually belonged to an armored soldier.

After Jian Yue finished asking, the man in black stood up, shook his clothes, and said, "That's because of your and your sister's birth."

Jian Yue was taken aback, and then saw the man in black suddenly change his expression. His playful expression vanished in an instant, and he looked at Jian Yue calmly and indifferently, saying, "If you want to know why, wait until you become my disciple, and I will tell you everything. Now, tell me your answer."

"Delusion."

The words, almost squeezed out between clenched teeth, came out coldly from Jian Yue's tense nerves: "Take back the seal. I will not join any armored soldiers, nor will I become your apprentice. And what happened between my sister and me has nothing to do with you."

The man in black remained expressionless and said, "It's not really a big deal, but if you two hadn't been born, the Ironclad Soldiers wouldn't have appeared. In short, your future is already intertwined with ours. Even if you don't choose today, you'll agree with what I'm saying today in the future."

Jian Yue sneered, "Our sisters' future is none of your concern. Since you're unwilling to say anything, then leave the General's Mansion! The Shangguan family really doesn't welcome you."

Upon hearing this, the man in black remained calm as if he hadn't heard anything. He turned and walked towards the window. When he reached the window, he looked back at Jian Yue and said, "It's alright. Consider this a test for you. When you need me, just put the seal on the eyes of the stone lion at the entrance of the General's Mansion, and I will come to pick you up."

After saying that, he leaped out of the window, which then slammed shut with a loud bang.

At the doorway, figures flickered. Jian Yue looked outside, breathed a sigh of relief, closed her eyes briefly, and then said, "It's alright, you can all go and rest."

The figure outside the door immediately stopped, and then Zhang Baicheng's voice came from outside.

"Should we monitor that mother and child?"

"No need, they will disappear tomorrow."

Zhang Baicheng responded and left. After a short while, he was still standing at the door, dutifully guarding it. Several figures also appeared at the window, protecting Jian Yue's safety.

This night is destined to be sleepless.

The next day, Jian Yue was woken up by a loud banging on the door before she even got out of bed. She got up and called her in, and Xiao Cui rushed in, shouting, "Miss, something terrible has happened! Something has happened at Lan Yue Tower! Sister Hua is dead!"

Jian Yue was immediately shocked and stood up abruptly, saying, "What did you say? What exactly happened? Who told you this?"

Xiao Cui was panting heavily, as if she had run several kilometers. When Jian Yue asked her, she said, "The soldiers who came to make purchases this morning told me that Lan Yue Tower had been sealed off by the Golden Armor Guards under the Crown Prince. I rushed over to ask them and was told that Lan Yue Tower had been sealed off by the Golden Armor Guards under the Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince sealed off Lan Yue Tower? Didn't he say it had already been resolved? Why is he taking action again?

Jian Yue frowned: "Continue."

Xiao Cui continued, "Then I inquired about Sister Hua's whereabouts, but I never expected that they would say that on the fourth floor of Lan Yue Tower, in Sister Hua's room, Sister Hua's entire body had been skinned, covered in blood, and human skin was scattered all over the room."

As she spoke, Xiao Cui suddenly choked up and said, "Miss, who is so vicious as to kill someone like this? We must avenge Sister Hua!"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. She looked at Xiao Cui and asked, "What else did you hear?"

Xiao Cui continued, sobbing, "That's all I know. Sister Hua died so tragically, Miss, what should we do now?"

"What can we do? Are you sure all of this is true? If Sister Hua really died at Lan Yue Tower, we need to find out what the Crown Prince's attitude is first. And is the person in that room really Sister Hua?"

Xiao Cui shook her head. She had only heard about it from the purchasing guards in the manor and hadn't seen the scene herself. So, she could only look at Jian Yue with longing. Jian Yue thought for a moment and said, "Let's go take a look. You stay calm and don't panic. We need to confirm whether the one who died was Sister Hua. Go check if the mother and child we brought back yesterday are still there, and then we'll set off."

Xiao Cui nodded, turned around and rushed out. Jian Yue tidied herself up and walked to the door. Zhang Baicheng came over and handed her an invitation, saying, "Miss, this is from the Prime Minister's residence. It says that the Prime Minister's daughter is hosting a banquet for the young ladies and gentlemen of various households. You and the young master will be invited. The date is set for tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue felt a sudden shiver run through her body, and her gaze turned deep as she looked at the invitation.

The large, gilded characters shimmered, yet they stung Jian Yue's eyes. She slowly reached out and took the invitation into her hand, a smile suddenly blooming on her lips as she softly asked, "Is it about to begin?"

After Xiao Cui returned, the two went to Lan Yue Lou. At this time, the brothel was quiet and deserted. All the other brothels were closed. Occasionally, a window on the second or third floor would open a crack and glance in the direction of Lan Yue Lou before slamming it shut and never opening again.

Jian Yue didn't disguise herself today; she simply came in a sedan chair, accompanied by Xiao Cui and Zhang Baicheng. She didn't intend to reveal the relationship between Lan Yue Lou and herself, but she also didn't intend to hide it.

She wanted to see where all of this would ultimately come to an end.

Outside Lan Yue Lou, the area was heavily guarded. When the sedan chair reached the edge of Lan Yue Lou, it was stopped by the soldiers. Xiao Cui leaned over the curtain of the sedan chair and told Jian Yue about the situation outside. Jian Yue then got up and got out of the sedan chair, and saw the seal with an "X" on the gate of Lan Yue Lou.

The words on the seal were in red, indicating that the sealing was personally supervised by members of the royal family, telling everyone that the people here were utterly wicked and unforgivable.

After watching for a while without finding anything amiss, Jian Yue prepared to return to her sedan chair. At that moment, a figure suddenly blocked her way. She looked up sharply and saw Murong Chuan facing her, smiling gently, "I've finally waited for you."

Jian Yue looked at Murong Chuan, and the slight tremor in her heart lasted only a moment before quickly subsiding. She blinked, seemingly not understanding, and asked, "Wait for me?"

"Yes, I'll wait for you."