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

"No, Miss, I won't leave. From the moment I started following you, I swore to follow you to the death. Miss, you'll be alright. I will definitely protect you."

Xiao Cui spoke firmly, looking at Jian Yue, but when Jian Yue looked up, she saw the look in Jian Yue's eyes and was taken aback.

At this moment, Jian Yue's gaze was deep and dark, as if it contained a great deal of information. However, in the next instant, it was as if those things she seemed to have seen had never appeared at all.

She couldn't see clearly or understand what those things were, but for some reason, she always felt a tremor that she couldn't control.

"Xiao Cui, are you worth it?"

As Jian Yue spoke, she turned away from Xiao Cui and sat down in front of the dressing table, quietly looking at herself in the mirror. Her face was etched with the marks of time, and her beautiful and refined appearance carried a sense of detachment from the world.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui immediately said firmly, "It's worth it, Miss. You are our family's benefactor, and I will never forget you, even until I die."

Jian Yue suddenly smiled. Xiao Cui looked at Jian Yue's smile in the mirror and trembled again. She couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Miss, what's wrong with you? Were you frightened yesterday? It's all Xiao Cui's fault. I didn't stand in front of you."

As Xiao Cui was about to cry, Jian Yue suddenly felt impatient. She frowned and said, "Alright, this is not your fault. The Crown Prince is of high rank and great power. I cannot afford to offend him, let alone you. Alright, get ready, we should go."

Thinking about today's itinerary, Xiao Cui immediately stopped crying. She quickly found suitable clothes for Jian Yue and combed her hair. However, when she was applying makeup to Jian Yue's face, she suddenly felt a little heartache.

"Miss, you look terrible. Let me put on another layer of powder to cover it up!"

"No, just do it normally. You know I don't like it too strong. Also, take a few more hairpins off your head. It's too heavy like this. I'm not feeling well today and can't handle it."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui nodded and gently applied makeup to Jian Yue's face. Then she got up and removed several hairpins from Jian Yue's head. When only one hairpin remained, Xiao Cui sighed, "Miss is naturally beautiful. Even a single hairpin looks good on her."

Jian Yue looked at her head in the mirror and realized that the hairpin was the one Bai Jianan had taken from Qiu Lingrong's head that day, and that the hairpin had been in her hand ever since.

Now, Xiao Cui has actually kept this hairpin; it's unclear whether it was intentional or unintentional.

Suddenly, Jian Yue felt a bitter taste in her mouth, and then stood up and said, "Let's go."

Zhang Baicheng followed Jian Yue silently without being told, which earned him a glare from Xiao Cui. However, the young lady did not stop Zhang Baicheng's actions, and since Zhang Baicheng was a guard assigned to Jian Yue by the General's Mansion, she could only give up and follow Jian Yue with a cold face, keeping a close eye on Zhang Baicheng, feeling extremely resentful.

Zhang Baicheng kept his eyes fixed on Jian Yue's back, completely ignoring Xiao Cui. Once Jian Yue got into the sedan chair, he stepped back and walked behind the chair, putting distance between himself and Xiao Cui.

Throughout the journey, Jian Yue remained silent. Through the curtains, she could see the chaotic streets and even other people traveling along the same route to the Prime Minister's residence.

Suddenly, the sedan chair stopped, even tilting forward slightly. Immediately afterward, Jian Yue heard a commotion outside, followed by Zhang Baicheng's voice coming from the window.

"Young lady, don't be afraid. It was the guards from the Qiu family who blocked our way."

The Qiu family? They're still jumping around?

Jian Yue asked indifferently, "Where is Xiao Cui?"

"Miss Xiao Cui has already gone to the front to argue. The people over there are very arrogant, and Miss Xiao Cui seems to have been wronged."

"I see."

As Jian Yue spoke, she got up and stepped out of the sedan chair. Zhang Baicheng immediately stepped forward to help her. Jian Yue looked over and saw that their sedan chair was standing right on the main road, while the Qiu family's sedan chairs were behind her. One of them was almost parallel to hers, but positioned behind her. It was obvious that it had deliberately squeezed in when she came over.

The two sedan chairs collided, and the Qiu family came over to cause trouble, insisting that Jian Yue's sedan chair had collided with theirs.

Xiao Cui was arguing with the other party, her face flushed red, and they were about to come to blows.

The other party was no pushover either; it was none other than Qiu Bo, the steward of the Qiu family. At this moment, Qiu Bo's eyes were full of disdain. He arrogantly raised his head, and when Jian Yue looked down, he only glanced at her with disdain, without even bothering to show any courtesy.

Jian Yue wasn't angry and headed straight for Xiao Cui and Qiu's house.

"Oh! Isn't this our former sixth young lady? What's wrong? Why is she dressed so poorly today? Could it be that the General's Mansion can't even afford to gather enough jewelry for its young ladies?"

Qiu Lingxue's voice rang out, and Jian Yue looked up to see Qiu Lingxue smiling at her from the sedan chair window, her eyes filled with mockery and smugness.

Jian Yue didn't speak, but just looked at Xiao Cui.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui angrily shouted at Qiu Lingxue, "Qiu family, don't be so shameless! My young lady is just being modest, unlike you all, acting like fighting hens, what are you showing off for?"

Jian Yue frowned and scolded, "Xiao Cui, don't be rude."

Xiao Cui immediately pouted and reluctantly returned to Jian Yue's back. Jian Yue took two steps and walked up to Qiu Bo, and said with a smile, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh so wickedly, Qiu Bo. Xiao Cui is just that uncouth. Please forgive me."

As she spoke, she glanced sideways at the sedan chair that had bumped into her and continued, "I suppose the person sitting in that sedan chair is my eldest sister!"

Uncle Qiu immediately cupped his hands and sneered, "I dare not accept such praise. How could my eldest daughter of the Qiu family be worthy of being Miss Shangguan's elder sister? The Shangguan family is far beyond our reach."

Jian Yue smiled and said, "That's right, we can't afford to associate with them. After all, the Qiu family doesn't even have an official title. They only rely on other people's face, unlike my Shangguan family, which at least has face in front of the Emperor."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Qiu glared and angrily said, "Isn't what you said going too far, young lady? It seems that you have never been treated unfairly in the poor Qiu family. How can you be so ungrateful and make such a fuss at this time?"

Jian Yue looked up, blinked, and said innocently, "Was it too much? What did I say? Anyone can see that you're deliberately picking a fight. How can you say I'm being unreasonable?"

Before Qiu Bo could speak, Qiu Lingfeng stepped out of the sedan chair and smiled gently at Jian Yue, saying, "Sixth Sister is still as eloquent as ever."

"Of course, I was born and raised on the estate. How could I compare to the upbringing of my elder sister from a scholarly family? I've always been rough around the edges. If anything I say offends you, please forgive me."

Qiu Lingfeng lowered her eyes, gritted her teeth, and said softly, "Of course we will take responsibility. After all, with Sixth Sister's current status, our Qiu family can't afford to offend her, can we?"

Jian Yue nodded: "Yes, so, eldest sister should advise your sisters not to provoke me for no reason. Otherwise, if I say a word to the young master, the Qiu family will lose another daughter."

At this point, Jian Yue suddenly looked surprised and winked at Qiu Lingfeng, saying, "Oh right, eldest sister, I've been quite busy these past few days and forgot about the betrothal gifts sent by the young master and the dowry prepared for me by the Qiu family. After you go back today, eldest sister, don't forget to ask Lord Qiu for them with me. Otherwise, I will have to go to his house to look for them myself."

Although it wouldn't take much effort for me to visit, if Madam sees me, it will inevitably spoil her mood. And if anything happens then, Jian Yue won't take any responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingfeng was taken aback at first, then frowned and said sarcastically, "Sixth Sister is not only eloquent, but also has quite a big heart. It is only right that we return the young master's betrothal gifts in Qiuqiu. But you are not a girl of the Qiu family, so how can you be so shameless as to want to deplete the Qiu family's dowry?"

Jian Yue, without blushing or panting, said seriously, "Why can't I accept it? I only got engaged to the young master because of the Qiu family. If the Qiu family doesn't want the dowry, I won't acknowledge this marriage."

If you think I've gone too far, then you can simply cancel this dowry. As for the Emperor's decree, that has nothing to do with me anymore. Oh, by the way, you're now the only legitimate daughter of the Qiu family. I'll have to offer you my blessings then.

As Jian Yue spoke, she smiled and turned to walk towards her sedan chair, saying as she walked, "Elder sister should ask the sedan chair bearers to move the sedan chair a little, otherwise we won't be able to get to the Prime Minister's residence on time, and I won't be the one who suffers the most loss."

Watching Jian Yue enter the sedan chair, Uncle Qiu walked to Qiu Lingfeng's side and asked, "Miss."

"Stop talking. We can't offend her now. Let her be arrogant for a few more days before we move the sedan chair."

Qiu Lingfeng only uttered this sentence before angrily returning to the sedan chair. Uncle Qiu sighed and waved his hand, saying, "Step back."

Hearing this, the other sedan chairs of the Qiu family could only step back a little. Qiu Lingxue pouted unhappily in her sedan chair, but after glancing at Qiu Lingfeng's sedan chair in front of her, she reluctantly flicked the curtain and snorted, "Isn't he just a bastard? What's he so arrogant about? Once I push you out and become the Crown Prince's consort, I will definitely make you lose all your reputation."

Jian Yue's sedan chair smoothly left the place where the strife was. After Jian Yue's sedan chair left, Qiu Bo shouted "Start the sedan chair!" and the Qiu family headed straight for the Prime Minister's Mansion in a grand procession.

In the last sedan chair of the Qiu family's procession, Qiu Lingyun was looking down, her eyes fixed on the jade token in her hand. Her eyes shone with a terrifying depth, and she murmured to herself, her lips moving as if she were talking. But as she spoke, the corners of her eyes turned up, revealing a strange smile.