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

Murong Chuan's eyes seemed to be filled with tears, and a hazy emotion welled up from the depths of his eyes, surging uncontrollably. Jian Yue looked at him quietly for a long time before laughing and saying, "Your Highness's performance was truly wonderful; I even took it seriously."

"Isn't this true?"

Murong Chuan stared at Jian Yue, leaned closer and said, "Have you forgotten? Have you really forgotten?"

Jian Yue raised an eyebrow: "Forgot what? I said that I have never met the Crown Prince. Moreover, if we had met, why would the Crown Prince think that I would abandon you, this great tree, and choose the crooked tree, the heir of Qingyan Marquis?"

"Your Highness, some things aren't necessarily right just because you think they are. Perhaps the person you met back then was merely similar to me. Don't be so stubborn."

Upon hearing this, Murong Chuan's eyes suddenly turned dangerous. He raised his hand, holding up the gossamer-thin human skin mask, and said, "Then how do you explain this? Why hide your true face? Are you afraid I'll recognize you?"

"What a joke, is the Crown Prince delirious? He's overthinking things. If I really didn't want the Crown Prince to recognize me, why would I put on a face that closely resembles my original appearance?"

"Does Your Highness not consider my status in the Qiu family? I'm a sixth daughter born of a concubine, supposedly from a maid who climbed into the emperor's bedchamber. I was only brought back to the capital because of an imperial marriage. Do you really think I could have survived this long if I had returned to the Qiu family with a face even more beautiful than Qiu Lingfeng?"

She looked at Murong Chuan, the smile in her eyes turning into sarcasm, her tone filled with cold irony.

"Actually, the Crown Prince should understand what really happened between me, my mother, and the Qiu family. However, these things are not something that can be brought to the forefront."

On the surface, relying on the power of the Marquis of Qingyan's heir, I've utterly crushed the Qiu family, leaving them no peace. But behind the scenes, who can say I truly control them? My mother's whereabouts are still unknown within the Qiu family; how could I possibly do anything more?"

Murong Chuan's gaze changed. Shangguan Linglong had already been rescued, but Jian Yue said that she was still at the Qiu family's house. What was going on? He pondered that Qiu Zhenzhou had not contacted him these past few days, nor had he even shown his face. Could it be that Qiu Zhenzhou had really decided to hide Shangguan Linglong? But what was his purpose?

Looking at Murong Chuan's unpredictable expression, Jian Yue chuckled inwardly.

He is that kind of person. He can make good use of everyone, and he can also doubt everyone. Everything he does is done on the surface, as if he is dissecting himself in front of everyone. But in reality, Murong Chuan is scheming and will never trust anyone, nor will he ever be loyal to just one person.

Therefore, she became a sacrifice, and the Qiu family and the Shangguan family became stepping stones. After completing their mission, they would eventually be thrown into the abyss and fall into purgatory.

At this time, Murong Chuan has set his sights on the Qiu family. If that happens, the Qiu family will have no chance to recover. According to Murong Chuan's methods, he will definitely deliver a fatal blow before the Qiu family can make any move. She doesn't need to plan or guess these things.

The Qiu family is finished.

Thinking about it, Jian Yue smiled and pushed Murong Chuan away, saying, "Your Highness has come to visit late at night and has already asked what you wanted to know. So please leave. Although I am not as old-fashioned as those young ladies, I still have to consider the reputation of my husband's family and not be criticized as a promiscuous woman who sleeps with anyone."

Murong Chuan's eyes darted around, and he said unwillingly, "Why not me? If you come with me, I can give you everything you want."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue suddenly burst into laughter. She looked coldly at Murong Chuan, and for some reason, a hatred that had never appeared before suddenly swelled up and became unusually intense.

She stared at Murong Chuan and sneered, "What can the Crown Prince give me? The position of principal wife? Or the future Empress? Is the granddaughter of the fallen Shangguan family really worth that much?"

"Why not? As long as you can wait, I will definitely give you what you want."

"But what I want is to live a carefree life, to be with only one person for life. Can you give me that?"

Jian Yue abruptly interrupted Murong Chuan, looking at him with a cold smile, and said sarcastically, "The Crown Prince is in a high position and will never understand the thoughts of ordinary people. They are not happy when they have money, but when they have family."

"Your Highness can give me anything I want, even the highest position in the world. But has Your Highness ever considered what will become of me if one day you meet the woman you love most?"

Murong Chuan frowned slightly and immediately denied it, saying, "Impossible, you are her, I'm absolutely not wrong."

"Could it be true? But what if there really is someone who looks exactly like me? And the person the Crown Prince once met was her? What would you do?"

"Absolutely impossible. I am the Crown Prince; I cannot make a wrong judgment."

Murong Chuan spoke forcefully, his eyes filled with determination. He said, "You are not the eldest daughter of the Qiu family, so you are free. You can cancel this marriage yourself. Even if I plead for you, this marriage will definitely not happen. At that time, just wait for me, and I will definitely give you the position you want."

But I believe that even Bai Jianan couldn't achieve the ideal of one love for one lifetime. Therefore, I promise you, in this life, I will only cherish you.

His comparison of himself to Bai Jianan is fair, after all, given Bai Jianan's current persona, he is certainly not one to be content with obscurity. Therefore, as the future emperor, he feels he has done a very good job by giving Jian Yue such a promise.

However, Jian Yue didn't respond with the gratitude and offer herself to him he had expected. Instead, she looked at him coldly, her smile growing stronger and her gaze filled with sarcasm. This made him feel a surge of anger rising in his chest. He slammed his fist on the table, which cracked instantly. Then, he charged at Jian Yue. Upon seeing this, Jian Yue's eyes suddenly sharpened. She spun around, dodging Murong Chuan's outstretched arms, and left the bed, moving to the other side of the table.

She glanced at the crack on the table, her eyes growing colder: "So, the Crown Prince is resorting to force after failing to persuade him? Although the Crown Prince is of noble status, he can't do everything in this General's Mansion."

Murong Chuan smiled slightly and said, "Shangguan Jianyue, I feel like I've been too good to you. Even so, I don't want to hurt you. Tell me, what kind of poison did you give me?"

"poison?"

Jian Yue shook her head and chuckled: "When did I ever poison the Crown Prince?"

It was you who planted the poison of datura in my heart, making me want to devour you alive. How could love possibly arise from that?

Murong Chuan looked at Jian Yue in silence, and suddenly he felt that he understood the woman in front of him less and less.

At first glance, he thought she was a beautiful woman with exquisite figure.

But the next second, he suddenly realized that she was a strong and resilient woman with thorns. After meeting her, he felt that she was the one for him, and the world would be his matchmaker.

But due to a series of unforeseen circumstances, they missed each other, only to meet again a few years later.

But how could he bear the thought of his beloved becoming another man's wife? Even the emperor, who had schemed everything, could not give up this last chance. Therefore, tonight's visit was the most irrational thing he had ever done.

But the damn thing is, even though he knew it all along, he still didn't regret it.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and was about to continue speaking when he suddenly heard a figure moving outside the door and a knocking sound.

"Miss, what's wrong? We heard a noise."

Jian Yue and Murong Chuan both looked towards the door. Jian Yue glanced at it and then looked at Murong Chuan with a playful expression, but spoke to the door: "It's nothing, just a nightmare. You two wait outside. I'll call you if I need anything."

After he finished speaking, a reply came from outside the door, and then there was no more sound. However, the figure outside the door remained motionless, like a mountain base, guarding the door.

Seeing this, Murong Chuan clenched his fists, his eyes full of resentment. Jian Yue smiled and said, "If the Crown Prince still doesn't leave, then Jian Yue will have to call for help. After all, although my General's Mansion is not as prosperous as before, it still cannot lose face because of this."

Murong Chuan knew that Jian Yue was adamant and that he would never be able to change her mind. After thinking it over, he turned to leave, but then looked back at Jian Yue and said, "I'll ask you one last question: do you really like that good-for-nothing?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue shook her head and chuckled: "Does Your Highness really believe in true love in this world? But Jian Yue doesn't believe it. My mother was just like that. Although some things are inexplicable, Your Highness should understand that Jian Yue doesn't believe in love."

Jian Yue only believes in what she can hold in her hands. Compared to the Crown Prince, the Heir Apparent is easier to control. What I want is nothing more than the position of the Peony King among all the flowers.

The Crown Prince also said, "You can give me this identity, but can you guarantee that you'll also give me the power that comes with it? That I can be above everyone else, acting lawlessly?"

At this point, Murong Chuan fell silent. Looking at his face, Jian Yue swallowed the nausea in her throat and forced a clear, desolate voice to continue, "Your Highness the Crown Prince wants to say that I just need to wait, right? But who is willing to hold onto an answer that has never even begun?"

At least, I'm unwilling.

Murong Chuan asked instinctively, "Why are you unwilling?"

"Because I don't think I love you."

As soon as Jian Yue opened her mouth, she said those words, which immediately made Murong Chuan's expression change. However, Jian Yue didn't care. She looked down at her toes, concealing the disgust in her eyes, and continued, "Jian Yue said that she doesn't believe in love. Dwarf stars are such ethereal things that only exist in fantasy and cannot be taken as reality."

Because reality cannot bear it, it will eventually perish, leaving only pain and despair. And Jian Yue, from birth, could not change her identity, her fate, or even her marriage. So, why should I love?