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

"Bai Jianan, give me back my granddaughter."

With a loud shout, Shangguan Ting charged toward Bai Jianan with a steel spear in hand, his eyes filled with the rage of losing a loved one. He couldn't believe that after losing his daughter, he would now have to watch his granddaughter fall into the Hongmeng Bridge.

He felt an uncontrollable rage and wanted to kill Bai Jianan to avenge himself.

When Bai Jianan saw Shangguan Ting rushing towards him, the guilt in his eyes became overwhelming, and he lowered his eyes in utter despair. Seeing this, Heli Hong hugged Bai Jianan to avoid Shangguan Ting's attack, and then looked at Shangguan Ting and said, "General Shangguan, the person in front of you is not an ordinary citizen, but the most favored son of the Qingyan Marquis, the Emperor. How dare you be so insolent?"

At this moment, Shangguan Hanque also arrived. He followed behind Shangguan Ting and witnessed Jian Yue falling into the water and hearing her final, sorrowful words. He wanted to rush forward, but was entangled by a black-clad man who appeared out of nowhere. However, the black-clad man did not harm him but led him away. When Shangguan Ting rushed forward to kill Bai Jianan, he disappeared.

At that moment, however, he had no rationality to think about all the strangeness of this situation; anger was already suffocating him.

First it was his aunt Shangguan Linglong, then Hua Xiangrong, and now it's his sister Shangguan Jianyue, whom he finally recognized. The Shangguan family was loyal to the emperor and protected the country, but in the end, they suffered the fate of being destroyed and dying. He felt that his passion had been completely extinguished by the cold-blooded treatment he received.

After listening to Heli Hong's words, he suddenly sneered: "So what if he is the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan? So what if the Emperor dotes on him? Does that mean that you can cover up the evidence of murder and arson?"

He pointed at Bai Jianan and said, "You promised me just now, but you've already changed your mind before we've even crossed a single bridge? Bai Jianan, you've really gone too far. Even if my Shangguan family abandons our centuries-old promise of loyalty to the emperor, we will still kill you to avenge my sister."

As he spoke, he rushed forward, but Heli Hong blocked him first. The two struggled, and Shangguan Ting walked step by step toward Bai Jianan.

“I only have one daughter, but she suffered for sixteen years because of a baseless rumor. I only have one granddaughter, but I watched her being pushed into a fire pit and die in the flames without even realizing it.”

"It's all my fault. I was loyal to the emperor and loved my country, but in the end, the country I loved couldn't even protect the person I loved most. So, what's the point of this country I loved? Bai Jianan, Yueyue trusted you completely, yet you caused her heartbreak and death. Shouldn't you have died with her?"

Bai Jianan lowered his eyes, knelt down on both knees, and said to Shangguan Ting, "You're right, I deserve to die, I should die with Yueyue, go ahead and do it."

His heart had already gone with that smiling woman. Her smile before she fell, along with the words "we owe each other nothing," had made him lose all desire to live.

Seeing this, Shangguan Ting sneered and raised the steel spear in his hand, saying, "Since that's the case, then die."

The steel spear thrust out powerfully, but was blocked by several men in black in the next moment. Someone quickly removed Bai Jianan from his original position, and then Shangguan Ting heard the voice of Emperor Murong Qianqiu.

"Shangguan Ting, are you planning a rebellion?"

Upon hearing this, Heli Hong smiled and forced Shangguan Hanque back, then retreated behind Murong Qianqiu. He returned to Shangguan Ting's side and said coldly, "The Shangguan family has never had any intention of rebellion, yet they have suffered repeated hardships. May I ask Your Majesty, what crime has the Shangguan family committed?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Qianqiu replied indifferently, "How dare you! Just because your Shangguan family is loyal to the emperor and loves the country, does that give you the right to disregard human life?"

Shangguan Hanque retorted, "How can you say I'm treating human life like dirt? My sister was forced to fall into the Hongmeng River right after her marriage and died without a complete corpse. I was just avenging my sister."

Upon hearing this, Murong Qianqiu was stunned and said, "Shangguan Jianyue is jealous. Before she was even married, she threatened to divorce her husband to force him to stay with her alone. Shouldn't such a woman be punished? If there is any fault in her accidental fall into the water, it is the fault of the eldest daughter of the Qiu family. What does it have to do with the heir of Qingyan Marquis?"

"emperor."

As soon as Murong Qianqiu finished speaking, Shangguan Ting suddenly spoke up, looking at Murong Qianqiu and saying, "The Emperor should also know clearly what is right and wrong, and why it exists. The women of my Shangguan family have always been so open-minded, and the young master knows this very well. So how can you say that Shangguan Jianyue is jealous?"

If the young master is dissatisfied, he may cancel the marriage. In any case, the person the young master has betrothed to has nothing to do with my Shangguan family. Since the young master has married her, he must keep his promise. If he cannot fulfill it, why did he agree to it in the first place?

"Your Majesty, I don't mind your favoritism, but this old minister only has one granddaughter. Does Your Majesty really not intend to give this old minister an explanation?"

As he spoke, his eyes blazed as he looked at Heli Hong behind Murong Qianqiu. Murong Qianqiu frowned and said, "What kind of explanation do you want? Don't think that just because you, Shangguan Duiguo, have devoted yourself to the country, you can have whatever you want."

"I have already made my own judgment on Shangguan Jianyue's death. Your assassination of a member of the imperial family is an unforgivable crime. Now, I order you to return to your general's residence and reflect on your actions in seclusion. If you do not pursue this matter further, I will show leniency and not punish your Shangguan family."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ting's eyes suddenly filled with disappointment. He smiled and looked at Murong Qianqiu for a long time, and finally, wearily clasped his hands in a fist and said to Murong Qianqiu, "This old minister accepts the decree."

Shangguan Hanque was unconvinced and wanted to step forward to speak, but was stopped by Zhang Baicheng, who had appeared behind him at some unknown time. He frowned and looked over, and saw Zhang Baicheng say, "The young lady has given instructions."

He then forced back what he was about to say and followed Shangguan Ting.

Shangguan Ting returned to the General's Mansion and headed towards his bedroom. Shangguan Hanque then saw Zhang Baicheng and said, "The young lady instructed that the General's Mansion is doomed to perish today. The young master must take the old general and leave the General's Mansion now, heading to Liangshan."

Shangguan Hanque frowned for a moment before saying, "You're saying this was Jian Yue's order? Did she foresee this happening today?"

Zhang Baicheng shook his head: "I don't know anything about today's events. I only know that the things the young lady arranged are very strange. Now, I feel like she has some kind of premonition."

The two had only exchanged a few words before Shangguan Hanque, who hadn't even had a chance to ask any more questions, saw Shangguan Ting suddenly open the door and rush out.

Upon looking up, Shangguan Hanque saw that Shangguan Ting was wearing a battle robe that he hadn't worn in a long time, carrying his red-tasseled spear that he had used in battle, and heading towards the main gate with a fierce aura.

He quickly went over to stop him, asking, "Grandpa, where are you going?"

“Go avenge your sister. I can’t kill him in front of the Emperor, but I won’t let him go either.”

Shangguan Hanque nodded, about to agree with Shangguan Ting to go together, but suddenly remembered what Zhang Baicheng had just said. He quickly pulled Shangguan Ting back and looked at Zhang Baicheng, saying, "You said that Yueyue told you to do all this, which means that Yueyue should not be dead?"

Upon hearing this, the impulsive Shangguan Ting was immediately stunned, looking at Shangguan Hanque and Zhang Baicheng: "What did you say? Yueyue isn't dead? What exactly happened?"

Shangguan Hanque recounted their conversation and then looked at Zhang Baicheng. Zhang Baicheng said, "This subordinate does not know where the young lady is, nor does he know whether she is alive or dead. However, it was indeed the young lady who told him to take the old general and the young master away from the capital city before today, no matter what."

Both Shangguan Ting and his grandson fell silent. Then, Shangguan Ting suddenly looked up at the sky and sighed, "What was bound to happen has finally happened. The Shangguan family was loyal to the country, but they never expected that their achievements would overshadow the emperor, and they have ended up like this."

At this moment, Shangguan Hanque also thought of this, recalling how Shangguan Ting had told him not to be too sharp, and he immediately said angrily, "When has our Shangguan family ever had any disloyal intentions? Is the Emperor blind?"

Shangguan Ting shook his head and sighed, "His Majesty is a man of deep thoughts and cunning, so naturally he cannot tolerate things that he cannot control. As for you and me, we are not as insightful as your sister!"

"I imagine even without what happened between your sister and the Marquis of Qingyan's heir, our Shangguan family wouldn't have had much peace for long! And your father's side probably wouldn't be peaceful either."

As he spoke, he sadly stroked the red-tasseled spear in his hand and said, "I have dedicated my whole life to the emperor, and now I have fallen to this state. It is all my own fault. The Shangguan family is finally coming to an end."

"Enough, enough. You're all so old, why are you still so stubborn? Since he's so heartless, I have no need to uphold the promises left by our ancestors. Han Que, pack your things. We'll listen to your sister and leave this capital. Also, send your father a letter informing him of everything happening in the capital. If anyone tries to harm him, he should take our Shangguan family's retainers and desert!"

Shangguan Hanque nodded, a sudden surge of secret joy in his heart. If all of this was arranged by Jian Yue, then does that mean Hua Xiangrong was not dead? Does that mean that as long as he finds the Rong Ye that Jian Yue has repeatedly emphasized, he will be able to see Xiangrong, whom he has been longing for?

On one side, everyone was going through a chaotic and sorrowful process, while on the other side, Jian Yue was in deep trouble.

Although her plan succeeded, she hadn't expected Qiu Lingfeng's arrival. The poison on her dagger was exceptionally potent. Even though Jian Yue had been poisoned by the Soul-Devouring Powder before, she still couldn't handle the poison she was currently suffering from.

She stubbornly sank to a certain depth in the water until Bai Jianan was pulled away, then she relaxed and was swept away by the current. Thereupon, she met Chu Tianyi, whom she had arranged to retrieve her downstream.

Things were going very smoothly up to this point, but for some reason, Black Wind suddenly appeared and interfered, pulling the weakened Jian Yue into his arms, which immediately led to a fight between Chu Tianyi and Black Wind.

Looking at Hei Feng, who was carrying her and could still fight Chu Tian, ​​Jian Yue felt a headache coming on. She was angry at herself for being powerless and actually provoking this plague god.