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

"Who are you? Did you save me? Then I'll repay you with my body."

"Hey, little girl, why don't you smile much? That won't do. You know, you're so pretty, you should smile more. Besides, a smile is a protective shield of your pride, you need to learn to protect yourself."

"Little Yueyue, my little Yueyue, you're my woman, so don't always look so gloomy. You know, I'm counting on you to take care of me in my old age. You can't just suffocate yourself first, or who will take care of me then?"

"Shangguan Jianyue, I've taken a liking to your brother. Give me a straight answer. I want to be your sister-in-law. Whether you like it or not, you have to."

"Yueyue, remember this: I'm here for you."

In my mind, all I could think of was Hua Xiangrong and her past, their meeting, their time alone, and the memories of how they had stumbled along the way, yet their relationship remained so strong.

And my cousin.

"Cousin, come home. Your brother will stand up for you and will never let you suffer any injustice."

“Jianyue, it’s my fault. I’m sorry for making you suffer. It’s all my fault.”

And grandpa.

"Yueyue, Grandpa is getting old, but if anything happens to you, Grandpa will definitely still be there for you, Connie. The Shangguan family will always be your support."

and also……

Thinking of this, Jian Yue suddenly didn't want to think about it anymore. She suddenly covered her head with the blanket and began to cry uncontrollably.

Jia Banwen could only sit at the table, drinking cup after cup of tea, his mind filled with memories, all of which were bitter.

If possible, no one wants to continue like this, harming themselves and others.

But life is unpredictable, and who can control all of this? All we can do is try our best to find that tiny bit of hope.

That night was unusual. News suddenly spread in the palace that the emperor had recovered from his illness and had deposed Murong Chuan from his position as crown prince, replacing him with Murong Yu, supposedly because Murong Yu had saved the emperor's life.

This news spread like wildfire throughout the capital, invigorating everyone in the city, regardless of wealth or poverty.

The dethronement of the crown prince—what a momentous event! Why was it announced so quietly, and even so suddenly?

Upon hearing this news, Jian Yue realized that Bai Jianan was the mastermind behind it all. Just then, Bai Jianan came looking for her, so she said, "Why don't you go to the Princess's residence to take charge of the overall situation?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jianan chuckled and said, "How can you expect me to be the abbot? She wants to be in charge of all the affairs of the manor herself."

Jian Yue suddenly chuckled and said, "As the Crown Prince's consort, you naturally want to wield absolute power. But you've already left in a huff for two days. If you don't return soon, trouble might arise, and all your previous efforts will be in vain. And this time, no one will be impersonating you."

After Jian Yue finished speaking, Bai Jianan looked at Jian Yue without saying a word. Jian Yue did not continue to speak either, but just ate the pastries one bite at a time until she felt thirsty. She then went to pick up the tea beside her, but was pressed down by Bai Jianan.

She frowned and looked up, only to meet Bai Jianan's displeased gaze.

He said, "How long are you going to keep being so stubborn?"

Jian Yue suddenly smiled and retorted, "How can you say I'm awkward? Why would I be awkward? Am I wrong?"

Bai Jianan stated directly, "I've already said it before: Heri Hong and I..."

"What does your business with Heri Hong have to do with me? Why do you keep bringing it up? You even harass me while I'm eating breakfast."

Jian Yue suddenly became hysterical, shoved Bai Jianan aside, overturned the table, and then looked at Bai Jianan coldly, saying word by word, "Go back to your Princess's residence and don't get in my way here."

Bai Jianan was taken aback, then suddenly smiled and said sarcastically, "So, in your eyes, I'm just an eyesore."

"So what if it is? If it weren't for you, the Shangguan family would never be in this situation, and I wouldn't be in this predicament either. Isn't that enough? You already have your own life, so why do you still come and bother me? I've had enough."

Jian Yue suddenly unleashed her curved blade and flew directly towards Bai Jianan.

Bai Jianan neither dodged nor flinched, just staring blankly at Jian Yue, letting the curved blade pierce his flesh, the stinging pain in his eyes was self-evident.

Jian Yue's heart tightened at the sight of the blood-red wound, but she remained calm and collected, retracting her scimitar and letting the blood gush out without flinching. She said indifferently, "Stay away from me. It's better for both of us. Why torture me like this?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jianan did not leave, but instead took three steps at a time towards Jian Yue, grabbing his shoulder. At the same time, the scimitar plunged into his chest once again.

This time, Bai Jianan's heart felt like it was covered in snow, gradually freezing over.

He looked at Jian Yue, enduring the excruciating pain, and asked, "In your heart, what am I? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will?"

Jian Yue sneered: "Are you? Can you do it? Bai Jianan, I don't know what you and I are. You ask me, and I can only say that you are the heir of Qingyan Marquis, and you have a princess consort named Heli Hong, who is a witch from Miao territory."

And I am nothing. I am just your fiancée who died on your way to your wedding. I didn't wait for you to take me home, I didn't wait for you to remove my veil, I didn't even step over the threshold of the Qingyan Marquis's mansion, I didn't even cross the bridge.

Bai Jianan, what remains between us? Have your repeated promises to me been of any use? Can you deliver? Can you kill Helihong now, restore my identity, and allow me to rightfully join your family and become your wife?

Seeing Bai Jianan's face gradually turn pale from blood loss, Jian Yue's heart tightened again. She pushed him away once more, ruthlessly drew her scimitar, and said coldly, "It's not that I'm heartless, Bai Jianan, it's that even you can't do it. What you say doesn't match what you do. I can't wait any longer. Go on your way. I'll cross this narrow bridge myself."

Just as Jian Yue finished speaking, Yan Xingzhi and Zang Feng suddenly arrived outside the door. Upon seeing the situation, they quickly stepped forward. Seeing Bai Jianan's appearance, they immediately looked at Jian Yue. Yan Xingzhi angrily asked, "Shangguan Jian Yue, what exactly did you do?"

Jian Yue calmly sheathed her scimitar, ignoring the bloodstains on it, and said indifferently, "That's all you saw. Once he's gone, don't bother me. By the way, you still need to find my sister Hua, because that's what you owe me."

As she spoke, Jian Yue suddenly paused, then chuckled and shook her head, saying, "I misspoke. It is I who should leave. This is the Qilin Pavilion, but it has nothing to do with me. So, everyone, farewell."

As Jian Yue spoke, she walked away without any hesitation. When she passed Bai Jianan, he grabbed her arm. She turned around, her eyes devoid of any emotion, and said, "Let go."

Yan Xingzhi said angrily, "Shangguan Jianyue, do you have any conscience? He has suffered so much for you, how can you treat him like this?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue chuckled and retorted, "So I haven't suffered for him? Have you all forgotten everything that happened on Hongmeng Bridge? But what did I get? You want me to become a concubine in your household, and I have to hide my identity? Is this how you want to tear apart the reputation of the Shangguan family?"

Don't pretend to be someone who's done everything for others. Nobody owes anyone anything, including me. So, show me some respect, or I won't hesitate to let this Qilin Pavilion collapse once again.

"you!"

Yan Xing was about to give up when Bai Jianan stopped him. Bai Jianan looked at Jian Yue with a pale face and said, "Wait for me. I will not give up."

Jian Yue's eyes flickered as she glanced at his hand. Bai Jianan released his grip, and Jian Yue quickly left, while he stood motionless, muttering, "Wait for me."

Yan Xing was seething with anger, but had nowhere to vent it. He pointed at Cang Feng and roared, "What are you waiting for? Go and call Jia Banwen right now!"

"No need. Jia Banwen has gone missing, and Xingke has gone to look for her. She didn't hurt her badly; it's just a superficial wound. You can just bandage it for me."

As Bai Jianan spoke, he looked down and saw Yan Xingzhi say angrily, "You really protected her and didn't use your full strength? If you had used your full strength, would you be dead already? She's already spitting blood, and you still think she showed you mercy? You really should go die, otherwise your brain won't be clear."

Faced with Yan Xingzhi's angry rebuke, Bai Jianan did not retort, but instead asked, "How is the situation on the mountain?"

Yan Xingzhi paused, then snorted coldly, "What? The people there are just like your husband, like rocks in a latrine. They drove us out, claiming that outsiders aren't allowed to run wild on the mountain. Don't they know who taught them their skills? It's really going too far."

Upon hearing this, Cang Feng laughed and said, "Alright, it takes two to tango. If the people from Qilin Pavilion hadn't been so arrogant, none of this would have happened. What do you call this? They brought it on themselves."

Yan Xingzhi glared at him angrily, and Cang Feng glared back: "What are you looking at me for? I'm not one of your Qilin Pavilion members, and now I have to clean up your messes and treat me like this. It's really as you say, too much."

"you……"

Yan Xingzhi was speechless, unable to utter a second word for a long time. Zang Feng continued, "The Qilin Pavilion's combat strength is quite good now. It was the right decision to hand over this power to Hua Xiangrong. Her methods have been very beneficial to us."

At this point, Zang Feng paused, then looked at Bai Jianan and asked, "What were you talking about just now? Xun Hua Xiang Rong? What happened to her?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Xingzhi also became serious. He wrapped Bai Jianan's wound and looked at Bai Jianan with a serious expression. Bai Jianan stared at the wound for a long time before saying, "They've disappeared. Their whereabouts are unknown. Even Shangguan Hanque is the same."

Yan Xingzhi frowned and asked, "Do you know who was behind this?"

Bai Jianan shook his head: "If we had known, it wouldn't have been so troublesome. We initially thought that Shangguan Hanque's matter was done by my mother-in-law, but later we learned that it was Qiu Lingyu who did it. However, Shangguan Hanque is still nowhere to be found. I don't know how Qiu Lingyu will treat him."

Hua Xiangrong disappeared to cover our retreat. I must find her, otherwise Jian Yue will feel guilty for the rest of her life.