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

Bai Xiaowan clicked her tongue in astonishment: "You're being too cruel. But what if she can't handle it and commits suicide? And what if she doesn't care about the child?"

Jian Yue said, "It's better if you don't care. Didn't I just get a son for free? Besides, you don't have to worry about her doing anything that could threaten her life. Yue Leyun may not have any other skills, but she certainly has a knack for survival. And she's someone who's afraid of dying."

As long as there's a chance to live, she'll never give up. For example, back with Murong Yu, if she hadn't complied, she could have killed herself, and that would have been her chance. But she didn't; she only struggled briefly before giving in. The Emperor was still alive then, whether he could move or not, he was still alive.

Bai Xiaowan immediately clicked her tongue and said, "If you ask me, this Yue Leyun is really no ordinary person. With so many people watching, she still has the nerve to live on, and even holds the hope of becoming empress. Tsk tsk, she is really a disgrace to women."

Jian Yue smiled, shook her head, and remained noncommittal.

She knew Yue Leyun's character perfectly well; she was a ruthless woman who would drag her enemies down with her even in death.

Therefore, she will absolutely not die. She will live a good life, find the person who made her that way, and then go to hell together.

Admittedly, in this life, she remained Yue Leyun's enemy, and in this life, Yue Leyun hated her to the bone.

Cheng Guyuan hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "But Sister Yue, why did you want to harm Miss Yue? I remember she was quite polite to you, she didn't seem like you had a grudge against her."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue paused, and Bai Xiaowan, seeing this, immediately tapped Cheng Guyuan on the head and said, "Are you saying that your sister Yue is vicious?"

Cheng Guyuan quickly shook her head and explained, "No, no, I believe Sister Yue wouldn't harm anyone for no reason. I was just curious."

She shrank back slightly as she spoke, afraid that Jian Yue would be angry. Jian Yue smiled, clapped her hands, and shook off the sugar crumbs, saying, "Actually, I just hurt people for no reason."

Bai Xiaowan and Cheng Guyuan were stunned and shook their heads in disbelief. Bai Xiaowan exclaimed excitedly, "How is this possible?"

Jian Yue retorted, "Why is it impossible? You should know that the me you know is not the whole me. Perhaps, inside I am a truly wicked person. So, you should also be careful and guard against me, lest I sell you out and you end up counting the money for me."

Cheng Guyuan immediately shook her head and said, "No, I believe Sister Yue would never do that. As for Cheng Guyuan, no matter what Sister Yue's reason is, in my eyes, there is nothing to it except curiosity."

Bai Xiaowan chimed in, "Oh dear, why think so much? Go ahead and mess with whoever you want. It's not me you're messing with, so what do I have to worry about? Besides, if things go wrong, I might even get involved."

Jian Yue burst out laughing: "Hey! I'm a big bad guy, where did your attention go?"

Bai Xiaowan laughed and said, "Even if you are the biggest villain, you would never hurt us. What are we afraid of? Anyway, you gave me this life. If you harm me, I can just return the favor. What's there to be afraid of?"

Cheng Guyuan added, "I'm not afraid either, Sister Yue. From the first day I met you, I knew you were a good person. Even if you did the worst evil things, it was because you were forced to. Yue Leyun is the Prime Minister's daughter. She had ulterior motives when she set up the banquet, wanting to eliminate all her imagined enemies. So, it's possible that she was involved in Qiu Lingfeng's accident."

Jian Yue was taken aback and looked at Cheng Guyuan, saying, "You mean the incident where Qiu Lingfeng had an accident at the Prime Minister's residence?"

Cheng Guyuan nodded: "Yes, I remember my father telling me that this matter was strange. Qiu Lingfeng was the Crown Prince's chosen Crown Princess at the time. Logically, the Crown Prince should have protected her, but she suddenly had an accident at the Prime Minister's residence."

The only person who would benefit from this is Yue Leyun. However, precisely because it takes place in the Prime Minister's residence, Yue Leyun wouldn't be foolish enough to arrange something that would ruin her reputation.

My father suspected there was a huge conspiracy involved. Later, I inadvertently told Bai Haitang about my father's guess, and that big mouth immediately said that the Crown Prince was behind it. However, the Crown Prince was actually offering his allegiance to the Prime Minister's family, meaning he wanted to form an alliance with them. Later, I heard that the Crown Prince entered the palace late at night and had a secret talk with the Empress until late into the night.

My father would go to the Emperor's palace every day to check on his health. During that time, when my father came back, he would tell my mother that the Empress was frequently going to see the Emperor, but each time it ended in a quarrel over something. My father didn't dare to listen carefully, but he roughly knew that it was about the Crown Prince's marriage.

Jian Yue nodded and said, "It was all Murong Chuan who planned it, but he used the wrong method. Qiu Lingfeng was disgraced, and it wasn't just the Qiu family that was affected. The Prime Minister's Mansion was also implicated. Anyone with eyes can see that although the Emperor likes the Crown Prince very much and appreciates his abilities, no one wants their son to form cliques and engage in corruption while they are still in their prime."

Murong Chun's eagerness to sever ties with the useless Qiu family was solely for the sake of climbing the social ladder through the Prime Minister's residence. The Emperor, of course, knew this perfectly well and was unwilling to grant her wish; hence, Murong Yu's policy of biding his time and concealing his abilities.

Murong Qianqiu has been guiding Bai Jianan towards opposing Murong Chuan, undoubtedly because he doesn't want Murong Chuan and Sun Rouxiang to monopolize power. When the late empress passed away, if Sun Rouxiang was partly responsible, Murong Qianqiu was probably more to blame.

If it weren't for his indifference, that situation would never have occurred.

Cheng Guyuan blinked, looking puzzled, and asked, "But didn't the Emperor still grant the marriage later?"

Jian Yue laughed and said, "Isn't it because the Prime Minister requested it when he entered the palace? The Prime Minister dotes on his beloved daughter, and the Emperor can't force the couple to separate. Do you think the Prime Minister's position is just for show? With a wave of his hand, countless civil officials follow. Even if Murong Qianqiu is unwilling, he can't refuse the Prime Minister's request."

As she spoke, Jian Yue paused and looked at Cheng Guyuan, saying, "When the Prime Minister's residence held a banquet that day, all the women from the inner quarters of the residence would have been present in the front courtyard. However, Qiu Lingfeng had an accident, and it is said that everyone in the inner courtyard was present except for Yue Leyun."

Cheng Guyuan nodded: "Yes, so Yue Leyun is not a good person either. She deliberately made the people in the mansion wait in the backyard while she found someone to chat with to clear herself of suspicion. At the time, I found it strange that someone as self-important as her would choose to chat with you and be so intimate with you."

It's probably because you've gained prominence in the palace. Whenever Te is with you, many people will see her, which will increase the number of people who can prove her innocence. Especially since, because of your background, she can also gain a good reputation.

Jian Yueming did not witness anything that happened in Yue Leyun's residence. She simply assumed that it was just a prank by Murong Chuan because Murong Chuan had mentioned it as a gift.

Unexpectedly, he was still the same complicated Murong Chuan, who designed everything flawlessly, making Jian Yue grateful to him and gaining more favor from Yue Leyun. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, he did not expect that the Sun family would not hire outsiders to ruin Jian Yue's reputation, but rather that Sun Shixin would personally take action. In this way, the Sun family and the Qiu family became enemies, and even after he was tricked by Qiu Lingfeng, he also came to hate the Sun family.

As Sun Rouxiang's maternal family, the Sun family was naturally Murong Chuan's number one supporter. The Qiu family could be considered Murong Chuan's lackeys. Dogs, regardless of size or breed, are still dogs. As long as they are useful, they should be kept in case of need.

Murong Chuan meticulously planned all these things, which led to the destruction of the Qiu family and caused him to be infected with Gu worms. In the end, although he got Yue Leyun, he lost his life due to Murong Yu's sudden interference.

Upon realizing this, Jian Yue's eyes widened suddenly, and she exclaimed, "Oh no, we've overlooked someone!"

Bai Xiaowan was taken aback: "Who is it?"

"The current Empress Sun Rouxiang."

As Jian Yue spoke, she looked at Bai Xiaowan and explained, "A person who can sit on the throne of Empress must not be an ordinary person. But Murong Chuan has done so many things that harm others and himself. Although she has tried to persuade him with earnest words, she has never directly interfered."

I don't believe someone capable of being an empress could be so incompetent. Even after losing her own son, she remained quietly seated on her throne, silent and still. Especially when Murong Yu usurped the throne, she didn't appear; when Murong Chuan killed Murong Yu, she still didn't appear. Even when Murong Fang appeared to arrest Murong Chuan, she still didn't show up.

From beginning to end, Sun Rouxiang was like an invisible person, completely undetectable. Don't you think there's something going on behind the scenes?

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaowan frowned and said, "If you want to know anything, why not just take her down? She's being held in the palace anyway."

Jian Yue sipped tea, his eyes filled with contemplation.

At this moment, the carriage suddenly stopped, and a dramatic scene unfolded.

"This mountain is mine, these trees are mine. If you want to pass through here, leave your toll. Oh, and leave your pretty young lady here too."

Jian Yue raised an eyebrow, Cheng Guyuan was quite pleased, but Bai Xiaowan suddenly slapped her thigh and winked at Jian Yue, saying, "This bandit's methods are so low-class. I was much more dashing than him back in the day."

Jian Yue shook her head and said, "Just say you want to go out and play. If they are really bandits, kill them. If they are disaster victims along the way, let them go."

Bai Xiaowan pouted, stopped talking to Jian Yue, and went straight to lift the carriage curtain, giving a charming smile to the group of people standing in front of her: "There are pretty young ladies, quite a few, but do you ugly ducklings even deserve to ask us to stay?"

After saying that, Bai Xiaowan glanced at the surrounding terrain and clicked her tongue, "You've got some nerve. This is an official road. Although there aren't many people here, there are still people around. If you do this, I bet you'll be caught by the patrol and thrown in jail by today. Aren't you stupid?"