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

Yin San's words made Qiu Lingyu pause for a moment. She looked at her still flat stomach, and after a while, her hand trembled slightly as she touched it. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "I had forgotten that she was with me. Yin San, thank you."

Yin San said irritably, "Thank me? You might as well say that you're prepared to repay me with your body. I've been waiting for that for many years."

Qiu Lingyu shook her head and said, "You are not in my heart."

Yin San paused, then forcefully pounded the pestle in his hand, making a loud banging sound. He then applied the crushed medicine to her bleeding wound and said, "Can you die from telling a lie? You have no idea how hurtful your words are."

Qiu Lingyu closed her eyes and said, "Sometimes lies are what hurt people. When a dream that can never be realized is shattered, you will be utterly defeated and never wake up again. It's better not to enter the dream in the first place."

Yin San, you've followed me for so many years, you should understand what kind of person I really am. I'm persistent, stubborn, and so on. Is it worth it to guard an empty shell whose soul has been taken away by someone else?

Yin San sneered, quickly bandaged Qiu Lingyu's wound, placed the bowl of blood on the table, and turned to Qiu Lingyu, saying, "Do you think it's worth it? What about your relationship with Lu Zhe? Isn't it the same? If you can't convince yourself, how can you convince me?"

Yu'er, you are cold on the outside but warm on the inside. I know you are stubborn to the extreme, but I still hope that you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I admit I'm foolish, but it's because of my foolishness that I understand yours. Now, you live a secluded life, all alone, probably because of Lu Zhe and the child in your womb, right? But he's already dead. Even if you continue, won't it still end up the same way?

From now on, wouldn't it be nice to let me take care of you? I will treat this child as my own and never abandon him.

Qiu Lingyu rubbed her temples wearily and said, "I'm not alone. I have a child, you know that."

Yin San was puzzled and asked, "If that's the case, why did you change your fate? Do you know that the ultimate consequence of this is that you may have to suffer the pain of losing her?"

"Because I don't want to be in debt. In my past life, I was in debt and could never repay it. So in this life, I want to repay her without owing anything. I want her to be happy and I want her to understand that she still has family by her side in this life."

"Then why did you hide it? If something really happens to you like this, there's no way to save you."

Yin San was completely puzzled. If it was to save his sister, why didn't he inform her, but instead acted in secret? Shangguan Jianyue was not a narrow-minded person. If Qiu Lingyu really went to him begging to be taken in, he believed that Shangguan Jianyue would definitely not ignore her.

However, Qiu Lingyu kept it a secret from everyone, and even after he broke free from Heli Hong's control and returned to her side, he discovered that all of this was happening and tried to stop her, but he failed.

After listening to Yin San's rambling, Qiu Lingyu laughed and said, "Jian Yue and I are like two parallel lines that can never intersect. Between us, there are not only old grudges and new hatreds, but also many things that cannot be explained."

We are twin sisters, and we have the same personality. If we do something, we will do it thoroughly. Similarly, if we choose a path, even if it is full of thorns, we will walk our own path with pride.

Therefore, I will choose my own path and will absolutely not rely on anyone. Thank you for taking care of me all these years. From now on, you will be free and will no longer need to follow me.

Yin San was taken aback: "Not going back to the Northern Desert?"

Qiu Lingyu shook her head: "I should have died. Maybe it's because of this child that I'm still alive. Lu Zhe is no longer human and can't have offspring. Now this little one has suddenly appeared. I can't be sure what she is. But I can't bear to hurt her. So, leaving is the best decision."

Yin San was silent for a moment, then said, "Where are you planning to go? I can go with you."

Qiu Lingyu smiled and said, "No need. I've already decided where to go, and I'm afraid it's not suitable for you."

"Wow~~"

Several months passed in the blink of an eye, and Jian Yue gave birth to a girl safely. Both mother and child were safe and sound. Overjoyed, Bai Jianan danced with joy and rushed into the room the moment the child was born. Facing the midwife's displeased gaze, he pretended to ignore it, shamelessly sat down next to Jian Yue, and without saying a word, tears were already streaming down his face.

Jian Yue smiled as she looked at Bai Jianan, seeing the tears of joy streaming down his face. A warm feeling welled up in her heart as she said, "Why are you crying? It's not like you're the one giving birth."

Jian Yuexiang was drenched in sweat after giving birth and was still quite tired. Her voice was slightly breathless as she spoke, indicating her exhaustion.

Bai Jianan held Jian Yue's hand and gently wiped her cheek with his other hand, each stroke extremely careful, as if he were handling the most precious and fragile item.

Bai Jianan wiped away his tears and said, "If only I could have given birth, I would never have let Yueyue suffer like this. Yueyue, my Yueyue, you are so great, you know? Our daughter is so beautiful, just like me. I will definitely make her the most noble princess in the future."

Upon hearing Bai Jianan's confession to his daughter, he immediately laughed and said, "A newborn baby is hardly that good-looking. I'm afraid it's not much better than a wrinkled mouse."

Bai Jianan burst out laughing and said, "Why make such a comparison? That was born of your own flesh and blood, not some rat."

Beside her, the midwife came over and said with a smile, "What are you saying, madam? This baby is much cuter than that mouse. Although he is still a little ugly now, after some time, when he gets fat and sheds his birth skin, he will become a chubby baby."

Especially the lady and the young master's child; I think this little one has long, narrow eyes—she's bound to be a beauty in the making.

Bai Jianan looked at Jian Yue with pride and said, "Listen to this, this is my daughter. She will definitely be a beauty in the future. You can't look down on her now, Yueyue."

Jian Yue said helplessly, "They've only just been born, and we're already protecting them like this. I'm afraid they'll spoil them!"

Bai Jianan immediately became arrogant and said, "How could she be spoiled? Her mother is so outstanding, and her father is so extraordinary. She must be exceptionally intelligent. Even if she is spoiled, it doesn't matter. In the future, we will find a son-in-law to live with us. As long as he dares to bully our daughter, I will beat him up."

Bai Xiaowan walked in, heard his words, and said disdainfully, "You love your daughter so much, how come you didn't even glance at her? I thought you favored boys over girls and were planning to have a second one."

As she spoke, she winked at Jian Yue, who immediately blushed and glared at Bai Xiaowan, saying, "What are you saying? Shameless! Be careful Zhang Chaoyue won't talk to you anymore."

Bai Xiaowan paused, her cheeks slightly flushed, but she pretended to be nonchalant and laughed twice, saying, "What's there to be afraid of? What do I have to do with him? It's just that he's the one bullying me, and none of you care. I'm so disappointed."

Jian Yue chuckled and said, "Bullying you? You deliberately come here every day to cause trouble, just so he'll show up, right? What? He's still so indifferent, are you giving up? That's not like you!"

Just as Bai Xiaowan was about to retort in anger, Bai Jianan had already covered Jian Yue with a blanket, taken the towel from the midwife's hand, and bowed to the midwife, saying, "Thank you very much."

The midwife was an old woman in the village and was quite familiar with Bai Jianan. However, she had never seen this man, who had once been such an arrogant prince, be so disrespectful to her, an old woman.

She quickly said, "What are you doing? You're not refusing to pay, I'm just doing this to get rid of people who are paid."

Bai Jianan shook his head solemnly and said, "No, I still want to thank you. Giving birth is a great thing, whether it's the one who gives birth or the one who delivers it. It deserves my bow."

Upon hearing this, the midwife smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. Alright, alright, this isn't a place for men. You can go out now; I need to clean the lady's body."

Bai Jianan lowered his head and refused, saying, "I'll do it. You just need to tell me what to pay attention to. As for the child, you've been delivering babies for many years, so you must know about feeding a child. There are a few wet nurses waiting outside. Please go and take a look and see which one is suitable to be my little princess's wet nurse."

The midwife was somewhat surprised. She had delivered babies for many years, and even in the village, it was rare for a man to enter the delivery room immediately after his wife gave birth, for fear of being affected by the blood and goo. Yet, Bai Jianan was now offering to wipe his wife's body. How could a man possibly do something so subservient?

Seeing Bai Jianan clutching the towel tightly in his hand, the midwife was somewhat suspicious, but before Bai Jianan could return the towel, she immediately realized that he was serious about what he said.

Seeing Bai Jianan staring intently at her, waiting for instructions, she sighed and said, "Then listen carefully, Your Highness. This is warm water. You must wipe Madam's body clean, especially the bloodstains under her body. You must clean them up properly, and the bedding and sheets must be changed. Also, sprinkle incense ash in the room to remove any bad luck."

Bai Jianan memorized everything, but frowned slightly at the last item and said, "Giving birth is a joyous occasion, so why talk about dispelling bad luck?"

The midwife said, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but according to custom, although childbirth is a joyous occasion, it is also the time when a woman is going through the gates of hell. She is on the verge of death, and if she is not careful, she will have a close encounter with the King of Hell."

Therefore, after a woman gives birth, regardless of whether the delivery is safe or not, some incense ash should be scattered in her room to dispel bad luck and ensure the safety of both mother and child.

Bai Jianan immediately understood and looked at Bai Xiaowan, saying, "Xiaowan, since you're free now, go to the temple and get some incense ash."

Bai Xiaowan was interrupted earlier, so she was naturally unhappy to be ordered around like this. She glanced at Bai Jianan and said, "I see your family has a shrine, so why bother going to the temple?"