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

Qiu Lingyu chuckled and said helplessly, "Sometimes I wonder if I should hate you, after all, he died because of your schemes. But then I realized that no matter whether I hate you or not, he can't come back. And if he could come back, we might all be dead."

"I can't have it both ways. It's better if his death leaves us with hope of survival; seeing Nianzhe like that would bring me great comfort. Besides, my sister, whom I risked my life to save, can't just perish because of this misfortune! If that's the case, what's the point of turning back time?"

Although Qiu Lingyu's eyes were smiling when she said this, Jian Yue could clearly see that the longing in her eyes was even deeper. She couldn't help but glance at Lu Nianzhe, who was having a great time playing with Xing'er.

Lu Nianzhe stood two meters away from Xing'er and Wutong, watching them play, his envy evident in his eyes, yet he hesitated to approach.

After playing with Wutong for a while, Xing'er walked over to Lu Nianzhe, took his hand and said, "Mother said you are also my little brother, just like Wutong. Why don't you come with us?"

Lu Nianzhe glanced at his hands and said, "Is it really okay? I've never played with anyone before."

The Russian man tilted his head curiously and asked, "Never played with anyone? Where do you live? How could you never have played with anyone?"

Lu Nianzhe said, "I live on that mountain. My mother calls it Riliang Mountain. She said that my father died there. Moreover, my father was a bad person. My mother was afraid that I would be bullied, so she never took me down the mountain. I have always been alone, playing with the rabbits in the mountains."

As Lu Nianzhe said this, he looked at Xing'er with concern. He was afraid that the new Russians would not play with him because his father was a bad person, but his mother said that he could not deceive his relatives, so he had to tell the truth.

Xing'er thought for a moment, then tilted her head and said, "Your father is a bad person, but your mother isn't a bad person, and you're not a bad person either. Why would they hurt you? You're a child, and the people who hurt you aren't good people. Don't be afraid. I'm your older sister. From now on, you'll live with me, and I'll definitely protect you."

Xing'er's words immediately brought a smile to Lu Nianzhe's face. Wutong also stepped forward and shyly took the two's clasped hands, saying, "Xing'er is right. We'll protect you together from now on."

Lu Nianzhe looked at him, but Xing'er said with dissatisfaction, "Wutong, you have to call me 'older sister.' I'm older than you, understand?"

Wutong gave an "oh" and whispered "sister," then whispered to Lu Nianzhe, "We're only about two months apart in age. She just likes to be the older sister. If you're not happy about it, please be more understanding. We're family, there's no such thing as seniority."

Lu Nianzhe smiled slightly, revealing his little tiger teeth, and sweetly called Xing'er "sister." Xing'er was immediately satisfied, circled around Lu Nianzhe, and then her eyes lit up as she pointed at Lu Nianzhe's mouth and said, "Wutong, look! Nianzhe has two little tiger teeth, so pretty!"

Wutong looked at it and said, "It's just teeth, what's so special about them? I have them too, they just haven't grown in yet."

Xing'er persisted: "You don't have them, otherwise I would definitely see them. Your mother has little tiger teeth, but you don't. You should ask your mother why she didn't give you two little tiger teeth."

The children were playing together. It was the first time Qiu Lingyu had ever seen Lu Nianzhe playing with the children and laughing so happily. She couldn't help but sigh, "I've let him down."

Jian Yue withdrew her gaze and said, "Nian Zhe, I miss Lu Zhe. My love for him is no less than his love for you. But do you really want to stay with him for the rest of your life?"

Qiu Lingyu smiled slightly, and instead of answering, asked, "And what about you? If Bai Jianan were gone, what would you do?"

Jian Yue was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly smiled, and the two of them burst into laughter, which lasted for a long time.

From then on, Qiu Lingyu lived in Jian Yue's house. The children got along well, but they had disagreements when it came to wanting to hug their younger siblings, which was not unusual.

Shangguan Ting was also very happy. Taking advantage of the double happiness, he opened the ancestral hall and wrote Qiu Lingyu's name in the Shangguan family genealogy. From then on, the Shangguan family was reunited.

Three more years passed, and Murong Fang took control of the court. Although he was cunning and scheming, he lacked the ability to govern the country. Just then, the northern deserts suddenly launched a counterattack, and the Yue Kingdom suffered repeated defeats, plunging it into a complete crisis.

Therefore, Murong Fang sought help from Bai Jianan's Qilin Pavilion, but was refused because he had previously protected Sun Rouxiang. Helpless, Murong Fang personally escorted Sun Rouxiang to the village where the two lived, wanting to express his awakening through practical actions.

But when the army entered the village, the entire village was eerily silent, without a single soul in sight. Murong Fang was immediately overcome with anxiety and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Sun Rouxiang was taken away by her own son, Murong Fang, in exchange for the stability of the throne. Overwhelmed with grief, she hanged herself while Murong Fang was unconscious, ending her life.

A month later, the city of Yue fell, and the army from the northern deserts swept in. However, when they entered the capital, the 100,000 iron cavalry from the northwest struck directly at the heart of the city and captured it. Subsequently, the northern desert army withdrew and dared not invade again.

Qiu Zhennan died on the dragon throne in the northern desert. The moment he closed his eyes, he saw Shangguan Linglong's hateful eyes. However, he still smiled, reached out, and tried to grasp the hand he had never held tightly before. He shed his last tear and left this world with resentment.

After withdrawing its troops from the northern desert, the Great Northwest returned. Before leaving, Jian Yue received a letter from He Xinle.

After reading the letter, Jian Yue smiled slightly, burned it, and said to Bai Jianan, "It seems I can no longer use that promise to ask for anything more."

Bai Jianan smiled, took her hands and pulled her into his arms, saying, "What else do you want? If you want it, the whole world is within your grasp."

Jian Yue shook her head and said softly, "This one life, for one person. In life and in death, we made a vow. I will hold your hand and grow old with you."

(End of the book)

postscript.

A cold wind blew, snowflakes swirled, and in the cool mountain air, three brightly dressed young men and women rode wildly through the mountains, their expressions tense and their eyes filled with panic.

Of the three, the only girl frowned and said, "What should we do? We've been looking all day and still haven't found it. Where is it?"

A young man said, "Don't worry, today's test is not very important, so Mother's punishment may be lighter."

The woman immediately said in annoyance, "Light? How could it be light? My aunt is a smiling Buddha. Every time she says light, she means heavy. Besides, I don't want to lose to two little brats."

Another man smiled and said, "Ru Feng and Ru Yu have both inherited my mother's true skills, so it's normal that we are no match for them. But if it's a swordsmanship contest, they are no match for us."

Like wind and rain, this describes Shangguan Jianyue's twin children. The boy is like the wind, and the girl is like the rain. The two children are exceptionally talented and have won the appreciation of Qiu Lingyu. They have completely passed on Lu Zhe's method of concealment to them, and suddenly the martial arts world has gained a pair of... troublemakers.

The three people in front of them were Jian Yue's eldest daughter, Shangguan Ruxing; Hua Xiangrong's eldest son, Shangguan Wutong; and Qiu Lingyu's son, Lu Nianzhe.

The five people were divided into two teams by Hua Xiangrong for mutual testing. The test for the three was stealth, while the test for Ru Feng Ru Yu was swordsmanship and her self-created Qiankun Steps, which was the escape footwork she had once taught Jian Yue.

Like wind and rain, they are only eight years old. The twins have a telepathic connection; if one of them is around, the other will quickly know what's happening. They work together seamlessly, often making the three of them extremely embarrassed during assessments.

As for swordsmanship, Sui Shui has also made some progress, but he is still young and not a threat. However, he still takes advantage of his young age so that his older brothers and sisters are reluctant to fight him, which gives him a lot of benefits.

Shangguan Ruxing, in particular, both loved and hated her younger brother and sister-in-law. Back then, she was known as a troublemaker in the village, but she never expected that these two would grow up to be even more of a troublemaker than her, causing unrest in the mountains and all the surrounding neighborhoods, and even making a name for themselves in the martial arts world.

Now, hearing Lu Nianzhe's evaluation of the two of them, Shangguan Ruxing felt both proud and jealous, and couldn't help but say, "Auntie is biased, spoiling the two younger ones, how come she doesn't even teach you, her own son, such a powerful technique."

Lu Nianzhe smiled helplessly and said indulgently, "It's not just my mother who likes those two. You, me, and Wutong also spoil them a lot, don't you think? It's too late to say my mother is biased now."

Now, instead of dwelling on that, we should think more about where they might be hiding, and why we've almost turned the mountain upside down without finding them.

Shangguan Wutong thought for a moment, then said in a panic, "Has something happened?"

Lu Nianzhe shook his head, and Shangguan Ruxing said disdainfully, "You're nothing like your uncle except for your brain? You're so stupid! Do you think that even though they're called troublemakers, the things in these mountains can hurt them? You'd better hurry up and look for them!"

Shangguan Wutong scratched his head, chuckled, and followed behind Shangguan Ruxing. At that moment, he suddenly heard a gust of wind sweep past behind him. Lu Nianzhe immediately stood behind Shangguan Ruxing, wielding his long sword to block the approaching person.

Shangguan Wutong was startled, but after Lu Nianzhe and that person confronted each other, she came to her senses, reversed her longsword, and joined the battle. Shangguan Ruxing, on the other hand, paid no attention to the confrontation behind her and focused on searching her surroundings.

A moment later, Lu Nianzhe and Shangguan Wutong knelt on the ground with all their might. Shangguan Ruxing then turned around and said disdainfully, "Aunt, can't you use some new methods? You always beat us like this. I'm traumatized by the sight of you. Aren't you afraid I'll scream in fear when I see you?"

Hua Xiangrong smiled, took off her veil, and said, "Judging from your appearance, I know you won't scream in fright. It's been three hours since you entered the mountain. Have you found those two children yet? If you haven't, don't say you're my disciple, Master Rong. I'd be ashamed."