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

Hua Xiangrong frowned immediately, pried open her fist, looked at the bloodstains on her palm, and said, "What are you doing? It's been so long, can't you calm yourself down yet?"

Shangguan Jianyue harbors a great secret, which Hua Xiangrong has tried everything to get her to reveal, but to no avail. All Hua Xiangrong knows is that because of this secret, she is consumed by hatred for the gods, and everything she does now is for revenge.

Now, Shangguan Jianyue is once again trapped in her nightmare. Seeing that words are no longer enough to break through, Hua Xiangrong immediately grabbed her hands and slapped her across the face.

Immediately, Shangguan Jianyue came to her senses, looked at Hua Xiangrong, and after a long while said, "Thank you, sister."

Hua Xiangrong frowned and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Shangguan Jianyue shook her head: "It's alright."

Clearly, she still didn't want to say what was wrong with her.

Hua Xiangrong didn't ask any questions. She let go of her hand, went to the side to find medicine, and applied it to her. While applying the medicine, she said, "The most foolish people are those who hurt themselves, especially women. If a man really breaks your heart and you hate him to the bone, then live well and then tear him apart and enjoy the suffering you once endured."

Shangguan Jianyue remained silent, but Hua Xiangrong suddenly laughed and said, "Look at me, what are you saying? You're still just a child, how could you possibly hate such a man?"

"What if there is? Sister, don't you know that at my age, most women in the capital are already betrothed and are just waiting to turn fifteen and get married?"

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback, and then suddenly realized that this was ancient times. Women in ancient times married quite young, and she, a young woman in her twenties, almost thirty, was probably already an old maid who couldn't get married.

Suddenly, she thought of Shangguan Hanque. Could this guy be much younger than her?

Shangguan Jianyue stared blankly at Hua Xiangrong, then asked, "Sister, do you really not know?"

Hua Xiangrong immediately retorted, "Bullshit! If I had known, I would have gone crazy long ago. Damn it, how could such a thing happen?"

Suddenly, she irritably let go of Jian Yue's hand and paced around aimlessly. Jian Yue silently applied the medicine and said, "It's rare for you to be so agitated, sister. I'm afraid something is on your mind. Just now, you asked what love is. Perhaps a man has taken up residence in your heart?"

Hua Xiangrong sneered: "I've had quite a few men in my heart."

Shangguan Jianyue shook her head: "But there has never been anyone who could make you so upset, sister. Who is this person? How could they possibly disturb your heart?"

In Shangguan Jianyue's opinion, although Hua Xiangrong seems naughty, she is very principled. Especially from the way she repays Jianyue's kindness, it can be seen that she is not an indifferent person, but like her, she uses indifference as her protective color.

Hua Xiangrong may seem carefree, but she is deeply devoted to love.

The person who can win Hua Xiangrong's heart must be an extraordinary person.

Hua Xiangrong fell silent after being asked by Jian Yue. Her eyes darted around, but she wouldn't look at Jian Yue. She couldn't say that she had just flirted with someone's brother and then suddenly realized that she had developed feelings for him. She was currently struggling with this dilemma and confusion!

After thinking for a long time, she still couldn't figure out how to say it. It wasn't that she had low emotional intelligence; on the contrary, she just didn't want to use her feelings. But Shangguan Hanque was a simpleton, and she suddenly found herself preferring that type.

Could it be that she was numb from seeing all sorts of hypocritical men in her past life, and when she met a silly guy like him here, it was like encountering a rare species. She couldn't control herself at all and ended up selling her heart?

No matter how she thought about it, Hua Xiangrong felt like she had been taken advantage of. She tried to comfort herself that it was just a passing fancy and that things would get better after a while.

At this moment, Shangguan Jianyue said, "To love someone is to want to smile when you see them, and to miss them when you don't see them. If you are together, you can't get enough of them. You will smile when you see them smile, and you will feel pain when you see them sad. Loving someone is actually very painful."

Hua Xiangrong looked at Jian Yue, whose eyes were indifferent and devoid of emotion. She smiled and said, "You talk as if you experienced it yourself."

Jian Yue laughed and said, "How can you know this feeling if you don't experience it? Do you think I'm only thirteen years old and shouldn't have to go through so much?"

Hua Xiangrong remained noncommittal. In her opinion, it was completely impossible. When she met Jian Yue, the child was only a little over eleven years old. How could he possibly fall in love with someone? It was simply a joke.

Shangguan Jianyue didn't explain, but just smiled and said nothing more. She simply said, "If you meet a man you like, and that man happens to like you back, then cherish him. But the premise is that he must really like you."

Hua Xiangrong chuckled, raised an eyebrow at Jian Yue, and asked in return, "If you were to fall for a man from your Shangguan family, what would you think?"

Shangguan Jianyue was taken aback and frowned. Then Hua Xiangrong said, "I have met Shangguan Hanque. I have also informed your maternal grandfather to give you his regards."

After a long pause, Shangguan Jianyue asked, "Is the man you're talking about my elder brother?"

Hua Xiangrong remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. Shangguan Jianyue suddenly chuckled and said, "I don't know much about my brother's character, but I do know that the Shangguan family has strict rules. If my brother truly likes my sister, then he really has fallen in love with her."

Hua Xiangrong helplessly spread her hands and said, "That blockhead, I really don't know what to do. Little Yueyue, you know my personality best. I can't stand being alone and I don't have much perseverance. I quite like your brother, but if I'm with him now, and then I don't like him anymore and don't want him anymore, won't you be disappointed in me?"

Jian Yue shook her head and said, "Can you really be sure that you just couldn't stand being alone and it was just a passing fancy, and that you've actually developed feelings for your brother?"

Hua Xiangrong frowned and pondered, "I left because I couldn't make a decision. Your brother goes there every day. Although this is good for the Shangguan family at the moment, I can't handle it. Especially when he looks at me with such deep affection, I inexplicably feel that it's a sin for me to flirt with him."

Little Yueyue, I'm really sick, lovesick. Ever since I left, I've been following his news. I heard he goes to see me every day, just drinking tea, and he's getting thinner and thinner. I feel so guilty, and I just want to go back right away, but then I think, what does this have to do with me? What should I do?

Shangguan Jianyue smiled slightly and asked, "Then what are you afraid of, sister?"

Hua Xiangrong paused. Yes, what was she afraid of?

She comes from another world, and her understanding of this place is limited to her years of wandering around the capital. Now, more than a year later, she has settled in with her lot. But she arrived here suddenly and does not belong here. What if she leaves again?

She used to not care where she was because she was always alone, no matter where she was. But now, seeing a man who was in love with her, her heart fluttered, yet she was also afraid. If she disappeared from here, what would happen to this man? Would she abandon him?

Therefore, the overwhelming feelings of hesitation and fear crushed her already wavering thoughts, forcing her to pretend that she was just acting on a whim and define the two of them as just putting on an act.

Seeing Hua Xiangrong fall silent, Shangguan Jianyue said, "I don't understand how you and my brother met and fell in love, but I know that what you're afraid of hasn't happened yet, so why be afraid? Just like me, I don't believe in love, but if someone really would give everything for me, then maybe I would be moved."

The Shangguan family has an upright family tradition, and my brother has a good reputation. I believe that if he truly loves you, he will not be unfaithful. So, if you also have feelings for him, why not give it a try? What if what you fear doesn't happen?

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback. Yes, this was simply unbelievable. What if it didn't happen? Wouldn't she be worrying unnecessarily?

With a sudden sense of relief, she hugged Jian Yue tightly, her face beaming with joy, and said, "Thank you for comforting and reassuring me, little Yueyue. I'm truly at peace now and ready to begin my grand plan to conquer handsome men. Maybe I really can become your sister-in-law."

Shangguan Jianyue chuckled and said, "Then it's settled. You'll be going to jail for being my elder sister-in-law. And when my brother gets married, I won't be ostracized by my sister-in-law."

Hua Xiangrong chuckled and said, "Of course, we're as close as sisters. If you were a boy, I think I would have chosen you back then. But I had to settle for second best. Your brother is alright, he's just a bit slow. It's okay, with your mother here, you won't be bullied. But I'm a bit older, so you won't mind having an older sister-in-law, will you?"

Jian Yue shook her head and said, "What's the use of me complaining? The important thing is whether my brother will complain."

Hua Xiangrong immediately snorted, "He dislikes me? Right now he's chasing after me all over the mountains and fields, how could he dislike me? Speaking of which, your Shangguan family is really cute. The old general didn't even flinch after finding out that his son had fallen for a courtesan."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue's eyes filled with nostalgia, and she said softly, "Grandpa was so understanding. It was an unwritten rule in the Shangguan family that one could choose one's own partner, and the five families could only see each other, but one could bring good or bad fortune upon oneself. Even if my brother brought back a beggar madwoman, as long as it was my brother's choice, Grandpa wouldn't interfere."

Hua Xiangrong rested her chin on her hand and clicked her tongue, saying, "These rules are good, much better than those self-righteous families. I like them."

Having resolved her inner conflict, Hua Xiangrong was eager to return to the capital. She had just received news that Shangguan Hanque, that fool, was being bullied at Lanyue Tower without even fighting back. She had to go back and support him.

My man is only allowed to be bullied by me. Anyone else who bullies him will have to pay the price.

Jian Yue didn't try to keep her, but she gave Hua Xiangrong some instructions and then asked her to continue investigating Shangguan Linglong's whereabouts and the Qiu family's movements.

Hua Xiangrong agreed and traveled overnight, returning to the capital city in just a few days. Upon entering, she saw Shangguan Hanque sitting alone at a table in the corner, pouring himself a drink and gazing intently at the fourth floor.