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

She followed his gaze and saw Murong Yu standing in the fourth-floor corridor, talking to Gu Yin, who was playing her.

Hua Xiangrong sneered, coughed lightly, and strode into Lanyue Tower, saying as she walked, "I've heard that the owner of Lanyue Tower is as beautiful as a flower. I wonder if I'll have the honor of meeting her today."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was very arrogant, drawing attention to her. Murong Yu and Gu Yin upstairs could naturally hear it, but at this moment, Hua Xiangrong was using a card that Gu Yin had never seen before, and coupled with Hua Xiangrong's deliberate disguise, they naturally didn't recognize her.

She frowned slightly and looked down. Murong Yu sneered, "It seems that Rongrong's reputation has spread far and wide. This person doesn't sound like someone from the capital, and his face is also quite unfamiliar."

Gu Yin smiled slightly, her face flushed, and said, "Is Your Highness jealous? Do you know that in Rongrong's heart, there is only Your Highness?"

Murong Yu's mood immediately improved, and she went up to hook Gu Yin's chin and said, "Rongrong is so good at making me happy. Her sweet words are really making me itchy. I just don't know when Rongrong will invite me to her bed again. I'm so anxious."

He made a pointed remark, and Gu Yin blushed immediately. Then her expression darkened as she said, "Your Highness's heart is something Rongrong is well aware of. However, I wonder if Your Highness understands that, to Rongrong, Your Highness and I are of vastly different statuses. If Your Highness tires of Rongrong, what will Rongrong do?"

Rongrong's actions were intended to keep His Highness interested, ensuring he always felt something new about her. This way, he would always hold a place in his heart for her, giving her a sense of security.

Upon hearing this, Murong Yu was taken aback at first, then chuckled and said, "Rongrong is just so straightforward and unpretentious. That's why I like her so much. Don't worry, Rongrong, you will always have a place in my heart, and it will never disappear."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yin smiled slightly, lowered her eyes, and the darkness in her eyes deepened.

In Murong Yu's eyes, there will always be the image of her when she is disguised as Rongrong, while Gu Yin is just a dog that Murong Yu can disregard.

The two were gazing at each other affectionately upstairs when Hua Xiangrong plopped down opposite Shangguan Hanque, snatched the wine glass from his hand, and while he stared at her in astonishment, she crossed her legs and smiled at the two upstairs, saying, "You are such a beautiful woman, why did you have to become a thief? Tsk tsk, what a dramatic love story."

Following her gaze, Shangguan Hanque's expression remained unchanged, but he frowned slightly and said, "This young master's words are rather unpleasant, and besides, the wine you just drank was mine."

Hua Xiangrong smiled and moved closer to Shangguan Hanque.

Shangguan Hanque's eyes were dark and swollen, a clear sign of exhaustion from a sleepless night. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him and said, "It's just wine, not your wife. Why are you so worried, young master? You look very tired. Why don't you go home? Won't your wife worry?"

Shangguan Hanque paused, glanced upstairs, and said with a hint of disappointment in his eyes, "She's not home. I'm just waiting for her here."

"Wait for her here?"

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback, then saw Shangguan Hanque nod and continue looking upstairs, his eyes somewhat unfocused as he said, "She told me to come every day, so I will come every day. Even if she's not here, I will still come. I believe she will always see me from the shadows. If I'm so obedient, she will definitely come home."

Hua Xiangrong's heart skipped a beat for some reason. Her eyes glistened, and she whispered, "Where in this world is there a husband left to wait in a place like this? Has the young master lost his mind, or is he having hysteria?"

Shangguan Hanque shook his head and said, "What do you know? If you don't understand, don't ask. It has nothing to do with you. You can leave now. Consider that drink I just gave you as a treat."

As he spoke, Shangguan Hanque had already snatched the wine cup from her hand, and poured and drank it again. However, he paused suddenly after taking the first sip and glanced at Hua Xiangrong.

At this moment, Murong Yu and Gu Yin had already come downstairs. Hua Xiangrong's gaze shifted to them, naturally ignoring Shangguan Hanque's strange behavior. Watching Gu Yin, with Rongrong's alluring face, walk over, feigning shyness, Hua Xiangrong sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she praised, "Graceful and beautiful, this must be the legendary owner of Lanyue Tower, right? Indeed, she lives up to her reputation, a true beauty."

Gu Yin nodded slightly to her, mimicking Hua Xiangrong's manner when entertaining guests, and said, "Young master, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise. I suppose you are from out of town and have never stayed in the capital, let alone visited my Lan Yue Tower."

You know, my Lan Yue Pavilion is full of beauties, each one no less than me, the owner. Why don't you, young master, send a few girls down to serve you and experience the charm of my establishment?"

Hua Xiangrong shook her finger and then whistled at Shangguan Hanque. Shangguan Hanque's expression stiffened, and he looked at her. Hua Xiangrong gestured with her eyes, saying, "There is no second wine cup here. May I borrow another one?"

Shangguan Hanque's face suddenly flushed red, as if he had thought of something. He glanced furtively at Gu Yin in his belly before stiffly raising his cup to Hua Xiangrong. Hua Xiangrong didn't seem to mind, taking the cup and smelling it. She sighed softly, "Although there's a lot of wine, it's not all the same. The taste is naturally different, just like people. Some are like aged wine, while others are like sour vinegar, unpalatable. Even if they seem similar, they are ultimately just imitations, unworthy of the world's appreciation. I wonder if the host agrees with my words?"

Hua Xiangrong raised her eyes, raised her cup to Gu Yin, and the mockery in her eyes was extremely obvious.

That look in her eyes was so familiar that it chilled Gu Yin to the bone. She suddenly snapped back to reality and instinctively wanted to kneel down and confess her sins. However, she had not yet completely lost her senses and realized that she was still wearing Rongrong's face, and that Murong Yu was beside her. She could only stand stiffly with her hands covered in sweat and say, "Young Master is right. Rongrong has learned her lesson."

Murong Yu sensed something was amiss and looked at Hua Xiangrong with a smile, saying, "It seems this young master has come with ill intentions, probably after our Rongrong. However, you may not know that the Lord of the Pavilion is one of my people. Young master, I'm afraid you should look for someone else."

Hua Xiangrong smiled slightly, stood up, put her hands behind her back, and said, "This prince? This young master's identity seems to be that of a wealthy and noble person. I can only regret it. However, since I'm already here, I can't leave empty-handed. I may be eyeing Miss Rongrong, but she should at least entertain me a little!"

As she spoke, she smiled and took out a handful of gold leaves from her bosom, placed them on the table, and looked at Gu Yin with a smile.

As everyone knows, Rongrong in Hua Xiangrong's version loves money. If Gu Yin fails to grasp the key point at this moment, she will inevitably reveal her weakness in front of Murong Yu, and the consequences will be predictable.

Gu Yin went to great lengths for Murong Yu. When Rong Rong locked her in the cellar and Hua Xiangrong rescued her, she only thought Gu Yin was a useful person. Later, she accidentally discovered that Gu Yin had actually fallen for Murong Yu and tried to seduce him, but she didn't know the limits. She offended Murong Yu when he was hosting a banquet for distinguished guests, which is why Rong Rong threw her into the cellar to appease Murong Yu's anger.

Therefore, Gu Yin followed Hua Xiangrong with the ultimate goal of getting closer to Murong Yu.

Gu Yin froze on the spot, staring intently at Hua Xiangrong's face, her eyes full of inquiry and questions, while Murong Yu looked at Gu Yin and frowned slightly.

The group faced off. Shangguan Hanque glanced at the small pile of gold leaves on the table, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed one and said, "You drank my wine earlier, so this money is for the wine."

After saying that, he grabbed the gold leaf and left in a hurry, leaving Hua Xiangrong looking on in astonishment.

Then, she suddenly clutched her stomach and burst into laughter. Gu Yin clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and forced a smile, saying, "The young general is truly unexpected."

Murong Yu followed up, "Is this young master very familiar with that young general? How can he make such a joke?"

Hua Xiangrong stopped smiling and waved her hand at Murong Yu, saying, "Your Highness is mistaken. I don't know him at all. I just came in and saw him sitting here alone, so I thought it was strange and interesting and prepared to tease him. Who would have thought that I would be the one being teased? What a blunder!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Yu was taken aback and said, "I didn't expect you to be such a sentimental person, young master. It's quite a surprise."

Hua Xiangrong didn't mind his misunderstanding and nodded very seriously, saying, "Yes, I didn't expect to become interested in him. You just called him 'Little General,' may I ask which Little General he is? I would like to get to know him."

Hua Xiangrong persisted, so Gu Yin could only smile and say, "This is the young general of General Shangguan's mansion. If you, young master, were to befriend him, things would surely fall into place naturally."

Murong Yu looked at Gu Yin curiously and said, "I'm afraid that's not entirely true! The Shangguan family is not one to be trifled with. Young Master, you should not have any designs on this person. However, if you are interested in this kind of thing, I can arrange some for you. I see that you are quite capable. I wonder if you could come to my residence as my advisor?"

Murong Yu's attempt to win over Hua Xiangrong made Gu Yin's heart skip a beat. She was extremely worried that Hua Xiangrong would take advantage of the opportunity Murong Yu had given her and use it to deliver a final blow. However, to her surprise, Hua Xiangrong waved her hand and said, "Forget it. I'm a naturally carefree person, and I'm also very stubborn. I will never let go of someone I've set my sights on. Your Highness, I'll be leaving now, or I might not be able to catch up."

Hua Xiangrong said, not giving the two a chance to speak, and turned to leave. Her figure disappeared, and Murong Yu snorted coldly: "You won't shed tears until you see the coffin. You've offended the Shangguan family. Let's see how you can stand in the capital. You'll have to beg me for help then."

Rongrong, what's wrong with you today? You look so tired. Have you been working too hard these past few days?

Gu Yin snapped out of her daze, quickly rubbed her temples, and said, "Perhaps so! But I haven't been like this in a long time. I'm afraid I can't accompany Your Highness any longer today. Your Highness may go on your own."

As Gu Yin spoke, she hurriedly walked upstairs. Murong Yu frowned but did not stop her. However, the small doubt in her heart gradually grew, and her eyes darkened slightly.