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

Murong Yu turned away angrily. Hua Xiangrong then stood up, looked at the still-wet bloodstains on the ground, and sighed, "I was originally going to give you a chance to live, but who would have thought you were too greedy. You can't blame others. Gu Yin, Gu Yin, in your next life, please don't fall in love with this kind of man."

The window moved, and Shangguan Hanque slipped in from outside. Hua Xiangrong yawned and huddled deeper into the covers, saying, "Why did you come so quickly? Weren't you going to sit downstairs?" Shangguan Hanque walked to her side and said, "I was worried, so I sat downstairs for a bit." He deliberately showed his injuries and then pretended to be unwell before leaving.

Feeling warmed by such care, Hua Xiangrong moved closer to the bed and patted it, saying, "Come on up."

Shangguan Hanque was taken aback, then Hua Xiangrong continued, "Come on up, what are you standing there for? You're not going to do anything, what are you afraid of? Are you even a man?"

Shangguan Hanque had no choice but to get into bed with a flushed face. Hua Xiangrong immediately threw the quilt aside and wrapped the two of them together, then put her arms around Shangguan Hanque's waist and said, "When did you get here? You're all chilly."

Shangguan Hanque said, "You arrived not long after you came in."

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiangrong was taken aback and asked, "Silly blockhead, did you see that dead person on the ground? Don't you think I'm cold-blooded?"

Shangguan Hanque nodded, then shook his head and said, "That person wasn't killed by Rong'er, so what does it have to do with you?"

Hua Xiangrong smiled and said, "But it was my design. If I hadn't forced Murong Yu to reveal her weakness, she wouldn't have died. Overall, I'm the culprit." As she spoke, Hua Xiangrong's expression suddenly darkened, her eyes filled with sorrow. She said, "If you really think I'm cruel, you must tell me. I, Hua Xiangrong, will always live an honest and upright life. I will never lie to those I love, nor do I want to hear lies." Love?

Shangguan Hanque was overjoyed and quickly shook his head, saying, "No, no, if she wanted to harm you, it was only natural for you to plot to kill her. As Buddhism says, cause and effect are endless and inexhaustible. It was her, what does it have to do with you?"

Hua Xiangrong shook her head, her eyes filled with even deeper disappointment. Shangguan Hanque didn't know how to comfort her and was looking worried when he suddenly saw Hua Xiangrong laugh out loud: "My blockhead, you are so adorable! You know, the way you are, I always feel like I kidnapped you. Can you not be so naive?"

As she spoke, she raised her hands and cupped Shangguan Hanque's face in her hands, saying earnestly, "I'm afraid that I will eventually lose control and never be able to leave you again. I'm even more afraid that your innocence will be given to someone else, and my heart will ache. Tell me, what should I do then?"

Shangguan Hanque grabbed one of her hands and pressed it against his heart, saying solemnly, "I am not good at lying to you. To me, you are my life. I have said what I mean and I will do what I say. If Rong'er does not believe me, you can listen to my heart. It is telling me, Rong'er, believe me."

Hua Xiangrong opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Shangguan Hanque pressed her against his chest, listening to the violent heartbeat coming from his chest.

Each sound struck, tugging at her heartstrings, causing it to beat in unison, rising and falling.

Can she say she believes it?

The betrayal by the gray rat prevented her from ever fully trusting others.

But subconsciously, she felt she should trust Shangguan Hanque, just as she trusted Shangguan Jianyue. After a long while, she raised her head and looked at Shangguan Hanque, asking, "You said you fell in love with me at first sight. If I had a different face, and I wasn't as beautiful as I am now, would you still like me?"

Shangguan Hanque said unhappily, "I said that the first thing I noticed was not your face, but your eyes. I recognized you at a glance when you disguised yourself as a man that day, because ever since you told me that your face was fake, I have been prepared to treat every mask you wear as your real face."

Rong'er, appearances are all the same, they will all fade, only your eyes will record your past and experiences. Shangguan Hanque is not a superficial person; what he loves is the light in Rong'er's heart.

No one had ever told her that there was a light in her heart. For the first time, Hua Xiangrong stared blankly at someone, looking at them so intently, as if she wanted to carve it into her bones and heart.

Shangguan Hanque continued, "My sincerity towards you is as clear as day. If you are not at ease, then marry me. I will change all the house deeds and land deeds in my possession to your name, and then you can rest assured."

Hua Xiangrong chuckled and said, "Fool, do you have to be so obvious about abducting someone for marriage? Do you really think I'm a fool like you? I was just saying, why are you taking it so seriously? Besides, can all your assets combined compare to the money I make from this gold mine?"

Shangguan Hanque's gaze was intense. He raised one hand above his head and said solemnly, "I, Shangguan Hanque, have always been serious about Hua Xiangrong. Heaven and earth bear witness."

Shangguan Hanque's words were filled with sincerity and tenderness. This tough man had transformed into a gentle soul simply because of a sudden love affair. His eyes were fixed on Hua Xiangrong, so clear that one wanted to paint or depict them.

Seeing him like this, Hua Xiangrong simply couldn't let go.

After a while, Hua Xiangrong let go of her hands, moved back a little, and then put her hands behind her head. Shangguan Hanque was puzzled, but then he saw Hua Xiangrong suddenly exert force with both hands, and her beautiful hair spread out to both sides. Her entire face was peeled off from her head, as if a fierce ghost was peeling off its skin. The scene was shocking.

As Hua Xiangrong moved, a handsome face, delicate yet charming, with a touch of heroism, appeared before Shangguan Hanque's eyes.

Hua Xiangrong tossed her fiery red short hair and looked at Shangguan Hanque with a smile, saying, "Then take a look at my face. Maybe it's irresistible to you?"

Hua Xiangrong's horrifying skin-shedding scene would surely shock and terrify anyone who saw it, but Shangguan Hanque remained calm, though he was still stunned by Hua Xiangrong's strange appearance.

Hua Xiangrong's beautiful short hair was even more surprising. He said blankly, "Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents, you..."

Hua Xiangrong shrugged and began to make up a story: "My parents passed away a long time ago, so I cut off my hair and buried it with them as a way of keeping them company. Then my hair stopped growing. But it looks pretty good, doesn't it? What? Don't you like it?"

Rongrong's beauty was alluring, charming, and a little flirtatious. Hua Xiangrong's beauty, on the other hand, was aloof, unique, and playful.

The two were completely different, yet only their eyes, bright and captivating, were striking.

Shangguan Hanque said, "I like it, how could I not like it? I like anything that belongs to Rong'er. Rong'er's face is so much prettier than before."

Before this, he had never paid much attention to Hua Xiangrong's face, but now, he subconsciously wanted to remember it because it belonged to Hua Xiangrong.

Lying on the same bed, under the same blanket, the two embraced, yet neither slept a wink all night.

Hua Xiangrong had never imagined that she would be chatting and sleeping with a man under the covers, doing absolutely nothing. And this man, without even looking at her, was simply chatting and sleeping with her. If this were in modern times, people would probably accuse her of being impotent, but here, Hua Xiangrong felt so warm that she wanted to cry.

Isn't this just a case of a fool looking for a wife, where one party is willing to hit and the other is willing to be hit?

Little Yueyue, I'm no longer single! I'm not alone anymore.

very nice……

Time passed slowly, and another year went by in the blink of an eye. During this time, Hua Xiangrong and Shangguan Hanque's relationship progressed rapidly, Shangguan Jianyue's affairs were also being arranged in full swing, and Murong Yu, after getting rid of Gu Yin, never dared to cause trouble for Hua Xiangrong again.

Then, the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan suddenly entered the capital, and then Princess Murong Yan also appeared in the capital. She declared that she wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Qiu family and named the eldest daughter of the Qiu family. Subsequently, the emperor bestowed the marriage, which caused a lot of discussion.

This time, the capital was in an uproar. Shangguan Hanque sat on the fourth floor of Lanyue Tower and said with a smile, "The Qiu family's retribution has come so quickly, it's really gratifying. In the next few days, Qiu Zhenzhou's wife, Madam Sun, will probably be rushing to the palace again."

Hua Xiangrong smiled and drank a cup of tea, saying, "Just you wait, there's going to be some trouble. How can the Emperor's decree be taken lightly? The Qiu family may really have to give up a girl."

Shangguan Hanque pondered and said, "Qiu Zhenzhou and the Sun family have two daughters. One of them is Qiu Lingfeng, the most famous beauty in the capital, who is also the future Crown Princess secretly chosen by the Empress."

The other one is Qiu Lingrong, but if this girl really marries into the Qingyan Marquis's mansion, she probably won't live more than two days.

Hua Xiangrong raised an eyebrow and said, "How do you know? Have you looked into it? I never thought that the usually aloof and indifferent young general would have time to gossip about other people's daughters."

Shangguan Hanque immediately explained, "That's not true. It's just that people downstairs have been talking about it these past few days. I sit in the corner, and people who are close to me always say a few words to me. Over time, I've learned a lot."

Seeing Shangguan Hanque's face turn red with anxiety, Hua Xiangrong chuckled. She loved seeing Shangguan Hanque so anxious and at a loss for what to do; it was just too adorable.

Forgive her quirky sense of humor, but she's usually too busy to date, and now that she has one, she's always looking for ways to tease him.

However, since this was the important matter at hand, she didn't continue. Instead, she asked, "Then tell me, what did you hear?"

Shangguan Hanque breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "They say that Qiu Lingrong of the Qiu family has a fiery temper, which is the complete opposite of Qiu Lingfeng. Such an arrogant woman is naturally not pleasing to the Princess, so Qiu Lingfeng is in danger."

Hua Xiangrong asked doubtfully, "But isn't Qiu Lingfeng backed by the Crown Prince and the Empress? The Empress has already chosen her as her daughter-in-law, so I doubt the Eldest Princess has the power to take her away, right?"