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

Shangguan Hanque shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. Although the Empress is favored, the Eldest Princess is even more favored, along with her son, the current heir of the Marquis of Qingyan. The favor shown to him is no less than that shown to the princes."

Whether it flies in the sky or walks on the ground, anything that can be obtained, as long as the young master says the word, the Emperor will send it to him. This once caused discontent among many princes, but to no avail.

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback, then laughed and said, "This is a difficult situation. He's not a prince, and he has no chance of vying for the throne, yet he's so favored. It really makes people suspicious. Do you think it's possible that this Prince Qingyan is the Emperor's illegitimate son or something?"

Shangguan Hanque said, "You can't talk nonsense. It's a capital offense. The Princess and the Emperor are siblings from the same mother. This son of the Marquis of Qingyan was born to the Princess and the Marquis of Qingyan after they met outside the palace. That's why they got married. How could he be the Emperor's child? Don't make wild guesses."

Hua Xiangrong raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "It's just talk. There are only the two of us here, so it's no big deal. Tell me, what is so outstanding about this Marquis of Qingyan's heir? He's been staying in his fiefdom for so long and hasn't come to the capital. How did he gain the Emperor's favor?"

Shangguan Hanque shook his head and said, "No one knows for sure. They just think it's a case of loving the house because of the crow. The Princess has a lot of face with the Emperor, much more than the Empress. If the Princess were to speak up about this marriage, it would be a done deal. Even if the Empress wanted to fight for it, there would be absolutely no chance."

In particular, the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan was very famous both in his fiefdom and in the capital. It was said that any woman he took a fancy to, whether a young girl or a married woman, would be captured and humiliated. He had even driven many people to their deaths, but the emperor always dealt with these matters by making a big deal out of it and never punished him.

This marriage alliance with the Qiu family must be because they've heard about the most beautiful woman in the capital and want to win her favor!

"So, it seems the Qiu family has really bitten off more than they can chew. After all these years of hoping for a future empress, they're going to be eaten by a pig? This crown princess may be noble, but she's just a spoiled brat. Compared to the future emperor, she's no match for him. But will they accept that?"

Shangguan Hanque sneered: "What can you do if you're unwilling? You still have to obey the imperial decree. The decree will be issued soon. In a few days, the heir of Qingyan Marquis will also be coming to the capital. The Princess has made arrangements and is waiting for him to arrive in the capital before she will arrange the betrothal. At that time, there will be no way to stop him."

Hua Xiangrong asked in confusion, "Entering the capital soon? Wasn't it said that this young master arrived in the capital first? How come it's said that he hasn't entered the capital yet?"

"The official statement is that he has already entered the capital. After all, no one would dare to say to his face that the Emperor's favorite nephew delayed his arrival in the capital because he was lingering among the flowers. Now that the Princess has arrived in the capital first and made all the arrangements, everything will be settled once he arrives."

Hua Xiangrong had naturally heard the rumors about the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan, but since none of it had anything to do with Shangguan Jianyue's past, she hadn't paid any attention. Now that she heard that he was involved with the Qiu family, she was moved and sent a letter to Shangguan Jianyue.

However, less than half a day after the letter was sent, she received a letter from Shangguan Jianyue, and was immediately puzzled after reading about Huizhou.

"Arriving in the capital soon? Why is that? Could it be related to the Qiu family's upcoming marriage alliance?"

Since the matter could not be confirmed, Hua Xiangrong could only stay in Lanyue Tower and deal with the situation as it came. At this time, Murong Yu also sent a message confirming the marriage decree, but Murong Yu also brought another piece of news.

The Qiu family paid their respects to the Eldest Princess, seemingly to discuss some countermeasures. Although the Eldest Princess neither agreed nor refused, she simply pushed the matter onto the Crown Prince.

This further confirmed her suspicions, and she couldn't help but worry about Shangguan Jianyue's safety. The little sparrow had already gone to deliver a message to Shangguan Jianyue, and it was probably impossible to summon it back now. After thinking it over, she could only wait and see.

The marriage between the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan and the eldest daughter of the Qiu family caused a great stir in the capital. The high-ranking officials and nobles of Lanyue Tower were all talking about this matter. Some said that the Qiu family had climbed the social ladder, while others said that the Qiu family's daughter was unlucky to have married a playboy.

There are all sorts of rumors, but we've never heard anyone from the Princess's residence come out to refute them or deal with those who spread these rumors.

Hua Xiangrong was very curious about this legendary heir of the Qingyan Marquis, and she always felt that her eyes had deceived everyone.

Sure enough, this guess was confirmed two months later.

Shangguan Jianyue was summoned back to the capital by the Qiu family to marry the纨绔世子 Bai Jianan in place of Qiu Lingfeng. However, in the second month after the marriage was arranged, Bai Jianan's true identity was revealed, and he and Shangguan Jianyue actually had a dramatic love affair.

Hua Xiangrong had been watching this whole time. Although Bai Jianan didn't seem like a good person, the gentleness on his face when facing Shangguan Jianyue was undeniable. Hua Xiangrong, who had grown up reading people's expressions, was extremely accurate in judging this situation. Therefore, even when Shangguan Jianyue was forced to jump into the Hongmeng River, she did not try to stop their love.

However, it seemed that Death couldn't stand the love and affection in the human world and deliberately wanted to separate more lovers. The legendary armored soldiers still appeared and relentlessly pursued the two of them, almost causing them to lose their lives in the end.

Hua Xiangrong herself was also caught up in the incident. Just as they were on their way to find Shangguan Jianyue's mother, things went wrong, and Hua Xiangrong was captured by a mysterious man.

To be honest, she was really unlucky. Her original goal was to find the missing Shangguan Hanque, but on the way, she was bitten by a Gu worm left by an enemy of the Qiu family, which reduced her combat power and made her easy prey for the man.

When she woke up, she found herself trapped in a round, transparent container, very similar to a modern aquarium.

Hua Xiangrong had some doubts about whether this suddenly appearing man was someone who had traveled from the modern era.

But all of this is just speculation. She was locked in the container for ten days without anyone coming to see her. There was no water or food in the container, and she was starved for ten days.

On the tenth day, when she finally collapsed from exhaustion, that person appeared.

"Still alive. Your endurance is truly remarkable. It seems I've finally found the perfect test subject."

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Hua Xiangrong spoke weakly, and because the opening of the container was at the top, her words could not completely dissipate, thus creating an echo within the container.

The man smiled, looked at her and said, "What else do you think it could be? For me, there is nothing more interesting in this world than researching immortality, and you are very lucky to have become my ten-thousandth experiment subject."

Hua Xiangrong was weak and listless at this moment, but seeing the naive dream in the other person's eyes, she couldn't help but mock, "You're so naive. I don't mind if you go see a neurologist, then go home, take a nap, and have a sweet dream."

The man looked at her, his fervor undiminished, and said, "You think this is a dream? But how can you prove it's a dream? I have truly lived for a very long time. This is not a dream; it can be realized, as long as you have the ability to pursue it, Qingyi."

As he spoke, he walked step by step to the container, placed his hand on the outer wall of the container, and said, "Just like the place you are carrying now, once I put something in here, nothing can come out. It is very hard, and the inner wall is very smooth. Anyone who goes in without internal strength or lightness skills will not be able to get out. Moreover, whatever is poured into it cannot come out. Don't you think this is a very good experimental container?"

How could it not be good? It's a beautifully crafted large aquarium, like the kind in oceanariums. Diamonds were added during the firing process, so it can hold sharks.

Hua Xiangrong studied it carefully after waking up. There was indeed such a thing in this world, called glass, but the technology here was completely inadequate to fire glass into such a large and exquisitely crafted container.

Therefore, there is no better explanation for the origin of this thing than modern times.

But if this man wasn't a modern person who traveled from the past, how did he obtain this item? Could it really be a coincidence?

She narrowed her eyes and said, "It is very good, but it is just a product of technology. What does it have to do with your immortality?"

The man raised an eyebrow: "How can it not be a problem? Inside, I won't be afraid that my darlings will become agitated due to external factors. As long as I seal this container, I won't hear any more noise, and I swear, no one will disturb us."

As he spoke, he leaped up and stood on top of the container, looking at Hua Xiangrong from the exit. He said, "You'd better save your energy! In a moment, you'll be competing with my dear babies for a chance to live. Dying too quickly would be a great loss for me."

As he spoke, before Hua Xiangrong could continue, he raised his hand, and more than ten long, thin objects fell into the container. Hua Xiangrong looked closely and was immediately shocked. She got up and moved closer to the corner while cursing, "Damn it, are you kidding me? You've starved me for ten days, and you still let so many snakes in. Do you want them to bite me to death? If that's the case, why did you catch me?"

The man smiled, his face calm, and said, "Don't worry, after going through so much trouble, I naturally don't want you to die. Therefore, I have complete faith in your abilities, and I believe you will definitely outlive them."

Hua Xiangrong licked her dry lips, her eyes flashing with cold light, and said ruthlessly, "I owe you a lot for your trust. In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. I'm starving, so thank you for your hospitality."

As she spoke, she rushed out towards the swarm of snakes. The next moment, she was holding a venomous snake in her hand. She looked up and gave the man a wicked smile.