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

"What did you say? Yue Leyun has already gone to the imperial prison? Why are you only telling me about such a big thing now?"

Qiu Lingyu was furious with the head eunuch and slapped him, leaving him with a mouthful of blood. However, he still dared not be negligent and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. After Her Majesty the Empress received the key to the Heavenly Prison from me, I also wanted to come and deliver the message as soon as possible. However, Your Majesty's guards have been standing guard at my door and won't let me move at all. They said it was the Emperor's order, and I had no chance to come over."

Qiu Lingyu sneered, her gaze turning sharp as she coldly said, "Yue Leyun, what a Yue Leyun! Just because you have some favor with the emperor, you think you can disregard human life like this? Someone, go and tell the emperor that I suddenly fainted from shock."

"Yes, ma'am."

The maidservant obeyed and left. Qiu Lingyu turned to the head eunuch and said, "Go and kneel outside the door. If the Emperor comes and asks, you only need to kowtow and confess."

The head eunuch dared not be negligent, so he hurriedly nodded and scrambled to the outer hall to kneel down.

Qiu Lingyu lay on the bed, feigning sleep. Before long, she heard hurried footsteps, followed by a furious roar from the outer hall. Then, the footsteps approached, and a pair of large hands grasped her cold hands. Shortly after, a royal physician came to take her pulse, and only then did she slowly wake up.

Murong Chuan looked at her anxiously and said, "What's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly faint? You scared me to death."

Qiu Lingyu shook her head, lowered her head, and remained silent. Seeing this, Murong Chuan continued to press, "Yu'er, what's wrong with you? Has someone wronged you?"

Qiu Lingyu then raised her eyes and looked at Murong Chuan, asking, "Your Majesty, if it is said that Your Majesty has wronged Yu'er, what should Your Majesty do?"

"I?"

Murong Chuan suddenly smiled and said, "How have I wronged you? Tell me."

Qiu Lingyu shook her head and said, "If Your Majesty doesn't say how to deal with it, I would never dare to say it, after all, I still bear the surname Shangguan."

Murong Chuan frowned slightly and said coldly, "Who's been gossiping behind my back? Is that it?"

Qiu Lingyu sighed and said softly, "I come from the northern desert. What kind of people haven't I seen? I don't know what strategy is. I only know that everything should be resolved openly. If you don't say it, it's useless even if you know it."

"Your Majesty, gossip is a trivial matter, and I am neither alarmed nor afraid. But if there is anything I truly fear, it is surely the person who seeks to wipe out my entire Shangguan family."

After Qiu Lingyu finished speaking, she got up and walked to the dressing mirror, instructing the maid, "Someone, help me change my clothes. I'm afraid I'll have to go back to the Northern Desert earlier than planned."

Murong Chuanteng stood up abruptly and said, "Who wants you to leave? You are my woman, you can only stay in this palace, you are not allowed to go anywhere else."

Qiu Lingyu paused, slowly turned around, and said mournfully, "Even if I were to die like my sister?"

Murong Chuan was taken aback, confused, and said, "Dead? Are you talking about her again?"

Qiu Lingyu nodded and said, "Yes, wasn't it the Emperor who had the Empress take the key to the prison and beat my sister to death?"

Qiu Lingyu's words struck Murong Chuan like a thunderbolt. A smiling face appeared in his mind, brimming with joy and happiness, her eyes filled with admiration and love for him. However, it was all just a mirage; the image shattered with a bang.

Murong Chuan snapped out of his daze and stepped forward, asking, "You said Yue Leyun killed... the former Empress Ling?"

Qiu Lingyu smiled and said, "That's right, that's how it is. I just heard it from the head eunuch. I called him over to send some clothes to my sister, but who would have thought I would receive such terrible news? My poor sister and I are the only two left in the Shangguan family. But even she has died tragically. Can the Emperor still say that I can keep my life in the Forbidden City?"

"Your Majesty, I ask for nothing more than that my sister and I could stay together and serve our beloved. But I never imagined that my appearance would lead you to throw her into prison. I never imagined that with just one decree from you, Yue Leyun would beat her to death."

Murong Chuan shook his head blankly and explained, "No, I didn't. How could I possibly harm her? I just wanted to calm things down before releasing her. I absolutely had no intention of killing her."

Qiu Lingyu stepped forward and said, "So Yue Leyun forged the imperial edict? Does the Emperor dare to question her directly now? Does he dare to make her pay for my sister's life?"

Murong Chuan fell silent. Although the image of her voice and smile still lingered in his mind, he couldn't take a step. After a long while, amidst Qiu Lingyu's cold laughter, he said, "Lingyu, I understand your feelings. I also loved her, but now, the Yue family's power is overwhelming, and there's nothing I can do."

"Even if I were to punish Yue Leyun, she's already dead and can never come back. But Lingyu, don't worry, I will absolutely not let her lay a finger on you. I will protect you very well. You stay here and are not allowed to go anywhere."

He has already lost one Qiu Lingyu, and he cannot afford to lose another.

Qiu Lingyu had already realized that Murong Chuan had lost his mind. In his heart, he clearly loved the Qiu Lingyu of the past, but blinded by power, he chose to forget, or even deliberately suppressed those feelings.

He maintained control throughout, confident that when things were in the right place, he would bring his beloved back to his side. Even if she was living a life worse than death because of the loss of her family, he was confident he could make her happy again, simply because she loved him.

However, with the person dead, Murong Chuan's dreams became empty talk. In an instant, his beautiful wishes became unfulfilled desires. The thread in his heart snapped completely, so when he learned that Qiu Lingyu, who was by his side, was also leaving, he lost control.

Qiu Lingyu sneered inwardly, but her face was filled with sorrow as she said, "Your Majesty, if I didn't love you, why would I have led the Northern Desert to submit? Why would I have set aside my dignity as a princess to share a husband with my sister? But now that my sister is dead, my life seems to be hanging by a thread. Your Majesty, please spare me. Wait until your empire is stable and you can control your family before you go to the Northern Desert to find me!"

"No, you can't leave."

Murong Chuan roared uncontrollably, embracing Qiu Lingyu tightly, his tone almost pleading.

"Don't go, Lingyu. I've already lost one Lingyu. If you leave, I'll have nothing left. Please, Lingyu, don't leave me, okay?"

Qiu Lingyu turned around and looked at Murong Chuan, admiring his disheveled appearance. She placed her hand on his face and whispered, "How could I be separated from you, Your Majesty? But I am afraid. My sister's child is missing and has not been found yet. The remaining princess is also left with that venomous woman. I am afraid that when I die, my sister's child will be next, Your Majesty."

Murong Chuan was somewhat dazed. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Then, how about I take the princess under your care? You know martial arts and can protect her. As for the prince, I know where he is, but I have no way to get him back right now."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyu's eyes narrowed, and she asked, "Where? I'll use the Northern Desert Wolf Riders; I refuse to believe I can't take a child away."

Murong Chuan knew the power of the Northern Desert Wolf Cavalry, but after thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "The child is in the Prime Minister's residence, and is currently standing in the position of the Prime Minister's eldest grandson. When the Empress gave birth the other day, I saw that child. There was a blue birthmark on the sole of the foot. But when I went there again, they said that the Empress's child had died. I saw the dead child, and there was no birthmark on the foot. It was not my child."

A cold glint flashed in Qiu Lingyu's eyes as she asked, "Then why didn't the Emperor investigate, allowing my sister to suffer such an injustice?"

Murong Chuan shook his head and said, "How can we investigate? The people in the Empress's palace were all sent by Yue Leyun, unlike you who brought your own servants into the palace. Moreover, the Empress treats Yue Leyun like a sister. Even if I told her, she wouldn't believe me."

As for the Prime Minister, if I were to question him, it would surely cause a huge uproar. For the sake of the overall situation, I cannot… Therefore, I secretly kept an eye on things, and that's how I discovered that after the Prime Minister's daughter-in-law gave birth, she threw out a stillborn child, but the Prime Minister's residence never announced the death of the eldest grandson. When the Prime Minister announced the eldest grandson's full-moon banquet, I deliberately went to see him, and the child had that birthmark on his foot.”

So, you abandoned your wife who loved you with all her heart? And boarded the ship of your in-laws?

A murderous glint flashed in Qiu Lingyu's eyes, and she clenched her fists tightly.

At this point, Murong Chuan suddenly thought of something. He looked at Qiu Lingyu and said, "Wolf cavalry won't work. The Prime Minister's residence is heavily guarded now. We need someone with top-notch footwork to sneak in and take the child out."

Qiu Lingyu seemed to be swayed by Murong Chuanshuo's words. She slowly sat down and said, "In that case, I will arrange the people and handle everything. Your Majesty can simply pretend not to know."

Upon hearing this, Murong Chuan was secretly delighted and asked, "Then, you're not leaving?"

Qiu Lingyu smiled and shook her head, saying, "I was already in a dilemma, and now I have a child to worry about, so how can I leave?"

Murong Chuan was immediately relieved and hugged Qiu Lingyu tightly, saying, "I knew you still love me, both in the past and in the future. Don't worry, once my power is stable, I will definitely not let the Yue family off the hook, and Yue Leyun won't be able to run rampant for long."

After comforting Qiu Lingyu, Murong Chuan lingered for a long time before finally leaving at Yue Leyun's summons. Watching Murong Chuan's departing figure, Qiu Lingyu sneered and waved her hand. A figure appeared behind her, moving like a ghost.

Did you hear what I just said?

"heard it."

"Alright, bring the child back to me intact, bring him to my side, verify his identity, and then send him back to the northern desert."

The man nodded, glanced at her, and said, "And what about you?"