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

Qiu Lingyu's expression froze, and she looked at him solemnly. The man didn't care, sheathed his long sword, got off the bed, sat down at the table, and picked up the teacup, rubbing it in his hand, saying, "It seems that Consort Ling is not having a good time in this palace. This teacup has been poisoned."

Qiu Lingyu smiled and said, "It's not a deadly medicine, so it's nothing to me. You're doing me such a favor, which leaves me at a loss. I wonder who you are and why you're telling me about the Shangguan family?"

She neither denied nor admitted to having any connection with the Shangguan family. In her view, since this man dared to come looking for her so openly, he must have something to say about everything.

Sure enough, the man smiled slightly, looked at her, and removed the veil from his face.

Qiu Lingyu frowned and stared for a long time, but still couldn't guess who this person was. Then she saw the person take out a rather comical painted face mask from his pocket and put it on his face. Instantly, it was obvious who this person was.

"Bai Jianan, the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan?"

"It's down."

Qiu Lingyu was somewhat puzzled and said, "I didn't expect the young master to be so unassuming. It really surprised me. However, I still don't quite understand. The matter between the Shangguan family and the emperor is well-known and has long been over. The young master lives far away in his fiefdom and has nothing to do with this matter. So why did he get involved in the chaos in the capital?"

Bai Jianan removed his mask again and tucked it into his waistband, saying, "By showing my true face to the princess in this way, I want her to believe that I have no ill intentions towards her, especially regarding the Shangguan family, which is of utmost importance to me."

At this point, Bai Jianan didn't continue, but instead brought the topic back, saying, "The princess disregarded her potential and traveled to Yue, claiming that the Northern Desert was seeking peace and offering her as a bride. However, from what I've learned, the only genuine thing about the princess's trip to the capital was the travel document. Everything else was fake, especially since the King of the Northern Desert seems to have never supported her actions! Right now, the Northern Desert's iron cavalry is still secretly stationed along the border, ready to pounce."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyu sneered: "Is the young master trying to use this matter to blackmail me?"

"No, on the contrary, we have the same goal. What I want to do is avenge the Shangguan family and kill Murong Chuan, that treacherous villain."

"why?"

Qiu Lingyu pressed on, asking questions that she could see the hatred in Bai Jianan's eyes when he mentioned Murong Chuan, and why he insisted on involving the Shangguan family and forcing her to cooperate. This was something she really had to be wary of.

Bai Jianan shook his head, then smiled slightly after a moment: "Does the princess have to ask so many questions before she will believe me? I have already shown the princess my face, and with that as a guarantee, I will certainly not harm the princess. If the princess does not believe me, I will offer another piece of information. I wonder if the princess is familiar with the Qilin Pavilion, which is renowned throughout the five continents?"

Qiu Lingyu tilted her head and said, "I know that the Qilin Pavilion has developed rapidly, is powerful and mysterious. Could it be that the young master is behind the Qilin Pavilion?"

Bai Jianan nodded with a smile. Qiu Lingyu's eyes showed surprise. The Qilin Pavilion's grand gesture was unexpected, as it was actually the work of the Marquis of Qingyan's heir. Bai Jianan continued, "Princess, I am truly sincere this time. Especially since I am meeting you in this manner, do you still have any doubts?"

Qiu Lingyu remained noncommittal. Bai Jianan seemed unwilling to explain why he did this, but it seemed that he shared the same purpose as her. So he smiled and said, "What the young master says is true. Even if I have doubts, I still need the young master's support."

Since that's the case, it would be too pretentious of me to refuse any longer, so please bear with me, Your Highness.

Bai Jianan laughed and said, "Of course, then I won't disturb the princess any longer. Please rest assured, princess, when the day comes for the princess to serve the emperor, I will make all the arrangements perfectly and ensure that the princess does not fall into the hands of Murong Chuan."

Qiu Lingyu nodded: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Bai Jianan cupped his hands in greeting to Qiu Lingyu, but his gaze fell on the child in her arms. After a while, he smiled gently and said, "She is so beautiful, just like her mother."

Qiu Lingyu was taken aback, and then saw that Bai Jianan had disappeared into the room. Outside the window, the shadows of the trees swayed, bringing a chill.

Qiu Lingyu lowered her eyes, looked at Rouge, and smiled faintly: "It seems that it really is a blessing brought by your mother, Rouge. Your mother will protect us, right?"

Having tasted the sweetness of love in the harem, Murong Chuan was no longer willing to stick to the rules. Every day, he would send people to Heqing Palace as arranged by Yue Leyun, and the next day a woman would be promoted to a concubine. Soon, the concubine positions in the harem were gradually filled, with only the position of Imperial Noble Consort remaining vacant. Everyone knew who would be chosen for this position.

Yue Leyun, holding her breath, was in her postpartum confinement in her palace. She listened to the news about Murong Chuan and which woman had become a concubine. Seeing that even the concubines in Heqing Palace had become concubines, Murong Chuan finally set his sights on Qiu Lingyu. Looking at Murong Chuan smiling gently and serving her food like an ordinary husband, Yue Leyun felt a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time. But she didn't want to think about where this warmth came from.

"Yun'er, why aren't you eating? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Murong Chuan served Yue Leyun the dishes, but noticed that Yue Leyun was staring at him intently. He put down his chopsticks and asked her what was wrong. Yue Leyun hurriedly shook her head, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said, "It's nothing. I'm just very happy. It's been a long time since Your Majesty has eaten at the same table with Yun'er like this."

Back when Yue Leyun was still in the Prime Minister's residence, she fell in love with Murong Chuan at first sight and was determined to marry him. At that time, Murong Chuan often visited the Prime Minister's residence to meet with her. Although he already had the eldest daughter of the Qiu family as his wife, he always said that he could only find the peace he wanted with her.

At that time, the two of them were just like that, one serving the other food, the other smiling as they watched the other eat, the two of them just like an ordinary couple.

Afterwards, Yue Leyun disregarded her father's objections and insisted on marrying Murong Chuan as a concubine. She tried to please and get close to the original Qiu Lingyu in order to help Murong Chuan get what he wanted. But now, such a harmonious and warm scene has turned into such a difficult situation.

Seeing Yue Leyun choke up, Murong Chuan just smiled faintly and said, "Why is Yun'er so sentimental? If you like me to have dinner with you, just say so. It's not difficult for me to come often. However, I can't neglect the other concubines these days. Although I am there, my heart is always with Yun'er."

Yue Leyun forced a smile to keep herself cheerful. She said, "Of course I know Your Majesty's heart. I'm sure Your Majesty must be exhausted from changing palaces these past few days. Why don't you rest here with Yun'er today?"

Murong Chuan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That would be good. For the past ten days or so, I have been thinking of coming over, but Yun'er wouldn't let me in, which made me think that Yun'er was angry."

For the past ten days or so, he would come to Yue Leyun's place every three to five days. He originally wanted to come and keep Yue Leyun company so that she wouldn't suspect anything, but Yue Leyun refused every time, saying that she hadn't fully recovered yet, and even arranged for someone to serve him in bed.

Murong Chuan was very unhappy about this, so he simply stopped coming. Every day, he stayed in the arms of the concubines in Heqing Palace as arranged by Yue Leyun, fantasizing that the person under him was the Lingfei he had been thinking about day and night. The whole night was so wonderful that he was intoxicated and could not forget it.

Now, he had finally waited for the day to spend a romantic night with Consort Ling, but unexpectedly, Yue Leyun invited him. If he refused, it would seem cold-hearted, so he could only agree, secretly feeling annoyed.

Seeing that Murong Chuan had not revealed any flaws, Yue Leyun felt a little better and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, please don't laugh at me. It's just that after these few days of recuperation, my health has improved a lot, but my mind is always on Your Majesty. I spend the whole night in the South America thinking that it might be better if Your Majesty were with me. Besides, Your Majesty hasn't seen our child for quite some time."

As Yue Leyun spoke, she looked at the small bed in the dormitory, her eyes filled with affection.

Murong Chuan was slightly taken aback when he heard this, then remembered that he had another little daughter. After listening to Yue Leyun's story, he thought for a moment and then got up and walked towards the crib.

The baby was over twenty days old and had grown considerably larger than before, but his appearance was less than satisfactory. His entire body was quite unsightly due to peeling skin. Murong Chuan couldn't bear to look at him after just one glance. He looked away and smiled at Yue Leyun:

"Yes, my eldest daughter, Yun'er, you've really worked hard. Today I received a thousand-year-old luminous pearl as a gift from my uncle, the royal prince of the Northwest. I'll have someone bring it over and give it to my youngest daughter later. I'll also have some longevity gold bracelets made for children to wear and send them over."

Yue Leyun didn't notice Murong Chuan's disdain at all. After listening, she smiled and said, "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty. I am not tired. It is the wet nurse and maids who have taken care of me. It's just that the child doesn't have a name yet. I think that since she is Your Majesty's first legitimate daughter, Your Majesty should choose the name yourself. When the name is revealed, it will be a joy to hear."

Murong Chuan nodded upon hearing this, looked at the child with an air of importance, and said, "My daughter is a phoenix from the heavens, and will naturally be showered with honor and wealth throughout her life. Let her be called Murong Feng."

Upon hearing this name, which sounded rather uninspired, Yue Leyun's eyes darkened slightly. Suppressing her anger, she smiled and said, "Your Majesty is right, but the phoenix has too many connotations. If we are not careful, it could cause many mishaps. The child is too young to be given such a noble name. It would be better to choose a name that sounds like that of a gentle and refined young lady, which would be more endearing."

Why is it that the child Qiu Lingyu gave birth to can be named by you personally, while my woman is treated so casually by you? Murong Chuan, is this how you truly treat the affection I have for you?