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

Xiao Cui pouted: "Could it have been hidden in a wine vat and taken away, which you didn't notice?"

Xiao Wu immediately shook his head: "Impossible. The amount of wine transported out each day is counted, and it's all in small jars. No wine vats are ever carried out. I'm keeping track of the number of wine vats, and not a single one is missing."

Xiao Wu trusted his eyes, but Xiao Cui frowned and said, "Maybe it was while you were sleeping? Can you guarantee that you were watching this place for every single hour of the day?"

This time, Xiao Wu began to hesitate. Even if he spent all twelve hours of the day next to the cellar, there were times when he would doze off, and there were times when the cellar was under strict guard during renovations, during which time he could not get close at all.

Thinking of this, he felt a pang of guilt and stole a glance at Jian Yue: "Miss, what do we do now?"

After a long pause, Jian Yue said, "My mother should still be in that cellar."

Xiao Cui and Xiao Wu were both taken aback and asked in confusion, "How did you determine that, Miss? If those people wanted to use Madam to control you, they would naturally find a good place to hide Madam. How could they leave her in the original location and ask you to go back and look for her?"

Jian Yue smiled slightly and said, "My mother is not only useful for such a small reason. Otherwise, Qiu Zhenzhou would never have kept my mother trapped like this for so many years without making any moves."

What's more, my mother and I were locked up together. When my mother went crazy, she tried to kill me more than once. When I got out, it was because my mother almost killed me, and she even gnawed on my arm and ate my flesh.

Moreover, at this point, I'm being raised by Madam Sun, the very status I've longed for for so many years—the status of a legitimate daughter. Do you think Qiu Zhenzhou would really come back to save this crazy woman and give up all this wonderful opportunity?

Another point is that this cellar, though seemingly loose, is actually well-hidden. No one would expect that such an important person would be placed in this wine cellar where people can come and go as they please.

Qiu Zhenzhou was not only intelligent, but also quite cunning, which is why she was so certain that her mother was still in the cellar.

At this point, Jian Yue looked at Xiao Wu and asked, "Did you bring the key?"

Xiao Wu nodded quickly: "The key has always been in my hands. I gave the old woman who guards the kitchen some good things, and she's asleep now. I didn't even feel anything when I threw it away."

Jian Yue nodded, signaling Xiao Wu to lead the way. Xiao Wu, quick-witted, knew what Jian Yue was going to do and hurriedly led the way.

Jian Yue hadn't originally planned to go to the cellar, firstly because there wasn't enough time, and secondly because it wasn't the right time.

But when she heard that the cellar was being renovated, she was still a little worried. Even though she was sure that her mother was still in the cellar, she still wanted to find out for sure.

Although Qiu Zhenzhou had a major concern locked up in the kitchen, he didn't arrange for extra people to guard it because he didn't want anyone to notice anything unusual.

As long as the three of them carefully avoided the patrolling guards, they easily reached the backyard of the kitchen.

The wine cellar wasn't in an open area, but rather in the southeast corner of the kitchen courtyard, not far from the kitchen itself. There were many large locust trees in the middle, lush and verdant, making it a magnificent sight.

However, an unexpected turn of events occurred. Just as they reached the vicinity of the wine cellar, they discovered that the two guards who were standing at the cellar entrance had fallen to the ground, their fates unknown.

Jian Yue's expression immediately tightened, and Xiao Wu also said in a panic, "I didn't do this. They are very vigilant. Except for mealtimes, they don't drink a drop of water at other times."

Jian Yue frowned, took two steps forward, then suddenly her ears twitched. She quickly pulled Xiao Wu and Xiao Cui back several dozen steps and hid behind a large tree a little distance from the cellar.

Just as the three figures disappeared, a dozen or so guards from the manor arrived at the cellar exit. In front of those guards was none other than Qiu Zhenzhou, the man she had only met once in her life.

Startled, Xiao Cui quickly grabbed Xiao Wu's arm and bit her lower lip tightly, afraid that she would make a sound at this moment.

Although Xiao Wu was small, he seemed more mature than Xiao Cui. At this moment, he was only a little pale, but his eyes were always fixed on the movement at the entrance of the cellar.

He carefully moved to Jian Yue's side and whispered, "Miss."

"Shh~"

Jian Yue gestured for him to be quiet, her eyes fixed on Qiu Zhenzhou's back. Memories of her past life resurfaced, and a sudden surge of hatred rose in her eyes, which she then suppressed, slowly disappearing into her black pupils.

She loosened her grip on the tree trunk, waved to the two of them, and then slowly retreated. Xiao Wu understood and followed suit, pulling along Xiao Cui, who was at a loss for what to do.

The three of them slowly moved out of the kitchen area. Fortunately, there were no guards in the kitchen. Jian Yue was also cautious and careful, and the three of them returned to their temporary residence without any problems.

Upon returning, Xiao Cui immediately collapsed to the ground, exclaiming, "I was so scared, Miss! What happened? Is Madam in danger?"

Jian Yue shook her head, her expression tightening slightly: "Someone has entered the mansion, and they're after my mother. Xiao Wu, you need to go back immediately. After they've dealt with the cellar incident, they'll definitely investigate everyone in the kitchen."

If something happens at the wine cellar, you can naturally avoid being accused of drugging them. Just pretend you know nothing, and no one will suspect that you were the one who drugged the two people in the kitchen.

"Tomorrow, once things have settled down, find someone you know well and can give them a heads-up about the current situation at the wine cellar."

Xiao Wu nodded and left. Only then did Xiao Cui recover. She stood up, but her face was still pale, and said, "Miss, why would someone break into this place targeting Madam?"

Jian Yue didn't answer her question, but looked at her with piercing eyes, which made Xiao Cui feel flustered.

“Xiao Cui, following me is just a small matter. If you are still as inexperienced as you are now, then you don’t need to follow me anymore. I don’t want you to risk your life.”

Xiao Cui and Xiao Wu are siblings; they are the same boy who recovered from his illness because of the money she gave them.

That day, Xiao Cui insisted on following her as if to repay a debt of gratitude, and the young man also insisted on staying by her side. At that time, Jian Yue was penniless, in an awkward position, and facing life and death, so she simply could not take two people with her.

So, because of Xiao Wu's stubbornness, she sent Xiao Wu to the Qiu family to sell herself into slavery so that she could secretly find out about her mother.

Now, although Xiao Wu is still young, he is more cautious and steady than Xiao Cui. It is likely that he has been trained in this mansion and is a person who can be of great use.

And Xiao Cui.

Jian Yue sighed inwardly.

They faced life and death several times on their way to the manor, and suffered all kinds of grievances upon arrival. They already knew the true colors of the Qiu family, but even so, they had never experienced a death.

If Xiao Cui were still naive, she really didn't want to go any further into the mire. If she went any deeper, her hands would surely be stained with blood.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui was stunned for a moment, then her eyes reddened slightly, and she said aggrievedly, "This servant is useless. This servant will definitely try my best. Please don't send this servant away, Miss."

As she spoke, she knelt down, a sight that made Jian Yue feel unbearable.

"It's not that I want to get rid of you, but from now on, most of the things around me will be life-threatening. Do you really not regret continuing? And if one day someone catches you and asks you to reveal my secrets, can you endure torture and not tell them?"

Xiao Cui, I'm not a heartless person, but I carry too much hatred on my shoulders. My mother is still suffering, and there's so much I need to do. Can you really persevere and become my right-hand woman?

Xiao Cui suddenly looked up and met Jian Yue's gaze, which was full of seriousness and earnestness.

Xiao Cui wiped away her tears and said firmly, "From the day I followed Miss, I belong to Miss in life and in death. If Miss wants to kill someone, Xiao Cui will dig a pit for her without hesitation."

Miss, please, please don't abandon Xiao Cui. Xiao Cui will definitely try her best to become a better person.

Tears streamed down Xiao Cui's face, but her eyes grew even more determined. She had never encountered anything like this before, except when her younger brother Xiao Wu and her father were sick and had no money for treatment.

Later, after following Jian Yue, seeing Jian Yue's life and situation, she also thought about crying. However, seeing Jian Yue's unyielding plans and struggles, she suddenly felt that she couldn't cry. Even when she was learning martial arts from her young lady, she didn't cry.

Miss is a phoenix shining with golden light, and one day she will soar into the sky. If she wants to follow Miss, she can only become a pillar by Miss's side, and must never become a burden.

So this is the last chance the young lady is giving her.

Because the road ahead is no longer smooth; it is full of thorns.

Mercy can only be the murderer of oneself.

Jian Yue remained silent for a moment, then sighed, helped Xiao Cui up, and hugged her waist, saying, "Xiao Cui, thank you. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to persevere until now. Now that I've come this far, I'm destined to keep going. From now on, we'll depend on each other. Don't worry, if there's any real danger, I will definitely protect you."

Xiao Cui shook her head and said, "It is Xiao Cui who should protect Miss. Has Miss forgotten? Xiao Cui learned kung fu from Master Hua. Although I am not as good as Miss, I am still quite skilled. It's just that I don't use it often and just didn't think of it at the moment."

"Pah! You still have the nerve to say you know martial arts? Look at how you were just now, you're not even as good as Xiao Wu."

Jian Yue laughed and scolded, and Xiao Cui blushed immediately. She quickly said, "I certainly won't always be like that, Miss. Don't worry, if I encounter such a thing again, Xiao Cui will definitely live up to your expectations."

Seeing that Xiao Cui was getting anxious, Jian Yue stopped teasing her and said, "Alright, I believe you can do it. It's getting late, you should go and rest. This mansion is probably not going to be quiet tonight, and someone may come to check on us soon."

"Then Miss should also get some rest."

After Xiao Cui finished speaking, she got up and left. Jian Yue walked to the bedside, but as she reached out to lift the gauze curtain, she was suddenly grabbed by a large hand and yanked into the gauze curtain.