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

Qiu Lingyu walked to Hua Xiangrong's side and said, "I believe only someone like you, sister-in-law, can completely tame Nianzhe's personality. Naturally, I will entrust him to you."

Hua Xiangrong chuckled and said, "When did you learn Yueyue's tricks? It's all just flattery."

Qiu Lingyu said, "Of course we should learn good things, and these are my heartfelt words, so you can't refuse, sister-in-law."

Hua Xiangrong nodded, then swung a palm at Qiu Lingyu. Qiu Lingyu dodged it, but another palm came straight at her. After about ten moves, Shangguan Hanque walked over and, seeing the situation, called out helplessly, "Wife, dinner's ready."

"Wutong, what's wrong with Nianzhe? Why has he been acting like he's sick these past few days, all listless?"

Shangguan Ruling and Shangguan Wutong hid in the bushes, watching Lu Nianzhe squatting alone by the river with curiosity. Since she met Lu Nianzhe, she had never seen him so sad, except for thinking that he was a cool young man.

Shangguan Wutong shook her head and said, "You know I'm dull-witted. What could I possibly know if you don't even know it?"

Shangguan Ruling immediately said with disdain, "How can you be so useless? You're really not like me. Go over and take a look."

The two of them ran to Lu Nianzhe's side as fast as monkeys. Shangguan Ruling hugged Lu Nianzhe tightly and said, "Brother Nianzhe, what are you doing?"

"Watching the fish."

Lu Nianzhe answered mechanically.

Shangguan Ruling was taken aback. She looked at the calm water and said, "Fish? Where are the fish? Are you upset about something?"

Lu Nianzhe looked at Shangguan Ruling, seeing countless question marks on her pretty face, and after a long while, he said, "Ruling, do you not like me anymore?"

Shangguan Ruling thought for a moment and said seriously, "Why wouldn't I like you? You're my brother, just like Wutong is my younger brother. We'll never be separated in this lifetime, so how could I not like you?"

Shangguan Wutong chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, we're family, how could we not like each other? Nianzhe, did Gouzi and the others bully you? It's okay, I'll get revenge for you, they can't beat me."

Lu Nianzhe burst into laughter through his tears: "No, they wouldn't dare bully me. I'm very capable too."

Shangguan Ruling also laughed and said, "That's right, Wutong, have you forgotten? Nianzhe's swordsmanship is much better than yours. You're still helping him take revenge? You're lucky if you don't drag him down."

Wutong chuckled foolishly, "That's right, I really forgot. I just saw Nianzhe was unhappy and assumed he was being bullied."

Upon hearing this, Lu Nianzhe's smile vanished. Shangguan Ruling playfully nudged Wutong, then looked at Lu Nianzhe and said, "Brother Nianzhe, please don't be sad, okay?"

Lu Nianzhe said, "I'm not sad, I just can't understand why you're not afraid of me. Mother said that many people are afraid of me and hate me, even the wild animals in the mountains will stay away from me. Is it because you're family?"

Shangguan Ruling sat down beside him and looked at the calm river with him, saying, "Yes, because we are family, we truly love and care for each other, so we don't dislike, hate, or fear each other. But Nianzhe, we already know what your body is like, so why are you sad about this?"

Lu Nianzhe said aggrievedly, "Last night, my mother burned all the worms in my body again. When I woke up this morning, I found they were gone, and I felt very sad. I don't know if this was my idea or its idea."

Lu Nianzhe had mentioned this "it" to Shangguan Ruling before. Now that it was mentioned again, Shangguan Ruling understood. Although the thought of those two insects still made her scalp tingle and her body itch, she still asked, "Did you talk to it? Who do you think is sad?"

Lu Nianzhe shook his head: "I think I'm sad too, and it's sad too, but Mother said that I can't control them right now, and they might hurt you unintentionally. I'm even more afraid that I might hurt you, so I'm not angry at Mother for doing this, I'm just a little sad."

Shangguan Wutong tilted her head: "That's dangerous. Nianzhe, you must stay closer to us in the future. If someone sees you, we'll be there, and no one will hurt you."

Lu Nianzhe was taken aback. Looking at Wutong's silly face, he finally let go of the heaviest shadow in his heart and said, "If it were anyone else, they would definitely run away. Why are you, you idiot, rushing up to protect me?"

Shangguan Ruling chuckled: "Because he's stupid! But if it were me, I definitely wouldn't be afraid of you either. So, Nianzhe, you don't need to worry that we'll reject you. Your aunt showed us the bugs on your body. Although I really dislike those disgusting things, they're not you, so they definitely won't affect our relationship."

As Shangguan Ruling spoke, the smile in her eyes infected Lu Nianzhe. With Shangguan Wutong foolishly echoing her, he finally made up his mind and silently said to the Golden Cicada Gu, "I'm sorry, old friend. Although I also hope to always be talking with you, I still prefer to be with them. Although it's a bit silly, I really can't bear to part with them."

As he spoke, he pressed hard on his chest, and a tremor ran through his chest cavity. He then frowned in pain, but only for a moment before laughing.

When Qiu Lingyu returned home that evening, she noticed something amiss, but she didn't ask any questions. She simply waited quietly in her room. Sure enough, after dinner, Lu Nianzhe came to her and said, "Mother, I think I should let it sleep until I can completely control it so it won't hurt the people I love, and then I'll wake it up."

Qiu Lingyu nodded, took his hand and checked his pulse. After a long while, she said, "Mother is very pleased that you have chosen the life you believe is right."

Lu Nianzhe nodded and left happily, but Qiu Lingyu sighed and said to the air, "Lu Zhe, your son has actually subdued the Golden Cicada Gu. I'm afraid that in the future, the power of witchcraft will be limitless! What should I do? Should I cruelly take everything away from him or support him? Can you give me an answer?"

The three children grew up amidst their playful pushing and shoving, and in the blink of an eye, they have reached the best years of their lives. The twins have also grown into capable individuals who can stand on their own. The parents of the children are both proud and worried about this.

Shangguan Jianyue watched the twins playing happily in the yard and said to Bai Jianan beside her, "I wonder what path they will take in the future. It seems that the path we have paved for them is simply not enough to keep up with them."

Bai Jianan smiled and said smugly, "Why think so much? My son is Bai Jianan's son, the young master of Qilin Pavilion. Who can bully him?"

Hua Xiangrong sneered, "No one can bully these two monkeys anymore. They've become demons. If they're released, they'll wreak havoc on the world. Little Yueyue, why don't you subdue them and relieve people's worries?"

As Qiu Lingyu sipped her tea, she said, word by word, "News has come from the Northern Desert. Qiu Zhennan is still determined to bring back someone to inherit the throne. I wonder if you, sister, would be interested in sending someone to the Northern Desert to thwart their wolfish ambitions?"

Shangguan Jianyue smiled and asked in return, "Sister, you were once the princess of the Northern Desert and the darling of the Wolf King. Why are you now going to bring disaster to your own homeland?"

Qiu Lingyu remained unfazed and continued, "Such a weak and insignificant old homeland needs to be destroyed before it can be rebuilt. At this time, Qiu Zhennan is old and the northern desert is in turmoil. It is the right time to reclaim it, but it will require my sister to be willing to do so."

Shangguan Jianyue smiled faintly and lowered her eyes: "How can I not be reluctant? Even if I am reluctant, I am afraid I should let it go. The fledgling bird must fly high. As its mother, I can only watch. Otherwise, its wings will atrophy."

Hua Xiangrong tapped her legs together and clicked her tongue, saying, "You two, as mothers, are throwing your perfectly good children into a wolf's den. What if they can't adapt? Wouldn't that be harming them?"

Shangguan Jianyue smiled faintly: "Sister Hua, do you think that throwing Wutong into the pile of Gu worms to be experimented on with new medicines makes you a loving mother? I suppose that child Wutong has already been ruined to the point of despair!"

At this moment, a cold wind blew from behind Shangguan Wutong, who was hanging upside down on a tree in the woods, facing a basin of Gu worms on the ground, her whole body covered in goosebumps.

Hua Xiangrong, having been exposed, chuckled and said, "A sapling won't grow straight if it's not pruned, and a child needs to be nurtured from a young age. My Wutong is naturally clumsy and not good with words, so I have no choice but to train him to be immune to all poisons. Otherwise, when he really encounters an opponent, he might be ambushed without even knowing it."

Qiu Lingyu said, "Is the conspiracy you mentioned, sister-in-law, about Nian Zhe? After all, the Miao region was destroyed, and it's likely that only Nian Zhe, who is naturally connected to witchcraft, knows this witchcraft."

Hua Xiangrong glanced at her sideways: "What? Are you picking a fight? Are you angry?"

Qiu Lingyu shook her head, and calmly said with a smile, "No, sister-in-law is right. Children don't know what it's like outside. Their naivety is the best weapon to kill them. So if they want to go further, they need to be tempered and tempered. If they can't even endure such hardships, how can they be qualified to say they will stay together until the end of time?"

The group exchanged glances, then looked at Jian Yue. Jian Yue smiled and sighed, "Yes, I suppose I am such an example. Since we agree, let's proceed. King Chen He of Mobei is not dead yet. Let's make this throne more legitimate and save some trouble."

Several women made the decision, ending the children's innocent childhood, and the men began to contribute their remaining energy.

Bai Jianan said directly, "In that case, I will have the Qilin Pavilion make the arrangements."

Shangguan Hanque stood up and said calmly, "I will talk to my father, otherwise Wutong will not be able to leave here."

Hua Xiangrong immediately rolled her eyes at him and said, "You want to go? If you tell him about this, Dad will beat you up. Every time I abuse Wutong, do you see Dad secretly wiping away tears in his room? Every time you run into the line of fire and get beaten up by Dad to vent his anger."