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

Seeing that the men didn't dare to move again, Xiao Cui put her hands on her hips triumphantly, almost laughing wildly.

Those gentlemen obviously didn't see anything. Xiao Cui's speed was no joke. Back when they went up the mountain to find food to fill their stomachs, Xiao Cui was always the first to go. She made full use of the light-footed skills that Hua Xiangrong had been given to her.

Although they didn't enter the room as quickly as before, they found a good spot to completely block Jian Yue from view. With the help of the gauze curtain, they naturally couldn't see whether Jian Yue was wearing clothes or not.

Jian Yue huddled under the quilt, her shoulders trembling incessantly, making everyone who saw her unconsciously think that this young lady had indeed suffered a great injustice and was here feeling sorry for herself and crying. Little did they know that she was laughing so hard that she could hardly contain herself.

The head guard didn't know what to say. He was just a guard who followed orders. Although he had indeed barged in without knocking or announcing his arrival because he looked down on people, this girl was really too presumptuous and didn't take them seriously at all.

The commotion was quite loud; not only did all the servants in the courtyard come over, but people from other courtyards also heard the noise and came to check. However, they were all stopped at the gate of this courtyard and sent back.

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, Qiu Zhenzhou finally arrived late.

The head guard quickly made way for him. As Qiu Zhenzhou entered, he saw layers of gauze curtains and a figure trembling slightly inside. He frowned slightly and asked, "What's going on here? Aren't you searching for the thieves who broke into the mansion?"

Before the head guard could speak, Xiao Cui spoke up: "You must be the master? Master, I've been in the manor for several days, and I'm so glad to finally meet you today. I'm humbled, but I have to say a few words for my young lady."

Qiu Zhenzhou was startled by the sudden, earth-shattering voice. Just as he was about to reprimand her, a maid suddenly emerged from the gauze curtain and rushed to his feet, bursting into tears and sobbing.

"Master, you must do justice for my young lady! She has never grown up in the manor and has been looked down upon by others. How could she be allowed to enter her private quarters so casually by a strange man? How can my young lady live like this?"

Qiu Zhenzhou frowned, his face growing increasingly grim as he listened. Upon seeing this, the head guard knelt down, his face turning pale, and said, "Master, please forgive me. It was my negligence that caused the young lady to offend you."

Xiao Cui immediately raised her eyes, her gaze sharp: "Unintentional? How could it be unintentional? Of course they don't take my young lady seriously. If you're going to catch a thief, just catch him. Why did they rush into my young lady's room without saying a word? I was standing at the door and couldn't stop them in time. They just pushed and shoved me in. Luckily, my young lady's curtains were down, and I was quick enough to wrap her up tightly. Otherwise, wouldn't my young lady be killing herself right now?"

After saying that, Xiao Cui looked at Qiu Zhenzhou with tears and snot streaming down her face and said, "Master, although my young lady grew up on the estate, she always spoke highly of you. If it weren't for you, she probably would have passed away years ago. Now that she has finally returned, she is determined to repay your kindness no matter what. However, her reputation has been ruined, and she can't even repay you. She feels like dying."

Qiu Zhenzhou was listening in a daze when he heard the sound of weeping coming from in front of him. It was low and intermittent, but it was perfectly timed and deeply moving.

Qiu Zhenzhou was annoyed by the crying, but then he thought that although this girl was not important, she was now a substitute to be offered to the heir of Qingyan Marquis. If word got out that her reputation would be damaged, wouldn't that be terrible?

Thinking this, Qiu Zhenzhou's face turned ashen, and he slapped the head guard across the face. The head guard saw stars from the blow and didn't dare to get up: "This subordinate deserves to die."

Qiu Zhenzhou coldly said, "You deserve to die. Who do you think you are? This is my daughter, the young lady of this manor. How can you be so ill-mannered and behave like this? Guards, take everyone present here today away and beat them to death."

Only the dead will never tell the truth.

Qiu Zhenzhou coldly gave the order, and dozens of guards entered from outside, pulling away all the maids and servants who were watching, as well as the few people who had broken into the room.

The head of the guards was deathly pale, his hands trembling. He thought of begging for mercy, but he was stunned by Qiu Zhenzhou's cold and ruthless eyes. He collapsed to the ground and lost control of his bladder and passed out.

"Hmph! Drag him away and execute him on the spot."

Qiu Zhenzhou wanted to back away in disgust, but he forgot that there was a girl tied to his leg. This girl had been crying and making a scene while clinging to his pushcart, and the person who came to pull him away hadn't dared to touch her.

At this moment, Qiu Zhenzhou noticed her and suddenly realized that she was his adopted daughter's only maid. If he really killed her, wouldn't that break his adopted daughter's heart? Then things would be difficult to handle later.

Thinking it over, Qiu Zhenzhou moved his legs and said, "Get up and go see your young lady."

Xiao Cui wiped away her tears, then stood up and bowed to Qiu Zhenzhou, saying, "Thank you, sir, for standing up for my young lady. Thank you, sir."

"It's alright, she's my daughter after all, why be so polite? Get up quickly. Look at you, hmph, you have no manners. If I didn't know you were protecting my daughter, I wouldn't have let you off the hook."

"Yes, I know, I am guilty."

As Xiao Cui spoke, she readily agreed and went to help Jian Yue tidy her clothes.

Qiu Zhenzhou waited for the others to finish tidying up the house before sitting at the table waiting for Jian Yue to come out.

The gauze curtain wasn't an expensive one, and it was old and dilapidated, so it was impossible to see what the person inside looked like. Qiu Zhenzhou subconsciously glanced at the person inside the gauze curtain and couldn't help but recall how he first met this woman five years ago.

At that time, he had just come down from court and hadn't even had time to walk into the courtyard when he heard that something had happened in the kitchen.

What could possibly happen in the kitchen? The troublemakers couldn't bear it, so they were beaten and killed. But then, a moment later, someone from the cellar came up and said that the woman had gone mad and wanted to eat her own daughter.

It was only then that he suddenly realized he actually had a daughter.

The first time I saw Jian Yue, the child was disheveled, but her big eyes were still undeniable, and after she washed up, they accentuated the features of a future beauty.

At that time, he thought that if he raised them to adulthood, he would definitely be able to sell them for a good price.

That's why he kept the child despite his wife's objections. If his wife hadn't strongly opposed it, even threatening to kill herself, he would have kept the child in the mansion.

Now, the child has grown up. He has seen the portrait and found the child to be quite handsome. He imagines that the person in the portrait must be graceful and elegant.

The gauze curtain was slowly lifted, and a simply dressed girl walked out. The girl's eyes were red and swollen, and she walked with a swaying gait, like a willow swaying in the wind. If it weren't for the little maid supporting her, Qiu Zhenzhou felt that if a gust of wind blew by, it would blow the girl over.

He frowned. Had the harvest at the estate failed terribly? And why was his body so weak?

"Father is well. Thank you for standing up for your daughter."

Jian Yue came out, her eyes red like a rabbit's, looking at Qiu Zhenzhou timidly yet hopefully. This startled Qiu Zhenzhou. Then, a light network called Father and Daughter suddenly appeared and formed a circle in his mind.

After a long pause, he finally said, "No need for formalities. Are you frightened?"

Jian Yue smiled shyly, her face still showing a hint of timidity, and said, "It's because I was already weak when I shot you, and now I'm a little too frightened, which has made Father worry."

Qiu Zhenzhou nodded: "You are my daughter, the rightful daughter of the Qiu family. Don't worry, this will never happen again. I will send other people to take care of you."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she trembled as she was about to kneel down. Qiu Zhenzhou's eyes widened; he had a feeling that if she really knelt down, his adopted daughter would end up lying on the bed. He immediately stopped her, saying, "What are you doing? You and I are father and daughter; there are no outsiders here. Why such formalities? Please sit down. Why are you so weak? Have you seen a doctor?"

Jian Yue stood up and sat opposite Qiu Zhenzhou. Her beautiful eyes were lowered, and she was quiet and pitiful. Qiu Zhenzhou seemed to see the figure that used to fascinate him in Jian Yue, and his tone softened.

"Thank you for your concern, Father. I am fine. It's just that I was robbed of all my money by bandits on my way to the manor five years ago. I went through a period of food shortages and that's how I developed this illness."

Qiu Zhenzhou was taken aback. They'd encountered bandits? Didn't the men he sent to escort this girl to the manor say they had a safe journey?

His expression remained unchanged as he continued, "If that's the case, why didn't you send a letter to your father from the estate? Your father could have sent the imperial physician over to take a look."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue wept softly: "The mothers on the estate said that there was no extra money to send a letter to their daughter. They said that their daughter was meant to guard the estate for her father and should not disturb him if anything happened. That's why their daughter did not write to her father. Please don't be angry."

Qiu Zhenzhou immediately understood that all of this must have been done by the Sun family.

He was annoyed, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about those distant things, so he asked with concern, "This courtyard is really too quiet. I'll get you a better one later."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue immediately shook her head, biting her lip for a long while before saying, "Thank you, Father. I am perfectly fine here. It's just that I've been at the manor for a long time and have gotten used to the quiet. Mother's arrangement shows that you have put thought into understanding me. I am extremely grateful."

Moreover, her eldest and third sisters had already come to check on her, even providing servants to take care of her daily needs. She dared not ask for more.