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

As Shangguan Ruling walked, she kicked at the weeds under her feet, her long sword slashing back and forth incessantly, her cheeks puffed out as she muttered something.

Shangguan Wutong caught up, panting, and said, "Ruling, don't be angry. Nianzhe is doing this for your own good. Look, he gave me all the food so I could take good care of you and make sure you don't go hungry."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ruling stopped and looked at Shangguan Wutong, saying, "But he can't be so direct, can he? Am I really that useless in his eyes? I remember everything Mother told me before, how could I be careless?"

"But him, after going out a few times, he thinks I'm no good at anything. He thinks I must have fallen for another girl and now he looks down on me for everything. Humph, a womanizer, clearly always wanting more than he has."

Shangguan Wutong said helplessly, "How could that be? Nian Zhe has liked you since he was a child. Didn't you already know that? How could he have someone else after going out a few times? Don't overthink it. He's just too worried about you and can't leave you here."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ruxing felt a little better, and after a while said, "But you can't say that about me! Can't you just agree with me a little? Don't you know that girls need to be coaxed? My aunt has already said that boys who can't coax girls won't find a wife."

Shangguan Wutong immediately laughed and said, "Ruxing, you should be happy."

"Why should I be happy?"

"Of course I'm happy that he doesn't know how to charm girls! That way, even if he's incredibly outstanding, if he doesn't know how to talk nicely, he still won't be liked by girls. So, he'll only be yours!"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Ruxing's lips began to curve into a smile, but she quickly smoothed it out, saying, "That won't do. My Nianzhe is the most outstanding. How can he not have any girls who like him? But he's only allowed to like me."

Lu Nianzhe was much faster than Shangguan Ruxing and the others. As he passed them, he happened to hear Shangguan Ruxing's words. He stopped abruptly, then smiled and rushed to Shangguan Ruxing's side like the wind, quickly planting a kiss on her lips.

"Okay, I've written it down."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly floated away before Shangguan Ruxing could even react, causing Shangguan Wutong to cover her eyes in disbelief.

As the figure disappeared, Shangguan Ruxing covered her face in a daze, then a sweet smile bloomed on her face. Wutong laughed and said, "Are you relieved now?"

Shangguan Ruxing said arrogantly, "He still has a conscience. Considering that he is also my younger brother and sister, I will forgive him this time. Let's go back and wait a few days. If he doesn't come back within five days, then we'll leave."

Watching Shangguan Ruxing excitedly run back, Shangguan Wutong shook her head helplessly, glanced at the corner of her clothes peeking out from behind the big tree behind her, smiled faintly, and then followed. After the two had gone quite a distance, Lu Nianzhe finally appeared. Only after they had completely disappeared did he run off again to chase after the two troublemakers.

The village below the mountain was as lively as ever. The difference was that many new people had moved into the village where they used to live. They were all people who wanted to take advantage of the situation. Lu Nianzhe didn't care much about this. He went straight back to the place where he used to live.

In the courtyard, which should have been quiet, people were carrying things in one after another, just like in the other houses. He frowned slightly and walked over.

"May I ask this gentleman, did you consult the owner of this place before moving here?"

Lu Nianzhe's question startled the man who was pointing at the people moving things. The man, who was about forty years old, wore a round hat and had a mustache. After looking Lu Nianzhe up and down, he said disdainfully, "What are you asking? This is a house that has been empty for many years. The owner has been dead for a long time. I'm moving in to make use of the waste. What's wrong with that?"

Lu Nianzhe glanced at the still brand-new courtyard and sneered, "Reusing waste? What a big mouth you have. How do you know the owner of this place is dead? Am I a ghost or something?"

The man was taken aback, then pointed at Lu Nianzhe and said fiercely, "I told you you're here to cause trouble! I'm just moving out peacefully, how come you think you're the owner? There are so many people moving in outside, why don't you go after them, but choose to cause trouble for me? Want money? How much do you want?"

Lu Nianzhe smiled faintly and pointed to the artificial hill in the middle of the courtyard, saying, "This artificial hill was carved by me from stones I quarried in the mountains. In the upper right part, there is a yellow pebble and a red pebble. You can send someone to take a look and you will know whether what I said is true or false."

Upon hearing this, the man became somewhat uncertain and waved to the person beside him, saying, "You, go and see if what he said is true?"

The man hurriedly climbed up the artificial hill, took a look, and quickly said, "It really is, sir, there really are two stones here, one yellow and one red."

The man suddenly felt a little guilty, but still said, "You may have come here to observe the appearance of this artificial mountain before. Who doesn't know that this village was originally inhabited by a member of the royal family? Later, they all moved away, which left the village empty."

Judging from your appearance, you're probably a江湖人士 (jianghu person, someone from the martial arts world), with no connection to royalty or high-ranking officials. You've come here because you're attracted by the exquisite renovations of this house and want a piece of the pie!

Lu Nianzhe sneered, "Share a piece of the pie? How do you share it? What's mine is mine, and what's not mine isn't mine. I watched every blade of grass and every tree here grow to its current state. You know this place was once inhabited by royalty. How dare you come here and usurp my place?"

After Lu Nianzhe finished speaking, he flashed into the courtyard and threw out all the things that the man had brought in but hadn't had time to move. He looked at the man and said, "While I'm in a pretty good mood right now, get out of here quickly, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Seeing his belongings in such a mess, the man roared angrily, "You little brat, you really don't know that Lord Ma has three eyes? Who do you think you are? Even if you are a member of the royal family, that was in the past. The current emperor's surname is Chu, not Murong."

Lu Nianzhe's lips curled into a smile. His slender fingers gently rested on the artificial hill, and with a single grab, he crushed a stone from it. Then, looking at the former stone that had turned into fragments in his hand, he sighed, "I don't rely on the identity of the previous dynasty. Even if the current emperor stood in front of me, I could still throw you out without batting an eye. So, are you leaving now, or do you need me to do it?"

The man was terrified, his face turning ashen. He was reluctant to part with the house he had so painstakingly bought with money, only to have it snatched away. He felt terrible about it. But the other man looked like a martial arts expert. After a moment's thought, he pointed at Lu Nianzhe, his face flushed, and said, "You, fine, you just wait."

After saying that, he led his men, carrying their belongings, and fled in disarray.

Lu Nianzhe didn't care about what he said at all. He just walked around the courtyard step by step, and occasionally he would smile slightly when he saw a certain place, his face showing pleasure.

After wandering around for about half an hour, a woman's arrogant shout suddenly came from outside.

"Who dares to act recklessly on my turf? Come out, come out here!"

Lu Nianzhe took a few steps and arrived at the front yard. Zheng saw a woman wearing a light purple gauze dress with a long whip at her waist, looking around. Behind her stood the man who had just escaped.

Lu Nianzhe walked out step by step, saying as he went, "Where did this distinguished guest come from? Such shouting and yelling is hardly the behavior of a young lady!"

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately looked up, about to shout, but the moment she saw Lu Nianzhe, her eyes widened in surprise, and then a look of infatuation appeared on her face.

What a handsome man! She had never seen such a handsome man in her life, even more so than her own father.

Lu Nianzhe frowned slightly. He disliked women who lacked self-respect and became infatuated with men.

He coughed lightly and said, "If there's nothing else, please leave. I just got back and have a lot to do."

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately stepped forward with a smile, about to throw herself into Lu Nianzhe's arms. Lu Nianzhe's eyes darkened, and he dodged her advances with a swift movement, coldly saying, "Please have some self-respect, young lady."

The woman was taken aback, then smiled shyly and said, "Oh, how annoying! How am I being disrespectful? I just suddenly thought you were so handsome, and I couldn't control myself. Let me introduce myself now. My name is Chang Le, and I'm a constable here. This area is under my jurisdiction. If you need anything in the future, just tell me."

As she said this, she moved closer to Lu Nianzhe. Lu Nianzhe took a step back and said coldly, "Men and women should not touch each other. If you do not respect yourself, then don't blame me for taking action. If I sleep with you, don't say that I hit women too."

Chang Le's face stiffened, and she forced a smile, saying, "Young master, please don't! I just couldn't help myself. This is the first time I've ever acted like this towards a man. Young master, didn't you see the look of admiration in my eyes?"

Lu Nianzhe tugged at his hem and said, "I only saw that the young lady trespassed into someone else's courtyard with weapons without the master's permission. Does being a constable give you the right to do whatever you want and do what others cannot?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Le suddenly remembered why she had come here. A plan immediately came to her mind. She smiled smugly and pointed at the man from before, saying, "Master Liu has already bought the ownership of this house. Why are you taking over? Do you know that this is a serious crime here? You've committed a crime."

Her eyes were full of calculation, and her face looked like she was begging him. Lu Nianzhe felt nauseous again. He said coldly, "Miss, you're being a bit too hasty. The owner of this house has never said it's for sale, yet you say it's already been bought by someone else. May I ask, who sold this house?"