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

At this moment, she had no time to think. Jian Yue's words had already explained the fate of others, so she was naturally terrified and actually quite relieved that she had been locked in her room last night and had not been affected.

Seeing this, Xiao Cui quickly stepped forward and handed Jian Yue a silk handkerchief, saying, "Miss, don't cry. The eldest young lady won't blame you. What happened last night was truly absurd. The master's actions were out of necessity. I believe the eldest young lady will understand."

Xiao Rou's heart skipped a beat again. Was the commotion last night caused by the master? If so, then this sixth young lady must have already won the master's favor in the mansion. It seems she really can't have any other thoughts.

Jian Yue nodded, choking back tears, "I know my elder sister won't blame me, but I still feel uneasy. So many lives... Never mind, I won't say anymore. Xiao Rou, you're serving my elder sister, do you know how to comb hair?"

Xiao Rou nodded: "Replying to Miss, this servant is here to comb your hair."

Jian Yue immediately laughed: "That's great! Come over here and do my hair like a young lady from a noble family. Xiao Cui is a country girl who only knows some vulgar dressing. I'm afraid she'll upset my mother and father and say that I don't know the rules."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui said with dissatisfaction, "Miss is speaking ill of me again."

Jian Yue teased, "Oh dear, my little Cui is angry. Alright, Miss won't scold you. My little Cui is an all-around capable maid. With you here, I can rest assured."

Xiaorou, you can be casual around me from now on. There aren't many rules here, and I'm not some kind of noble person. Just listen to Xiaocui, that way I'll feel at ease.

Xiao Cui's position was thus fixed like steel in just a few words between Jian Yue and Xiao Cui. Xiao Rou understood this perfectly, and she also benefited from the misfortune by becoming Jian Yue's maid. Although she was still just a hairdresser, she was still glad.

After combing her hair, Xiao Tao finished tending to her wounds and knocked on the door to come in. Jian Yue feigned surprise and said, "Why are you here? Didn't we agree that you should rest?"

Xiao Rou, with a bandage on her head, bowed to Jian Yue and shook her head, saying, "No need. I'm not some precious person, and Miss needs someone to take care of her. How can I go to rest?"

Everyone knew what was going on with this eager-to-get-along-with behavior. Jian Yue and Xiao Cui exchanged a glance, smiled, and didn't expose her. They just nodded and sighed, "Big sister has done a good job raising her. This girl is caring. She knew that you couldn't take care of me, so she came to help herself."

Xiao Cui chuckled and said in a seemingly thoughtless manner, "Miss is right. I was too wary before. Xiao Tao and Xiao Rou are both good. I'll probably have an easier time with Miss from now on."

Xiao Tao looked at Xiao Rou, who was now safe and sound and standing behind Jian Yue, with surprise in her eyes. She couldn't understand how Xiao Rou could still be standing there.

Xiao Rou received Xiao Tao's unfriendly gaze, looked back with disdain, and then lowered her eyes, ignoring her.

She wasn't stupid; she naturally understood who was in charge in this courtyard. She had already been abandoned by the eldest young lady, and if things didn't go well with the sixth young lady, then she wouldn't need to stay in the Qiu family mansion any longer.

Therefore, at this moment, the best course of action is to firmly grasp the hem of Miss Six's skirt.

Xiao Tao was furious at that look, but she didn't dare to be presumptuous. She just lowered her eyes, quietly found a place to stand to the side, and waited for Jian Yue's instructions.

After everything was ready, the person taking measurements arrived. Uncle Qiu himself brought the measurements, gave various instructions, and then left with a smile. What followed was the liveliest time of the past two days in the courtyard.

First, Qiu Lingfeng came over in person, apologizing and comforting Jian Yue, saying that the person she sent was unreliable and had almost caused trouble for her sixth sister. Not only that, but she even sent Jian Yue two decent pieces of jewelry to comfort her.

Before leaving, she scolded Xiaorou and Xiaotao, saying something about how people from her courtyard were, and gave them a lecture, telling them how to treat Sixth Sister in the future. Only then did she leave, feeling relieved and satisfied.

So what if a few servants died? Two of her men are now in front of Jian Yue. At that time, Jian Yue will be completely under her thumb.

After Qiu Lingfeng left, Jian Yue thought no one else would come, but to her surprise, after passing Sun Shi, Qiu Zhenzhou's two concubines sent people to deliver gifts. Although they were not as generous as Qiu Lingfeng's, they were still excellent items for people from humble backgrounds.

Upon receiving this gift, Jian Yue was so surprised and moved that she cried for half an hour. Finally, after seeing off several groups of people and dismissing two of the watchers, Jian Yue slumped down at the table and looked at Xiao Cui with a mournful expression.

“Cui’er! You tell me, this young lady is really not someone a human being can do. It’s much better to go to Sister Hua’s place. You can do whatever you want without having to be coy or pretentious.”

Xiao Cui rolled her eyes. My dear lady, how can that be compared? What kind of place is that? What kind of place is this? Besides, isn't pretending to be delicate and easily bullied your own persona?

Of course, she dared not say such a thing. She simply stepped forward and rubbed Jian Yue's shoulders, saying, "Miss, you've worked so hard. Why don't we just take action and rescue Madam? I don't think the people in the Qiu family are that wary."

Jian Yue smiled, but the coldness in her eyes vanished in an instant.

"What can you see? The surface things are all deceptive. Do you know what else the Qiu family is hiding? Our plan must proceed step by step without any slackening."

Jian Yue had only slept for less than two hours since last night. Now, feeling comfortable from Xiao Cui's massage, she began to feel drowsy and went to bed to catch up on her sleep.

However, she didn't get to sleep for long. Just after 7 a.m., someone came to report that the master had returned from court and asked Jian Yue to prepare to go to the ancestral hall to add her name to the family genealogy.

After another flurry of activity, Jian Yue rushed off to the ancestral hall.

The first person she saw was Madam Sun, who seemed to want to kill her with her eyes.

Sun and Qiu Zhenzhou did not sit in the main seats, but sat at the lower end like everyone else, only in front of the others.

The others took turns patting out their names. Apart from Qiu Lingfeng and Qiu Lingrong, she was seeing the rest of them for the first time in both her past and present lives. Even the old lady sitting in the main seat—she knew that the other woman was her adoptive grandmother—she couldn't deny that she had never seen her before.

It's quite ridiculous, really. Since we've never met, we should just pretend we don't know each other.

She walked lightly into the ancestral hall, her body as graceful as a butterfly. To everyone watching, it seemed as if a gust of wind would carry her away.

Qiu Zhenzhou was naturally pleased; her judgment was indeed excellent. This child was born specifically for his career advancement.

But while he was satisfied, some people were not.

Sun stared intently at Jian Yue, her mind filled with the image of the woman who had almost cost her her position as the principal wife fifteen years ago. Instantly, she clenched her fists tightly. If she hadn't still had some sense and knew the girl's usefulness, she would have already gotten up and torn the bitch in front of her to pieces.

Seeing Qiu Zhenzhou slowly smiling as he looked at Jian Yue, Madam Sun sneered, "What? Seeing her is like seeing your dream girl?"

Qiu Zhenzhou frowned immediately and said unhappily, "What are you talking about? Mind your manners? This is not something you can joke around with."

He glanced at Madam Sun, then looked at the old lady sitting in the head seat, and gave Madam Sun a warning.

Madam Sun bit her lip and watched as Jian Yue approached gracefully. She bowed to her and said, "Lingxiu greets Father and Mother. Father is well, Mother is well."

"Okay, good boy."

Qiu Zhenzhou smiled and nodded, then looked at Madam Sun. Madam Sun also forced a smile and said, "We're all family, no need for so many formalities. Now, you're my daughter too, so sit next to Lingfeng."

In the Qiu family, there is a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. Those born of the legitimate wife naturally sit in a more prominent position than others.

Jian Yue nodded and walked towards Qiu Lingfeng. However, when she got closer, she realized that this was nothing more than a mockery.

There were no empty seats next to Qiu Lingfeng and Qiu Lingrong, but at the very back of the line, there was a single empty chair, conspicuously placed near the door.

She blinked, then smiled at Qiu Lingfeng and said, "Lingxiu sends her greetings to eldest and third sisters. Eldest and third sisters, thank you for the gifts you gave Lingxiu. In a few days, Lingxiu will have prepared return gifts for eldest and third sisters. I hope you sisters won't find them too bad."

Qiu Lingfeng smiled gently, not mentioning the position, but simply said, "How could we dislike it? You are our little sister."

Jian Yue nodded and walked step by step to the very end of the line, sitting down calmly without paying any attention to the others. This behavior was somewhat arrogant, which made the others feel very angry.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer.

Suddenly, Qiu Lingyun, who was sitting next to Jian Yue, stood up and pushed Jian Yue to the ground. She then looked at Jian Yue with her head held high and said mockingly, "You wretched girl, how can you be so rude? Aren't all of you your elders and sisters here? You don't even acknowledge them. What do you take us for? Even if you don't care about us, what about your grandmother?"

Qiu Lingyun is Qiu Zhenzhou's fifth daughter and the youngest daughter in the family. She has been favored by Qiu Zhenzhou since childhood. However, she suddenly has a younger sister who is said to be the child of a prostitute who climbed into her bed. At this time, she pretends that Qiu Zhenzhou does not exist, so she is naturally dissatisfied.

She looked at Jian Yue with arrogance, her eyes full of mockery and disdain.

Jian Yue was pushed and fell to the ground. Tears welled up in her eyes. She shrank her little feet and stared at her without blinking, her fear evident.

Xiao Cui quickly helped Jian Yue up, asking in alarm, "Miss, what happened to you? Are you alright?"