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

The Qiu family is neither too many nor too few people.

Qiu Zhenzhou was the legitimate legitimate son of Qiu Zhenzhou, but he had two illegitimate younger brothers. One of them had disappeared fifteen years ago, while the other was a drug addict who spent his days in a drunken stupor, taking Wushisan (a type of Chinese medicine).

He didn't show up today either. Instead, Qiu Zhenzhou's mother, with her gray hair, sat in the head seat, her eyes closed indifferently, holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, slowly turning them. It was unclear whether she was truly in meditation or pondering something, making it impossible to tell.

Therefore, when Jian Yue entered the ancestral hall, only Qiu Zhenzhou's group was present in full.

Jian Yue arrived gracefully, greeted the few people she recognized, and when no one introduced her to the others, she pretended not to know their existence. She sat down in her seat with an air of nonchalance, her big eyes innocently fixed on Qiu Zhenzhou, unable to conceal the overwhelming admiration in her gaze, which made Qiu Zhenzhou feel quite pleased with himself.

The Fifth Miss's sudden attack was neither entirely unexpected nor entirely unexpected. Her feigned arrogance was something no one could tolerate! So, let's see who can't help but laugh.

Jian Yue shook her head, biting her lip as she looked at Qiu Lingyun with timid eyes, and said, "I don't know this sister. My father and mother didn't tell me, so Lingxiu doesn't know how to say it!"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyun was immediately enraged and retorted sarcastically, "So you're just being arrogant because your father and mother brought you back? Don't you know who we are? Then why are you talking to my eldest sister and third sister? Do you only recognize those two and treat us like decorations?"

"We'll let it go, but didn't you see that she's the one at the head of the table, the grandmother? She's of high status, and you acted like you didn't see her. It's obvious you're from the countryside and don't know any manners. You probably don't even respect your own grandmother!"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue trembled slightly, her voice choked with emotion: "Ling Xiu has never met her grandmother before, and this is her first time visiting the ancestral hall. She has no idea what it all means."

"Whether my father and mother deliberately told me or not, how could I possibly know that the seat at the top was the most honored, the seat of honor? And how could I possibly know that my grandmother was sitting there?"

Tears welled up in Jian Yue's eyes as she stared longingly at Qiu Lingyun, making Qiu Lingyue feel disgusted. Thinking about the purpose of Jian Yue being brought back, he suddenly felt jealous and said, "I told you, and you still have so many arguments. What a sharp tongue you have, but you're using your father and mother's names to do improper things. You clearly don't respect your father and mother."

You say you don't know, that your parents didn't tell you? Then what's the point of your mouth? Couldn't you ask? Your parents are too busy to remember those complicated formalities. You don't even know to ask? You're truly a lowly bastard who doesn't understand basic manners, utterly ignorant and needing no discipline.

She hurled her insults with gusto, feeling a sense of satisfaction, but little did she know that her triumph would not last long. As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sharp pain in her cheek and veered to the left, only to be slapped across the face.

Qiu Lingyun turned around and saw that Jian Yue had already stood up and was staring intently at her. Her teeth were trembling as she bit her lower lip, and her beautiful eyes were wide open, with tears welling up in them, as if she was trying to hold back her tears.

Her hands were still trembling, her palms slightly red, as if she had just used up all her strength. She was now lying softly in the arms of the maid Xiao Cui. If everyone hadn't seen it with their own eyes, and it was indeed her who had slapped Qiu Lingyun, no one would have thought she was the kind of person who would hit someone.

Before anyone could react, Qiu Lingyun suddenly exploded, rushing forward to attack Jian Yue, but was firmly stopped by Xiao Cui. She was even more furious, tearing at Xiao Cui's hair while cursing, "You rotten slut, you lowly woman, you dare to hit me, you're just as despicable as your wretched mother, I'll tear you apart, I'll tear you apart!"

Qiu Lingfeng frowned and looked at it, then immediately stood up and shouted sternly, "Lingyun, what are you doing?"

While dodging Qiu Lingyun's attacks, Xiao Cui protected Jian Yue. She moved nimbly, appearing flustered and disheveled from Qiu Lingyun's pressure, but in reality, she was not injured. On the contrary, Jian Yue's slap made Qiu Lingyun's cheek burn with pain, which drove Qiu Lingyun even crazier. Seeing that she couldn't hit Jian Yue, she rushed forward even more frantically.

While hiding behind Xiao Cui, Jian Yue cried out in alarm. After Qiu Lingfeng spoke, she looked at Qiu Lingyun timidly and said, "I can tolerate you hitting me or scolding me. After all, I grew up in the village and I don't know many rules. If I make a mistake, I will accept the punishment, listen carefully to the lesson, and patiently correct it."

But you cannot insult me ​​just because my birth mother is of lowly status. I will not tolerate your insults, but you cannot call me a bastard. My mother is of lowly status, but my father is an upright and good man. You cannot use that as an excuse; I will absolutely not allow it.

She spoke these words with all her might, as if she had used up all her strength. This made Qiu Zhenzhou, who was initially annoyed by her attack, pause for a moment. Then, his face turned ashen, and he stood up and walked to Qiu Lingyun. He pulled Qiu Lingyun away from the fight and slapped her across the face.

This time, however, the blow was much harder than Jian Yue's.

"How dare you! If my daughter is a bastard, then what am I? Qiu Lingyun, who taught you to spew such filthy words? Does my Qiu family have such teachers? Jiang, is this the good daughter you raised?"

Jiang, Qiu Lingyun's aunt, is Qiu Zhenzhou's third wife. She is of high status and is the daughter of a prefectural governor. She was also shocked by her husband's actions.

She rushed forward, pulled the dazed Qiu Lingyun over to look at her, and said with heartache, "Master, what are you doing? Yun'er has already suffered humiliation, why did you have to hit her again?"

Her heart felt like it was being burned by gunpowder, filled with resentment. She was already unhappy that Qiu Lingyun had been slapped by Jian Yue, and now that her own master had slapped her again, she was even more furious.

Her daughter, whom the master had always doted on and had never hit in his life, how come her beloved Yun'er was beaten now that this wretched girl was back? Qiu Lingyun was somewhat dazed by the beating. The force of a man's blows is far greater than that of a woman's. Moreover, just now, Jian Yue had only been afraid of being seen and had not used much strength.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Zhenzhou sneered, "You always protect her, but you never teach her how to conduct herself in the world."

Madam Jiang was no pushover either. She was naturally arrogant and would not be satisfied with what she was being said. She retorted, "What are you saying, sir? I know my Yun'er's temperament best. She is not the kind of person who is willful and capricious. She has only gone crazy because she was beaten. Sir, you must be fair. Don't let people speak biasedly and break the rules of the manor."

Before Qiu Zhenzhou could speak, Jian Yue timidly said, "I wonder how this lady should be addressed. Lingxiu should take responsibility for her own actions and not make things difficult for her father."

As she spoke, when Qiu Zhenzhou and Jiang Shi looked over, she shrank back and moved further behind Xiao Cui, who was tenderly rubbing her palms.

The young lady's palms are all red; they must hurt a lot. It's all that crazy woman's fault. Humph, I'll definitely teach her a lesson she won't forget.

The two women, mistress and servant, were quite a sight. One, her face streaked with tears, hid behind her maid like a kitten. The other, her hair disheveled and her face marked with blood from her fingernails, was still tending to her mistress's hand. They looked like two pitiful creatures licking each other's wounds, and yet, at this very moment, her poor daughter was still defending her father.

Suddenly, the great identity of being a father filled Qiu Zhenzhou's self-righteous mind. He glanced around coldly. Of his five daughters, four were besides Qiu Lingyun, and not one of them stood up to speak for him as their father. Compared to that, he chuckled.

Looking around, Qiu Zhenzhou noticed Qiu Lingfeng was the first to become alert. She suddenly sensed her father's displeasure and immediately understood. She quickly stood up and went to Jiang Shi's side, saying, "Auntie, it's not that I, Lingfeng, am being petty, but you always dote on Lingyun, which has made her arrogant and domineering. Now she even dares to use inappropriate words to insult Father. Isn't that why Father took action? You've always thought Lingyun was right, but have you ever considered what she actually said?"

Qiu Lingyun regained some of her senses at this point. She looked at Qiu Zhenzhou with timid eyes and asked cautiously, "What...did I say?"

At this moment, Qiu Lingrong suddenly jumped out and quickly added fuel to the fire. She raised her hand and said, "I know, I know, Fifth Sister insulted Sixth Sister as a bastard, isn't that saying Father is also a bastard? Otherwise, where did this little bastard come from?"

Qiu Lingfeng immediately turned around and scolded her as if displeased, "Lingrong, you don't know the rules."

Qiu Lingrong immediately stuck out her tongue and returned to her seat, saying aggrievedly, "I was just trying to explain to Fifth Sister and Third Aunt why Father was angry. I meant well."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyun quickly shook her head: "I didn't, I..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly saw Jian Yue, who was hiding behind Xiao Cui, giving her a sinister smile. Instantly, all reason vanished from her mind. Her face contorted with rage, and she pointed at Jian Yue, cursing, "It's you! It's you! If it weren't for you, how could I have spoken so recklessly and offended Father? Aunt, don't worry about me! I'll kill this little bitch! No one has ever dared to hit me before, and you dare to hit me! I…"

Jian Yue blinked immediately, almost bursting into tears with grievance: "Why are you framing me like this, sister? I didn't say anything. If I really offended Father, I will atone with my death."

Qiu Lingyun acted as if she hadn't heard, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws. Jiang Shi almost couldn't hold her back. Qiu Zhenzhou was so angry that he slapped her again, this time drawing blood from the corner of Qiu Lingyun's mouth.