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

Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang quickly nodded: "You are right, Madam. I know I was wrong."

Qiu Zhenzhou immediately sneered: "The punishment is too lenient. You allowed your daughter to push Lingxiu. Do you know that Lingxiu is in poor health? If something had happened to her, do you think you could have gotten away with it with just a few words?"

At this moment, Qiu Zhenzhou truly disliked Qiu Lingyun. In the past, he had doted on his youngest daughter, but as she grew up, she gradually faded from his sight. It wasn't anything else, but mainly because she was slightly less attractive than his other daughters. In addition, with the turmoil in the court these past few years, he had no other thoughts besides deciding which daughter to marry into which family to solidify his position.

Generally speaking, the daughter who could bring him benefits was his favorite daughter.

Although Qiu Lingyun was not bad-looking, she paled in comparison to Qiu Lingfeng and Jian Yue. Seeing Jian Yue still leaning against Xiao Cui and weeping silently, her face streaked with tears, he felt a pang of pity. He thought that if she were among a group of men, no one would remain unmoved, just like her mother.

Therefore, Qiu Zhenzhou became even angrier. He stood up, walked to Jian Yue's side, and asked softly, "Ling Xiu, are you alright? Why don't you call the physician from the manor?"

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue quickly shook her head, her eyes full of refusal, and said, "No, Father, today's events must not be told to outsiders, absolutely not. Today's events will not only affect Father, but also my sisters' reputations. They must not be known to anyone else."

"Father, Lingxiu is scared, truly scared! Please, Father, let Lingxiu return to the estate! At the estate, Lingxiu won't be slandered, no one will know she's Father's child, and it won't affect Father. Only then will Lingxiu feel at ease."

Qiu Zhenzhou felt frustrated again. He didn't care about Jian Yue's feelings, but if he hurt Jian Yue's feelings because of this, wouldn't it be even more difficult for him to walk the path of being a loving father and a filial daughter in the future?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He pointed at Qiu Lingyun and roared, "Look at you! Your sixth sister has been on the estate since she was a child and she still knows that sisters should help each other and not let bad things spread. What about you? All you know is how to compete for favor and how to take your own lives against your family. Have you thrown all the precepts for women you learned into the belly of a beast? Go back and copy the precepts for women ten more times. You are not allowed to leave the room until you finish copying them."

Madam Sun frowned slightly. She did not agree with Qiu Zhenzhou's decision to severely punish Qiu Lingyun for the sake of Jian Yue. She thought that a gentle reminder from both sides would suffice. Who knew that this little bitch had truly won Qiu Zhenzhou's heart?

Just as she was about to stand up and retort, she saw Qiu Lingfeng step forward and subtly wink at her. She then held back and watched as Qiu Lingfeng said to Qiu Zhenzhou, "Father is right. The daughters of the Qiu family should all be harmonious. Fifth sister, you are young, and as your elder sister, I should not hold it against you. However, the person you hurt was sixth sister, so you should apologize no matter what."

Qiu Lingyun bit her lip and stared intently at Jian Yue, her eyes filled with stubborn defiance. Jiang Shi's dowry was mentioned, but she quickly suppressed her anger and pushed Qiu Lingyun, saying, "Yun'er, apologize quickly, hurry up!"

In the end, Qiu Lingyun apologized, but her gaze toward Jian Yue became even more vicious.

Jian Yue pretended not to see anything and kept shrinking behind Qiu Zhenzhou, which made Qiu Zhenzhou's eyelids twitch, and he almost slapped Qiu Lingyun again.

Qiu Lingfeng walked over with a smile and said, "Father, please don't be angry anymore. There's no such thing as a grudge between sisters. They're just young. This matter will be resolved in a few days."

Qiu Zhenzhou nodded, and Sun looked at him and said, "Fifth girl speaks rashly, and sixth girl does very inappropriate things. Although sixth girl Lingxiu is already about to be under my care, I cannot be biased."

Lingxiu, you hit your sister. Regardless of whether you were trying to protect your father, you shouldn't have laid a hand on her. The Qiu family's affairs will be judged fairly; no one will be biased towards anyone else. Do you know your mistake?

Jian Yue nodded, wiped away her tears, and said, "Lingxiu knows she was wrong. At the time, Lingxiu was also confused. She only remembered that this sister was insulting Father, so she attacked. Lingxiu is timid and has never done anything out of line. She was terrified by what happened today. Now that Mother has taught her, Lingxiu will keep it in mind."

After gaining another boost in Qiu Zhenzhou's favorability, Jian Yue lowered her eyes and wept with a worried expression, saying, "Lingxiu grew up on the estate since childhood and is unaware of the rules of the manor or the people in the manor. She has neglected many family members, and I beg everyone to forgive Lingxiu."

Jian Yue spoke sincerely, and Qiu Zhenzhou, upon hearing this, naturally did not find it to be fake. He immediately snorted, "Who do you want to bow to? You are now the legitimate daughter. You only need to bow to your mother and me. Between sisters, it is your duty to get along well with your own elder sister. As for your grandmother, she has never left the Buddhist hall all year round, so she has not even bothered to greet you morning and evening. How could she blame you?"

Qiu Lingyun was already angry, and now that Jian Yue had gotten the better deal and was acting innocent, she was even angrier. Ignoring her aunt's objections, she stepped forward and said, "Father, how can you be so biased? Sixth Sister naturally grew up in the countryside and is not polite. I accept that she hit me because I spoke without thinking and offended Father."

"But my sixth sister hit me, and that's that. Even if she's the legitimate daughter, she's still my sister. There's an order of seniority. She made a mistake, so why don't you punish her?"

Qiu Lingfeng frowned slightly, then looked at Jian Yue who had shrunk back behind Xiao Cui, and had no choice but to stand up again and scold, "Lingyun, what are you doing? Sixth Sister has already stopped saying anything, why are you still so persistent?"

Qiu Lingrong suddenly said sarcastically, "Fifth Sister probably feels that Father is biased, only allowing Sixth Sister to be adopted by Mother, without her being distracted and jealous."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Lingyun panicked, her beautiful eyes reddening: "Third Sister, what do you mean?"

Qiu Lingrong retorted, saying sarcastically, "Isn't that right? There's a big difference between illegitimate and legitimate children. How could you not want to be a legitimate child? Now, my sixth sister just happens to have caught Father and Mother's eye and become my own sixth sister. Of course, you're jealous and resentful."

Qiu Lingyun was momentarily speechless, but quickly retorted, "Third Sister, do you really discriminate between legitimate and illegitimate children? Sixth Sister has just become your legitimate sister, and you're already ostracizing me, your illegitimate sister?"

Qiu Lingyun, oblivious to the danger, went even further, exhausting Qiu Zhenzhou's last bit of patience. Just as he was about to explode in anger, he heard the old lady at the head of the table suddenly speak.

"The Qiu family is known for its strict discipline. How could a concubine's daughter be allowed to act so presumptuously in the ancestral hall?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was so authoritative that no one dared to be disrespectful. Jian Yue secretly raised her eyes, only to meet the old woman's scrutinizing gaze. Her face turned pale instantly, and she was so frightened that she almost fainted.

Xiao Cui quickly supported her young mistress, looking at Jian Yue with concern. Jian Yue didn't look at her directly, only giving her a pale smile.

He thought to himself, "This old woman is not simple. I must be more careful in the future, and make sure she doesn't give me any leverage."

After hearing the old lady speak, almost everyone subconsciously held their breath. Qiu Zhenzhou also suppressed his anger and bowed to the old lady at the head of the table, saying, "It is my fault for causing Mother worry."

Madam Sun quickly lowered her head and confessed, "Mother, please calm down."

The old lady glanced around casually, her eyelids drooping, before finally fixing her gaze on Qiu Lingyun. Her tone was authoritative: "Lingyun, do you think there's no difference between legitimate and illegitimate children?"

Qiu Lingyun was so frightened that she lowered her head and dared not speak again. The old lady sneered, "With your parents and elders still alive, when has it ever been your place to make a scene here as a concubine's daughter? There should be no concubine's children on the Qiu family ancestral hall. If it weren't for your father's soft heart and kindness, would you concubine's children be sitting here? Now, you want to make things difficult for the legitimate children. Lingyun, how dare you!"

Qiu Lingyun was so frightened that she knelt down with a thud and said in a panic, "Grandmother, please calm down. It is my fault."

The old lady paused for a moment and said, "You are born out of wedlock, so you should know the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. Whether you are the elder or younger sister, you should follow the rules of etiquette. Considering your young age, I will not pursue the matter today, but only punish you. You must not make the same mistake again in the future."

"Jiang, you should know the rules of my Qiu family after all these years of marriage, right? Since Lingyun has lost her composure here, and you feel wronged, that's wrong too. You should also copy the 'Precepts for Women'."

Jiang and Qiu Lingyun dared not say anything more. Even if they were dissatisfied, they could only kneel down to admit their guilt and express their gratitude. The others also stood up and bowed their heads toward the old lady, which showed how dignified the old lady of the Qiu family was in their eyes.

Then, Old Mrs. Qiu turned her gaze to Jian Yue. Although Jian Yue did not look up, she was startled. That gaze was like a sharp sword, as if it had pierced her heart in the blink of an eye, leaving her with nothing to hide. It made her break out in a cold sweat and her face turn even paler, making her appear even more frail and delicate.

Qiu Zhenzhou glanced back briefly and then said to the old lady, "Mother, please calm down. Lingxiu is physically weak and very timid. She may have lost her composure in front of you. Please don't blame her."

Grandma Qiu didn't say much, only that, "He is born with a good appearance, but his health is not good. I'll have Madam Sun give him some supplements and find a good doctor to take a look. Once the root of the problem is fixed, how can the child benefit the Qiu family by relying on his mother?"

Jian Yue's eyes darkened slightly, and her hands holding the handkerchief tightened slightly, showing her extreme nervousness. Her face turned completely red because of the old lady's words, which made the old lady frown slightly.

Mrs. Sun quickly nodded: "Your daughter-in-law understands."

Jian Yue knelt down to express her gratitude, her expression unchanged, though she was still terrified and flustered. She thought to herself that this old lady was very shrewd; with just a few words, she had revealed the stakes and left everyone with nowhere to hide.