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

Qiu Lingyun's provocation was undoubtedly successful; Qiu Lingrong was indeed angered by her words at that moment.

She had seen the imperial edict bestowing the marriage upon her, which did indeed mention the legitimate daughter of the Qiu family, but did not specify which one. This loophole in the edict was the reason why her father and mother brought back the lowly maid.

They never considered Qiu Lingrong. Originally, Qiu Lingrong had no objection to this matter. She didn't want to marry such an ugly, twisted young master who liked to abuse women.

But Qiu Lingyun is right. Regardless of whether she wants to marry into the family or not, the person who should marry into the family is definitely not the suddenly appearing sixth sister, but her, the proper legitimate daughter.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her mother and father had acted unfairly, and she grew increasingly angry. However, even though she was so angry that her face turned ashen, she still said:

"That's still better than Fifth Sister, isn't it? As the legitimate daughter, and with my mother being the Empress's sister, there are plenty of other marriage options for me, even without the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan. Take the young prince from the Wang family, for example. Why would I make things difficult for Sixth Sister for a man whose appearance I don't even know?"

"Since this marriage was arranged by my parents, I, as their daughter, won't go and make a fool of myself. It's better to wait for the young prince to come to the capital; that will be my chance to shine. As for you, Fifth Sister, being born of a concubine, you don't have the right to attend the imperial banquet."

After saying that, Qiu Lingrong saw Qiu Lingyun's changed expression and her mood improved considerably. She then walked away in a carefree manner.

Qiu Lingyun twisted her handkerchief, glared at Qiu Lingrong, then glanced at the eighty dowry baskets laid out on the ground. A sinister glint flashed in her eyes, followed by a smile that, due to the severe scars on her face, appeared ferocious.

The news caused quite a stir in the manor. By the time Jian Yue finally learned that Bai Jianan had come to propose marriage, more than an hour had passed.

She got carried away that night and drank too much. She didn't know when she got back home, but she vaguely remembered that someone she knew brought her back. She figured it must have been someone sent by Sister Hua.

The hangover gave her a terrible headache. Xiao Cui came to report the news after Bai Jianan passed through the mansion. When she entered the room, she smelled a strong smell of alcohol and knew that her mistress must have gone out to have fun again yesterday. So she didn't dare to call anyone else to serve her and stayed in the room by herself, waiting for Jian Yue to wake up.

When Jian Yue woke up, the first thing she did was rub her head. Then she saw Xiao Cui looking at her with a mournful expression and saying, "Miss, you're finally awake. It's all over the place outside because of you. Even the eldest young lady came to inquire about you."

Jian Yue was puzzled, then saw Xiao Cui sighing and saying, "Miss, why are you so unlucky? How did you end up in this mess? How am I supposed to explain this to Sister Hua?"

Jian Yue was confused by what was being said, and her head started to ache even more. She patted Xiao Cui and said, "My head already hurts enough, so stop beating around the bush and just tell me what's going on."

"It's that young master again. Why did he come so soon? This time he said he was here to propose marriage, and he even brought eighty loads of betrothal gifts. Right now, he's probably discussing the wedding arrangements with the master."

What? That Bai Jianan is here so early in the morning?

Jian Yue was a little stunned. Thinking of his arrogant appearance and deep eyes yesterday, she was momentarily confused.

She looked at Xiao Cui in disbelief, asking again, "Are you sure he's here so early in the morning to formally propose marriage?"

Xiao Cui said, "How can I not be sure? There are so many boxes, a full eighty loads! Miss, to be honest, if he didn't have such a bad reputation, I would think that Miss He is a perfect match for him, since he values ​​you so much."

"Miss, are you up? Master just sent someone to inform us that the young master is on his way."

Just as the two were talking, Xiao Rou's voice came from outside the door.

Jian Yue jumped in surprise, and Xiao Cui was also startled. She stood up and asked, "What did you say? The young master is here?"

Xiao Rou said very carefully, "Yes, Master sent someone over and said that the young master has already headed this way and should arrive soon."

Jian Yue composed herself and said, "Alright, go and get ready. I'll pack up and head out. If the young master arrives, take him to the side hall. I'll be there soon."

Xiao Rou nodded and left without showing any dissatisfaction. Xiao Tao stood to the side, watching Xiao Rou leave quietly, and couldn't help but sneer: "You really are an obedient servant. Have you forgotten about the young lady's affairs?"

Xiao Rou paused, looked at Xiao Tao, and suddenly laughed: "Am I someone from the eldest young lady's courtyard? That slap from the eldest young lady really woke me up. A person needs to have a memory and foresight."

The eldest young lady once said that once you enter this courtyard, you belong to the sixth young lady. You have to listen to the sixth young lady in everything. I'm afraid you don't understand, Xiao Tao. The eldest young lady wants the sixth young lady to marry the young master in peace. Do you want to cause trouble?

Don't say I didn't warn you. Everyone in this courtyard is from the master and mistress's side. If something really happens, you'll be in big trouble. Don't say I didn't warn you; you'd better put aside those thoughts, or you won't even know how you died.

With that, she snorted and turned to prepare. Xiao Rou bit her lip in anger, glanced at the closed door, her expression changed slightly, then reached out to tidy her hair and walked towards the courtyard gate with a smile.

Inside the room, the master and servant heard every word of the conversation. After washing her face, Jian Yue said, "Is this how they usually get along?"

Xiao Cui pursed her lips upon hearing this: "It's not always like this. Except when she's with Miss, the two of them basically never meet. That Xiao Rou, she looks stupid, but maybe she's smart. She knows it's not the right time to resist, so she keeps quiet and does whatever she's told without saying a word more."

As for Xiao Tao, she seems well-behaved, but actually, she's quite cunning. I've heard from people in other courtyards that Xiao Tao wasn't originally on the eldest young lady's side. It's said she was with Qiu Ziming, the legitimate son of the first wife. Later, I don't know what mistake she made and was punished by the first wife, but in the end, she became a third-class maid in the eldest young lady's courtyard.

Jian Yue smiled and said, "It seems he's a restless fellow. No wonder Qiu Lingfeng sent him to my courtyard. She must be here to give me some trouble."

Xiao Cui pouted, her eyes full of resentment: "That Xiao Rou is fine, although she's also a bit resentful, she seems reliable enough. But that Xiao Tao, she's a real shrew. She's always out there under the guise of scouting the manor, and she always passes by the young masters' courtyards. There's always a maidservant from one of the young masters bringing her back, and she even makes sarcastic remarks. It makes me so angry, I want to beat her to death."

"Miss, I swear, that Xiao Tao heard this young master was coming, and she's definitely out there to greet him and show off. Hmph, what a slut, a grown-up vixen!"

Jian Yue chuckled, shaking her head and saying, "What are you talking about? Are you even a girl anymore? You're learning bad things from Sister Hua. Be careful no one will want you in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui retorted, "That's not necessarily true. Sister Hua also has suitors, doesn't she? Besides, I won't just get married anytime soon. I still have to take care of you, Miss."

Jian Yue smiled and shook her head, saying, "How can a woman not get married? What will she do when she gets old and has no one to rely on? It's better to have a companion."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Cui immediately retorted, "Sister Hua didn't say that! She said women are people too, why should they rely on men for everything? All that talk of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, those rigid moral codes and beliefs—they're all just lies men made up to make women obedient. It's all bullshit! I want to be like Sister Hua, not following the conventional path!"

Jian Yue was stunned. She turned to look at Xiao Cui with disbelief on her face: "My God, have you been brainwashed by Sister Hua? You speak so eloquently and don't follow the usual path. Tell me, what path do you want to take?"

Seeing her mistress looking at her, Xiao Cui thought she was angry and quickly lowered her eyes, saying anxiously, "Is the mistress angry? It's Xiao Cui's fault. Please pretend you didn't hear anything, and that I didn't say anything. Just ignore me like I'm nothing."

Jian Yue sighed softly, rubbing her temples. She felt that letting Xiao Cui learn skills from Hua Xiangrong was a mistake. What had she taught her? Did she want Xiao Cui to take over the management of Lan Yue Tower for her?

Turning around, she sat in front of the dressing table, looked at herself in the mirror and said, "It's not that I don't want you to talk or learn, but you have to understand that our status means we're not as free as your older sister. If someone with ulterior motives hears you talking about not following the usual path, they might just kill you as a demon from the Earth Tiger Ancestor Law."

Xiao Cui pouted, looking unconvinced. Jian Yue smiled and didn't say much, changing the subject: "Besides, who doesn't want someone who loves them and cherishes them? A perfect marriage where you only envy the mandarin ducks and not the immortals does exist, it's just that it's extremely difficult to find."

Xiao Cui, while some men are indeed hateful, there are also those who are devoted to their love. Officials and their families are mostly of noble status, and naturally they feel superior to others, so they don't care about what women think.

But if you're looking for a good match, there are plenty. Those farm boys, like your parents, are also single for life. They may be poor, but they're quite content.

Sometimes I think, if I abandoned all of this and lived a carefree life like Sister Hua, would I be free from so much sorrow? Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in this world; there are only opportunities given to us by fate. Seize them, grasp what you can control, and that is happiness.