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

Jian Yue's eyes immediately reddened: "Mother, I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Shangguan Linglong smiled and gently patted the back of her hand, saying, "Silly child, what did you do wrong? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to persevere for so many years. It's you who have suffered so much at such a young age."

As she spoke, Shangguan Linglong burst into tears, and the mother and daughter sat there, each shedding a string of tears. Seeing this, Bai Jianan quickly said, "There are still many days ahead of you. You can't just reminisce about the past every time you meet! Mother-in-law, don't worry, I'll take care of my daughter for the rest of my life."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Linglong looked at Bai Jianan. He still spoke with a touch of roguishness, but the look in his eyes as he looked at Jian Yue carried immeasurable tenderness. She suddenly thought of that ray of light from fifteen years ago and couldn't help but sigh, "Young Master, you're being too serious. Just because you rescued me for Jian Yue, I trust you. I have nothing left to live for, but I hope my daughter lives a good life, even if it means hiding this hatred all day long and never mentioning it again."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue immediately turned to look at Shangguan Linglong and frowned, saying, "How can we hide this? I will definitely avenge this grudge."

Not just in this life, but also in the past life, no one can escape.

Shangguan Linglong looked at Jian Yue and sighed, "Child, why bother? Sometimes, you should seize the moment. Let's pretend that what happened back then never happened. Wouldn't it be better if you left the Qiu family and stayed under the protection of the young master?"

"Is this alright? To endure the humiliation of the past and live a wretched life? My own mother suffered for fifteen years, living a life worse than a dog's. How can I, as her daughter, bear this?"

Jian Yue looked at Shangguan Linglong with confusion in her eyes. Shangguan Linglong's face was expressionless and looked somewhat numb. Jian Yue didn't understand. After being imprisoned for so many years, didn't she have even the slightest bit of hatred?

"Mother, why are you doing this?"

Shangguan Linglong remained silent, her eyes no longer fixed on Jian Yue, carrying a hint of confusion and numbness. Jian Yue grew anxious, wanting to press for more information, but Bai Jianan pulled her up.

“Your mother is still not well, let’s talk about the rest later, Mother-in-law. I’ve taken Jianyue out first. I just received a letter saying that Xiaocui has been found.”

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue hesitated, frowned and stared at Shangguan Linglong for a long time before saying, "Mother, you should rest first. We'll talk about this later."

Jian Yue turned around, and Shangguan Linglong looked at her and said, "Yueyue, isn't it better to live for yourself? You'll get tired."

Jian Yue stopped, then suddenly smiled. Without turning around, she said directly, "Is it good? It is very good, but my heart will be tormented by fire and water for the rest of my life."

I can't live like this, and I don't want to live like this. I don't want to regret it when it's too late. Mother, I don't know why the Qiu family attacked you back then, but I know that the Qiu family cannot be allowed to live."

After Jian Yue finished speaking, she walked out directly. Bai Jianan bowed to Shangguan Linglong and followed her out. After closing the door, he saw Jian Yue standing under the corridor with her back to him, only her hands moving.

He shook his head, stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "Cry if you want to. I'm here. You don't have to be afraid of anything."

Jian Yue sobbed, wiped away her tears, and stubbornly said, "What would I be afraid of?"

Bai Jianan chuckled: "That's right, you don't need to be afraid of anything, because I'm here. You just need to do what you want to do, and I'll cover your retreat. You won't have any worries."

Jian Yue listened in silence for a long while before asking, "Didn't you say there was news of Xiao Cui? Where is she?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jianan released Jian Yue, who then turned to look at him and said, "This is a bit tricky. The other party clearly doesn't want to release the person, and we don't know why."

Jian Yue frowned: "Xiao Cui is unlikely to offend anyone, and when I had my accident, I asked her to go to Lan Yue Tower."

Bai Jianan shook his head and said, "My men had already chased after Xiao Cui when they discovered she was missing. The one who took her away was the woman who was chasing Chu Tianyi."

"Chu Tianyi? Who?"

Jian Yue was taken aback, while Bai Jianan smiled, but his tone was tinged with sourness.

"What? You've already forgotten the person who gave you your token of love?"

A token of love? What the heck? Who gave me a token of love?

After a moment of stunned silence, she immediately thought of the young prince from the Northwest, the man who insisted on giving her the dagger.

Jian Yue raised an eyebrow: "Is there anything special about that dagger?"

Jian Yue's interest in the dagger was evident in her eyes, which made Bai Jianan feel uneasy: "Don't you know? That dagger is the symbol of the Princess Consort of the Great Northwest. It represents the status and imperial position of the previous Princess Consorts. I just didn't expect that my wife is so charming that she was actually targeted by that dead guy."

As he spoke, Bai Jianan suddenly looked at Jian Yue, grabbed her chin with his right hand, and said domineeringly, "You are my Crown Princess, you cannot be fickle."

Jian Yue chuckled, her eyes filled with arrogance and a hint of provocation, yet her tone was full of enthusiasm.

"What? Is the young master now going to interfere in everything?"

"We have to do something about it, otherwise, what if my princess consort, whom I've already got, slips away?"

"I'm afraid the young master will turn his back on me without hesitation. Otherwise, how could a marriage arranged by the royal family be changed so easily? I believe that if the young master sees Qiu Lingfeng, the most beautiful woman in the capital, I, as a concubine's daughter, will have to step aside."

Bai Jianan raised an eyebrow, quite surprised by her relaxed demeanor.

Jian Yue's words were still as sharp as ever, but this time her tone was no longer as harsh as before, but rather soft. She looked at Bai Jianan, and her eyes held not only tenderness but also something else.

Bai Jianan saw it clearly, and he had given all of it to the enchanting person in front of him.

Suddenly, he pulled Jian Yue into his arms, closed his eyes briefly, and then sighed and gritted his teeth, saying, "Still so sharp-tongued, but I like it. Ah! Thank God, I've finally warmed your heart. All my scheming wasn't in vain."

Jian Yue chuckled: "Did the young master go to great lengths? I didn't see it. He just made a fool of himself once and acted like a rogue countless times. I remember it all."

Helpless, Bai Jianan grabbed the back of her head and said fiercely, "Who cares about that? Anyway, I'm going to marry no one but you. You better remember this, don't let anyone else steal you away. Otherwise, even if I have to flatten the Northwest, I'll still make sure that damned little prince is wiped out."

His unruly tone revealed Bai Jianan's domineering nature, yet it also warmed Jian Yue's heart. At this moment, for the first time, she hugged Bai Jianan back, resting her chin comfortably on his shoulder, and said:

"Young Master, you should also remember this: you belong to me, the Crown Prince's wife, now that it's officially sealed. If you ever philander, you'd better watch out for that thing on your body. I may not have any special skills, but I certainly have the ability to turn a stud into a breeding boar at night."

Upon hearing this, Bai Jianan was taken aback, then chuckled: "Your threat is more powerful than countless others. For the sake of my lifelong happiness, you must obey, mustn't you?"

"Of course, you don't even know who you've set your sights on."

Jian Yue smiled and looked up at the starry sky. At this moment, there weren't many stars in the sky, but they still looked so dazzling in Jian Yue's eyes.

He said that if he would spoil her, then she could believe again. God had given her a second chance at life, and He would surely not fail to give her happiness, right?

Qiu Mansion.

Murong Chuan sat in the Qiu family's reception room, frowning as he looked at the teacup in his hand. He brought it close to his nose and smelled it again and again, his brows furrowing slightly.

"This tea doesn't taste quite right today."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Zhenzhou chuckled and said, "Yes, Your Highness, today's tea is not the usual Maojian, but Judingfeng sent by the Heir Apparent of Qingyan Marquis. It is said that the Heir Apparent is a favorite of the young master, but we don't know how it tastes. So, when Your Highness came today, knowing that Your Highness loves tea, we brewed it for you to taste."

Murong Chuan smiled slightly upon hearing this, his refined and handsome appearance gaining an even more dignified and noble air. He took a sip and then shook his head, saying, "What a pity. If it really is from Juding Peak, it naturally cannot be brewed with ordinary water. It needs the morning dew on lotus leaves to be worthy of such fine tea. What a pity."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Zhenzhou shook his head: "This humble official is naturally not as tasteful as Your Highness. It would be better if Your Highness took this back and savored it carefully. It would be a real waste to leave it here."

Murong Chuan didn't say whether he wanted it or not. Instead, he blew on the tea leaves in his teacup, took a small sip, and asked, "Is that how it is?"

Qiu Zhenzhou nodded: "This is the only way. Otherwise, we will get nothing if we continue."

Murong Chuan nodded: "Alright, let's go all in and take a gamble! There's not much time left."

Qiu Zhenzhou nodded, and then Murong Chuan put down his teacup and continued, "These past few days, Father suddenly wanted to hold a palace banquet, and even specifically named it as a welcome banquet for the heir of Qingyan Marquis. I don't know what he really means. You'd better keep a close eye on him, otherwise, if he falls into the hands of the Second Prince, the losses will be considerable."

Qiu Zhenzhou hurriedly said, "Don't worry about that. He's completely infatuated with my sixth daughter right now. He even took her back to the princess's residence last night. I believe the deed is done."

Murong Chuan nodded, then looked at Qiu Zhenzhou and asked, "Are your six women that person?"

Qiu Zhenzhou nodded, and Murong Chuan continued, "It is said that she was once so beautiful that she could topple kingdoms, and even my father was amazed by her. I wonder what her daughter looks like."

Qiu Zhenzhou laughed and said, "Of course it's good. Otherwise, how could it have attracted that carefree young master? I didn't originally intend to make this move, but things have come to a critical point, and Feng'er can't be harmed, so I had no choice but to resort to this strategy. I was worried that this daughter would be difficult to control before, but thankfully I don't have that worry now."

Murong Chuan nodded: "Everyone has weaknesses. If you make good use of them, it will be a good move. If you don't, you will lose the whole game and have to take many detours to start over."

"That's what His Highness said."