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

The second prince, who was known for his womanizing ways, couldn't understand how he had been subdued by such a vixen.

After thinking it over, he felt his mouth was dry and his whole body was hot, so he simply drank another glass of wine and continued to greedily look at the glamorous woman in front of him.

Hua Xiangrong giggled, not caring at all about being spied on. Instead, she became even more brazen, exposing more of her body, which made the Second Prince's eyes almost pop out.

She smiled and said, "Second Prince, you are joking. Your mansion is full of beautiful women, how could you possibly be interested in a woman like Xiang Rong? It's just that you've been eating too much plain food and suddenly you find spicy food novel."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yu narrowed his eyes and smiled, "The ordinary women in my household are no match for Xiangrong. If Xiangrong is willing, my household will naturally welcome her with open arms. I'm just afraid that Xiangrong will look down on my prince's residence."

As Murong Yu spoke, he kept staring at Hua Xiangrong. He had always wanted to know what was going on in Hua Xiangrong's mind, but he could never find out.

That smiling face always carried a calm and serene air, making her stunning and unfathomable, far surpassing the despicable courtesans of brothels.

Perhaps it was this unique charm that made him unable to resist.

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiangrong's eyes seemed to darken for a moment, then brightened again. She smiled and said, "Second Prince, you flatter me. I am just an ordinary girl. I only came here to make a living because I was forced by life."

Who wouldn't want to reform themselves? But Xiangrong has no skills, doesn't know how to survive, and all she knows are the tricks of seducing people in this brothel. If we're talking about marrying down, tell me, which young man would want to marry someone like Xiangrong as his principal wife?

Murong Yu took a sip of wine but remained silent.

Hua Xiangrong's beauty is indeed captivating, yet she remains an unattainable figure for many.

After all, what Hua Xiangrong said was indeed true. Who would dare to place such a vixen in the position of the principal wife? Coming and going through the world of prostitution, even if she remained proud, she would still have a hint of worldliness about her.

High-ranking officials and nobles, however, only desire to have a fling with such a beauty once, twice, three times, or many times. They would never marry such a morally corrupt courtesan, lest it jeopardize their careers.

Even if he liked her very much, he would not give up a marriage alliance with a power that would benefit his rise to power because of a courtesan.

After thinking it over, he sighed and said, "Xiangrong, tell me, why are you doing this? You know perfectly well that even if I were not your legal wife, you would still be the love of my heart. Do you really want to give up?"

Hua Xiangrong didn't speak, but slowly got up, walked to Murong Yu's table and sat down. She picked up the wine pot and poured wine for him, saying as she poured, "Today, Xiangrong is hosting a banquet to entertain Your Highness. Firstly, it is to thank Your Highness for your mediation in the past few days. Otherwise, my Lanyue Tower would definitely have been overturned."

Secondly, she was grateful for His Highness's affection for Xiangrong over the years. Xiangrong knew that His Highness was of noble status and would never give up what he wanted to do or had to do for someone else.

Therefore, Xiangrong is willing to wait here for Your Highness's triumphant return. Xiangrong is not the kind of person who forces others to do things against their will, but Xiangrong truly harbors a thought that cannot be understood by others.

Perhaps it's because she's been in this dazzling and glamorous world for so long that she's developed the idea of ​​a lifelong, monogamous relationship. It may be unrealistic, but it's still Xiangrong's dream, and Xiangrong doesn't want to wake up from it.

"Your Highness, Xiangrong is an ordinary person, yet her ambitions are higher than the heavens, and her fate is as fragile as paper. But Xiangrong is willing; whatever she can do for Your Highness, Xiangrong will do with all her heart. She only hopes that Your Highness will not mention this matter again."

After she finished speaking, her long, narrow eyes drooped slightly, carrying a hint of loneliness and helplessness. Pearls seemed to gather in her eyes, but ultimately did not fall. Murong Yu watched her quietly for a long while, then reached out to cover Hua Xiangrong's cheek, but Hua Xiangrong skillfully avoided him. His hand froze halfway, and finally, he smiled and sighed, "Xiangrong, you always have a way of making it impossible for me to force myself on you. What am I supposed to do?"

Perhaps it was true love. Murong Yu withdrew his hand, picked up the wine cup that Hua Xiangrong had filled, and drank the wine in one gulp with an extremely rough motion. Then, with a bang, he smashed the cup on the ground.

Hua Xiangrong remained expressionless, simply placing another wine cup in front of him, refilling it, and softly saying, "Your Highness."

Murong Yu waved his hand, stopping her from continuing. He looked at Hua Xiangrong and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Xiangrong. I am not a heartless person. As long as you need anything, I will do my best to help you within my capabilities."

Hua Xiangrong lowered her eyes, a slight curve appearing at the corners of her lips, barely noticeable.

From Murong Yu's perspective, Hua Xiangrong's shoulders were shrugging, but with her eyes lowered, nothing could be seen. It made people think that she was crying but was trying to hold it in, which made Murong Yu's heart clench.

"Alright, I took some time to come here today to see you. Now that I've seen you and you're doing well, I'm relieved. As for the matter with the person last time, you can rest assured."

The Crown Prince will absolutely not cause any further trouble. Lan Yue Tower will remain as it is; there's no need to pay them any attention. If anyone else comes to cause trouble, just send someone with my token to my residence to find me.”

After saying that, Murong Yu turned and left without even looking back.

Hua Xiangrong followed him to the door, watching Murong Yu go downstairs and leave Lanyue Tower with his men. Only then did she return to her room, close the door, sit at the table, and say with a smile, "I had no idea that there was a man hiding in my room."

With a clatter from under the bed, Hua Xiangrong didn't even look over before bursting into laughter, saying, "Even the young general has such a disheveled moment? I wonder how heroic he is on the battlefield."

Shangguan Hanque crawled out from under the bed, his face contorted with shock. Hua Xiangrong's words made him blush even more. However, he still shamelessly walked over to Hua Xiangrong's side, sat down directly, and looked at the still full wine glasses on the table, his tone tinged with jealousy.

"Xiang Rong has never poured me a drink."

Hua Xiangrong raised an eyebrow: "What's so difficult about that? Is the young general still thinking about having me feed him mouth-to-mouth? I'll be there whenever you call."

Shangguan Hanque's eyes suddenly lit up, and even his usual embarrassment disappeared, showing that he was using all the shame he had ever had today.

Hua couldn't help but laugh and said, "I really didn't know you had this side to you. You're usually too shy to say a word, what's wrong with you today? You even learned to crawl under the bed?"

Shangguan Hanque picked up a new wine cup and poured wine while saying, "When I came here, you weren't in the room. I was thinking of going to look for you, but then I saw the Second Prince and you coming up. There was nowhere to hide, so I crawled under the bed."

It wasn't that there was nowhere to hide; after all, the window was open, and he could simply leave through it. However, subconsciously, he just didn't want to leave. He wanted to see how his beloved interacted with another man. Besides, this man was the Second Prince. If he used force, could his beloved resist?

In any case, he absolutely could not leave at this time, not thinking of himself as petty, for fear that his beloved would be taken advantage of.

Shangguan Hanque's expression was ever-changing. Although he still had a poker face, Hua Xiangrong didn't need to guess what he was thinking. She immediately shook her head and said, "Is this the first time the young general has lied? His face is as red as a monkey's bottom."

Shangguan Hanque's hand holding the wine cup trembled. He glanced at Hua Xiangrong sideways, then quickly turned back and said, "Don't talk nonsense. All you ever do is mess with me."

Hua Xiangrong smiled, said nothing more, and asked, "Did you come here today for something?"

Shangguan Hanque paused, his gaze shifting slightly. He took a sip of his drink and looked at Hua Xiangrong, asking in return, "Were you serious about what you just said?"

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback: "What did you say?"

"It is because you admire the Second Prince, but you have to reject him because you want to find a lifelong partner."

As Shangguan Hanque spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Hua Xiangrong, not wanting to miss a single expression from her.

Hua Xiangrong was taken aback by the question, then narrowed her eyes and teased in her voice, "What? Are you jealous?"

Shangguan Hanque didn't speak, but nodded heavily. Hua Xiangrong was slightly taken aback, then saw Shangguan Hanque say seriously, "You should know that from the moment we met, I, Shangguan Hanque, fell in love with you. Even if there were mountains of knives and seas of fire between us, I, Shangguan Hanque, would be willing to brave them for you without hesitation."

But the way you spoke to the Second Prince today, even though I knew it was fake, I still wanted to confirm it. I care about you, I want to marry you, I want to be with you for life. Xiangrong, when will you agree to marry me?

He would never have said these words before, but now, because of Murong Yu's provocation, he didn't even bother to avoid Hua Xiangrong, who stutters.

Hua Xiangrong was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. She coughed lightly to cover up the expression on her face and said, "Is the young general so thirsty? Perhaps the girls in my building are not serving you well enough?"

Shangguan Hanque shook his head helplessly: "Do you know what I'm talking about? Don't say that a general's mansion can't have a courtesan as his principal wife. That's all bullshit in our Shangguan family. My father can't wait for me to carry you back."

Hua Xiangrong chuckled. Shangguan Hanque seemed genuinely anxious, even swearing and bringing up his father. If he were to refuse, who knows how long he would be heartbroken.

Hua Xiangrong turned back and looked at Shangguan Hanque.

Shangguan Hanque was actually quite handsome. After all, he was Jian Yue's cousin, and the two had many similarities, which was why she was attracted to him at first sight.