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

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Linglong's gaze changed, and she looked sharply at Bai Jianan: "What do you know?"

Bai Jianan smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, there's no need to suspect me of having ulterior motives. With my abilities, finding out anything is a piece of cake."

"They say those are royal secrets, but after all, I have a royal princess as my mother, don't I? Even if I don't know everything, I do understand some of it. Besides, this blood-red coral is practically legendary in the capital. If I want to know more, I just need to investigate further."

At this point, Jian Yue frowned slightly and looked at Bai Jianan, asking, "I didn't remember until you mentioned it. When I first met you, you were being chased by the Crown Prince's men. Sister Xiangrong said you stole the Crimson Coral?"

Bai Jianan nodded: "That's right."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Linglong stared intently at Bai Jianan and said, "Since you know the function of the Crimson Coral, your purpose in stealing it is obvious. If that's the case, is your approach to Yueyue also for this reason?"

Jian Yue was taken aback, her eyes filled with doubt. What did the blood-red coral have to do with her? She looked at Bai Jianan with a question in her eyes, but Bai Jianan stared into her eyes and said, "I can vouch for Yue Yue, and besides, when I met Yue Yue that day, it was in a brothel. Yue Yue was disguised and her identity was unknown. How could I have guessed that she had anything to do with the Shangguan family?"

The Shangguan family? Is the Crimson Coral related to the Shangguan family?

Jian Yue's heart skipped a beat and she said, "That day in the room, Sister Xiangrong and I talked about the Shangguan family."

Bai Jianan frowned upon hearing this: "So what if it's mentioned? Putting aside whether the Shangguan family is of any use to me, let's talk about the Qilin Pavilion. I believe that even if the Crimson Coral were to play its role now, my Qilin Pavilion should be able to hold its own!"

He was looking at Jian Yue when he said this, but the words were directed at Shangguan Linglong. Shangguan Linglong lowered her eyes slightly and did not answer. Jian Yue said:

"The Qilin Pavilion has long been spread throughout the Central Plains and even beyond the borders. It makes a living by selling information and has assassination as a side business. The pavilion has countless assassins, but no one knows their origins. Their wealth is unknown, but it is said to be comparable to the national treasury."

Upon hearing this, Bai Jianan smiled and raised an eyebrow, saying, "This is what Hua Xiangrong found out again? That's right, this is the information that Qilin Pavilion gave to the outside world. In fact, Qilin Pavilion has other businesses, such as cloth shops, restaurants, inns, and grain stores. They have everything, and their income is far beyond what the national treasury can compare to."

At this moment, Bai Jianan spoke with a hint of smugness. He felt that if he didn't really reveal what he had to prove that he had no designs on the Shangguan family and was sincere towards her daughter, he believed that his mother-in-law's sharp eyes would never be able to look him in the eye, and his wife, who was already his, might be dragged down by his mother-in-law's hammer.

After Bai Jianan finished speaking, he carefully took out a stack of papers from his sleeve, stepped forward, held them in both hands, and handed them to Jian Yue. Jian Yue was stunned by this sudden action, and then saw Bai Jianan nod at her and say, "Take it, show it to your mother-in-law."

Jian Yue took it, looked up at it, and froze in shock. Shangguan Linglong looked over as well, and her eyes changed slightly, flashing a complicated expression.

After pausing for a moment, Jian Yue eagerly flipped through the pages until the very end. Then, she looked up at Bai Jianan in a daze and asked, "Why?"

Bai Jianan shrugged: "You've got a wife, so you have to hand over all your hidden wealth."

Such frankness and straightforwardness caused Jian Yue's heart to suddenly sink for some unknown reason.

There was nothing special on that stack of papers; they were all land deeds and house deeds for shops and residences in various places, and the owner of all the land deeds and house deeds was Shangguan Jianyue.

Jian Yue felt no joy whatsoever. She only felt that the shackles called emotions were getting heavier and heavier, completely binding her, and she had no chance of ever turning things around.

If, one day, Bai Jianan does the same thing as Murong Chuan, then she will definitely fall into depravity as well.

At this moment, Shangguan Linglong said, "It seems you were prepared all along."

Bai Jianan nodded, knelt down, and looked at Shangguan Linglong, saying, "In my life, I have knelt before very few people, but my mother-in-law is my first bow. My heart for Shangguan Jianyue is as clear as day and night, and I am prepared to grow old with her, as radiant as the sun and moon."

Therefore, I swear that if Bai Jianan is ever unfaithful to Jian Yue, disrespectful to Jian Yue, or abandons Jian Yue after seducing her, I will surely tear him to pieces and make him suffer a terrible death.

Jian Yue's heart was once again swayed by his words. She blinked her eyes, then opened them again, and they were frighteningly bright.

"I believe you."

As she spoke, she turned to look at Shangguan Linglong and said, "Mother, I believe him."

Shangguan Linglong frowned slightly: "Have you thought it through?"

Jian Yue nodded and looked at Bai Jianan, saying, "I've met him in this lifetime."

If she were to truly relive the suffering of her past life, then she would willingly choose Bai Jianan as the one to suffer.

After Jian Yue finished speaking, Bai Jianan's serious expression immediately turned into a beaming smile, his peach blossom eyes crinkling into crescent moons as he looked at Jian Yue and said with a smile, "Of course you've met me, but even if we hadn't, I would still have gone to find you until we met."

Jian Yue smiled, and the two looked at each other without saying much, yet their eyes conveyed boundless trust.

Shangguan Linglong remained silent, gazing at the two for a long time before letting out a long sigh. Jian Yue looked over and noticed a strange sadness in Shangguan Linglong's eyes.

"Mom, don't worry, I'll be fine, trust me."

She knew that Shangguan Linglong was still worried about her, worried that she would be deceived, worried that she would trust the wrong person, worried that she would lose everything with one wrong move, and worried that she would not live a good life.

But now, all she can offer her is comfort.

Shangguan Linglong shook her head and sighed, "Enough. Perhaps it's time to end this. Young Master, would you mind moving outside?"

Bai Jianan nodded, stood up and stepped back. Jian Yue looked over, and he gave her a reassuring smile, saying, "Alright, Mother and Yueyue can talk. I'll go see Jia Banwen."

After Bai Jianan left, Jian Yue looked at Shangguan Linglong and asked, "Mother, what do you want to tell me?"

Shangguan Linglong shook her head without speaking, but instead reached into her bosom and took out a black iron ring, handing it to her.

Jian Yue was puzzled and took the iron ring with a question in mind, but was surprised to find that the iron ring, which looked thin, had a certain weight.

"This is?"

"What your father left you."

Jian Yue was taken aback: "My father?"

"Yes, your father."

Shangguan Linglong frowned, seemingly upset because of the past. She leaned against the pillow and said, "Your father is not Qiu Zhenzhou, but Qiu Zhennan, the adopted son of the Qiu family."

Jian Yue was somewhat surprised, but then she understood.

She said, "You mean to say that my father is actually Qiu Zhennan, the illegitimate son of the Qiu family who was in love with you, Mother? And in order to protect me, you made Qiu Zhenzhou mistakenly believe that I am his daughter?"

Shangguan Linglong nodded wearily and said, "Mutual affection? I guess so."

Jian Yue fell silent. Shangguan Linglong's words clearly had a hidden meaning, and when she mentioned Qiu Zhennan, she could see hatred in the undisguised loneliness and sorrow in Shangguan Linglong's eyes.

It felt very familiar, just like her hatred for Murong Chuan, only not as intense.

Could it be that something happened back then?

Jian Yue frowned, wanting to ask more questions, but Shangguan Linglong said softly, "I'm giving you this not so you can go find him, but so you can know about his existence, and your twin sister."

Jian Yue was shocked once again. In a daze, she thought of what Yue Leyun had said to her before she died in her previous life.

"Qiu Lingyu? You dare to call yourself that? You're just a substitute."

A body double? Could it be?

Jian Yue felt a sudden, sharp pain in her heart, so intense that she could hardly breathe.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Shangguan Linglong.

"Mother, tell me, what's my older sister's name?"

Shangguan Linglong seemed lost in memories and didn't notice Jian Yue's state. After hearing Jian Yue's question, she shook her head and said, "I don't know what her name is. I just gave birth to her on the way to escape. Then, the Qiu family caught up with us, and that person ran away with your sister in his arms."

"What did you say?"

Jian Yue was somewhat incredulous. She stared at Shangguan Linglong and saw the other woman looking at the bed curtains with a bitter smile, her eyes empty.

"What kind of feelings are these? In the end, they're nothing but a mirage. What he wants isn't to be with me forever, but the value of my status. And what am I without all of that?"

She shook her head, propped herself up on her arms, and looked at Jian Yue, saying, "Yueyue, I don't know how you and this young master met or how you got together."

But, as someone who's been through it all, I can't see things clearly about relationships, and I can't offer you any experience or advice. What I do want to say is, you must take good care of yourself.

Jian Yue nodded, looking at the ring in her hand, and said softly, "Then why did you give me this ring? Are you telling me to go find him?"

Shangguan Linglong shook her head: "Look at the pattern on that ring."

Jian Yue looked down and saw that the ring was very small and thin. In Jian Yue's view, if a man were to wear this ring, it would probably only fit on his little finger.

It was pitch black with no other colors, and it even had a shiny black sheen. I had no idea what material it was made of.

Jian Yue pinched it; it felt cold and she couldn't feel anything. But when she looked at it closely, she discovered that although the ring was small, it had clear patterns.

"A wolf's head?"

"That's right, it's a wolf's head."

Shangguan Linglong nodded and continued, "It's the symbol of the Wolf King of the Northern Desert."

As she spoke, a deep sorrow resurfaced in her eyes. Jian Yue glanced at her, looked down at her closely, and then said, "The Wolf King of Mobei is the leader of the Thirteen Banners of Mobei. He has a thousand wild wolves under his command and is the most ferocious being in Mobei."

His symbol is a wolf's head; every direct descendant of the wolf king possesses a unique and distinctive accessory.

These things can't be faked, because every accessory is meticulously crafted and shares a common identifier—a wolf's eye, polished from extremely rare black iron ore.