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

Murong Chuan paused in his tea drinking, then turned to look at Murong Yu. Murong Yu said with a smile, "Brother Crown Prince, please don't think I'm being nosy. Something as important as that blood-red coral is something we absolutely must retrieve."

But how much time has passed? There's still no sign of the thief. Prince, aren't you worried at all?

He looked at Murong Chuan, whose expression changed. Murong Chuan put down his teacup and said, "What my second brother says is true. However, I have already searched the entire capital city thoroughly, but I still haven't found the thief."

I remember back then I wanted to demolish the Lan Yue Tower, and it was you, Second Brother, who stopped me. It seems that in this entire capital, only the Lan Yue Tower is something I haven't yet set my sights on. I wonder what you think, Second Brother?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Yu raised an eyebrow: "Is Crown Prince taking his anger out on me? That's not right. Lan Yue Lou is at most a place where your second brother and I hang out in the capital, just a brothel. What's there to investigate?"

And Crown Prince, don't deny it. Although I was trying to stop you from pursuing Lan Yue Lou's responsibility, you've secretly investigated Lan Yue Lou countless times. What did you find out?

If you find nothing, brother, please don't scare me. I'm just a prince who knows nothing. If the heir of the Marquis of Qingyan is the number one纨绔 (wán kù, a spoiled, dissolute young man), then I'm at least second or something. So, Crown Prince, please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me.”

Murong Chuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "Second brother, you are as eloquent as ever. You can even talk the dead back to life."

"Not at all, not at all. He's just an idle person who speaks his mind. I only talked about this with my brother, the Crown Prince. I can't be bothered with anyone else."

Murong Yu smiled, and just then, a loud shout came from outside.

"The heir of the Marquis of Qingyan has arrived."

Murong Chuan and Murong Yu looked in the direction of the sound and saw Bai Jianan's brightly colored painted mask.

Murong Yu drank a cup of wine and said with a smile, "The main character has finally arrived."

Murong Chuan smiled slightly, picked up the teacup and brought it to his lips, but just as he was about to drink, he looked up and paused for a moment.

"Spirit Jade?"

Not only was Murong Chuan distracted, but everyone was surprised and puzzled by the arrival of the person, while Qiu Zhenzhou and the other members of the Qiu family were shocked and angry.

Qiu Zhenzhou clenched his fists, his eyes wide open, staring intently at Jian Yue behind Bai Jianan.

How could she come?

As for the others, some of the newly rich were surprised by Jian Yue's appearance, but many of the older ministers were surprised that the woman brought by the young master was so similar to the eldest daughter of the Shangguan family who had amazed the emperor fifteen years ago.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, and Zhang Sitong, the censor who was on good terms with the Shangguan family, looked straight at Shangguan Ting.

Shangguan Ting stared straight at Jian Yue, his granddaughter whom he had never met and only knew about from letters, and his eyes immediately filled with tears.

At that moment, he didn't even know what he was thinking; all he knew was that this was his bloodline, a gift left to him by his daughter.

Shangguan Hanque also stared at Jian Yue, but his eyes showed no surprise or shock like others, nor did they show the tears welling up in his own grandfather's eyes. Instead, he stood straight and serious, telling Jian Yue in a way unique to soldiers that he was behind her.

Bai Jianan walked at an eerie, slow pace, smiling as he observed the expressions on the faces of those around him, noticing the varying degrees of surprise, curiosity, panic, anger, or even jealousy in their eyes.

"Oh, everyone's so welcoming! Don't be shy, we're all family, please have a seat."

Bai Jianan spoke casually, without any politeness. As he walked, he suddenly stopped, turned around and said to Jian Yue behind him, "Walk slowly, don't fall. The ground is slippery here. If you can't walk properly, hold on to me, or I can carry you."

Upon hearing this, Jian Yue's cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her head, silently passing Bai Jianan and walking forward.

Seeing this, Bai Jianan naturally followed closely and said, "Don't be shy. I brought you here today so you could see the excitement. If you're too shy to watch, then I'll go back with you."

At this moment, Emperor Murong Qianqiu had recovered from his shock. Upon hearing Bai Jianan's words, he continued, "What nonsense are you talking about? This is your welcoming banquet. If you leave, who will we welcome you to?"

Bai Jianan pouted and said, "Boring. It's just drinking and chatting. No one brought me any gifts. What am I here for? If it weren't for my fiancée's lack of experience in this world, and my desire to please her by bringing her here, I wouldn't even bother to come."

Only Bai Jianan would dare to say such treasonous words. Murong Qianqiu frowned, feeling angry, but seeing the disdain in Bai Jianan's eyes, he felt a pang of heartache. A deep sense of powerlessness made him helplessly rub his forehead and say, "Alright, you're already here, sit down properly. I'll reward you when this is all over."

Upon hearing that there would be a reward, Bai Jianan immediately stopped making a fuss and hurried towards his seat. At this moment, Jian Yue had already reached the side of the Qiu family's seat and bowed gracefully to Qiu Zhenzhou.

"Father."

Upon hearing this, Murong Qianqiu immediately looked at Qiu Zhenzhou with a probing gaze: "Lord Qiu, is this your daughter?"

Qiu Zhenzhou shuddered, fear filling his eyes. He quickly lowered his gaze and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, it is indeed my daughter, Lingxiu."

Bai Jianan swaggered over to Qiu Zhenzhou, pulled Jian Yue over, and led her to his seat, saying, "She is also my future princess consort, so naturally she should sit with me."

He disregarded the stares of others and pulled Jian Yue to sit next to him.

Throughout the entire process, Jian Yue did not utter a single word. Even when Bai Jianan pulled her along, it seemed as if she was being forced. After sitting down, she kept her head down and never looked up again.

"Your daughter is beautiful, but she bears a striking resemblance to an old friend of mine. Is there perhaps some connection between them?"

Murong Qianqiu stared at Qiu Zhenzhou for a long time. Qiu Zhenzhou didn't dare to breathe. When Murong Qianqiu finished speaking, his heart was in his throat. Just as he was wondering what to say, Madam Sun stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this Lingxiu was actually born to the maidservant of my concubine. After giving birth to this child, the maidservant died, and Lingxiu was raised by my concubine. Now, whether she is related to Your Majesty's old friend is unknown."

"That's it."

Murong Qianqiu looked down at Qiu Zhenzhou with a low gaze and an ambiguous tone. Qiu Zhenzhou could only lower his head and dare not say a word.

Murong Qianqiu turned to Shangguan Ting and said, "The old general should have noticed something too, right?"

Shangguan Ting stepped forward, raised his head, and said, "Indeed, this woman is 70% similar to my daughter who has been missing for 15 years."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Sitong stepped forward and said loudly, "Not only similar, but exactly the same! And the heroic spirit between his brows is just like that of the old general."

Zhang Sitong was an upright official who was on good terms with Shangguan Ting. When Shangguan Linglong went missing, everyone else stood by and watched, but Zhang Sitong used his connections to help Shangguan Ting search for her.

The fact that he couldn't find it for the past fifteen years has become a thorn in his side.

Upon seeing Jian Yue, his first thought was that something was amiss. So, he stepped forward and said to Qiu Zhenzhou, "May I ask, Lord Qiu, how did this coincidence occur? Back then, Shangguan Linglong and your esteemed second young master, Qiu Zhennan, were in love, but she suddenly disappeared just before the betrothal ceremony. After that, the second young master also vanished without a trace."

Now, your daughter bears such a striking resemblance to Shangguan Linglong, and even possesses the bearing of the old General Shangguan. I wonder, Lord Qiu, could you perhaps offer an answer?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Zhenzhou suddenly raised his eyes and said coldly, "What does Lord Zhang mean? Does he mean that I took Miss Shangguan away back then? Qiu Zhennan was not a descendant of my Qiu family. Later, he disappeared and my Qiu family searched for him for a long time, but we just couldn't find him."

Now, my daughter is slandering me simply because she looks like Miss Shangguan. I just want to know, what is the basis for this claim?

Qiu Zhenzhou retorted, and Zhang Sitong sneered: "Lord Qiu's ability to argue sophistry hasn't changed at all. I just wanted Lord Qiu to tell me about your daughter's background. If she really has no relation to Miss Shangguan, you can just prove it. Why are you making such a statement? You're trying to pin the blame on me for slander?"

"You're just being unreasonable, trying to make me bear the blame for Miss Shangguan's disappearance. What is this if not slander?"

The two insulted each other and argued their case, while the protagonist sat there calmly with his head down, seemingly lost in thought. Bai Jianan, on the other hand, smiled as he watched Jian Yue and kept putting food into her bowl with his chopsticks.

Chu Tianyi frowned as he looked at the farce unfolding before him and glanced at Jian Yue. He then sensed a familiar presence behind him.

"Brother Xiao Yi".

The joyful voice made Chu Tianyi tremble. He subconsciously wanted to use his light-footed skill to escape, but considering the current situation, he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at He Xinle.

He Xinle looked at Chu Tianyi with a grin, thinking to herself, "Finally, I don't have to look at Brother Xiaoyi's back anymore. This girl really knows how to handle things."

"Why are you here?"

When Chu Tian asked, He Xinle smiled and said, "The young lady brought me here. Look, over there."

She pointed at Jian Yue and said, then asked curiously, "They're all so strange. What are they talking about? Is it about the young lady's identity? But why does she seem so unaffected?"

Chu Tianyi frowned slightly, continued to look at Jian Yue, and after a long while, said, "Perhaps the greatest sorrow is a broken heart, or perhaps they simply don't care."

As they were talking, Chu Tian suddenly felt something soft wrapped around his arm. He immediately jolted and channeled his internal energy into his arm, trying to shake the thing off.

He Xinle was so shocked that she stumbled backward, but clung tightly to Chu Tianyi's arm and refused to let go. She said with a bitter face, "Brother Xiaoyi, just give in to me. Look how many years you've been running away. I've caught up with you. Where else are you going to run? Aren't you tired? What's wrong with me? Why don't you like me?"