As soon as Chu Jinyao entered the house, everyone's eyes immediately focused on her.

Chu Jinyao was startled. What happened? Why are they all dressed like this? Are there guests coming today?

Yesterday, Chu Zhu returned home, and Chu Jinyao wore her new clothes to meet the guests. She and Chu Jinxian were doing needlework in the warm room of Old Madam Chu. Later, the Seventh Girl came. When she was leaving, she accidentally knocked a cup of tea on Chu Jinyao. She

was really careless.

Even if Chu Jinyao had a thousand words to say, she had to change her clothes first. When she came back, she was really late. Therefore, most people did not see Chu Jinyao's newly cut skirt yesterday. Today, she wore the clean skirt. When people in the main hall saw it, their eyes flashed with surprise and surprise.

Chu Jinyao has been doing farm work since she was a child. She exercises much more than these young ladies who never leave their homes. She is in good shape and tall. She wears a cross-collared, right-fronted, wide-sleeved blouse with large pink hibiscus flowers embroidered on the cuffs. She wears a white-based purple flower patterned cloud-patterned horse-faced skirt. On the pleats on both sides of the skirt, lace is sewn with purple satin. The upper end is close to the pleats of the skirt, and the lower end is a crisp, naturally drooping ribbon, with tassels at the bottom. The purple of the ribbon is a little darker than the pattern of the skirt. One piece is pressed against another piece. When she walks, the tassels sway slightly, just like a peacock spreading its tail. Chu Jinyao is tall, and wearing a short shirt and a horse-faced skirt, her waist is even slimmer and she looks graceful.

When Old Madam Chu saw how Chu Jinyao was dressed, she took a closer look and said nothing. The old lady thought that although the fifth girl was the best looking, she was far less well-behaved than the girls who grew up in the mansion. What a pity. After seeing it, Chu Zhu couldn't help asking, "Which embroidery shop made this dress?"

Chu Jinyao said, "It was cut by a maid." Chu Jinyao thought about it and didn't say it was her. Otherwise, she would be questioned, and what should she do if someone came to ask for help in the future?

When Chu Zhu heard that it was made by a maid, she nodded and said, "Sister-in-law has arranged a few skillful maids for you." This skirt is really beautiful.

Chu Jinmiao was just in the limelight, surpassing all the sisters, but as soon as Chu Jinyao came in, everyone's attention was attracted. In terms of costliness, Chu Jinyao's dress is naturally far inferior to Chu Jinmiao's, but her clothes are well-cut and innovative.

Chu Jinmiao was so angry that she was about to die.

Especially Lin Xining. After Chu Jinyao came in, Chu Jinmiao was sure that Lin Xining's eyes lit up. Chu Jinmiao tugged at her handkerchief angrily. Sure enough, men are all of the same character. No matter what they say, they just like good-looking girls!

Chu Jinmiao and Lin Xining have been cousins ​​since childhood. Chu Zhu also likes Chu Jinmiao very much. When she was young, Chu Zhu joked with Zhao Shi, saying that Chu Jinmiao and Lin Xining got along well, so they might as well be enemies in the future. Zhao Shi laughed it off at the time, but she remembered it in her heart. When no one was around, Zhao Shi secretly asked Chu Jinmiao about it.

Chu Jinmiao couldn't explain it at the time. She naturally felt different towards Lin Xining, but it was not worth it to say that she liked him so much that she would not marry him. Chu Jinmiao and Lin Xining got along as close cousins, planning to let things take their course and wait and see in the future. Zhao Shi had the same idea. But now seeing Lin Xining turning his head to look at Chu Jinyao, Chu Jinmiao suddenly felt a strong discomfort in her heart. Even if she didn't like Lin Xining, Lin Xining shouldn't look at other women in front of her. At that moment, Chu Jinmiao became more and more determined to get a companion.

Her status in the Changxing Marquis's Mansion was too embarrassing. Although Zhao still doted on her as always, what about the future? The Changxing Marquis was getting more and more indifferent to her, and the old lady was high above and didn't care much about her granddaughter. The subordinates took advantage of the fact that she was not the real master of the Marquis' Mansion and gradually dared to relax her orders. Chu Jinmiao had been outstanding for thirteen years, so she could swallow this breath. But if she changed to the royal palace, it would be completely different. Maybe she would have a great fortune.

When Madam Chu saw that everyone was gathered, she cleared her throat softly, and the bustling Rongning Hall immediately quieted down.

Today, the girls all wore bright clothes. Of course, it was because of Chu Zhu, but the root cause was actually the old lady.

Yesterday, the old lady learned that the palace was going to select a companion for the county lord, so she wanted her granddaughters to dress up well and not lose face. Although the old lady did not say it clearly, everyone in the back house had their own ways, and the news quickly spread from Rongning Hall to the first, second and third rooms. Yan heard someone suggest that the girls should dress more carefully tomorrow. Although she didn't understand why, she still dressed up her two daughters. When they arrived at Rongning Hall, Yan secretly said in her heart, "As expected, looking at these people, they all came prepared."

Among all the people present, Chu Jinyao was probably the only one who went out without noticing anything. She lived far away, had no access to information, and unlike other girls, she did not have a mother to remind her, so she knew nothing. She looked at her sisters' clothes today and found it very strange. She was deliberately tricked by the seventh girl yesterday, so she dragged her coat until today, but why did others do this?

Now the old lady cleared her throat, which showed that there was an important announcement. Chu Jinyao realized that she might have missed something again, and as for what exactly she had missed, she would know soon. She concentrated her mind and listened carefully to the old lady's next words.

Old Madam Chu said slowly: "Your aunt came back from the Prince of Huailing's Mansion from afar, firstly to visit relatives, and secondly, she has an important matter to do. This matter is related to the future of many people, and even to the dignity of the Marquis of Changxing's Mansion. Now, this important matter will fall on you."

Chu Jinyao listened and was very confused. Since it was a big matter concerning the Marquis' Mansion, why did it fall on them? Chuzhu was sitting next to the old lady. After hearing this, she smiled and said, "It is because my mother-in-law and the princess trust me that they handed this matter to me. The county master of the palace is twelve years old this year, and it is time for her to go to the imperial school, but it is too boring for the county master to go to school alone, and there are not many girls in the mansion, so there is no one to talk to the county master. Our Changxing Marquis Mansion is one of the most respectable families in Taiyuan. The girls are well-behaved, and we are related to the palace by marriage, so we know each other well. So, the princess means to pick two girls from our family to go over to be the county master's companions."

After Chuzhu finished speaking, she looked down proudly. As she expected, the girls and several sisters-in-law were all delighted. Living at home, going back and forth every day, I only see these few people. But after going to the Prince's Mansion, the people I meet are completely different. Moreover, the Prince's Mansion and the Marquis of Changxing Mansion are not far away, so it is very convenient to travel between them. I won't lose sight of them once I go out. The ladies thought about it and felt that this was a great thing and worth fighting for.

This is still the most important part that Chu Zhu has concealed. If the ladies knew that the county lady was studying to prepare for the election of the Crown Princess, they would be crazy. Obviously, the East Palace will not have only one main wife. After the county lady becomes the Crown Princess, what about the Liang Di and Liang Yuan? The prince and the princess probably considered these when choosing a study partner for the county lady. Women are indispensable in the East Palace, and the county lord is not a virtuous and tolerant person. Instead of being calculated by women from other families, it is better to arrange a few familiar ones from the beginning. If they unite, at least they will have a companion in the future.

Of course, this is just a wishful thinking of the Prince's Mansion. Whether they can be elected now is still unclear. However, the people in Huailing Prince's Mansion are now preparing to run for election, but they just disdain the other possibility.

Several ladies' eyes sparkled, and the girls turned their heads and whispered with their personal maids. Old Madam Chu looked at the whole audience, coughed, and said, "Be quiet."

The girls immediately stopped talking and looked up at the old lady.

Old Madam Chu took over Chu Zhu's words and continued to play the role of a stern face: "Although the princess said that she wanted to choose two girls from our family, this is not yet certain. There are so many families in Taiyuan. If other families have suitable girls, the princess will definitely give up us and choose others. When the Huai Ling County Prince's Mansion holds a banquet in a few days, the princess will choose the two most suitable ones from the many ladies, so you can't be complacent and slack off. The county lord is twelve years old. Since the companion is to accompany the county lord to study, the age difference should not be too big, so the eldest and eighth girls don't need to participate."

The eldest girl Chu Jinxian stood up and bowed to the old lady to show her obedience. She is already seventeen years old, and she is still the eldest daughter of the family, with a noble status. Even if she is of the right age, the old lady will not let Chu Jinxian go to be a companion for others. She is not the princess's companion, so how can we trouble the eldest daughter? As for the eighth girl Chu Jinzi, she is only six years old this year, so of course it is impossible. Therefore, the suitable people are concentrated in the group of fifteen to twelve, among which Chu Jinyao and those who are twelve or thirteen are the best.

Old Madam Chu paused and said, "I have found two maids for you. From now on, you can't be as lax as before. You must follow the maids to learn the rules every day and don't lose the face of our Changxing Marquis Mansion. Do you understand?"

The girls all stood up, bowed their heads and replied, "Children understand."

The old lady asked two maids to come out and meet the girls. After a group of people greeted each other, the maids took the girls away and taught them the rules in a courtyard behind Rongning Hall.

The two maids were named Hua and Deng, both of them were very strict. Aunt Hua taught the rules of sitting and lying down, while Aunt Deng taught calligraphy, painting, needlework and other talents. Aunt Hua said to the girls, "You girls just heard that Old Madam Chu asked us to teach you the rules. It is said that there is no order without rules, and the saints also said that if you are not strict, the teacher will be lazy. We are strict with you girls, all for your own good, and I hope you girls will understand."

"I dare not." Chu Jinyao said softly among the sisters.

Aunt Hua was very satisfied with the obedience of the girls of the Chu family. She scolded them a few more times, and then asked the girls to demonstrate the etiquette of greeting.

Greeting is the most basic and common etiquette in the rich family. The girls of the Chu family have been doing it since they were young, and it has become as natural as drinking water and eating. However, Nanny Hua was a nanny released from the palace, and she was very strict. She walked all the way and kept hitting the girls' waists, hands and other parts with a ruler.

"Keep your waist straight, don't lean forward."

"Squat down a little more, stay steady, don't shake."

"Hand!" Nanny Hua hit the back of the seventh girl's hand with a ruler. She squinted her eyes and said unceremoniously, "Seventh girl, I have reminded you several times, why do you always put your hands in the wrong place?"

Seventh girl is the youngest daughter of the second wife, named Chu Jinjiao. With Yan's shrewd and protective nature, Seventh girl was also raised to be arrogant and lawless. Among the sisters, only Chu Jinxian could scold her, and the rest would not provoke this devil. The Seventh Miss has always been competitive and wanted to be the best among her sisters. Now she was scolded by Nanny Hua in front of everyone. The Seventh Miss barely stood up to talk back. Thinking of her future position as a companion to the royal palace, she tried to suppress her temper and replied unhappily, "I know."

Nanny Hua glanced at the Seventh Miss expressionlessly and walked away. Next to the Seventh Miss was Chu Jinyao. When Chu Jinyao saw the nanny coming over, she was secretly sweating. Unexpectedly, Nanny Hua stopped beside Chu Jinyao, looked her up and down, and squeezed out a faint smile: "Fifth Miss did a good job. When she was a child, she followed the nanny released from the palace to learn it specially, right?"

Chu Jinyao couldn't hide her surprise. Nanny Hua actually praised her? Chu Jinyao didn't have time to think whether Nanny Hua had seen it wrong, and quickly replied: "Nanny, it was raised, it wasn't."

The other sisters showed expressions of dissatisfaction and disbelief. Nanny Hua raised her eyebrows and asked: "Didn't you learn it from the people in the palace?"

Mrs. Chu's maid was sent to look after the girls. When she saw this scene, she stepped forward and said: "Nanny, you don't know, the fifth girl was taken away by mistake when she was a child. She has been raised outside all these years and has only been back in the last two months.

" "Really?" Nanny Hua was skeptical, "You have only been back in the last two months? Then why are you performing palace etiquette?"

She is performing the etiquette of the palace? Chu Jinyao was also shocked. She practiced whatever Qin Yi taught her. How did she know why it was palace etiquette. Chu Jinyao pretended to think for a while, and finally frowned and shook her head: "I don't know."

Nanny Hua couldn't figure it out either, so she could only say: "Maybe you hit the jackpot by accident. The etiquette in the palace looks the same as outside, but the details are much more regular than outside. The etiquette of the world is headed by the palace. If the nanny who teaches etiquette has not studied the palace etiquette, she can't come out to teach the girls etiquette."

Chu Jinyao showed an attitude of being taught and listened obediently. After Nanny Hua left, she secretly relaxed the breath in her heart. While Nanny Hua

turned around, the seventh girl turned her head and glared at Chu Jinyao fiercely. Chu Jinyao squatted steadily, watching from the corner of her eyes that the Seventh Girl was about to fall down and was hit with the ruler. She felt very happy in her heart.

After a class, everyone else was hit with the ruler more or less, but Chu Jinyao was unscathed and even won the praise of the nanny. The Seventh Girl was standing next to Chu Jinyao. The contrast between the two was sharp, and the Seventh Girl was beaten with a few more sticks. As soon as the class was over, the Seventh Girl's maid hurried over to help her daughter. The Seventh Girl stood up shakily with the help of the maid and glared at Chu Jinyao angrily.

Being glared at didn't hurt, but the stick on the Seventh Girl's palm was real. Chu Jinyao thought saccharinely, you yourself are not good at behaving yourself, can you blame others for being too proper? Yesterday, Seventh Miss deliberately splashed water on her skirt, and Chu Jinyao was holding her breath, and today she saw Seventh Miss being punished by the nanny, it was really justice, retribution.

Chu Jinyao went to Rongning Hall to eat comfortably, even the pain in her legs seemed nothing. She was used to doing farm work since she was a child, although her legs were thin, but the flesh was firm, although this amount of exercise was a little sore, but Chu Jinyao really didn't take it to heart.

After dinner, many girls surrounded Old Madam Chu and acted coquettishly, saying that their legs and waists hurt. Seeing this, Old Madam Chu had to cancel the afternoon's etiquette class.

You can't get fat in one bite, take it slow.

Chu Jinyao thought it didn't matter. Now everyone was sitting here with the old lady, it was not easy for her to leave, and it was also difficult to find a chance to talk to Qin Yi. Chu Jinyao was thinking about how to find time to ask Qin Yi why the nanny said that she had learned palace etiquette, and suddenly, Qin Yi's voice rang out.

"Chu Jinyao."

Chu Jinyao was startled. She looked around vigilantly, and then asked in a low voice: "There are so many people here, why are you talking suddenly?"

"It's too late to explain. You follow the kid from the Lin family, I have something to do."

Chu Jinyao heard that, and no complaints were made. Qin Yi was facing a life-and-death crisis recently. Qin Yi said there was something, it must be a big deal. Chu Jinyao chose to trust Qin Yi without reservation. She said to Chu Jinxian that she was going out to change clothes. Chu Jinxian nodded: "Okay, remember to take the maid with you. They are talking outside. When you go out, call the maid."

"Okay." Chu Jinyao agreed, but when she was about to go out, she quietly slipped away.

She couldn't take the maid with her when she was about to do something.

When they were alone, Chu Jinyao panted slightly and asked Qin Yi: "Why did you suddenly let me out?"

The author has something to say: Internal chat group of Changxing Marquis's Mansion:

Chu Jinyao said in the group chat: Why are you dressed so formally today?

Chu Jinxian: I grew up with my grandmother, and my grandmother's maid told me to dress decently.

Second wife: There is a second-class maid in my courtyard. She is a house-born child, and her biological mother is the housekeeper in the old lady's courtyard. After listening to her mother's words, the maid sent a message to me, saying that the old lady instructed me to dress up the young ladies well the next day.

Madam Zhao, the Marquis: I have been in charge of Zhongfeng for many years, and I have already planted channels in the old lady's yard. It was my secret agent who sent me a message saying that my aunt and the old lady had a secret conversation about something, and Nanny Gu told the close girls to dress up and attend tomorrow.

Chu Jinmiao: Humph, Zhao sent someone to remind me in the middle of the night, what's going on, are you jealous or dissatisfied?

The third girl, the concubine of the first house: My aunt is favored, she reminded me.

The sixth girl of the third house: I have my own channels.

Chu Jinyao was incredulous: So you all knew it in advance?

The girls: Yes, everyone knows it. Don't you know?

Chu Jinyao: ... (There is a ** in her heart, but she doesn't know whether she should say it or not)