Qin Yi has been thinking about how to leave here.

The red cotton in Chu Jinyao's jade pendant has been reduced by nearly half, and Qin Yi feels that his injury is still far from healed. The meaning behind this is chilling. After the red cotton is consumed, can the soul still be nourished? Qin Yi doesn't want to gamble.

What's more, he can't continue to heal his injuries indefinitely. He has been in a coma for a long time. Once the news spreads, it will be a disaster. Qin Yi even thought about returning to his body in this way, but he didn't know how to get rid of the jade pendant. Chu Jinyao is a lady, and he can't let her take him near his body. If it were a man from the Chu family, he would be worried.

Qin Yi was thinking about his own things, but Chu Jinyao knew nothing about it. She didn't know what Qin Yi was worried about. When she saw the Marquis of Changxing, she was only surprised for a moment, and the next moment she put away her expression and saluted respectfully to the Marquis of Changxing: "Hello, father."

The Marquis of Changxing was obviously a little surprised when he saw Chu Jinyao. After not seeing her for a month, Chu Jinyao turned out to be like this?

The Marquis of Changxing looked at Chu Jinyao carefully, and finally smiled with satisfaction: "Not bad, it's much rounder, and not as thin as before. Very good."

Chu Jinyao's biggest regret now is probably that she is still a little dark. As her body gradually recovered, Chu Jinyao was no longer thin and weak, and her true appearance was gradually revealed. After all, she is the daughter of Marquis Changxing and Lady Zhao, both of whom were nobles in their time, so her background must be good. However, Chu Jinyao is more beautiful than her sister, Chu Jinxian. Her eyes are very beautiful, with round eyes and slightly upturned corners. The shape is very beautiful, and the eyeballs are very black and very moist. When she is not smiling, they are shining. When she smiles, it seems that thousands of stars fall into her eyes, which can simply shine into people's hearts. Chu Jinyao is only thirteen years old this year. When she grows up a little more and her eyes become whiter, she will definitely be more stunning.

Marquis Changxing nodded secretly. He put down the teacup in his hand and said to Lady Zhao who was sitting next to him: "You have raised her very well. Her manners are especially outstanding. You have put in a lot of effort."

Lady Zhao's smile immediately became a little stiff. Zhao packed up early today. She dressed up and wore very bright clothes. But the Marquis of Changxing didn't pay attention to her feelings. Instead, he kept drinking tea without any saltiness. Zhao couldn't help feeling upset. But Zhao didn't expect that when Chu Jinyao came, she would be looked at by the Marquis of Changxing. Zhao rarely got a compliment, and it was because of Chu Jinyao.

Chu Jinyao was flattered to hear that. Her manners were formed after Qin Yi's instruction and she hid in the house until Qin Yi was satisfied. Chu Jinyao thought this was the standard of aristocratic families, but in fact, it was mixed with many personal preferences.

Marquis Changxing thought that Chu Jinyao raised her neck when she saluted and walked, and she was not evasive when she spoke. Although she seemed not chaste and weak, she was much more pleasing to the eye than ordinary women who lowered their heads when they spoke, walked, and saluted. If it was a concubine or maid, Marquis Changxing liked women who were shy and submissive, and who bowed their heads very low. However, when it came to his legitimate daughter, he liked girls who were bright and generous, and who held their heads high and held their chests high in everything they did. Chu Jinyao did a good job of this. Chu Jinxian was taught by the old lady. Although she was well behaved, the Marquis of Changxing felt that his eldest daughter was too quiet and dignified. Chu Jinmiao was cold and bitter. Her sleeves fluttered when she walked. Although she looked like a willow in the wind, the Marquis of Changxing felt that she was not healthy.

He had two sets of standards for women and daughters.

The three sisters were all there, but he only praised Chu Jinyao. Chu Jinxian and Chu Jinmiao were inevitably embarrassed. Chu Jinyao was not proud at all after receiving the compliment. She did not take a seat, but walked to Chu Jinxian and greeted her: "Elder sister."

Chu Jinxian nodded. She was the eldest daughter, so why would she care about such a small matter? She said: "I can see that you have been working hard recently, which is very good. You just came back, so don't be anxious, just learn slowly, and don't let your father down."

"Thank you, elder sister."

Chu Jinyao greeted Chu Jinmiao again. In fact, their identities were a bit awkward. Although Chu Jinmiao was older than Chu Jinyao, she was not actually Chu Jinyao's sister. Chu Jinyao gave Chu Jinmiao enough face in front of so many people. Chu Jinmiao stood up reluctantly and responded with the courtesy of an equal.

Seeing his legitimate daughters greeting each other, the Marquis of Changxing was extremely proud. He nodded to Chu Jinxian with satisfaction: "Xian'er is becoming more and more like an elder sister. In this way, when you go to your husband's house, your father will not worry about you."

Chu Jinxian is seventeen this year. She was engaged to her cousin at the age of thirteen, and now she will soon be married. When Chu Jinxian heard what the Marquis of Changxing said, she stood up and said, "Thank you, father."

Chu Jinmiao's face was not very good. What did this mean? First he praised Chu Jinyao for being polite, and then he praised Chu Jinxian for being gentle. It means that these two sisters are friendly and respectful, and she, Chu Jinmiao, is completely an outsider? She is not his biological daughter, so he refuses to say a good word?

Zhao also felt that it was inappropriate. Seeing Chu Jinmiao's embarrassed face, she put her hand on the back of Chu Jinmiao's hand with heartache.

No one noticed the actions of Zhao's mother and daughter because the concubines and aunts came in. A group of people crowded the side room. Because Changxing Hou was there, several young masters also came. In the past, they would pay their respects to the girls at different times, but now that Changxing Hou was here, they didn't have to avoid him.

Changxing Hou looked at his wives, concubines, and children, and felt satisfied. He stood up and said loudly: "Let's go and have dinner."

There was no need to pay respects to Madam Chu today, so there was no need to rush to eat. Besides, they were the only family members, so there was less emphasis on the dinner table, and there was no need to avoid not talking while eating or sleeping. The second young master lost his appetite after moving his chopsticks a few times. He asked the Marquis of Changxing: "Father, I rarely saw you in the past few days. What were you busy with?"

Hearing the second young master's question, many people stopped eating and looked at the Marquis of Changxing. It seemed that since Chu Jinyao came back, the Marquis of Changxing suddenly became very busy, so busy that he didn't even come to the backyard a few times. The main wife, Zhao, and the two concubines, Huang and Furong, all wanted to know what happened. The Marquis of Changxing

sighed and said, "It's all because of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? The people in the Chu family were a little surprised. Zhao asked, "Why is it related to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"

Although the palace secrets last summer were said to be private affairs of the royal family and could not be made up, in fact, officials from almost all provinces knew about it. Shanxi, because of its geographical advantage, knows more.

This is at home, surrounded by wives, concubines, and children, and the Marquis of Changxing felt that there was no need to be evasive, so he said directly: "In June, the Northern Zhili transferred troops from Shanxi to join the Five Army Camp, and practiced with the Three Thousand Camp and the Shenji Camp in Huailai. The emperor brought the harem ladies to watch in person on the city wall. This was originally a good thing to promote national prestige. The soldiers under him rarely saw the emperor, and they wanted to show off in front of the emperor and the ladies. In order to show off, the Shenji Camp also took out many firearms. The empress saw firearms for the first time, and she was very curious, so she asked people to come and perform." When

the Marquis of Changxing said this, he picked up the tea to moisten his mouth. Chu Jinyao didn't understand the affairs of the palace and officialdom, but when she listened, she felt that something seemed wrong.

Troops were specially transferred from Shanxi. I'm afraid the scale of this exercise is not small. Moreover, the generals and soldiers are heroes for defending the border for the country and the people. The queen thought it was novel and interesting, so she called the people from the Shenjiying to perform for her... Was this a show?

Chu Jinyao thought it was inappropriate, but she secretly looked at other people and saw nothing strange. Chu Jinyao didn't know what was going on, so she didn't say anything and listened silently.

Changxing Hou put down the teacup and continued, "Originally, things were going well up to this point. If the queen likes it, then we, the ministers, should just follow her instructions. The Shenji Camp was demonstrating below, and the emperor and queen were excited, so they asked people to beat drums to cheer them up. A very popular maid in front of the queen volunteered to ask for permission, and the emperor was pleased and agreed."

When Changxing Hou said this, the others could no longer hold back and exclaimed. This... is too absurd. How can a woman beat drums for a major military event?

Obviously, Changxing Hou also thought it was absurd, but the queen was favored, and the emperor became more and more superstitious about alchemists in recent years, and favored the queen, and even ignored the affairs of the court. Everyone felt something was wrong that day. They watched a woman laughing and beating a drum on the city wall. The emperor was also talking and laughing with the young queen, and he was very happy. Even the chief minister of the inner cabinet could only smile along and dared not say anything more.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was there that day. When he saw the palace maids beating the drums, he went straight up the city wall to find the Emperor and the Empress. According to the adults who accompanied them on the city wall that day, the Crown Prince and the Emperor said that drums were important tools to boost the morale of the army, not toys. The army was lined up, and a woman was laughing and beating drums in front of the formation. How could this be? The Emperor was not very happy. The Empress was probably angry about the word "toy" and said a few words to the Crown Prince. The Emperor's face was also not good. Seeing that the situation was not right, the inner cabinet rushed out to speak for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the Grand Tutor also asked the Crown Prince to go down first." Changxing The marquis sighed and said, "Who could have imagined that the prince was fine at the time, and the adults all thought he was fine. Who knew that the prince took two steps, suddenly snatched the bow and arrow from the guard, turned around and shot the palace maid to death. Blood was seen in front of the guard, and the prime minister and the commander of the Jinyiwei were so scared that their faces turned pale, the ladies also screamed, and the tens of thousands of soldiers below saw the dead people on the city wall, and they were all in an uproar." When

the women of the Chu family heard that the prince had the guts to shoot a palace maid in front of everyone, and that this palace maid was a favorite of his mother, they covered their mouths with handkerchiefs in fear. When the Marquis of Changxing thought of the scene at that time, he wanted to sigh: "That's it. The emperor was furious and personally issued an order to let the prince go to Datong to guard the border. Datong often fought with the Tatars, and people died whenever they said so. How could the prince come to such a place? The elders of the inner cabinet took turns to plead for mercy,

but they all said that the emperor could not be moved. The prince was also stubborn and refused to give in to the queen. He actually ran to the border." The royal father and son had a deep gap. Although everyone didn't talk about this kind of thing, they all knew it in their hearts. This time, it was a complete fuss.

The news that the Crown Prince shot and killed his mother's maid spread throughout the court within a month. Now the Chu family heard it, and the second young master said: "Although the prince's trip was inappropriate, it was also for the purpose of maintaining military prestige, so it is understandable."

"We think it is understandable, but what about the emperor and the queen?" Changxing Hou couldn't say more, so he could only pass it by, "The prince was only sixteen years old at the time, young and energetic!"

Chu Jinyao heard the very light sneer in the jade pendant. Since knowing Qi Ze, in response to Qi Ze's strong request, Chu Jinyao could only change the rope and hang the jade pendant around her neck. Originally, she tied it around her waist. It is childish and cute to see a child wearing a life-saving chain around his neck. Chu Jinyao, who is so old, still hangs something around her neck. Chu Jinyao feels ashamed, but she can only bite her teeth and bear it.

Chu Jinyao blinked, almost suspecting that she heard it wrongly. Qi Ze is more vigilant than her. He never makes a sound when there are many people around. Now her father is sitting here, he shouldn't be able to hold back, right?

Chu Jinyao couldn't figure it out, so she had to put it aside for the time being. Maybe she was hallucinating.

Zhao couldn't help but ask: "The Marquis didn't come some time ago. Could it be that he was busy...

with the prince's affairs?" "Yes. The prince has arrived at the border. The swords and spears are merciless on the battlefield. The Tatars have also frequently disturbed the border this year. Who can rest assured?" Marquis Changxing stopped there. There was no need to tell the rest to the women in the inner house. Men don't interfere in the inner house, and women can't ask about the affairs of the court. Marquis Changxing and Zhao and others said this to let them know the situation in the palace. As for what he was really busy with some time ago, they couldn't tell them.

Zhao knew that Marquis Changxing was busy with serious matters outside, not keeping a mistress, and her heart was relieved all of a sudden. She had no interest in the prince's affairs. These big shots had nothing to do with her. The masters would take care of them. She only cared about the concubines and girls in the back house.

After finishing his meal, Marquis Changxing took the second young master and the other two illegitimate sons outside, presumably to continue talking about the prince. After Chu Jinyao respectfully saw her father off, she still felt a little regretful. She wanted to know what happened to the prince later.

Marquis Changxing left, and the young masters also left. Only the women were left in the room, and it was much easier to talk.

Zhao sat diagonally on the kang, Chu Jinmiao leaned on Zhao's hand, while Chu Jinxian stood opposite Zhao, standing upright with her hands behind her and slightly lowering her head. Chu Jinyao looked at Chu Jinmiao who was sitting next to Zhao, then looked at Chu Jinxian who was standing respectfully, and walked silently behind Chu Jinxian. With Chu Jinxian and Chu Jinyao taking the lead, the other illegitimate girl couldn't sit down and could only stand with Chu Jinyao and the others. The

legitimate daughters were standing, so how could she dare to sit?

When Zhao's maid saw that the girls were all standing, she hurriedly wanted to move a stool over, but Chu Jinxian shook her head and said it was not necessary. Zhao didn't care. She flipped through the account book in her hand and said, "It's time to pay the monthly allowance these days. According to the rules of our mansion, you girls get two taels of silver per month, and the maids get one tael of silver per month. The legitimate girls get four sets of clothes per season, and the illegitimate girls get two sets of clothes. If there are guests or if you go out, the jewelry will be made separately. If it's a birthday or a festival, the elders will give you another subsidy."

Chu Jinyao was shocked after hearing this. She remembered that one year their family's harvest was particularly good, and they got a total of 18 taels of silver. Su's father and mother were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling. The Su family only earned 17 or 18 taels of silver in a year, and this was a good year. The girls of the Chu family had no worries about food and clothing, and they could get two taels of silver every month. Chu Jinyao calculated silently. It seemed that as long as she spent less and saved her monthly allowance, by the end of the year, she would have more money than the Su family had worked hard for a year.

Chu Jinyao was shocked.

Before Chu Jinyao finished being shocked, Zhao turned a page of the account book and spoke again: "These are all fixed rules. The fifth girl just came back these few days. She is not like you who have clothes from previous years to change into. She needs to buy new clothes and jewelry. The old lady took out 100 taels from the public treasury, and she also gave another 100 taels. Your father and I also gave some money respectively. All in all, it's about 400 taels. In addition to renovating the yard, buying a bunk bed, a pearwood Tables, chairs, mahogany wardrobes, dressing tables, screens and other large items left a total of 150 taels. She made eight sets of winter dresses, a fur coat, and two spring single clothes, and bought some jewelry here and there, leaving 30 taels. "

When Chu Jinyao heard that she had 400 taels to her name, her heart beat faster in shock. Later, when she heard that the 400 taels had been spent, her heart was up and down, but now she is no longer surprised.

Chu Jinyao did not expect that in less than a month, her family had spent almost 400 taels on her... But most of it was furniture, which can be used for a long time after spending money once, and she also bought a lot of clothes at one time, which is scary.

When Chu Jinyao was a farmer, she tried to be frugal in her clothes, but now the environment is completely different. Chu Jinyao also knows that she cannot be stingy with clothes and jewelry, otherwise it will bring shame to the first house. Especially since Chu Jinyao has a special status, she cannot be frugal.

Chu Jinyao suddenly felt that the two taels of money per month was not enough at all.

Not only Chu Jinyao was frightened by the four hundred taels, but the other girls were also surprised when they heard it suddenly. Four hundred taels... As expected, they are biological children after all, so it is different.

Zhao looked at Chu Jinyao and said, "I will give you the remaining thirty taels, and you can keep it for yourself."

Chu Jinyao hesitated for only a moment, then said, "I am young and cannot manage so much money. I'd better trouble mother to keep it for me."

"You can keep it yourself. I don't need this little money. You have to learn these things anyway."

Chu Jinyao still didn't dare to agree. Chu Jinxian said, "You are also at the age to learn to be a housekeeper. Mother wants to train you. Take it."

With Chu Jinxian's words, Chu Jinyao was finally relieved. He bowed and said, "Thank you, mother."

Zhao asked the maid to take the pair of cards and go to the account office to withdraw thirty taels of silver. While the maids were going back and forth, Zhao warned the girls in the first room: "The aunt will be back in a few days. The old lady is considerate and has given each of you a piece of brocade. You should know the importance of it. Don't lose the dignity of the Changxing Marquisate in front of the aunt because you are reluctant to give it up. This is losing the big picture for the small one. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Several girls agreed in unison.

Zhao added: "Brocade is a precious material after all. If you are not sure how to use it, send it to the needlework room and let the embroiderer help you make clothes. If you have a pattern you like, you can ask the embroiderer to embroider it together, or you can embroider it yourself. It's up to you."

Chu Jinyao agreed with the girls. Although her face showed no expression, she was thinking in her heart, she could make clothes, but embroidery? Chu Jinyao found it mysterious. Moreover, even if the married daughters were guests, she was her aunt after all, why did she have to be so armed as if facing a powerful enemy? Not to mention that all the clothes were made new, even the embroidery on the clothes had to be reminded by Zhao herself.

Did Aunt Chuzhu really come back to her parents' home this time just to visit her parents? What exactly did she and Old Madam Chu want to do?

The author has something to say: Qin Yi: I, the prince, have such a bad temper.