Chu Jinyao hesitated for a moment, then turned back to Linglong and said, "Wait for me here for a while."

Linglong was surprised: "Girl!"

"We all saw it, it's not good to turn a blind eye."

Chu Jinyao walked into the pavilion, and Linglong stayed outside, standing in a position where she could see but not hear.

"Your Highness." Chu Jinyao saluted with her back to Qin Yi.

Qin Yi turned around and found Chu Jinyao still standing far away. He felt a little strange: "Why are you standing so far away?"

Chu Jinyao paused, shook her head and said: "I came to write to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Oh?" Chu Jinyao was still so distant, Qin Yi also chatted with her, "Thank me for what?"

Chu Jinyao didn't know how to thank the Crown Prince for standing up for her. The Crown Prince just said that the county lord should be disciplined. It would be too embarrassing if she took it personally, so she said tactfully: "Thank you, Crown Prince, for giving me medicine yesterday and sending me back to the hospital."

"Didn't you say you didn't see me yesterday?" Qin Yi said, "Why did you say all this later?"

Chu Jinyao became more and more embarrassed. She knew that what she said today had offended this gentleman, but the situation was more complicated than the person. Chu Jinyao could only say: "The situation was special at that time. I was also forced to do so. The prince will definitely understand."

"I can't understand."

Chu Jinyao gritted her teeth and said with difficulty: "Can you?"

Qin Yi chuckled. Sure enough, every time he was in a bad mood, he would come to Chu Jinyao. She was simply a live treasure. After not seeing her for a few months, she became more and more dazed.

The prince laughed inexplicably. Chu Jinyao didn't understand why, so she could only wait awkwardly for Qin Yi to finish laughing. Fortunately, after Qin Yi finished laughing, he stopped teasing Chu Jinyao and said generously, "Okay, no one will mention this matter, you can rest assured."

Chu Jinyao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly saluted Qin Yi: "Your Highness is a man of his word, you won't go back on your word, right?"

Qin Yi looked at her with amusement: "You still dare to question me?"

"No." Chu Jinyao denied it flatly, and her attitude was as obedient as possible. She got the guarantee, and her heart was finally at ease, so she took the initiative to resign: "I dare not disturb Your Highness, I will leave first."

"Wait." Qin Yi called her, and his eyes were very strange at this moment, "You are not real, are you?"

"Ah?" Chu Jinyao looked puzzled, what is real or fake? Of course she is real, how can she be a fake person?

"Okay, I get it." Qin Yi was speechless. Yesterday he thought Chu Jinyao was unfamiliar with him, but now he realized that this silly girl really didn't realize that he was a human. Qin Yi wanted to dissect Chu Jinyao's brain to see what was inside. Such an obvious thing, anyone with eyes could see it, but she didn't recognize him yet?

Qin Yi was so angry that he didn't want to talk. He simply put on airs as well. He wanted to see when this idiot could realize this.

Qin Yi made up his mind not to remind Chu Jinyao anymore, and his attitude deliberately became distant. Qin Yi said, "I get it, you can go."

Chu Jinyao felt puzzled. After she agreed, she really turned around and left.

Qin Yi was left standing there, squinting his eyes.

As for the old princess, she had been immersed in a cloud of sorrow since she sent the prince away.

The county lady was still crying, and the princess of the county sat beside her and also cried. The old princess was so upset that she had to let the maid help her out.

Lan Ze helped the old princess to the Luohan bed, and thoughtfully put a pillow behind her. She asked, "Grandfather, what are you going to do?"

"What can I do?" The old princess was very unhappy. "She has been spoiled into this temper. She doesn't care about the future. Her mother protects her no matter what happens. What can I say?"

Lan Ze didn't know how to respond. She paused for a while and said indirectly, "The matter today... made the prince unhappy. This matter must be resolved. Grandfather, everyone in the palace is waiting for you to make a decision. What do you think we should do?" The

old princess knew this. She was angry, but the matter had to be resolved. She leaned on the pillow and thought for a while, then whispered, "Call the prince over."

Lan Ze's eyes flashed, and he retreated in response.

Lin Xiyuan had been following Prince Huailing for the past few days and had very little free time. But when he heard the old princess calling him, he still found time to come.

"Grandma, you're looking for me?"

The old princess dismissed everyone, leaving only Lan Ze and Xia Bo guarding the door outside. The old princess looked Lin Xiyuan up and down, smiled and nodded, saying: "Yuan'er has grown up."

Lin Xiyuan was frightened by the old princess' attitude. He frowned and said uncomfortably: "Grandma, what do you want to tell me?"

"You are already seventeen this year." The old princess did not answer, but sighed, "In the blink of an eye, you have grown up so much."

Lin Xiyuan waited quietly for the old princess to continue. Sure enough, the old princess sighed for a while, then raised her eyes, looked at him with a smile, and asked: "Yuan'er, you are also at the age to get married. Do you like it?"

Lin Xiyuan thought it was ridiculous. He frowned and refused: "Grandma, I am only seventeen and have not even entered the officialdom. Why do I get married so early?"

"What do you mean it's too early?" The old princess scolded, "You are already seventeen. The children of wealthy families usually get engaged at fifteen or sixteen, get married at seventeen, and should be fathers at eighteen!"

Lin Xiyuan felt speechless and replied, "Grandmother, the prince is already eighteen, but he hasn't married or had children yet!" The

old princess slapped Lin Xiyuan and said, "How dare you compare yourself with the prince! He is the prince, and at that time, other people That's another matter. Besides, maybe the prince's wedding is coming soon. "

Lin Xiyuan raised his eyebrows and sighed, "Grandmother, you and mother... still can't let go of this matter?"

As a peer, Lin Xiyuan's intuition about Qin Yi is much sharper than that of his elders. His father, mother, and grandmother are all trying hard to dream of becoming the crown princess, but Lin Xiyuan feels that... the prince is not the kind of person who will let others influence him.

No matter how well the Huailing County Prince's Mansion does, if the prince is not willing, it will be like drawing water with a bamboo basket and an illusion in the water.

The old princess didn't like what Lin Xiyuan said. She slightly emphasized her tone and said, "Yuan'er, your mother and your sister are still in there, don't say such sad words anymore."

Lin Xiyuan smiled and chose to shut up.

The old princess probably felt that her tone was too harsh, so she relaxed her expression and continued, "Yuan'er, no matter what the prince is like, you are old enough to get married. If you are not used to it, then settle it first and wait until next year to get married."

"No!" Lin Xiyuan said, "Grandma, there is no need to rush, why are you forcing me?"

"Now you think that I, an old woman, am forcing you. Once you get married, you will know what is good and understand my painstaking efforts." The old princess said stubbornly, "Although it is the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words, a forced marriage is not sweet. Your wife is the one you will spend the rest of your life with. It is better for you to know who she is in advance than to be in the dark when the time comes. What do you think, how about temporarily marrying the fifth young lady in our palace?"

Fifth young lady? Lin Xiyuan's heart was lifted up all of a sudden, he asked: "Which fifth young lady?"

"Who else could there be? She is the only fifth in the palace." The old princess could only make it clear, "It's the fifth young lady of the Chu family, whose maiden name is Jinyao. Her grandmother intends to marry into our family."

It was Chu Jinyao. Lin Xiyuan's mind was confused, and he suddenly felt that getting married was not something he could resist. He hesitated for a moment and said vaguely, "My grandson dares not disobey my grandmother. Please let me make the arrangements."

Oh, he was still resisting just now, but now it suddenly became "my grandmother's arrangements"? The old princess knew what was going on. She looked at Lin Xiyuan with a reproachful look. In the end, she was reluctant to punish her eldest grandson.

The old princess said, "Since you have no objection, I will mention it to your father and mother tonight and it will be settled. You have already settled your own affairs, but you can't just ignore your biological sister, right?"

Lin Xiyuan was really convinced and quickly said, "Grandmother, what exactly do you want me to do? Just tell me!"

The old lady said, "It's nothing. I just want to invite the prince to a banquet in your name. When the time comes, you can invite the other children in our family. It will be more lively with more people! You young people are of similar age, and you will definitely have something to talk about when you get together. Take this opportunity to talk to the prince about Baozhu yesterday."

Lin Xiyuan understood that it was to host a banquet in his name and invite the prince out. With his brother watching, the county lord and others could also attend. And the old princess meant that it would be best to take this opportunity to make the prince change his mind about Lin Baozhu.

To put it bluntly, the old princess still wanted to make Lin Baozhu the crown princess.

Lin Xiyuan sighed, but he had other ideas and was reluctant to refuse, so he said, "Okay, I'll give it a try, but I can't guarantee whether the crown prince will accept the invitation."

The old princess naturally agreed, "No problem, just go for it."

Lin Xiyuan didn't talk to the old princess about her daily life in recent days, and then he said goodbye and left. He opened the door, and a person suddenly rushed in from outside.

Lin Xiyuan was startled and quickly reached out to support the person. After seeing clearly, Lin Xiyuan smiled and said, "It turned out to be Sister Lan Ze, you should watch your feet."

Lan Ze smiled embarrassedly and waited for a long time before standing up straight. She lowered her head and whispered, "Thank you for your concern, Prince."

Lin Xiyuan smiled again, not taking it to heart, and strode out the door.

That night, after hearing about this, the Princess of the County was stunned: "Mother, what did you say?"

The old princess smiled kindly: "I just said it, whether it will succeed or not, you and your wife have to discuss it together."

The Prince of Huailing thought it was nothing. He didn't even know who the fifth lady of the Chu family was. Since his mother said so, it must be good. The Prince of Huailing said: "Since mother is willing, then let's do it."

The Princess of the County glared at the Prince of Huailing from the side. She only saw that the old princess was willing, why didn't she ask her if she was willing or not? She is Yuan'er's biological mother. Marriage is decided by parents. How can a grandmother bypass her daughter-in-law to get her eldest grandson engaged? This hand is too long.

The princess tentatively said: "Mother, it is a good thing that the fifth lady of the Chu family has caught your eye, but marriage is a big deal and it should not be taken lightly. Moreover, Yuan'er's wife will take care of the entire palace. It is not a good decision to make so hastily, right?"

Before the old princess expressed her opinion, the prince of Huailing was angry. He widened his eyes and scolded: "Filial piety comes first. Mother has spoken. How dare you be dissatisfied with her decision?"

The princess was scolded and said hurriedly: "I am not dissatisfied. I just... discussed it with my mother."

The prince of Huailing snorted coldly and turned his face away. The princess was very embarrassed and did not dare to mention it again.

After returning to her own courtyard, the Princess couldn't help but scold the maid: "Yuan'er is my son, and I, the mother-in-law, should choose his daughter-in-law. How can she take over my duties and have the final say? And the prince is the same, foolish and filial! In his eyes, there is only his biological mother, and I, the principal wife, have no weight at all. He doesn't even look at who gives birth to his children and takes care of the household affairs!"

The Princess burst into tears while talking, and the maid cried with her. They had just finished cleaning up when they heard the servant say, "Princess, Miss Yang is here."

Chu Jinyao had just cleaned up the dried petals in the yard when she saw a maid from the old Princess's yard coming in. As soon as the maid entered the room, she praised: "Hey, the fifth lady is fiddle with the flower petals? The fifth lady is really leisurely and elegant."

"I dare not." Chu Jinyao said with a smile, "I just feel sorry to see these petals fall to the ground. I have never seen such a beautiful blue and purple color! Let's not talk about this. What are you doing here, sister?"

The maid who reported the news smiled and said, "The ancestor asked me to inform the young ladies that the prince will host the banquet the day after tomorrow and invite all the young ladies to enjoy the flowers and drink wine."

Chu Jinyao felt that it was a bit forced, so she declined: "The prince is holding a banquet, the county lord and my cousins ​​can go, it is not appropriate for me to go."

"Why is it inappropriate?" The maid said, "The Fifth Miss is as close to us as our own girls. The Prince is the brother of the county lord, and he is also the brother of the Fifth Miss. How can it be inappropriate for her to go to her brother's banquet? The Prince said that the Fifth Miss must come when the time comes. If the girl is unwilling to go, she does not treat the county lord and the Prince as her own family."

Chu Jinyao thought that they were not her own family, but the other party had said so much, and she would be ignorant of the good and the bad if she refused. So Chu Jinyao had to nod and said, "I know, thank you sister for coming to deliver the message. Kikyo, send sister out."

When the day came, Chu Jinyao dressed up casually, wearing a white shirt and a light purple horse-faced skirt with a Baoxiang flower, trying her best to keep herself at a level that was neither outstanding nor rude, and then took Linglong out.

Lin Xiyuan chose a place in the garden, a half-open courtyard, where one can rest and play, with a lotus pond at the back and two weeping crabapples planted in the corners. Just from the banquet area, one can tell the host's intentions.

After entering, Chu Jinyao immediately knew why Lin Xiyuan was so attentive, he even invited the prince.

When Chu Jinyao stepped into the courtyard, the first thing he saw was Yang Qixia standing in the middle of the courtyard. Yang Qixia saw her and came up to her with a smile: "Fifth sister is here! Fifth sister is so beautiful, with you as a pearl in front of her, I'm afraid we can't even look at her. The title of the most beautiful woman in the palace must be fifth sister!"

The county lord and Lin Baoying were in the palace, how could Chu Jinyao dare to let Yang Qixia really give her the title of beauty. Chu Jinyao smiled and declined: "Sister Yang is really good at joking, I am not even one tenth of you? Besides, who in the palace can compare with the county lord's nobleness and beauty, sister Yang, don't you think so?"

Chu Jinyao left the words here, Yang Qixia didn't know how to respond, she smiled and said: "Fifth sister is really eloquent." Then she didn't continue the topic.

After Chu Jinyao blocked Yang Qixia and sent her back, she was secretly wondering what happened to Yang Qixia. In the past, even if she didn't respond, Yang Qixia would always secretly provoke her. This was the first time that she was scolded right away.

Yang Qixia and Chu Jinyao were standing here talking, and soon alarmed the people inside. A maid came out and said with a smile: "Miss Yang, Fifth Miss, why don't you go inside after you come?"

Chu Jinyao smiled and replied: "I'm coming." Then she turned around and looked at Yang Qixia: "Sister Yang, are we leaving?"

"Let's go." Yang Qixia smiled and took the initiative to step forward and hold Chu Jinyao's arm. Yang Qixia came over and deliberately showed Chu Jinyao the hollow gold hairpin on her bun: "Fifth sister, look, this was given to me by Aunt Princess. I heard that it was the dowry left by my grandmother to Aunt Princess. It was said to be a family heirloom, and that Aunt Princess would pass it on to her daughter-in-law in the future. Aunt Princess is really generous to give me such a thing. By the way, fifth sister, you and the Second Madam are also aunt and niece. Why haven't I seen you go to the Second Madam's room these days?"

Chu Jinyao glanced at the gold hairpin in Yang Qixia's hair. It was indeed delicately crafted and very old. So, was this why Yang Qixia deliberately targeted her today?

Sure enough, there was a disagreement between the old Princess and the Princess of the County. For the old princess, the granddaughters of the two daughters-in-law are all relatives, so it doesn't matter who stays. But for the Princess of the County, what's the matter with giving up her son's position as the principal wife to Chu Zhu's niece? Will she sit back and watch her daughters-in-law collude with the second house to make trouble for her in the future?

How could the Princess of the County tolerate such a thing? Yang Qixia happened to run into her at this juncture. The Yang family always sent Yang Qixia to the Prince's Mansion for a short stay, and the Princess of the County never said anything. The two parties probably had this plan a long time ago.

Yang Qixia came to demonstrate in front of her. Chu Jinyao saw it clearly, but was too lazy to get involved. Marriage is a union of two surnames. Let the elders of the family argue. She just waits quietly for the final result.

After Chu Jinyao understood Yang Qixia's thoughts, she was too lazy to pay attention to her and found a place to sit as soon as she entered the house. After a while, the county lord came, and everyone gathered outside, clamoring as if they wanted to compose poetry. Chu Jinyao felt bored, so she went to sit in another room.

This room was in the innermost room and was very quiet. There was a chessboard by the window, and it seemed that the game was halfway through.

Chu Jinyao was so curious that she went over. She didn't have the conditions when she was a child, which led to her lack of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but even so, she couldn't stop her curiosity.

Chu Jinyao sat next to the white piece and was eager to try it on the chessboard. But she was really not good at chess. She placed a lot of chess pieces in a hurry. The black pieces on the board were immediately drowned by the white pieces.

Chu Jinyao was having a great time playing, but suddenly a voice came from behind: "What are you doing?"

Chu Jinyao was startled and wanted to stand up immediately, but she stepped on the corner of her skirt and almost fell down. Qin Yi stretched out his hand to support her forearm. Chu Jinmiao's downward force was not weak, but Qin Yi's hand was steady, not even shaking.

Qin Yi sighed, it seemed that he had gotten used to Chu Jinyao. With Qin Yi's support, Chu Jinyao stood up quickly. After she stood up, she almost jumped out of the window: "Your Highness?"

"Surprised." Qin Yi lowered his head to look at his unfinished chess game. When he saw Chu Jinyao's masterpiece, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Chu Jinyao's face flushed: "Your Highness, could this be your chess?"

"What else?" Qin Yi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "You don't know how to play chess?"

He soon got the answer. Chu Jinyao was taught to write by him, so how could he play chess.

Chu Jinyao was caught by the owner of the game, and his face flushed with embarrassment. She whispered, "Since the prince wants to play chess, I won't disturb His Highness's interest. I'll go out first."

"You messed up a good game like this, and you're leaving now?"

"Then...what should I do?"

Qin Yi sat down opposite him and nodded to Chu Jinyao, "Sit down."

Chu Jinyao sat down obediently, thinking that the prince was going to scold him, but unexpectedly Qin Yi said, "Pick up the white pieces, I'll teach you how to play chess."

The author has something to say: Qin Yi, who is suspected of having obsessive-compulsive disorder, please call him by his full name, Qin·Don't teach all uncomfortable ski·Yi.